TECH CRUNCH – Mar 8 - Facebook looks to be partnering with Eventbrite
to let users sell tickets to the 3.5M events added to Facebook each
month. And even though only a small percentage of events need ticket
sales, lots of them want to give out free tickets. Eventbrite does that
without any fee and calls it viral marketing. FULL ARTICLE @ TECH CRUNCH

See all posts on Facebook
See all posts on Eventbrite

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

Far too often I find that people are getting caught up with the technical aspects of blogging like which plugins are the best, which designs are the most appealing, which methods of Search Engine Optimization yield the greatest results while at the same forgetting about the most important aspect of all, connecting with real people.

It’s certainly a good idea to work on creating an appealing looking site that can also effectively draw in traffic from search Engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. Yet if people are instantly clicking away from our material and never return again then we’re failing as bloggers and as authors.

At my site I want people to browse through the articles. I want them to interact with the content by leaving comments and sharing the material. I want users to get involved and feel compelled to read my articles as they get published.

The most powerful element to accomplishing all these goals and to building a prominent online presence is developing genuine connections. People will visit your material and read what you have to say because they’ve bought into who you are as a person. You don’t build that with new plugins and fancy post titles. You do that by connecting with real people.

1. Connections provide you valuable feedback when you need it.
2. Connections provide friends to share your content across social media sites like Twitter.
3. Connections provide explosive ‘word of mouth’ marketing for your site.
4. Connections provide guest posting and back link opportunities that might otherwise not exist.

There are two major arenas that you need to learn to use to build connections and it’s important that you don’t pick one or the other. Use both and multiply your efforts in building relationships online.

The Command Post: Your Blog

Successful bloggers understand that in order to draw people in and get them involved then we have to create a sense of community throughout our site. We have to encourage conversations and feedback.

1. Encourage participation in the conversation by asking questions in your posts.
2. Point people to connect with you through other forums like Twitter and Facebook.
3. Provide a contact page that makes it easy to get in touch with you.
4. Respond to comments with more than just “Thanks for the comment.” Actually be conversational.
5. If you want to you can even invite people to connect with you via Instant Messenger.

The Outposts: Social Media

If you’re only communicating with people at your blog then you’re missing out on a lot of potential relationships that could really help you.

1. Connect with like minded bloggers on other blogs by leaving genuine, valuable comments.
2. Connect with people on social media sites by responding to people, sharing other articles that are valuable, etc.

Whether you are at your command post or out at one of your outposts, the key is this: be real with people. Respond to people. Answer questions. Ask questions. Be conversational.

Talk to people the same way that you would talk to someone face to face. The medium might be different. The technology might be constantly changing but the principle remains intact.

Connect with people. Connections are a powerful asset.

Nicholas Z. Cardot is the creator and author of Site Sketch 101 where he publishes daily articles for bloggers and webmasters.

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Let’s clear one thing right away: yes I am an affiliate for the coaching program I mentioning below, which means I’ll earn a commission if you end up purchasing it. But your trust is much more important to me than any commission I might earn, so rest assured I am only talking about this coaching program because a) I have actually used it b) I have achieved good results after applying what I learned there and c) I believe you and other people could do the same.

Now back to the central question: have you ever considered launching a membership site? If you have, I would recommend you to take a look at Membership Site Mastermind. Created by Yaro Starak, this is a 6-week program that you’ll give you all the information you need to launch a profitable membership site.

I was one of the first people to have access to Yaro’s course, and it helped me to launch the OnlineProfits.com training program. If you want to learn more about that story, check out this podcast interview I did with Yaro a while ago.

Membership Site Mastermind is structured around 6 modules. They are:

1. Topic Selection and Preeminence
2. Traffic Generation
3. Human Resources and Technology
4. Content and Pricing
5. The Launch Process
6. Post Launch Activities

Each module comes with 2 hours worth of video content, including transcripts and checklists to make sure you’ll act on the important steps. The program was closed for the past six months, and today it is opening again for new members, so check it out.

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TECH CRUNCH – Mar 8 - Flash game advertising network and payments
platform Mochi Media is launching a social gaming platform and a $10M
fund to invest in game developers. Mochi Social allow developers to
build social features into their games such as inviting friends,
sending gifts, or posting to an activity stream. The platform currently
integrates with Facebook, MySpace and Twitter with more sites to be
added in the near future. Currently in private beta, Mochi Social will
be rolling out its first enabled game “Kingdoms at War” by A Thinking
Ape next week. FULL ARTICLE @ TECH CRUNCH

See all posts on Mochi Media

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However, top search engine ranking isn’t everything. There is much more to search engine optimization than merely increasing a website’s search engine ranking.

Your website can have a top Google search engine ranking yet not receive its fair share of traffic or receive insufficiently targeted traffic, which is also bad.

As I pointed out in a comment on 5 Steps to Make Wordpress an SEO Beast, an excellent article on the StylyzedWeb blog, you can be at the top of the search engines, but if too few people click through to your website or the wrong people click through, you can’t say that your site is search engine optimized.

A page’s title and description in its header often determine exactly how that page will appear in the search engine results and how likely searchers will be to click through to it. Header tags need to be optimized not only with search engines in mind but with people in mind too.

Search engine marketers are keenly aware of this issue, and search engine optimizers need to be equally aware.

Furthermore, if ample targeted visitors do come to your website, but your site is ineffective because of its content or design, then all your efforts to attract search engine traffic or any other traffic have been for naught.

