Setyawan Bayu Pamungkas' Blog

Changes to Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service

2012-01-28T16:07:00.001-08:00

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Dear Google user, We're getting rid of over 60 different privacy policies across Google and replacing them with one that's a lot shorter and easier to read. Our new policy covers multiple products and features, reflecting our desire to create one beautifully simple and intuitive experience across Google. We believe this stuff matters, so please take a few minutes to read our updated Privacy Policy and Terms of Service at http://www.google.com/policies. These changes will take effect on March 1, 2012.
One policy, one Google experience

Easy to work across Google Our new policy reflects a single product experience that does what you need, when you want it to. Whether you're reading an email that reminds you to schedule a family get-together or finding a favorite video that you want to share, we want to ensure you can move across Gmail, Calendar, Search, YouTube, or whatever your life calls for with ease.	Tailored for you If you're signed into Google, we can do things like suggest search queries – or tailor your search results – based on the interests you've expressed in Google+, Gmail, and YouTube. We'll better understand which version of Pink or Jaguar you're searching for and get you those results faster.	Easy to share and collaborate When you post or create a document online, you often want others to see and contribute. By remembering the contact information of the people you want to share with, we make it easy for you to share in any Google product or service with minimal clicks and errors.

Protecting your privacy hasn't changed Our goal is to provide you with as much transparency and choice as possible, through products like Google Dashboard and Ads Preferences Manager, alongside other tools. Our privacy principles remain unchanged. And we'll never sell your personal information or share it without your permission (other than rare circumstances like valid legal requests).	Got questions? We've got answers. Visit our FAQ at http://www.google.com/policies/faq to read more about the changes. (We figured our users might have a question or twenty-two.)

Notice of Change March 1, 2012 is when the new Privacy Policy and Terms will come into effect. If you choose to keep using Google once the change occurs, you will be doing so under the new Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Please do not reply to this email. Mail sent to this address cannot be answered. Also, never enter your Google Account password after following a link in an email or chat to an untrusted site. Instead, go directly to the site, such as mail.google.com or www.google.com/accounts. Google will never email you to ask for your password or other sensitive information.

ViaNett account username and password

2012-01-17T17:05:00.001-08:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2011-12-28T12:49:00.000-08:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2011-12-12T03:49:00.001-08:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2011-12-05T07:18:00.000-08:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2011-11-26T02:06:00.001-08:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2011-11-11T13:54:00.001-08:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2011-10-26T02:16:00.000-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2011-10-09T16:38:00.001-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2011-09-23T20:31:00.001-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2011-09-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2011-09-09T02:23:00.001-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2011-08-21T08:12:00.001-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2011-08-05T10:39:00.001-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2011-07-12T19:18:00.001-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2011-05-30T03:55:00.001-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

New MailChimp System Alerts: You are now unsubscribed

2011-05-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
FN:MailChimp System Alerts
N:MailChimp System Alerts;;;;
PROFILE:VCARD
ADR:;;512 Means Street,Suite 404;Atlanta;GA;30318;USA
EMAIL;TYPE=WORK:systemalert@mailchimp.com
ORG:MailChimp
URL:http://www.mailchimp.com
END:VCARD

We have removed your email address from our list.

We're sorry to see you go.

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For questions or comments, please contact us at:
ben@mailchimp.com

New security features: TXT security alerts and 2-factor authentication

2011-05-17T06:38:00.000-07:00

New Security Features Available in MailChimp

Three new security features are now available in your MailChimp account. If we could force you to use them, we would. Since we can't, they're optional (but strongly encouraged)...

TXT and email security alerts: We'll send a TXT message to your phone when we detect a login, attempted list download, or other change that might affect your account's security. You'll be notified almost instantaneously, so you can take appropriate action fast. Email alerts are also available.
Detect location changes: If someone logs in to your account from a different location (IP address) than usual, you can force them to answer your account security question.
Two-factor authentication: Whenever you log in to MailChimp, we can require a passcode that you generate from a smartphone (works kinda like those cool passcode key fobs that banks use).

These features are all free of charge, though for the TXT alerts, your phone carrier may have their own fees.

Thanks,

& the MailChimp team

You received this MailChimp Alert email because you're a registered MailChimp user. We occasionally send System Alerts with information about your account, planned outages, system improvements, and important customer service information. We'll keep them brief and useful. Promise.

Unsubscribe setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com from this list.

Our mailing address is:

MailChimp

512 Means Street

Suite 404

Atlanta, GA 30318

Add us to your address book

Hello Looking For Guest Posting :) - James Firespin

2011-01-20T17:43:00.001-08:00

Hello,

I would like to write some Guest Posts for setyawanbayupamungkas.blogspot.com I ill send some upto date fresh peices for you to over view.

I will promote the piece hard on social media such as Reddit, FaceBook and Twitter with pro accounts as well to help get some traction / comments / traffic for your site. I get a link back to my site, usual deal.

I have lots of ideas to work together and always work to make you happy on the deal. I am looking for a link back to promote my guys.

Please contact me to discuss, I can be flexible and like to looks for ways to make mutually beneficial deals I have some great writers, social media influencers, seo knowledge and other promotional methods.

Let me know and I will send some content over to review,

Thanks

Best regards,
James

Feel free to add me to chat

Skype - firespinjay
MSN firespindesign@hotmail.com
07966715421
james@firespinjay.co.uk

ViaNett account username and password

2011-01-05T02:10:00.001-08:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2010-12-24T18:48:00.001-08:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

White Label - Become an SMS reseller

2010-10-07T05:44:00.000-07:00


		Be an SMS reseller with a White Label concept Your account: Company: kokode Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com Forgot password? ViaNett White Label offers: No setup fee! No monthly fee! You only pay for the SMS distributed through your SMS accounts! What is ViaNett White Label? Our white label web page is a new site where you as a ViaNett partner can offer your customers an online interface with ViaNett's SMS services, such as Bulk SMS. You can promote it as your own brand, without exposing the ViaNett name to your customers. That way, you can be sure that you will keep your customer for yourself, and you don't have to worry about your customers going directly to the source. Use our white label site as your own brand, in your local market! You can create new sub-accounts for your customers, and they can easily log into this site to send SMS. Features: - Online tools for sending SMS worldwide - Create subscription groups - Live online statistics - Support for WAP push and MMS - Online tracking tool, see all details and investigate each single message that has been sent. - More than 30 international SMS routes available - Developer section with 5 different available APIs. Interested? Contact our sales department or your contact person in ViaNett for more information. ****************************************************************************************************** For more information about the technical APIs available, click here. For more information about ViaNett's mobile services, click here. Other high quality mobile services: ViaNett provides Mobile Payment in Scandinavia, Bulk SMS, HLR Lookups and 2-way SMS communication worldwide. Contact our sales department for a good offer now! **************************************************************************************************** If you want to know more or order, please contact : Sales consultant, Hans Trygve Moe Haugen**, hanstrygve@vianett.no or sales@vianett.com



		You receive this mail because you are registered with an account or a demo account at ViaNett. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please contact us at sales@vianett.com.

ViaNett account username and password

2010-07-24T05:15:00.001-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

Location-Based Services

2010-06-29T11:23:00.001-07:00


		Locate your customers, and provide relevant information! Your account: Company: kokode Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com Forgot password ViaNett July offer: 30 % discount on all setup fees! What is LBS? A location-based service enables you to determine the location of a mobile phone/user. Using the mobile network we can trace a handset to a geographical position. The position can be displayed on a map using our online tools, or you can get the coordinates directly in your application. A user can be located by both a push and pull request as long as the customers has agreed to be located by the service. Usage: Location-based services offer many opportunities for the mobile user and for you as a service provider. Here are some examples of how to use location-based services: - Requesting information of services nearby. E.g finding nearest restaurant or postal office. - Receiving alerts, such as notification of a sale nearby. - Finding a buddy or date - Giving info about coverage of a service in the area, e.g. for internet suppliers A big advantage is that mobile users don't have to manually specify ZIP codes or other location identifiers to use location-based services. ViaNett's LBS Service ViaNett offers this service only in Norway. The service is available for Telenor, Netcom and Tele2 customers. It covers more than 90 % of the Norwegian mobile subscribers. Our LBS service can be used together with other services from ViaNett, such as 2-Way SMS Dialogue or Mobile Payments. The service is also available as a stand-alone service from ViaNett. Read more ****************************************************************************************************** For more information about the technical APIs available, click here. For more information about ViaNett's mobile services, click here. Other high quality mobile services: ViaNett provides Mobile Payment in Scandinavia, Bulk SMS, HLR Lookups and 2-way SMS communication worldwide. Contact our sales department for a good offer now! **************************************************************************************************** If you want to know more or order, please contact : Chief Sales Officer, Nicolai Kristiansen**, nicolai@vianett.no or sales@vianett.com



		You receive this mail because you are registered with an account or a demo account at ViaNett. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please contact us at sales@vianett.com.

ViaNett account username and password

2010-06-22T20:51:00.001-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2010-06-16T21:04:00.001-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

v5.2, Updated Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

2010-06-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

It's been ages since our last System Alert message. Since then, we experienced tremendous growth in our customer base, so for a lot of you, this will be your first time hearing from us (hi there). As a reminder, System Alerts are "important messages we send to all registered MailChimp users concerning your account." We try to keep these few and far between. Promise.

On to business...

1. Our terms of use have been modified.
This won't matter to most of you. But our lawyer requires us to send an email whenever we update our terms of use. The majority of the changes involve dealing with people who "game the system." For example, our Omnivore program, declassified a few months ago, will automatically shut down abusers to protect the deliverability of our system. In some cases, they're good users who mean no harm, but who've made simple list etiquette mistakes. Our abuse team can help "rehabilitate" most of those people. But on rare occasions, it's a truly nasty user who specifically intended to abuse MailChimp. After getting their accounts shut down, some of them actually have the nerve to demand a refund. Sigh. So the terms have been modified to not only be very specific about the fact that we won't give refunds to abusers that we shut down, but that we also have the right to charge extra penalties if we catch them abusing the system. There were other changes we made, but you can get them in full detail by visiting our Terms of Use page.

2. Our privacy policy has been updated too.
First and foremost, we haven't changed the fact that we never rent, sell, or give away your list to anybody. That would be evil. Instead, we're trying to reduce evil (the email kind), but we really want to make that more transparent.

First, some background information.

Our user base grew more than 350% in 2009 over 2008, and 35% in QTR1 of 2010 alone. And we're currently delivering, on average, more than 20M messages a day.

Delivery volume graph pulled from this MailChimp blog post

The growth is nice and all, but what concerns us is that it's impossible to employ enough humans to monitor that kind of volume for abuse. So an always-on, 24/7 abuse algorithm like Omnivore is critical to scaling our operation (and protecting the email ecosystem). We're mainly changing our privacy policy because Omnivore is growing and getting smarter, and now has the ability to sync up with services that provide anti-spam and anti-abuse solutions. We want to make it clear that we sometimes work with those services to protect MailChimp's deliverability. Also, we're making it transparent that, in conjunction with Omnivore, we still use humans who do occasionally review your content from time to time.

Our use of the Social Graph
Finally, just about everybody understands that social media is becoming crucial to providing "real time" customer support these days. We're not just talking about having a twitter and facebook page. These days, it's turning into the preferred medium for customers to talk to us. It helps us communicate faster and learn more about our customers (now if they could just give us more than 140 characters). Companies are increasingly using social media tools (like Tweetdeck, Cotweet, and Radian6 for example) to monitor what their customers think and say about their brand, and to research their customers. MailChimp may be launching similar tools soon (more on that later) to help our customers (you) learn more about their (your) customers. For example, if we see a tweet where someone is complaining about MailChimp, we want to help them. Fast. So it would be nice to be able to correlate a user's twitter handle to their MailChimp account, analyze the problem, and get back to them with a solution. We've updated our privacy policy to tell you that we use social media, social networks, and the social graph (always responsibly) to learn more about you (not your list, and not your customers).

Other Changes
I’ve addressed what I consider to be the most important changes to our privacy policy. There are other changes. If you have any questions, your first step should be to read the new revision. If you have concerns or questions about the changes, contact me at privacy@mailchimp.com

Thanks for your time.

Regards,

Ben Chestnut
Co-founder, CEO

P.S. We'll be launching a major MailChimp upgrade (v5.2) later this month. Please keep an eye out for announcements on the blog, twitter, and in the app. In case you missed the last upgrade news, check out MailChimp v5, and then the enhancements to groups management we launched in v5.1

Follow @mailchimp on twitter
Server status updates on are on twitter too: @mailchimpstatus (report down time, connection issues, etc)
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As a registered MailChimp customer, we send mandatory "System Alerts" like this to notify you about important changes to your account.

According to our records:

You became a MailChimp user on: 2009-11-10 18:15:27 (thanks)
Your username is: setyawanbayupamungkas
Your last login was on: 2009-11-10 18:20:24

If you are no longer using MailChimp, then yeah -- this email has got to annoy the heck out of you. Sorry. Since these are mandatory System Alerts, the only way to unsubscribe is to delete your account. Log in to MailChimp, go to your account settings, and click the "shut down my account" link to permanently delete your account (make sure you backup your subscriber and report data first, if you still want all that).

Our mailing address is:

MailChimp
512 Means Street, Suite 404
Atlanta, GA 30318

Copyright (C) 2010 MailChimp

v5.2, Updated Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

2010-06-15T06:35:00.000-07:00

Follow @mailchimp on twitter
Server status updates on are on twitter too: @mailchimpstatus (report down time, connection issues, etc)
MailChimp's Facebook page

ViaNett account username and password

2010-06-11T21:40:00.001-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

HLR - Optimize your routing and lower your costs

2010-06-01T02:32:00.000-07:00


		Optimize your SMS routing NOW! Your account: Company: kokode Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com Forgot password ViaNett June offer: HLR Lookups from 0,007 € Minimum monthly amount: 500 € What is HLR? Home Location Register (HLR) is a service that ViaNett provides to its customers to determine the home country and the home network of a mobile subscriber. It can also be used to find the current country the subscriber is roaming in right now and more. The service basically supports all GSM networks, available for more than 734 networks, providing visibility of ported numbers for 192 countries (confirmed coverage November 2009). How to use? This technique is normally used together with SMS Delivery and SMS Billing to check what network you should send the messages to and to check if a subscriber is reachable or absent (i.e. has turned off the phone or out of reach). This way, your message delivery would increase and you might get a better quality on your subscriber database. HLR can be used to clean up your customer database. HLR is an included feature in ViaNett SMS delivery account for active customers. ViaNett's HLR Service ViaNett offers access to around 5 different HLR Gateways, which can give you MCC, MNC, IMSI, MSC and error messages like invalid number or absent user. What information you might get depends on gateway selected and country. Read more ****************************************************************************************************** For more information about the technical APIs available, click here. For more information about ViaNett's mobile services, click here. Not a customer of ViaNett? ViaNett provides Mobile Payment in Scandinavia, Bulk SMS, HLR Lookups and 2-way SMS communication worldwide. Contact our sales department for a good offer now! **************************************************************************************************** If you want to know more or order, please contact : Chief Sales Officer, Nicolai Kristiansen**, nicolai@vianett.no or sales@vianett.com



		You receive this mail because you are registered with an account or a demo account at ViaNett. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please contact us at sales@vianett.com.

