Blog To Great

TWITTER Tips for Increasing Blog Readership

     Blog Tips -   You're likely (hopefully) on Twitter already. Know that Twitter is many great things, but it doesn't exist to build links and increase your readership ! But by using Twitter wisely and to the fullest, you can gain readers to your blog and build links while gaining Twitter followers.  Readership and links are keys to you and your blog, and you need to increase both to monetize a blog. Promoting your blog thru Twitter is a great way. Here’s some tips to use-

• Build up the Biggest Possible Twitter following. There various online tools available to assist you in finding people with interests like yours and related to your blog's niche.  Pick one, and keep in mind that the more followers you have, the more likely you are to have readers retweeting your blog posts and linking to you from their blogs.
• Create the best content worth linking to. Maybe this is #1, but if you follow all the tips, and still don't attrack followers or readers and never get links, then maybe your content isn't link worthy. The best way is to have fresh, original content that folks are proud to share.
• Tweet your Blog's posts. It's a given, right?  Well, you'd be surprised how many bloggers don't do it.  You have to let everyone know about your blog.  Tweet/Retweet everything.  
• Start/Build relationships with your followers. Tweet their blogs posts and retweet their messages. Most folks will reciprocate.  You should also send @replies and start people communicating. Once they realize you're a real person and you have a unique personality, folks will read your blog posts, tweet them, and link to you from their blogs. Start a dialogue!
• Use Tweetlater to retweet your best blog posts a few weeks later. As the online "buzz" dies down on one of your "hot" posts, feel free to resurrect it with a carefully placed tweet when your followers least expect it (Don't overdo it though)
• Bookmark it. Check out Twitturly, it's a social bookmarking service that automatically sends a tweet when you bookmark a page. Also, whenever someone else votes for your submissions, Twittley will send out a retweet. And since it is a new service, you can virtually get in at the start and build your reputation before the competition does.

Twitter can be a great tool for promoting your brand / blog but it won't do it on it's own!  You still have to do the work required, starting with a great domain name, and a concise blog with solid content.

Btw, Tweet this post, please !!!

Parked.com Picks Up WhyPark in Deal

     BLOG TIPS -  In your search for the best blog niche, you may have accumulated some domain names.  If you have, you'll be interested in this... Domain name parking company PARKED.COM acquired WHYPARK.com, an three year old Ohio-based domain building service. The financial details of the deal have not been disclosed.  And, WhyPark announced it was ending it's $99 set up fee and was heading  to a "free model" as part of the transition to Parked.com.

“Now that we have Parked.com’s expertise in monetizing traffic as part of WhyPark, we were able to change our business model to allow free access to our platform,” WhyPark founderCraig Rowe told DomainNameWire.com. “We’re excited to have the opportunity to show what we can offer without the previous barrier of a signup fee in place.”  WhyPark is not just anothertraditional parking service. They create sites full of content and allow you to place your own ads on the  created site.  They're a good alternative to standard domain parking and less trouble involved than fully developing your own domains.

With their new "no fee" offer, give them a try with one of your unused, cheap domain names.  And, try 1&1 to register your domain name !

The Evolution of Social Networking, and the Opportunities

     Blog Tips- Forrester Researcher, Jeremiah Owyang published a report recently on "The Future of the Social Web: In Five Eras".  In it, he describes the evolving transformation of online media and marketing, and how the technologies that allow a portable identity will soon let consumers take their identities with them across the Web.  He states the Web will evolve progressively from separate social sites into a shared social experience. The report's "Five Eras"-

 The Five Eras of the Social Web: 

1) Era of Social Relationships: People connect to others and share
2) Era of Social Functionality: Social networks become like operating system
3) Era of Social Colonization: Every experience can now be social
4) Era of Social Context: Personalized and accurate content
5) Era of Social Commerce: Communities define future products and services

See Mr Owyang's full post at Web-Strategist.com !  During this period, it's important that bloggers and social networkers prepare and participate in the evolution to maximize opportunities for their blog / brand.  The best bloggers continue using the social networks like Facebook, MySpace, Linkedin to the fullest potential to monetize blogs and share information with others, while being ready for the monetization & commercialation of social networking in the near future.  In fact, many have set up additional blogs and searched out improved web hosting firms to have more income options! 

TOP 10 NETWORKING GOALS FOR YOUR NEXT CONFERENCE or TRADESHOW

      BLOG TIPS - Are you wondering whether attending the next blog / social networking meeting, conference or tradeshow is really worth your time, trouble and expense?  The answer is a solid;  "Absolutely—if you have the right networking goals," according to communications expert and author Don Gabor, in his new book,TURN SMALL TALK INTO BIG DEALS:   Using 4 Key Conversation Styles to Customize Your Networking Approach, Build Relationships and Win More Clients (published by McGraw-Hill, April 2009.)

Gabor explains, "Think about what you need to know, what you want to do, who you need to meet and how you can find prospects that may lead to big deals.  People who attend events with some specific networking goals in mind—things they want to achieve during the time they spend meeting people and working the room—are more likely to achieve the key objectives necessary for their success.  You can apply and adapt one or more of the following goals to many different networking situations. "

"Bloggers for Hire" Concept Expands

    Blog Tips- We've know bloggers are hired writers for quite some time, but it would seem it's a new arrangement if your read the April 21 Wall Street Journal piece on their site. Bloggers for hire has certainly grown over the last few years, and with 20M blogs in the USA with around 1.7M of them generating some type of income.  But of that, it's mostly part time wages that pays for the blogging costs and allows the blogger to learn and share information with others on their topic.

