Making your Blog Sticky

Just wanted to share two excellent post's about the business of blogging from my Professor, he doesn't know he is my professor, he doesn't even know me, but I learn a lot from Darren Rowse of ProBlogger

21 Ways To Make Your Blog Sticky

8 Useful Tips for Building Your Mommy Blog Into a Business

If you like these great post's that I discovered, check me out on FriendFeed I have tons more!

Thanks,
Elizabeth

Twitter Fan Wiki

If you love Twitter like I do, then you need to check out Twitter Fan Wiki. They have lots of links there. When I first started using Twitter, I did not know that you could get tweets from everything from weather, to celebrity news, to breaking news. I thought you could only follow people, which is also fun. Check out Twitter Fan Wiki and check out all of the many neat links.

Follow Me on Twitter

If You Hear Any Noise, It Ain't The Boys...

It's Lady Bloggers. Just read a very interesting article: North x East's Fifty Most Influential Female Bloggers and I must say, I just loved the comments! The article was written by Jarrko Laine, who by the way is a man! It was an interesting article with some very impresssive ladies. Be sure and read the comments.

That article lead me to a neat blog post Girly Geekdom: I'm Just a Girl .

Now I have a question: Does anyone know of any Native American Bloggers of either sex?

Twitter Those Pounds Off

Acccording to a recent article in The US News & World Report, there are 4 Ways a Food Diary Can Help You Lose Weight. So many doctors and nutritionists recommend keeping a food diary when trying to lose weight.
According to the excellent article by Kathering Hobson here is a recap of the 4 reasons:

1. It's simple
2. It's eye opening
3. It helps you track your progress
4. You're accountable to someone.

It says to record what you eat on paper or use an online diary. Now, being the Social Networking Maven that I am, when I read this I thought why not Twitter? With Twitter you can chronicle your diet alone and personal or public for everyone to see, or you can have your support group join you on Twitter and form a group to track what you and your friends are doing, and have this group private if you want to!

Twitter is Micro Blogging. You set up an account (free) and you can start posting right away, in 140 characters or less. Now if 140 characters are not enough for you (and it probably will be) you can link your online diary to your Twitter account and update your group in real time that you have a new entry in your diet diary.

Twitter is way better than Instant Messaging and Email. Check it out for your self, I love it!

Now a disclaimer of sorts: Twitter is addictive! You will find your self checking your Tweets and your friends Tweets often. Be sure if you want your Twitter account to be private you need to configure this in your settings, because the default is public.

Follow Me on Twitter

Twitter for You, Your Biz and More!

A couple of months ago I discovered Twitter. I had seen on people's blog or web site "Follow Me On Twitter" well I wanted to see what Twitter was all about!

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send updates (otherwise known as tweets) which are text-based posts, ranging up to 140 characters long.
You can be public or private with Twitter.

People choose to follow you on Twitter and you can choose to follow people and well it is just the neatest thing. According to Wikipedia more and more people are using Twitter for many different reasons. Everyone from Dell Computers to CNN to the Los Angeles Fire Department are using Twitter.

For example, lets say you have a couple of blogs that you have and you have a lot of readers or even a few readers, when you sign up for Twitter you can send out a Tweet everytime you post an entry in your blog. See you can include a link in your Tweets! Or you have family and friends in your circle that you want to keep up with privately you can also do that on Twitter.

The uses for Twitter are unlimited. Businesses are using Twitter to keep their customers informed. Almost any business can in some way use Twitter. Individual's and groups can also benefit from Twitter. Make sure you determine whether your profile or group should be private or public and then reap the benefits of Twitter.

Some Twitter Reading:
Twitter Fan Wiki
Business all aTwitter
Tweet Your Pain

Listen My Children and Ye Shall Hear...

The midnight ride of William Dawes, what?? never heard of him? How about Paul Revere, I know you have heard of him. William Dawes was one of the three men who alerted Colonial Minutemen of the approach of the British army Troops.