ViaNett account username and password

2010-05-29T15:45:00.000-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2010-05-26T03:36:00.001-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2010-05-20T04:49:00.001-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

ViaNett account username and password

2010-04-30T17:15:00.001-07:00

Here is login information for your ViaNett account:

Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com
Password: myfi

Best regards
ViaNett

Easy way to create mobile services

2010-04-28T17:13:00.001-07:00


		Easy way to create new mobile services! Your account: Company: kokode Username: setyawanbayupamungkas@gmail.com Forgot password NEW! Create a new service: Setting up a new mobile service with keywords, price, response messages and other features should be something everyone in your organization should be able to do. ViaNett have now upgraded its service interface and a new mobile service is just two clicks away. Our new interface is intuitive, easy to use, no training is needed and it's available for you today. Create and track your campaigns using ViaNett's systems. Examples on how our services can be used: - SMS to e-mail with web reply. - Create subscription services. - SMS alerts to your customers or colleagues. - Get direct feedback on your marketing campaigns using SMS response. - Collect members for a mobile club and send campaigns directly to customers' mobiles. - Create an SMS/MMS competition for your customers. - SMS reminders. - Voting services. - MMS blog. The new service wizard is available here. NEW! HTTP interface (MT): Our updated HTTP interface is now launched. The new version is better and more structured with extra parameters. For more information, please contact smssupport@vianett.com. APIs and interfaces: ViaNett's customers may choose between several technical interfaces, we have all types of interfaces for all types of customers. For more information about the technical APIs available, click here. For more information about ViaNett's mobile services, click here. Not a customer of ViaNett? ViaNett provides Mobile Payment in Scandinavia, Bulk SMS and 2-way SMS communication worldwide. Contact our sales department and get an offer, up to 50 % discount on setup fees in May 2010! ****************************************************************************************************** If you want to know more or order, please contact : Chief Sales Officer, Nicolai Kristiansen**, nicolai@vianett.no or sales@vianett.com



		You receive this mail because you are registered with an account or a demo account at ViaNett. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please contact us at sales@vianett.com.

Mobile Payment - SMS Delivery: Spring campaign

2010-03-24T09:25:00.000-07:00


		Spring/Easter Sale! The snow is melting in Norway and Easter holiday is coming up. ViaNett is celebrating this occasion with a big campaign. All setup fees and monthly fees are reduced with 50 % if you order by Friday 9th of April 2010! Setup fees: 50 % off. Monthly fees: 50 % off the first 3 months. See our standard price list here. Mobile Payment: Premium SMS: Easy way to charge your customers for your mobile services or your mobile content, or for other digital services. Note: This campaign only applies to Premium SMS in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. CPA Goods and Services: Payment method for selling physical goods and services like for example bus tickets, consultant services or CDs. Note: This campaign only applies to CPA Goods and Services in Norway. SMS Bulk Gateway: The SMS Bulk Gateway product means that you can purchase a volume of SMS and deliver SMS to many mobile phones, either at the same time, or over a period of time. The SMS Bulk Gateway makes it easy to deliver SMS worldwide. When you are connected to the gateway, you get access to all available routes and features. This product is available worldwide. 2-way Communication: SMS can be an easy way to handle communication between you and your customers, employees or members of a community. In addition to sending SMS to a mobile, you can receive an SMS back to your service or system. An entry can also be initiated from a mobile phone, like adding a customer or registering an order for a product that you are selling. For 2-way communication you can use our standard systems like SMS/MMS to e-mail, or SMS reply. This product is available worldwide. APIs and interfaces: ViaNett's customers may choose between several technical interfaces, we have all types of interfaces for all types of customers. For more information about the technical APIs available, click here. For more information about ViaNett's mobile services, click here. ****************************************************************************************************** If you want to know more or order, please contact : Chief Sales Officer, Nicolai Kristiansen**, nicolai@vianett.no or sales@vianett.com



		You receive this mail because you are registered with an account or a demo account at ViaNett. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please contact us at sales@vianett.com.

Setyawan - Have Documents You Want to Sell?

2010-02-23T11:22:00.000-08:00

To ensure you continue to receive our e-mails please add messages@docstoc.com to your Address Book now.
	www.docstoc.com

Do You Have Documents You Want to Sell? Now you can make money by selling your content on Docstoc's DocStore, the premier marketplace to buy and sell professional documents. Keep 100% of All Sales - Limited Time Offer For the first two months you will keep 100% of all sales, so you have nothing to lose. We keep it simple. After the first 60 days sales are then split 50/50 evenly between you and Docstoc with no upfront costs and no hidden fees. Apply now and take advantage of our promotional offer Get Started Selling in Less than 2 Minutes! You can start uploading your documents for sale immediately. Set your own prices and get detailed reports and feedback in real time with your own custom dashboard. DocStore is the Best Marketplace to Sell Your Documents * High Sales Conversion Rates * Comprehensive Dashboard * Live Phone and Chat Support for Your Customers * Group Documents in Packages for More Revenue Sell Documents on YOUR OWN Website or Blog You can embed your documents on your on site to sell your content directly to the readers that visit your website or blog. Start selling now with even one document
Sincerely, The Docstoc Team www.docstoc.com
We send this email to members of docstoc.com to update you on your friendsâ messages and our updates. If you wish to unsubscribe, we provide a settings link at the bottom of this page, or send us an email letting us know. If you have any questions you can e-mail or call us anytime by using our contact us page. Privacy Policy: For full information please read our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from this mailing: Unsubscribe. Docstoc.com, Inc. 1317 5th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401

A new Mobile Payment product in Scandinavia

2010-02-03T04:17:00.001-08:00


		CPA Services and Goods ViaNett can now offer the new Mobile Payment product "CPA Services and Goods" in Scandinavia. This makes it possible to charge customers for services or goods that are not used on a digital medium. With this new business area you can sell services or products like tickets, CDs, underwear, magazines, licenses or food products. It's possible to have one-time billing or recurring billing for subscriptions. The customer will be charged for the service on their phone invoice or on their prepaid SIM-card. CPA Services and Goods will not exclude traditional payment solutions like credit card or cash, but can be a supplement that you can offer your customers. Have in mind that your customer can forget their wallets, but never leave their cell phone at home. Price limitations: Norway: 300,- NOK Sweden: 200,- SEK Denmark: 200,- DKK Please contact ViaNett for a February offer today! For more information about ViaNetts mobile services, click here. ****************************************************************************************************** If you want to know more or order, please contact : Chief Sales Officer, Nicolai Kristiansen**, Nicolai@vianett.no



		If you wish to no longer receive this newsletter, please click here.

Why did My Daily List fall off the face of the Earth?

2010-01-30T16:19:00.000-08:00

Why did My Daily List fall off the face of the Earth?

1. After years of hobo obsession, he finally packed his bindle and hit the open road.
2. My Daily List was designed to continue for 1001 lists but walking away from the responsibility of writing a daily list is best for the fine people of Alaska.
3. You don't know it yet but mydailylist made it through Hollywood week and is one of the top 24 on American Idol.
4. He decided to rest on his laurels but he recently received his laurels in the mail and realized that they are highly unrestful bay leaves, so screw it.
5. He was content to simply watch television in the evening without the burden of writing a list. Then, Julia Roberts made a movie and they started showing a commercial with her donkey-face laughing that laugh that makes angels punch babies. So he started listing again.
6. He's been spending a lot of time in Crawford rockin' and reminiscin on the front porch with W.
7. He briefly took over Jay Leno's blog but then that jerk decided he wanted it back.

8. My Daily List's primary audience was women over the age of 90 so his following eventually died off. Now he's back to appeal to a fresher, younger audience with lists on such diverse topics as the Korean War, frozen TV dinners, and Ed Sullivan.

9. Had been distracted by the shiny ribbons from Christmas presents.

10. What? He stopped listing? I didn't notice.

noreply@blogger.com (My Daily List) Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:22:00 +0000

To read the full article click here.

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How To Write A Viral Blog Post: 7 Real Examples

2010-01-26T19:54:00.000-08:00

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This is a guest post by Diggy. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

I don't usually write about blogging or writing but today I'm making an exception. While doing some browsing and stumbling, I decided to look at the top articles on Stumbleupon (a social sharing network) about self improvement to get some ideas for new posts. I was amazed to see articles getting 140,000 views. One article, getting that many views? I think that is what every writer and blogger wants.

So what is the secret? You are about to get a bit closer to the answer.

How To Create a Viral Blog Post

List Posts:
The majority of the posts that go viral seem to be list-type posts. "X reasons to do something" or "X ways to be inspired". The reason that these posts are so easily shared is that they are easy to read and there is always one or more reasons that relates to the reader. That is why they feel happy to share it and go through the trouble.

Interesting Topics:
Posts that go viral are often about topics that everybody has an interest in. Travel, life, money, sex, relationships. These have a broad appeal and are likely to be shared.

How-to Posts:
If you can provide a solution for a problem then people are grateful. If you can provide a solution for a common problem that many people have, the chances are big that your post will get shared by everyone who finds your solution helpful.

Of course not every post that you write in one of the above three styles will ensure that it goes viral. however, I think that it will greatly increase your chance for creating a diamond in the rough, a post that will get thousands if not hundreds of thousands of views. If your aim is to create viral blog posts, or even just one or two to get more traffic to your blog and new readers, then it is worth it to write articles in one of the three styles I mentioned above (or a combination of the styles).

Diggy writes all about self improvement at his blog UpgradeReality. If you are looking for motivation, inspiration or useful tips to live a better life, subscribe to his articles via RSS or Email.

Original Post: How To Write A Viral Blog Post: 7 Real Examples

Guest Author 27 Jan, 2010

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Source: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/how-to-write-a-viral-blog-post-7-real-examples/
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TechCrunch Hacked?

2010-01-26T17:29:00.000-08:00

I was browsing through my RSS feed when I came across a curious (to say the list) post from TechCrunch, when they mention they have been hacked.

I figured it could be Michael Arrington jumping the gun on April's Fools again (and setting a new world record at the same time…), but after reading the comments it looks like the most popular tech blog on the web was indeed hacked.

Apparently for some time whoever tried to access TechCrunch.com was redirected to another site. You can get more details from the comments.

The site seems to be working normally now, but it will be interesting to read their follow up on the issue, mainly to understand what kind of vulnerability was exploited.

Original Post: TechCrunch Hacked?

Daniel Scocco 27 Jan, 2010

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Source: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/techcrunch-hacked/
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Book Review: The Purple Cow

2010-01-26T13:50:00.000-08:00

I am a bit late with this book review, but from now on I'll try to stick with the schedule, which is one review every two weeks. Anyway today's book is a short but powerful one: Purple Cow. It is my first read from Seth Godin (what I shame, I know), but after going through it I already placed three of his other books on my to-read list.

1. The book: The Purple Cow is about being remarkable (and how this is essential to make your business prosper). Have you ever seen one, after all? If you had you certainly wouldn't forget it! The book has 137, and it is very easy to read. Seth

2. The content: Initially I thought that writing a whole book to give out a simple message (i.e., you got be remarkable) was a waste of paper. After reading it, however, I can say that it is not the case.

Seth did a wonderful job explaining the whys and hows of being remarkable, including real life examples and case studies to help you understand his points better.

I also really liked his writing style. It is clear and succinct, which is the style I strive to achieve with my own text.

3. What I liked: What I most liked in the book were the real stories that Seth shares. For example, he tells you how Herman Miller managed to transform a somewhat commoditized segment – office chairs – into one with space for premium products. He did that by creating a purple cow, the Aaron chair.

4. Who would benefit from this book: Anyone who has or is planning to build a business. Be it an offline or an online business. The message of this book is one that all entrepreneurs should learn by heart.

5. Favorite quote:

You can't make people listen. But you can figure out who's likely to be listening when you talk, and then invent the right combination of Ps to overwhelm them with the rightness of your offer. Even if someone is listening your offering of "a little bit cheaper," "a little bit better," or "a little bit easier" is just a waste of time. The influential sneezers, the people with a problem to solve – they're open to hearing your story only if it's truly remarkable; otherwise, you're invisible.

Original Post: Book Review: The Purple Cow

Daniel Scocco 26 Jan, 2010

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Source: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/book-review-the-purple-cow/
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3 Smart Google Search Tips to Hunt for Guest Post Opportunities

2010-01-25T11:42:00.000-08:00

Guest posting is one of the most effective ways to promote your blog, meet new audience and build valuable contacts. Therefore most A-list bloggers guest post and that's why if you are a blogger, you should too.

This post will help you to start: it lists some useful, yet lesser-known Google search tips that will let you find valuable guest posting opportunities in your niche.

1. Make sure you use ALL synonyms

Various bloggers use different words to invite guest authors. Some directly ask to "submit a (guest) post", others offer to become their author or write for them. Even the most straightforward invitation can be expressed in different words: you can be asked to submit, suggest or send a post for example. Here's more or less complete list of phrases bloggers use to invite people to guest post:

"Submit a guest post" / "Submit post" / "Submit blog post"
"Add blog post"
"Submit an article"
"Suggest a guest post"
"Send a guest post"
"Write for us";
"Become an author";
"Guest bloggers wanted"
"Contribute to our site";
"Become a contributor";
"Become guest writer"
"(Write for our) guest column".

Now, you may have noticed that all the phases are used in the quotation marks – this is to force Google to search for the exact match because otherwise you will get too general results randomly mentioning "post", "contribute" and "guest".

If you add some words that describe the topic of your blog, you will end up getting tightly relevant results:

2. Take advantage of wildcard (*) operator

In the previous step I have mentioned using quotation marks for better search results targeting. But some guest invitations can be slightly different. For example, a blogger may write "Become our contributor" instead of "Become contributor" or "Send us your post" instead of "Send your post" but these blogs will be filtered out because we were using quotation marks and thus instructed Google to search for exact match.

So how can we include all those slightly different results without sacrificing on relevancy?

This can be done with help of Google's Wildcard operator (*) which in search results get substituted by one or more words. So if we, for example, search for "submit * guest post" search results will include:

"submit a guest post"
"submit your own guest post"
"submit your guest post"
"submit one guest post", etc

3. Use OR and ~ operators to better describe your niche

More often than not it is hard to describe your blog topic with one (or two) words. For example, your blog may be about money, saving, frugality, shopping, etc. The more words you use, the lesser results you will get, because Google will do its best to show you only those pages that have all of those words listed.

To get broader but relevant results, we should instruct Google to search for any of the words – for that we can use OR operator between the words: "money OR saving OR frugality OR shopping" because, essentially we are interested in guest blogging on sites covering any of these topics.

To go even further in this direction, we can use ~ operator before a word that may have many synonyms and related words and thus instruct Google to look for all those synonyms. For example, "~money" search will include words like "currency", "finance", "financial", etc.

So what do we have in the end after we combine all the tips? Here we go:

Ann Smarty is a search geek, social media enthusiast and experienced online shopper. Ann has recently started My Blog Guest – a community of guest bloggers which aims at connecting guest bloggers to blog owners who seek high-quality content and fresh perspectives. Join the community now and promote your blog by guest posting!

Original Post: 3 Smart Google Search Tips to Hunt for Guest Post Opportunities

Daniel Scocco 25 Jan, 2010

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Source: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/3-smart-google-search-tips-to-hunt-for-guest-post-opportunities/
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Check Out How Search Bots See Your Website

2010-01-24T13:05:00.000-08:00

Understanding how search bots see your site is quite important for anyone interested in search engine optimization. This let's you know where your most important content should go, how the links should be structured and so on. A nice tool you can use for this purpose is called SEO browser.

Simply input the URL of your site there and click on "Parse URL." The result will be how search bots see your site. One rule of thumb to follow is that your most important stuff on each page (e.g., the H1 tag and the content) should be as close to the top of possible.

You can also click on "Advanced mode" to get some extra details about the head section, the statistics of your content and links and so on.

