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		<title>Useful Blogging Tips</title>
		<link>http://www.blogwidow.com/blogging-tips/useful-blogging-tips.shtml</link>
		<comments>http://www.blogwidow.com/blogging-tips/useful-blogging-tips.shtml#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:53:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BlogWidow.com Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blogging Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blogwidow.com/?p=271</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by Alan Metcalfe
The term &#8220;blog&#8221; is merely an abbreviation of &#8220;weblog&#8221; meaning a frequently updated web-based journal on virtually any subject reflecting the style and/or personality of the writer. Just a few short years ago, blogs were mainly personal journals created for the amusement of the writer and for sharing ideas with friends and associates. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>by Alan Metcalfe</p>
<p>The term &#8220;blog&#8221; is merely an abbreviation of &#8220;weblog&#8221; meaning a frequently updated web-based journal on virtually any subject reflecting the style and/or personality of the writer. Just a few short years ago, blogs were mainly personal journals created for the amusement of the writer and for sharing ideas with friends and associates. This situation persisted until some blogs started to generate hits in the thousands, then millions and their potential as serious money making concerns became apparent. The fundamental question is: what is the objective of writing a blog? If it is merely to record impressions of cousin Jane`s wedding for friends and family, the barriers to success are pretty low. On the other hand, if the blog can generate wide appeal or it is designed to convey information about a company or any topic where site users will pay money to subscribe, or where advertising revenue can be generated, that opens up a whole new scenario. Assuming the latter, then a few simple tips may be of value.<br />
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<p><b>What? Not another one!</b></p>
<p>There are now some 60 million blogs existing on the Internet. Of course, this number becomes more comprehensible when broken down into category and region, but it does give some indication as to the level of competition for mind-share. In this respect, the techniques for gaining traffic and visitor action vary little from those applying to a conventional business website. The first important tip relates to Focus – note the capital &#8220;F.&#8221; Any kind of niche marketing where the information presented meets the needs of the target audience will always do better than some vague rambling within a highly popular category. Out of this focus should come keywords that searchers will use to locate the information they seek. Definitive, descriptive keywords that are as specific and relevant as possible will generate higher resultant rankings in the search engines. Fortunately, it is not necessary to wade through 60 million blogs to research available niche topics and opportunities when Technorati can do it instead. This is still one of the most useful all-round blog search engines and directories on line.</p>
<p><b>Software and tools</b></p>
<p>One of the most useful of all resources is the publishing tool Wordpress. It is open-source (free) and is the best established of its type in the world. A series of tips would be incomplete without a recommendation to use this software as the most useful starting point to acquiring the technology and understanding the processes. An entire industry has been built around Wordpress with endless `themes` and plug-ins now available. These allow you not only to customise the look and feel of your Wordpress site to the point where it is barely recognisable as Wordpress, but they extend core functionality to allow anything from easy data feed or news feed integration through to adding fully fledged eCommerce functionality. In selecting themes and plug-ins, do check for reviews and the reputation of the provider as quality varies widely. Many are free and of excellent quality whilst others will require a free which may range from nominal through to significant.</p>
<p>A blog needs quality links to promote integrity and expertise within a particular community. Social media and aggregation sites have changed many of the older rules about the importance and effectiveness of links, though a blog itself is frequently used as a tool to generate links to a website, links being one of the major factors in raising search engine rankings and one of the basic concepts of search engine optimization. Aggregation sites have also helped to change the importance of links, because they do much of the work of searching by combining relevant results without reliance on standard search engines. Link trading between associated, yet non-competing marketers is another good method and blog networks are a way of gaining links and contacts within blogging communities. The latter are essentially clusters of blogs under a common banner of which Gawker and Weblogs are among the best known.</p>
<p><b>Content is still king</b></p>
<p>There is still one fundamental truth and that is the absolute importance of well written and relevant content, without which a visitor is unlikely to read on and certainly not return, which is the essence of building a loyal user base. Thus the same generic skill required in any exercise focused on <a href="http://www.lammo.net/category/website-content-writing">writing content for the web</a> can be brought to bear here. Driven by your target keywords, the combination of fresh ideas, written communication skills, persistence and luck will often produce exceptional results. </p>
<p><b>Reputation through value</b></p>
