$12 Market Research That Works

Have you ever wished there was a cheap form of market research that would let you try new things? For example, would you like to test different templates on 2000 – 5000 website visitors? Try different affiliate programs on 10 000 visitors? In a relatively short time?

Well, there is a way to do this. I buy traffic. I can buy 10 000 untargeted hits for $12 or targeted for $19. I can try different layouts, different ads, different colors, even different article topics.

I take a look at my stats to compare:

-Click through rates
-Repeat visitors
-Number of page views
-Number of people who left the site
-And, how many people are really interested in a specific topic

Of course, there are intangibles. For example, the time of year, the quality of visitor, etc. However, this form of internet marketing is perfect for bloggers. As ‘hit and miss’ as it is, it gives great information in a relatively short time, as well as increase a blog’s page rank.

It also lets bloggers figure out which blog topics are hot, and which are not. They can test the success of certain topics. This is vital. I post to my blogs once every 4 or 5 days. When I find a ‘hot topic’ I will leave the blog with that topic as the top post. This way, the site always has a large quantity of hot topic posts- as well as a ‘hook’ for new readers.

I’ve even used this method of marketing to test affiliate programs, by sending the traffic to a specific article. I’ve used this method to test books, courses, and affiliate programs. I haven’t used it yet to test embedded Google ads, but that is on my to-do list.

Should You Try to Control Google’s Adsense Ads?

There is a lot of controversy over whether a blogger should put meta code in their blog templates, and use H1, H2, H3, heading tags to control the ads Google puts on their blog.

I am on the pro side. I find that the meta tags and heading codes gives me the freedom to go a little ‘off topic’ without worrying about having random, low paying, and off topic ads appear in my Google Adsense towers.

That said, many bloggers think they are missing Google’s highest paid opportunities by trying to control the system. They argue that the click through rate may be lower, and that google’s sliding scale will slide farther down in Google’s favor. All – reasonable and realistic possibilities.

The answer to the question is personal, but should also depend on whether you expect to earn most of your revenue from Google. Most bloggers do not.

In fact, most bloggers are lucky to receive one or two checks a year. Not Google’s fault. They tell you how bloggers how to succeed. There are a lot of blogs like this one that teach bloggers how to succeed. The problem is that most bloggers do not get it.

I’ve talked to many new bloggers who think that posting 10 articles a month is horrible, let alone 50 or 100. Yet, they want the same income as bloggers who do post this number of blogs. The facts are clear. Bloggers cannot work on their blog ‘in their spare time’ and expect to earn a full time income.

But, if the blogger does put the work into their blog, I think they should stick with the ads that have proven to pay in the past, the ones which their readers click through most often…and to do that, you need to control Google using legal SEO tricks.

Problems With Using Comments to Increase PageRank

There is a new theory that you can comment in a blog and get a link back on a blog with a high PR. I haven't proven this true, or not, but I do see a few flaws in the theory.

Flaw 1: Track Back

The only place to put your link is under your name when signing in. This is a track back. I've commented on quite a few blogs but when I do a link search, links: http://www.writer-writer.com/ I do not see a single link back.

Flaw 2: Google Ranks Pages Not Sites

Google gives web pages a rank - that rank does not filter through the entire site. That means that a website can have a PR6 on the home page, and PR0 - PR2 on the rest of the site.

When you comment on a blog, not only doesn't it come up when Google searches for back links. The comment is not 'on' the PR6 page, so it doesn't receive any benefit of the PR6 page. It receives the PageRank value of the page (URL) that it is on.

Flaw 3: No-Follow

Many of the higher PR rank blogs know that people are only commenting to increase their PR. To protect their own SEO efforts, they have no-follow links for the track backs in the comments.

Flaw 4: Track Back URLs

If you've ever used trackbacks, you'll notice that the trackback URL is different from the main URL. Even if the webpage has a PR6, the comment's PR value will come from the trackback url - most likely PR0

Shopping Online

I'm still shopping at Franke sinks. It amazes me the variety of items that can be incorportated into a home to make it unique and enhance its beauty.

Spending a few thousand dollars on a sink is a little outside our budget, but there are quite a few kitchen accessories that we can add to our home to enhance its beauty without going the 'full mile.' I'd love a delux $30 000 kitchen. I know a lot of people who have them, but we still have a family. We can't turn our kitchen into a show piece - yet.

There are a few practical things we are going to add that we didn't even know exsisted. One is a sink strainer with a hose attached. You just press a button and it flushes all the gunk down the sink - no more lifting it out or trying to mash it down.

Will You Leave Digg if They Sell?

A TechCrunch report stated that four companies are competing to bid on Digg–Microsoft, Google, and two unidentified “media companies” are reporting that that the sale of digg is looming on the horizon. It’ll be less than the $300 million that Digg was once rumored to sell for.

TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington said that Google's bid between $200 million to $225 million and that Microsoft, which also looking at Yahoo, is bidding slightly lower.


Digg’s Jay Adelson,states: “Normally our policy is to not comment about things like this...”

But, “rumors about a bidding war involving Google and Microsoft have created such a stir we feel compelled to tell you all directly that they are completely inaccurate.

“Sorry to burst any drama theories, but they aren’t true.”

I do not know why he is apologizing. I am glad that Digg is not for sale. But it is hard to ignore the media.

Even ZDnet got into the gossip reporting:

Allen Stern, CenterNetworks, predicts that if Microsoft or Google were to acquire Digg, “the mass exodus will begin swiftly.” The comments (above), if taken at face value, would seem to back this up. The point is, whoever becomes Digg’s new custodian will have to spend a lot of energy managing the transition in terms of the community’s expectations and fears or risk devaluing Digg dramatically before the ink has dried on any such deal.

Who is the Worst Deal for Digg Users?

If Google buys Digg then we can say goodbye. We all know that Google is on a 'Hun' type rampage to wipe out Social Networking and retain its monopoly of the Internet Marketing $$$. I wouldn't be surprised if Digg turned into nothing more than another AdWord website - which of course would help them ban/bench any websites that didn't play in the sandbox 'their way.'

If Time purchased Digg, then I think it would become less social and more news related. The Times owns about.com and you all saw what happened there. NO one wants to go there for 'long term.' The site talks down to the readers, the information is all 'evergreen' because they are more interested in 'degrees' and education than actual passion for the topics.

Yahoo could be interesting. Yahoo has always favored Social Networking, letting the end user control the ebb and flow of the net. I honestly think they would do the least damage. AT the most, I see them opening up the categories - at the moment you can almost create a list of Digg's main advertisers and promoters based on the categories.

Microsoft is right up there with Google. They are more interested with using sites like this to collect marketing data and promoting their product than they are seeing that the average web user can 'have their say.'

Is Digg Ready to Sell?

However, I am one to lean toward believing the Digg owners. They've only had one year to work on the site. I can't imagine that they've reached all their short term goals yet. I think their site will continue to grow as a 'user' promotion tool - not a product promotion - or web content control medium.

I really don't think they will sell. All of the gossip stems from one - very short - report. I think it was a good idea for Digg to Go with Microsoft and not Google for advertising. A lot of large websites I know are leaving Google because their sliding scale is in desperate need of oiling - if it moves at all. Forget page rank and traffic, most blog owners just want to see page counts.


The two companies signed a 3-year agreement, which puts display and contextual ads before more than 17 million visitors a month.

Last summer Digg announced that it would follow the WEB3.0 trend and become more user friendly. Does this mean a few more categories - maybe ones not related to advertising? I personally hope so. I don't actually want to see them become another blogsvine, but open it up a bit, or create a second level.

Will You Leave

A lot of people are saying they will leave. I am not sure if I will. For one, It is still a great site 'as is'. The site still indexes pages - a big bonus. And, in the end, the site does put articles before users.

I will watch for a few things. Will google limit the people who see my 'dugg' articles and turn the site into a big 'pre selling' tool? This is usually their plan of attack after buying something.

Another thing I will watch is the number of hits a month. If a search engine buys the site, and start using it to control web traffic in favor of their advertising (more than happens now) then I will not invest my time in the site.

What is your opinion?

Search Engines Can Help Increase Page Rank

Google Loves Google

We all know this. We all have read SEO reports that working with google products give bloggers and webmasters a benefit over the rest of the world. This is true. Using Blogger or Googlepage gives your blog extra SERP value. (search engine results page)


You don't need to have your main blog on blogger, and your main website doesn't need to be on googlepage, but having a 'landing page' there that leads readers to your website will earn a higher SERP. Then, you link to that blog/page from your home page, increasing your links and increasing your PR.