Original Post: Check Out How Search Bots See Your Website

Daniel Scocco 24 Jan, 2010

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Source: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/check-out-how-search-bots-see-your-website/
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11 Things to Consider Before You Send the Next Email

2010-01-23T08:14:00.001-08:00

This is a guest post by Amit Banerjee. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Email is the primary mode of communication between Internet users. You use email to network with other bloggers, to grow your online business, to convert potential prospects into clients and so on. The micro blogging sites like Twitter, Facebook may have changed the way we share information but when it comes in communicating with web users, email is probably the simplest and universally accepted option.

Having said that, it’s obvious that you should pay attention to all those emails you send everyday. Here are a few tips for maintaining proper email etiquette:

1. Use a meaningful subject.

Just as a meaningful title makes a reader read a blog post, a meaningful subject of your email sets it apart from the crowd. A meaningful subject saves time as the recipient can grasp your idea quickly.

For example: If you want to post a guest article at Dailyblogtips and want to contact Daniel, use the subject line as “Guest article” rather than “Hello Daniel”.

Also read: 6 mistakes to avoid in Email subject lines

2. Skip the introductory paragraphs, jump directly to the point

When you are writing an email, keep the purpose in focus. Do not make the email longer by adding unnecessary introductions or links. The person whom you are writing the email may have dozens of emails to read and if you make the email long and boring, he will rather skip reading it.

Thus, avoid the boring intros and jump directly to your point. It saves time at both ends.

3. Use saved templates for answering commonly asked questions

If you get frequent emails where readers ask you the same questions, spend some time writing a template and save it in your drafts folder. Whenever you get a similar message to which you have replied before, just paste the template into the email message.

4. Add a human touch. Make it personal

I just said using templates to answer commonly asked questions. But do not overkill by making everything automated. There are some emails that will need your personal attention. So spend some time on them and try to provide some value. Not only you will get respect from the receiver, it also adds an impression that you care about your prospects.

5. Never write in capital case

WRITING AN EMAIL IN CAPITAL CASE makes it difficult to read and the receiver will get annoyed for sure. Hence, do not write an email in capital letters or else your message might end up in the trash folder.

6. Stick to the proper message thread

Including the earlier conversations in your reply is a good habit. The receiver might not remember the subject and the progress of each and every conversation. Hence an email without a thread will surely frustrate the receiver and he will have to spend some time searching for earlier threads of the conversation.

Gmail automatically includes the threads in your “reply” messages. Whenever you are replying to an email conversation always click “reply” instead of composing a new email message.

7. Read the email before you send it

Before you hit the send button, read what you have just typed. There may be spelling and grammatical mistakes which might have slipped through. Try to read the email from the receivers angle and see if it delivers the same meaning which you are trying to convey.

8. Writing a Business mail – Stay away from Smileys, Emotions and Abbreviations

I don’t know about you, but i have never seen anyone using abbreviations and smileys in business emails. Business emails should be formal as they reflect the posture of your organization or company. If you lower the weight of your business email by adding lots of abbreviations ( e.g LOL , ) and smilies, chances are there that your clients won’t take you seriously.

9. Be careful with formatting

Do not try to decorate your email message with lots of colors and formatted stuff. If you unnecessarily highlight text, the email can appear to be spammy. As a general rule, use black color on a white background.

11. Use short and simple sentences

Email’s should be simple to read and should convey the meaning as quick as possible. Never think that if your writing is Shakespearean, the recipient will take interest in reading it. Keep the sentences short and simple and never write an email when you are angry – it reflects.

Do you take care of all of the above mentioned emailing habits ? Let us know through the comments section.

Amit Banerjee is a computer geek who blogs about software’s, How-to’s and web tools at Ampercent.

Original Post: 11 Things to Consider Before You Send the Next Email

Guest Author 23 Jan, 2010

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Source: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/11-things-to-consider-before-you-send-the-next-email/
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11 Things to Consider Before You Send the Next Email

2010-01-23T08:14:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by Amit Banerjee. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Having said that, it's obvious that you should pay attention to all those emails you send everyday. Here are a few tips for maintaining proper email etiquette:

1. Use a meaningful subject.

For example: If you want to post a guest article at Dailyblogtips and want to contact Daniel, use the subject line as "Guest article" rather than "Hello Daniel".

Also read: 6 mistakes to avoid in Email subject lines

2. Skip the introductory paragraphs, jump directly to the point

Thus, avoid the boring intros and jump directly to your point. It saves time at both ends.

3. Use saved templates for answering commonly asked questions

4. Add a human touch. Make it personal

5. Never write in capital case

6. Stick to the proper message thread

Gmail automatically includes the threads in your "reply" messages. Whenever you are replying to an email conversation always click "reply" instead of composing a new email message.

7. Read the email before you send it

8. Writing a Business mail – Stay away from Smileys, Emotions and Abbreviations

I don't know about you, but i have never seen anyone using abbreviations and smileys in business emails. Business emails should be formal as they reflect the posture of your organization or company. If you lower the weight of your business email by adding lots of abbreviations ( e.g LOL , ) and smilies, chances are there that your clients won't take you seriously.

9. Be careful with formatting

11. Use short and simple sentences

Email's should be simple to read and should convey the meaning as quick as possible. Never think that if your writing is Shakespearean, the recipient will take interest in reading it. Keep the sentences short and simple and never write an email when you are angry – it reflects.

Do you take care of all of the above mentioned emailing habits ? Let us know through the comments section.

Amit Banerjee is a computer geek who blogs about software's, How-to's and web tools at Ampercent.

Original Post: 11 Things to Consider Before You Send the Next Email

Daniel Scocco 23 Jan, 2010

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Source: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/11-things-to-consider-before-you-send-the-next-email/
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Where And How Can I Sell My Blog?

2010-01-22T09:22:00.000-08:00

This post is part of the Friday Q&A section. Just use the contact form if you want to submit a question.

KT. B. asks:

My boyfriend and I started a blog this summer and had a blast. Even though we are newbies, we managed to get a PR of 3, some back links and even hold the top spots in Google for a handful of keywords.

School will be starting for both of us next year and I don't think we will have time for it anymore. It seems like a waste to have all of that original content, links and PR just go to waste. So, where does one go to sell a blog? Are there any tips or suggestions you have?

First of all I want to clear a misconception that many newbie bloggers and webmasters have: selling a blog or a website for a meaningful amount of money is not easy as it sounds.

Perhaps we have to blame the "overnight riches" stories that circulate around the web, with people who started and sold websites for tens of thousands of dollars in a matter of months. Trust me, it is very rare to see a case like this.

Another misconception is the fact that backlinks, unique content or Google PageRank will make your site appealing to potential buyers. They help, but these factors alone won't fetch the money. What matters for website buyers are two things: traffic and revenues (with a heavy emphasis on revenues).

In other words, if you want to sell your blog or website for a good amount of money first you need to take it to a point where it receives decent traffic and, most importantly, generate stable revenues.

Here is a practical example to illustrate the point. Consider that we have two blogs. Both are one year old and have unique content. Blog One has a PR4, some backlinks, gets 10,000 visitors per month, but it makes no money at all. Blog Two has a PR2, also gets 10,000 visitors per month, but it makes $200 monthly from Google AdSense.

Blog Two has a small PageRank, but it makes a decent amount of money, so its selling price would be much higher. I would guess that Blog Two could sell for as much as $4,000 if the traffic is mostly organic (i.e. from search engines), while Blog One would probably sell for $500, if that.

If I was the owner of Blog One I would probably not sell at all, because the money I would get would be inferior to the real value of the blog. Instead I would try to monetize the traffic first, and perhaps even grow the site, and only then try to sell it.

Now back to the central question: where can one sell a blog or website. By far the best resource for that on the web is a marketplace called Flippa.com. If you remember well that used to be the marketplace for websites inside Sitepoint, and now they spun it off as a separate website.

You'll need to pay a fee to list your site there (around $50), but it is guaranteed that your listing will be exposed to many site buyers. They have an auction system too, so if you are not sure how much your site is worth you can leave it to the bidders.

Another option would be the "Buy & Sell Websites" section of the Digital Point forums. You won't need to pay anything to list your site there, but the bidding system is pretty much manual (i.e., forum posts), and there is a smaller number of serious buyers shopping around there.

There are other marketplaces and forums on the web where you could list your site, but I don't think that any of them get nearly the exposure that the two I mentioned do.

What about you, what is your experience with selling blogs and websites? What marketplaces did you use? Was it easy to sell?

Original Post: Where And How Can I Sell My Blog?

Daniel Scocco 22 Jan, 2010

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Source: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/where-and-how-can-i-sell-my-blog/
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Hustling My Way to 50,000 Subscribers

2010-01-21T08:19:00.000-08:00

Hustle (verb): to proceed or work rapidly or energetically; to be aggressive, especially in business or other financial dealings.

I consider myself to be a hard worker, but I don't think I am a hustler. Not yet, at least.

I will be trying to change that this year.

Now the difference between "working hard" and "hustling" might be a subtle one, but it is also a vital one. In my opinion working hard is about being able to work long hours, to persist for months on projects that are not going well, to remain focused and so on. Hustling, on the other hand, is about making sure that the hours you'll spend working will yield something. It is about making things happen, getting results, accomplishing goals, no matter what.

As you can see, you need both. You need to work hard and you need to hustle.

Practically speaking, I want to start hustling because I believe I felt into a comfort zone over the last year. The results I have been getting with my blogs, websites and with my online business as a whole were good, but they could have been better.

As a result I have set several goals for this year, and I will try to achieve no matter what.

One of them I wanted to share with you guys, because I might motivate you to do the same. That is, the goal of reaching 50,000 subscribers within the next six months (so by July 21). That is about 2,000 new subscribers per month, which is twice the historical rate of this blog (Daily Blog Tips is 39 months old and has 39,000 subscribers). It sure will require a lot of hustling to achieve that, but I believe it is possible.

As for the tactics and strategies I will be using to reach that goal, well, I will talk about them on future posts.

The message I wanted to send remains: hustling is essential. If you are not, get on with it!

Original Post: Hustling My Way to 50,000 Subscribers

Daniel Scocco 21 Jan, 2010

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Source: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/hustling-my-way-to-50000-subscribers/
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Style Versus Content in Your Blog

2010-01-19T19:45:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by Ciprian Ginghina. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

The word on the street, or perhaps I should say 'information superhighway', is that certain text style options make website content and blogs 'pop' and are thereby more appealing to readers. The use of short sentences within short paragraphs decorated with bullet point lists and sub-headers apparently hold our attention in a vise grip, bewitched by the format. Blogging gurus peddle these presentation options as if they are some magical beguiling cloak for crap writing.

Yup, advertisers have discovered writing. The same people that compose commercial content for the Thigh Master*, penis enlargement cream and the Snuggie* have suddenly realized that rather than hire professional writers (y'know, people that read and write extensively and thereby have actual vocabularies and legitimate skills in idea communication), they can instead employ any old Duncan to throw together a few mismatched words, inject them into their online formatting template, and boom! Instant captivation.

(Oops, that middle sentence in the last paragraph was far too long! But you read it? Why? How did that happen? There were no bullet points, nor even a sub-header in bold!)

One thing a writer requires is faith in his or her readers' smarts. You shouldn't treat them like idiots, because:

They aren't
A high proportion of them are actually more intelligent than you are
You have to respect that, or they can tell
Oh Christ, I'm using bullet points

The use of such style tricks is akin to using flashing lights as a distraction in a zombie movie. If you instead want to attract survivors to your fortified mall/pub/apartment (especially physically attractive ones that can read) it's best to write a legible banner and illuminate it with a single lamp.

Yup, I used an extended zombie movie metaphor. Nope, it's not in the manual. And guess what? You read that bit, too.

I'm sure, by now, you've guessed my point. Writing can be compelling by itself if you're willing to spend a little time making it so. You don't need to follow style guidelines from some self-appointed expert. Sure, Search Engine Optimization is a desirable focus; you want people to read your stuff, and SEO is a method to elevate your Google/Yahoo/etc. page rankings. Thankfully, search engine Spiders, the software that secretly explores your web content for relevancy, are getting wise to the ways of the keyword stuffers. As technology advances, so does the ability of the Spiders to avoid being fooled by the black hat brigade. They are starting to develop methods of recognizing quality writing for what it is, rather than a bunch of filler packed around keywords.

And thank goodness for that. Maybe one day I won't ever again have to waste valuable minutes of my life wading through pointlessly decorated drivel. (Incidentally, is no one else a little perturbed that a machine can recognize talent when it examines a block of text? There's another blog, right there…).

Ciprian Ginghina is a full time web developer. He has over five years of experience in web development. He specializes in LAMP platform and JQuery framework. He is also passionate about online marketing. His blog is an effort to share his insights on online marketing, blogging, personal development and personal finance.

Original Post: Style Versus Content in Your Blog

Guest Author 20 Jan, 2010

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Source: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/style-versus-content-in-your-blog/
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10 Tips to Create To-Do Lists Like a Pro!

2010-01-19T06:22:00.000-08:00

While creating and using to-do lists is relatively simple, there are some tips and tricks you can use to multiply their effectiveness. Below I'll share with you the 10 tips I learned with my to-do lists over the years.

1. Choose the Right Medium

Your to-do list must be in a place that is easily accessible. For most people this will be a small notepad that sits on their desks, but it might also be an application on your computer, your smartphone and so on. Just make sure that you will be able to add, remove and edit entries on your list easily.

2. Leave the List Visible All Day Long

It is essential to have your to-do list in front of your eyes all day long. This will reinforce the sense of urgency and get you working on your tasks as soon as you start slacking off.

3. Start Your Day with Your To-Do List

Develop the habit of sitting down and writing your to-do list at the beginning of every day. This is the best time to plan things out, because your mind is fresh and because you should have a good grasp of the important things that need to be done that day.

4. List Tasks for That Day Only

Do not try to plan the whole week or even a couple of days ahead. Focus on the tasks that need to be completed on that single day. You can't know what will come up during the day, so the priorities for the day after might change.

5. Put the Important Tasks On Top

Always put the important tasks on top. First things first, as they say. It is also essential to tackle the tasks in order, else putting the important ones on top would be useless.

6. Have A Separate Section To Write Down Ideas and Notes

It is very likely that during the day new ideas and tasks will come up. Do not mix those with your existing to-do list, however, else you will mess things up. Instead have a section where you can write down ideas and other annotations, and then use them as input for tomorrow's list.

7. List the Things You Are NOT Supposed To Do As Well

Apart from listing the stuff you need to do you can also list the stuff you are NOT supposed to do. If you lose productivity because you check your email every 10 minutes and keep logged on Twitter all day long, for example, you could have one entry on your to-do list as "Check Email Only Twice A Day" and another one as "Open Twitter Only After 6pm". Then you would cross those tasks at the end of the day if you manage to respect them.

8. List A Realistic Number of Tasks

Even if you are feeling good in the morning, don't try to add everything that comes to your head to your to-do list. Instead put a realistic number of activities there, and try to finish all of them by the end of the day. Listing too many tasks might discourage you at the beginning of the day, and frustrate you at the end.

9. Take Your Breaks Between Tasks (And Not Inside Them)

Taking breaks is essential for your productivity. Just make sure that your breaks are scheduled between your tasks, and not inside them. In other words, finish the task at hand before taking a break. If you take breaks while working on a certain task you'll lose concentration and prolong the time it will take to complete it. Remember, finish what you start.