<p>Given the availability of the blog search tools outlined above, it makes a great deal of sense to thoroughly research existing material and posts in determining the content and focus for your own material, seeking to `fill the gaps` as it were. There are endless blogs and forums of good quality but with poorly answered questions, many of which will be relevant to your focus and sector. Identifying these, creating in-depth and original material on your own blog and then posting useful summarised responses on other blogs with a link to your more in-depth response is by far the strongest approach. Over time, this should help in building a strong reputation and, indeed brand awareness if you are operating as a business.</p>
<p><b>Avoiding the main pitfalls</b></p>
<p>We have all seen those inflammatory posts. Whilst some marketers believe that there is no such thing as bad publicity, an ill-thought through or unwarranted attack on others does little for your reputation. We all feel like writing `that` blog post on occasions but a deep breath and a more measured or balanced approach are called for. Even if you deem it appropriate to level some criticism, this should be added in a way that clearly demonstrates an understanding of both sides of the argument and of the core issues in question. Precisely the same guidelines apply when responding to any criticism directed at you.</p>
<p><b>About The Author</b></p>
<p>Alan has extensive practical experience in natural search and social media and advises a number of clients. He writes regularly on these these, together with wider earch marketing issues.</p>
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		<title>Evaluating The Types Of Blog Platforms</title>
		<link>http://www.blogwidow.com/articles/evaluating-the-types-of-blog-platforms.shtml</link>
		<comments>http://www.blogwidow.com/articles/evaluating-the-types-of-blog-platforms.shtml#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:00:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BlogWidow.com Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blogwidow.com/?p=269</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by: Paul Abbey
When creating a blog the choice of blogging platform will be one of the first and highly essential choices that as a blogger you have to take. Blogging can either be a major chore if the wrong platform is chosen, otherwise it could very well be easy if the right platform is chosen. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>by: Paul Abbey</p>
<p>When creating a blog the choice of blogging platform will be one of the first and highly essential choices that as a blogger you have to take. Blogging can either be a major chore if the wrong platform is chosen, otherwise it could very well be easy if the right platform is chosen. The program that you choose to blog with is an essential part of your weblog. With a little time and effort, you can find a site that personally works for you. Finding the blogging platform that is right for you may take some time, but with a little research and perseverance, you will find the one that fits you.<br />
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Deciding what your priorities are in terms of ease of use versus how easy it is to customize. Forms of blogging such as moveable types, are a little difficult to use than automated platforms, such as wordpress. If you are a blogging and computer novice, it may be a good idea to trade using custom backgrounds and fonts for a more user-friendly program. A seasoned internet developer who is experienced with html and javascript will probably be unsatisfied with the lack of design flexibility offered by a user-friendly program.</p>
<p>Every blogger has particular needs so there is no &#8216;one&#8217; blogging program for everyone. The upward trend in blogging is about individual expression &#8211; it is obvious then why there are a wide range of platforms available. They are all designed to satisfy the needs of many sorts of people with different project requirements. Because of this variety you will most likely discover a program suited to your technical knowledge.</p>
<p>Yet, bloggers typically need different things from a blog which will make your decision about choosing a program difficult. Maintain your priorities and don&#8217;t forget to take into account the point of view of the reviewer when evaluating critiques of assorted platforms. Beginners bloggers have tendencies to write in limited platforms. There is invariably room for improvement, meaning there is no such thing as the &#8220;perfect&#8221; program, so it&#8217;s better to just discover one that suites your needs.</p>
<p><strong>About The Author</strong></p>
<p>Paul Abbey owns and runs <a href="http://www.cmssoftwareguide.com" title="http://www.cmssoftwareguide.com" class="autohyperlink" target="_blank">www.cmssoftwareguide.com</a> cms software</p>
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		<title>Choosing Your Words so You Can Earn Money by Blogging</title>
		<link>http://www.blogwidow.com/articles/choosing-your-words-so-you-can-earn-money-by-blogging.shtml</link>
		<comments>http://www.blogwidow.com/articles/choosing-your-words-so-you-can-earn-money-by-blogging.shtml#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:59:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BlogWidow.com Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blogwidow.com/?p=267</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by: Adam Waxler
Although there are a lot of ways that you can make money on the Internet, blogging is probably one of the easiest for a beginner to get started with. As a matter of fact, if you do things properly you can expect to earn money by blogging within just a few days, or [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>by: Adam Waxler</p>
<p>Although there are a lot of ways that you can make money on the Internet, blogging is probably one of the easiest for a beginner to get started with. As a matter of fact, if you do things properly you can expect to earn money by blogging within just a few days, or perhaps a week at the most. While I&#8217;m not guaranteeing that you are going to get rich overnight, I can tell you that if you choose your words carefully, you will have a much better opportunity to put some money in your pocket.<br />
