Ways To Earn Money Through Blogging

I have to admit it: there are many people who jump into the blogging bandwagon because they think that they can get rich off of it. There has been too much hype about making money off of blogging that, inevitably, misconceptions have arisen. Of course, to a certain degree, one can reasonably expect to make some money with a blog. You do have to be realistic about your expectations, however; and that is what I am here for.

Yes, you can earn money with your blog, but don’t turn in your resignation letter just yet. There are some people who make it quite big in the blogosphere, but sad to say, there are even more who do not really earn much. Let’s try to be positive here and look at the ways that you can make money through your blog, shall we?

Get paid to blog. This is one of the most common ways by which you can make money through your blog. It is also called “pay per post” blogging, and is quite popular with personal bloggers. Basically, you sign up with a company that assigns you certain posts on topics and they pay you an agreed amount for each post. You’d have to include a link and/or talk about a product or service. This kind of scheme has created a lot of controversy, mainly because of transparency issues. Still, it provides a small but steady stream of income for bloggers.

Advertising and affiliate programs. The idea is to create a niche blog that focus on a “popular” topic. When I say popular, I mean a topic that is searched a LOT online. Think loans, weight loss, and the like. You will have to focus on these topics and write posts about them. Also, your blog has to achieve a decent PageRank (Google’s way of ranking web sites) in order to attract advertisers.

Alternatively, you can join Google’s Adsense program. The income is lower over a period of time UNLESS you optimize your blog for it; THEN, you can earn a considerable amount. Of course, you have to realize that you need a large amount of traffic in order to make hefty earnings.

As for affiliate programs, think of these as a sales job online. You get a certain percentage of the sales made if someone clicks on an ad from your blog and buys a product or service from your affiliate partner.

I have to clarify something here – your blog does not have to be a niche blog in order to sell ad space. Indeed, a lot of personal blogs have ads.

Contract blogging. For the lack of a better word, I used contract blogging. Basically, what you can do is hone your writing and blogging skills and then join an existing blog network. What’s going to happen is you sell your services as a blogger and you get paid under some sort of scheme. The advantage of this is that you get a relatively stable income and you get to enjoy what you’re doing more!

So, if you want to blog for the money, check out these methods and see which suits you best!

Posted in Blogging, Make Money Blogging by admin and tagged , , • 1 lone comment

How To Promote Your Blog

I was just talking to a friend who has been blogging for about a year now. Last week, she decided to shut down her original blog and create a new one. The big difference is that this new blog is open only to people she chooses – and she has chosen four. It occurred to me that she needs this blog for personal purposes only and that she does not have to worry about promoting her blog to get more readers. That’s great for her, but for a good number of bloggers out there, blog promotion should be at the top of the list.

If your goal is to make your mark online and get as many readers as you can possibly get, then promoting your blog is important. While you may have that much confidence in your ideas and writing style, it may not be enough to catch the attention of potential followers. After all, there are millions of blogs out there, what are the chances of a person stumbling upon your blog?

How can you promote your blog? Is there a right way to do it?

To be honest with you, I don’t think there is ONE way to do it. However, you can put into practice some activities that will help you market your blog. Let us look at some of the most practical ones that actually get results.

Facebook
If you had written this more than a year ago, the first item on my list probably wouldn’t have been Facebook. However, we all know just how big this social networking site has become, and it is a very effective way of getting the word out that you have a blog that you want everyone to read. You can publish links to your posts on your Facebook status. You can create a page on Facebook for your blog and invite people to become fans. You can even pay for ads if you are willing to.

Comment. Comment. Comment.
Two things: make sure you comment in relevant blogs and that your comments are NOT solely to promote your blog. Commenting in other blogs is a great way to meet new people who might be interested in what you have to say. However, simply leaving a useless comment and putting your blog URL is not acceptable. That’s spamming, period. I have made quite a number of friends over the years through my personal blog; and how did that start? We discovered each other through blog comments.

Blog Communities
Practically every blogger I know wants others to discover his/her blog. I suppose that this desire has brought about the need for blog communities such as MyBlogLog and BlogCatalog where bloggers can come together and promote their blogs. The good thing about these communities is that you can also discover likeminded people with similar blogs. It’s easier to do this as part of a community – with tools already set in place – rather than manually looking for blogs through a search engine.

Forums
Much like leaving comments in other blogs, you can participate in forums focusing on topics related to your blog. While blatant self-promotion is usually not allowed, you can always make mention of your blog when relevant.