Optimizing your website’s keywords to obtain a top search engine ranking is important, but the appeal of both your search engine listing and your actual website to your target audience are at least as important and should not be neglected.

Your comments are welcome and appreciated as usual.

Sharing is Caring!

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

I’ve always considered logo’s the realm of big multinational companies. Companies like AOL or Amazon who have thousands of dollars to throw at new designs.

Therefore, despite being constantly told about their importance and the value of branding for my blog I’ve ignored the advice. I’ve put it to the back of my mind and decided to focus on other things. After all logo’s are really expensive aren’t they?

Well, these days that isn’t really the case. Websites like 99designs can provide a new logo for as little as $150. The premise is that you run a competition and then designers from all over the world submit their entries. Within a week you can be up and running with a great new logo.

After avoiding the decision for ages, I took the plunge and launched my logo design contest on 99Designs. The result is a logo that gives a good first impression and was completed just in time to be used in my London Cycle Routes eBook. More importantly, as the eBook is likely to be featured in various big publications, the logo sends the important message of professionalism and this could make all the difference to the success of my site.

If this sounds pretty cool and you are considering it for your website, then here are five things you need to know before heading over to 99Designs.

1. Guarantee your prize

After you have had your first 10 entries on 99Designs you are able to “guarantee your prize”. This means that you have to choose a winner. This might sound scary at first especially if you only have 10 entries and you are not a big fan of them. However, guaranteeing the prize greatly increases the number of entries you have. This means there is a far better chance of finding the right logo. It also motivates you to get the most out of the designers and find the perfect design for your site. Don’t be scared, press the guarantee button!

2. Contact other designers

At the start of my competition I didn’t have enough entries and the entries I did have were not very high quality. I was at risk of having to pay for a logo I wasn’t entirely satisfied with. This was a massive worry for me. My solution was to look at other competitions and find designs I liked. I then contacted the designer behind them and invited them to join my competition. In total I think I contacted around 10 designers and 4 of those joined my competition. In the end the design I chose was off one of the designers who I invited.

3. Write a good description

Try as hard as you can to articulate what you want from the logo. Should it work on a dark background? Do you want to see simple designs? Should the logo be placed on the left of the text? For me it was “do I want to promote more the sporty side or the simple enjoyment of cycling?” I failed to mention this at first but it was easy to make the change later. A good idea is to look at some of the best performing competitions and take a look at their descriptions. It is best to just launch the competition and then make improvement as designs come in. Don’t delay indefinitely, launch now even if it isn’t perfect because you can always change it later.

4. Feedback, Feedback, Feedback and.. Feedback

It is a tough task providing new feedback every day. Especially in successful competitions with 100 or more entries. Sometimes you just think “bluh, can’t be bothered!” Or perhaps that is just me?

However, good feedback is essential. Think about how the logo makes you feel and what you do and don’t like. What would you like to see in the next version? Should the designer just scrap this one? You should also use many of 99Designs features. Rate other designs with stars so designers know what you want to see more and less of. Leave comments at the bottom about the direction of the competition.

Also don’t be afraid to ask friends. Talking it through with others is one of the best ways to argue about the merits of different designs. I was pretty much 100% set to go with one design when my friend told me it looked like a Ferris wheel. She was right!

5. Don’t neglect the last 24 hours

As I approached the last 24 hours I considered ending the competition early and going with a design I was fairly satisfied with. Luckily I decided to keep going and I’m glad I did. The last 24 hours tend to be very active with a lot of entries. This is the time when you should be focusing on the competition the most.

Bonus tip: Future proof your design. What happens if your name changes from DailyBlogTips to WeeklyBlogTips? Make sure the designer provides you with the editable Photoshop files and Adobe Illustrator files.

If you follow these tips in a week you could be proudly showing off your logo to your followers. Good luck to you!

About the Author: Andreas is one of the most successful cycling bloggers in the UK. You can read more from his on his blog, London Cyclist.

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

Allison asks:

I’m considering setting up a website. Do I have to register a business before being able to charge for advertising space or other services I might offer? Do I need to pay taxes on that revenue?

First of all keep in mind that I am not a lawyer (i.e., the content below should not be taken as legal advice), and that regulations will vary from country to country and even from state to state within your county. That being said, here is how it works generally around the world.

You don’t need to create a business entity to be able to make money with your website. You can operate it as a sole proprietorship, which means that there is no legal separation between yourself and your business. This type of business won’t require a formal registration, because all the profits you’ll earn with it are automatically associated with your person. The clear advantage of this model is that it is easy to setup. The disadvantage if that the owner has full liability over the business, which means that his personal assets can be used to pay eventual business debts.

The interesting thing is that with a sole proprietorship (in some countries) you can still get a business name, known as “doing business as” in the US, and “trading as” in the UK. This won’t create a legal entity for your business, but will allow you to use that name officially. For example, you should be able to create a checking bank account under your business name. The fees for such a registration should be pretty low (i.e., $50).

Which brings us to the second question. Do you need to pay taxes on the revenues generated from your website? The answer is “yes,” unless your website makes less than $400 yearly, in which case it could be considered a hobby (in the US at least). If you are earning more than $400 yearly you’ll need to pay self-employment taxes (because your sole proprietorship business is not a separate legal entity).

The good news is that on most countries you only pay taxes on your profits (i.e., revenues minus expenses), so if you have a lot of related expenses your tax burden will be small.

