Networking Techniques to Increase Blog Traffic

It excites me everytime I see my mailbox full of messages from my blog readers. And thus, one of my ultimate blogging dream is to have continuous traffic on my blog. Because that would just prove that I am making some sense to other people. I got to be honest, my blog is just pagerank 3 and I havent been earning that much from blogging so why would people care to read what I am writing?

I am not expecting internet users to read my money making techniques or whatsoever. I just want to put everything in a journal and maybe someday when I become successful, I can look back and say “Hey guys what I have mentioned before regarding this ..& that… are working. You can see me now, I am earning 4-digit a month because of affiliate marketing, adsense, paidposting, etc” (in my dreams!?!?... Well, lets wait and see…) Also, I am writing these things so that other successful bloggers who may be peeking or taking a glimpse of my humble site can tell me if what I am doing is right or wrong. I have always been checking other blogs to compare notes, see if I am taking the right path. So now, let me tell you some basic tips which may have been one reason why I have google pagerank 3 and why I have readers subscribe on my feed (thanks to you guys!).

1. Blog hopping. If you have been reading my blog, you would always notice that I often use the phrase “Blog Hop” & “Blog Hopping.” And the truth is, I really do blog hop. Why? As I have mentioned above, I am not an expert so I want to learn techniques on how to be a successful blogger. I need to know what my co-bloggers are doing which may have been working with them , thus, I can try it on my end. Also, I blog hop so that I can collate links of helpful information that I can share with others (it works both ways because I also get to promote the Website that I like).

2. Taking Advantage of Blog Comments. I am not saying that in every blog that you visit, you have put comments (not necessarily). But I do believe that every blog has its own beauty, if you can devote quality time with a blog that are of your interests, try to check out its archive and you can definitely see one post that is worthy of a beautiful comment. If you really care about the blogger (and have enough courage), then you can add a feedback on how to improve the site.

3. Joining popular online communities. This I guess has the greatest contribution of what I have achieved already. Some of the online communities that I am into right now are :

• Blogcatalog – Very accomodating community where you get to meet a lot of bloggers that are writing about different topics. If you want to look for bloggers that have the same interests as yours, then you can check out the blogcatalog group. Blogcatalog is one of the largest and well-known blog directory so you should have your blog url listed in this community.
• Entrecard – One of the most popular networking strategies in the blogging world is entrecard. I actually consider this as an advertising community because, the idea is to basically visit a site through the entrecard badge. Although some may say that entrecard dropping is not a good idea, I think it still depends on the blogger. What I actually do after clicking on the entrecard badge, I still take some time to read the blog and check out some interesting posts. There are times that I even got inspired by this unknown blogger. So be wise when using entrecard and make the most out of it.
• StumbleUpon – This is a very helpful tool in sharing good content. What you actually do when you use StumbleUpon is similar to the idea of adding frequently visited sites on your browser’s Favorites or Bookmarks and sharing your list with your family & friends. Install the StumbleUpon toolbar and get started with your favorites list.
• Technorati – Quite similar to stumbleupon but this doesn’t require any software installation. Just create a Technorati profile and you can start storing your frequently visited blogs on your favorites. Im still learning the process and if you want to know more about it to check out Technorati Support.
• Mybloglog – Just like blogcatalog, mybloglog allows you to get connected with other bloggers. It also has a large community so you get to meet and be linked with many people. Moreover, you also get to add a widget and track your site visitors. To get more information about Mybloglog, visit : http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/mybloglog
• Friendster – I’ve been a member of friendster (I think long before I started blogging). My original goal was to meet my long lost friends and family. Also, to update my loved ones about my interesting life. But lately, I noticed other friendster friends, that they have shoutouts about their blog. That’s a good idea. So I inserted my blog URL on my shoutout. And if you don’t have any blog, you can actually create a blog on your friendster account.
• Myspace – I am not a subscriber of myspace but I guess it works just like friendster. But I’ll be subscribing on this community soon at : http://www.myspace.com
  

4. Blog Tagging – Some bloggers are fond of this strategy. Well, I am not into tagging because there are times that the topic they are discussing is not in line with my blog theme. So, in as much as I would like to participate, I tend not to react to that tag or if I will respond, I do it on my other blog. I believe tagging is more appropriate to personal blogs where you can write about anything and yes, it really helps in expanding your network.

