Better Blogging For Bloggers is Looking For A New Owner

“The best advice someone ever told me is... you just have to know when to leave the party…” –Simon Cowell on his farewell speech to American Idol.

To my friends, readers, followers, critics, and everything in between…

After three years (yes, I’ve reached my third year blogging), countless of written posts, a product, an ebook, a report, and lots of critic services given, I’m finally deciding to leave Better Blogging For Bloggers and pass it on someone who may have that energy, time, and optimism as that once 15-year old blogger that I’ve been.

If you think you’re that person, I’m very much eager to hear you wanting to take this opportunity.

The (brief) story of Better Blogging For Bloggers

You may have heard this countless of times (I make it a point to remind every now and then. Haha), even so, let me at least share this one last time.

Better Blogging For Bloggers was a blog established by a 15-year old back in the summer of 2007 (I was bored, and I love to write… so it made sense to devote my whole summer to this). Blogging for me, was something I considered, not just a passion, but learning playground.

Time and time again, I see people complaining… “Liane, why do you have such a very long domain name?” Actually, I forgot. I just remembered having that name since time in memorial, and of course I don’t want to do away with it. My domain name is more than just a name, it’s a message. That everyone, anyone, can be and will be a better blogger.

Right now actually, I realized it’s a pain in the head memorize by a split-second, but I guess due to three year’s worth of socialization and keeping in touch with the blogosphere, it now has something Seth Godin calls a ‘brand’.

Why am I leaving Better Blogging For Bloggers?

And this perhaps, is the part you’re so curious to hear.

The truth is, I am NOT leaving on my own free will. I am simply forced by circumstances to do so.

It's a long story  actually. But in summary, it's this...

This year, and the year before that have been a very crucial point in my life. I left home, and basically my carefree days and went to college. I knew at this point, it’ll be hard to manage both my undergraduate studies and blogging, but nevertheless, I pursued, thinking I really could..

I’ve had some long blogging pauses here and there, but in general, I believe I still carried a balance between my studies and this blog. Of course last summer, I made it a point to be extra active. Which I did with the release of the Blogging Blunders report and even of the newsletter.

Then came my second year in college.

After just mere 2 weeks, the academic readings that I need to finish (not including other subjects) have covered my entire desk. I barely had the luxury to sleep, much more blog. Before, even with a busy sched, I still had the time to clear up for 1-2 hours a day and check on Better Blogging For Bloggers. Now, no matter how hard I try, I just couldn't.

And believe me, I tried. This blog meant a lot to me than you can imagine.

When and Why Did I Decide to Leave?

I never wanted to. Truly.

First week in class, I already predicted the stressful months lying ahead of me. But I tried to hold on thinking I can still blog. Then came the second week and I started to feel the futility of trying to balance blogging and school. On my third week, I finally decided to do what’s best for me blog.

I’m deciding to leave because I don’t want Better Blogging For Bloggers to turn stale and inactive like most blogs do. I know this blog holds potential. Since the time I gave it it’s name, I imagined it to run alongside credible and trustworthy blogs (doesn’t every blogger do?).

I realize at this moment, Better Blogging For Bloggers still hasn’t reached it’s maximum potential. But I know, with those 3 years of effort, the race to success could be close.

The bottomline is, I decided to leave because I don’t want to stand in the way and drag my own blog down (which is what I’m doing right now). It’s sad. I know.

Sometimes, you have to now what’s good for your blog. Even if it means taking yourself out of the picture.

That’s the extreme case. Unfortunately, that’s the case I’m facing right now.

Liane is Looking For a New Owner of Better Blogging For Bloggers

Now comes the big announcement.

I am looking for someone who’d be interested to buy this blog and take over. It’s much preferable if I know you, a reader, or a friend perhaps. But as long as you have a good track record for blogging, and you’re determined to push Better Blogging For Bloggers upwards, then I’d be more than grateful to pass the ownership to you.