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The reason why it is so important for you to choose your words carefully if you expect to earn money by blogging is that choosing words at random will not pull any people into your website. Using tools such as <a href="http://WordTracker.com" title="http://WordTracker.com" class="autohyperlink" target="_blank">WordTracker.com</a>, MicroNiche Finder, or even the free keyword tool at Google will allow you to find out what people are actually searching for on the Internet. By using these keyword phrases in your blog post, and targeting them properly, you will have the best opportunity to get real people from the search engines to visit your blog.</p>
<p>Of course, in order to earn money by blogging you&#8217;re going to have to use these keywords in the right way. Trying to target keywords that have millions of competing webpages is, quite simply, not going to get you anywhere. Look for keyword phrases that are two or more words in length and then check your competition by searching for that phrase in Google. This will give you a better example of who is trying to target that keyword phrase, especially if you search for it in quotes. You should then use it in the title of the blog post and again once or twice in the article. A good rule of thumb is is to use your keyword phrase about once very 100 words.</p>
<p>Of course, there is more involved when you try to earn money by blogging, but using the right keywords is really the best starting point. From there, finding suitable advertisers and placing the advertising on the page properly is an important next step. It is also imperative that you are persistent in your blogging efforts and that you continue to write on a daily basis. By following these general rules, you will have the best opportunity to earn money by blogging and to actually put some cash in your pocket from your efforts.</p>
<p>&#8211;<br />
Also, if you&#8217;re really interested in learning how to earn money blogging, then you must watch these videos at <a href="http://www.BloggingProductAnalysis.com" title="http://www.BloggingProductAnalysis.com" class="autohyperlink" target="_blank">www.BloggingProductAnalysis.com</a>. But HURRY&#8230;these videos will be pulled from the masses soon. In fact, if you act quickly you may even be able to grab the Blogging Secrets eCourse for FREE!</p>
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		<title>Blogs &#8211; The Ultimate Business Marketing Tool</title>
		<link>http://www.blogwidow.com/articles/blogs-the-ultimate-business-marketing-tool.shtml</link>
		<comments>http://www.blogwidow.com/articles/blogs-the-ultimate-business-marketing-tool.shtml#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:57:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BlogWidow.com Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blogwidow.com/?p=265</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by: TJ Philpott
It is quite common today to create a blog for business marketing purposes.
Originally blogs were simply personal journals on which the individual could share their personal experience, voice their opinions, or perhaps express their passions to the internet community.
Eventually the uniqueness of the blog&#8217;s ability to more deeply engage their readers became apparent. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>by: TJ Philpott</p>
<p>It is quite common today to create a blog for business marketing purposes.</p>
<p>Originally blogs were simply personal journals on which the individual could share their personal experience, voice their opinions, or perhaps express their passions to the internet community.</p>
<p>Eventually the uniqueness of the blog&#8217;s ability to more deeply engage their readers became apparent. Many resourceful online marketers have come to recognize the potential this platform has for promotional advertising.<br />
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Now the push is on to improve upon and harness the relaxed yet effective means in which to capture and communicate with visitors for promotional means.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s let at 5 undeniable reasons why blogs are both popular and effective when used for business marketing purposes.</p>
<p>COST EFFICIENT ADVERTISING PLATFORMS</p>
<p>Blogs are very inexpensive to set up. In fact some are cost free where others may require a hosting service which is relatively inexpensive.</p>
<p>SETUPS ARE SIMPLE</p>
<p>For even the most inexperienced setting up a blog couldn&#8217;t be easier. As a rule there are no technical skills or coding knowledge needed and the setup can be done in minutes. –</p>
<p>BLOGS CAN BE PERSONALIZED</p>
<p>The ability to customize your blogs appearance to better reflect your personality or business is a feature that can&#8217;t be overlooked. Consider it a way to express yourself in a more visual manner to your visitors. There generally are numerous templates from which to choose from and these can be switch out at any time to suit your purposes.</p>
<p>The tone of your content is another way to express yourself and will be an important factor in how your blog may stand out from the rest. Show some personality in your postings and let your readers get to know you. This should help in developing longer lasting relationships with your readers. Relax and be yourself; don&#8217;t be afraid to express your opinions since your readers will expect this.</p>
<p>Maintain your individuality and stand out from the masses. Remember, there is only one you so take advantage of it.</p>
<p>UNIQUE PROMOTIONAL FORUM</p>
<p>Blogs present a unique opportunity to &#8217;suggestively&#8217; promote to readers.</p>
<p>When marketing products of any kind to your subscribers you DO NOT want to hard sell them.</p>