That’s basically it! If you have networking techniques that are not on my list, I’ll be glad to hear them out. =)

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SEJ Guest Blogging Contest: $9K Prize

Would you like to have a $9000 worth of Search Marketing services and products? Then join the Guest blogging competition of Search Engine Journal.



Here is an excerpt from the SEJ:

"What Can You Write About?
This competition is open to all writers and bloggers, not only those in the search marketing field. So, you can write about anything from blogs to blogging, SEO to paid search, Twitter to RSS, your thoughts on Yahoo or Google, even Top 10 or Top 101 Lists are acceptable. Be bold, and be creative :)"

If you want to learn more about the contest visit : SEJ Guest Blogging Competition : Win Over $9,000 in Search Marketing Prizes

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Get in shape for the summer

Summer is just a couple of months away and undoubtedly you want to go out in the sun wearing as little clothing as possible. Still, this is an option only for those who look good and have no reason to hide their bodies. If heavy winter food and spring asthenia haven’t brought you down with depression, then you were certainly put off by a recent look into the mirror. It’s high time to lose that spare tire you are carrying around your waist and get in shape for the coming summer. You still have the time to get rid of the fat and make a good impression at the beach.


The best way to start when tackling the problem of shedding weight is by taking a good look at your diet. If you want to change anything about the way you look, this is your top priority. You are going to have to cut down on potatoes, pasta and bread. You are also going to skip chips, soda, fries and all sorts of fast food. Instead, you should rely on fruits and vegetables to keep hunger away. Keep fruits with you at all times and eat to your heart’s content. If you feel hungry and desperate for a snack, don’t buy a bag of chips or a hamburger. Instead, you should eat a banana or a couple of apples.

The second part of your weight loss strategy should be exercising. It doesn’t matter if you feel all rusty after the long winter and it doesn’t matter if you are not in the mood. Get off the couch and exercise for at least 30 minutes every day. Before you start growling, I’d like to point out that 30 minutes are by no means a sacrifice. If you can find a couple of hours to watch TV every day, then you can certainly find 30 minutes to exercise in order to stay in shape and healthy. The best way to exercise is to go to the gym. If you’re not comfortable with that, you should at least go jogging. It’s good for your heart and it helps you burn fat fast.

Another good way to shed weight is to use a weight loss system. The best such system around is the amazing ProShapeRX - O-Vital, the only weight loss solution to combine pills, exercises and diet tips. This multi-sided approach helps you burn existing fat and preventing the accumulation of new fat from food. The unique database of dieting tips and recipes is also perfect for anybody interested in healthy eating. With the help of this system you will shed all unwanted weight just in time for beach parties.

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Making Money through Photography

I think April is my Money Making Ideas Month. If you will notice almost all of my posts are about Money Making Techniques. I actually did not plan to do that in purpose. It's just that when I started writing about that subject and have made thorough research about it, I discovered that there are really a lot of ways you can make money online. And why not share the ideas on how to can earn money by doing something you love?

Previously I've featured how to make money by simply clicking your mouse. Well, I am now introducing another one that has to do with clicking, not with your mouse but with your treasured camera. If you are a person who has "Magical Click" or the power to turn memories into an artwork, you have to hear me out. Because if you got that special talent, it's time for you to shine and have more than just a dime.... you can now turn those shots into cash by visiting these sites:




Shutterstock is highly recommended by Photographers who are making money online because you can actually have high earnings on this program. It pays $0.25 everytime your images are downloaded. Meaning, if you have 1000 download per month, you can earn $250 dollars. So its time to turn your hobby into money by Joining Shutterstock.