Bare minimum requirements:
• Must be a blogger for (at least) 1 year
• Must have at least one blog above PR2
• Must have good grasp of the English language
• Must be dedicated and willing to maintain this blog

Those are the bare minimum requirements. It’s particularly important that you satisfy the 3rd and 4th items. The first two items can be negotiated as long as you show good proof of your skill as a blogger.

What do you get when you buy Better Blogging For Bloggers?

Obviously, you will get the blog and the domain (with the additional .info subdomain too if you want.

Below is the complete list:
• The Better Blogging For Bloggers Blog
• The .com and .info domain of this blog
• All the branding materials/images
• All accounts associated with the blog (RSS feeds, Technorati, etc.)

Beyond the obvious things, you will also get:
• The 70 Ideas For Your Next 70 Posts product (yes, a product. Selling price of $14.95 per copy)
• The Blogging Blunders report (free report as of now but I’ll give full rights should the new owner decide to sell it)
 • The BlogStarted ebook (a blogging tips ebook I created 2 years ago. I haven’t released this yet but I’m willing to pass the full rights of this ebook too)

So as you can see, the new owner, whoever he or she is, will already have a product and giveaways at his/her disposal.

The Brandability of Better Blogging For Bloggers

This blog may just have a PR3 (or is that high already?). But with three years of social networking and connecting/partnering with a lot of bloggers and readers, the brand of this blog has grown steadily over the years.

If you market it to some A-List bloggers, you’d see that it’s recognized too.

Interested to be the next owner? Please Contact Me to get more details

Email Liane (me) at webloggr@gmail.com or you can use this contact form.

I would not be selling this at a buy and sell market since I want to personally talk to interested people. The next owner would be determined by two main factors. First, 50% goes to the amount one is willing to pay for this blog. Second, the remaining 50% will be determined by the expertise of the interested buyer.

This is the fairest thing I could come up with (I just don’t want the next owner to be the highest payer), it must be balance. He or she needs to have what it takes too. With me leaving, I at least want to leave it in good hands.

(Interested to have Better Blogging For Bloggers? Go here.)

To everyone,

Please see watch out for my next (and last) post.

This is not my goodbye yet. I plan to write a dedicated post for that. I at least owe a decent good bye to you right? 3 years. Sigh. Hopefully by my next post, there will be a new owner. And I’d like to have the pleasure of introducing that person to you.

Whoever that is, I wish you’d support him/her as much as you’ve supported me.

Thank you very much. This is still not the end. At least for now.

-Liane

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My Adventure On Using the MailChimp Newsletter (and why it’s not Aweber)

Sorry I can’t just help putting the word ‘adventure’ like this is some part of Indiana Jones’ diary. But it does sound better to go with MailChimp right?

If you’ve read my last post, you would’ve already known  the people who subscribes to my newsletter If you still haven’t read it, bet I can convince you.

Anyway, today, I want to share to you my experience on using MailChimp’s email newsletter services. I know most of you guys are nuts about Aweber (that hegemonic company). Don’t get me wrong. I am too. It was definitely sitting in my number 1 spot of an email service provider, but I decided last minute to go with MailChimp.

I’ll tell you why, and on the process, I’ll share to how MailChimp made an impression to me.


Aweber Versus MailChimp

To tell you the truth, I really vouch for these two companies. Whether you choose Aweber or MailChimp, it doesn’t matter for me. Both companies have excellent service, with excellent track record and excellent support.

Of course, there’s a little bit of a difference.

Most people who’s inclined to internet marketing, business stuff would choose Aweber. Meanwhile, those people who need more social media function (and integration) would opt to go for MailChimp. There’s got to be a reason why Mashable choose MailChimp as a powerful social media tool right?

Yeah, the chimps definitely got their groove on.

But still, in the end the choice would be up to you. If you like Aweber (and it’s $1 free trial), go for it.

So why exactly did I choose MailChimp?

For practical reasons I find their free trial version more economic than all email providers.