<p>A relaxed and passive approach such as suggesting or recommending a particular product or service within the body of a post is appropriate. The use of banner ads or even &#8216;renting&#8217; out space on your blog to advertisers is acceptable as long as this is not overdone. You want to maintain the relaxed, communal atmosphere of your blog.</p>
<p>The people you&#8217;re marketing products to on your blog have a &#8216;relationship&#8217; with you built on trust. They originally came to your blog to read your content. They&#8217;re returning since they obviously favor how you present yourself and the subject on which you write. You must be careful to not violate the trust they&#8217;ve placed in you by pushy and/or frequent sales tactics.</p>
<p>SOLICIT READER OPINION</p>
<p>The heart and soul of just about any popular blog is the ability for visitors to leave comments. In fact this is one of the very first things a new blog should set up is a clearly defined area to leave comments. Comments should be encouraged!</p>
<p>Thru this interaction with the readers blog owners are able to get an insight into what they are interested in or what problems they may have and want solutions to.</p>
<p>Fortune 500 companies pay millions to get this type of market research done now you can do it for free by monitoring reader comments.</p>
<p>Listen to their feedback and when appropriate, act upon it. This will only encourage more interaction and feedback from your readers.</p>
<p>The ability to create a blog that can effectively deliver a message, collect valuable market research or promote a product to a global audience is hard to ignore. From major corporations to the guy on the street, this cost effective promotional advertising platform presents endless business marketing possibilities only limited by the imagination.</p>
<p><strong>About The Author</strong></p>
<p>TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina.</p>
<p>For additional money making tips and a free guide that demonstrates how to find both profitable markets and products visit: <a href="http://blogbrawn.com" title="http://blogbrawn.com" class="autohyperlink" target="_blank">blogbrawn.com</a></p>
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		<title>Blogging Tip: How to Find Topic Ideas</title>
		<link>http://www.blogwidow.com/blogging-tips/blogging-tip-how-to-find-topic-ideas.shtml</link>
		<comments>http://www.blogwidow.com/blogging-tips/blogging-tip-how-to-find-topic-ideas.shtml#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:56:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BlogWidow.com Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blogging Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blogwidow.com/?p=263</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by: John Child
If you have a blog, you know that there is nothing more daunting than sitting down, and wondering what in the world you’re going to say in your next blog entry. You kind of have the feeling that if you don’t have something good to say, that no one will want to read [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>by: John Child</p>
<p>If you have a blog, you know that there is nothing more daunting than sitting down, and wondering what in the world you’re going to say in your next blog entry. You kind of have the feeling that if you don’t have something good to say, that no one will want to read it.</p>
<p>So how do you find stuff to talk about? Here are a couple of ideas:<br />
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** Be a part of the blogging community. Subscribe to or visit blogs that are similar to yours. You’ll be able to gather an idea about what’s interesting, what’s being talked about, etc. Then you simply offer your own take on that.</p>
<p>** Review products or services. Have you read a good book lately that would fit with your blog? Do you use a particular software program that your readers might want to use? Are there other products you could write about? Simply write your review about some products or services out there. Not only what you like about it, but what you don’t like about it.</p>
<p>** Create lists. People love to read lists. “The Top Ten…”, “The Five Best Ways to…”, etc. Lists are an easy way to get your ideas flowing, plus they make for very popular posts. Think of how you would rank some of the things you are interested in, and use that as a post.</p>
<p>** Use future posting when you’re creative. One of the things I love about WordPress, is that I can write an article when I have a good idea, or when I feel creative, and then post it to be published at a later date. There’s nothing harder than feeling like you have to write. So when you do feel like writing, create a 2 or 3 posts and set them to be published at a later date.</p>
<p>** Read magazines related to your blog. Magazines are great because they always have tons of ideas that people want to read about, that are current. Pick up a couple of your favorites, or subscribe to them. As you sit down to write your blog, pick one up and scan the headlines… you’re sure to find an idea jump out of there.</p>
<p>I could keep going, but I think you get the general idea. You don’t have to have any huge posts or groundshaking new concepts. People subscribe to your blog because they want to hear from you. But now it will hopefully be easier to know what to say.</p>
<p><strong>About The Author</strong></p>
<p>John Child is a professional speaker, author and trainer. He has conducted Internet Marketing seminars around the country and other parts of the world for companies like Microsoft, Success Magazine, eBay, and many others. He is the author of books and training programs such as &#8220;Selling the Web&#8221;, &#8220;Virtual Downlines&#8221;, and &#8220;The Strategic Web&#8221;.</p>
<p>His latest training specializes in teaching Network Marketing and MLM professionals how to use Social Networking to build their business online. You can learn more and read John&#8217;s blog at <a href="http://www.mysocialnetworkmarketing.com" title="http://www.mysocialnetworkmarketing.com" class="autohyperlink" target="_blank">www.mysocialnetworkmarketing.com</a>.</p>