How much tax do you need to pay? It varies from country to country. In the US it is 15,3%.

Depending on how much your websites are making you should also consider creating a limited liability company to hold them, but that is topic for another post.

Post from: SocialMarketingReport.com

WSJ – Mar 4 - The eventual IPO of Facebook could make its founder the
world’s richest twenty-something. ”We’re going to go public eventually,
because that’s the contract that we have with our investors and our
employees,” Mr. Zuckerberg said during a recent interview. But, he
added, “we are definitely in no rush.” Mr. Zuckerberg has passed up
several opportunities to sell and make a killing. These include a $1
billion offer from Yahoo in 2006 and an overture from Microsoft that
was worth a possible $8 billion or more. In October 2007, Microsoft
invested $240M for a 1.6% stake plus some exclusive ad rights. By early
2008, Mr. Zuckerberg began to take steps to help prepare the company to
go public. He expanded his management team, hiring Google executive
Sheryl Sandberg as his No. 2 in March of that year. Any IPO timing is
squarely in Mr. Zuckerberg’s hands. He owns more than a quarter of
Facebook’s stock and controls votes for three of five board seats. FULL ARTICLE @ WALL STREET JOURNAL

See all posts on Facebook

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As of today 11,969 people have already download the Make Money Blogging ebook. And what is more interesting, none of them ever asked for a refund!

Jokes apart, the feedback to my free ebook has been terrific. I receive emails pretty much daily from people who read the book, liked it and started applying the principles I explain there with good results. But I am biased on this subject right? That is why a couple of weeks ago I asked my newsletter subscribers what they thought about the ebook. I said I wanted their honest opinion (i.e., they could even say the ebook sucked!). Want to know what they said? Here is a compilation:

Mwiaom.wordpress.com: “So he leads by example, and follows his own advice. In my humble opinion, it’s one thing to give advice, but it is something else entirely to give advice you are willing to follow yourself.”

SharedServerHosting.me: “It is a free blogging ebook that leaves a lot of stuff I’ve paid for in the dust!”

WritersNetworking.ning.com: “It covers all the essential topics that both a newcomer and those who want to improve their blog need to know to succeed.”

MillionClues.com: “Make Money Blogging, in my opinion, is a good and comprehensive starting point for wannabe bloggers.”

Mrimomma.blogspot.com: “As a blogger with very little internet or marketing knowledge, the eBook was an easy read and really got my wheels turning.”

BobStovall.com: “This ebook is filled with no-nonsense advice for anyone starting out in blogging or just thinking about it.”

Bojan-Online.com: “I’ve read it myself couple of times already and I love how Daniel put everything together.”

ZParacha.com: “Overall this eBook is a good starting point for new and to-be bloggers. It is written in a simple, fluid fashion. Links to external websites are included as examples to different topics he discussed in this eBook.”

BillBolmeier.com: “The eBook is chock full of gold nuggets that span 5 different chapters.”

Moneygnet.com: “I would recommend everybody to sign up because the ebook is great and the newsletter messages give great value.”

BlogBriefing.com: “You should print the ebook out and use it as a reference!”

TimPaulino.com: “A fantastic resource for anyone with an online business whose looking to get started with blogs.”

UltimateLifestyleProject.com: “Mr Scocco explains in 54 very easy to read, clear and concise pages exactly what is involved, what is needed, what you need to focus on and where the real opportunities with blogging / websites exist.”

Jaydip.info: “This is book is really good, in the sense that it guides you from from the very basics until more advanced blogging stuff.”

86blogger.com: “It’s one of the best ones I’ve read so far. It says how to start blogging, what to use to blog, what kind of ads you use, how to get advertisers on your blog, all about monetizing your blog, and a lot of more stuff.”

DinheiroPT.com: “The book is easily digestible, and one can understand all the points.”

TheArtofStephenScott.blogspot.com: “The book is not a perfect fit for an art blog, but it’s been incredibly helpful in understanding the current personality of blogging and the internet.”

HouseWifesUtopia.com: “The book is excellently written in very easy and straight forward manner. The book has 54 pages and I read the whole book in half an hour.”

TechnoTip.org: “Much like his newsletter (which is kind of personal, valuable and to the point), the ebook doesn’t contain any fluff: you get the meat directly.”

SansMoneySecret.com: “The book is actually damn good, and even considering the price (your email address)”

CreatuBlog.com: “I liked the section where you explain how to get more search engine hits on our blog posts.”

GeekBookReviews.com: “I really enjoyed the book because it covered much more than just making money with blogs.”

WebTipsEveryday.cz.cc: “The book is well written with a good structure. Every chapter begin with an image, and they also contains links to related resources.”

FindAllAnswers.com: ” The book presents an excellent overview of how to choose the topic/niche to blog and how to write the content, give headlines, choose a layout and so on.”

TechWearz.com: “This ebook gives a lot of great advice and guidance on how to be a successful blogger. ”

JackNguyen.com: “Daniel does a great job explaining things for readers just starting to get into blogging, but he also has great tips and strategies for more experienced bloggers.”

Dimes2Vines.com: “It covers the basics of blogging from the importance of content, consistency in posting, blog design, networking to monetizing your blog.”

FreeBusinessTraining.org: “f you are new to blogging, or like me, have a blog or six and don’t know what to do with them, then you need to read this book.”