10. If You Miss A Task, Send it to Tomorrow's List

Missing a couple of tasks here and there is normal. You can't predict with accuracy how long each activity will take to be completed. The important thing is to not forget about those. Instead send the tasks you missed today to the top of tomorrow's to-do list.

Original Post: 10 Tips to Create To-Do Lists Like a Pro!

Daniel Scocco 19 Jan, 2010

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Source: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/10-tips-to-create-to-do-lists-like-a-pro/
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Online Profits Is Live: Only 300 Spots Available

2010-01-18T00:18:00.000-08:00

After one year behind closed doors, today we are finally accepting new members on the Online Profits training program. Only 300 spots are available, however, so if you are interested you should go check the sales page right now.

The main differentiator of our training program is the broadness of its curriculum. We figured that if you want to work full time on the Internet, you need to learn ALL the Internet marketing and business facets. That is why we created the most complete program on the web, with 24 training modules that cover domain names, website setup, blogging, email marketing, SEO, affiliate marketing, PPC, and much more.

You are also backed by a 30-day money back guarantee if you decide to join, so you can check the members area for yourself and decide if it is what you were looking for.

If you guys have any questions you would want answered before joining just email me (via the contact form) or leave a comment below. I will get back to you promptly.

Original Post: Online Profits Is Live: Only 300 Spots Available

Daniel Scocco 18 Jan, 2010

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One Foolproof Trick to Blast Writer’s Block

2010-01-15T16:50:00.003-08:00

One Foolproof Trick to Blast Writer's Block

As bloggers, we all occasionally run out of gas when it comes to new content. We've been writing about the same topic, some of us on a daily basis — how are we supposed to find something new to say?

The trick is in finding a new way to tell an old story — and when it comes to finding new ways to say the same things, I find it's best to defer to the experts.

And by "the experts," I mean "people who were insightful enough for their words to be quoted to this day."

That's right, you want to break out that dusty copy of Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, people. Great quotations are the richest goldmine for blog post ideas you'll ever have. (Wikiquote works just as well, but it's hard to "break out" Wikiquotes unless you're willing to sacrifice your computer screen to your cause.)

No, I haven't gone all sensitive arteeste on you. You're not looking for literary gems, you're looking for a good practical technique to get that blog post written.

Allow me to demonstrate

Let's say you want to write a blog post about, oh, success. Faulkner says:

Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.

What do you think about that? Can you create a blog post about success from that idea? Can you talk about how you've spent time trying to be better than this blogger or that blogger, but that you should really just try to be better than you were six months ago?

What about this one?

I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it.
~ Jonathan Winters

Agree or disagree, that's a pretty profound idea. Keep moving forward even though you're not a success? Does that mean you attain success only when you stop pursuing it? What does it mean?

Whatever pops to mind when you think of that quote, go write about it.

Great quotes will crush writer's block no matter what the topic. Let's say you blog about movies.

Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second. ~ Jean-Luc Godard

If you can't get a blog post out of that statement, refuting it or agreeing with it or just getting your own take on it, then something is seriously wrong.

Don't limit yourself to quotes about your specific topic

If you write about blogging, for example, you're not going to find a ton of quotes on that topic, for the simple reason that it hasn't been around all that long.

That doesn't mean quotes can't help you burst through writer's block, though. You just have to apply some universal concepts to your topic.

Try this as an exercise: Below are five quotes about topics general to the human experience. Whatever you blog about, no matter how obscure, see if you can't apply at least one of those quotes and get a blog post out of it.

I bet you will. What's more, I'll bet you'll be back to Wikiquote next week looking for new sources of inspiration. And you'll find them, too. All those quotes were written down because the people who heard them knew they would continue to inspire thought, debate, and new wisdom for future generations.

Five to get you started

So here are your quotes. May you get at least three blog posts out of every one.

The funniest things are the forbidden. ~ Mark Twain
The freelance writer is a man who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps. ~ Robert Benchley
Business, you know, may bring money, but friendship hardly ever does. ~ Jane Austen
The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. ~ Dorothy Parker
Over the piano was printed a notice: Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best. ~ Oscar Wilde

And to give your fellow bloggers even more to work with, how about sharing your most bloggable quotes with us in the comments?

About the Author: For more excellent cures for boredom, head on over to James Chartrand's blog at Men with Pens, where no one shoots pianists but where everyone gets a shot at reaching better freelance success. Or, you can grab the RSS feed here.

James Chartrand Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:44:46 +0000

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Does Your Customer Want What You’ve Got to Offer?

2010-01-15T16:50:00.001-08:00

Does Your Customer Want What You've Got to Offer?

If you've got something to sell, at some point you're going to need to present an offer.

In other words, you'll need to tell your prospective customer what you've got, what it's going to do for them, and what you're looking for in return.

Sounds simple, and it is. There's just one problem.

Too often, we get caught up in how much our prospect should want what we're feeding them. And then we get surprised when they respond like a toddler faced with a bowl full of broccoli ice cream.

When my little boy was a baby, I got a very good piece of advice about feeding kids.

As a parent, it's your job to put something on the table that's reasonably nutritious, that tastes good, and that's appropriate to the context. (Your so-spicy-it-could-strip-paint vindaloo may be the best on the planet, but it might not be realistic to expect your two-year-old to go for it.)

It's the kid's job to eat it or not to eat it. They're in charge of getting a forkful of the stuff in their mouth, chewing, and swallowing.

When you get your job and their job confused, you create a lot of problems.

How to make an appealing offer to your customers

When you're asking for a sale from a potential customer, you're working with the same equation.

It's your job to create an attractive offer. It's the prospect's job to say yes or no.

Ever notice the language customers use when they're feeling pressured to buy? They'll often mention not wanting an offer "crammed down their throat."

Sure, you could always try to sell people something they don't want. But a) it will work miserably or not at all, b) you'll get the results "barfed up" in the form of complaints and returns, and c) it's a lot easier for prospects to run away than it is for toddlers.

Make it nutritious

The best offers are nutritious — in other words, beneficial to the customer.

Yes, you can definitely (maybe even easily) sell a product that doesn't actually do the prospect much good. But you'll get the most recurring business (and satisfaction) out of selling good stuff, not junk food.

When your customers are truly better off for buying what you offer, they're a million times more likely to spread the word about how great you are. It's hard to build a solid business on products that are all seductive promise but don't really deliver anything of value.

Make it taste good

On the other hand, you try feeding my kid broccoli.

I think it's fantastic stuff. I eat it every week. My kid considers it the culinary equivalent of waterboarding.

To me, broccoli is delicious. To my kid, it's not. Different markets want different things.

It's much easier to sell something people want than it is to sell something they need. We're grudgingly pushed toward certain behaviors by our needs, but we're pulled wildly by our wants.

Basically, you have two options. One, you can find a customer who adores broccoli. They're certainly out there.

Two, you'll sell something like a smoothie. It has the vitamins, minerals, and fiber of the broccoli, but it tastes more like a milkshake.

When you're selling it, bring up the delicious taste first, and close the deal by making them feel good about all the logical health benefits.

Offer what they want, when they want it

Strawberries taste good in summer. Hot chocolate tastes good in winter.

Make sure your offer lines up with what your prospect is looking for today, not tomorrow or yesterday. You'll make selling much, much easier.

My kid thinks popsicles are nirvana, but even he won't eat them when he's playing outside in the middle of January.

Make sure it's fresh

Even the tastiest dinner doesn't look all that good after a couple of hours go by.

That means you've got to set a time when dinner gets pulled off the table. If you keep your offers fresh by limiting them in time (or by setting a limit on how many you'll sell), you make them infinitely more attractive.

"Buy the blue widget for $47" may be a tasty, nutritious, and well-timed offer. "Buy the blue widget for $47 if you order by midnight this Friday" has all the same qualities, but it also keeps the offer fresh and interesting.

New and fresh is always more appealing than stale and boring.

Keep your roles straight

Remember, it's your job to cook up fresh, tasty, nutritious offers and get them on the table. Obviously, you'll use all the copywriting techniques at your disposal to make them as appealing as possible.

(You can consider a resource like Copyblogger as a cookbook that lets you make your offers as delicious as possible.)

Then, you observe. Did the market bite or not? If not, the two most likely culprits are that the timing was off (popsicles in January) or that the offer just didn't look tasty (broccoli ice cream).

Try adding a spoonful of sugar, in the form of more value or an additional bonus for the same money. Make sure you're not talking too much about all of the "good for you" aspects, and that you're instead emphasizing the yummy factor first and foremost.

Either way, it's not a rejection of you as a human being or a death sentence for your business. It's just a dinner that didn't turn out particularly well. Do a little work to figure out where your recipe went wrong, and try again tomorrow.

With practice and observation, you'll be cooking up consistently delicious offers in no time.

Want learn more about putting together killer offers, and presenting them in the most compelling fashion? Subscribe to Internet Marketing for Smart People, the Copyblogger email newsletter. It's some of our best stuff, no junk, no fluff, and no charge. Hey, that's a great offer!

About the Author: Sonia Simone is Senior Editor of Copyblogger and the founder of Remarkable Communication.

Sonia Simone Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:32:42 +0000

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Can I Use Free Articles on My Blog?

2010-01-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

This post is part of the Friday Q&A section. Just use the contact form if you want to submit a question.

Samson asks:

I want to have your opinion on two plugins for wordpress I found recently.

One is called Unique Articles Wizard – which claims to give free articles for my blog in exchange for linking back to author. Is it worth? Does it help in SEO? Or does it just leak vital link juice from my blog?

Another one is Article Submit Auto, which is a paid plugin for auto submitting my blog posts to article directories.

Can you please help me with your opinion on both of these.

The short answer would be: stay away from similar plugins.

The first one will basically post articles from article directories on your blog. These directories allow anyone to republish their content as long as you keep the author byline and the links intact. The reason why you should stay away from similar articles is not because you would be leaking link juice, but rather because you would risk getting a duplicate content penalty.

Articles from directories get republished all over the web, and by doing the same on your blog you would be sending a very clear signal to Google, which is: I am a lazy blogger, and instead of publishing my own unique content I will just grab stuff from around the web.

The second plugin is not as bad, because the original article will be posted on your blog first and only then distributed to article directories, but if your blog is not authoritative you might get duplicate content penalties anyway.

That does not mean that article marketing is useless, however. You just need to make sure that you'll not submit your own blog posts to the directories, but instead unique articles written just for that purpose.

Unique content is one of the most important aspects for search engine optimization, so don't compromise it on your important websites.

Original Post: Can I Use Free Articles on My Blog?

Daniel Scocco 15 Jan, 2010

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18 Blog Tips to Help You Succeed in 2010

2010-01-14T11:28:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by Tony Hue. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Over a week ago, we welcomed the arrival of 2010 with much anticipation. 2009 was a year many people simply wanted to forget and move on from. For bloggers everywhere, the beginning of a new year is a reinvigorating time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the promise of the future ahead.

So, how did your blog fare in 2009? Regardless of the level of success you achieved there is always room to improve. Let's take a look at 18 timeless blogging tips on how to improve your blog and stand above the competition.

1. Judge a blog by its cover – If it doesn't look pretty, people have a hard time focusing on what you have to say. Take a look at the home page of your blog, focusing on the uppermost region (without scrolling down). Would you want to take a look around after arriving on the home page as a new visitor?

2. Comment smartly and consistently – Bloggers are tired of seeing the overused "Nice post!" or "This is really interesting!" Stand out by trying to put some thought into your comments and, most importantly, make it sound like you actually read the article.

3. Get a Gravatar- Before you start commenting on blogs, it's a good idea to register your own gravatar. If you follow step 2, readers and blog owners will become familiar with you for better or for worse.

4. Show your personality in your writing – Establishing a voice in your writing is a crucial element is producing content that people will want to keep coming back over and over again for more. Don't be that Average Joe in a sea of Average Joes.

5. Use plenty of pictures in your blog posts – No one wants to see endless blocks of text, especially while reading online. The moment your readers' mind wanders off, they'll be jumping to another site before you know it. Here are some great sources for finding images: Flickr, Photobucket, picapp, Google Image Search.

6. Study SEO like your life depended on it - Driving traffic to your blog through search engines is what you call "organic traffic." Other types include referral sites, and direct traffic. Of the three mentioned, organic traffic is what you need to be able to sustain long-term visibility of your blog. To help you get started, take a look at this comprehensive guide on SEO: The Definitive Guide to Higher Rankings For Your Blog.

7. Start with a WordPress.com blog and then switch over to a self-hosted WordPress blog - Three reasons to use WordPress: 1) Lots of people use it 2) Recognition and reputation 3) Strong support. If you are just started blogging, I recommend you get a free WordPress.com blog to get your feet wet. It can't hurt you to do so and besides, what's the rush?

8. Avoid grammar mistakes by proofreading – One thing that really annoys me about a blog is poor grammar. If you were listening to your teacher lecture about quantum physics and his grammar is dreadful, you would want to leave that class in a heartbeat. Same thing with blogs. You came looking for value but it's all mixed up with a misplaced "has" and "their" and terrible spelling. Would you want to keep reading? Probably not.

9. Make you blog content rich in media – In my Studio Art class last quarter, we studied about human culture and psychology (Shrug). It would've been the most boring class in my entire schedule if my professor had not included numerous videos and other media into out 1- 1/2 hour long lectures. It kept me attentive and engaged. and helped me connect topics more cohesively. In other words, utilize the power of Youtube and other media sources and incorporate them accordingly into your blog content.

10. Figure out your niche and stick to it – If someone asked you what your blog was about, would you be able to answer without hesitation? If not, write down in 140 characters or less(no pun intended) a succinct and clear definition of what your blog is about. E.g: Pet Food Blog- The Blog where Pet Owners can Learn How to Better Feed Their Beloved Pets. The second important thing is "to keep the main the main thing." If you feel like writing a post about electron polarization and its effect on our ecosystem (shrug), do you really think that readers to your Pet Food Blog would appreciate it?

11. Blog on a set schedule – There is no right answer to how often one should blog. Whatever schedule you start out with, make sure you stick with it every week. Take for example, Mashable. After visiting the site a couple of times, you can safely expect to see a new article every single day. The important thing is that they stick with that routine.

12. Reply to comments on your blog – Replying to questions or comments from readers is your way of letting people know that your blog is "alive." It gives readers the opportunity to interact and engage in conversation. Best thing of all? It artificially inflates the true number of people who comment on your blog. Very sweeeeeet.

13. Make it easy for readers to navigate your blog – If it takes more than 3 seconds to look for a search bar or category list on your blog, than your site's navigation needs to be improved. No one likes the feeling of being in an unfamiliar place with no directions to their destination. They feel desperate, unhappy, and hopeless. The thing with being lost in an unfamiliar site as opposed to being lost in a shopping mall is that readers can easily exit with a single click of a button. This will definitely not help your blog traffic.

14. Put an author section in your blog posts – No one wants to read material written by a face-less author, let alone by one without a name. Check out this article by Chris Spooner on how you to create your own author section.

15. Forget about the stats – How much time do you spend checking the stats of traffic to your blog? You'll be amazed by how much more productive you will be if you focus on maximizing the time you spend writing new blog posts instead. One method to fight off your debilitating addiction for numbers is to disconnect your computer from the internet. Say what?! Yep, that's right. If you can't get online, you can't get look at your stats. Pull out Microsoft Word and start writing your next blog post there. It'll work out. Trust me.

16. Don't think about making money…at first – If making money from your blog is your primary goal, I will not argue against that. The problem with focusing solely on money in the beginning is that you lose sight of the far more significant goal every new blog must reach first: quality content. What good will you provide your readers if you only post hundreds of affiliate links and self-promotional articles in the hope of winning people's credit card numbers? Don't be greedy. Money is great but don't let it destroy your blog.