→ Stay under a subscriber list of 500 or below and you don’t have to pay a cent. This appeals to people who’s on a. on a budget, b. just using a list for a small number or c. is just trying out for a newsletter without having to give in credit card numbers and upfront payments.

→ With the free trial account, you also get 3,000 email sends per month. Well, even if it’s limited in a sense, 3,000 seems to be more than enough for one month’s worth of campaign

→ Of course you get the perks too of using the services of a great, reputable company (and the security that comes with it). Companies like Mizilla and Fujistu use it.

All in all, those are the reasons why I choose MailChimp

(note: you'd understand this better if you've read Who Subscribes To My Newsletter)

My Adventure With MailChimp

Well, I think I should rename the above subheading to “the adventure of a total newbie to newsletters”.
I honestly had a hard time starting my first newsletter list. There’s just so much to learn and so much to do. Of course I don’t really blame MailChimp, I bet I’d have the same frustrations with any other similar companies because of my pure lack of experience on using it.

But anyway, there are the reasons why I love MailChimp all the more is because it’s Idiot-compatible.

Pure newbies (like me) would get less of the headscratchin’ because of the easy to use (and understand) interface as well as the simplicity of the applications. And speaking of the apps, there’s lots in MailChimp. My fave so far are the integration of social media tools (so while you send your emails, it’s automatically posted on your social media account too).

Though honestly it took me more than an hour to discover that. LOL

The “Oops” Moment

I had this funny and really embarrassing story to share.

So there I was, trying to set up everything that’s needed for my first list. After that, I went to write an autoresponder email to welcome the new subscribers.

At first, I didn’t actually know how to do it. I found this button that says write in plain text message, clicked on it and figured that’s maybe the spot to write my welcome email. I finished it of course and was happy with what I composed. A day later (when it’s set to be received), my inbox got the welcome email (I subscribed to my own so I can check the newsletters).

Instead of the email I wrote, I received instate a template email. As in an email with sample texts and all. Later on, I went to find out that after you write in plain text email, you should also follow-up to write an html email (just a copy-paste job actually) because the email that the subscriber receives depends on what feature he has activated (as for me, I had html activated that’s why I haven’t seen the plain text email).

Still Getting The Hang Of It

If you’ve been among the first who hopped into my newsletter, apologies for that template email you received (embarrassing I know. haha). I promised to be better on writing my emails. And to be more aware of the features in my admin panel ;)

So for now, that’s a wrap on why I use MailChimp. And oh, that reminds me to remind you why you need to be a part of this!

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Who Subscribes to the Better Blogging For Bloggers Newsletter?

And yes, this blog now has one. A newsletter ;)

I don’t plan to install one of those pesky pop-up opt-in scripts that I’m so fond of closing as soon as I see them (I’m annoyed at them honestly). Nor am I going to place tons of banners and arrows that lures your eye to a subscription box. There’s really no begging that’s going to happen (something like “please, please, please subscribe to my newsletter!”). Oh no, there’s none of that.

That being said, you’d ask, how o I gain subscribers to my newsletter? More than that, WHO are those people that is, and will be, a part of it?

These are the people who subscribes to the Better Blogging For Bloggers Newsletter

→The people who are subscribed gets the Blogging Blunders report for FREE

The Blogging Blunders is a special report I created to spread the lessons that I believe can save your blog. Packed with almost 3 years worth of experience, I concentrated all the golden rules that I’ve learned in blogging and compiled them into a fast-read report totaling only to 18 pages- straight-to-the-point, simple yet powerful.

If you feel that you’re blog needs a push, if you’re fed up with blogging, or even if you’re just starting out, The Blogging Blunders Report will help you see a new light in blogging. You can learn more about it here.


→The people who are subscribed gets a staggering 50% off coupon code the 70 Ideas Poster

What’s the hardest part about blogging? Getting new ideas to blog about definitely is the hardest.

Realizing that one great problem, I created the 70 Ideas For Your Next 70 Posts – Poster Edition.