If you have ever wondered why the whole world knows of Paul Revere and very little of the other 3 men, that is because Paul Revere was a Maven and A connector , he knew everything about the British and he knew exactly who to tell in his famous ride. That analogy came from the book The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell in 2000, and his analogy of Paul & his connections are making the internet rounds again.

I also like his story of Hush Puppies, you know those cute shoes that are so comfortable. A group of teenage boys in East Village started wearing Hush Puppies. Word got around about the sudden popularity of Hush Puppies and all of a sudden the demand for the suede shoes was unreal.

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference has many intresting insights into social phenomenon and how you can find your Tipping point.

Becoming an Affiliate

Becoming an affiliate is one of the great things you can do for your blog and your readers, oh yeah and you too! LinkShare and Amazon.com are 2 of the best. Both are free to join. You need to sign up to get the ball rolling, and start earning a little income from your blog. Because when people click on your product links on your blog and buy something you get paid!

To get started in the world of Affiliate Marketing, you may want to start with Amazon.com. Go to Amazon.com and scroll to the bottom of the page and see where it says join associates, well click that to get started.

Do you have a hobby or interest? Then find products that you are interested in to write about and share your knowledge. After you get the hang of the affiliate world you can have your own Amazon.com A Store.
Check out my A Store on all things New Orleans Saints, of course you don't have to wait till you get the hang of it, just go full steam ahead.

Just be sincere and genuine about your products that you are selling. Because you cross a fine line into the world of spam if you have all banners and no content.

Affiliate selling is fun and with LinkShare and Amazon.com it is free. So...what are you waiting for at least get out there and check them out.

Write a Great Blog and The Search Engines Will Find You

If you are just starting your blogging biz, don't get so wraped up in worrying about search engines and the like. To quote a very wise blogger: Content is not just king, content is KING KONG! If you have an interesting and informative blog, people and search engines will find you. And if they don't (they will though) you can just ping!! Pinging your blog is a subject we will cover later. Just remember: Content, Content, Content.

One Of The Best Books on Blogging

One of the best books on blogging is Buzz Marketing with Blogs For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance)). I know I sound like a broken record on this one, but it really is that good. I have had this book since 2005 and I still refer to it!

Here is a review from Amazon.com:

If you’re new to blogging, or if you know the mechanics of a blog but want some help refining and targeting yours, Buzz Marketing With Blogs For Dummies will get you going right away. An expert blogger shows you the ins and outs of putting together a professional-looking blog, walks you through the jargon, helps you decide what your blog should do, and even explains various software solutions.

You’ll find out how to:

• Set up and maintain a blog, write in blogging style, and observe blogging etiquette.
• Define your audience and target your blog to reach them.
• Involve your customers, earn their trust, educate the public, and build community.
• Avoid possible legal pitfalls while keeping your blog interesting.
• Encourage contributions and links to your blog.
• Use images and design an eye-catching format.
• Optimize your blog for top search engine ratings, track your results, and measure your success.

Written by Susannah Gardner, who has taught online journalism, directed multimedia efforts, and provided custom Web solutions to clients, Buzz Marketing with Blogs For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance)) even shares tips from the experts who establish and maintain some of the top-rated business blogs. You’ll discover the secrets of success, how to spot and solve problems, what software can enhance your blogging life, and a whole lot more. It like having a staff of experts on call!

It's That Simple, Just Grab Yer Blog!

Ok so you have blogged on MySpace & Eons and you've got the hang of this blogging thing. You have decided that your next boss really should be you. At Your Blog Biz we are getting you ready to earn money from your blog, step by step.

I have discovered that Blogger has the best blog. Blogger is free and easy, very easy.
First you sign up, then you pick the name of your blog. Pick a name that reflects you and/or your business. You also get to pick an url for your blog. For example, I chose yourblogbiz.blogspot.com and it was available. If your chosen url is taken they will let you know and you get to choose another. An url is you blog's web address, and also you can include the url to your blog on your social networking sites, where your friends and fans can find you.

You now have your chosen url for your blog, now you get to pick the template for your blog. Blogger is so easy they take you to the next step all the way. A template is the face for your blog, the templates are lined up just for you to pick the one you like.