RastreadorDeNoticias.com: “Daniel is one of the few people online who can make you understand what he is talking about.”

AllThatCommunication.com: “Make Money Blogging is also an excellent example of a well-organized, well-written eBook.”

Phyllispianta.com: “Beginners will find this most useful and also find other up to date information from someone who is successful on his site.”

TheHalfLog.com: “I don’t think I will ever make money blogging, but I’d still like more people to read what I write.”

TheTimeFinder.com: “What first impressed me about “How to Make Money Blogging” was its absolutely realistic tone.”

OliverOsm.com: “For me personally it has been an aid and consultation tool which helped me to understand more about the great world of blogging.”

ContentPlusCode.com: “The ebook talks about authority posts, getting backlinks, guest posting and even a recommendation on how often to post.”

ThePicky.com: “t’s very well written and broken down into 5 main chapters (Content, Design & Usability, Networking, Promotion and Monetization) that anyone can follow and accomplish.”

Ysfirdaus.com: “What I like about this ebook is that is explains everything in detail, in a way that is easy to understand.”

StrictlyOnlineBiz.com: “Daniel’s report takes on the do’s and don’ts of blogging for money and monetization strategies for established blogs.”

TotallyUniqueLife.com: “You cannot go wrong in taking the advice of one of the preeminent bloggers of his time.”

LearnXpress.com: “Daniel examines several usability mistakes which web masters should look into while developing a blog.”

BloggerIn.ro: “You’ll discover the points that you need to consider to create a successful blog.”

MathewDay.com: “I was pleasantly surprised on how thorough and helpful the Make Money Blogging guide was to me.”

FreeBlogHelp.com: “I downloaded the ebook many moons ago and I still open it up for a quick read every now and then.”

TheCareerAdvisors.com: “I was a little skeptical, but read the book anyway assuming it was just another get rich quick scheme. The Internet is full of those these days. But this book is not that. It contains common sense tips on creating and managing a successful, money making blog.”

UphillWriting.org: “While his book is actually for helping writers make money with their blogs, his suggestions and insights surprised me with their clarity and immediate usefulness.”

JimPassmore.wordpress.com: “Make Money Blogging has advice on blog format, headlines, content selection, usability–all items that can bring people back or drive them away. ”

Lead-Manage-Learn.com: “Daniel’s ebook tells you what you need to know to get started, and is written in clear, concise language.”

Enviromum.wordpress.com: “It is surprisingly comprehensive and thorough and has been a useful reference document, with relevant links and information.”

Clara54.wordpress.com:”I’m lucky that it came across my desk at just the right time.”

DumbLittleBlogger.com: “This book talks clearly to beginners about starting a blog from scratch to promoting and monetizing it.”

BitRepository.com: “The content of this e-book is completely unique and the money making concepts offered by Daniel are added in a structural and logical way.”

RodneyPiper.tv: “It is really a helpful guide for anyone who is thinking of getting started as a Blogger/Internet Publisher.”

PhotographyAtWork.com: “It not only shows you how to make money with your blog it also gives you the basics on how to get people on to your blog.”

Kangnawar.com: “If you are an ebook collector, your collection is incomplete if you do not have this one.”

CreativeDivaLuisa.blogspot.com: “I am not a techy girl. Not at all! But the tips in the e-book are so easy to follow that I understood it all.”

VanceSova.com: “Reading the ebook for the first time I was pleasantly surprised by finding some things which were new to me.”

What about you? Will you join the 10,000 subscribers who already downloaded the ebook? You can do so on the form below (RSS and email subscribers will need to visit the site to sign-up for the newsletter).

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CNET NEWS – Mar 2 - Hi5, a social network that changed its focus to
gaming relatively recently, that it has built some code so that
Facebook app developers can transport their creations to Hi5’s platform
with minimal effort. It’s specifically targeting game developers. Beb
announced a similar plan to accept Facebook apps late in 2007, but it’s
unclear as to the extent it was actually executed. FULL ARTICLE @ CNET NEWS

See all posts on Hi5
See all posts on Facebook

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I was browsing through my RSS feeds a couple of minutes ago and I came across an interesting post from the Google Webmaster Blog, titled Google’s Search Engine Optimization Report Card.,

The report was created to help Google’s engineers and employees better optimize their product pages for search engines. So yeah, even Google practices Search Engine Optimization!

You’ll find that the report touches on many on-page and on-site Search Engine Optimization factors, including title tags, meta tags, heading tags, canonical URLs, image tags and link anchors.

The most useful part, however, are the examples that are included on each point. You’ll be able to understand what is right and what is wrong on each Search Engine Optimization factor.

Here is the direct download link for the PDF (hoping Google won’t mind…).

Post from: SocialMarketingReport.com

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

As many of you know, this time last year I gave up the 9-5 corporate world and started working full time online. It was a move I had been planning for the last 3 years and it came to fruition a year ago.

But the bad news is… over the last year while working from home, I’ve added approx 14kg in weight. I’ve been fairly active with my ballroom and Latin dancing, playing badminton and my daily walks. But it wasn’t enough to burn off all the calories from the daily chocolate biscuits!

This year, I decided to do something about my weight problem and have joined a gym (again!).

This time it is different, though. For one, I have paid the year’s membership in full and I cannot get my money back. Two, I am focused to lose some weight no matter what. And three, I have a personal adviser/trainer.

