• Check out Google alerts: Google has a great alert system that send e-mails to you each time it has a new blog entry, video or anything else on a keyword or keyword phrase that you tell it.
• Check out the Article directories. ezinearticles.com is a treasure trove of idea starters for your blog. Read the articles in the categories that relate to your blog. Make a list of your ideas that you come up with as you read. Remember don’t copy the articles!
• News headlines are always a great source for ideas. Though they may not directly refer to your subject they can sometime give the creative juices a bit of a push. Reading the paper or news on-line keeps you current and able to write in the present. Don’t just look at the main headlines, either, go inside to the lifestyle section, look at the ads (what is the big product being pushed today?)It’s amazing how ten minutes with the news will give you an idea.
• Check out other blogs related to your subject. Again don’t copy what they are writing about but they will give you ideas.
• Forums are good places to pick up what people are asking for. Check out a forum in your niche and see what questions are being asked – can you answer them?If you can then do it in your blog. What ideas are being discussed – can you add to them?
• Keep a note book or text yourself with random ideas that pop up when you’re away from your computer. It’s amazing how one of these can be turned into a fantastic post.

Bottom line – don’t give up!

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• Clever Tricks You Can Do With Google Alerts (seoptimise.com)
• Google Alerts (womensblog.score.org)
• Platform – Google Alerts (kinlane.com)

• Blogger

Blogger has a lot of advantages:

• it’s really easy to set-up – even a no-computer expert can handle it in less than five minutes (maximum fifteen!);

• it’s really easy to use

• there’s lots of “gadget” features. With a couple of clicks, for example, you can:

1. - add a search box – this lets readers search for specific items/keywords on your blog
2. - add a “follow me” box – very handy for other Bloggers to follow your blog and be notified when you add a new post
3. - add a Google Adsense code so that you can start earning when visitors click on the ads
4. - add a slide-show of your photos related to your blog
5. - add a video bar that can display YouTube and Google video clips for your readers
6. - content from an RSS feed
7. - a newsreel so that your readers can watch the latest news headlines without leaving your blog

There are at least twenty-one basic gadgets that you can add – check out list on Blogger to see the full list, you’ll be amazed!

If you are serious about making money with your blog then remember that you don’t own your blog when you use the “free” Blogger  – Blogger does. The best thing to do is buy a hosting account and host your blog your own server. The hosting can be bought for a few dollars per month and is worth the expense in the long run when you start monetizing your blog.

Check out the hosting sites carefully and make sure you know what you will be getting with your hosting package – if you’re not sure,  most hosting sites have live chat lines that gives you the answers to your questions/concerns quickly.

• WordPress

WordPress is similar to Blogger in that you can have a “free” site hosted on the WordPress servers or you can buy hosting and host your blog on your own servers. The choice is up to you but “free” WordPress blogs are really only for personal use, you cannot monetize them through advertising or affiliate marketing, etc. My personal choice is to buy the hosting if you want to make money with the blog.

WordPress also has plug-ins for just about anything you can think of doing with your site. They include:

• -Google site maps
• -spam blockers (a very handy tool)
• -BuddyPress which lets you build a social network for your niche. According to WordPress “BuddyPress will let users register on your site and start creating profiles, posting messages, making connections, creating and interacting in groups and much more“
• -Wickett Twitter Widget – this displays tweets from a Twitter account in your blog’s sidebar

I just checked the WordPress Plugin directory and there are 10,647 plugins! Check them out at http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/

You can even create your own plugin if you have knowledge of PHP.

Plugin installation can be a little tricky so follow the instructions carefully.

Conclusion

So, in the end which do you choose?

I actually use both platforms – even the “free” ones.

I feel more comfortable with WordPress mainly because I started my first blog with it but I am getting used to Blogger.

I do, however,  believe that buying hosting is the better choice for both platforms because you have control over your blogs. On the other hand, you may want to start out with a free blog just to see how you like it.

Bottom line is: why not try them both!

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http://terrys-makemoneyblogging.com/makemoneywithadsense/

http://terrys-makemoneyblogging.com/BloggingforBusiness/

How do you keep your blog alive? Blogging tips to make the startup blog easier.

Do you need tips on how to start and maintain your blog? I’ve listed some blog tips below that I find are important to me as a blogger.

Maintaining a blog can be difficult, however, starting up a blog is easy. There are a number of free blogging platforms that are simple to use – the two most popular are Blogger and WordPress. Anyone can sign up to the two free services and start a blog on either of these sites without spending a cent – this is the easy step but should not be the first step.

Because it’s not so easy to find those important qualities needed to maintain your blog: originality, enthusiasm, creativity, patience, and spare time.

Many people who have started writing blogs begin with high hopes and excitement for their blog. But as time went on it became harder to continue, they ran out of ideas, the “creative urge” dried up and they neglected their blog until it finally died.

How do you maintain a successful blog?

1) Write about the things you know and love. Think about the following questions:

• Are you knowledgeable about the topic you have chosen?
• Do you like the topic?
• Is the topic interesting to you yourself as well as others?
• Are you passionate about this topic?

This last point is very important, maybe the most important because as long as you’re passionate about the topic you’ll find it easier to write an on-going blog.

2) Read other blogs on the same topic but don’t copy their blogs – think about new and original ways to approach the subject

3) Creativity is almost as important as passion when it comes to blogging. Creative ideas will keep your blog alive and free from monotony but don’t overdo it. Subscribers like originality don’t repeat a particular idea over and over again. You want your subscribers to stay hooked not bored.

4) Plan your blog posts ahead of time. Make a schedule of the topics you want to post on your blog. If you want to post twice a week then you’re going to need 104 new posts. Can you manage this? How about once per week? – this leads directly to the next point – keeping your subscribers hooked…

5) To keep your subscribers hooked try to add new blogs to your posts regularly – if possible on a weekly basis. You’ll lose them quickly if you leave them with no new posts for months at a time. If you are going to be “away” for any length it might be a good idea to mention this fact in a post.

6) Encourage your readers to participate in your blog through asking questions or even taking a survey. Ask them questions, believe me they will be glad to add their comments.

7) To improve your blogging skills, read the blogs of other bloggers – not necessarily on the same topic – check out writing style, what do you like about them, what don’t you like about them?

Think ahead. How to you want your blog to grow? Will you add videos, pictures? Does the subject allow you to do this? Remember both videos and pictures make your blog more exciting and interesting to your subscribers.

Finally, blogging is a skill that can be learned through practice. It has the possibility of making you extra money and as you have probably already heard there are those who blog for six figures a year. This doesn’t happen overnight, though, it takes time but it’s time well spent and lots of fun. Try some of the tips above and let me know how they work out.

Until next time ….

a) successful

b) informative

c) a good read

I’ve had a good six months to research other blogs on the internet that cover online money-making and came to the conclusion that I really needed to learn a lot more about this very lucrative business. The basics were lacking for me: keywords, monetizing, advertising and just plain writing about it.

I’ve learned, the hard way, that blogging is not a real “get rich quick” system. Yes, there are some lucky bloggers that do make quick dollars but there are a lot more that do not. Blogging can be fun if you take the time to sit back and enjoy it. Like everything else you have to learn from the beginning and take the necessary steps that will lead to success.

One of the main lessons I’ve learned over the last while is that I  have to focus on what I am trying to accomplish. I admit I am one of those bloggers who want to “get rich quick” and all I have done so far is spend a lot of money on good information that I have no idea how to use. Bottom line here is that I have to focus on what I am doing.

So here goes. Starting from scratch!

Any comments please feel free to add them.