Fotolia is one of the leading providers of free stock images. But it also offers high quality images at an affordable cost. With this, Fotolia is looking for artistic photographers who can contribute to their website. Contributors will have a 33% - 80% commission of the image selling price. Sounds good enough? Well, if you are interested, please Sign up for a Fotolia Account

Dreamstime is a known Royalty-free stock photography community where people can buy quality images for as low as $0.20. If you have a passion for photography, you can Register here for FREE and receive 50%-80% commission on your sold photos. Join Dreamstime Now!

So what are you waiting for? Register to those websites now for free and start making money $$$

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Is Affiliate Marketing an Effective Way to Earn Money Online?

Affiliate Marketing is a business relationship between a producer and advertiser. A producer can be a company or individual that is selling products or services while an advertiser is someone who is willing to promote the said product or service. This relationship is now strongly built online and is considered one effective way to earn money online.

So why all of a sudden I am talking about Affiliate Marketing? Plainly because I have recently engaged into Affiliate programs and hoping that one day I'll be successful. Also, I would like to share this information to those would like to earn money online without spending any money (because sign up is for free). Moreover, I would like to seek advice from you so you can help me become successful on my endeavors.

Some of the Affiliate Programs that I am currently into are the following:

Bravenet is a service that helps webmasters in creating and maintaing their websites. It provides free site and free tools such as mailing list, counter, guestbook, widgets and a lot more. If you need enhanced features such as having your own domain name then you can create a pro account with minimal fee. They also have an Affiliate Program that allows you to earn $1 per affiliate program referral and $50-$100 per hosting account you refer. So Join Bravenet Now to get the most of web designing and affiliate marketing.

One of the leading payment services on the internet, Paypal allows you to securely pay for your online purchases (using your debit cards) and even track your online expenses. You may also send, receive and request money globally. If you would like to earn money online, you need to sign up for a Paypal account (which is actually for free) because most programs and clients have Paypal as one of their payment method. Moreover, it has a Great Affiliate Program that allows you to earn $1000 for every Merchant you refer.


One of the affiliate programs that you can never resists because of the enticing ad that says "Earn up to $233 per sale" with "High demand products that get searched for over 2 Million times per month." Sign up as an advertiser of World Niche to get rich.

Want to have a $50 dollar sign up bonus? Register at Domain IT and get the same benefit ($50) for every web hosting sales. You can even help webmasters in creating their own name online with minimal fee (as low as $7.95 a month).

An upfront $50 sign up bonus is offered by Press Releasing Affiliate Program. Afterwhich you can earn 12% commission on every sale you generate by promoting their writing services.

A safe and easy to use online payment method. With the use of just an email address, you can send to your bank account from a credit card. It also has a Refer a Friend Program which will allow you to earn as much as 100 euros. So Sign up for a Moneybookers Account now.

I have read a lot of blogs and these are just some of the affiliate programs that they suggest. Most of the blogs are affiliate markerters too and they really recommend this process if you are serious about making money online. But I guess you need to have strategies so you can maximize the benefits of Affiliate Programs. Some of the things that I am considering are the following:

1. Quality Writings. Of course, you would not want your website to look like a online billboard where it has a lot of advertisements. As they say "Content is always the king" you have to couple your ads with quality review. But if you have been a blogger or webmaster for quite sometime now and your site or blog has a lot of visitors, that only proves that you can write quality content which you can use on Affiliate Programs.

2. Proper Placement of Advertisements. Organize your blog and make sure to place your ads where your readers can actually see them. And make sure that you don't clutter your blog with so much advertisements.

3. Seek Advice from the Experts. It's always good to ask because that is one way of learning new things. If you are afraid to ask then you can just simply visit the sites of Online Money Makers. Use the search engine to discover who are earning money online. Some of my favorites are: Problogger and Dosh Dosh

So do you think I'm taking the right path in becoming a successful online blogger and marketer? Or do you know any other legit Affiliate Program that pays well? I'd like to hear from you. =)

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How to Earn Money Online : More than 70 Great Links where you can earn cash

Is it really possible to earn money through internet? The answer is “YES” and I believe a lot of people would agree with me. I think the follow up question to that is how to earn money online?

