Blogging Teens

Every day, blogs are created by people of all ages and

from all walks of life, but when it comes to blogging,

teen writers are truly on the cutting edge of the

movement. Because today's teenagers are the first

generation of people to have grown up using the

internet at every stage of their development, many

adolescents have a seemingly innate sense of how to use

web technology to express their innermost thoughts and

ideas. Older writers often experience a kind of learning

curve when they begin to blog, but many young people

find that using a word processor and blogging software

feels more natural and direct a mode of communication

than writing in a diary ever could.

One of the reasons why blogs have undergone a kind of

explosion in the teen community and are growing by

leaps and bounds is the fact that they provide a unique

mixture of visibility and anonymity. A teenager can

invite friends and peers to read his or her blog with a

simple email, thereby winning attention or possibly

even praise. Of course, with visibility usually comes the

possibility of embarrassment, but the fact that it is

possible to blog anonymously with an invented handle

or nickname negates a lot of the potential for

humiliation. Many a blogging teen lives in fear that a

parent or guardian will discover his or her blog, but by

publishing under an alias a teenager can spill his or her

secrets without fear of being traced.

Outside the world of blogging, teen writers often have

very limited opportunities to be published. Magazines

and journals are often reticent to publish young writers

who may not have as much credibility as older writers

with a lot of experience and extensive credits to their

names. This can discourage adolescents from writing or

from seeking chances to publish their work. By

blogging, young people can begin to gain a following of

readers without first having to win the attention and

support of an editor or publisher who may not be very

interested in teenaged authors.

Between the fact that blogs provide young people with a

chance to exercise their impressive technical aptitude,

to gain visibility without compromising privacy, and to

build a readership for their writing without having to

jump through the traditional hoops of the publishing

industry, it is little wonder that are so many teenagers

with blogs. For some teenagers, blogging is even a very

social endeavor that allows them to meet people with

similar interests from all over the world. Many a

blogging teen has discovered that having a weblog on

the internet is a great way to explore self-expression

and, often, to win positive feedback from new friends.

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Blogging News Stories as They Happen

Blogging news stories as they unfold is one of the most

exciting and controversial applications of technology

that bloggers have discovered. One thing that makes the

blogosphere so active is the fact that it is possible to

update a blog instantaneously, so the news on blogs

tends to be more current than the news in the paper, or

on television. Unlike news delivered by these other

media, news that appears on blogs does not have to

travel through a series of editors and administrators

before it reaches the public eye. This has some

advantages, and some distinct disadvantages.

One of the most notable cases of news hitting a blog

before appearing in other media took place in July 2005

when terrorism struck London. As passengers were

evacuated from a subway car near an explosion, one

man took several photographs of the scene with his

cellular phone, and within an hour these images were

posted online. First-person accounts of the catastrophe

began appearing on blogs soon after these photos

appeared, and people all over the world learned about

the events in London by reading the words and seeing

the photos posted by bloggers.

The fact that these stories and images were being spread

directly by individuals operating without the added

filter of a reporter helped to make the crisis feel very

immediate to people across the globe. When it comes to

blogging, news often appears in a very personal context.

This has the potential to be the beginning of an exciting

new era of reporting, one that takes "New Journalism"

to it's logical next step by putting the power to shape

how the news is written and read directly into the hands

of the public.

Many bloggers and cultural commentators who are

champions of the weblog movement feel that this

growing trend of individuals who getting their news

from blogs is a good thing, because it makes the flow of

information more democratic. By decentralizing the

control of news, blogs allow more voices to enter the

field of debate about important current events.

However, many people are adamantly opposed to the

use of blogs as news outlets, and there are plenty of

good arguments on this side of the debate. Unlike

newspapers or television stations, few blogs have fact-

checkers, and there is little attention paid to journalistic

accountability on many blogs. This can lead to the rapid

spread of misinformation, and more than one falsehood

has taken the blogosphere by storm. The questions

about whether blogging news as it happens is ethical or

not are very complicated, but no matter where you stand

on the topic of current events blogs you are almost sure

to agree that this movement has the potential to

revolutionize how modern people get their news.

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If You are Already Blogging, Money May be Just a

Click Away

If you already spend a fair amount of time blogging,

money may come to you literally as soon as you ask for

it. Once you have an established blog with a regular

readership, it is easy to turn a profit through advertising.

By hosting sponsored links or banners, you can see

income from your hobby almost overnight. Even if you

did not start your blog intending to turn a profit, making

supplementary income from your blog may be easier

than you think.

Of course, even for people who have spent months or

years blogging, money from advertising revenue may

not add up to a large sum. The amount of money that

you can make as a blogger depends on a lot of different

factors, but perhaps the most important element of the

equation is the topic of your blog. If your blog is on a

subject that appeals to a demographic that advertisers

have a strong desire to reach, you will be more likely to

be able to turn a large profit on your blog than if your

blog is on a fairly obscure subject that does not draw

the kind of audience that advertisers need to appeal to.

Of course, the only way to find out where you fall on

this spectrum is to try hosting some ads. If you are

already blogging, you have nothing to lose.

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Using Product Recommendations To Increase Your Bottom Line

In affiliate marketing, there are many ways in which you can increase your earnings and maintain the account that you have worked so hard for already. Most of the techniques and tactics can be learned easily. No need to go anywhere and any further. They are available online, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

One of the more important ways of increasing affiliate marketing bottom line and sale is through the use of product recommendations. Many marketers know that this is one of the most effective ways in promoting a certain product.

If the customers or visitors trust you enough, then they will definitely trust your recommendations. Be very careful in using this approach, though. If you start promoting everything by recommendation, your credibility will actually wear thin. This is seen especially when recommendations are seemingly exaggerated and without much merit.

Do not be afraid to mention things that you do not like about a given product or service. Rather than lose any points for you, this will make your recommendation more realistic and will tend to increase your credibility.

Furthermore, if your visitors are really interested in what you are offering, they will be more than delighted to learn what is good about the product, what is not so good, and how the product will benefit them.

When you are recommending a certain product, there are some things to remember on how to make it work effectively and for your advantage.

Sound like the true and leading expert in your field.

Remember this simple equation: Price resistance diminishes in direct proportion to trust. If your visitors feel and believe that you are an expert in your niche, they are more inclined to making that purchase. On the other hand, if you are not exuding any confidence and self-assurance in endorsing your products, they will probably feel that same way and will go in search of another product or service which is more believable.

How do you establish this aura of expertise? By offering unique and new solutions they would not get anywhere else. Show proof that what you are promoting works as promised. Display prominent testimonials and endorsements from respected and known personalities, in related fields of course.

Avoid hype at all costs. It is better to sound low key and confident, than to scream and seek attention. Besides, you would not want to sound unprofessional and have that thinking stick to your potential customers and clients, now would you? Best to appear cool and self-assured at the same time.

And remember; prospects are not stupid. They are actually turning to experts and may already know the things that you know. If you back up your claims with hard facts and data, they would gladly put down hundreds, or even thousands worth of money to your promotions. But if you don’t, they are smart enough to try and look at your competitors and what they are offering.

While recommending a product, it is also important that you give out promotional freebies. People are already familiar with the concept of offering freebies to promoting your won products. But very few people do this to promote affiliate products. Try to offer freebies that can promote or even have some information about your products or services.