I met with the personal trainer in the first week of January, and she showed me exactly what to do and how to do it. Over the past 2 weeks, I’ve been in the gym at 6.30am, 3 days a week.

I thought I’d be alone at that time.

I’m not.

There are about 50 others all exercising. I’m sure many are on their New Years Resolutions and some will drop out. I won’t. I’m determined.

Recently, I’ve been thinking about my weight loss plan and gym work and how they can actually be applied to a blogging business.

Here are my thoughts:

1. It Takes Time And Effort To Lose Weight and To Build A Blogging Business

To see any significant weight loss, I know I am going to have to work hard, get advice and have a plan I can follow. I’ve been going to the gym 3 times a week for the past 2 weeks and so far, I’ve lost 2kg, so it’s working.

Building your own successful blogging business is a huge challenge.

The only way for you to be successful is to work hard (don’t believe the hype that running a blogging business it’s easy, it’s not). Get advice from a small number of people who have been successful. Write yourself a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly plan.

2. There Is Far Too Much Information Available

Over the years, I’ve always struggled with my weight – mainly because I love cakes, biscuits and puddings or should I just say “food in general”!

Just go to your local bookstore or library and you will see hundreds of resources on the subject of weight loss and healthy eating.

I’ve purchased many of them. Different products like “Eat for your blood type”, “Body For Life”, and “Healthy Eating” plus loads of home training equipment. You can invest thousands and get nowhere.

It’s so overwhelming.

Plus many contradict each other in what is the best way to lose weight and eat right.

This year, I finally said to myself, “I’m going to get someone to help me. I’m going to listen to one person and follow their advice.”

I know it’s early stages but using the plan given to me along with my hard work and commitment, things are looking good and I am making good progress.

With Blogging and Internet Marketing, there are just as many products and resources available to choose from. It’s easy to be overwhelmed and confused.

I recently completed some research on “How many Internet related products people had purchased” and the results were staggering.

You may not believe the results but 32% of those who responded had purchased over 20 ‘make money on the Internet’ type products.

That’s almost 1 in 3 had purchased over 20 products.

One guy actually said, “I ticked the more than 20 box in the vote, only because there isn’t one that says more than 50!”

I’m sure he’s not alone.

I’ve purchased numerous Internet related products as well. Some great, some good, some rubbish.

But the biggest turning point for me was…

What I did for my Internet Marketing business was find an Internet mentor and join their monthly mentoring club. That’s what works for me and it may work for you. Find a blogging course or mentor or both and follow their plan.

3. Good Advice Is Useless Without A Plan

All the resources I’ve purchased to try and lose some weight have never helped me. Why? Because I never took the advice and acted upon it. I often didn’t implement the advice.

Hence why I’ve now paid up front for the gym membership and got a personal trainer. She worked with me to create a personal plan and now provides advice as I go.

I know exactly what I am going to do each day I enter that gym door. It’s planned out. I know what I am doing today, next week and next month. And she’s there for any advice I need.

It’s the same with Internet related products.

I bet you have purchased some and they just sit on the shelf collecting dust or clogging up your PC disc space.

You have to take the advice and implement it. I know that is hard when you have no plan to follow or no one to ask but you do have to take action.

You have to have a plan. A daily plan. A weekly plan. A monthly and an overall yearly plan of what you want to achieve for your Internet business.

Many people start and quit. I don’t know the exact numbers but something like 95% of all blogs started are closed down within 3 months.

But the combination of great advice, hard work and an implementation plan can produce big rewards.

4. The Hardest Part Is Not Quitting

Back in the year 2000, I ran a local half-marathon. Not very fast, but I completed it. It was something like 1 hour 50 minutes but I have the medal and the newspaper cutting proving I completed it.

It was the furthest I had ever run. I trained for it. Up and down the hills. Through the countryside. Through rain and strong hot sun.

And, yes there were days when I didn’t want to train. I wanted to quit. There were days my feet were sore and I wanted to quit. There were days when my muscles ached and I wanted to quit.

But I didn’t. I was determined to do it.

And the same goes for my Internet business and perhaps you have thought about quitting sometimes, as well.

When I first started out, I thought I was going to become a millionaire overnight. The adverts promised it! I quickly created my first product, thought I would retire in a few weeks, sipping champagne while overlooking the harbour from my brand new apartment in the South of France.

Of course, it was the complete opposite. I sold very few. I wanted to give up. I nearly did. I was so disappointed. So angry. All that hard work and that’s when I changed my mind and found a mentor. He told me the truth. He managed my expectations. He told me it would take 6 months before you will see any income. He was right.

I know many people (not just those starting out) struggle to get their Internet business to make some income. I received an email yesterday and she said, “I’ve been on the Internet trying to make a living now for nearly 5 years”

5 years!

She added, “Today, I’ve expended all my savings on purchasing Internet products and, if it wasn’t for a friend, I’d be a street person right now. “

And she is not alone.

But she hasn’t given up, like 99% of us have would.

Building an Internet Business does get hard. It can be frustrating.

But if you really want it and follow great advice, you will be successful.

Don’t be defeated. Don’t give up. Don’t quit.

5. Measuring and tracking your progress is vital

As part of my gym membership, I have targets in place. Targets for:

• Weight loss
• Running times and distances
• How far I can row before I collapse
• Amount of weight lifted

These measures spur me on and make me work harder.

Do you have targets and measures in place for your Internet business?

I don’t just mean income related. Income might be your overall end result target but what about your targets and measures to get there.