There are many ways in which you can earn a decent income while online. Let me categorize them into two:
1. Be an online employee
2. Sell Product

BE AN ONLINE EMPLOYEE
How would you feel working at the comforts of your home? Well, that thought is very much appealing to me. I bet all Mother’s out there who are trying to make ends meet and still prefer to be with their children while working would definitely love that idea too. Let’s say thank you to the brilliant people who created the internet for making this thought into a reality. Now you can be an online employee by looking for a online job.

Where exactly can you get an online job? I got my first online earnings from my ghostwriting, big THANKS to my friend “Malou Barry,” (not her true name of course), she was the one who encouraged me to write so that I can have an extra income. Now, she is one of my mentors when it comes to “making money online.” Why am I sharing this? Just to let you know that you can really earn money by using your talent. Either be a temporary helper of a client or an employee of a company. If you know how to write articles or ebook, design blogs or websites, create graphics, do data entry, be a technical guru, teach online and others then you may meet your future client or boss at any of the following freelancing sites:

1. Rentacoder: Although the site imposes a high commission, I personally like it because this is where I mostly got my project from. They even have arbitration if the coder and buyer didn’t agree in some point. And if ever you have other problems within the site, rentacoder staff will really look into the issue and make a resolution.
2. Getafreelancer Most of my friends have good experiences on this site and they said its highly recommendable. The site posts a lot of projects everyday.
3. Scriptlance : This site posts both temporary and permanent work. So you can check on their Project List as well as on their Job Listings. Check out their Job Listings because that is where you can get a more permanent job from one of the prospect clients.
4. Guru : The site both has a free and premium subscription. I only got one client from that site because I don’t have the premium account. You may want to give it a try and see if you got the talent that the clients are looking for.
5. Online Writing Jobs : If you are a writer then this site is for you. It has job listings of clients looking for different kinds of writers (technical, creative, academic, etc.


These are the major freelance job database that I have had experience with. So you can also visit other sites such as : Go Freelance , GET A CODER and Elance.

If you are looking for a permanent homebased job, you can explore the popular Job Banks such as: Jobstreet.com, Monster.com, Bestjobs.ph (for Filipinos), etc. and just use the search term “homebased,” “work at home,” or “telecommute” to get a list of homebased jobs.

II. SELL A PRODUCT
Another way to earn money online is by selling a product either directly or indirectly. Directly selling a product is the best option if you want to earn more but that is more tedious compared to just recommending the product or service and encouraging others to buy it. Decide which path you are heading according to your abilities and resources. Why do I say so? Because if you will be directly selling a product, you need to have a capital. Otherwise, venture on just being an affiliate and invest by using your writing talents. So let me tell you the different ways you can earn money online using your “selling power.”

A. Participate in Auction Sites or Build an online Business.
Selling products online is very profitable specially if your products are unique and has high demand. My sister is now a homebased Mom, making a living out of her online business. What does she do? She actually is a power seller in Ebay.ph (leonalianne) and Auction.ph. Mind you, my sister is not a computer geek at first but she already has that “selling power” offline. So if you have that ability as well, then you can visit sites like
1. Ebay.com
2. Auction.ph (Philippines only)
3. Amazon.com
4. Ubid
5. Bidz

If you want to invest more, you can create a website and embed an ecommerce on your page so people can directly purchase from your site.

