Avoid frequent blog changes such as blog name or domain
One of the worst things a blogger could do is change his domain name or blog name. Luckily there are tools that automatically redirect your reader to your new address. Still, the name and the reputation your blog has made will be of no use once you change your blog name.
Try exploring new technologies
As blogging becomes more popular and more people build their own blogs, different tools and software applications are also evolving. These tools and applications will definitely make some of your blogging chores easier and faster to complete. Some may cost a little, but with trial tools you can have a taste of possible improvements on your blog at no risk.
Join networking communities
Read other people’s blogs and comment on it. Join various networking groups. In that way, you will meet new people with the same interest as yours. With network communities, new ideas and technologies are shared; tips and tricks to usual blogging issues and problems are also posted. Various activities and events are also organized and sponsored by these network affiliates and some of them are open only to their members.
Schedule tasks
Now that you have outlined most of the important things you should accomplish the next thing to do is just keep it going. Once you get the hang of it you will be surprised on how organize your blog has become.
This list could go forever. The important thing to do is keep improving your blog. It may sound tedious but if it is what it takes for your blog to continue surviving then its all worth the try.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This also applies in blogging. At first it may seems all fun and entertaining. Until one day you realize your blog is already cluttered with uninteresting posts, marketing ads and banners, videos and photos, and fewer readers are interacting on your blog. This may be the right time to slow down and evaluate every detail of your blog. And I mean every DETAIL.
Reevaluate designs, posts, titles
It would help if you ask the opinions of your readers. The best people to ask around are those who are using and consuming your blog. You might be surprise of what they think about your blog. Modifications on your blog can be done one at a time. From color patterns, text fonts, navigation tools to various marketing ads, new features and functionalities. There is always room for improvement.
Think of other ways to earn form blogging
Blogging is so big now that you could not possibly take advantage of all income-generating ways available on the internet on your own. But one thing is for sure, you could earn more! Assess your current advertisements - links, banners, etc. Does it really add values to your blogs or just some clutter that consumes so much space?
Ask for donations
Assuming your blog supports a concern or cause in some manner, why not ask for a little monetary help. There are loyal and grateful members who are willing to extend some help on something they believe in and would want to support. To them, it somehow makes a difference on other people’s lives. Services like Paypal can assist you in putting a simple “donation” button on your blog to take care of the collection.
Post a paid advertisement
Some bloggers are willing to be paid to promote, endorse or cover certain products, services or issues. Of course this will work if you have the integrity and qualities advertisers look for. Your readers trust your opinions and value what you might suggest on a particular topic, product or service.
Tool in extending your market
This is not a direct cash in-flow income. But still it could increase your sales growth. Use your blog to further promote or support your products and services. It could serve as an extension to your website where consumers and readers can give opinions and feedbacks. Some members may give recommendations on new products and services others may want to try.
Below are simple suggestions on how to take your blog to the next level that means making it earn and profit even while you are sleeping. These are already proven and tried by many bloggers. You may ask which one is the best. Well, that will depend on how much you are willing to learn, amount of time you have to further enhance your blog, how many readers and members you have, etc.
Sell advertisement space
It is no doubt that offering advertisement spaces on your blog remains the most widely used means in making extra cash. Adsense and Blogads are two popular services for ad programs. For every click on a specific ad, Adsense will pay the publisher a specific rate. The ads come in 3 format styles and are related to the content of your blog. So if your blog is about good entrepreneurship books that you have read expect Adsense to give you ads associated with different books on entrepreneurship and other related topics. On the other hand, Blogads charges a certain percentage of the publisher’s net income for each ad placement. The remaining of the income is sent to the publisher through Paypal or by check once you attain a predetermined amount.
Help other people sell products and services
You could mention a specific book on one of your book reviews. Once click by a reader, it shall go to Amazon.com or LinkShare pages where more detailed information about that book are available. These companies pay a certain commission once the reader decided to purchase something.
Put text links
For those publishers who want to avoid space consuming ads, text links may be the one for you. It is a link present on the publisher’s site. The objective of the advertiser is to boost the value of specific sites in search engines. Most text links are placed on non-premium locations such as the bottom of the pages. Text links are recommended for bloggers who want more control of the ads on their sites. They can easily select which text links are relevant to their sites.
Sell your own products
If you think you have the charisma and what it takes to sell your own personal brand then why not offer your own merchandise. Products like mugs, caps, t-shirts are just few items you could advertise on your blog. Once you already have regular readers and they believe and trust your character then there is no harm in trying this technique.