Once a blog post compilation of blogging ideas, I developed it into a much useful tool that so many bloggers began to love (and use with so much ease!). What’s more simple, yet inspiring than an ‘idea poster’ you can see everyday at your workspace right? With the 70 Ideas Poster (yep, that’s the nickname), you can do that! And oh, did I mention it has idea categories (from promotion to monetization) that can help you? You can learn more about it here.

→The people who are subscribed gets a chance to be featured in a special blog review

Yes, that’s right. If you are one of those who subscribes to the blog newsletter, you get a chance to get yourself (and your blog of course) reviewed here. I will randomly draw subscriber names each month and the lucky winner will get his or her review published (written by me of course!).

But it’s not just that. See the next reason.

→The people who are subscribed gets promotional and consultation privileges from this blog

I’m pushing a blog newsletter is to reach out and have constant contact to people like you. That being said, I figured the best way to make that possible is to help you out with anything (blogging-related) that you’re up to. Got a new product or service? Let me know about it and I might drop a line in my post (and share in my tweets!). Frustrated over something? Send over an email and I’ll see what I can do a.s.a.p.

The things above defines the people who subscribes, and will subscribe, to the Better Blogging For Bloggers Newsletter.

If you are one of those people, you know what to do.

Join The Newsletter

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name *

Close

Oh wait, there’s one more thing.

→The people who are subscribed gets realizes that’s not all, there more…

There’s future reports to give, blogging tools and resources that you’ll gain access to, great books to give away, more promotion benefits to you, and a regular dose of blogging happenings and what nots.

Of course, there’s my rants too ;)

So if you want all those things, get back up on the box above and make sure you’ve signed up for you access.

Looking forward to see you inside the newsletter!

Best,

Liane
p.s. see, no begging at all!

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Be Brave Enough For Your Ideas

I just bought the domain BLOGDESIGNTEAM.com (yeah, another domain).

If you’re a domain or a website flipper, this may sound as something ordinary – insignificant even. But if you’re an envisioner, dreamer, and basically a gut-instinct follower like me, this means something else. It’s a new challenge which I hope would finally kick start the young entrepreneur in me.

I will talk less about Blog Design Team (because I will issue another post for that) here than a much, much more important lesson I’ve learned over the years.

Be brave enough for your ideas.

Almost three years ago, back when I was still was a blogger nobody (tss. Things were less complicated when you’re a nobody), I had this great idea of running a successful blog. The picture was already in my mind. I had plans. I did action. I tried to learn everything I can – and did. But you know what, something held me back.

I was afraid.

Half of my mind was thinking that it was possible with the right kind of willpower. The other half thought of it as futile in the first place.

So while I was trying to build a good blog, at the same time, I was hesitant of what I was doing. To top it of, I was pretty much nervous. I was fifteen years old that time! All I knew was how to keep adding more friends on my social media accounts.

That Fear Cost Me Time… and Wasted My Efforts

I’d have to say things went considerably okay (of course if not, this blog wouldn’t have made it this far). The operative word though was ‘okay’. Not bad, not good, just okay.

And like what I told you in my Blogging Blunders free report, okay is very much mediocre.

I was posting regularly, slowly building my subscriber list, trying to connect with a blogger circle and more. At some months, I was doing pretty good. Then there are those down months when I just can’t help but doubt the whole thing (15 year old’s have a lot of mood swings you know).
My strength was in coming up with ideas, my weakness is losing the right vision to what I really want.

Now, all the 'what ifs' haunted me.

One of Them, is an eBook Called BLOGSTARTER

You remembered the last time when I asked you about what to do with the domain BLOGSTARTER.NET?
Well, I haven’t actually bought the domain without a purpose. There was one. And that purpose is called “The BLOGSTARTER eBook”. It was the same ebook I created back when I was still 15 years old (yes, my first ebook, and yes, I was fifteen back then).