<p>>>This article is Copyrighted by The BrainChild Company. You are free to use and repost the content of this article as long as you use the entire author bio as posted above.<<</p>
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		<title>Blog Commenting: The Short-Term Benefits Vs. The Long-Term Benefits</title>
		<link>http://www.blogwidow.com/articles/blog-commenting-benefits.shtml</link>
		<comments>http://www.blogwidow.com/articles/blog-commenting-benefits.shtml#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:55:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BlogWidow.com Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blogwidow.com/?p=261</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by: Luca Moretti
Commenting on blogs is often cited as being important for any website’s link-building efforts. However, the benefits of blog commenting vary depending on how you approach the process. Most people who are doing it solely to build links and drive traffic to their site leave quick, relatively thoughtless comments on blogs that do [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>by: Luca Moretti</p>
<p>Commenting on blogs is often cited as being important for any website’s link-building efforts. However, the benefits of blog commenting vary depending on how you approach the process. Most people who are doing it solely to build links and drive traffic to their site leave quick, relatively thoughtless comments on blogs that do not have no-follow turned off. While this may bring your blog instant traffic and links, the long-term benefits of leaving thoughtful comments and building relationships with bloggers is far more valuable.<br />
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Blog Commenting for Relationship-Building</p>
<p>When you comment on a blog not just to drop links but to actually interact with the blogger and his/her readers, you build an ongoing relationship that will give you far more benefits in the long run. When you comment on blogs to actually start a valuable conversation, the blogger will be more inclined to take you seriously. Self-serving blog comments may give you visibility, traffic, and links but what about building relationships with other people online that will bring you long-term benefits? If a popular blogger endorses one of your sites or services in the future, it could provide you with far more value than a self-serving link.</p>
<p>The Way Most Marketers Approach Blog Commenting</p>
<p>Most blog commentators that are trying to build links will scan the article in question and leave a comment that is vaguely relevant to the topic at hand. Bloggers love comments and typically read every single one when moderating them. Bloggers will probably remember your company name and the content of your blog comments so in essence, leaving blog comments is an aspect of brand-building. Your blog comment will be seen by hundreds if not thousands of people over the life of the blog and if you are leaving comments that are borderline spam, what does that say about you and your brand image?</p>
<p>The best way to approach blog commenting is by treating it as if it were a part of your marketing campaign. Don’t just leave comments on blogs for the sake of link-building. You can reap far more benefit with thoughtful blog comments because you will be able to network with others and form valuable relationships that will assist you in expanding your business. Furthermore, your blog comments are like advertising for your company and spammy blog comments are only going to hurt your company’s image in the eyes of the hundreds of blog readers who come across them.</p>
<p>It’s obvious to bloggers when you leave generic comments that are there for the sake of driving traffic to your site or building links. Bloggers respect commentators who are actually trying to develop a personal connection and rapport with them. Consider altering your mindset about blog commenting because the benefits of putting more thought into your comments and connecting with bloggers will pay off in the future.</p>
<p>In conclusion, blog commenting should be considered a networking tactic rather than a link-building tactic. The long-term benefits of forging mutually valuable relationships with bloggers are far more promising than the immediate benefits link dropping may offer you. Link dropping may bring you some traffic but the people who read your thoughtless blog comments aren’t going to hold you in very high regard. Building a powerful reputation is an essential component of your success online.</p>
<p>&#8211;<br />
<a href="http://SEOSapien.com" title="http://SEOSapien.com" class="autohyperlink" target="_blank">SEOSapien.com</a> is a search engine optimization company. We offer guaranteed and affordable seo services. If you would like to learn more about our company please visit <a href="http://www.seosapien.com" title="http://www.seosapien.com" class="autohyperlink" target="_blank">www.seosapien.com</a></p>
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		<title>Automatic Blog</title>
		<link>http://www.blogwidow.com/articles/automatic-blog.shtml</link>
		<comments>http://www.blogwidow.com/articles/automatic-blog.shtml#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:53:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BlogWidow.com Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Articles]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blogwidow.com/?p=259</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by: Bob Coleman
Automatic Blog WordPress Plugin is the topic of this article. Now that I&#8217;ve used it for several months, I&#8217;d like to share my experience here as it may be helpful to other Internet Marketers who use WordPress Blogs and bloggers in general who are looking for ways to automate their blog posting.