Posted in Blog Promotion, Blogging, Blogging Tips by admin and tagged , , • Post a comment

Mobile Blogging

You might have heard of mobile blogging before; and if you have, it really is not surprising at all. The Internet changed the way people all over the world communicate, but the prevalence of mobile communication devices made a greater impact. While people normally blog using their computers at home or at the office, it is quite possible to update blogs while on the go. Indeed, this has become the practice of a lot of people who want to update their blogs even without a “conventional” connection to the Internet.

Mobile blogging is also called moblogging, and most mobile bloggers use their mobile phones equipped with cameras. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out just how attractive this can be. Say you’re on the road and you see a gorgeous sunset; with mobile blogging, you simply have to snap a picture of the scenery and upload it directly to your blog. Instant gratification at it’s best!

How does mobile blogging work?

Basically, you have to have a blog already – you can learn more about the basics of this in our other pages. Once you have that up and running, you need to have software that will allow you to directly post on your blog from your mobile phone. This may vary depending on the blogging platform that you choose to use.

As we are using WordPress, let’s take a look at how you can go about mobile blogging using this platform. The simplest thing that you can do is to use your mobile phone’s web browser and go to the URL http://m.wordpress.com. Upon logging in, you will be directed to a dashboard, much like what you see when you log on using the regular site. The main difference is that it’s so much faster. Once you see that dashboard – and you should already be somewhat familiar with it at this point – you can do practically everything that you do on your computer, in terms of blogging.

Of course, there are also other ways by which you can go about mobile blogging – basically by using plugins that will make the WordPress dashboard easier for the activity. Some of the more popular mobile plugins for WordPress are Wphone, Mobile Plugin, and Mippin. You might want to take a more thorough look around if you are that particular about mobile blogging. As a start though, I would say that the default mobile site will serve its purpose.

One other thing to think about when it comes to mobile blogging…why not make sure that your blog is mobile friendly? You do not really have to worry about this right now, but it might save you time in the future. Viewing sites on a mobile phone is definitely different from viewing them on a laptop or computer. As such, when designing your blog, it would be a good idea to look into the future and design it so that it will be compatible with mobile devices. Alternatively, consider having a mobile version of your blog.

Posted in Blogging, Blogging Tips by admin and tagged • Post a comment

Writing And Blogging: Are They One And The Same?

I have heard people compare and contrast blogging and writing one time too many. Some say that they are basically the same thing – you write posts, therefore you blog. Others take a different stance and say that there is more to blogging than writing, and that just because you can write doesn’t mean you can blog. What is it really? Do you have to be a good writer to be a good blogger?

I suppose that both sides have a point. I have to say that I believe that to a certain degree, you HAVE TO be able to write decently in order to be an effective blogger. Let us examine a few points.

One, you need to be able to send your message across clearly. Whether you are writing an article for a magazine or you are writing a blog post, you need to get your message across. In order to do so, you have to be able to write coherently.

Two, you need to know the basics of proper spelling, punctuation, and the like. While you may be good with words, glaring mistakes with regard to spelling, punctuation, and grammar will turn people off. It is true that not everyone is a grammar Nazi, but being correct in this regard adds credibility to your blog.

Three, you need to be able to play with words in order to maintain a captive audience. You might have the most interesting ideas to share, but if you do not think of your audience and try to keep them interested, then you might very well fail.

As you can see, those aspects of “formal” writing apply very much to blogging. No matter how you look at it, writing and blogging have many things in common.

On the other hand, we also have to realize that one need not be a Pulitzer awardee to become a good blogger. As bloggers, we do not need to be so strict and formal with regard to styles and writing rules. Perhaps more important than these rules are the things that you can do to promote your blog and increase your readership. What are these things?

One, you have to pay attention to your wording. Key words have long been an important part of writing for the web. People search for information using these key words, and if you focus on a specific topic, then you ought to find out the key words that are most relevant to this topic.

Two, you have to interact with the rest of the blogosphere. More than offering your own content, do not hesitate to link out to other blogs and sites which may have relevant information for your readers as well.

Three, place high importance on comments. Word your posts so as to incite comments from your readers – good or bad it doesn’t matter. The idea is to start a discussion. More so, remember to reply to comments in your blog AND comment in other blogs as well.

Writing IS part of blogging, but do not make the mistake of thinking that all you need to do to maintain a successful blog is to churn out words.

Posted in Blog Content, Blogging by admin and tagged • Post a comment

Widgets For Your Blog

Blogs bring a lot of pleasure to their owners for many reasons, and one of the things I like most is the fact that you can tweak your blog to your heart’s content. Widgets are one of the most useful tools that you can employ to make your blog look just like the way you want it to.