You've seen it, and you just don't have time for that type of social networking. You've outgrown that type of 'time waster.' Well, I just want to let you know that if you answer questions on Yahoo answer then the back links do count toward your Page Rank.

Yahoo Answers


I've posted answers, but until now I've never posted comments. In a few weeks I will check to see if the answers were 'counted.' If so, I will come back to this post and tell you.


Participating in Wikipedia is another way to build inbound links to your website. Most writers think they are not allowed to post on Wiki. Yes, if you are going to post with no thought for anything but building a link, then yes - stay off wiki.


But, if there is a topic that you know a lot about, and you can 'add something' to the information on wiki, then you are free to add your URL in the links at the bottom.



AMAZON BLOG


Do you have a blog at amazon? Why not? If you are looking for a site with a lot of traffic, then this is the place to find it. Your amazon blog doesn't need to sell book. However, it does need to meet the amazon 'reader's expectations or they won't read it.


I usually post topics, and then suggest books, and include a link to my blog.



Other Places


There are other places where you can trade links for good content. If you have anything to add, feel free to post it in this content.


I've spoke about blogged.com, blogcatalogue, blogowogo, digg, blogsvine, forums, in another post that focused on Social Networking.

How to Increase Your Blog's PR: Pt2

In part 1 of this article I tried to explain some of the basics of increasing to PR4, PR5, PR6.



Now I want to help you put this information into practice:



Step 1



If you have a PR4 blog, and you want to use it to increase the PR rank of your other blogs, then look at the page carefully and remove all the outbound links (or links to other pages) that you can.



Add a link to the new website in keyword anchored text. Do not add the link in a blogroll or menue. Never make it disappear by matching the color to the background, this type of Black Hat SEO will get your site banned.



Google gives more value to 'deep' pages and article pages. So if you build a link building campaign around an article instead of the home page, you can use that page with its high value, to increase the PR on the rest of the website.



Your PR will climb faster if you build links to an article than if you link to the home page.



Step 2



Try to get links on high PR pages. Don't worry about trying to get free content articles spread across the net. They often have high numbers of outbound links - decreasing the value that your blog will get.



Step 3



Keep your blog targeted, keep it focused on a single topic, and make sure that your keywords are not varied. Compare your topic to the Google ads and make sure they are for the same things.





Step 4



Links have value - Not all links are equal.

• Those which are anchored inside text are given the highest value.


• Forums appear to be valued more than articles.


• The keywords in the anchored index text (the inbound links) must match the keywords that are most common in the blog

Shot In The Dark

There are some other methods that people are trying, but I don't know if they work.

Commenting on PR6 blogs: While in theory this is true. I do not see the value. If the blog has no-follow links then there is no value commenting on that blog.

But, most comments are attached to the page, and not the index page. They are only 'on' the index page through database code. The URL of the article is 'not' the home page. If you click the article URL, you'll find that it has PR0, even if the home page had PR7

This might give you some PR value, but I haven't found anyone who has proven this works.

Free Content Articles: Again, even thought the PR value of the content's home page is high, the article page will not be. The value is questionable. You should only count this PR as PR0.

That said - nothing is a waste of time. You will always get traffic and a few thousand PR0 links may reduce the number of high links needed to increase the PR.

Buy Directory Links: Again, buying links in directories may have some benefit, but the PR is calculated from the PAGE the link appears on, not the site's home page. Also, as the pages are buried, their value is decreased. After a while, a page that hasn't been changed for a long time is 'dumped' by the search engine spiders.

This means that many people out there are buying PR5 links for $50 - $200 that have no value, because they are buying based on the home page .... and their link is pasted 1200 pages deep in the directory.

If you want to try this then test the PR of a high website. Find one with PR6. Then, start pasting the pages from the site into a Google Page Rank Tool and watch the PR drop to PR0 - PR2

What to Avoid

• I've tried to use the signature line to build links - It doesn't work.


• Adding headers and footers to newsletters and blog posts will not work. Text links inside them will.


• Text links in side bars will work


• Links in menus do not 'appear' to have as much value as keyword anchored text. Avoid building long lists of links in your side bars, this will only decrease their value.


• links inside of articles and forums have more value - but not the sig lines.

How to Increase Your Blog's PR: Pt1

There is so much rehashed information on increasing Page Rank. Basically, anything that was published before Nov/2008 is out dated. And, this post will probably be outdated within a few months.

How to Get PR2

a) Have a private domain name

This makes it easiest, but a blogger.com or wordpress.com domain will work. The other free blog sites are much harder to increase PR as they are 'buried' deep inside the website.

b) Be online more than 3 months

This can be reduced if you work through networking sites to build inbound links, and get traffic.

c) Change content daily

Post at least 1 post daily. This will 'ping' the search engines daily.

d) Have a feed through feedburn

This will give you an rss feed. Make sure you optimize your feed, add a chicklet to your blog for people to subscribe from, and make sure you sign up for as many 'ping' sites as you can.

You might also want to go to some of the other ping sites to increase your exposure.

e) Submit to search engines

If you use WebCeo, you can probably submit to 200 or more blogs. If not then just use one of the free services on the web.

f) Submit to the blog catalogues

These include blogged, blogowogo, blogcatalog, etc. You can find a more detailed list in this blog. This will help you earn more than 50 inbound links - vital.

d) Tag Your articles

Use tags in your blogs. Keep the tags simple but use keyword phrases, not keywords. This will help search engines index the blog.

e) List Your Articles

Add your articles to Digg, technorati, etc. Ask people to vote for them. Build up a stir.

You can also join a networking group such as divanetworking which will decrease the amount of time needed to build PR. Group members work together to help each other build links, vote, etc.

How to Get PR3

The next step is a little harder but it can be done inthree months.

a) Have at least 50 – 100 articles on the site

This is the common advice. However, I find that Google's magic number is 200-250.


b) Submit to directories

This is also common, and there are still many people telling bloggers to do this. However, SEO marketers are not sure if Google is depreciating blogs that 'buy' links in directories. I know that the only blog I ever purchased directory links to was dropped from PR4 to PR0 last fall.

(however, I also had a copy and paste declaration that it received Paid Posts. Google is against 'obvious' selling of articles)

c) Link to the site from forums

Google gives forums a high rank, and does count the links from each forum, increasing page rank.

d) Join Google’s PayPerClick Program

This only costs $20 - $50 and needs to be done once. It gets your site indexed immediatly with the objective of increasing traffic. Don't worry about ever paying this again.

There is no Google sandbox, but it can take a long time for some blogs to be indexed.

Balancing Google and Keywords

There is one way to make sure that you are climbing up the PR ranks. All you need to do is check your keywords and compare them to the ads at the side of the page. Flip through a few pages. If the ads do not change dramatically, then your website will increase in PR faster.

This highlights some of the main aspects of high ranking blogs - PR4 and higher:

Nich oriented:

• The tighter the niche.


• The shorter the keyword phrase/tag list.


• The more informative and original the content.


• The faster the blog will earn Page Rank.

You can't get above PR3 unless you start optimizing your blogs and paying attention to keywords.

Climbing to PR5

All you need to do to earn PR 5 is get 10 000 inbound links. WRONG. I have a website with 19 800 ORGANIC links and another 26 000 built links. It is optimized for Google, and the topics are narrow with only 30 keywords over a 5000 page site that is updated daily.

http://www.inspireduathor.com/ page rank -PR4 with a prediction of PR4.8

Google does count inside links, but the 19 000 links does not include the 'inside' links.

It isn't as much the number of links you need - but 'what' links they are.

For example Blog A can earn PR5 if:

• if they have 100 x PR4 links


• 15 (or 18 depending on the calculator) PR5 links


• 20 000 PR1 - PR2 links. This I dispute, because I own PR4 sites that far exceed 20 000 PR1 - PR4 links and it is still PR4


• 500 PR3 links

• Buy a PR5 domain

For example Blog A can earn PR6 if:

• 3000 x PR3 links


• 555 x PR4 links


• 19 x PR5 links


• 4 x PR7 links

However, this means nothing if you don't understand what a quality link is

The fewer links Blog A has on their pages - the more value that page has

Technically, if you buy for PR7 links, then you should have PR7. Wrong. If you are buying links from pages with lots of links then the following applies:

Blog A buys 3 links from a PR7 site with 10 outgoing links per page - They get full value and their PR will increase

Blog A buys 3 links from a PR7 site with 90 outbound links - then only .10% of the value is passed. So those 3 links only pass on 30% of the value. This blog owner must buy 10 PR7 links.