Before you add recommendations to you product, it is given that you should try and test the product and support. Do not run the risk of promoting junk products and services. Just think how long it took you to build credibility and trust among your visitors. All that will take to destroy it is one big mistake on your part.

If possible, have recommendations of products that you have 100% confidence in. Test the product support before you begin to ensure that the people you are referring it to would not be left high and dry when a problem suddenly arouse.

Have a look at your affiliate market and look at the strategies you are using. You may not be focusing on the recommendations that your products need to have. You plan of action is sometimes not the only thing that is making your program works.

Try product recommendation and be among those few who have proven its worth.

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Here's Why Using Camtasia Can Increase Your Affiliate Checks

Since there are already lots of people getting into affiliate marketing, it is no wonder that the competition is getting stiff. The challenge is to try and outdo other affiliates and think of ways to be able to attain this.

There are also many tips and techniques being taught to these affiliate in order to best plan their strategy for their program to work effectively so that more earnings will be achieved.

What better way to wow your prospects and customers than to record and publish top notch, full motion and streaming screen-captured videos. Nothing like feeling your hard work getting paid by having your customers jumping up excitedly in great anticipation to buy your product right there and then.

This is Camtasia in action. It is a proven fact; giving your customers something they can actually see can explode your online sales instantly.

You do not need to have trainings and education to be able to know how this system can work for your affiliate program. Anyone can create stunning videos, from multimedia tutorials and step-by-step presentations available online. The process is like having your customers seated next to you and looking at your desktop, as you show them the things they need to see and hear. All this done step by step.

For those who does not know it yet, how does Camtasia works?

1. It can record your desktop activity in a single click. No need to have to save and compile all your files because it is recorded right there and then.

2. Can easily convert your videos into web pages. Once converted you can have your customers visiting that certain page. Videos are easier to understand and take in unlike reading texts which oftentimes is a trying thing to do.

3. Upload your pages. Publish them through blogs, RSS feed and podcasts. You may want your Camtasis videos to get around and reach out to other people that may be potential customers in the future. Nothing like being visible in many sites and pages to advertise yourself and get your message through.

There are other things you can do with your affiliate program using Camtasia. You can…

Create stunning multimedia presentations that are proven to increase sales because all the senses are engaged. This also has the tendency to reduce skepticism among hard-to-please customers.

Reduce refunds and other customer issues by demonstrating visually how to use your product and how to do it properly. Complaints will also be minimized because all the facts and the presentation are there for the customers to just see and hear about.

Promote affiliate products and services using visual presentations. This is an effective way of redirecting your viewers straight to your affiliate website after they are finished with the video. Make the most of the presentation by putting your site location in the end and make them go there directly if they want more information.

Multiple your online auction bids exponentially when you give your readers a feel of what you have to offer. Based from reports, auctions that includes pictures increases bidding percentage by 400%. Imagine how much higher it will be if it were videos.

Publish valuable infoproducts that you can sell for a much higher price. It will be all worth the price because of the full colored graphics menu and templates that you will be using.

Minimize miscommunication with your customers. Instantly showing them what you want they wanted in the first place is making them understand clearly the essence of your affiliate program. The good thing about multimedia is, nothing much can go wrong. It is there already.

These are just some of the things you can do with Camtasia that can be very helpful in your chosen affiliate program.

Note that the main purpose of using Camtasia is to boost the income that is generated from your affiliate program. Although it can be used for entertainment and enjoyment purposes, which is not really a valid reason why you choose to get all through that trouble.

Try to focus on the goal that you have set upon yourself to and achieve that with the use of the things that may be quite a lot of help in increasing your earnings.

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Choosing The Right Free Blogging Tools

There are many free blogging tools on the market, but

loading up your blog with all of the free accessories that

you can find isn't necessarily a good idea. While it may

be tempting to add a visitor counter, a flashy

background, an exciting new font, and a cluster of

quirky animated gifs to your blog, this kind of plan can

easily backfire. The key to getting the most from free

blog tools is being selective.

It is a great idea to learn about all of the kinds of free

blogging tools that are available so that you can make

an informed decision about what to add to your blog,

but try to remember that just because you can have

something doesn't mean that you need it. Practice

restraint and only choose the options that you think will

really be useful. If you can find out how many visitors

are reading your blog by checking your traffic statistics,

a visitor counter is likely to add unnecessary clutter to

your page. If your blog is text-based, a flashy

background can be more of a distraction than an benefit.

Be realistic about assessing what kinds of blog

accessories will help you realize your vision and

improve your site. Remember that even a blog tool that

doesn't cost you any cash may not be an asset in the

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To Join a Blogging Site or Not to Join

Joining an established blogging site like live journal or

blogger has plenty of advantages, especially for the blog

novice. Sites that host a lot of different blogs often have

very useful tutorials about building and updating your

blog, and you are likely to encounter a very user-

friendly software interface at an established blogging

site. In addition, these sites provide a kind of instant

community of fellow bloggers who can provide advice,

insight, and feedback. These established sites often

keep directories of their members, which can be great

news for your traffic logs because it means that other

bloggers on the site will find out about your pages.

However, there are also some downsides to linking up

with a large blogging site. By posting within the

established templates of a site like blogger, you run the

risk of having your blog look and feel like everybody

else's. The blogging movement is very much about the

creation of distinctive sites and the development of

individual voices, so it makes plenty of sense that many

bloggers would shy away from the cookie-cutter look

and feel that these blogging sites often promote. Many

bloggers feel that the content of a blog is what makes it

distinctive, not the look of the blog, but many members

of the blogging community feel that the visual impact

of a blog should match the originality of the writing.

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ASP.NET Blogging Software

Of all of the different kinds of programs on the market

today, many people feel that Microsoft's recently

released ASP.NET blogging software is the most

advanced. In many ways, this particular program is

more adaptable and more versatile than any other

blogging software on the market. Although most of the

people who favor the program are accomplished coders

who are familiar with programming languages like html

and C++, this new program from Microsoft is much

easier to use than a lot of other blog design software

that incorporates hands-on coding. One of the things

that makes ASP.NET stand apart from its competitors is

the fact that it allows designers to use a wide variety of

programming languages when they build a blog. This

means that a larger number of coders can realize their

dreams by programming in the language with which

they are most familiar and in which they are most

accomplished.

A lot of people have welcomed ASP.NET blogging

software with enthusiasm and with open arms.

However, that doesn't mean that the ASP.NET program

is right for everybody. If you are not familiar with

computer languages like javascript or perl, you may

find that the release of ASP.NET does not directly

affect you at all. However, if you are an experienced

web designer, you are likely to find much to celebrate in

this exciting new program.

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Mobile Blogging is on the Cutting Edge

Mobile blogging is an exciting phenomenon that is

sweeping the blogosphere. One of the reasons why a lot

of bloggers are attracted to the medium of blogging in

the first place is that they enjoy being able to make

frequent updates and posts that keep all of their visitors

up to speed with current situations. Mobile blogs, or

"moblogs," take this to the extreme by allowing users to

post things literally as they happen. This new wave of

moblogs and mobloggers keep web surfers up to date

with good and bad events of importance as they occur

all over the world, helping to make international

communication faster and more accurate.

Many people feel that the limitations of blogging have a

lot to do with geography. After all, there is only so

current that a blog can be when you need to run home

and boot up in order to update it. However, mobile

blogging marks the beginning of an thrilling new era

when web-based communication can happen

spontaneously from any location. Moblogging devices

mean that there is almost nowhere on the planet that

remains off-limits for bloggers.