I own [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>by: Bob Coleman</p>
<p>Automatic Blog WordPress Plugin is the topic of this article. Now that I&#8217;ve used it for several months, I&#8217;d like to share my experience here as it may be helpful to other Internet Marketers who use WordPress Blogs and bloggers in general who are looking for ways to automate their blog posting.</p>
<p>I own several domain hosted WordPress blogs. My greatest challenge was posting to my blogs on a recurrent basis. Since these blogs are in several niches, I typically researched the current trends in that particular niche, took notes, wrote a brief article about a new slant on the niche and posted to my blogs. Obviously this is time consuming and tedious. Especially if you have to do it for multiple blogs.<br />
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Then I experimented with RSS feeds. RSS worked well, except that the feeds only provided partial paragraphs of information. For my visitors to read the entire post, they had to click on the hyperlink. That defeated my purpose of trying to make my blogs &#8220;sticky&#8221; by providing diverse, quality content.</p>
<p>Besides, the fact that good RSS software tended to be cost prohibitive.</p>
<p>Then I got a Tweet from a friend Nikola about a new product called Automatic Blog. Nick went on to explain that the advantage of Automatic Blog was that it pulled full articles (300 words) from <a href="http://Articlesbase.com" title="http://Articlesbase.com" class="autohyperlink" target="_blank">Articlesbase.com</a> article directory directly into any domain hosted WordPress blog, and that once set up, it did this automatically each and every day.</p>
<p>Furthermore I could select from over 300 categories in the article directory and literally &#8220;cherry-pick&#8221; the sorts of articles I wanted to import.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll just share the results from using Automatic Blog on one of my blogs.</p>
<p>First, I was able to immediately plug the areas that were lacking on my blog. You know those topical areas that you know you should post to, but you just never get around to it. Let me be more specific. Topic of my blog is Internet Marketing. I had originally planned to develop page on Free Traffic, Sales, SEO, PPC, Site Design, etc. Prior to using Automatic Blog, I&#8217;d only posted content into one category because I just didn&#8217;t have time to write 20 articles.</p>
<p>Within a couple of days of field testing Automatic Blog I posted 10 highly relevant, targeted content articles to my blog.</p>
<p>Now I&#8217;m able to meet the needs of my blog visitors and subscribers, by providing a variety of articles that gave advice and solutions to their problems.In the past it would have taken me several days to write 10 articles from scratch.</p>
<p>Automatic Blog literally saves me hours of research, writing and posting. I know there are similar tools on the market, but none of them pulls full articles like Automatic Blog.</p>
<p>Automatic Blog also comes with a complete 13-part video tutorial series to walk through of blogging, from novice to advanced blogging techniques.</p>
<p>&#8211;<br />
To learn more about Automatic Blog, save time and effort posting to your blog and boost blog traffic, get your FREE report at <a href="http://www.automaticblog.info/automaticblog_lp1.php" title="http://www.automaticblog.info/automaticblog_lp1.php" class="autohyperlink" target="_blank">www.automaticblog.info/automaticblog_lp1.php</a></p>
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		<title>Optimizing WordPress Blogs</title>
		<link>http://www.blogwidow.com/blogging-tips/optimizing-wordpress-blogs.shtml</link>
		<comments>http://www.blogwidow.com/blogging-tips/optimizing-wordpress-blogs.shtml#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:50:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BlogWidow.com Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blogging Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blogwidow.com/?p=257</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by: Jonathan Leger
When using WordPress Blogs, you need to use the proper elements. Headings are always at the top. Paragraphs need to have the right structure. Make sure your lists are actual List and not some gibberish. The theme should be constructed properly, if you use Images make sure there is text to back it [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>by: Jonathan Leger</p>
<p>When using WordPress Blogs, you need to use the proper elements. Headings are always at the top. Paragraphs need to have the right structure. Make sure your lists are actual List and not some gibberish. The theme should be constructed properly, if you use Images make sure there is text to back it up. Keep your content up to date and good, great of course would be better. Let you creativity flow. Use the permalink structure.<br />
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When setting up each of these you need to keep the following content and styles in the forefront of your mind. For Page titles, it should mean and say exactly what the content on the page is. Alt tags are where you put text to match your images. Tags are how each link goes to a specific part on each web page. Landing sites, is when your visitors actually make it to your site, what do you want them to see. If you think they may have a hard time finding the right stuff or if they are not directly pointed to the right spot think of adding a blog there.</p>
<p>Use Google sitemaps, this helps to make sure you’re the content is accurate and makes sure it is right. Pinging aggregators make sure that any time a new blog is posted relating to your site it is directed to you. Keep Valid markup in mind, this makes sure that the keywords and your site are valid and accurate in content. Use BackLinks you and your friends can help each other and other bloggers by back linking to each other. Use the titles as the primary keywords. Be sure to include links in your forums and emails.</p>
<p>Keep the content up to date, dead content means a dead site. Do not give up no matter how frustrated you get, and that each new blog represents the title. Get the reader involved, no one likes being talk at but being talked to gives the whole experience a feeling of a conversation.</p>
<p>Use correct post titles and make sure they are clear and to the point, either that or extremely catchy.</p>
<p>Following each of these and keeping your goals in mind will help insure your sites success.</p>
<p>&#8211;<br />
Jonathan Leger is working hard to be the coolest guy on the planet. Find out how he&#8217;s doing by visiting: <a href="http://coolestguyontheplanet.org/" title="http://coolestguyontheplanet.org/" class="autohyperlink" target="_blank">coolestguyontheplanet.org/</a></p>
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		<title>Wordpress Themes: Selecting an Effective Theme</title>
		<link>http://www.blogwidow.com/blogging-tips/wordpress-themes-selecting-an-effective-theme.shtml</link>
		<comments>http://www.blogwidow.com/blogging-tips/wordpress-themes-selecting-an-effective-theme.shtml#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:47:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BlogWidow.com Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blogging Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blogwidow.com/?p=251</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by: Gobala Krishnan
