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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

How to Make Money By Blogging at Home: Start Your Own Blog and Earn Cash

How to Make Money By Blogging at Home: Start Your Own Blog and Earn Cash

Another link to a home-based business blog that talks about some of the same things we covered in the seminar.

Mommy bloggers gather to sharpen Web, business and marketing skills - San Jose Mercury News

Mommy bloggers gather to sharpen Web, business and marketing skills - San Jose Mercury News

An interesting article that discusses what blogging has become and the power and reach. The fact that some of the bloggers at this boot camp are there because this has become a business and they are here to learn is even more fascinating.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Use Google Alert’s To Find Data For Your Blog

One thing that you can do in Google is set up an Alert and have Google search throughout the day for postings that you may be interested in. I do this and have alerts sent to my inbox for various items that I would like to research. Each of the emails that I get have 10 to 20 possible links with a brief message on what the reference is. This is a great way to do research on almost anything and be kept up to date with Google doing all of the work.

Menu bar at top left of GmailIn Gmail on the top left you will see a menu that should look like this and More Menuyou click on the more arrow on the right. This will show have a fly out menu that appears like this (only more entries). At the bottom is an “even more >>” link and that is where you want to go next.

Once you get to the next page you will see a long list of possible things that you can investigate – don’t get lost in them although I will say that I use a number of other items in this list. At the moment  we are looking for Alerts.

The link should be on the top of the Alerts barleft column (pictured here on the left). Once you click (or select) the Alerts option Now the fun begins.   

In the Search Items box list one item Alert sign up screenyou are interested in (i.e. “blogs on recipes” or just “recipes”). Check the rest of listed items and be sure your email address is at the bottom and then select the “Create Alert” button.

You can return here and there is a link to manage alerts so that if you don’t like what you are getting you can remove the alert and/or add others.

Currently I have about 5 alerts running. They come into my inbox and I can then do what I want with them.

This is a good source for feeding that blogging mind.

Previous Blog Link

I realize that the prior link was to a United Kingdom blog however a great deal of it’s content is relevant anywhere. The idea I have here is to post items that can cause you to reflect on what it is you are doing. Updating content or frequency of blogging is important.

One thing to keep in mind is that not all post’s need to be a chapter in a book. Some can be just what I have done, links to other posts and other blogs. Join the community and spread the word. become the knowledgeable one. You just may be someone else's resource.

SEO: Is Your Blog Getting Boring? | SEO Consult - Certified Search Engine Optimisation Agency

Below is a link to an interesting read on blogging for Search Engine Optimization

SEO: Is Your Blog Getting Boring? | SEO Consult - Certified Search Engine Optimisation Agency: "For a blog to be effective new Content must be regularly added to it and this can lead to a problem. Continuously writing and updating a blog with interesting and useful information can be challenging. In many cases, the result is a boring and dull blog."

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Added Pages

I have added a number of additional pages on the right for your reading and or research. If you should have any questions you can email easeofblogging@gmail.com and I will be happy to respond.

If you have thoughts about something that you would like to see added here please let me know. I am open to all suggestions. I will be writing about other features in the future such as monetizing your blog. And who knows, one of these days I might try to add a podcast or two and some video.  Now back to my coffee.

Google Basics - Webmaster Tools Help

Being found by search engines takes time however there are some things that you can do to help that along. If you want some information that can be helpful for both your web page or your blog check out the link below, this is good information to know.

Google Basics - Webmaster Tools Help

Monday, March 22, 2010

First Step

This is the Ease of Blogging and let me tell you it doesn't get any easier than it did to put this blog together. You can make it complicated if you want to, however, getting started is like taking a walk in the park. One of the biggest pluses is that it is FREE (my favorite economic condition).

All we talk about today is FREE! Not one thin dime, no charge, no cost, nada, nothing.  If YOU desire you can buy a book, and there are many of them, because of the "there is the mystery to blogging" - trust me, no mystery. There are books that deal with why businesses should blog and why blogging is used for political endeavors and only one paper on why blogging is good for you psychologically. There is therapeutic value in blogging.  Blogging - It's Good For You!

What we plan to do is to look at all the things one needs to get started in blogging and in the next couple of hours you will be on your way to talking to the world. Look out NBC, CBS, ABC and all the rest.

Once upon a time there was a motivational speaker that said if you got up in the morning and discovered that you had to swallow a number of frogs, go for the big one first, the rest would be easy. So let's go for that big frog first. What do you want to talk about?

What do you want to talk about. That's right, talk. A blog is a conversation you have with your invisible buddies, be that none to many. Gary Vaynerchuk in his book Crush It says to think of it "as your half of one long friendly lunch interview". He is not far off base.

A blog can be a non-gendered, independent, one sided point of view if that is what you want.

The most difficult process is discovering what it is you want to say. What is high on you list of passion? Is it your business, a product, your music, art, reading, coffee, family, church, political party, hobby? I am sure there is something you would like the rest of the world to know. Yes, the rest of the world. That will be your audience. One thing to keep in mind is they will not be there when you are writing, however, they may be reading and that is when you hear from them.

One thing to realize is that getting  attention out there in the blogosphere may take some time - that's OK, just keep writing. Every chance you get tell someone about it, get cards with your blogger address on them and pass them out. Hey, if you're single this could be a way of attracting someone; "Hi, have you seen my blog?". I've heard worse lines

The first warning: DO NOT say anything on a blog you would not say face to face with your boss, your lover, your friend. A blog will live on after you (that's kind of neat - your legacy) and people will find it (or be pointed to it) over and over. You will be held personally responsible for what you say by your friends, family, and employer so THINK about it.

Now let's get on with blogging.