Mobile blogging is still in its infancy because the

technology that makes it possible has only recently hit

the global market. The first moblog technology became

available over a decade ago, but it is only the past two

or three years that mobile web devices have become

user-friendly enough to appeal to most consumers. As

camera phones and other mobile technology become

more popular, more and more bloggers are getting away

from their desks and are hitting the streets. Moblogging

is becoming much more widespread that it was even a

few months ago, and mobloggers are quickly attracting

a lot of attention with the blogging community. It is not

yet clear whether moblogs will become the dominant

kinds of blogs in the years to come, but the current

trend seems to imply that moblogs are here to stay.

Mobile devices make it possible to blog from the sites

where current events are unfolding, which is one of the

reasons why mobile blogging has so much thrilling

potential to revolutionize the blogosphere. A moblogger

with a camera phone can post blog entries from, say, the

foot of the podium at a presidential speech, or from the

stands during the final moments of the world series.

This enables bloggers to experience the same real time

thrills that live television coverage provides, but in a

more democratic medium. The combination of mobility

and individual control that moblogging provides

certainly places mobloggers on the cutting edge of

today's communications technology, and it is hard to

imagine that the number and prestige of moblogs will

not continue to grow in the coming years.

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Blogging For Business Owners

If you run a small company, you may find that the world

of blogging for business owners is a world that you

want to be a part of. Blogging is a great way to get the

word out to consumers about your product or service,

and it can even be useful for inspiring employee loyalty

and helping you keep your workers at peak morale. If

you are looking for a way to take your business to the

next level, consider what starting a blog might be able

to do for you.

Blogging for business owners has a lot in common with

all other types of blogging, but it has its own unique

pitfalls and strengths. The key to having a successful

blog as a business owner is keeping your goals clear

and concrete at every step of your blogging adventure. It

can be all to easy to get sidetracked, especially if you

are just learning about the exciting possibilities of

blogging technology, but if you want your blog to

succeed you need to stay focused. Write up a plan for

how often you will update, how you will promote your

blog and retain readers, whether you will feature

photographs or video, and other aspects of your blog,

and then stick to it with the same kind of determination

that you used when you built your company.

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Using A Free Blogging Web Site

For first time bloggers, a free blogging web site is a

great way to get started in the blogosphere. Popular

blogging web sites like blogger and eponym allow users

to set up and host a blog without paying any fees at all.

This encourages people to start blogging, because the

fact that one of these sites can provide you with all of

the tools that you need to get your blog up and running

without spending any money means that you have

nothing to lose by starting a blog. The fact that it is so

easy to find a way to blog for free is one of the reasons

why so many people who have never had any other kind

of web presence before find themselves drawn to

blogging.

By signing up with a free blogging web site, you may

find it easier to get listed in search engines that you

would if you were starting your own blog from scratch.

For example, google runs the free blog hosting site

blogspot and crawls its pages very often looking for

updates, so if you have your site hosted by blogspot you

are almost guaranteed to be listed on google's blog

search engine. This easy access to search engines can

take some of the work out of promoting your blog, and

can help you gain a following with a minimum of

marketing effort.

If your blog attracts a large readership, you may want to

consider moving your site. Many people feel that being

hosted by a free blogging web site gives a blog a kind of

amateur flavor that is fine for a new member of the

blogosphere, but is not appropriate for a high-profile

blog. Having your own domain can help you make your

blog feel professional, and finding a company that will

host your domain is not difficult or expensive. Once

your blog takes off, you will probably be able to sell

enough advertising space to be able to afford to buy a

domain and pay for a hosting package, and still have

money left over. However, it does not make sense in

most cases to invest in these glossy luxuries before you

have a sizable readership.

Starting your blog on a free blogging web site is a great

way to build a following before you spend any money

on your blog. If and when your blog becomes popular

and you are ready to take the next step and purchase

your own domain, your readers will follow you to your

new home. The fact that it is possible to use a free blog

host like blogspost, blogger, or eponym as a kind of

incubator for your blog is great news for bloggers

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Top 3 Ways To Boost Your Affiliate Commissions Overnight

The ideal world of affiliate marketing does not require having your won website, dealing with customers, refunds, product development and maintenance. This is one of the easiest ways of launching into an online business and earning more profits.

Assuming you are already into an affiliate program, what would be the next thing you would want to do? Double, or even triple, your commissions, right? How do you do that?

Here are some powerful tips on how to boost your affiliate program commissions overnight.

1. Know the best program and products to promote. Obviously, you would want to promote a program that will enable you to achieve the greatest profits in the shortest possible time.

There are several factors to consider in selecting such a program. Choose the ones that have a generous commission structure. Have products that fit in with your target audience. And that has a solid track record of paying their affiliate easily and on time. If you cannot seem to increase your investments, dump that program and keep looking for better ones.

There are thousands of affiliate programs online which gives you the reason to be picky. You may want to select the best to avoid losing your advertising dollars.

Write free reports or short ebooks to distribute from your site. There is a great possibility that you are competing with other affiliates that are promoting the same program. If you start writing short report related to the product you are promoting, you will be able to distinguish yourself from the other affiliates.

In the reports, provide some valuable information for free. If possible, add some recommendations about the products. With ebooks, you get credibility. Customers will see that in you and they will be enticed to try out what you are offering.

2. Collect and save the email addresses of those who download your free ebooks. It is a known fact that people do not make a purchase on the first solicitation. You may want to send out your message more than six times to make a sale.

This is the simple reason why you should collect the contact information of those who downloaded your reports and ebooks. You can make follow-ups on these contacts to remind them to make a purchase from you.

Get the contact information of a prospect before sending them to the vendor’s website. Keep in mind that you are providing free advertisement for the product owners. You get paid only when you make a sale. If you send prospects directly to the vendors, chances are they would be lost to you forever.

But when you get their names, you can always send other marketing messages to them to be able to earn an ongoing commission instead of a one-time sale only.

Publish an online newsletter or Ezine. It is always best to recommend a product to someone you know than to sell to a stranger. This is the purpose behind publishing your own newsletter. This also allows you to develop a relationship based on trust with your subscribers.

This strategy is a delicate balance between providing useful information with a sales pitch. If you continue to write informative editorials you will be able to build a sense of reciprocity in your readers that may lead them to support you by buying your products.

3. Ask for higher than normal commission from merchants. If you are already successful with a particular promotion, you should try and approach the merchant and negotiate a percentage commission for your sales.

If the merchant is smart, he or she will likely grant your request rather than lose a valuable asset in you. Keep in mind that you are a zero-risk investment to your merchant; so do not be shy about requesting for addition in your commissions. Just try to be reasonable about it.

Write strong pay Per Click ads. PPC search engine is the most effective means of advertising online. As an affiliate, you can make a small income just by managing PPC campaigns such as Google AdWords and Overture. Then you should try and monitor them to see which ads are more effective and which ones to dispose of.

Try out these strategies and see the difference it can make to your commission checks in the shortest of time.

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Here's How To Avoid The 3 Most Common Affiliate Mistakes

Affiliate marketing is one of the most effective and powerful ways of earning some money online. This program gives everybody a chance to make a profit through the Internet. Since these affiliate marketing programs are easy to join, implement and pays a commission on a regular basis, more an more people are now willing in this business.

However, like all businesses, there are lots of pitfalls in the affiliate marketing business. Committing some of the most common mistakes will cost the marketers a large portion taken from the profit they are making everyday. That is why it is better to avoid them than be regretful in the end.