B. Monetize from your blog
Creating a post can be so much fun if you really do like writing. It does not only becomes your outlet when you happy or sad, but it also allows you get to know a lot of people from around the world because you got great and not so good comments from people whom you never meet. And the best thing about blogs is you can even earn some money from it. Here’s how:

• Paid Posting/Review : I am tempted to go into this direction with the recommendation of my friends but I havent signed up to any of Get Paid to Post programs just because I havent had the time yet. So what is Paid Posting all about? It is one type of GPT program (which I would later on discuss) that would require you to create a post or a review about a website product or service on your own blog. And in order for you to be a qualified reviewer or endorser you need to have a blog which is at least 2 months old. Some websites may have different requirements so make sure that you carefully read the terms and agreement before you apply. After which you can create a post or review that is in English and contains at least 200 words. Sounds easy for you? If yes then you can now visit some of these Paid Posting or Review Sites:

1. 451 Press
2. Blogitive
3. Blogmeout
4. Blogsvertise
5. BlogToProfit
6. BOTW Media
7. BuyBlogReviews
8. Loudlaunch
9. MoneyTYZ
10. Payperpost.com
11. PayU2Blog
12. Review me
13. SnapBomb
14. Smorty.com
15. Sponsored Reviews

• Adsense: I havent had big earnings on Adsense but my brother is earning a decent income from Google and I have read stories of people who are really earning from Adsense. Take a look at this article from John Chow (a site that I frequently visit which has a lot of interesting articles) "The Internet Biggest Google Whores"and be inspired.
  
  
  
  
  

• Become an Affiliate or Advertiser (Advertisements) – I’ve excluded Google from this list just because a lot of people are making a living out of Google Adsense. However, there are still a lot of Programs or Companies out there that needs your help in advertising their product. You can check out the Paid to Post sites that I have provided above because most of them have an affiliate program as well. But if you want to earn more money through affiliate marketing, you can check out this big companies:

1. Commission Junction
2. Linkshare
3. Amazon

C. Participate in GPT
Get-Paid-To (GPT) Programs – So what is GPT? Get-Paid-To are programs that would tell you do to something and they will pay you for that. Paid to Post which was already discussed on the previous topic is one example of Get-Paid-To (GPT) programs. However, there are still other types of Get-Paid-To (GPT) programs that doesn’t require for you to have a blog. I'm not experienced when it comes to Get-Paid-To (GPT) programs but I have read a lot interesting articles about this topic. Some are earning a small enough but if you have all the time in the world to always be in front of your computer, then you may want to engage into this programs and earn at least $100 a month. However, you need to be extra careful because there are a lot of scams on the internet especially with Get-Paid-To (GPT) programs. I’ll be giving you an extensive list of Get-Paid-To (GPT) programs that I got from through research from forum and blog hopping

List of websites that will pay you to write something on their pages or blog:
1. About.com - http://beaguide.about.com
2. Blog Burner - http://www.blogburner.com/
3. Day Tripper - http://daytipper.com/
4. Pay Me to Blog About You - http://www.paymetoblogaboutyou.com
5. Shvoong - http://www.shvoong.com/promotion/
6. Weblogs Inc - http://www.weblogsinc.com

List of websites that will pay you to do something such as read, complete a survey, click on links, etc:
1. A whole Lot of Green: http://awholelotofgreen.com/ (US Residents Only)
2. Bux.to http://bux.to
3. Cash On Top http://www.cashontap.net/
4. Cash Lagoons http://cashlagoon.com/
5. Cashcrate http://cashcrate.com
6. Dear Barbie http://dealbarbiepays.com/
7. Ezami http://ezami.com/
8. Fairy Tale Treasure http://fairytaletreasure.com/
9. Freebies on Tap http://www.freebiesontap.com/
10. Fusion cash http://www.fusioncash.net/ (US Residents only)
11. Instant Profitz http://www.instantprofitz.com/
12. My Cash Safari http://www.mycashsafari.com/
13. Raid The Bank http://raidthebank.com/
14. Rapid Loot http://www.rapidloot.com/
15. Revolution Offers http://revolutionoffers.com/
16. Snap Dollars http://www.snapdollars.com/
17. Send Earnings http://www.sendearnings.com/
18. Squishy Cash http://squishycash.com/
19. SWAT Cash http://www.swatcash.com/
20. The Cash Grab http://www.thecashgrab.com/
21. This Site is For Real http://www.thissiteisforreal.com (US Residents Only)
22. Treasure Tropper http://www.treasuretrooper.com/