Only a small % (about 2%) are the top tier of full time, well paid bloggers, as you need around 100,000 unique visitors monthly to generate an income of $75,000 a year. Getting those readership numbers is hard work and needs great dedication, SEO and marketing efforts.  It much easier to work to earn $75 - $200 for a good post, and many act as "spokesbloggers"; that is, paid by companies and  advertisers to blog favorably about products.  The opportunities continue to exist for those that want to monetize a blog, stick with it and know your topic & niche !  So get going, set up new blog, register your domain name and share what you know with the world !  But do it for the love of it first, and the money will follow.  

See full WSJ story  and let us know how you're profiting from your blog...

Earn $$ with WidgetBucks

GOOGLE Announces Expansion of "Google Sitelinks"

      BLOG TIPS - When Google introduced Sitelinks they initially announced that only the first search query result would see the sitelinks. I've found these links to be helpful through the additioal information they furnish.  I've noticed that Sitelinks have also influenced which site I visit. Recently, Google announced an expansion of sitelinks to include more sites, with a single row of sitelinks!  But, the change doesn't address how to get Sitelinks, though there's always discussion on blog forums on how to get them!  See example below of new one link Sitelinks-

Read more at Google's Tips

Blogging is Dead, Blogging Lives...

      BLOG TIPS - It's been said with the huge growth of real-time social media services like Twitter, the future of blogging is uncertain.   We've talked about the issue before, but at BtG, we see blogs as the focal point, the "tent pole", in people's social networking lives, from which all other tech "limbs' grow.  Could you manage only with Twitter or Flickr or Linkedin ?  It's doubtful.  Blogs and blogging, on the other hand can be your base for all things internet and the best way to archieve much of your written thought.  And, blogs are still an amazing vehicle for monetization,and with cheap domain names, it's so easy to set up shop.  Sure, it's unlikely that what we think of as a blog today, will be the same in one, or certainly, five years.  But, in some form, blogs will remain and companies like Wordpress, TypePad and others will continue to help improve blog's features.   See Andrew Keen's post for more.  

Understanding Basic Blog Advertising Terms

    Blog Tips - New bloggers must understand basic advertising "lingo" to be able to properly get your blog monetized.  A recent post at AdOnion.com quickly explains the terminology you'll need as you set up advertising and metrics for your blog. Blog advertising is easy and necessary if you want to make money blogging,  but you need to know your "CPC" from your "CPM". Take your time and set up ads through networks with care so you don't overwhelm your reader.  And stay with ads that are appropriate for your blog's theme and niche!  There are also many choices for blog advertising, learn about Affiliate Future and  WidgetBucks too!  See full post at adonion.com and Blog to Great !

Ad Network VIDEO EGG Announces Twig, A New AdFrames Unit

     BLOG TIPS -   VideoEgg, the rich media ad network, today announced Twig, their new AdFrames unit that's designed to optimize advertising on long Web pages, such as blogs and other social sites where comments and content increase page length.  The new Twig is an extension of VideoEgg's AdFrames platform offering rich media display units of varying sizes that expand to screen-size when rolled over to show a video. Advertisers pay on a cost-per-engagement (CPE) basis, only when users interact with ads by watching a video, playing a game or taking some other action.

Stretching the full width of the browser window, Twig is the ad network biz first ad unit that is always at the top or bottom of the frame and has an opt-in full page expansion, allowing you to bring a rich interactive environment directly to your readers/users.

It's known that blogs represent a vital component to new media environment and are often an undervalued opportunity for advertisers. Usually, the page format on blogs runs long and readers too frequently scroll past your ads, creating a missed opportunity for you & your advertisers to engage with your blog's readers. Twig is designed to provide a solution by affixing to the top or bottom of a page and staying within view as the user scrolls up or down.   Over the next several weeks, VideoEgg will be rolling out Twig across more than 1,000 blogs and sites in key advertising and publishing categories  (you might consider a new blog in one of these niches, do a domain name search and get blogging!).   You should check out Video Egg and Twig for your blog, it's a vastly improved method to monetize a blog with quality advertising .

Check out a demo of Twig in action: VideoEgg.com, or watch a video of Twig at YouTube.com

From Blogging to Business Owner ?

       BLOG TIPS- With this down economy worldwide, many new bloggers have written about their thoughts of starting a new business and continue on with blogging on a part-time basis, since the hours are flexible.  Their blogs have kept them "sane" and allowed them to stay currnet, grow, learn more in their field and create a new revenue stream while making money on the internet.  But, the draw of a "full time" new business is stong.  Yes, it can be a great opportunity or a money-drain depending on your skills, finances and desire.  But, I'm nervous when folks open or buy businesses out of need and not of desire to be an owner or entrepreneur.  If you think a blog requires a lot of time and you haven't maintained it properly, owning a business is far more intensive.  Before you dive in because you're out of work, spend sufficent time investigating the industry you plan to enter and make sure you truly know what you're getting into.  Know that owning a business is different from working in that industry.  In the meantime, continue to improve and expand your blog to maximize the revenue at each stage and try other "home based" opportunities  before committing to a business.   For more, see this helpful post at,  IndependentOperator.com.

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