Take a look at Part 2 of this article to learn how to use this information.

Again, this is just a guide and not the 'written in stone' algorythm that some SEO pros want you to believe. IF this was true then IA with its 19 000 links (even if each link was only a PR3, and only passed on 20% of its value) would have PR6. However, it gives blog owners a place to start.

The Ultimate Couch Potato

When I think I've seen everything, something new comes along that takes me by surprise. We are considering putting a home theater into our house. At first, I thought it was 'fun' to see the same equipment found in cinema complexes customized to bring the theater into the home.

Now I've found home theater sconces and seating that puts the best couch potato lounger to shame. These chairs are amazing. You could live in them for days without ever being uncomfortable.

Can you imagine settling down in these chairs. You'd feel like you'd been dropped into the living room of one of the rich and famous.

I've never had a home theater, or a room dedicated to television watching. I never knew how advanced their equipment had become over the years.

Another Bold Step for Blogcatalog

BlogCatalog, one of the oldest operating blog directories, is growing again. They announced the beta launch of their Social Search with will search across several social networks.

The Social Search feature is built on top on BlogCatalog’s Social Dashboard, which (like many services lately) aggregates member activity across other popular networks. The search feature allows users to search by single user, friends, or by anyone who has opted in to use the Social Dashboard feature.

Lifestreaming blogcatalogu's NewsFeed widget is one of the few aggregate tools that publishes your personal life streams across networks. MyBlogLog’s recent addition is the most notable. The tool is designed to draw your multiple accounts into a single location that can be posted wherever you want.

BlogCatalog is fast growing from the 'fun place' for bloggers to Social Networking powerhorse, with comScore counting 2 million unique visitors a month, and 6 million page views for January and February.

This is great news for bloggers and ecommerce business owners who use use blogcatalog to drive traffic to their site and network with other sites.

Blogitive Still Doesn't 'Get It'

Blogitive considered by some as the country cousin to PayPerPost. I you don't know who they are, then you don't have a right to call yourself a pro blogger - you have a long way to go.

Blogitive launched the beta service called LinkNerve. Paid bloggers often In search the marketplace for offers that rarely fit their niche. The gurus can survive, but that is usually because they run their business like SUN media - buying up and managing more blogs than they can count.

The main down fall that has held Blogitive back is that their demands are high, and their payout is low, rarely more than $5. For someone who has worked for a year and actually knows how to get PR5 - how to get it - and have sweat the blood to prove it - $5 is the same as handing the valet at The Russian Tea Hose in New York a buck.

LinkNerve is creating a marketplace where those wishing to engage your readers and pagerank can find the bloggers. LinkNerve lets advertisers search blog.

Bloggers will not write new posts or create new pages. Instead they’ll add link terms within existing posts and get paid by the link. Sounds like they borrowed a few tricks from the pro bloggers. How many times have you written a post and kept it in draft. Then when a 'common theme' blog opportunity came up you just did a little rewriting, changed the date, and posted. (but of course we won't ever admit it.)

For those amateurs who believe that television, radio, magazines, newspapers, community newsletters, church bulletins, and street posts may advertise - but blogs cannot, LinkNerve will be a less intrusive method of advertising.

Just something else to annoy Google who believes (like a rapper withe the girls in their club) that all green backs on the Internet are 'owned' by members in their network.

Will Google rebel? Of course.

Will Bloggers care? Nope. They've proven with the introduction of WEB2.0 and WEB3.0 that if you try to harness the freedom of speech, they will just use your own tools to knock you down.

Will readers care? Nope. Most of the blogs in question have hundreds of thousands of readers, despite paid posts, and despite full disclosure clauses on the pages.

Will it work? I think it will work the way Blogitive wants it to work, as a tool to draw in the amateurs and virgin blogs.

Travel Supplies

Most of the writers I know do a lot of public speaking and self promotion. This requires travel. Along the way experienced travellers pick up a few clever devices to make travelling easier and more secure. I have an alarm that prevents anyone from opening a hotel door, even if they have a key. I also have a thief proof purse, and a suitcase safe.

Some of the newest creations in travel supplies includes TSA compliant shampoo bottles, and other products designed to help you make it though airport security quicker.

The public speaking circuit is starting again. Summer, when all the writer's conferences start, is the time when you need to be safe and secure while travelling. Don't leave anything to chance. Find out what travel supplies are available and pick up what you need.

Blog Promotion: Getting Your Pages Indexed and Voted On

It amazes me that all bloggers know about Del.ici.ous, technorati, and stumbleupon, but don't know about blogsvine, blogowogo, blogsworld, blogged, blogscope, blogcatalog, Digg or other blog catalogues. If you know of more, then please suggest them in contents

Why do I promote these three? Because if you post your articles on them, the article will appear on Google searches. The pages will be indexed, and you'll build Page Rank.

I've been posting to technorati and digg for years, but never find my submissions on search engine searches. This means that my efforts only reach the 'Social Networking System's Readers.' This is no big hardship, as I get a lot of traffic from stumbleupon and technorati.

My time is valuable. I need indexed pages and incoming links. That is why I like these sites. I need 100 links to give me PR increases. That is not 'any' 100 links but ones that Google consider relevant. This is true for IZEARank. I need inbound links from them.

This networking group (divanetworking) is helping me get inbound links, but we don't need to limit our link building campaigns.

I use to buy inbound links. Then Google gave my only blog with 'purchased' links a PR0, down from PR4. I am not sure whether this is because I copied and pasted a disclosure (picking up a bit of HTML code hidden in the words) that alerted Google to the fact that I sold links.

I now put my efforts into organic link building. My Time is valuable. I spent most of today and only earned about 80 inbound links across 12 of my blogs. This is not wasted time. It will pay off by increasing my website's PR and indexed value. It will also increase traffic

Blogsvine

Blogsvine lets bloggers post their blogs, one post at a time. Members vote for the articles. Because the site hasn't been hijacked by 4 networking groups, the voting is fair - or more fair than digg. Everyone has a chance to get on page one.

Voting is easy as a single click. You can submit posts written by friends. There is a blog watch list where you can promote friend's blogs. The only drawback is their widget for listing the member's blogs. It is far to small to hold all my blogs.

Blogged

I love this site. People can write reviews for blogs. I had someone else list http://www.healthafter40.blogspot.com on there and reviewed by someone else.

This is just a list of blogs, like a website search engine, but it does provide one link.

Blogcatalog

This is one of the most powerful social networking tools I've ever found. The trick to success and higher page views is to put the 'recently viewed' widget on your page. Many people will become your fans just for the view on your page.

Some of my blogs give me 2 links from here, my profile and my blog's page, but not always. A lot of times I just get a single link toward Page Rank.

Blogowogo

I haven't figured out everything on this site yet. You submit a blog, it brings the feed up on their site, and people vote for the article. I think that the 'no votes' and the low votes will disappear, while the high votes remain on the site.

I think this is one of my favorite sites. I get the concept, but don't ever overload these systems.

I usually post a couple articles a month, and vote on a few things every week. No matter how many weblinks that you have on these sites, Google only lists 1 or 2, not matter whether you enter the tag name - divanetworking.blogspot - divanetworking or use the Links: http://divanetworking.blogspot.com or any variation. You will only find that Google counts one or two.

Blogscope

BlogScope is an analysis and visualization tool for blogosphere which is being developed as part of a research prject at the the Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto.

We currently have over 23.48 million blogs with 275.01 million posts in our database. After removing non-english content and spam posts, we index 152.57 million documents.

I think this would be an amazing analytical tool that can be very profitable for pro bloggers and webmasters if they take time to learn how to use it. But, for the rest of us, it will generate at least one link.

Blogsworld

This appears to be a blog search engine. The only thing I give it points for is the index and link you get from it.

Digg

The difference from Digg, is that articles which do have votes, appear to show up on searches - more than the standard 2. This is good news for people who are trying to increase their page link. The average blogger posts 20 times to his blog a month. That means that in 5 months a blog can increase (in theory) one PR from digg alone.

I still don't know if it matters whether people vote and that somehow puts the article into a separate category - maybe one of the readers has an answer.

I have a lot of articles on Digg. I just put up 5, for diva, and asked friends to vote. Yet, Google still only gives me credit for 2 links.

MyBlogLog Yahoo

I haven't been to this one, but it appears to be Yahoo's version of blogcatalogue. I'll take a look into it. Some of these services I found accidentally because someone else tagged one of my blogs. In fact, almost all my blogs are on blogger - but I didn't even have an account.