17. Write killer headlines - With eye-catching headlines, you have effectively completed over 50% of your blog's advertising. Tell me, would you rather read an article titled, "How to Cook Delicious Spaghetti Sauce" or "How to Make Your Spaghetti Sauce Taste Orgasmic" ? (I apologize if you were eating) Anyways, the point is to avoid the overused and generic blog titles and strive for ones that are unique and thought-provoking.

18. Guest post – Don't let the thought of submitting your written articles to other reputable blogs intimidate you. Remember, if you don't try, how can you possibly succeed?

So what are you waiting for? 2010 is almost over! Time waits for nobody!

Tony Hue is a broke college student mired hopelessly in mountains of debt. Send him a check by visiting his blog LonePlacebo, where he writes about social media, technology, and his hilariously sad life. He's also on Twitter @loneplacebo.

Original Post: 18 Blog Tips to Help You Succeed in 2010

Guest Author 14 Jan, 2010

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The Alexander Graham Bell Guide to Changing the World

2010-01-13T14:19:00.005-08:00

The Alexander Graham Bell Guide to Changing the World

Ever heard of Innocenzo Manzetti?

No?

How about Elisha Gray?

Still no?

Okay, how about Alexander Graham Bell?

Heard of him?

Of course you have. He invented the telephone. (Yes, that's what that funny-looking thing above is.)

Or did he?

According to a growing body of research, Innocenzo Manzetti created the first working telephone in 1864, more than a full decade before Bell. But he never did anything with it.

Elisha Gray also invented a version of the telephone, and he even filed for patent, but it didn't do any good. He arrived at the patent office a full two hours before Bell, and eventually filed a lawsuit claiming Bell stole the idea, but it never went anywhere.

In contrast, Alexander Bell spent the next several years fighting to win his patent application, raise money from private investors, and evangelize his invention. A decade later, he had more than 150,000 customers, and it no longer mattered who invented it. Bell was reaping the rewards.

The moral of the story?

The obvious one is that the only way to truly defend your ideas is to take action, but there's another moral too. It's much more subtle, and in my opinion, more relevant to what we are doing online.

It has to do with being what I call an "idea pack rat."

Are you an idea pack rat?

I know I am. In fact, I'm pretty much the king of idea pack rats.

On my computer, I have folders stacked inside of folders, all of them stuffed with notes on ideas that I plan to pursue. I have outlines for unwritten books, marketing plans for products I never got around to creating, and half-written posts that I can't seem to finish writing.

One day, I plan to do something with them. One day, I'll have more time. One day, I'll have the resources to make them work.

Heh.

Of course, it's a lie, one that all idea pack rats have conditioned ourselves to believe. Then we're horrified when some ass has the same idea, and they actually have the nerve to do something with it.

Suddenly, the idea we were so carefully hoarding is worthless, and we feel robbed. Almost like someone snuck into our head and stole it.

I've been there. I'm guessing you've been there too. And, in 2010, I think it's time we finally did something about it.

Just not in the way you might think.

How to change the world

Alexander Bell didn't change the world by coming up with an original idea. Innocenco Manzetti did that.

Alexander Bell didn't change the world by taking action and getting to the patent office first. Elisha Gray beat him by two hours.

No, Alexander Bell changed the world by hitting the road with his idea, telling anyone who would listen, all the way up to the Queen of England. He used the buzz to land investors, build a company, and get people to buy telephones across the globe.

He understood that what matters isn't who thinks of an idea first. It's not even who takes action first.

It's who spreads the idea the farthest.

We writers often delude ourselves into thinking that we're making progress by publishing a daily blog post or jotting down an outline for a course or writing a book. We are taking action, and we think that's all that matters.

But it doesn't.

You can write blog posts from now until doomsday, and if no one reads them, you might as well be picking your nose. You can write a book that would make Shakespeare green with envy, but you'll never become a bestseller until someone reads it. You can envision making millions from selling a how-to course, but you'll never make a dollar until you convince someone to be a customer.

The secret to changing the world isn't you having good ideas. It's getting those ideas into the heads of other people.

So, tell somebody

Instead of waiting for popular bloggers to discover you, email them a link to your best post and tell them why it's important that they link to it.

Instead of dreaming about writing your autobiography one day, publish your story as a guest post for a popular blog and see how people respond.

Instead of begging venture capitalists for seed capital, make a few prototypes, give them away to people who need them, and then watch to see what happens.

Nine times out of ten, you'll receive a kind but lukewarm response, and you'll know that your idea is never going to be as big as you thought it would be. It'll hurt, but at least you'll know.

One day though, you'll get to that 10th time, where the person you tell will be so impressed that they'll tell someone else, and they'll tell someone else, and they'll tell someone else, and your idea spreads around the world. That's how change happens.

And it all starts with you.

You have to stop worrying about getting the credit or finding the right venue or waiting until the right time, and just give it away, right now, to as many people as possible. It's counterintuitive, but the more people who know your idea, the safer it is.

It's the brilliant people who keep their ideas to themselves who lose out. Someone like Alexander Bell comes along, makes the same discovery, and spreads the idea around the world, while Mr. Brilliant keeps busily figuring out the optimum strategy.

Don't be that guy. We already have far, far too many geniuses who closet themselves away from the world with the rationalization that no one understands or respects them.

What we need are more evangelists, people who are willing to fight tooth and nail for their ideas, to change the world not through money or power or smarts, but by drowning out the voices of anyone who dares to disbelieve.

That's what Alexander Bell did, and I believe we can do it too. The world is waiting for us to speak up, and all we have to do is step up and take the microphone.

I'm game.

Are you?

About the Author: Jon Morrow is Associate Editor of Copyblogger and Cofounder of Partnering Profits. Get more from Jon on twitter.

Jonathan Morrow Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:02:22 +0000

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Thesis Affiliate Program Moving to Share a Sale

2010-01-13T14:19:00.003-08:00

Thesis Affiliate Program Moving to Share a Sale

Last year was big for the Thesis Theme for WordPress, and our awesome affiliates played a huge role in that. But we're just getting started.

In 2009, we paid $392,828.80 to Thesis affiliates.

In 2010, we're aiming for $1 million in affiliate payouts.

To accomplish that goal, it's time for the DIYthemes affiliate program to once again take a step up. While the wonderful Missy Ward helped us grow last year, this year we aim to accelerate that trend by moving from an in-house to a world-class program.

To do that, we need a world-class affiliate management partner. For us, Share a Sale is the only logical choice.

Why Make a Switch?

We've always tried to run a different kind of affiliate initiative, in that we don't view affiliates as an alternate sales channel that our direct efforts compete with. Instead, we go out of our way to promote the tutorials, resources, and content our affiliates create, because that's a great thing for us as well.

But when one realizes some have 6-figure businesses revolving around promoting Thesis, while others pay their mortgages each month as our affiliates, perspective tends to change.

It's at that point you realize that nothing but the best possible solution is an absolute requirement. Our affiliates (call it sentimental if you wish) are part of our family.

In other words, we need to stop trying to save a buck by running our affiliate program ourselves, and start delivering the best program possible. In fact, from this point forward, all of our major affiliate programs will be run with Share a Sale.

Why Share a Sale?

Here are the reasons that drove our decision to go with Share a Sale (SAS):

Tracking – SAS has robust, battle-tested affiliate link tracking that makes sure sales don't slip through the cracks. With our in-house system, we used a "belt and suspenders" approach because we knew we couldn't trust the front-end tracking to catch every sale.

Our affiliates never got cheated because we paid four-figures monthly to manually reconcile every transaction. With a high-volume product like Thesis, that just doesn't scale. Plus, affiliates don't get accurate real-time sales data. Problem solved with SAS.

Support – A bigger issue with an in-house program serving a large amount of marketing partners is affiliate support. Remember, DIYthemes is essentially a two-person company with three incredible support ninjas.

Most of the focus of that support team is on customers, where it must be. Moving to SAS means world-class affiliate support powered by years and years of experience, rather than us trying to staff up with newbies on our end.

Trust – Never mind the stellar reputation Share a Sale enjoys in the affiliate marketing world. Never mind that many of our top-earning affiliates practically demanded we make the move.

The final selling point for me was SAS CEO Brian Littleton, who (ironically) I've never seen do any selling at all. This guy runs a powerful company, and yet not only takes time for a jerk like me, but for each and every person that catches him at a conference. A true gentleman in the truest sense of the word, and I dig that.

What Does This Mean for Existing Thesis Affiliates?

Okay, so here are the important details.

Whether you are:

An existing Thesis affiliate without a Share a Sale account;
An existing Thesis affiliate with a Share a Sale account; or
Someone who wants to become a Thesis affiliate . . .

Go ahead and do that right now, no matter which category you're in.

If you're an existing affiliate, come back for further details about the transition. The short version is, we're taking good care of existing marketing partners so you won't lose a single sale.

What About My Old Thesis Links?

As current Thesis affiliates know, we use a 60-day cookie. That means if you send someone to the diythemes.com site today, and they buy anytime within the next 60 days, you get credit for the sale.

We're keeping the old program active for 60 days from today, so you won't lose any sales you would have otherwise been credited for. But you need to go ahead and change your affiliate links as soon as possible in order to start tracking new leads and sales through the Share a Sale system.

While you technically have 60 days to change your old links, you could actually miss sales by waiting due to the cookie issue. Plus, at the end of 60 days, your old links won't pass commissions at all.

So, complete the quick sign-up process with Share a Sale today.

Existing Thesis affiliates will be getting notifications and reminders by email. I wish we could just port everyone over, but we can't do that. So don't delay and you won't miss out on great revenue opportunities with Thesis in 2010.

About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and co-founder of DIY Themes, creator of the innovative Thesis Theme for WordPress. Get more from Brian on Twitter.

Brian Clark Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:50:51 +0000

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What Entourage Can Teach You About Successful Freelancing

2010-01-13T14:19:00.001-08:00

What Entourage Can Teach You About Successful Freelancing

There's just something about those filthy Entourage boys that gets to me — in a good way.

Haven't seen the show? It's crass. It's sexist, often to the point of being misogynistic. It's so politically incorrect that sometimes I have to look away.

Also, it's hilarious and it brings me joy.

Like a lot of successful entertainment, the show is built around archetypes that are larger than the individual characters they play. And those archetypes can actually get you more work, more money, and more enjoyment as a freelancer. I won't say they'll let you have quite as much fun as a rich movie star, but it's close.

If you haven't seen it, here's the thumbnail premise: Vince, a 20-something kid from the streets of Queens, has become a movie star and is living large in Hollywood. He's always got his three best friends from the 'hood by his side.

Things are thrown at them: money, women, sex, nice cars.

And they throw a lot back: attitude, laughter, happiness, charm.

Interestingly, unlike so many well-reviewed shows on cable, each episode ends well. There's no cliff-hanger leaving a main character half-dead on the floor at the season's end. As the credits roll, the viewer feels good (and rich and stoned and satiated) by proxy.

In these hard financial times, as a freelance copywriter and blogger, I take heart in their happiness, optimism, and faith.

So I'm going to live my freelancer's life Entourage-style. Here's how:

Stay in the game like Johnny Drama

Johnny Drama is a washed-up "D-list" actor who is (in my opinion) unattractive, annoying, and talentless.

But he has no idea.

He thinks he's a god, resting on the laurels of acting jobs past. He walks around like he owns the place and he assumes that everyone loves him. He works hard and somehow manages to get work. As a result, his star is rising again.

Channeling Johnny Drama is about putting yourself out there, believing in yourself no matter what, and never, ever giving up.

Dig up the dirt like Ari

Ari Gold is a hilariously obnoxious, egotistical power agent. He has an uncanny knack for digging up dirt and knowing everything about everyone. It helps him get his way.

As a freelancer, you want to dig up some dirt of your own. Find the companies you want to work for and then find their Achilles heel.

No, I don't mean blackmail the Marketing Director because you know he's sleeping with his assistant.

I mean dig and find out what that juicy client's most pressing problems are. Then show up to present yourself as the solution.

"Connect" like the women on the show

Most of the women on the show sleep with whoever, whenever, wherever. Most important to the show's premise, they sleep with Vince's friends (yes, his entourage) to get close to Vince.

Um, don't do that.

But do do this:

Network. Talk to people. Including those you think are "big, important" people.

Seriously, this is not a time to be shy or play small. Talk about what you do, spread the word around like mustard on a pastrami sandwich. Keep making connections, and with a little luck, one day, you'll get to sleep with the big guy.

(Just to be clear, by sleep with I mean write for, and by big guy I mean a huge client that employs you over and over again and pays you a lot of money.)

Love like Lloyd

Oh Lloyd, you sweet, little man.

Ari's assistant-turned-agent is happy, enthusiastic and loyal. He keeps his word and he fights for his people. And they don't forget.

In the freelancing world, if you can be a good person, an honest person, and a loyal person, if you follow through and do what you say you'll do, if you're reliable and you perform well, then you will get hired again and again.

And people will say nice things about you to other potential clients.

Master Vince's attitude

Sure, he's rich, beautiful, and has more charisma than a box full of puppies.

But he also has an amazing attitude: It's all good, it's all easy, it'll all work out.

He's surrounded himself with people he trusts — no matter what. They've got his back . . . and that gives him a sense of safety that oozes off of him. People like him, they want to work with him, they want to be around him.

I think this is the most important point on the list. If you sit around sunk in doom and gloom, 1) no one will want to be around you, 2) you won't have the energy or inspiration to change your situation, and 3) well, you know all the things they say go along with a bad attitude. High blood pressure, heart disease, acne, swine flu, leprosy, you name it. It's bad news.

Buck up, fake it till you make it, be the change you want to see in your inbox — and all those other clichés.

And, maybe — just maybe — the clients, jobs, and opportunities will be on you like . . . well, like an entourage on a star.

About the Author: Lover of butter, wordplayer, marketing writer, ghostwriter, Julie Roads is the owner/founder of Writing Roads. Follow her on Twitter @writingroads.

Julie Roads Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:24:17 +0000

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We Are Giving Away 3 iPod Nanos on Online Profits

2010-01-13T06:04:00.000-08:00

Next Monday (January 18) we'll open the doors of the Online Profits training program for new members again. In order to celebrate the launch we are having a small contest over there, giving away 3 iPod Nanos (the 8G version).

I wanted to make participating in the contest really easy, and here is the deal: you just need to retweet the contest post to enter the final draw. There is a retweet button on that post, so it takes literally one second and one click to enter.

Alternatively you can also copy and paste the following text and tweet it:

Retweet To Enter The OnlineProfits.com Contest And Win an 8G iPod Nano! http://ow.ly/1mZobz

The deadline for participation is this Friday, and next Monday the three winners will be announced (as an update on the same contest page).

Good luck!

Original Post: We Are Giving Away 3 iPod Nanos on Online Profits

Daniel Scocco 13 Jan, 2010

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You Can Make Money Online Doing Anything You Want

2010-01-12T12:11:00.000-08:00

I often get people asking me the following question: "What is the best way to make money online?" They wonder if they should focus on blogging, affiliate marketing, search engine optimization, web design, selling ebooks, or what.

My short answer to that question is: there is no "best" way. All business models can work if you work hard, smartly, and persistently.

The proof to this is the fact that you have millionaires on virtually any segment and business model around. You have millionaire bloggers, affiliate marketers, web designers, ebook sellers, SEOs and so on.

What is more interesting: there are people out there making a ton of money even with trivial services like directory submissions. Anyone can make directory submissions, yet I know people who make six figures annually by offering directory submissions services.