You could target/measure:

• Visitors
• Backlinks
• Guest posts
• Opt-ins
• Blog posts
• Comments

Targets focus you. I have a simple one of commenting on 10 different blogs each day. I don’t go to bed until I do and when I do got to bed I feel great because I’ve achieved everything I wanted to.

In summary…

If you are just starting out on your Blogging or Internet journey… go for it but be warned it’s not an easy ride.

If you are two or more years into your Blogging journey and it’s just not working, see if these lessons can help.

Wherever you are, I encourage you to work hard, be committed and follow the best advice you can get.

Andrew Rondeau is the author of the free guide “The Income Blogging Guide Blueprint”.
You can grab your complimentary copy at WeBuildYourBlog.com today.

Post from: SocialMarketingReport.com

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

As many of you know, this time last year I gave up the 9-5 corporate world and started working full time online. It was a move I had been planning for the last 3 years and it came to fruition a year ago.

But the bad news is… over the last year while working from home, I’ve added approx 14kg in weight. I’ve been fairly active with my ballroom and Latin dancing, playing badminton and my daily walks. But it wasn’t enough to burn off all the calories from the daily chocolate biscuits!

This year, I decided to do something about my weight problem and have joined a gym (again!).

This time it is different, though. For one, I have paid the year’s membership in full and I cannot get my money back. Two, I am focused to lose some weight no matter what. And three, I have a personal adviser/trainer.

I met with the personal trainer in the first week of January, and she showed me exactly what to do and how to do it. Over the past 2 weeks, I’ve been in the gym at 6.30am, 3 days a week.

I thought I’d be alone at that time.

I’m not.

There are about 50 others all exercising. I’m sure many are on their New Years Resolutions and some will drop out. I won’t. I’m determined.

Recently, I’ve been thinking about my weight loss plan and gym work and how they can actually be applied to a blogging business.

Here are my thoughts:

1. It Takes Time And Effort To Lose Weight and To Build A Blogging Business

To see any significant weight loss, I know I am going to have to work hard, get advice and have a plan I can follow. I’ve been going to the gym 3 times a week for the past 2 weeks and so far, I’ve lost 2kg, so it’s working.

Building your own successful blogging business is a huge challenge.

The only way for you to be successful is to work hard (don’t believe the hype that running a blogging business it’s easy, it’s not). Get advice from a small number of people who have been successful. Write yourself a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly plan.

2. There Is Far Too Much Information Available

Over the years, I’ve always struggled with my weight – mainly because I love cakes, biscuits and puddings or should I just say “food in general”!

Just go to your local bookstore or library and you will see hundreds of resources on the subject of weight loss and healthy eating.

I’ve purchased many of them. Different products like “Eat for your blood type”, “Body For Life”, and “Healthy Eating” plus loads of home training equipment. You can invest thousands and get nowhere.

It’s so overwhelming.

Plus many contradict each other in what is the best way to lose weight and eat right.

This year, I finally said to myself, “I’m going to get someone to help me. I’m going to listen to one person and follow their advice.”

I know it’s early stages but using the plan given to me along with my hard work and commitment, things are looking good and I am making good progress.

With Blogging and Internet Marketing, there are just as many products and resources available to choose from. It’s easy to be overwhelmed and confused.

I recently completed some research on “How many Internet related products people had purchased” and the results were staggering.

You may not believe the results but 32% of those who responded had purchased over 20 ‘make money on the Internet’ type products.

That’s almost 1 in 3 had purchased over 20 products.

One guy actually said, “I ticked the more than 20 box in the vote, only because there isn’t one that says more than 50!”

I’m sure he’s not alone.

I’ve purchased numerous Internet related products as well. Some great, some good, some rubbish.

But the biggest turning point for me was…

What I did for my Internet Marketing business was find an Internet mentor and join their monthly mentoring club. That’s what works for me and it may work for you. Find a blogging course or mentor or both and follow their plan.

3. Good Advice Is Useless Without A Plan

All the resources I’ve purchased to try and lose some weight have never helped me. Why? Because I never took the advice and acted upon it. I often didn’t implement the advice.

Hence why I’ve now paid up front for the gym membership and got a personal trainer. She worked with me to create a personal plan and now provides advice as I go.

I know exactly what I am going to do each day I enter that gym door. It’s planned out. I know what I am doing today, next week and next month. And she’s there for any advice I need.

It’s the same with Internet related products.

I bet you have purchased some and they just sit on the shelf collecting dust or clogging up your PC disc space.

You have to take the advice and implement it. I know that is hard when you have no plan to follow or no one to ask but you do have to take action.

You have to have a plan. A daily plan. A weekly plan. A monthly and an overall yearly plan of what you want to achieve for your Internet business.

Many people start and quit. I don’t know the exact numbers but something like 95% of all blogs started are closed down within 3 months.

But the combination of great advice, hard work and an implementation plan can produce big rewards.

4. The Hardest Part Is Not Quitting

Back in the year 2000, I ran a local half-marathon. Not very fast, but I completed it. It was something like 1 hour 50 minutes but I have the medal and the newspaper cutting proving I completed it.

It was the furthest I had ever run. I trained for it. Up and down the hills. Through the countryside. Through rain and strong hot sun.

And, yes there were days when I didn’t want to train. I wanted to quit. There were days my feet were sore and I wanted to quit. There were days when my muscles ached and I wanted to quit.