Helium

Putting articles on your helium account with your url in it won't create a link. However, that page will appear high on the searches when someone searches the keyword phrase in your domain name, or your domain itself.

I don't receive any link value from Helium, but I do receive traffic and it always appears somewhere on the list of top 100 referes when I study my web-analytics software.

Free Articles

Still, one of the best ways to generate inbound links. The trick is to spread your articles across the net. Of course, if you want publication in newsletters then you want to submit good information and submit as much as possible.

If you want inbound links, then only submit 2 articles to each free content site. Repeat this every month or so.

I've done searches for clients whom I have written more than 400 articles for. I can find those articles across the net at different free content sites - but google on This client has about 2500 links from those articles as well as clients that publish.


Conclusion

Before you get upset, I know that google includes the cached pages. This blog, divanetworking has only 32 links, but if you go to the last page and click:



In order to show you the most relevant results, we have omitted some entries very similar to the 32 already displayed. If you like, you can repeat the search with the omitted results included.

Then you get almost 400. Now, this blog has PR3, which is in line with the '100 links needed to increase PR by +1. I also find the rest of my article links - but most of them do not take me to my article, but to a 'page.' The value of these is suspect.

However, www.inspiredauthor.com has 211 links without counting the 'relevant results' that are hidden. Because many of these are PR4, it would explain why IA has a PR4. I lean toward the belief that google doesn't count the relative links because IA has 19 999 'legit' ones that Google counts (about 45 000 in total). If google counted all of them, I should have at least PR8 on this site.




IF you think the information in this article was good, please DIGG it. Just click here and vote.

Basics: How to Write a Sponsored Reivew

I’ve been in the professional blogging niche since the beginning. That first year was frustrating for both bloggers and clients. In many cases the clients expected us to write posts praising the company, even lie if needed. They thought they were paying for testimonials. However, professional bloggers are not freelance writers. A ghostwriter might write fake testimonials, but they are not expected to put their in their publications and trick their readers into believing that the blogger loves the company.

Understand The Purpose of the Sponsored Blog Post

At the same time, the bloggers tried a few dozen ways to include the client ethically. They added an add at the bottom of the page. A few bloggers tried making an abridged squeeze page which lead the reader through an article and then hit them with the ad. This was ‘hated’ by blog readers and lost countless subscribers.

The industry flagged twice. The blog ad agency, blogitive.com, was the first. They started to teach their bloggers how to improve their image. Bloggers started to demand an ethical form of writing posts that respected their clients as well as promoted the clients.

To understand this fully, you need to recognize the three players.

The Client: Wants links, advertising, or testimonials
The Agency: They bring together the bloggers and clients
The Blogger: Also known as the publisher

Each of these players has their own concerns, their own demands, and their own responsibilities to their clients.

What Is The Purpose of the Post?

The first step to writing a good sponsored post is to understand what the client wants. If they only want the link, then the blog post can be written with no regard to the client at all. The blogger just needs to include a few keywords that pertain to the page being linked to.

The blatant advertising post must review the client’s website and post neutral or positive elements of the website, product, or service. Many bloggers create a ‘tag system’ with their clients. They might write REVIEW in their subject line, or put a symbol such as * in the subject line, so their readers know this is a sponsored review. The blogger is upfront about the fact that they are advertising a product or website.

There are ways around adding ‘intrusive’ blog posts to a blog. The easiest is to only submit blogs that are so ‘targeted’ to a certain niche that other clients are not interested in posting links there. This works moderately well. The next way is to list with agents who let you pick and choose which posts you wish to accept. This is by far the best method.

How to Write a Sponsored Post

Writing a sponsored post is fairly easy.

The Intro needs to let the reader know that the post has a client and will be reviewed.

The Content needs to include two or three points of information that are important to your blog’s readers. This can usually be found in news sites etc.

The Ending is where I normally put the link, in the conclusion.

Do not: Write in a different style and vocabulary than the rest of the blog.
Do not: Try to sell or trick your readers by using ‘car salesman’ language
Do not: Write an article and then start selling at the bottom of the post, unless the intro suggested that the blog post is a review or advertising in the introduction.
Do not: Write lies in your post.
Do not: Copy and paste from free content articles, the company’s website.
Do not: Add tags to sponsored posts, or include them in your index/site map

How to Write a Good Post

One thing I do is to add a couple of posts before the sponsored posts on the same topic, even if I write these afterwards and change the time stamps.

Another thing I do is write the post as news, and to include news from non sponsored sources so that my readers do not see the difference.

Do: Find 2 keywords or keyword phrases on the client’s website that can be used in the post (this can be done by hitting the site in your browser and then clicking VIEW so you can see the meta tags. Use these keywords in your article.

Do: Try to make the sponsored review newsworthy
Do: Avoid any posts you cannot blog on with a clear conscious
Do: Add pictures to make the post look more like a real post and non intrusive
Do: Meet the client’s expectations in word count, number of links, focus and importance

These tips will help you meet all the ad agencies requirements for sponsored blogs. This 'check list' will almost eliminate the number of rejected posts, posts that you are not paid for, or banned/benched votes.

Digg: Why You Should Digg Your Own Posts

There are two trains of thought when it comes to digg. One believes that visitors should do the digging to create organic links. The other believes that the blogger should do the digging. This way, visitors only need to click the 'digg' button.

I digg my own articles, but not all of them. I also limit the number of posts I digg. I try to write one or two articles that are 'top quality' and newsworthy and only digg these.

I've also created 2 or 3 blogs which ask my readers to vote on a post. The objective is to increase your post diggs so you can get on the first page.

Widgets

That leads me to wonder what Netvibes was thinking when they made their new widget:

I love widgets. I use them whenever I can. But why would I want to add a widget to my blog that promotes other people's articles?

I want a widget that promotes MY diggs, and encourages people to add their number to my digg - much like they come to my blog for my blogcatalogue recent viewer list.

I do like the new digg tools that you just copy and paste into a blog. You can write a great article and then paste one of the buttons into your page

Feel free to click the button and digg this story. I want to get a zip download of this button and change the words to, 'vote' for this story. I am not great at changing widgets, but they say it is not hard. I like anything that helps promote 'my' blog, or a blog in my network.

Swarm

I've watched their SWARM demonstration, but personally, I don't think digg works this way unless you belong to a group of people who are focused on digging articles. divanetworking doesn NOT include digging each other's articles each month as this is against their terms of service rules.

Digg'n is Not Enough

One thing you need to remember is that 'digg'n an article is not enough.' To get onto page 1, the blog needs tons of comments. Most of the blog posts that hit page one have more than 100 comments. This doesn't need to make you despair. These comments (and digg votes) do not always need to be generated within the first few days, months, of the post.

You can continue to promote a single article months - and years - after it was posted.

How to Make Digg Work

My best advice is not to try and digg everything. If you digg everything, or tons of articles on the same topic, then Digg might consider you as spamming the system. I haven't found that search engines pay attention to these links.

The main benefit is in the social networking aspect. Yes, digg a main portion of your 'good' articles. But, choose 5 - 10 really good ones and promote them on a regular basis. You can use links and 'read more' tags to take people to your best articles.

This has a two fold benefit. First, it will increase the number of diggs that page receives. Second, it will increase the Page Rank of that particular page.

Health and Work at Home

I recently blogged about the difference in back pain, productivity, and stress when I lost my ergonomic keyboard. I've also talked about the dangers of working without exercises. I usually have no problem in the warmer months, but there is a 9' snow pile outside my home right now, and it is March.

My son has been trying to get me to buy a home gyms that will let us exercise, help with cardio, and tone our bodies. I've been looking into it lately, mostly online. I've started to do more and more shopping online for the better prices and better selection.

RSI Can End Your Career

In medical terms, repetitive strain injury (RSI) is a cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) caused by prolonged repetitive, awkward hand movements that damage muscles, tendons, and nerves of the neck, shoulder, forearm, and hand, causing pain, weakness, numbness, or impairment of movement. It can be caused by working long periods at a computer, either in a chair with poor support, no foot rest, and using a square or small keyboard.

Typing and clicking a mouse button can be harmful. Injured muscles contract, decreasing the range of motion. As the typist continues to work, the level of stress increases. At first they suffer wrist pain and head aches, but after a while the pain increases.

Professionals that understand the disease know that slowing down for a month or two out of the year, taking breaks, and listening to their body will keep them working. Those who don't listen or make excuses (I can't afford a secretary's chair or ergonomic/split keyboard) end up with a debilitating chronic disorder that can take several hundreds of dollars and more than six months to correct. In effect - they are out of business.