Mistake number 1: Choosing the wrong affiliate.

Many people want to earn from affiliate marketing as fast as possible. In their rush to be part of one, they tend to choose a bandwagon product. This is the kind of products that the program thinks is “hot”. They choose the product that is in demand without actually considering if the product appeals to them. This is not a very wise move obviously.

Instead of jumping on the bandwagon, try top choose a product in which you are truly interested in. For any endeavor to succeed, you should take some time to plan and figure out your actions.

Pick a product that appeals to you. Then do some research about that product to see if they are in demand. Promoting a product you are more passionate about is easier than promoting one for the sake of the earnings only.

Mistake number 2: Joining too many affiliate programs.

Since affiliate programs are very easy to join, you might be tempted to join multiples of affiliate programs to try and maximize the earnings you will be getting. Besides you may think that there is nothing wrong and nothing to lose by being part of many affiliate programs.

True, that is a great way to have multiple sources of income. However, joining multiple programs and attempting to promote them all at the same time will prevent you from concentrating on each one of them.

The result? The maximum potential of your affiliate program is not realized and the income generated will not exactly be as huge as you were thinking initially it would. The best way to get excellent result is by joining just one program that pays a 40% commission at least. Then give it your best effort by promoting your products enthusiastically. As soon as you see that it is already making a reasonable profit, then maybe you can now join another affiliate program.

The technique is to do it slowly but surely. There is really no need to rush into things, especially with affiliate marketing. With the way things are going, the future is looking real bright and it seems affiliate marketing will be staying for a long time too.

Mistake number 3: Not buying the product or using the service.

As an affiliate, you main purpose is to effectively and convincingly promote a product or service and to find customers. For you to achieve this purpose, you must be able to relay to the customers that certain product and service. It is therefore difficult for you to do this when you yourself have not tried these things out. Thus, you will fail to promote and recommend them convincingly. You will also fail to create a desire in your customers to avail any of what you are offering.

Try the product or service personally first before you sign up as an affiliate to see if it is really delivering what it promises. If you have done so, then you are one of the credible and living testaments aware of its advantages and disadvantages. Your customers will then feel the sincerity and truthfulness in you and this will trigger them to try them out for themselves.

Many affiliate marketers makes these mistakes and are paying dearly for their actions. To not fall into the same situation they have been in, try to do everything to avoid making the same mistakes.

Time is the key. Take the time to analyze your marketing strategy and check if youa re in the right track. If done properly, you will be able to maximize your affiliate marketing program and earn higher profits.

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Learning How to Make Money Blogging

There are two major types of business models that

entrepreneurs use to make money blogging. The first

and most common way to turn a blog into a profit

making machine is to sell advertising to different

companies and brands who want to reach that blog's

readers. The second kind of money making blog is one

that helps a single brand improve its image by creating

positive associations between the blog and the product

in the mind of consumers. Both kinds of blogs can

make a lot of money, especially if the creator has a keen

mind for marketing.

If you are blogging with the goal of selling advertising,

there are two basic ways that you can go about

recruiting sponsors who want to put ads on your site;

you can let someone else do all of the legwork, or you

can do the work yourself and keep all of the revenue.

Within the first group, many people make money

blogging by selling space through Google's AdSense

program. The advantages of this program are numerous,

as it requires very little effort on the part of the blogger

or webmaster to begin raking in profits. However, most

people discover that they make less money through this

method than they had hoped that their blog would earn.

Selling advertising directly to companies who want to

put banner ads or sponsored links on your blog can take

quite a bit of time, but it is often fairly lucrative. If you

have a lot of contacts in industries that are related to the

topic of your blog, you may want to try to go this route.

People who have a strong background in sales and are

experienced at pitching proposals can make quite a bit

of money by renting blog space to interested companies.

The most serious problem with this model is that you

often have to build quite a sizable readership before you

can attract advertisers, which can mean that you have to

do several months of work before you start to make

money blogging.

As blogging becomes a more and more lucrative

business, a lot of established companies are considering

how they can get into the action. One way that

companies are capitalizing on the blog movement is by

having blogs that provide a kind of friendly face for

their corporation. Often, a company will employ an

established blogger to create a weblog designed

specifically to appeal to that company's customers and

to create positive associations with the brand in

consumers' minds. More than one writer who never

even dreamed that he or she could make money

blogging has been approached by a company and

offered quite a pretty penny for this kind of gig.

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How to Learn Blogging Software

A lot of blogging software is specifically designed to be

simple to use, but even the least intimidating blogging

program can feel very overwhelming to somebody who

has not spent a lot of time learning the ins and outs of

different kinds of software. Particularly for newer

bloggers, learning how to use the interface of blogging

software is the most difficult part of blogging. If you are

somebody who feels comfortable expressing themselves

in another medium, it may prove to be well worth your

time and effort to learn blogging software, but that

doesn't mean that the task will be easy.

The main thing that will help you find success as you

learn how to use a new kind of blogging software is to

try and take things slowly. Many people get so excited

about learning to blog that they try to rush into the thick

of it and start exploring the most complicated features

of a program right away. This can lead to getting

confused and feeling frustrated, and all too many

potential bloggers burn out during this stage of the

process. If you take your time learning the basics of

your blog software program before you move on to

more advanced techniques, you will be more likely to

retain what you have learned, and to keep feeling

positive about your ability to understand the world of

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How To Choose The Best Blog Content Writing Service

How To Choose The Best Blog Content Writing Service - Web 2.0 - BlogsSearch by Author, Title or Content

Article ContentAuthor NameArticle TitleHomeSubmit ArticlesAuthor GuidelinesPublisher GuidelinesContent FeedsRSS FeedsFAQContact Us How To Choose The Best Blog Content Writing Service   by Mark Weylandin Web 2.0 / Blogs    (submitted 2012-08-28)

Blog content writing has become considerably famous in the past few years because a blog's success reflects on the image of a company and in its turn helps the organization get the desired revenues. The success of a business blog is primarily dependent on the content in it and style of its presentation. Blogging requires a special skill and probably this is the reason many companies prefer to outsource blog content writing rather hire a team of in-house content writers. So, if you are running an organization, you would naturally want the best for your business in all possible aspects and specially the revenue. This is the reason you would want to hire the services of a responsible provider who would come up with an impressive blog for your company. But, nowadays because of the commercialization of blogging services, it is difficult to select a particular blog content writing company that will promote your brand name through well-written blogs. The given article tells you how to proceed as you select a trustworthy provider for your company.At first you need to make a list of all the well-known blog content writing services in the market, which might be helpful for you. You can take references from some of your friends, acquaintances and colleagues to make your job easier. In this initial list, jot down the names of all possible service providers that you can think of. In the next step, you can do the shortlisting from the broad list.

Make a detailed study of the blogs that those service providers had written and from those sample articles try and make an idea of the quality of writing that the provider can offer. Blogging is much different from any other kind of writing. The blogs need to be written in a distinct style along with being sufficiently informative. So it has to be a heady mix of style and content. You need to find the service provider who has the right mix of both.

After going through several blogs, when you have more or less shortlisted several providers, you must find out if they have enough experience of working with clients who have operated in the same domain of business as you do or at least a similar domain. You also must check the SEO ranks of the web pages for which they had supplied content in the past. SEO is crucial for a website because it helps sufficiently to gain the desired traffic.