You really can start blogging now if you want to, check your spelling hit publish and you are well on your way! Check your blog often and always acknowledge your comments.

Buzz Marketing with Blogs For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance)) was one of the first books on blogging I read and I still refer to it.

Ok class dismissed, now get out there and blog. Next time we're going to get us a Statcounter, then we're going to Ping and then when we are good and gussied up we are going to start selling!

5 Influential Books All Bloggers Should Know, Plus 1

As many of you know I am a big fan of Darren Rowse, he is the ProBlogger. I follow Darren on Twitter and StumbleUpon. His web site is chock full of great info on blogging. I would like to share a post he had today by his co-author Chris Garrett:
5 Influential Books All Bloggers Should Know

Darren & Chris wrote the book ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income, which they very modestly left off the list. ProBlogger Secrets should be on the list and required reading for the blogger & wanna be blogger.

And the 5 Most Influential Books Are:
Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
Book Review (From Amazon.com)
You're either a Purple Cow or you're not. You're either remarkable or invisible. Make your choice. What do Starbucks and JetBlue and KrispyKreme and Apple and DutchBoy and Kensington and Zespri and Hard Candy have that you don't? How do they continue to confound critics and achieve spectacular growth, leaving behind former tried-and true brands to gasp their last?

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It
Review (From Me)
Work smarter, not longer. Period.

The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual
Review (From Amazon.com)
Authors Christopher Locke, Rick Levine, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger show how the Internet is turning business upside down. They proclaim that, thanks to conversations taking place on Web sites and message boards, and in e-mail and chat rooms, employees and customers alike have found voices that undermine the traditional command-and-control hierarchy that organizes most corporate marketing groups. "Markets are conversations," the authors write, and those conversations are "getting smarter faster than most companies." In their view, the lowly customer service rep wields far more power and influence in today's marketplace than the well-oiled front office PR machine. Note from me: I really agree with the part about the lowly cust. service rep. Too bad the big companies of the world do not know this! Well maybe if they ...oh don't get me started.


The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More
Review (From Publishers Weekly)
These "countless niches" are market opportunities for those who cast a wide net and de-emphasize the search for blockbusters. It's a provocative analysis and almost certainly on target—though Anderson's assurances that these principles are equally applicable outside the media and entertainment industries are not entirely convincing. The book overuses its examples from Google, Rhapsody, iTunes, Amazon, Netflix and eBay, and it doesn't help that most of the charts of "Long Tail" curves look the same. But Anderson manages to explain a murky trend in clear language, giving entrepreneurs and the rest of us plenty to think about.

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Review (From Amazon.com)
Gladwell's The Tipping Point has quite a few interesting twists on the subject.
For example, Paul Revere was able to galvanize the forces of resistance so effectively in part because he was what Gladwell calls a "Connector": he knew just about everybody, particularly the revolutionary leaders in each of the towns that he rode through. But Revere "wasn't just the man with the biggest Rolodex in colonial Boston," he was also a "Maven" who gathered extensive information about the British. He knew what was going on and he knew exactly whom to tell. The phenomenon continues to this day--think of how often you've received information in an e-mail message that had been forwarded at least half a dozen times before reaching you.

So there you have it. Books to help you move your blog to the next level. There are more great books out there and I'll bring them to you as I find them.

The 3 and Only

There have been 3 ways and 3 ways only that I have made money on line.
They are:
ebay
Affiliate Programs
My Online Travel Biz
Now ebay we will probably never cover, it more or less speaks for it's self. My Travel Biz we will get into much later.

That leaves my Affiliate programs. The only 1 out of the 3 that is completely free.

It is very simple: Get a free blog (Blogger!) sign up with Amazon.com and/or LinkShare.com. Blogger.com offers the best free blog that I know of. Amazon.com is one of the best and oldest affiliate programs, and Linkshare is great. There are many affiliate programs out there, but these are 2 of the very best!

Here is Wikipedia's explanation on Affiliate Marketing. Simple enough!

The real challenge is finding your groove and improving your game. I have researched successful blogs and bloggers for years and would love to share what I have discovered.