What Happens with RSI?

The sheaths that cover tendons run out of lubrication because they aren't allowed to rest. The tendon and sheath chafe, causing pain. The tendons become inflamed, and pinch nerves. This causes numbness, tingling, or hypersensitivity to touch.

Poor posture can lead to severe neck and back injuries. Repetitive reaching for a mouse can lead to arm and neck strain as well as spinal strain.

RSI is not a medical diagnosis, but a family of disorders, mistakenly called carpal tunnel syndrome. One recent study even reported that frequent computer users are no more likely to develop CTS than non-computer users.

• poor posture


• poor technique


• Do not use a keyboard designed for computer users


• Use a computer more than two hours a day


• Your job that requires constant computer use,


• Don't take breaks


• Use a manager chair, or don't use a secretary's chair


• Don't exercise


• Have stressful deadlines, work 7 days a week


• Work in a high-pressure environment


• Have arthritis, diabetes, or another serious medical condition


• Have long fingernails


• Have an unhealthy, or sedentary lifestyle


• Are overweight


• Don't believe you are at risk

You are at risk of you experience:

• Fatigue


• Weakness in the hands or forearms


• Tingling, numbness, or loss of sensation


• Heaviness Clumsiness in your hands


• You drop things or lack coordination


• Cold hands?


• Frequent self-massage


• Avoid using one hand


• Use your forearm, feet, or shoulder to open doors?


• Not play sports you once enjoyed?


• Have trouble sleeping
• When typing you notice that you are holding one wrist 'up' off the wrist support, or find yourself reaching for keys that you'd normally touch without moving your wrist.

The first sign is often irritability with family members, being short tempered, or having an emotional outburst while working, but without any apparent cause.

When I find myself strained, I wear a fingerless brace like the one above. It supports my wrist and forces me to move in a different patter, it slows my typing speed down, and gives me a chance to retrain my hands to move properly. That said, I haven't worn my wrist braces since buying an ergonomic keyboard.

Don't Pay for PR5 + Links

We chat away at communati without realizing that there are some big blogs at communati. I've run across a couple with PR4. It brings me back to the common question

"Why don't people leave comments on blogs?"

This is one of the most self-serving aspects of Internet Marketing. But, there is a trick to getting your comments approved.

Have a Good Reputation

Many of the big bloggers love comments. They will publish anything that is witty and clever. Especially the big websites. I post comments on many PR8 and higher blogs, using various 'links' or website URLs to my blogs. This is why some of my fairly new blogs have PR4 and higher.

But, I must have a good reputation. Gracepub has an excellent reputation and many sites, including Reuters and the New York Times, are pleased to have my comments on their sites.

I recently put 10 comments on one PR 8 blog and saw my PR increase 1.5 within a month. Now, there is a trick to this. You can't go in one day and put all the links on the pages. The links must be on the high PR page when Googe's robots come looking.

How to Pick Blogs to Leave Comments On

So, how do I pick the blogs that I want to promote on? I go to Digg's home page and look for blogs on the top 10 pages. I won't stick specifically to the top page. I will look for blogs that don't have 300 comments, but get more than 200 diggs. Each of these diggs read that page. While very few viewers will follow a link in a comment to my blog, the Internet Marketing benefits equal what I normally pay $200 - $400 a month to obtain.

When I pick a blog I will go to www.iwebtool.com and check their page rank at www.selfseo.com and www.iwebtool.com - I always check on two or three different sites because not all PR prediction tools work.

I will never save a blog with a PR less than 5. It is a waste of time. Increasing Page Rank needs about 1000 comments on PR0 blogs but only 5 on a PR8 blog to increase MY blog's PR.

Next, I will look for blogs that are not 'niche' or 'network.' There are some tech blogs where everyone is involved in a PR campaign. I don't get involved with these because I am not wanted. These bloggers will never come and comment on my blog.

The perfect blog is one with a PR5 or higher, and where the web owner will come and leave a comment on my blog. It rarely happens, but when you find one of these, you have a win-win situation.

Warning: Not all PR8 blogs will let you have a PR8 link - even for a few days. Most of them have a landing page, and the blog articles are on a 'node.' This means that your comment is on a sub page. Some blogs have their PR carry through the sites. Others have PR6 on the home page and nothing on the sub pages. So, there is no reason to promote these sites or leave comments on them.

Linking To Blogs

I have left comments on a blog page with the express purpose of increasing my PR. By leaving a comment, I can write a post on my blog that links to the PR6 page. This morning I was blogging on one of my favorite sites about toxic communication.

Use this information to help yourself continue to promote your blog.

IZEA Wins On Page Rank Power

It is impossible to talk about the social networking tools and how they have changed the net without introducing the newest, and possibly 'biggest' shake up in the SEO world. IZEA real-rank.

I blogged a couple weeks ago about how IZEA works. Most bloggers who are familiar with PayPerPost are already registered with IZEA even if they don't know it. The IZEA tag was in that short line of HTML you added to your template.

We have enough respect and faith in this new tool to restructure the The blog rank system, that we've added it to our main blogs at inspiredauthor, authorsconnection, and communati. These sites routinely receive more than 10m hits a year. Take IA for example. It has more than 15 000 inbound links, all of them organic, yet it has a PR4. We did have a PR5+ - but we cancel our PPC ad campaign. After that Google changed the rules, again, and now they only recognize 385 of our in-bound links. It is frustrating to be mislead.

IZEARanks ranks blogs in the blogosphere via site statistics, not an extrapolation of estimates.

IZEA PUT TO THE TEST

I thought I would test IZEA this weekend. I chose a blog healthafter40.com that was part of my traffic campaign in February. I paid for 10 000 views.

The blog's click through rate averaged 30%. I was impressed. Google only saw 5% of that 30%. That means, none of the other clicks were counted, or used to calculate my Google rank.

I went to IZEA's home page and used their 'test' tool. (You can do this test too - in the left column of my blog is a link to my blog stats.)

Testing the Page Views

I typed in the blog URL. I compared the page view graph from both IZEA and my stat company - they were dead on!

Testing the Traffic

I then went to the graph that gave me my 'rank.' The graph's chart mirrored my blog stat's overall visitors for the month. If I printed out both, they would have overlapped each other perfectly.

Daily Stats

The monthly stats were right on. However, the daily stats were about 8% out. This could be accounted by the fact that 8% of my visitors hit the site and left within a few seconds, the accuracy is still a vast improvement over Google's counting system.

How IZEA Works

The IZEA system weights blogs 70% on daily unique visitors, 20% by daily active inbound links and 10% by daily page views as reported by ITK. In my opinion, the only improvement would be to give 'repeat' visitors a part in their algorithm. In my opinion - IZEA will make Google's Page Rank, Alexa, and Comscore obsolete.

How to Get Started

It is easy to get started. You do not need to belong to PPP. All you need to do is sign up for an account and enter the single line of code in your website. IZEA will do the rest.

Technorati...Oh yea!

We all know what technorati is. We claimed our blogs when we first started to blog. But, over time we stopped going to technorati to ping our blogs. We let them go out of date. We stopped using technorati.

Now to be honest - I know about the melt down. I know about the apparent 'lost' service rep hiding out in the basement of some dark office tower...as the urban legend goes.

But, despite that, technorati should not be ignored. There is a new tool at technorati that lets you access your tehnorati account from blogger, AOL, wordpress, and other blog platforms using the open ID feature.

It is also important to remember that many ranking systems, such as the one used at sponsored reviews, give your technorati rank importance. That said - thencorati (like Google) doesn't count all your links.

I personally have tried to use their search and am not impressed. After 10 minutes of being told there were no posts in my blogs (of 8 paid post blogs) with the tag 'blog' and then trying a site wide search to be told that no one is blogging on 'blogs' - I gave up.

A Look at Digg: The Basics

Kevin Rose's friend David Prager (The Screen Savers, This Week in Tech) originally wanted to call the site “Diggnation”, but Kevin wanted a simpler name. He chose the name "Digg", because users are able to "dig" stories, out of those submitted, up to the front page. The site was called “Digg” instead of “Dig” because the domain name “dig.com” was previously registered, by Walt Disney Internet Group. “Diggnation” would eventually be used as the title of Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht's weekly podcast discussing popular stories from Digg.