Now don't get the wrong idea. I am not saying that making money online on any segment is easy. It is hard. But it is pretty much equally hard, regardless of the business model or segment you choose.

The takeaway message from this post, therefore, is the following: do not stress trying to choose the "best" way to make money online. And more importantly, don't let that choice paralyze you. There is no "best" way or business model. Just choose something that you like to do, something that you are passionate about, and work damn hard at it. Work hard until you are among the best doing that. Once you reach that point, the money will come naturally.

Original Post: You Can Make Money Online Doing Anything You Want

Daniel Scocco 12 Jan, 2010

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Special Deal On the Problogger Workbook

2010-01-12T01:59:00.000-08:00

If you are looking to kick start your blog in 2010, check the special deal that Darren is offering on his 31 Days to Build a Better Blog workbook. For the next 7 days he is offering three special bonuses for anyone who buys the workbook. They are:

Free Report: 9 Things to Do to Get Your Blog On Track in The New Year
Podcast with Leo Babauta from Zen Habits (talking about post ideas, launching ebooks, etc).
Podcast with Neil Patel from QuickSprout (talking about SEO, blog promotion, etc.)

On top of that you'll also get access to the 188 pages of the workbook, covering all the angles to improve your blog and get it back on track (traffic and money-wise). For $19.95, it is a pretty good deal right?

Original Post: Special Deal On the Problogger Workbook

Daniel Scocco 12 Jan, 2010

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Landing Page Makeover Clinic #22: RefiAdvisor.com

2010-01-11T12:19:00.001-08:00

Landing Page Makeover Clinic #22: RefiAdvisor.com

This is another addition to our ongoing series of tutorials and case studies on landing pages that work.

Robert Regehr wants to save homeowners big bucks on mortgage refinancing. He and his videos are leading the charge. He's consistently getting about a 3% conversion rate (those prospects that move from reading to registering) based on about 400 unique visitors a day.

Robert, to quote Oliver Twist, " . . . would like some more, please."

The Goal: Increase conversion from current 3% mark.
The Problem: Self-testing hasn't appreciably moved the 3% conversion rate. To make 3% work, Robert would need to see daily traffic grow to 1,000 unique visitors daily.
The Current Landing Page: www.refiadvisor.com (home page). (The site may not load with Internet Explorer, see the critique below.)
Value: $30-$50 per valid lead.

Click image for larger view

The Maven's 10-Point Critique

Before I get into the critique, be aware that we had intermittent problems loading your site at all in Internet Explorer. Since this is still the most common web browser, resolving this problem should boost your traffic and conversion without any additional change on your part.

#1 — Focus your content on the deep benefit of what you're offering: What do your prospects really want?

They want to lower their monthly mortgage payment so they can use the dollars they save on other things. From paying off credit card debt to sending a kid to college, they want to have more money in their pocket. They want freedom from worry. At the same time, they want to be smart about it and not get ripped off.

They don't want videos. They want advice to help them make a smart decision about their money so they can do something way more fun with it than give it to the bank.

You're already pulling a wealth of demographic information from registrants. How could you use the info you're gathering to further sharpen your copy and find the sweet spot for your prospects?

#2 — Test a variety of headline approaches.

Go negative — No more junk fees! Don't get ripped off on your next refi!

Go positive — Thinking it's time for a refi? Learn how to put more $$$ in your pocket with these FREE insider secrets.

You don't have to get all that sophisticated with the testing unless you want to. Simple Headline A vs. Headline B will help you sharpen your message.

#3 — Test going straight to the video.

Since you're promoting knowledge through the video series, I'd test bringing the video to the first screen and write some intro copy that hones in on: "Lenders are smart, but you can be smarter. Our mad-as-hell, 27-year veteran of the mortgage lending business spills the beans on the truth behind refi. Here's just one example . . . " which then leads directly to the video.

You want to keep this video clip short (no more than 30 to 90 seconds), value-rich, and emotionally resonant. You want the viewer to get mad and want to learn more.

#4 — Upgrade the value of your offer in the prospect's mind.

Your offer of Free Videos sounds a little vague and generic.

Instead, reframe the offer as a series or a mini-course and promote its value as a single entity.

The No Refi Rip-Off Short-Course will teach you X, Y and Z. Composed of X, XX-minute videos you view right online, this is the information the mortgage industry doesn't want you to know. Watch them at a single setting or one by one at your convenience.

You do some of this on your About Us page, but it really should be on the main landing page, too.

#5 — Add credibility and provide details on your refi industry "turncoat" and author.

Who are you? And more to the point, why are you qualified to provide this advice?

Your copy tells us the videos were developed by a 27-year veteran, but we don't know more than that. Is that person you?

If you need to, we can say we have to keep his identify anonymous to protect him from lawsuits and industry wrath. But tell us more. What kind of experience does he have? What kind of lending institutions? Tell us about his epiphany and why he decided to create the videos.

You also want to establish who you are (if you're not the author of the videos). Your headshot is there in the live chat box. Are you a sales rep or a refi expert? Make me feel comfortable engaging with you. Don't forget to add the "trust badges" you use on the registration page here, too.

#6 — Be consistent with your message and terminology on every page.

Your current landing page is also your home page, so visitors are exposed to your complete site navigation. When I look at the About Us section, you promote the series value but you also call the information by different names.

So now I'm feeling confused – what is the video series called? "Underground Mortgage Videos?" "Mortgage Refinancing" (which you refer to as a guide, and which links back to the home page). Or even "Win Smart, Win Ugly," which, while not a name per se, reads like one. (A better title would be: "Win Smart, Win Ugly — Just Win.")

A confused viewer, unless deeply motivated, goes elsewhere.

#7 — Get more mileage from your sidebar.

You have a live chat box. Good. But you could be doing much more with it.

Restate your guarantee in this space. Testimonials belong here, too. Pull one or two from your registration page and get them in here.

You have images of Oprah and Kiplinger's magazines. Good, but the images don't link anywhere. Ideally, they should link to articles where you've been mentioned.

If you can't do that, you can link to articles that talk about these same refi issues. Just change your headline from "As Seen In" to something like "Everybody is talking about Refi Rip-offs," find magazine articles that cover the topic, and link them up.

Ideally, you want solid sidebar information next to your main copy so it shares the same "eye space." It also shortens the screen scroll.

#8 — Rethink your overall color scheme and the imagery in your banner.

I usually don't comment on color. I try to keep my personal aesthetic out of the equation. But the subdued burgundy-ish, lavender-ish is a downer, man.

Consider a brighter, lighter look that doesn't undercut your professionalism. You don't have to look like a bank – in fact, you don't want to — but you want an optimal mix of trustworthiness and optimism. You're in the happy-making business, and you want a site that reflects that.

Regarding your banner: Remember, your prospects already own their home, so the "moving-in" image doesn't reflect them. Instead, your prospects want to save money on their monthly mortgage bill and/or pull money out to do something else. Perhaps a montage of two or three happy couples, all ages, would work here, showing the bright smiles that come from saving a whole bunch of money.

#9 — Up the trust factor on your registration page.

Here's what we know: 97% of the people who visit your site don't take the next step to register.

I'm sure in large measure that's because you're asking for specific financial information and opening the door to sales calls and emails.

Tire-kickers for sure don't want to give up any personal information. But for those folks who are actively thinking about refinancing their home, giving up personal information may be ok if you're straightforward and honest about those next steps and how their information will be used, now and in the future.

You won't convert the tire-kickers, but you will get more active refi-seekers to sign on board.

#10 — Strip your registration page to the essential steps.

Right now your registration pages use the same copy top and bottom, with the form area sandwiched in the middle.

I'd remove the redundant copy from Steps 2, 3, etc., and focus more on the information being requested. Add one or two short, pithy "confidence boosters" per step, per page.

BONUS:

Yet again, I'm recommending an exit pop-up before your prospects disappear into the cyber-void.

Whether you love 'em or hate 'em, exit pop-ups can be very effective and are definitely worth testing. What can you offer to entice a first name and email address now for marketing later on?

My thanks to Robert Regehr for his patience and support of Heifer International. Look for my next makeover in approximately 4 to 6 weeks.

Want to get a future Copywriting Maven landing page makeover?

Got a landing page that's more poop than pop? Willing to share with Copyblogger readers? Prepared to put a little of your own "skin in the game" for a Maven Makeover? Then click on Maven's Landing Page Makeover page for all the details.

I'm booked for gratis "Heifer" critiques until 03/15/10. If you're interested in a private critique/makeover or other services, please email me directly.

About the Author: Roberta Rosenberg is The Copywriting Maven at MGP Direct, Inc. Find her @CopywriterMaven on Twitter.

Roberta Rosenberg Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:09:43 +0000

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Best Internet Marketing Posts of 2009

2010-01-10T03:53:00.000-08:00

We had quite a good number of "best of 2009″ compilations already, but I wanted to share another worthy one with you guys. Every year my friend Tamar compiles a list with the Best Internet Marketing Posts, and the 2009 edition is quite nice.

What I like about Tamar's list is that she always break it down into useful categories (e.g., getting started with social media, SEO, blogging, linkbuilding and so on), and the posts included are top notch. Daily Blog Tips also got mentioned, with this post: 101 Ways to Promote a New Blog.

If you have some free time this weekend make sure to head to Tamar's blog and read the full list.

Original Post: Best Internet Marketing Posts of 2009

Daniel Scocco 10 Jan, 2010

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Are You Getting Dangerous Feedback from Your Readers and Prospects?

2010-01-09T10:19:00.001-08:00

Are You Getting Dangerous Feedback from Your Readers and Prospects?

Feedback is the cornerstone of community-oriented, kumbaya-style blogging. Like a beautifully polished mirror, we take our best ideas from the wants, needs, and desires of our readers.

So as we all know, the smartest thing content creators can do is to solicit feedback. If our readers unsubscribe, cancel, or stomp off in a huff, we want to know why so we can make our content better.

Right?

Actually, I don't think so.

I recently found out that the famously cranky marketing writer Dan Kennedy doesn't give out those "tell me how I can improve" cards when he gives a talk. He's interested in one thing and one thing only: how much did he sell. (Kennedy long made his living by selling information products on the speaking circuit.)

I find myself agreeing with Kennedy with disturbing frequency these days. Although this bit of behavior goes against what 98% of people will advise you to do, I'm finding that his approach is actually followed by most of the successful business owners I know, especially online.

You tend to move toward what you focus on

I don't believe in the "Law of Attraction," but I do believe in a basic tenet of good driving. If you put your focus on a certain point in the road, you tend to steer the car there, consciously or not.

Focus on the wall and you will tend to hit the wall.

Focus on the center of the lane just ahead of that tight little curve and you're much more likely to nail it gracefully.

When you focus on complaints from people who don't like you, your natural tendency is to steer your blog (and your business) in a direction that will make it more appealing to them.

Why would you want to do that?

The red velvet rope

Before I started a blog or knew any bloggers, I was a fan of a business writer named Michael Port and his book Book Yourself Solid. Port teaches solopreneurs how to market their businesses without wanting to shoot themselves. I found his ideas very helpful when I was getting started.

In chapter one, Port asks readers to put together a "red velvet rope policy." In other words, a well-defined understanding of who you want to work with, and just as important, who you don't want to work with.

Would I rather spend my days working with incredibly amazing, exciting, supercool, awesome people who are both clients and friends, or spend one more agonizing, excruciating minute working with barely tolerable clients who suck the life out of me?

Seems kind of simple when he puts it that way, doesn't it?

He doesn't say, "Don't work with evil people." It's not about dividing the world into the Good and the Bad.

It's more like dividing the world into "good fit for me" and "bad fit for me." Your repulsive toad may be someone else's Prince Charming.

So a client I may find "high maintenance" and on the No list could be, in your eyes, "results-oriented with great attention to detail" and be a resounding Yes.

The right kind of feedback

It's not that I don't believe that feedback can be helpful. But most people who criticize you aren't ever going to be a good fit for what you have to offer.

They may not be in the market, at all, for what you're selling. They may be looking for a very different personality or style. They may love text, when your best medium is audio. They may love audio, when your best medium is text.

If your product is the Blue Man Group of your industry, and you're talking with a Siegfried and Roy customer, you're not likely to ever make them happy.

So you might want to ignore their parting feedback about how your site would be a lot better with more glitter, white sequins, and dangerous carnivorous animals.

The very best kind of feedback is along the lines of "I wish you offered this so I could buy it from you." Also good is "I am so frustrated trying to find a resource meeting this description, do you know where I could find one?" and you realize you'd be the perfect person to build it.

And of course, negative comments from people who are otherwise a great fit are also often very useful. It's called "constructive criticism." Just be sure it's not actually passive aggression in disguise.

"Is this person my customer?"

This is one of the most important questions to ask yourself when you get a negative remark.

If someone's angry with you for having the audacity to offer a product for sale, it's productive (and sanity-preserving) to ask yourself, "Is this person my customer?"

If someone quits your email newsletter with a 47-point diatribe on how lame you are, it's productive to ask yourself, "Is this person my customer?"

If someone leaves a comment about all the reasons they wanted your blog post to be on a different topic entirely, it's productive to ask yourself, "Is this person my customer?"

There's a good chance everyone would be happier if they just went back to Siegfried and Roy.

About the Author: Sonia Simone is Senior Editor of Copyblogger and the founder of Remarkable Communication.

Sonia Simone Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:44:01 +0000

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Speed Read Articles with Google Reader

2010-01-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by Mike Marshall. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

If you are like me, you have accumulated dozens of blog subscriptions in your reader. Maybe, too many subscriptions. Hundreds of articles pour in everyday. Huffington Post, LifeHacker, and TechCrunch alone can bury you in new postings.0

You need a fast process for reviewing new postings and picking out the ones that interest you. Time is the one resource that you can't increase, so everyone needs an attack plan to spend less time working their reading list.

Use the following steps in Google Reader to triage new items, read the interesting ones, and not waste time on the others.

1. Select All Items and show only the Unread

Your browser may not support display of this image. Select the "All Items" under the Home section of your Reader Navigation Pane. Click the "New Items" link in the title as shown here. The point is to create a list of unread article titles on your screen as a working set. If you'd rather work with a smaller set, pick a folder that has a backlog of articles.

2. Review the titles and STAR the ones that interest you

Your browser may not support display of this image. Bloggers should know they need to write great headlines. If not, this step should prove the point. As a consumer, you should ruthlessly cull articles from your reading list if the title does not immediately grab your attention. If the article has a magnetic headline that makes you want to read it — "STAR" it by toggling the star to the left of a title. This puts the article in your Starred Item list. Don't worry about these cluttering up your Starred Item list. We will clean that up later. Resist the urge to actually read articles in this step. That will slow you down and hurt your productivity.

3. From the All Items list, Mark all items read

Your browser may not support display of this image. This will mark all articles in this view as read including your starred items, but don't worry those starred items are neatly tucked away, safe and sound in the Starred Items list. We go there next.

4. Open the Starred Items List under your Home section

The starred items from step 2 now appear here as Unread articles. This is your real reading list. The efficiency that you have gained already is a nice boost, but we are not finished yet. We have a few more tricks to process this list efficiently.

5. Read articles faster with keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are a great way to efficiently work your way through your list marking each article appropriately and quickly moving to the next. So as you read through these articles, toggle the star off with the "S" keyboard shortcut. Google Reader will mark the item as read just as you expect. Un-starring the article will drop it from this folder. It is left in its original list as a read article.