If you want to crosscheck the credentials of the service providers once more you can contact the previous clients of the blog content writing provider and get the first hand information regarding their services. They would be the best persons to answer all your queries. And if you are satisfied, you can very well go ahead and avail the services of the particular provider.

Finally, discuss the service rates and finalize the deals with the blog content writing service provider. About the Author

Mark Weyland has been providing blog content writing service for more than a decade now. His blogs are informative, relevant and authentic.

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author's information and copyright must be included.

Mark Weyland

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A Day In The Life Of An Affiliate Marketer

Being in the affiliate marketing business is not that hard now with the internet at your disposable. It is much easier now compared to the days when people have to make use of the telephones and other mediums of information just to get the latest updates on the way their program is coming along.

So with technology at hand, and assuming that the affiliate is working from home, a day in his or her life would sound something like this…

Upon waking up and after having breakfast, the computer is turned on to check out new developments in the network. As far as the marketer is concerned there might be new things to update and statistics to keep track on.

The site design has to be revised. The marketer knows that a well-designed site can increase sign ups from visitors. It can also help in the affiliate’s conversion rates.

That done, it is time to submit the affiliate program to directories that lists affiliate programs. These directories are means to attract people in joining your affiliate program. A sure way of promoting the affiliate program.

Time to track down the sales you are getting from your affiliates fairly and accurately. There are phone orders and mails to track down. See if they are new clients checking the products out. Noting down the contact information that might be a viable source in the future.

There are lots of resources to sort out. Ads, banners, button ads and sample recommendations to give out because the marketer knows that this is one way of ensuring more sales. Best to stay visible and accessible too.

The affiliate marketer remembered that there are questions to answer from the visitors. This has to be done quickly. Nothing can turn off a customer than an unanswered email.

To prove that the affiliate is working effectively and efficiently, inquiries would have to be paid more attention on. Nobody wants to be ignored and customers are not always the most patient of all people. Quick answer that should appear professional yet friendly too.

In the process of doing all the necessities, the marketer is logged on to a chat room where he or she interacts with other affiliates and those under that same program. This is where they can discuss things on how to best promote their products.

There are things to be learned and it is a continuous process. Sharing tips and advices is a good way of showing support. There may be others out there wanting to join and may be enticed by the discussion that is going on. There is no harm in assuming what opportunities ahead.

The newsletters and ezines were updated days ago, so it is time for the affiliate marketer to see if there are some new things happening in the market. This will be written about in the marketer’s publication to be distributed to the old and new customers.

These same publications are also an important tool in keeping up to date with the newly introduced products. The marketer has put up a sale and promotion that customers may want to know about. Besides, they have to keep up with the deadline of these sales written in the publications.

It is that time to show some appreciation to those who have helped the marketer in the promotions and sale increase. Nothing like mentioning the persons, their sites and the process they have done that made everything worked.

Of course, this will be published in the newsletters. Among the more important information that have been written already.

The marketer still has time to write out recommendations to those who want credible sources for the products being promoted. There is also time to post some comments on how to be a successful affiliate marketer on a site where there are lots of wannabees.

Two objectives done at the same time. The marketer gets to promote the product as well as the program they are in. Who knows, someone may be inclined to join.

Time flies. Missed lunch but is quite contented with the tasks done. Bed time….

Ok, so this may not be all done in a day. But then, this gives you an idea of how an affiliate marketer, a dedicated one that is, spends the marketing day.

Is that success looming in the distance or what?

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What Is a Blogging Tory?

The term Blogging Tory refers to any one of the many

authors affiliated with the conservative Canadian

community known as The Blogging Tories. Today,

there are over a hundred and fifty text-based blogs

associated with the group, and there are new Blogging

Tories every day. The Tories stand as an inspiring

example of a successful online community where the

ever-increasing numbers of affiliated members enjoy a

fertile environment for discussion and debate about the

ideas that shape the face of Canada.

The majority of Tory bloggers do make political events

and topics the focus of their blogs, but not all of the

content that a Blogging Tory creates and publishes is

overtly related to the movements of the Canadian

parliament or the prime minister. Although the

community members were brought together by a shared

conservative viewpoint, the fact that not all of the

postings on all of the member's blogs focus on political

topics is one of the most exciting things about the

Blogging Tories. On any given day, the main website's

blogroll may feature postings about Olympic medalists,

a James Bond film festival in Quebec, or a comical

personal experience with a telemarketer. The idea that

having a political affiliation in common makes it

possible to have a fruitful discussion about other kinds

of topics has interesting implications for how online

communities are established and how they grow.

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Easy Profits Using PPC In Your Affiliate Marketing Business

PPC is one of the four basic types of Search Engines. PPC is also one of the most cost-effective ways of targeted internet advertising. According to Forbes magazine, PPC or Pay Per Click, accounts to 2 billion dollars a year and is expected to increase to around 8 billion dollars by the year 2008.

Let us take a quick look at how PPC Search Engines work.

These engines create listings and rate them based on a bid amount the website owner is willing to pay for each click from that search engine. Advertisers bid against each other to receive higher ranking for a specific keyword or phrase.

The highest bidder for a certain keyword or phrase will then have the site ranked as number 1 in the PPC Search Engines followed by the second and third highest bidder, up to the last number that have placed a bid on the same keyword or phrase. Your ads then will appear prominently on the results pages based on the dollar amount bid you will agree to pay per click.

How do you make money by using PPC into your affiliate marketing business?

Most affiliate programs only pay when a sale is made or a lead delivered after a visitor has clickthrough your site. Your earnings will not always be the same as they will be dependent on the web site content and the traffic market.

The reason why you should incorporate PPC into your affiliate marketing program is that earnings are easier to make than in any other kind of affiliate program not using PPC. This way, you will be making profit based from the clickthroughs that your visitor will make on the advertiser’s site. Unlike some programs, you are not paid per sale or action.

PPC can be very resourceful of your website. With PPC Search Engines incorporated into your affiliate program, you will be able to profit from the visitor’s who are not interested in your products or services. The same ones who leave your site and never comes back.

You will not only get commissions not only from those who are just searching the web and finding the products and services that they wanted but you will be able to build your site’s recognition as a valuable resource. The visitors who have found what they needed from you site are likely to come back and review what you are offering more closely. Then they will eventually come back to search the web for other products.

This kind of affiliate program is also an easy way for you to generate some more additional revenues. For example, when a visitor on your site does a search in the PPC Search Engine and clicks on the advertiser bided listings, the advertisers’ account will then be deducted because of that click. With this, you will be compensated 30% to 80% of the advertisers’ bid amount.

PPC is not only a source of generating easy profits; it can also help you promote your own site. Most of the programs allow the commissions received to be spent for advertising with them instantly and with no minimum earning requirement. This is one of the more effective ways to exchange your raw visitors for targeted surfers who has more tendencies to purchase your products and services.

What will happen if you when you integrate PPC into your affiliate program?

PPC usually have ready-to-use affiliate tools that can be easily integrated into your website. The most common tools are search boxes, banners, text links and some 404-error pages. Most search engines utilize custom solutions and can provide you with a white-label affiliate program. This enables you, using only a few lines of code, to integrate remotely-hosted co-branded search engine into your website.

The key benefits? Not only more money generated but also some extra money on the side. Plus a lifetime commissions once you have referred some webmaster friends to the engine.