If you&#8217;re blogging on the Wordpress platform, I&#8217;ll bet my entire life savings that the first thing you ever did was try to install a new Wordpress theme. I&#8217;ll bet my future earnings that even today you&#8217;re still occasionally changing themes and wasting a lot of time doing minor modifications that when summed [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>by: Gobala Krishnan</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re blogging on the Wordpress platform, I&#8217;ll bet my entire life savings that the first thing you ever did was try to install a new Wordpress theme. I&#8217;ll bet my future earnings that even today you&#8217;re still occasionally changing themes and wasting a lot of time doing minor modifications that when summed up merely distracts you from blogging itself.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s actually easy to see why this single aspect of running a blog demands so much attention. With the correct theme, you can accommodate all the nifty little widgets and codes, and may also mean better search engine rankings and tons of fresh traffic every day.<br />
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So what are the factors you need to consider to make theme-hunting easier? Here are five important ingredients:</p>
<p>1) Theme Width and Columns</p>
<p>Typically, Wordpress themes come in 2-column or 3-column formats, with widths ranging from 500 pixels to 960 pixels wide. If you&#8217;re blogging for non-profit purposes, a 2-column theme can look more compact and reader-friendly. Since you have less images of products or links to other sites to display, you can focus exclusively on the content without leading readers away from your site.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if you&#8217;re blogging for profit, you may want to consider a 3-column Wordpress theme that will be able to accommodate your Google Adsense, Chitika and Text Link Ads codes comfortably without squeezing everything in the content area. 3-column themes allow room for expansion, but in the event that you&#8217;ve filled up all available space with ads, then it&#8217;s time you removed the non-performers and use only the advertising services that work for that particular blog.</p>
<p>2) Use of Images and Icons</p>
<p>A theme with images and icons can look good, but it rarely increases your web traffic or subscriber base. In fact, most &#8220;A-list&#8221; bloggers have plain vanilla themes with a simple logo on top. Reducing the amount of images also means faster loading time and less stress on your servers. This vital aspect of server load become apparent only if you have tens of thousands of visitors a day, but it&#8217;s worth designing for the future.</p>
<p>A image-laden theme also distracts readers from the content itself. This is the reason why blogs like Engadget and Tech Crunch use images intensively in the content areas to add value to a post, but the theme itself is simple and rather minimalist.</p>
<p>Ideally, a theme should allow you to use your own header image for stronger branding purposes, yet replace images and icons with links and text, or just not use them at all unless absolutely necessary.</p>
<p>3) Compatibility with Plugins</p>
<p>Another time-sucking activity is installing plugins that improve the functionality of your site. There&#8217;s a plugin out there for almost everything you want to do with your blog, but while most of them are free and easily obtainable, it&#8217;s not always easy to install the plugins and insert the codes into your Wordpress theme.</p>
<p>If your theme is too complicated, it may be a headache to even insert that one line of code you need to make a plugin work. This is often the case with advanced AJAX-based Wordpress themes that have too many files and heavy coding. I&#8217;ve always preferred a simpler themes that stick to the default Wordpress theme as much as possible, so I can cut back on the learning curve and just get on with my life.</p>
<p>Remember that the purpose of your blog is to deliver timely, relevant content to your readers, Any theme that preserves or improves the reader experience is good, any theme that subtracts from the experience is bad.</p>
<p>4) Search Engine Optimization</p>
<p>A lot can be said about search engine optimization, but at the end of the day if you have content worth reading eventually you&#8217;ll get the rankings you deserve. That doesn&#8217;t mean that you don&#8217;t need SEO; all it means is that what you really need to do is to make sure:</p>
<p>(a) Your tags are formatted properly, with the name of the post first followed by the name of the blog &#8211; some themes can do this automatically without modification to the code or use of a plugin</p>
<p>(b) All your blog content titles use the H1 tag, with the main keywords used instead of non-descriptive text for better SEO relevance</p>
<p>(b) Your theme has clean source codes, and if possible all formatting is linked to an external CSS file which you can edit independently</p>
<p>5) Plug-And-Play Ease of Use</p>
<p>Can the theme be installed easily on an existing blog without having to move things around? Can the same theme be used and customized easily on your other blogs? These are some additional things you may want to consider when theme-shopping, especially if every minute of downtime on your blog may mean lost revenue.</p>
<p>While it&#8217;s hard to make comparisons due to the sheer amount of free and paid themes out there, it&#8217;s still a good idea to have a test blog site. Test any theme you plan on using, and make sure your test blog is also fitted with all the plugins and miscellaneous widgets used on your real blog. The last thing you want is for your readers start seeing weird error messages on your blog.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, a theme is just a theme. Instead of spending your time installing them, it may be wiser to outsource the task and focus more on your readers. Alternatively, you may also want to consider buying &#8220;plug-and-play&#8221; themes for a reasonable price. Dennis De&#8217; Bernardy of <a href="http://ProWordpress.com" title="http://ProWordpress.com" class="autohyperlink" target="_blank">ProWordpress.com</a> has probably one of the best themes around, but if you&#8217;re short on cash there are certainly cheaper alternatives.</p>
<p>Copyright (c) Gobala Krishnan</p>
<p>Gobala Krishnan is a niche marketing and Wordpress blogging expert who has helped thousands of beginners start blogging for fun and profit. With his &#8220;Instant Wordpress Themes&#8221; package you can get &#8220;Plug-in-Profit&#8221; niche themes for $1 each. You can browse the current selection at <a href="http://www.easywordpress.com/go/instant-am" title="http://www.easywordpress.com/go/instant-am" class="autohyperlink" target="_blank">www.easywordpress.com/go/instant-am</a></p>
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		<title>Installing Wordpress Themes and Plugins</title>
		<link>http://www.blogwidow.com/blogging-tips/installing-wordpress-themes-and-plugins.shtml</link>
		<comments>http://www.blogwidow.com/blogging-tips/installing-wordpress-themes-and-plugins.shtml#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:46:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>BlogWidow.com Admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blogging Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.blogwidow.com/?p=249</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is just a very quick overview of how to install all the fancy themes and plugins that make wordpress such a great blog platform.