List of websites that will pay you to give Advice, Answer, Opinion, Share Expertise and Others:
1. Bitwine http://www.bitwine.com/
2. Expert Bee http://www.expertbee.com/
3. Know Brainers http://www.knowbrainers.com/
4. Student Questions http://www.studentquestions.com/
5. I want your Answers http://www.iwantyouranswers.com/
6. Small Biz Advice http://www.smallbizadvice.com/
7. Problima http://www.problima.com/
8. Duno http://www.duno.com/
9. Kasamba http://www.kasamba.com
10. Innocentive http://innocentive.com/
11. Idea Connection http://www.ideaconnection.com/solve-problems.html

Do you think this post is useful? And do you know any other means of earning money online? If so, I’d like to hear from you.

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Blog Success: Getting Page Rank 2

I am so happy today coz as I was browsing the pinayblogger forum, I bumped into a pagerank checker ads on that site. So I thought of checking my blog's page rank. Guess what? I now have PR 2. YIPEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!! I never expected that my blog would already have a page rank coz I was really hopeless and just focused on providing freebie-ous information.




courtesy of :
http://www.googlepagerankchecker.com

I even checked it using other page rank checker(http://www.prchecker.info) and here is what I have

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If you will be asking me, how I got this Page Rank, I still dont know but definitely there are a lot of factors. Here are the things that I think will help you get a pagerank:

1. Be consistent. Make it a habit to post new things on your blog (that is of course associated with your blog theme). Although I am still struggling on this area, I know that this is one big factor for your site visitors to continue accessing your blog. It is great if you can at least have a post in a day, however there are times that you run out of words to say, well, I guess its better to just relax during those times instead of pushing yourself so hard so you can write something just for the heck of having a post for that day. Right? But then there are days that you have a lot of things on your mind. One technique that you can use is to create drafts of those posts, then just reserve some for the other days. That would help you have a post for the coming days that you may have a brain damage... hehehe

2. Socialize. It is recommeded that you know how to deal with other bloggers. Networking really works because in this way, you get to expand your audience. Join online communities such as :



Then, you can also add a blogroll on your page so that you can exchange links with others. Some of my friends who has higher page rank even have this "tagging scheme" which I believe really works for them. I dont apply that on my blog coz this is not really a personal blog and I guess that works on blogs that talks about one's life.
There are still a lot of networking sites for bloggers so you can just google them up and give them a try!

3. Be accomodating. There are times that visitors would email you and request something from you like featuring their page on your blog. Always say "Yes" to those request (as long as the site is appropriate to your theme). Be grateful that they ask for your help, it just means that they do like your blog.

4. Learn from others. Never be afraid to ask because that is one way to know the ins and outs of the blogging world. There are a lot of blog icons out there so socialize with these people coz you'll learn a lot from them.

And last piece of advice is to live by your blogs vision and mission. Sounds so professional huh? Well, in simple terms, just stick with your blog theme.

Hey, I'm not an expert coz I know there are still a lot of things to consider so you can be very visible online. So if you have some more advice and tips to have a higher page rank, please do tell me. =)

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BlogRolling: Enhancing your Blog's Visibility

One of the challenges that every blogger would face is getting a high page rank site . Competition on the internet is tough yet I have seen a lot of successful bloggers who are willing to help the newbies (such as ME!). One interesting site that I bump into is the BlogRolling.Com. Blogrolling will manage your blog links. It will also help you connect to other bloggers by using their Blogroll Me feature.

Sign up for Blogrolling and let your blog be more visible on the internet. Then, be my blogmate and subscribe to my blogroll by posting a comment on this page or email me at anyfreebies@gmail.com. You can also help get higher page rank by adding me to your blog so please Blogroll Me!

Happy Blogging!

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