Think about it. Where can you get all these benefits while already generating some income for your site? Knowing some of the more useful tools you can use for your affiliate program is not a waste of time. They are rather a means of earning within an earning.

Best know more about how you can use PPC search engines into your affiliate program than miss out on a great opportunity to earn more profits.

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3 Things All Affiliate Marketers Need To Survive Online

Every affiliate marketer is always looking for the successful market that gives the biggest paycheck. Sometimes they think it is a magic formula that is readily available for them. Actually, it is more complicated than that. It is just good marketing practices that have been proven over years of hard work and dedication.

There are tactics that have worked before with online marketing and is continuing to work in the online affiliate marketing world of today. With these top three marketing tips, you will be able to able to increase your sales and survive in the affiliate marketing online.

What are these three tactics?

1. Using unique web pages to promote each separate product you are marketing. Do not lump all of it together just to save some money on web hosting. It is best to have a site focusing on each and every product and nothing more.

Always include product reviews on the website so visitors will have an initial understanding on what the product can do to those who buys them. Also include testimonials from users who have already tried the product. Be sure that these customers are more than willing to allow you to use their names and photos on the site of the specific product you are marketing.

You can also write articles highlighting the uses of the product and include them on the website as an additional page. Make the pages attractive compelling and include calls to act on the information. Each headline should attract the readers to try and read more, even contact you. Highlight your special points. This will help your readers to learn what the page is about and will want to find out more.

2. Offer free reports to your readers. If possible position them at the very top side of your page so it they simply cannot be missed. Try to create autoresponder messages that will be mailed to those who input their personal information into your sign up box. According to research, a sale is closed usually on the seventh contact with a prospect.

Only two things can possibly happen with the web page alone: closed sale or the prospect leaving the page and never return again. By placing useful information into their inboxes at certain specified period, you will remind them of the product they thought they want later and will find out that the sale is closed. Be sure that the content is directed toward specific reasons to buy the product. Do not make it sound like a sales pitch.

Focus on important points like how your product can make life and things easier and more enjoyable. Include compelling subject lines in the email. As much as possible, avoid using the word “free” because there are still older spam filters that dumps those kind of contents into the junk before even anyone reading them first. Convince those who signed up for your free reports that they will be missing something big if they do not avail of your products and services.

3. Get the kind of traffic that is targeted to your product. Just think, if the person who visited your website has no interest whatsoever in what you are offering, they will be among those who move on and never come back. Write articles for publication in e-zines and e-reports. This way you can locate publications that is focusing on your target customers and what you have put up might just grab their interest.

Try to write a minimum of 2 articles per week, with at least 300-600 words in length. By continuously writing and maintaining these articles you can generate as many as 100 targeted readers to your site in a day.

Always remember that only 1 out of 100 people are likely to buy your product or get your services. If you can generate as much as 1,000 targeted hits for your website in a day, that means you can made 10 sales based on the average statistic.

The tactics given above does not really sound very difficult to do, if you think about it. It just requires a little time and an action plan on your part.

Try to use these tips for several affiliate marketing programs. You can end maintaining a good source of income and surviving in this business that not all marketers can do.

Besides, think of the huge paychecks you will be receiving…

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Which Affiliate Networks To Look Out For When Promoting

There are many horror stories about affiliate programs and networks. People have heard them over and over again, that some are even wary of joining one. The stories they may have heard are those related to illegal programs or pyramid schemes. Basically, this kind of market does not have real, worthy product.

You do not want to be associated with these schemes. It is obvious you want to be with a program that offers high quality product that you will readily endorse. The growing number of those who have joined already and are succeeding immensely is proof enough that there are reliable and quality affiliate programs out there.

Why participate in an affiliate program?

It allows you to work part-time. It gives you the opportunity to build a generous residual income. And it makes you an owner of a small business. Affiliate programs have already created lots of millionaires. They are the living testimony of how hard work; continuous prospecting, motivating and training others pay off.

If ever you are deciding to join one, you must take note that you are getting into something that is patterned to what you are capable of. This will be an assurance that you are capable of doing anything to come out successful.

How do you choose a good affiliate program to promote? Here are some tips you may want to look over before choosing one:

1. A program that you like and have interest in. One of the best ways of knowing if that is the kind of program you wish to promote is if you are interested in purchasing the product yourself. If that is the case, chances are, there are many others who are also interested in the same program and products.

2. Look for a program that is of high quality. For instance, look for one that is associated with many experts in that particular industry. This way, you are assured that of the standard of the program you will be joining into.

3. Join in the ones that offer real and viable products. How do you know this? Do some initial research. If possible, track down some of the members and customers to give you testimonial on the credibility of the program.

4. The program that is catering to a growing target market. This will ensure you that there will be more and continuous demands for your referrals. Make inquiries. There are forums and discussions you can participate in to get good and reliable feedbacks.

5. A program with a compensation plan that pays out a residual income and a payout of 30% or more would be a great choice. There are some programs offering this kind of compensation. Look closely for one. Do not waste your time with programs that do not reward substantially for your efforts.

6. Be aware of the minimum quotas that you must fulfill or sales target that is too hard to achieve. Some affiliate programs imposes pre-requisites before you get your commissions. Just be sure that you are capable of attaining their requirements.

7. Select one that has plenty of tools and resources that can help you grow the business in the shortest possible time. Not all affiliate programs have these capacities. Make use you decide on one with lots of helpful tools you can use.

8. Check out if the program has a proven system that can allow you to check your networks and compensation. Also check if they have it available online for you to check anytime and anywhere.

9. The program that is offering strong incentives for members to renew their membership each time. The affiliate program that provides continuous help and upgrades for its products have the tendency to retain its members. These things can assure the growth of your networks.

10. Be aware of the things that members are not happy about in a program. Like with the ones mentioned above, you can do your checking at discussion forums. If you know someone in that same program, there is ho harm asking if there are many downsides involved.

Have a thorough and intensive knowledge about the affiliate program and network you will be promoting on.

Knowing the kind of program you are getting yourself into will make you anticipate and prevent any future problems you may encounter.

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Blogging 101

Blogging 101 is mostly about the blogging

vocabulary. To understand blogs, you need to know

the terms blog, platform, domain, and web host.

Once you have mastered these key elements of

blogging, you can enter any conversation about

blogging with confidence. After you know what

exactly a blog is, you will be on your way to

passing the final exam of blogging 101.

Blog is short for weblog, which simply means a

series of online posts presented in reverse

chronological order. That's all! Most blogs are text,

but there are also photo blogs and video blogs. The

rest of blogging 101 has to do with the technical

side of things. If you are setting up a blog, you will

need a platform, a web host, and a domain. A

blogging platform is a computer software program

that allows you to write posts and to update your

blog. Your platform is also what you use to design

the look of your blog, from color scheme to font

size. The web host is sort of like the virtual file

cabinet where your blog is stored. Your computer

communicates with the host when you upload or

edit a post. The domain is the online address of

your blog, and usually ends in ‘dot com'. Now that

you know what a blog is, what a platform is, and

what domains and hosts are, congratulate yourself!

You have passed blogging 101.

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Picking The Best Free Blogging Site

Choosing a free blogging site can feel overwhelming

because there are so many options. There are several

large free blog-hosting sites that dominate the

blogosphere, but there are also smaller sites. Whether

you decide to join up with an established site like

blogger or whether you choose to sign on with a

relatively new venture depends on what your priorities

are.