Before you read this you should already be familiar with wordpress and be part way through setting up your blog. I would recommend you read the post &#8220;Blogs 101 The Essential [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This is just a very quick overview of how to install all the fancy themes and plugins that make wordpress such a great blog platform.</p>
<p>Before you read this you should already be familiar with wordpress and be part way through setting up your blog. I would recommend you read the post &#8220;Blogs 101 The Essential Tips For Setting Up WordPress&#8221; on the TimScullin blog before you start.<br />
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You can download and automatically install a majority of the plugins direct from the WordPress Admin page by going Plugins>Add New. These directions are for installing the themes and plugins you find outside of the main Wordpress site. Installing a WordPress Plugin</p>
<p>All WordPress Plugins install the same way.</p>
<p>Download the latest version of the WordPress Plugin to your computer.</p>
<p>With an FTP program, access your site&#8217;s server.</p>
<p>Upload (copy) the Plugin file(s) or folder to the /wp-content/plugins folder.</p>
<p>In your WordPress Administration Panels, click on Plugins from the menu at the top.</p>
<p>You should see your new Plugin listed. If not, with your FTP program, check the folder to see if it is installed. If it isn&#8217;t, upload the file(s) again. If it is, delete the files and upload them again.</p>
<p>To turn the WordPress Plugin on, click Activate on the far right side of the list.</p>
<p>Check your Administration Panels or WordPress blog to see if the Plugin is working.</p>
<p>Installing a WordPress Theme</p>
<p>All WordPress Themes install the same way.</p>
<p>Download the latest version of the WordPress Theme to your computer.</p>
<p>With an FTP program, access your site&#8217;s server.</p>
<p>Upload (copy) the Themes file(s) to the /wp-content/themes folder.</p>
<p>In your WordPress Administration Panels, click on Appearance from the menu at the top.</p>
<p>You should see your new Theme listed. If not, with your FTP program, check the folder to see if it is installed. If it isn&#8217;t, upload the file(s) again. If it is, delete the files and upload them again.</p>
<p>Click on the theme you want to switch to and you will see what the new theme would look like.</p>
<p>If you are happy with your new look then click &#8220;Activate &#8216;New Theme&#8217;&#8221; in the top right corner.</p>
<p>Check your WordPress blog to see how the new theme looks.</p>
<p>Easy as.</p>
<p>If you have any issues checkout wordpress support for plugins or themes jump on Google and see what people say, there is a lot of support for WordPress out there and I&#8217;m sure you will find what you are looking for.</p>
<p>Remember to check out <a href="http://timscullin.com/twitter/blogs-101-the-essential-tips-for-setting-up-wordpress" title="http://timscullin.com/twitter/blogs-101-the-essential-tips-for-setting-up-wordpress" class="autohyperlink" target="_blank">timscullin.com/twitter/blogs-101-the-essential-tips-for-setting-up-wordpress</a></p>
<p>&#8211;<br />
Tim Scullin broke his neck in November 2009 in 6 places and will have a full recovery, but during the recovery time he has dived into the black hole that is web marketing. Now back in action he is keen to share his knowledge to help you build your online empire as he builds his. Check out his blog <a href="http://www.timscullin.com" title="http://www.timscullin.com" class="autohyperlink" target="_blank">www.timscullin.com</a> and add him on twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/teeskie" title="http://twitter.com/teeskie" class="autohyperlink" target="_blank">twitter.com/teeskie</a></p>
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