Here's a few useful keyboard shortcuts that can cut your reading time:

Key Description
J/K Next/Prev Article
S Star/Un-Star Article
M Mark Read/Unread
? Show Keyboard Shortcuts

If an article is too long (or contains a video) and you really want to read it, but don't have the time, just mark it as UNREAD and come back later to finish. If you want to keep the article, leave the star on, and it will remain in your Starred Items list as a read article so you can refer to it in the future.

Using this process, I cut my blog reading time down to only a few minutes a day. I don't miss articles that are important to me, and don't waste time on the ones that aren't.

Mike Marshall is a software design professional and blogs at The Politics of Design.

Original Post: Speed Read Articles with Google Reader

Daniel Scocco 08 Jan, 2010

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Managing Guest Posts Submissions Efficiently

2010-01-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

If you started applying the trick I mentioned on this post, I am sure you are already receiving more guest post submissions.

As your blog grows, however, you might start getting more submissions than you can handle. I receive 3-4 submissions per week, and I have seem blogs out there getting over 10 submissions weekly! The problem with this is that you might start messing things up.

For example, I used to accept some submissions and then I would forget to actually publish them. Sometimes I liked the guest post but would forget to reply to the author stating that and so on.

What I learned, therefore, is that you need a basic system to manage the guest post submissions. Here is the one I developed for this blog:

I fixed the frequency of guest posts that I would publish on the blog: 1 per week.
I fixed the day of the week when guest posts should be published: Wednesday.
I developed the habit of replying to submissions as soon as possible, either accepting or denying them.
If I accepted a guest post, I tell the blogger the exact date when I can publish it. If he agrees, I then immediately upload the post to WordPress and use the "Schedule" feature to automatically publish it on the right day.
As new submissions keep coming I just keep adding the accepted ones to the queue.

This system made it much easier to manage the submission. At one point I had over 10 posts queued, but adding new ones was easy.

You can still mess things up if you don't keep up with the right dates, but it is certainly better than having no system at all.

That is what I use though, and I am sure there are other methods and tricks out there. Do you have any of them to share? How do you manage guest post submissions on your blog?

Original Post: Managing Guest Posts Submissions Efficiently

Daniel Scocco 07 Jan, 2010

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How My Blog Landed Me a Book Deal

2010-01-07T08:19:00.004-08:00

How My Blog Landed Me a Book Deal

First, let's get one thing out of the way. A blog alone, no matter how popular, isn't enough to score you a book contract. It's not quite that simple.

In other words, it doesn't quite work the way it does on television.

"Did you hear that Random House gave me a million dollars for a book based on my blog?" chirps the hipster starlet as she emerges from a crowded Starbucks, caramel macchiato in hand. "And we're working on the movie rights. Hey, let's go for a ride in my Jag."

But you already knew that real life is more complicated than a sit-com. So let's talk about the critical role a blog does play in securing a book deal.

Here's how it went down for me.

A book deal is made up of several moving parts

First, any successful book proposal needs a credible, straight-line, value-promising connection to a hungry target audience.

In other words, exactly the same kind of well-defined niche expertise that makes most blogs work.

Remember our sit-com blogger with the book deal? She got there because she's oh-so-witty and wise. Think Carrie Bradshaw.

That's not the real world. Unless your book is about collecting Manolo Blahniks, real-life book deals are about having something valuable to offer a reader, not how fabulous you are.

And because of that, you don't need huge numbers to make it happen. What you do need is cachet within the niche you've defined.

Before my own deal, I'd assumed I would need a subscriber base big enough to fill the Rose Bowl. Why else would a publisher be interested?

And sure, a massive Feedburner number helps.

But in my case, my subscriber base today would fill the conference room at your average Marriott. Not that I'm complaining — after only six months it's growing just fine, thanks.

But it does illuminate the point: Raw numbers aren't as important as making a solid connection with a well-defined audience around a valuable niche topic.

My own blog-to-book deal

Before my site launched I was just a crusty old copywriter and a mid-list novelist who had almost, but not quite, hit it big. Not John Grisham big, more like Kyle Mills or Lisa Jackson kind of big.

There are lots of us in that category. Fiction has more near-misses than an American Idol audition.

Lucky for me, though, hardly any of those writers are blogging about it.

While teaching writing on the workshop circuit, I developed a proprietary story development model called The Six Core Competencies of Successful Storytelling.

My blog is about that well-defined niche, within the larger topic of writing. And without that angle, no matter how popular a blog I might build, there would be no book deal.

One quickly notices that my book deal isn't about my brand as a fiction writer, which frankly has seen better days. It's not even about my journey as a writing instructor.

It's about my story development model. My niche expertise.

Neither my blog nor my forthcoming book are about me. Never have been. They're about you, the writer with a dream.

In other words, people don't come to my site (and they won't read my book) because of my novels. They come because of their novels.

A platform is essential

Today, you need an "author platform" to successfully pitch a book to a publisher.

What's an author platform? It's how you'll be doing the promotion for your book. Nine times out of ten, it means your blog.

No blog, no deal, unless you've got another great way to get the word out about your book. (For example, you're a celebrity or a popular speaker.)

That wasn't the case as little as two or three years ago.

These days, you don't just pitch a detailed idea for a book. You also pitch the audience that's going to buy that book. Not only does your platform provide a built-in group of buyers, it also shows the publisher that your ideas resonate with the audience you've defined.

The formula for a successful blog-to-book deal

Solid author platform plus unique value proposition equals marketable book. The formula is really that simple.

If both are in place, you don't need to be a famous blogger with big numbers to score a book contract.

You just need to write a killer proposal, with a well-defined niche topic focusing on your audience, fortified by a successful author platform in the form of a growing blog.

This formula might not get a book publisher to throw sit-com dollars at you. But it gives you a much better chance than even the most fabulous designer wardrobe.

About the Author: Larry Brooks is the creator of Storyfix.com, an instructional resource for novelists and screenwriters. His book, The Six Core Competencies of Successful Storytelling, will be published by Writers Digest Books in early 2011.

Larry Brooks Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:53:18 +0000

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Your Dream is Under Attack

2010-01-07T08:19:00.003-08:00

Your Dream is Under Attack

Recently, I was reading a post about sponsored Tweets, which sparked debate in both the comment section and on Twitter. The debate boiled down to whether or not a sponsored Tweet, or any sponsored content for that matter, is ethical.

Social media has a long history of being uncomfortable with making a profit. People believe there is some noble benefit to be gained from "taking the high road" and giving everything away for free.

If you've read Copyblogger for any length of time, you'll notice that they talk a lot about content marketing. In essence, how to build an audience and gain trust and authority by giving content away.

It should be obvious that the goal of that process is to actually make a sale and pay your bills. But for some reason, that's the part that people struggle with.

Is making money bad?

There is a certain percentage of the population that views any business pursuit (outside of the 9-5 workday, mind you), as a case of profiteering and being greedy.

In the conversation I mentioned above, some people have declared that they'll stop following the "guilty" party. Some have said that they are completely turned off by all affiliate marketers. And others have stated that all the profits from this venture should be donated to charity.

Of course there's more to life than making money. But I'm also not opposed to making a profit. If I have something of value to contribute, why should my family live in a van down by the river?

Money is useful for a lot of things, including charitable work and finding the cure for cancer. Like it or not, it makes the world go around. And there's nothing particularly noble about relying on someone else's money to lift us up.

Are social media spaces sacred?

What is it that makes one place acceptable for commerce, and another "sacred"?

Why is it now considered OK to monetize a blog, but not OK to monetize a Tweet?

And why does being generous with free content lead so many people to get angry when we try to monetize?

I'll give you two examples.

Example 1

Chris Brogan has given away a ton of fantastic free content for 11 years. In fact, his primary audience isn't even a consumer of what he's selling.

But that doesn't matter . . . he still gives, freely and generously, every single day.

When he asked his readers to reciprocate and support his book, Trust Agents, (for a whopping 15 bucks), what happened?

His audience put his book on the bestseller lists, yes. But there was also a considerable backlash. Apparently, a vocal minority thought he was supposed to give for free forever, and never ask for anything in return.

Example 2

Gary Vaynerchuk gave free content to his Wine Library TV viewers for years before he asked anyone to buy anything. Sure, he offered wines for sale, but he never pushed them. He consistently cared much more about his audience than he did about making a sale. In fact, I've never met someone more passionate about community than Gary V. You can hear it in the way he talks . . . it's in his blood.

But when he launched his book, Crush It, people all over Twitter begged him to shut up about it. They wanted him to tone it down and relax. (Like Gary V. is ever going to do either of those things.)

These two men gave generously for years before asking for anything in return. And when they did, it was small change compared to what people spend on beer, coffee, movies, or video games. And even smaller change compared to what people make for their companies as 9-5 employees.

For some reason, it's OK to make money at a day job. Don't ask any questions, just sit in your cube and do what you're told.

But when a passionate entrepreneur uses social media to create relationships and ask for money, that's over the line. I guess the line of thinking is: I can't make any money on my blog, so why should he?

I realize I'm preaching to the choir here, but there's a reason for that. It's simple really:

We need to stand up for our livelihoods

Our dream is under attack. The way of life that many of us are working toward is under siege by people who don't have the courage, desire, or dedication to make it happen.

How can we let someone come into our house and talk smack? How can we not stand up for what's right?

Making money, whether with affiliate links, sponsored content, or creating products, is not evil. It's simply a byproduct of our desire for self-actualization. The world is better because of entrepreneurs, not worse, and it's time we made that known.

So, are you with me?

About the Author: Nathan Hangen writes about web entrepreneurship at NathanHangen.com, and about how to use social media to fuel your brand at Making It Social. Follow him on Twitter @nhangen.

Nathan Hangen Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:17:46 +0000

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Dragon Slaying 101: How to Use Heroic Language to Battle Boring Copy

2010-01-07T08:19:00.001-08:00

Dragon Slaying 101: How to Use Heroic Language to Battle Boring Copy

Ever found your eyes glazing over when you read through your own copy or blog posts?

I hate to break it to you, but a lot of the products, services, or niches that we write about just aren't that thrilling. Although the finer points of search engine optimization might keep you glued to your screen, most of your clients or blog readers aren't feeling the excitement.

So what can you do?

You bring in a register which deals with excitement: the heroic. We've all read advertisements encouraging us to "win the battle" with our email, or our paperwork, or our tendency to procrastinate. They grab our interest by making a frankly unexciting activity sound like a heroic quest.

The use of heroic language in decidedly non-heroic contexts isn't anything new. Poets have been doing it for centuries, though generally in a satirical context (if you're interested, Alexander Pope is a great example of the mock-heroic with The Rape of the Lock and The Dunciad).

You can definitely still use heroic language for comic effect. (It's possible to do this unintentionally, too, by going over the top in your copy.) But the heroic is a powerful way to tap into our need for drama, for excitement, for a story, a quest . . . and a hero your reader can identify with.

So how do you do it?

Heroic Words Work

Certain words can turn dry topics – like writing, personal finance, small business and marketing – into something that makes you feel a frisson of excitement. You can almost hear the rallying notes of a battle horn, and see the sun glinting from swords. A few favorite heroic words are:

"Battle"

(Writers seem especially fond of this one: I think we just like to make our struggles sound more exciting than they really are…)

"I have had my battles with writer's block." from Writer's Block … A Thing of the Past
Also see Battling Blogger's Block on Problogger

"Dragon"

"You can think of each project like being sent on a big quest to slay a dragon. Your client is the king of the realm. The project is the dragon threatening his kingdom. You go out and slay that dragon, and the client will give you a nifty monetary reward. You fail, and so does his kingdom, and he is justifiably pissed" from The Dragons of Writing and How to Fight Them on Men with Pens

"Enemy" / "Nemesis"

"Blogger's block is the arch nemesis of productivity" in 10 Simple Productivity Tips for Bloggers on Daily Blog Tips
"When it comes to taking payment from international clients, your number one enemy is processing fees" from Taking Payment with PayPal, Escrow and Other Online Options on Freelance Switch

"Fight"

See Grow Up, Green Up: How to Fight the Impulse Purchase on Dumb Little Man
"When you feel as if your head's underwater, don't wait to drown. Kick and thrash like a motherf*cker. Fight like your life depended on it." from Johnny Talks about Motivation on IttyBiz

"Quest"

"Has your quest for project efficiency ever led you to rely on outdated tools and methods?" in Why Every Freelancer Should Slow Down and Brainstorm on Freelance Folder

"Treasure"

"Your library website and departmental webpages should help you find the treasure," in Research via Google alone: Are you crazy or just lazy? on The University Blog

"War"

"Having one day can give you the space to zoom outside of the war zone" in 10 Lesser Known Ways to Increase Productivity on Pick the Brain

Metaphor, Hyperbole, and Overkill

Heroic language can become a running metaphor when you theme the entire post around it – see Taylor's The Dragons of Writing and How to Fight Them series on Men With Pens. Like using pop culture references, this gives you a hook to hang your post (or series) on, and potentially a structure.

Heroic language can also be used as hyperbole, to set a powerful tone. Some writers can pull this off well, but for others, it's too aggressive. Dave Navarro uses it to great effect in How To Kick That Habit's Ass (When It's Been Beating Yours) on Rock Your Day – just look at these excerpts:

"You get knocked down, punched out, kicked to the curb, beaten to a pulp … hell, pardon my French, but you get your frigging ass kicked emotionally and psychologically, big time."

"It All Starts With Declaring One Word: War."

"Finally, build your battle plan…"

But for some bloggers, that's too much, and would be jarring for readers. (Can you imagine gentle, pink-haired Sonia Simone writing like that?) If in doubt, go sparingly. Try using heroic language for a punchy introduction and conclusion to your post, and ease up in the middle.

Take Up Your Sword Pen

Heroic language combines exaggeration with metaphor – both powerful tools for grabbing attention. If you have sales copy which seems a little bland, why not add a touch of the heroic?

"Solve Email Problems" becomes "Battle Your Email Overload"
"Stop Procrastinating" becomes "Defeat Procrastination"
"Advice to Help You Do Better" becomes "Advice to Help You Win"
"Ditch Your Bad Habits" becomes "Conquer Your Bad Habits"

If you've got a blog on a topic that's not inherently gripping (productivity, personal finance, writing, small business marketing, habit-breaking), introduce some of the heroic words. Make it a quest, not a project. Look for treasure, not results.

Let your readers, prospects, and customers be the heroes while you help them solve their problems.

About the Author: Conqueror of the keyboard, battler with the blank screen, Ali is a hired wordsmith for several blogs, as well as writing for her own Aliventures.

Ali Hale Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:07:26 +0000

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Grab This Report And Enter The Contest

2010-01-05T23:30:00.000-08:00

The report highlights the 10 most common mistakes that lead offline and online entrepreneurs to failure. It also comes with some real examples to illustrate the points. I am sure you guys will like the information there.

We are releasing it to promote the upcoming launch of the Online Profits training program, scheduled for January 18. The report will give you a good idea of the kind of material we offer on the training program (it was derived from one of the lessons, after all).

The Contest

In order to celebrate the release of the report I'll be having a contest giving away 10 free memberships to the Online Profits training program. If you wanted to join but is short of cash, this is your opportunity.

All you have to do is to download the report and write about it on your blog or website. It doesn't need to be a positive review, so you can even say it sucks…. Once your post is live just send the URL to daniel@dailyblogtips.com and I will add your entry.

I will draw the 10 winners on Friday 15 and post their names here on the blog.

Original Post: Grab This Report And Enter The Contest

Daniel Scocco 06 Jan, 2010

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Poll: Is It Becoming Harder to Get Backlinks?