Reliability is perhaps the best reason to opt for a large

and well known free blogging site. When you choose to

have an established brand host your blog, you can feel

secure that your blog will not crash often and will not

disappear in the middle of the night. A company that

has been around for a while is likely to have the

resources to make sure that its clients aren't

unpleasantly surprised by any technical glitches.

However, many bloggers decide that this isn't enough

of a selling point. The bloggers who choose to go with

smaller, newer blog hosting sites do so for a variety of

reasons, but perhaps the number one advantage is a

fairly abstract one. Bloggers tend to relish the fact that

the internet is a place where the underdog has a strong

chance of success, and by choosing to have a small

company as a blog host, a blogger is casting his or her

vote for David against Goliath.

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Photo Blogging May be the Pinnacle of Modern

Technology

Many people feel that photo blogging is the most

exciting kind of blogging that exists. Building and

maintaining a photo blog is no more difficult than

creating and updating a text-based blog, and many

people feel that the internet's high speed, full-color

technology reaches the pinnacle of its appeal with the

transmission of images. Posting photographs in a blog

format on a daily, weekly, or occasional basis is a great

way to express yourself while reaching viewers in an

emotionally charged and aesthetically engaging way,

and surfing photo blogs can help you to get a whole

new perspective on the world in which we live.

Many people who run image blogs are photographers by

trade, but photo blogging is also very popular among

hobbyists and amateur shutterbugs. To be certain, a lot

of the most popular photo blogs have gained attention

because the pictures on them are of the highest artistic

caliber, and a lot of the people who run these striking

blogs are graduates of prestigious art schools and have

impressive professional portfolios. However, some of

the most well known and most often visited photo blogs

are as notable for their concepts as for the pictures

themselves. Certain photo blogs, like the popular "Cute

Overload" which features picture after picture of

adorable animals, are more about the thematic content

of the pictures than they are about the style in which the

snapshots are taken.

The fact that photo blogs range from forums to display

the work of highly skilled artisans to playful collections

of curiosities shows that photo blogging is a truly

diverse form. The fact that photo blogs are so easy to

build and to update makes this kind of visual

communication very democratic, and enables people at

all skill levels to become a part of the global

conversation about the nature and value of photography

today.

Whether you are an artist or hobbyist who wants to

create a photo blog, or whether you are just somebody

who enjoys learning about new places and things,

spending some time looking at the most popular

photography blogs on the internet can be a very

rewarding endeavor. You can travel to another place or

another time by seeing pictures of faraway locations and

long-gone eras. You can see your own neighborhood

with fresh eyes by discover how local artists have

photographed the town or city in which you live. Photo

blogging allows people to communicate all of these

things and more, which makes it a very exciting part of

the modern blogosphere. If the best thing about web

technology is that it allows people to reach each other in

a very personal way from across great distances, then in

many ways photo blogs are the most successful kind of

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The Exciting New Frontier Of Professional Blogging

Professional blogging is a very new idea with a lot of

potential for entrepreneurs who have insight, drive, and

a basic understanding of today's innovative web

technology. The ranks of so-called pro bloggers are still

quite small, and there are very few people who make

their living entirely off of their blogs. However, every

day there are more and more people who have managed

to turn their weblogs into cash cows that supplement

their income. The number of pro bloggers is growing by

leaps and bounds, but it is difficult to say whether this

trend will continue.

Many bloggers dream of entering the sphere of

professional blogging. There are very few people who

happily devote an hour or more each day to their blog

without at least occasionally wishing that they could

earn some kind of financial reward for all of their work.

Several models exist for making money with a blog, the

most popular being to sell advertising space through

Google's AdSense program or directly to a company

that wishes to reach the demographic that your blog

appeals to. However, there are very few people indeed

who can make a comfortable living just by selling space

on their blog sidebars.

A lot of the people who read weblogs are bloggers

themselves, in part because of the fact that the people

who use blogging technology on a daily basis are most

likely to be interested in what other writers are doing

with the medium. This fact begins to explain why the

people who succeed in the world of professional

blogging are mostly people who have devoted

themselves almost entirely to learning about, talking

about, and writing about blogging. More than any other

topic, pro bloggers turn their attention to the

phenomenon of blogging itself. A lot of pro bloggers

make the topic of blogging the stunningly self-reflexive

ongoing focus of their blogs.

Of course, professional blogging is destined to become

much more complicated in the future than it is today. In

the current moment, pro bloggers who attract the largest

audiences and make the most money are mostly

concerned with investigating the blogging movement

and with offering advice to amateur bloggers. However,

as the kinds of people who regularly read blogs

changes, and the demographics of bloggers expand and

diversify as blogging software becomes more user

friendly, it is very likely indeed that the world of pro

blogging will begin to reflect these changes. Indeed, it

is very difficult to predict exactly what kinds of blogs

will be reaping the greatest financial rewards five or ten

years down the road. The world of pro blogging is one

of constant change and flux, which is part of what

makes it so exciting.

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The Controversy Around Corporate Blogging

Corporate blogging is a relatively new idea, and the jury

is still out on whether it will succeed. This controversial

marketing tool may be the beginning of a new kind of

advertising strategy, or it may fizzle out in a matter of

months. Many companies are looking for ways to

capitalize on the blogging trend, and many of these

corporations have determined that a great way to ride

the blogging wave is to keep a blog on their corporate

website. These blogs are often created to appeal to the

demographic that the company needs to court, and the

content may have quite a lot to do with the activities of

the corporation, or it may have very little to do with the

company itself. Often, a corporate blog will focus on

the kinds of content likely to attract the desired surfers,

even if that content is not related to the product or

service that the company provides.

Some bloggers feel that corporate blogging is a kind of

validation for the blogging movement, and shows that

this exciting new medium has really infiltrated the

mainstream. Other bloggers consider the kind of viral

marketing that corporate blogs practice to be unethical

or distasteful. In any case, watching the evolution of

corporate blogs and whether they survive and

proliferate or fail and disappear promises to provide

some interesting insight into today's consumers.

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The Definition of Blogging

The definition of blogging is something that is very

much in flux, as the new technologies that appear every

day redefine what a blog is, what a blog can be, and

what a blog should do. For many years, blogs were

defined as text-based websites that kept records of days,

similar to a captain's log on a sailing ship. However,

this started to change as the group of people who kept

blogs became more diverse. The more bloggers began

to explore the limits of the medium and of the

technology that made it possible, the more the

boundaries of what could be called a "blog" expanded.

Today, there are an abundance of photo blogs, and there

are even video blogs as well. Mobile blogging devices

may well change the definition of blogging entirely by

making it possible for bloggers to create new kinds of

posts. Another element of the blogosphere that is

starting to redefine blogging is the corporate blog. As

more companies hire writers to keep blogs with the sole

purpose of creating positive buzz about their brand,

bloggers across the globe are arguing about whether

these manufactured blogs are really worthy of the name.

Between all of these different forces that are constantly

expanding and reshaping the blogosphere, it is difficult

to imagine that the definition of what is and is not a

blog will ever remain fixed for very long.

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Personal Blogging, Documentary, and History

When it comes to personal blogging, documentary is

the default genre. There are plenty of blogs that serve

other functions, but many blogs are primarily catalogues

of the life experiences of their author. Although there

are quite a few blogs that focus on collecting poetry and

other forms of creative writing, the vast majority of

personal blogs are in some sense documentaries.