The original design was free of advertisements, and was designed by Dan Ries. As Digg became more popular, Google AdSense was added to the website. In July 2005, the site was updated to "Version 2.0". The new "version" featured a friends list, the ability to "digg" a story without being redirected to a "success" page, and a new interface designed by web design company Silverorange [2]. The site developers have stated that in future versions a more minimalist design will likely be employed. On Monday June 26, 2006 version 3 of Digg was released with specific categories for Technology, Science, World & Business, Videos, Entertainment and Gaming as well as a View All section where all categories are merged.

Digg has grown large enough that submissions sometimes create a sudden increase of traffic to the "dugg" website. This is referred to by some Digg users as the "Digg effect" and by some others as the site being "dugg to death". However, in many cases stories are linked simultaneously on several popular bookmarking sites. In such cases, the impact of the "digg effect" is difficult to isolate and assess. Wordpress is especially hated among diggers for its tendency to crash under the increased traffic.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digg

Marketing Notes from Brenna Lyons

I have a friend who is Major in the writing world. She has 20 books in print, and makes her living as a writer. Here are some notes she wanted to share.

General marketing notes-

The biggest myths debunking e-marketing- There are those who will tell you that you can't sell books unless you go to the major reader cons, advertise in certain venues, get reviews from the right places... Those venues are primarily aimed at the traditional print market. Not that there is anything wrong with crossover, but e-book authors would be best served going to e-marketing first and then print marketing as a secondary measure. Even print authors shouldn't write off e-marketing, since many print-only readers are hanging out on lists and filling their TBB and TBR lists, from there. In addition, e-marketing, as a rule, costs you little more than time .

Fact! E-book readers are usually computer literate and spend time online. They cruise chats, lists on things that interest them and web sites. Fact! We have a growing market, often looking for the right information at the right place and time to flower.

Can it be my only form of marketing?- Of course it can! But, will you sell any books? The point is to meld the standard forms of marketing with marketing targeted primarily at computer users, not to exclude the traditional market. We want e-publishing to grow. That means we have to appeal to both markets. The problem many authors have is relying on one or the other exclusively. You have to promote. Unless you are Nora Roberts in a wig and sunglasses, your marketing is going to fall largely on your own shoulders, whether you're in NY or indie/e.

Even if you don't like interacting, always attempt to do so- Ads are pretty. Reviews are nice, but the bottom line is that readers like an author they can relate to, interact with, and come to know as a person. But, here's the twist...

Pros of e-marketing: perfect for the shy: the personal touch without the touch- E- marketing offers the ability to reach out and touch someone without having someone in your personal space. If you are the type of person who carries a book in your hand so you don't have to shake hands or hug, this type of marketing is right up your alley. It is perfect for the shy, the person who can't stand crowds...and we all know that many authors are actually introverts.

They allow you to lay out more of yourself to the hungry readers who want to know you. In short, they give readers what they want from you...but...

Taking Care of Accidents

I received a link to a Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer website. It amazed me how many times in my life I assumed that something was my problem, or I had no rights, and later learned that I could have received compensation for lost income and in one case, suffering.

Most people don't know their rights. I don't always think that a lawsuit is the answer, but in some cases, it is the only way for justice to be served - especially when the other person blatantly disregarded other's rights.

How To Improve Your Computer Speed

I spend at least six hours - once every three months - cleaning up my computer and speeding it up. There are smart ways to clean up a computer - and some foolish ways. I personally stay out of my computer's registry. What do I do instead? I back up my entire computer - from the username up including software. I must back up my software because it takes me about 3 weeks to configure everything. Then, I just reformat my C drive and re-install everything.

This may not clear out all the application files but it does clean everything out without needing to play with the registry files and possibly causing my computer to crash.



How To Improve Your Computer Speed Almost Instantly

Probably your computer, even though you bought it last year its no longer that much fast. Like any other machine your computer require maintenance and tweaks of its settings.

You can easily follow these step by step methods to make your computer faster, better and more enjoyable. Once done you can see instant boost in the performance.

Keep in mind that your computer is not a waste bin. You don't throw things inside and wait till its full before you clean it. You harm your computer that way which also means it works much less efficient.

The 6 easy to follow tactics will help you overcome all that.

1. Create folders and sub folders in your hardrive. Usually that is drive C. This way you are treating your computer as a bookshelf, with all books in a specific shelf. You will also find files much more easy this way.

2. Then delete also the unwanted files. These unwanted files can be image files, music downloads, documents, notebook files, folders and the many other different types of files.

These are just there wasting your computer space which result in a slower computer. Click Start, Search and select one of the file types. It maybe pdf, .jpg, .gif. There is a whole list of file types. You can start with the easy files like .gif. In the search box do not type anything, just hit go to start the search.

You will notice a huge list of files, if you search for .gif files they will all be images. Now you can remove any images you don't need making sure that you know what you are deleting. This method will help you find all the unwanted files.

3. How many browsers do you have? Internet explorer, FireFox and did you also download Netscape to try it out? Well, you only use one so you can uninstall the rest. Same goes with all of the software, tools, applications and downloads you don't use. Uninstalling them will free out more space.

Your registry needs to be cleaned if you ever downloaded any files from the Internet. There are tools that help you clean your registry, and you should do this about once a month.

4. Do you still have that huge list of files on your Start button. When I click my Start button you see just 6 menus and about 7 sub menus. Those are all shortcuts which can be easily removed. Right click and delete the ones you don't use. You can always start a program from your hard drive C. To make it easy, click Start, Run and type in C:/ and it takes you to drive C, hit program files and you can open any application from there.

You don't need to keep all those icons neither on your desktop. I have none. You can access them by clicking Start, Run and type in C:/ then click the 'up one folder button' to get to the desktop. Button located next to back and forward buttons.

The Start, Programs menu is there just to help you find your applications very easy. But you still can access them very easy now that you now how to use the Run command C:/

Deleting the My Computer Icon, the My Documents icon won't permanently delete them. They can be accessed from the Run C:/ command. For XP users check out tweakxp.com to get more tweaks.

5. In such extreme cases you can even remove outlook express. If you want to make your computer a lot more faster that is going to help. You can use a free email account, like Gmail.com I personally use it daily and it is professional. Probably you will also realize that it is even much better than Outlook express. You get also instant chat with no need to download any software not even the Google Talk.

Have you got 4 messengers installed? Well, now you can get rid of them all. If you research google you will find that there are messengers which allow you to chat with your MSN contacts, Yahoo and AOL contacts. Instead of having three messengers you need just one. I would suggest you check out which is the best from answers.yahoo.com Get feedback.

6. It is not just the inside but also the outside. When was the last time you cleaned up your keyboard, mouse and monitor surface? At least once a year the tower which contains a fan needs to be cleaned. The fan accumulates dust and a technician has the tools to make it perfect again.

You should always use precaution when cleaning electrical hardware. The keyboard can be cleaned by using a dry cloth. After switching off your computer, remove all keys gently from the keyboard and place them in a jar filled with warm water. You do this only once every 5 months. With the dry cloth or slightly wet you can clean the interior of the keyboard.

The monitor and the mouse need not be opened to be cleaned. You can end up damaging them. A great way to protect your computer from dust, and even other possible damage is to cover it after use. A cover for the monitor, speakers, keyboard and tower. I even cover the mouse.

Your computer is a great tool that works practically lets say like magic. Like anything else though you cannot just switch it on, use it and then turn if off. By learning how to optimize your machine you will improve its performance. It will last longer.

Computer Management Tips: Ram

The lack of ram can slow down a computer drastically. This can make it difficult to work from home. Most days, I need to keep at least three software programs open at the same time. Opening only one, can reduce my productivity by two hours a day.

If you are haunting PPP and have a 'refresh' program runing, then a lack of ram can cost you up to $20 - $500 a day - depending on if you hit the Tuesday jackpot job. This can add up to a substantial income over the course of a year.

Fire Fox has the refresh plug in, but as everyone knows, FF is a glutton - especially when tabs are opened. This further drains your system. 2gig is no longer enough. Vista needs 1gig. Vista professional - Vista's new 64bit - they will need more.


Installing a Good Amount of Ram Can Help You Avoid Headaches

When it comes to computers the most common problem is the operational speed. When users first buy a computer with the famous and common Windows based operating system they are often impressed with the amount of hard disk space, the graphics card, the fabulous wide screen, the nice keyboard and the many cute extras smart sales people include as a bundle in order to make the sale.