2010-01-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

This is a question that has been on my mind for a while, so I decided to run a poll and discover what you guys think.
The question is: it is becoming harder to get backlinks these days? What propelled that question was a collection of factors, including:

A reduction on the number of active blogs around the web.
A lesser inclination of bloggers to link to other bloggers.
A migration of many bloggers into social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
The increasing usage of the nofollow tag around the web (including on the social platforms mentioned above)

Do you think these factors indeed made harder to get backlinks? Are there more factors at work here? Have your say in our poll and leave a comment if you want to expand your opinion as well.

Original Post: Poll: Is It Becoming Harder to Get Backlinks?

Daniel Scocco 05 Jan, 2010

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Does Your Writing Suffer from Purple Overload?

2010-01-05T06:19:00.001-08:00

Does Your Writing Suffer from Purple Overload?

Let's face it — choosing just the right word can be a lot of fun. Most writers like to play with language, and choosing the perfect word makes you feel like a master chef selecting the perfect spice.

But words, like spices, can be overused. If you're not careful, you'll end up with the enemy of writing that communicates and persuades. You'll cross over into that dread zone — "purple prose."

So what's purple prose?

It's those needlessly flowery sections of writing that are so detailed they draw the reader's attention away from what you really want to say. It's like you slathered the creativity on a little too thick. One classic example is this opening line:

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents — except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.

You probably know that line better as the often-quoted "It was a dark and stormy night," and it actually inspired a well-known contest for badly-written first sentences.

When your writing is this wordy, you end up confusing and boring your readers. Here's how to lighten up those purple patches without leaving your writing bland and uninspiring.

Great writing does not equal flowery writing

Somewhere in our education, many of us had well-meaning teachers who wanted to nurture our creativity and get us to be more expressive. Unfortunately, that's often when all kinds of purple patches started to creep up like weeds in our writing.

On the web, and more recently on mobile devices, people demand brevity. There's even the whole "txting" language that fits words into less space. (But dnt write blog psts like ths pls.)

When you write, read over every sentence to make sure it "earns its place" in your post or article. As Michelle Russell put it last year, write with a knife. The first few times you do this, you'll probably find yourself cutting large chunks of fluff. The more you work at it, you may find that your drafts get less "fluffy."

Crunch up your sentences

Web and mobile readers are impatient. To cater to this fast-paced, demanding audience, you'll want to ask yourself if you can "crunch up" your sentences into more digestible chunks.

Ask a friend or colleague to read your post aloud to you. (This can work especially well when they don't know your topic.)

If they find themselves pausing for a breath (or even gasping for air) after reading a word or sentence, strike it out. Try to chunk the sentence down into something more manageable.

Don't ramble

There's nothing worse than a post that starts like this:

I've discovered the secret of life and exactly what we were put here on earth to do. It is a startling revelation that is guaranteed to change everything about the way we live. But first, let me tell you a little about myself . . .

Your readers want to get straight to the point. No shortcuts, no detours, no rambling.

If your revelation is as amazing as you say it is, they'll certainly want to learn more about you — after you've fulfilled the promise made in your introduction.

Purple's a great color for butterflies, sunsets, or fancy throw pillows, but not for your writing. Keeping these points in mind will not only help make your writing tighter, clearer, and more persuasive, but they'll also hone your skills to serve a readership that demands "instant gratification" with their content.

About the Author: Sherice Jacob is an author, copywriter and web designer. For more writing insights, follow @sherice on Twitter.

Sherice Jacob Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:41:09 +0000

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WordPress 2.9.1 Is Out

2010-01-05T01:09:00.000-08:00

As you probably know version 2.9 of WordPress created a small bug with the cron jobs feature, so scheduling posts ahead of the time was not working correctly. The WordPress community acted pretty fast to fix everything, though, and the new release is already available.

You should see a notice to upgrade on your dashboard. Otherwise just head to WordPress.org and download version 2.9.1 manually.

There were some other minor issues fixed as well, so if you are using 2.9 make sure to update.

Original Post: WordPress 2.9.1 Is Out

Daniel Scocco 05 Jan, 2010

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Here Is Why Working Online Rocks

2010-01-04T05:23:00.000-08:00

I have some big news this week. The OnlineProfits.com training program will be opening its doors for new members again this Wednesday, January 06 (after one year closed).

The site was completely redesigned, and now we'll have sections where you'll be able to read articles and download special reports. The first report will be available on Wednesday, but the first article is already up. It is titled 10 Reasons to Work from Home Online.

Here is the first reason:

1. No more wasted time on commutes

Even if you live relatively close to your work, you'll still waste a good amount of time commuting back and forth every day. For example, if your workplace is 30 minutes away from your home (either by car or by public transportation), you will waste 60 minutes per day, which translates into 240 hours every year.

What if instead of wasting those 240 hours commuting you could use them for something productive? You probably could read dozens of books, learn new things (i.e., how to play an instrument), exercise more and so on with all that time available.

If you are considering to start working online, I am sure this article will convince you.

Stay tuned for Wednesday as well. You'll be able to download the report for free and to sign-up for the training program (we have quite a big waiting list so it should be a nice event).

Original Post: Here Is Why Working Online Rocks

Daniel Scocco 04 Jan, 2010

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How to Be Productive Without Caffeine

2010-01-02T04:41:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by ZK. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

I’ve been running a web marketing blog for the last 15 months, but each time I sat down to write a post I ended up spending at least three to four times the amount of time that would take for me to write the post.

Over the last three to four months I reduced my blog writing time considerably by being more productive. In this blog post I’m going to explain how I achieved that.

1. Create a Daily Routine

This is a quite hard part, especially when you are just getting started with your blog. Getting into the habit of writing one blog post every day (or three times per week) is a challenged when you first try it.

But once you establish a daily writing routine it will get much easier because you just get used to it. You will still blog because you want to and because you like it, but you will grow the habit and force yourself to write no matter what.

2. Use a To-Do List

Or just a schedule. When you have a daily to-do list or a schedule you will be able to manage your time much better. You know what you need to do, when you need to do it and so on.

If you know you only have 30 minutes available, for example, you should skip working on a larger task and instead get rid of smaller things on your to-do list. The list itself, though, will be useful to make sure you spend your time as efficiently as possible.

3. Shut Down Distractions

Close down stuff like Thunderbird (e-mail client), Twitter client, Skype, Messenger and similar. If you don’t want to close Skype or Messenger, just set your status to “Message if important only” or simply just “Busy.” You just need to be able to set a point where you need to be very productive (while writing blog posts).

4. Take Notes When Something Important Comes to Your Mind

If you are in the middle of a task (for an example writing a blog post) have a notepad with you and write the idea there instead of doing it right now. If you jump from task to task you’ll lose focus and efficiency.

Just remember you need to finish whatever you are working on before you jump to the next task.

5. Outsource Stuff You Aren’t Good At

This is probably the best time-saver ever. You should always try to get help from people who are qualified on areas you are not. If you are not a good designer, for example, focus on writing content and outsource the design tasks on your blog to a designer. This will save you time and money in the long run.

Do you have any techniques for being and staying productive?

This is a guest post by ZK , who blogs about web marketing and search engine marketing at WebTrafficROI.com. You can follow him on
Twitter as well.

Original Post: How to Be Productive Without Caffeine

Guest Author 02 Jan, 2010

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How to Be Productive Without Caffeine

2010-01-02T04:31:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by ZK. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

I've been running a web marketing blog for the last 15 months, but each time I sat down to write a post I ended up spending at least three to four times the amount of time that would take for me to write the post.

Over the last three to four months I reduced my blog writing time considerably by being more productive. In this blog post I'm going to explain how I achieved that.

1. Create a Daily Routine

2. Use a To-Do List

Or just a schedule. When you have a daily to-do list or a schedule you will be able to manage your time much better. You know what you need to do, when you need to do it and so on.

3. Shut Down Distractions

Close down stuff like Thunderbird (e-mail client), Twitter client, Skype, Messenger and similar. If you don't want to close Skype or Messenger, just set your status to "Message if important only" or simply just "Busy." You just need to be able to set a point where you need to be very productive (while writing blog posts).

4. Take Notes When Something Important Comes to Your Mind

If you are in the middle of a task (for an example writing a blog post) have a notepad with you and write the idea there instead of doing it right now. If you jump from task to task you'll lose focus and efficiency.

Just remember you need to finish whatever you are working on before you jump to the next task.

5. Outsource Stuff You Aren't Good At

Do you have any techniques for being and staying productive?

This is a guest post by ZK , who blogs about web marketing and search engine marketing at WebTrafficROI.com. You can follow him on
Twitter as well.

Original Post: How to Be Productive Without Caffeine

Guest Author 02 Jan, 2010

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The Four Stages of Growing a Blog

2010-01-01T04:19:00.005-08:00

The Four Stages of Growing a Blog

This is a guest post by Kevin. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Growing a blog to a successful, monetizable state is a long journey that requires a great deal of effort and dedication. Most bloggers fail to realize their initial goal of developing an income producing blog. I believe there are four stages of growth that a blog must pass through in order to achieve this goal. These stages can be described as follows:

Stage 1: Getting Established

The first stage of growing a blog is simply getting established. The focus during this stage is primarily content and blog setup. Most of your effort will go into creating a sufficient quantity of quality content for a sustainable blog launch. I believe a good way to do this is to actually write anywhere from 10 to 50 articles prior to launching the blog.

Basic blog setup tasks like SEO and plugin setup is also a part of this stage, although this takes much less time than creating the actual content. You also want to make sure that you get a handful of backlinks simply so that your blog gets indexed by the search engines. I typically like to do this the natural way of getting a backlink and letting the search engine "naturally discover" your blog versus submitting your blog to be added to the search engine. I've noticed a more quality indexing of your content through this more natural process.

Most people fail in this initial stage by focusing on monetization. You're not going to make any money in the early stages, so you may as well ignore it.

Time to complete stage 1: 3 – 6 months

Stage 2: Traffic Growth

You're ready to enter the growth stage if you have an established blog with quality content. You're starting to get a handful of comments and maybe even some regular readers. You're also getting some traffic from search engines based on your indexed content.

The growth stage is marked by traffic growth, subscriber growth, and the start of some income produced by the blog. Even at this point, traffic growth is still more important than income growth so it is there where we will focus. The growth of traffic is created by continuous quality content plus the addition of quality backlinks.

The best ways to get the backlinks are not the easy ways. I think it is good to assume that Google is smarter than we think they are and know how to weigh hard-to-get backlinks versus easy-to-get backlinks. As such, I don't place much emphasis on backlinks in comments, forums and social media. The better backlinks will come from guest posts and natural backlinks (when someone decides to link to your site because they like what you have to say). Establishing relationships with other bloggers can help develop backlinks, since building a relationship with someone will make him or her aware of your existence.

The backlinks serve two purposes. First, it actually drives traffic to your blog and hopefully, some of this traffic turns into regular visitors. Second, these backlinks help your search engine status which is crucial.

Make a goal for yourself to write two guest posts per month on quality blogs with established readerships and preferably solid Page Rank numbers. Of course, part of this process of getting guest posts on blogs is convincing the blog owner to publish your stuff and a link to your blog.

Stage 2 is a long process that can go on for months, even years. The growth will be slow, but the goal is for it to be consistent. Some blogs based on some helpful circumstances and maybe even a little luck will get through this stage rapidly, but for most of us, you're looking at a longer process.

Time to complete stage 2: 6 months – 2 years

Stage 3: Maturity & Monetization

The maturity stage in most business cycles usually refers to a leveling off of growth. In blogging, maturity doesn't necessarily mean the slowing of growth. In my opinion, it simply means that achieving the same growth rate doesn't require as much effort. I repeat, this stage still represents significant growth in traffic.

Because this stage does not require the same level of effort in producing quality content for your blog as well as other blogs (guest posts), you should now put effort into refining the monetization of your blog. This can include signing advertisement deal, optimizing Adsense performance and possibly trying out some affiliate programs. With that said, quality content still must be continuously produced during this stage.

In addition to continued growth in traffic during this stage, you should definitely see significant growth in income. It is during this stage, that you can begin enjoying some of the fruits of your hard work of the previous months and years.

Time to complete stage 3: 6 months – 1 year

Stage 4: Maintenance

This stage is very interesting because there are several big blogs that do very well that have let their blogs deteriorate with regards to quality and perhaps quantity of content. The reason for this is usually because they no longer have to produce the same quality of content in order to continue growing and driving significant income. Could they grow even more and make even more money if they didn't let their quality slip? Probably, but it is probably a natural tendency of bloggers at this stage.

With that said, not everyone falls into that trap, but the point is that the level of effort required to maintain a blog that has successfully reached this stage is significantly less than the effort required during the previous stages. Once blogs reach this level, it has almost reached a self-sustaining point where the readers continue to grow and spread the word without your encouragement to do so. Content is still required but it is not nearly as important as it was in previous growth stages.

In this stage, there is significant income potential. Possibly career replacing income potential. Most blogs don't reach this level. In fact, it's probably a tiny percentage of the blogosphere.

Tips To Get Through The Stages

1. Blog about a topic that you are either really interested in or are already involved in professionally. This will help you continue to produce content when it becomes difficult to continue to do so.

2. Approach growing your blog like growing a business. It takes time and requires work. There are few short cuts.

3. Understand ahead of time that growth will take time, and you are likely to become discouraged at times. Be persistent.

Kevin owns and operates 20smoney.com, which is a blog focused on developing income streams and taking a business-like approach to blogging.

Original Post: The Four Stages of Growing a Blog

Guest Author Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:05:31 +0000

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Happy New Year Everyone

2010-01-01T04:19:00.003-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone

I just wanted to wish a happy new year to all our readers. One of the cool things about blogging is that you get to make friends and meet some terrific people along the way, and that is exactly how I feel about you guys.

I am sure 2010 will be an awesome year for everyone.

Blog on!

Original Post: Happy New Year Everyone

Daniel Scocco Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:15:39 +0000

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Google Is Kick Starting 2010 with a PageRank Update

2010-01-01T04:19:00.001-08:00

Google Is Kick Starting 2010 with a PageRank Update

It looks like Google used the new year's eve to update the nominal PageRank around the web. My established websites didn't experience any fluctuation, but I noticed that many of my recently created niche websites gained PageRank.

Most of them went from PR0 to PR2. I was surprised to see one of them jumping from PR0 to PR4 though, especially because the site is less than six months old.

What about you, did you notice any changes?

Finally, it looks like the frequency of the updates is indeed increasing. The last one was just two months ago (late in October), so keep an eye for the next one around March.

Original Post: Google Is Kick Starting 2010 with a PageRank Update

Daniel Scocco Fri, 01 Jan 2010 10:10:27 +0000

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Google Is Kick Starting 2010 with a PageRank Update

2010-01-01T02:09:00.000-08:00

Most of them went from PR0 to PR2. I was surprised to see one of them jumping from PR0 to PR4 though, especially because the site is less than six months old.

What about you, did you notice any changes?

Finally, it looks like the frequency of the updates is indeed increasing. The last one was just two months ago (late in October), so keep an eye for the next one around March.

Original Post: Google Is Kick Starting 2010 with a PageRank Update

Daniel Scocco 01 Jan, 2010

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Source: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/google-is-kick-starting-2010-with-a-pagerank-update/
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Happy New Year Everyone

2009-12-31T10:18:00.000-08:00

I am sure 2010 will be an awesome year for everyone.

Blog on!

Original Post: Happy New Year Everyone

Daniel Scocco 31 Dec, 2009

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Source: http://www.dailyblogtips.com/happy-new-year-everyone/
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