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Step 4: Preparing your blog articles
This part is your heart and soul. This is what makes your blog special. This is you. Buckle up for you will be spending most of your time blogging and the rest for maintenance. Everyone is entitled to his opinion but make sure yours count with truth, actuality and validity. The most fun part of blogging is the interaction with your readers. Involve yourself in the conversations or discussions by replying to comments. It is also suggested to send thank you e-mail to reacting readers to demonstrate your appreciation.
Step 5: Maintain your blog
Just because your blog is up and running does not mean it ends there. Sorry to disappoint you but it is just the beginning. Allot time for checking spelling and grammar errors. It may seem a tedious task but it is essential knowing that anyone has access to your blog. There are software that could help you out with this chore. From time to time check your headlines to make sure it remains interesting. Keep track of your visitors. This will help you monitor the progress of your blog. There are applications that can do this for you too.
Sounds easy? Of course it is. Blogging like any other undertaking is always fun if you have the guts, determination, energy and right motivation to keep it going. Happy blogging!
So you think you have what it takes to put up your own blog. Think again. There are a many aspects you have to consider. Aside from many technicalities you also have to be willing to adjust your attitude to some extent. Try these 5 simple steps and check for yourself if you have what it takes to be a blogger:
Step 1: Decide what your blog is all about
Start everything right and start it by making a decision on what your blog is all about. Is it about your personal experiences you would like to share? Does it concern special preferences or favorites on movies, music, books, new technologies, vacation havens, food or other stuff? Whatever it is about it will help you in the future in defining and maintaining the course of your blog.
Step 2: Select your target audience
It is easier to classify who are your target readers and members once you defined your blog format. Though anyone can ultimately reach your blog anywhere, there would be instances that only some readers can relate to your blog. The contents and interest of your blog should somehow be the same with your audience. In that way readers will keep going back to your blog. It will also be more fun and interesting to interact with readers and members of whom you share common interest. Reach out to people other than your friends and relatives.
Step 3: Plan a design template for your blog
The text font, images, background, color patterns, buttons and navigation tools will give your readers and some visitors the exceptional sensation once they open your blog. It is easy to clutter your blog with unnecessary bits and pieces and at the same rate push readers away from your blog. Keep it simple. Make it interesting and more fun but most importantly focus on your articles. Ensure that readers can easily find their way through your blog.
MP3 blog
If you dig music then this blog is for you. Basically what the publisher does is generate music files usually in MP3 format which anyone can download. Formats like Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) or Ogg are also sometimes used. MP3 blogs are also known as musicblogs or audioblogs. It started its popularity in the beginning of 2003. The range of posts varies from hard-to-find collections to contemporary music. Fluxblog and Stereogum are some of the very few first MP3 blogs.
tumblelog
It is a form of blog where short-form and mixed-media postings are more exercised rather than the usual lengthy posts related with blogging. Most formats of posts have photographs, dialogues, quotes and video. Ideally, bloggers choose this type to express their discoveries, designs or experiences without giving an explanation.
micro-blogging
It is a kind of blogging wherein readers post short text information, generally less than 200 characters. The target viewers are mostly small and limited groups. Posts in this blog are submitted by instant messaging, SMS (text messaging), email, or MP3. One of the most popular micro-blogging in the internet is Twitter. It was initiated in July of 2006.
blogs by genre
There are blogs that are categorized based on specific subject or interests the publishers may want to cover. Such blogs include travel blogs, music blogs, political blogs, fashion blogs, internet blogs, adult blogs, etc.
With all these types of blogs available who can resist blogging? But do remember that each type has its own requirements such as expertise and availability of hardware and software resources. Be sure to take note of your blogging needs before actually deciding which one is for you. Enjoy blogging!
Just when you thought you knew all about there is in blogging think again. Its popularity is uncontrollable that different types have materialized. Blogs are not anymore limited to its contents or target viewers. Technology has played an important role in influencing the different forms that blogs have taken. Choose one or two or suit your taste which one will satisfy your blogging requirements.
vlog (video blog)
It is a blog comprising of videos. An embedded video or video linkage is usually combined with text, pictures and other metadata. The entries are arranged in reverse chronological order. Nearly all vlog submissions are created by individuals. It uses the technology of web syndication through RSS or Atom formats. Consequently, personal computers and various mobile devices can playback videos.
linklog
This type of blog is simply a compilation of hyperlinks or URLs (Universal Resource Locator) presented in reverse chronological order like a normal blog. Obviously, this collection of links is interesting to the publisher.
phblog (photoblog)
phblog is for people who want to put out photos and share them over the net in a blog type format. In phblog, photographs are mostly used and focused. phblog has 3 types: photoblogs on personal domain; photoblogs on blogging programs; and photoblogs on particular blogging service. It has achieved its momentum during the early start of the millennium.