Widgets may sound cool, but do you have a clear idea of what they are and what they can do? Again, let’s go the most basic route: widgets are basically groups of code that can be used in various web sites (including your blog). They do not require any additional programming work on the par of the end user (you and I). All that you need to do is copy the code to your blog, and you’re good to go.

That’s the (slightly) technical part. Now let’s focus on the more practical aspects of widgets. Basically, you can find widgets of any kind that can add visual appeal to your blog. More than aesthetic value, widgets also offer a lot in terms of usability. Think clock widgets, calendar widgets, countdown widgets, map widgets, comment widgets, popular post widgets, and so on. In fact, there are countless widgets available online today, that it is probably impossible to count them!

As you start your blogging journey, you may be tempted to grab each and every widget that catches your fancy. Trust me, this is NOT a good idea. There is such a thing as having too many widgets in your blog, and if this is the case, you will probably end up with confused or irritated readers – both having negative implications for you.

So what are you to do then? Let’s begin with the most essential widgets that you are going to need. After a few weeks or months of blogging, you will have enough experience to pick out more widgets that will be beneficial to your blog.

Popular Posts Widgets
I think that this widget is one of the most important tools out there. Once you amass a lot of posts in your blog, it could be hard for readers to find older posts, even if they are your best posts. The solution is to use a popular post widget which will highlight these posts. Making it easy for your readers to find these excellent posts works in two ways: one, you give quality content to your readers, making them happy; two, you increase your chances of having readers subscribe to your blog.

Labels or Tags Widgets
Blog platforms usually have these widgets as a default, but you should always make sure that your widget is up and running properly. The reason is quite similar to the rationale behind the first widget I mentioned – you want readers to navigate your blog more easily and to find the posts most relevant to them. Just remember, though, that you have to label or tag your posts properly in order for these widgets to work the way they ought to.

Related Posts Widgets
Do you want to get more page views and promote posts that may not be as popular as the others? Then get a widget that provides links to posts with related content. Again, this will give your readers additional information and give you benefits as well.

These are only some of the most important widgets that you can use for your blog. As you go along, I am certain that you will find more.

Posted in Blog Bits, Blog Themes & Templates by admin and tagged , • Post a comment

Blogging And Copyright Issues

There is no doubt about it – the bigger something becomes, the more prone it is to controversy, and blogging is not exempt from this. I am sure that you have heard bits and pieces about blogs and copyright. You might have even heard of some blogs which publish content that is not theirs – in varying degrees. Sometimes, even when bloggers do not intend to commit copyright infringement, it happens. Let’s look at some important points that will help you avoid doing so.

Let’s begin by looking at the term copyright. What does it really mean? Wikipedia gives a very good definition:

Copyright is a form of intellectual property that gives the author of an original work exclusive right for a certain time period in relation to that work, including its publication, distribution and adaptation, after which time the work is said to enter the public domain. Copyright applies to any expressible form of an idea or information that is substantive and discrete and fixed in a medium. Some jurisdictions also recognize “moral rights” of the creator of a work, such as the right to be credited for the work. Copyright is described under the umbrella term intellectual property along with patents and trademarks.

So why worry about copyright? Why did they come up with the concept in the first place? The bottom line is this: copyright exists so that the owner of the content/idea is protected. This simply means that you can’t just copy text and photos and use it in your posts. You need to get the owner’s explicit permission before you can use the material.

What can you use and what can’t you use?

Here’s a bit of good news – copyrighted material MAY be used in a limited manner IF the purpose is scholarly. In addition to this, you may use copyrighted material to a certain degree if you are reviewing it. This is what is called the principle of “fair use.” Under this, you do not have to ask for the owner’s permission.

More so, anyone is allowed to use facts and other types of material that is not protected by copyright. These include names, general truths, slogans, and the like. Of course, you still have to check for the protection that the “owner” might have acquired. To be on the safe side, always make sure that what you are using is copyright-free.

If you do want to use someone else’s work, you may do so as long as you merely use an excerpt; that is, a small portion of the work. In order to do this legally, your purpose should be something like commenting or critiquing the work OR reporting the work. More importantly, you have to give credit where credit is due. For blogging, this means mentioning your source and, if applicable, linking to the web site or blog where you got the material.

This last bit is what will keep you protected for the most part. Just as long as you do not republish whole works and you always give the proper credit, you should be fine. Better yet, just create brand new material for yourself. After all, that is why you joined the blogosphere in the first place, right?

Posted in Blogging, Blogging Tips by admin and tagged , • 1 lone comment

© Be Blogging 2002 - 2011

This site is powered by WordPress