Computer savvy users understand that the most important thing in a computer besides storage capacity and processing speed is the RAM memory capacity/speed. RAM stands for "random access memory" simply put, this is the memory all your applications use to operate once they have been launched or clicked. If you notice, once you open an application there is a small lag between the click and the fully launched program, the reason you have to wait a bit is because the program is being loaded into RAM as well as all the modules, extensions and plug-ins it uses.

Once it is open the application "caches" all the information in your RAM modules instead of the hard drive because RAM can be accessed much faster than the information in the HDD. As the application uses RAM to buffer data the computer slows down because other programs might be running and demanding for some RAM space as well, this is the reason why many people say "the more things you install in your PC the slower it gets" and it is true.

If your computer has very little random memory then the operating system can lock up, freeze or show you error messages and the all time famous BSD (Blue screen of death), when this happens it is often because a program has requested/used a lot of memory resource which were not available or because of poorly coded programs which are often downloaded from the web (freeware)

In order to optimize your PC you must learn how to use the task manager, this is the small but useful window that comes up when you press Control + ALT + Delete. In Windows XP it will bring up the window immediately, in Vista however you need to select the "start task manager option" once you have pressed the three key combination. The task manager window will show you how much memory you have available, the number of programs running and which program is taking a lot of memory space as well as CPU power; if you determine a certain application is using too much memory or CPU you can choose to terminate it, if it isn't a critical system module that is!

Some people know that popular applications such as Mozilla Firefox has memory leak problems, this is effective up to version 2.0 which will soon be upgraded to version 3 and hopefully corrected. This useful internet browser is preferred by many users because it is easier to use than Internet Explorer and has less security problems but after a couple of hours of use, the task manager reports an increase in memory occupied by the application, with just a few tabs (3-6) you can be using up to 100MB of RAM, if you have 512MB of RAM this is already 20% of your physical memory, if you leave it open and use it for an extended period of time this can go up to 500MB+ in machines with more capacity.

To make the story short, most problems you may experience with your computer are directly related to RAM, this is why it is recommended to buy computers with at least 1GB of RAM if you are using Vista (2GB+ would be an optimum amount) If your PC doesn't have this much memory you need to make sure you find compatible modules which match the speed and amount of pins your motherboard RAM slots have. Some modules are DDR (Double data rate) which run at different speeds (100-200MHz) in newer computers you will find that the modules used are DDR2 or even DDR3 which operate at much faster speeds. If this all sounds like gibberish to you it is recommended you contact a computer technician to inspect your computer and do the upgrade which can help your computer run faster and will definitively help you avoid headaches.

What is Business Insurance?

Are you in business? If you are trying to generate income, then the answer is yes.

Your business equipment will not be covered if you don't let your home and car insurance company know that you are operating a business. This is important when asking for an auto insurance quote,
even if the business is a hobby as most policies require a rider to cover business equipment.

Travelling to a writer's workshop, conference, or just a book signing can mean that your laptop, will not be covered if damaged or stolen. I was hit this way once. I didn't realize that my laptop was considered business because I was using it to write books - and writing is a business.

I lost quite a bit of equipment when my car was stolen. The insurance company covered all but what the insurance company called 'for business use.'

Make Money Online

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks looking over different methods of earning money from my blogs. I took a look around another few blog sites. Pro blogger has a few of the same programs I am involved in, and a few I do not subscribe to: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2007/11/15/how-i-make-money-blogging/

AdSense Google

I cannot rely on Google. Some times I make good money, then they change the rules and my income drops. Their sliding scale is hard to figure out. I’ve read the rules, met the requirements and received as much as 30% CPC. Then, without any word from the net that Google changed the rules, I am back down to 2%. And, I can make several different percentages at the same time.

I make most from Google when I buy targeted traffic.

Adbrite.com

Adbrite.com doesn’t have a sliding scale. I know what I make. It also has the advantage of letting me pick and chose the ads I want to appear on my blog. I don’t use their video or full page ads, just their PPP.

Commission Junction

Worth the mention, but I don’t do well. I find that people are more likely to click a text ad than an image. However, I do find they have social benefit. The blogs that have pictures on them have more click through and RSS subscriptions. The images increase the blog’s credentials.

Amazon Associates

I don’t do well here, but I don’t invest a lot of time optimizing for it. Problogger.com claims that he does well.

Affiliate Programs

I don’t make much from affiliates, but I do make some money.

Paid Posts

I write paid posts – with a twist. I am not locked into a campaign. I only submit my sites to PPP programs that let me choose my sponsors, and which ads to write. In many cases, I can pick an article out of my ‘files’ and post it with the sponsor.
What I don’t do is write ads. If a PPP asks for blatant advertising, I won’t write about it unless it is a service I approve of and would pass on to my subscribers and readers – free. This could be because I come from a magazine background where I am use to having 75% advertising mixed within 20% content, with 5% dead space.

My Books

I make a lot of money selling my own books in either download form and from Amazon.com. These books are in mobi, Kindel, Palm, Adobe, MSReader, and print formats.

Piece of Mind in a House of Teenagers

After reading a Cnet news report entitled "Why you shouldn't buy an Xbox 360 Arcade" I was once again taking a second look at playstation 3 . These gaming consoles have become an integral part of my teenager's life. These games systems can also be called a piece of mind.

It is a great way for my son to burn off the stress most teens are burdened with. I've done a lot of research on the different game systems. I didn't find any reports that warned people away from the playstation 3 - a good sign.

Share Your Secret to Success

Did you have an epiphany? A moment when everything came together? A marketing technique that actually worked? Come and share it with us. We are looking for anything. Please do not just post 'buying traffic' in your comment box.

Not every comment will be approved. Those selected will be at least 50 words. They will offer some good information. They will 'not' be built around the product you are selling. Instead they will be a review or a 'how to' of a marketing technique which is working for you. They will tell the readers how well they worked.

My Submission

Buying Traffic

I knew about buying traffic for years, but never did. It always seems a little suspicious to me. Why buy traffic when Google was sending me visits, and Social Networking was responsible for 85% of my hits? This was all free.

I started buying traffic in 2007. At first I paid $12 for random international traffic. $12 bought 10 000 page views. I bought the traffic because I wanted to build the PR of my websites, and thought that 10 000 visitors would do it.

I quickly found out that all I bought was 10 000 views from the other website, most of these were from pop unders or pop overs that showed my home page. At first I was upset because I only received about 10% clickthroughs.

Then, I transferred the campaign to my blogger and wordpress blogs, and made sure that each blog had a 'good article' in view on the 'landing page.' (mistake learned...do not bring these people to your home page)

I started noticing my PPP campaign results increase. In fact, that $12 investment turned into $19 more dollars. Another campaign earned me $9. But, two on 'small business' were a waste of time.

This wasn't a big increase in income, but if I can make $5-$9 for every campaign, and I run several simultaneously, then the program can generate $500 a month from running 5 campaigns from each of my blogs.

I also found that putting a good article increased the 'click' through rate to 30%. So, I got 2900 page views and visitors for $12. Of those, 339 are repeat visitors and 10% joined my RSS.

Building a Newsletter List the Easy Way

The secret to building a fan base is to entice visitors to your website to chat in a forum and/or join a newsletter. It has never been easier to create newsletters. There are dozens of free templates on the web, and a few free tools. For those who have invested in Word Suite, everything you need is in the suite. However, I do not suggest keeping a mailing list in Outlook unless you save it to a backup disk or a third party backup service.

I decided to use my publisher to make this post. Publisher is a part of the word suite. I am currently using WordSuite2007. I made this email letter in 10 minutes, and launched it through Outlook from my publisher account.

I wanted to offer the post this way to show people how easy it is to release a newsletter to your members. You do not need a any expertise as a web designer, or mailing list compiler expert. All you need is MSOutlook, or PHPlist.com. You can even run a good program through Hotmail if you want to manually insert email addresses.

Marketing isn’t about putting your name ‘out’ to the world, it is about getting people to come ‘in’ to you. This is why a mailing list is so important.

When using Outlook or Hotmail, people can join your mailing list by emailing you. I do not suggest using yahoo as I've faced a lot of spam problems with yahoo.




How to Create a Mailing List with Windows Live Hotmail

To set up a group of recipients in Windows Live Hotmail:

• Select Contacts from Windows Live Hotmail's left-hand navigation bar.
• Click on the down arrow of the New button.
• Select Group....
• Type the desired group name.
• This name acts as a nickname when addressing messages.
• The nickname must be unique in your address book (a group cannot have the same name as another group or another address book entry's nickname).
• Press Enter.
• Drag and drop existing contacts from All contacts to the new group to add them.
• You can also go to the group and select New Contact... to add a new member.
  