But I didn’t. I was determined to do it.

And the same goes for my Internet business and perhaps you have thought about quitting sometimes, as well.

When I first started out, I thought I was going to become a millionaire overnight. The adverts promised it! I quickly created my first product, thought I would retire in a few weeks, sipping champagne while overlooking the harbour from my brand new apartment in the South of France.

Of course, it was the complete opposite. I sold very few. I wanted to give up. I nearly did. I was so disappointed. So angry. All that hard work and that’s when I changed my mind and found a mentor. He told me the truth. He managed my expectations. He told me it would take 6 months before you will see any income. He was right.

I know many people (not just those starting out) struggle to get their Internet business to make some income. I received an email yesterday and she said, “I’ve been on the Internet trying to make a living now for nearly 5 years”

5 years!

She added, “Today, I’ve expended all my savings on purchasing Internet products and, if it wasn’t for a friend, I’d be a street person right now. “

And she is not alone.

But she hasn’t given up, like 99% of us have would.

Building an Internet Business does get hard. It can be frustrating.

But if you really want it and follow great advice, you will be successful.

Don’t be defeated. Don’t give up. Don’t quit.

5. Measuring and tracking your progress is vital

As part of my gym membership, I have targets in place. Targets for:

• Weight loss
• Running times and distances
• How far I can row before I collapse
• Amount of weight lifted

These measures spur me on and make me work harder.

Do you have targets and measures in place for your Internet business?

I don’t just mean income related. Income might be your overall end result target but what about your targets and measures to get there.

You could target/measure:

• Visitors
• Backlinks
• Guest posts
• Opt-ins
• Blog posts
• Comments

Targets focus you. I have a simple one of commenting on 10 different blogs each day. I don’t go to bed until I do and when I do got to bed I feel great because I’ve achieved everything I wanted to.

In summary…

If you are just starting out on your Blogging or Internet journey… go for it but be warned it’s not an easy ride.

If you are two or more years into your Blogging journey and it’s just not working, see if these lessons can help.

Wherever you are, I encourage you to work hard, be committed and follow the best advice you can get.

Andrew Rondeau is the author of the free guide “The Income Blogging Guide Blueprint”.
You can grab your complimentary copy at WeBuildYourBlog.com today.

Post from: SocialMarketingReport.com

CBS NEWS – Mar 2 - Sex offenders in California will have one more
roadblock in their efforts to lure young victims if lawmakers in
Sacramento have anything to do with it. Norma Torres introduced the
bill in January, which would make it a crime for California’s 63,000
registered sex offenders to use any social networks. Match.com
spokesperson Amy Canaday said that at this time Match.com does not do
any background searches on its members because there is “no 100%
accurate way to do them.” MySpace has an aggressive policy in place to
keep sex offenders of its site. MySpace runs a 24/7 system that looks
for sex offenders using a five-point checklist: first name, last name,
date of birth, gender and zip code. MySpace compares these identifying
criteria with a national list of registered sex offenders, which they
access from the identification verification company Sentinel Tech
Holding. FULL ARTICLE @ CBS NEWS

See all posts on MySpace

This post also appears on OnlinePersonalsWatch.

Post from: SocialMarketingReport.com

A couple of months after creating this blog I installed a contact form. I had heard that it was the best way to protect myself from spam and to guarantee that I would receive only real and relevant messages from my visitors.

The first part was true, as the spam problem was manageable. But real and relevant messages? That was off by a mile. You wouldn’t believe the kind of stuff that comes through the contact form.

Some of them were so weird that I decided to create a compilation. Below you’ll find 20 messages I collected over the past months. Before you ask, yes they really came through the contact form.

please i want to be a wizard please help me please this my phone number +233 245689454

Dear sir, Please could you give me the Daily Mirrors address. Thank you Keith Everett.

Are you promoting free website hosting via Survey Monster?

Dear sir
i would like to buy iphones by using credit card can it work,
please confirm,
brolakiiza

i love you

I don’t have a clue …Can you help ? Will you? Please …

Hello my love one,
How are you today. how was your weekend i hope is fine over there .i wish your happy weekend to you.is me you good love friend sera
Waiting to hear from you soonest.
With love.
Miss Sera

how do i get paid

just checking out how your form works….:) Thanks:)

We are interested to increase traffic to your website, please get back to us in
order to discuss the possibility in further detail.

NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY YOUR FLORIDA HOME!
FORECLOSED 3/2 HOUSES FOR $50,000.
WE WILL FIND, REHAB (IF NEEDED), RENT OR SELL FOR YOU!
FLORIDA NO-QUALIFY HOMES LLC

hii sir, can u tell me how i can increase my traffic plzzz help meeeeeeee my
subscriber are not increasingggg,its showing only 3 thats all plz help me.and
what are the ways to get adsense because adsense has rejected my account many
times.

Hi, Maybe you have time to visit my site, or maybe not. It’s okay.

My name is Andi. I need your help. Thanks.

Maybe you will delete this message as soon as you read the word “donation” in my url. It’s okay, I understand.

But maybe you can really help me. I’m not asking much, I really am not. Thank you very much for your time.

You have just been awarded 800,000.00 USD in the online MTN email selection award. Reply with your details for claim:
Names:……..
Country:……
Occupation…..
Gender/Tel……

Dearest, Kind regards, I am Miss joyce, tall, slim, fair and a very good looking girl that loves travelling and dancing and im a student that loves to be loved,i saw your profile today in seducemarried.com so i kindly permit me by contacting you through this medium I am compelled to contact you via this medium for obvious reasons which you will understand when we discuss details of my proposition.