For many years, the act of making a documentary was

meant to be an objective act of reporting the sights and

sounds that the filmmaker, writer, or photographer

encountered. However, in contemporary times there has

been a movement towards embracing the subjectivity

inherent in the documentary form. This means that

modern documentaries often reflect the distinctive

voice and sensibility of their creator, and the fact that

todays documentaries often revolve around personality

blurs the lines between documentary and memoir. Blogs

rest somewhere between these two genres, muddying

the distinctions even further. Personal blogging,

documentary, and memoir are now irrevocably

intertwined, for better or for worse.

Although few bloggers think of themselves as making

documentaries in any formal sense, every time

somebody sits down in front of a computer and types up

a record of their day, they are documenting their own

historical moment. The things that we take for granted

about our daily lives, like the way that we use specific

modes of transportation, or the kinds of products that

we buy, often seem quite fascinating to people who live

in circumstances different from ours, and it is this kind

of fascination that is at the heart of many documentary

projects. When people think about blogging,

documentary is not very likely to be the first adjective

that crosses their minds, but a few decades down the

road it is very likely that todays blogs will be seen

primarily as very subjective documentaries of our era.

The people of tomorrow will almost certainly look to

the blogs of today for insight into our historical

moment.

When it comes to blogging, documentary may not be

the aim of most people who spend their time posting

their thoughts and ideas on the internet. In some ways,

the documentary aspect of blogging is more of a side

effect than a primary goal. However, the fact that so

many people are interested in publishing these public

online diaries shows that personal blogs are about more

than just rumination. The fact that bloggers are so

stimulated by and interested in sharing their ideas with

each other reinforces the idea that personal blogs are, in

some ways, documentaries meant for public

consumption. Documentaries appeal to people who are

curious about other ways of life, and many people who

regularly read others personal blogs are looking for this

same kind of new perspective.

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The Right Blogging Platform For Your Needs

Choosing which blogging platform to use is one of the

most important decisions that you can make as a

blogger. The right platform can make blogging a

breeze, and the wrong platform can make blogging a

chore. Because the program that you use to blog with is

such a powerful part of your blogging experience, it is

well worth putting in the time to find a platform that

provides your ideal balance between a user-friendly

interface and a flexible framework that allows you to

make your blog look and feel unique. Finding the right

platform isn't always easy, but with a little bit of

contemplation and a little bit of research, you will be on

your way to finding the perfect blogging platform.

Deciding what your priorities are in terms of ease of use

versus customization. Most highly customizable

blogging platforms, like moveable type, are a bit more

difficult to use than very automated platforms like

wordpress. If you are new to blogs and to internet

technology, you might want to sacrifice the ability to

create a custom background design or to integrate a

unique font into your template in order to find a

program that will be easy for you to use. On the other

hand, if you are a veteran web designer with knowledge

of html or javascript, you will probably find the

limitations of a user-friendly platform to be frustrating.

There is no such thing as a blogging platform that is

objectively the best platform, because every blogger has

unique needs. The blogging movement is very much

about individuality, so it makes plenty of sense that

there would be many different platforms available that

are designed to meet the needs of different kinds of

individuals undertaking different kinds of projects. This

diversity is a good thing, because it means that you will

almost certainly be able to find a program that suits

your level of technical aptitude.

However, the fact that no two bloggers need the same

thing from a blogging platform can make your search

for the right platform a bit tricky. When you are reading

reviews of different platforms, try to keep your

priorities in mind and do your best to take into account

the position that the reviewer is coming from. For

example, a negative review written by an accomplished

software designer who complains that a popular

platform is too limited may tell you that the platform in

question is ideal for a beginning blogger. There is no

such thing as the perfect platform for everybody, so

instead of looking for the "best" platform, look for the

best platform for your specific criteria.

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So Many Affiliate Programs! Which One Do I Choose?

Ask questions first before you join an affiliate program. Do a little research about the choices of program that you intend to join into. Get some answers because they will be the deciding point of what you will be achieving later on.

Will it cost you anything to join? Most affiliate programs being offered today are absolutely free of charge. So why settle for those that charge you some dollars before joining.

When do they issue the commission checks? Every program is different. Some issue their checks once a month, every quarter, etc. Select the one that is suited to your payment time choice. Many affiliate programs are setting a minimum earned commission amount that an affiliate must meet or exceed in order for their checks to be issued.

What is the hit per sale ratio? This is the average number of hits to a banner or text link it takes to generate a sale based on all affiliate statistics. This factor is extremely important because this will tell you how much traffic you must generate before you can earn a commission from the sale.

How are referrals from an affiliate’s site tracked and for how long do they remain in the system? You need to be confident on the program enough to track those people you refer from your site. This is the only way that you can credit for a sale. The period of time that those people stay in the system is also important. This is because some visitors do not buy initially but may want to return later to make the purchase. Know if you will still get credit for the sale if it is done some months from a certain day.

What are the kinds of affiliate stats available? Your choice of affiliate program should be capable of offering detailed stats. They should be available online anytime you decide to check them out. Constantly checking your individual stats is important to know how many impressions, hits and sales are already generated from your site. Impressions are the number of times the banner or text link was viewed by a visitor of your site. A hit is the one clicking on the banner or text links.

Does the affiliate program also pay for the hits and impressions besides the commissions on sales? It is important that impressions and hits are also paid, as this will add to the earnings you get from the sales commission. This is especially important if the program you are in offers low sales to be able to hit ratio.

Who is the online retailer? Find out whom you are doing business with to know if it is really a solid company. Know the products they are selling and the average amount they are achieving. The more you know about the retailer offering you the affiliate program, the easier it will be for you to know if that program is really for you and your site.

Is the affiliate a one tier or two tier program? A single tier program pays you only for the business you yourself have generated. A two tier program pays you for the business, plus it also pays you a commission on the on the sales generated by any affiliate you sponsor in your program. Some two-tier programs are even paying small fees on each new affiliate you sponsor. More like a recruitment fee.

Lastly, what is the amount of commission paid? 5% - 20% is the commission paid by most programs. .01% - .05% is the amount paid for each hit. If you find a program that also pays for impressions, the amount paid is not much at all. As you can see from the figures, you will now understand why the average sales amount and hit to sale ratio is important.

These are just some of the questions that needed answering first before you enter into an affiliate program. You should be familiar with the many important aspects that your chosen program should have before incorporating them into your website. Try to ask your affiliate program choices these questions. These can help you select the right program for you site from among the many available.

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The Pros and Cons of Video Blogging

Video blogging has a lot of advantages over text-based

blogging, and it is little wonder that this new

technology is catching on all over the globe. Video

blogs very effectively grab the attention of web surfers,

and people are much more likely to become excited

about the dynamic content of a video blog than they are

likely to find a written posting very thrilling. The more

enthusiastic viewers are about a site, the quicker the

word of mouth spreads, and the more traffic the site will

get.

Of course, there are plenty of disadvantages to video

blogging as well. Hosting a v-blog requires quite a bit

of server space, which can make it difficult to get

started. It takes more time to process and upload a video

file than it does to dash off a quick bit of text, which

means that running and updating a video blog can be

quite a bit of work. In addition, web surfers sometimes

grow frustrated with the slow loading times of the files

on many video blogs. Whether you opt for a video blog

or not depends on what kind of subject matter you want

to cover, and how much time you can devote to video

blogging. Before you decide to pursue a video blog,

consider if there is an easier way for you to get your

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