With this tool, everyone who emails your ‘mailing list’ account can be automatically added to your mailing list.

PHPlist.com is free with many good webhosts today with a click of the button. I have used this service for years, and never once faced a problem. It is simple to add names, delete names, post a template and send an email.

There is a plug in for wordpress that installs PHPlist and sets a 'sign in' box that can easily be put on your template. There is no widget at this time, but the single line of code can be added to a template without risk of ruining something important or throwing out the formatting. I have installed this tool on a 3 and 4 column template, widget ready.

However, if you are totally new to internet marketing, and cannot FTP a file into your host (very easy) then you might want to try bravenet.com. They have a mailing list feature that is free for the first 500 members. I used bravenet for the first two years. I paid $5 a month to avoid the advertising. Another service is http://ezezine.com/

Release a Post to Multiple Blogs

Most bloggers are aware of the blog feed tools in Outsource, or http://writetomyblog.com/ (which only works if the blogs have an AP key. It also runs into problem if some blogs have a text, and others have HTML text editors.

Wordpress

There is a plug in called http://www.woprot.com/full.php . I do not know anyone who has used this tool. It is not offered free.

Wordbook lets bloggers crosspost their posts to wordpress through a mini feed:

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordbook/#post-2142

Wordpress also has their import/export feature in the new versions. I am going to give these a try as soon as I upgrade some of my older blogs.

Another plug in is WorpressMU I found a blog with some good instructions on using this Wordpress plugin. Of course, this method of managing multiple blogs is very advanced, but hosting your own private community is great for anyone who can hack the admin panel - not hard for someone with an hour to read the tutorials/blogs on the subject.

I have used this feature. It does have some formatting problem. Most new bloggers learn which of their blogs are text, and which are html becuase one blog looks good - another has formatting problem. The intelligent thing to do is set up 2 accounts, one for HTML blogs, one for text. I also suggest not writing the blog first in Word as the posts pick up hidden code.

Windows Live Writer

I build all my blogs on two platforms, blogger and Wordpress. Microsoft has a new tool http://windowslivewriter.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!D85741BB5E0BE8AA!174.entry This tool works well with blogger.

Windows Live Writer is an excellent tool although it is now out of betta.

I am currently working with this platform. It has some great features, and the posts look good, but I haven't incorporated it to all my different blogs. Currently, I use Wordpress, Blogger, and Drupal.

ecto

ecto is a rich desktop blogging client for MacOSX and Windows, which posts to a wide range of bog platforms: Blogger, Blojsom, Drupal, MovableType, Nucleus, SquareSpace, TypePad, WordPress, and more.

ecto is heir apparent to Kung-Log, which is popular among the Mac community. ecto lets bloggers write and manage entries for multiple blogs. Bloggers can compose entries offline and use extra features, including spellcheck, links, attachments, etc..

ecto for windows is $17.00USD. At this moment, I do not know anyone who uses this platform on windows so I cannot rate it.

MultiBlog 1.2.1

This tool works for all blogger API tools. It is fairly simple to use, but may not work on all blogs. Drupal has API key capablitity, but the blog host must activate it - not all do.

Most blog hosts turn of this feature because people try to write in word, past to their blog poster, and then carry 'crap code' into the website damaging the serach engines robots ability to index the site.

Your Comments: I am interested in hearing what bloggers have to say about these platforms.

Where Will You Vacation?

Where will you vacation this year? Most of the snow birds are returning to Canada. The rest of us are planning a vacation for the summer months. It is amazing how our vacations change as we grow. When I was young, I loved camping. Then I prefered to stay in a hotel. Now I want to stay at a place like Sea Pines rentals. These weekly rentals are cheaper (only $1000 a week average), they have all the privacy of a vacation property, but the amenities of a hotel.

If I stayed in a hotel with an equal room, I would need to pay at least $200 a night for the seven nights, $1 400 a week. The four hundred extra dollars can pay for my flight.

I think that planning the holiday is half the fun. I spend months planning a holiday.

The Ultimate Blogging Secrets That you Never Know for Year 2008

It is so hard to stay up to date with IT technology. Google has changed their rules three times in the last twelve months. No one is sure what happened last September. Before anyone could regain their balance, they changed the rules again. They penalized anyone who didn't play the game their way - and in fact - alienated some major website that are now using different PPP programs.


The Ultimate Blogging Secrets That you Never Know for Year 2008

Blogging has become more and more popular these days, people are looking for ways how they can improve their blogs so that more people know about their blog and can hence visit their blog. I believe that you can find a lot of blogging tips, guides and even secrets in the search engine, blogging has become one of the most-seek topic because everyone blogs.

So what are the ultimate blogging secrets? In my opinion, those blogging tips such as submit your blog to Technorati, post constantly, get a FeedBurner account, submit your posts to social networking sites, ping your blog and many more are not secrets anymore. This is because by simply typing ‘blogging tips’ in the search engine, you will come out with tons of results of the same kind. Almost every bloggers out there knows about these tips and guides.

So what I’m going to tell you here about the ultimate blogging secrets are something much more ‘mental’, it is more to your mindset rather than something like all the blogging tips that you can find from the net itself. Therefore, for me, the ultimate blogging secrets are:

Secret #1 – Know why you blog
Know the reason that you blog. Everything happens for a reason, and if you create a blog today, there must be a reason for you. So, why did you blog? Is it because you are just following the trend? You see a lot of people are playing with blogs, and you decide to join them as well? Or is it that you want to earn money from your blog? Whatever reason it is, there must be a reason; you have to find this reason.

Once you know why you blog, then nothing can ever stop you. Just like if the reason you blog is because that you want to create an extra stream of income online, then do whatever it takes to achieve it. It is the purpose that keeps you going, motivates you, inspires you and keeps you moving forward. Today, if you don’t know why you blog, it is most likely you are going to give up the moment you find that nobody actually visits your blog.

That is why the reason is important. Know why you blog before you start creating your blog. This is just like having a clear goal, if you have a goal, you will know where you are heading. However, if you don’t have a clear goal, you will be lost somewhere. If you don’t even know where you wanted to go, how can you ever reach somewhere?

Secret #2 – Serve your readers
Many people did not know about this. Did you know that the reason people visit your blog is because of the information that you have? Therefore, the main purpose visitors arrive at your blog is because of your content, so you will have to write quality posts. You will have to serve your readers. This is the one question that you have to ask yourself, “Are you willing to do whatever it takes to educate your readers and without asking for anything in return?” If your answer is yes, then you should start creating your blog right now.

Just imagine that if someone arrives to your blog, but your blog contains nothing, your visitors will leave immediately, because your blog has got nothing that they are looking for. I like to use this word when I talk about serving your readers, Value. Yes, you have to create value for your readers, the more value you created for them, the more likely they will addict to your blog, and thus, follow your advice, and purchase whatever you recommend to them.

This is how it works; creating value for your readers, provide something that they are looking for. I know you’ve heard this, ‘content is king’. This is very true, your blog content is just like the heart of your blog, and the traffic is blood. Without the heart, your blog will die, and without the blood, you blog cannot live. So, often bring out valuable posts for your readers, write with original content and your readers will appreciate it.

Secret #3 – Treat their blog as a get-rich-quick scheme
I believe that almost 50 percent of people who start their blogs with the reason that they hope they can make some money out from their blog, fast. If you think it this way, then you are wrong, blogging is not something that can bring you money in a fast way. In fact, blogging is something just like real-estate, it will appreciate over time.

Meaning that you have to spend time and develop your blog. Your blog is not a money tree and it cannot earn you any money if you don’t develop it properly. Most people start their blog and wish that they can make some money out of it; this is because they have heard that many bloggers are making a lot of money from their blog, easily. They think that by simply setting up a blog, throw some posts in it, set up Google Adsense, and checks will come to them automatically.

If you think that blog is something that can make you rich in a quick way, you are wrong. Indeed that some people can earn a lot of money from their blog in just a short period of time, but did you really think that they are just lucky? You have to spend a lot of time to build your blog, you have to treat your blog as a serious business if you really want to make money from it.

There you go, the 3 blogging secrets that you never know about. Well, maybe you’ve already known about these, but in my opinion, these secrets are also important compare with other blogging tips such as submitting to Technorati, pinging, bookmark, etc. I hope that this article can help you achieve much more in your blog.

Shawn Lim, an internet marketer who earns money online. You can grab all the success tips and money making guides here, get your FREE e-Books that lead you one step forward to your dreams, TheMillionaire Secrets.