This is to notify all online customers that Google is 11th years; Google became a Corporation on September 27, 1998. This Corporation was established to encourage individual that are active Users of Google search engine and Google ancillary service. Google is currently the world leading search engine worldwide, and is vigorously making more effort to make sure the reputation of the company stands out to be the best among the rest, with the optimize help of our customers worldwide. We wish to congratulate you once again, for being selected on the ongoing 11th Anniversary.

Google Corporation highly believe that with your prize, you will always be active and also A total sum of 460,000, 00 {Four Hundred and Sixty Thousand European Euro} have been issued out by Google Corporation. A winning cheque will be issued in your name and also a certificate of prize claim will be sent along side with your winning cheque.

Just got a Google Alert about our property on your blog [ Bahamas
resorts,bahamas places to stay etc]…we are listed a COCOBAY FARMHOUSE !!!!
please ? we are cottages NOT a farmhouse …there are NO farmhouses on
Abaco…How can I change this ..even the rates are wrong ,Help !

I have a building lot, with a livable 2/2 double- wide on it now, on Grant St. in Longwood, with city water, sewer and paved street. I want to sell it or knock it down and build a new 3/2 home.
I am Looking for a investor/builder to finance the new house, ( I own the land) and partner with me 50-50% after expenses!

I’m not sure who to ask this question of but here goes: I just received a window from Windows, I think. It said They had detexted malware on my computer (Imac). The affected software is Microsoft Windows Vista Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows Server 2003. They said that there was an impact of vulnerability. Remote Code Execution, Virus infection, unexpected shutdowns. Recommendation was to download the patch from the address below: http://www.updatepr.org. They said for the link to become active, click on "Add to Contact’s skype button or type it in maually into the browser. I did these two things and the address would not go through either one. Any suggestions. I’m worried. Ann

Dear admin,
can you suggest me one blog that has content of success blogger,please?
thanks!

Post from: SocialMarketingReport.com

As you guys know one of my largest blogs is called Daily Writing Tips. It was launched some months after DBT, with the goal of helping people improve their writing skills, and it has over 33,000 subscribers already.

Lately we have been adding a lot of great content there, and I recommend that you check it out if you are trying to write better. Here are some examples of articles you’ll find on the blog:

• The Writing Process
• 34 Writing Tips That Will Make You a Better Writer
• Creative Writing 101
• Comparative or Superlative?
• 30 Religious Terms You Should Know

Today we are also re-opening the Daily Writing Tips Forum officially. If you like to discuss about grammar, spelling, vocabulary and writing in general you should definitely join it.

Post from: SocialMarketingReport.com

MASHABLE – Feb 27 - myYearbook remains one of the most popular social
network, with 20M members and a place in the top 30 most trafficked
websites in the U.S. According to CEO Geoff Cook, the company ended
2009 with an annual revenue run rate of $20M, up 70% from 2008. Most of
that comes from virtual currency within games that the company has
built, with titles like Blind Date, Owned and Quiz. Unlike Facebook or
MySpace, who offer a fairly open platform where anyone can launch
games, myYearbook has operated a closed ecosystem of games built
in-house. That’s soon changing, though, as the company plans to open up
to a select group of partners (presumably, companies like Zynga and
SGN) to introduce new games. FULL ARTICLE @ MASHABLE

See all posts on myYearbook

Post from: SocialMarketingReport.com

I have — more than once.

I recently received a Twitter slap, and I’m not embarrassed to admit it. If you’ve never received a slap yourself, perhaps your approach is overly cautious.

Clarification

Of course, one wouldn’t actively choose to be penalized by a major business site. Yet, with so many gray and fuzzy areas, this particular hazard is very difficult to skirt.

Fortunately, a slap isn’t as bad as a total ban. A ban can have major long-term consequences. However, even a slap by Google or by an ISP could cause considerable loss. Most slaps result from black hat SEO techniques or some other form of spam.

Twitter Slap

Outright spam on Twitter risks account cancellation.  More subtle types of spam more typically incur the exclusion of tweets from search results, thereby making one invisible to all except his or her followers.

Here are four situations that invite Twitter slap:

1. Duplicate content – Repeatedly tweeting the same tweets or links
2. Duplicate accounts – Creating multiple Twitter accounts with the same bio text or linking to the same site
3. Aggressive use of #hashtags – Using #hashtags haphazardly or maliciously
4. Following vs. follower ratio – E.g., an account following 2,000 with only 10 followers.

In the past, I had several Twitter accounts linking to this blog and tended to append #hashtags to my tweets much too generously. I may also have tweeted some duplicate content. Now tweets from my main Twitter account are excluded from search results.

Sending lots of @ messages to non-followers is outright spam and ought to be reported using the “report for spam” link. I would never consider doing such a thing.

Coping with Twitter Slap

While not disastrous, Twitter slap is troublesome. My #hashtags do no good, unless a follower (in good standing with Twitter) retweets my posts with all my #hashtags intact.

The best way to work around this kind of Twitter slap is to create another account with different bio text and a different bio link. Then, that account can be used to retweet all the important tweets and those with #hashtags from a slapped account.

Have your own stories or comments? Please share them below.

Sharing is Caring!

Post from: SocialMarketingReport.com