The original title was (guess!) – Better Blogging For Bloggers the eBook. I used to give it away for people who subscribe to my RSS feeds. A year after, I pulled it out thinking I could cultivate it as an informational product and push my blogging to a higher level.

After months of the ebook sitting idly in my computer memory, I decided to work on it. And so, I began to rewrite it. Deleting obsolete tips, and adding in more updated resources and stuff. Within a month or so, I finished the whole thing!

I was excited as a buzzing bee. I started creating plans for its release, studying how to launch ebooks and already contacting possible partners because I want to make it a big time product that people would swarm over (sorry for all the bug reference by the way. Haha).

Then, the excitement took a downward spiral.

My partners eventually set to postpone the launch because of their freelance work. This set out a bit of a conflict since I repeatedly promise to my readers that I’m about to release it in before the new year sets in (December 2009). But still, my partners were busy.

Don’t get me wrong. They (my partners) are a bunch of great talented people, and I don’t blame them for anything. My time plans are just not in sync with them.

Sadly, I had to do what I had to do. I ended the partnership and planned to go back to plan A – me, myself and I.

And so again, I went back to research. Trying to test and compare other similar products, I said to myself… ‘gee, these are all good! How can I measure up to that?!”.

I began to doubt. I know in the first place that my eBook was just meant for starters (newbies). But I still am afraid that it’ll be labeled as a worthless product compared to the advanced ones already in the market.

To further insinuate my fears, at that time, the Problogger eBook has gathered widespread buzz, and then came another one that made a lot of people excited, Blogging To The Next Level.
Right then and there, I said to myself. I. Am. Doomed.

And so, I backed out on my ideas. Putting the plans in jeopardy and completely making the worst possible case of my vision.

The BLOGSTARTER ebook never got released.

Then There’s The Great Realization

Ta-Da!

Defeat is a matter of acceptance. And guess what, I am not willing to accept it.

We always make bad decisions. I make a lot every month if only you know. But the thing about it is that you really do honestly learn IF you put some time to reflect. The important note here is that you have to reflect. You don’t learn from something unless you spend some time to figure out what you did wrong.

Listen people, learning from a mistake isn’t automatic. It’s a choice and it’s a responsibility.
So here’s the big lesson I learned –

If you have an idea, and you believe in it, you MUST FIGHT FOR IT no matter what.

Don’t stop. Don’t give up. Don’t be intimidated. And if you were, keep looking up. Crashing to failure only fuels the necessity for success.

On Being Brave, or Trying To At Least

So here I am now, working to get back in the right direction again (last time I checked I got back to the good course). I just signed up for an email delivery service to put the BlogStarter ebook to good use, possible using it as a giveaway to finally start building a list.

Then of course, there were other good suggestions.

For the BlogDesignTeam, the idea is still fresh. This time, I am much more prepared and optimistic. With careful planning, good execution, and a braver mindset (as to not be intimidated by those monster-sized popular names), I believe things will work out.

Then again, I forgot to tell you I’m still saving up for my start-up capital. But that’s another story of course.

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Authority and Profits - Why and How You Must Become a Blogger Consultant

Your time is worth something.

If you're lucky amazing enough to be like Yaro Starak, your so-called 'time' is valued at around $500 cold hard bucks per half-an-hour. Now that quite a deal isn't it?

Realistically speaking, here's the question for thousands of average bloggers out there: is opening yourself to blog consultations worth the effort?

Definitely.

Almost a year ago, I began toying with the idea of putting a time charge at my blog consultations. Not long after that, I realized the idea is not only very viable but hold a lot of benefits as well. And so, I began my journey as a blogging mentor.

Actually, there are three reasons why I did this.

First, to establish and promote value and authority. You can always ramble all you want on your specialization ability with regards to your niche, but nothing works better (and tenfold as fast) as putting an actual proving-and-testimonial system (people who come to consult you).

Building authority means being able to spread whatever skill you have over your following and metting (or exceeding) their expectations. More than that, this is where the ultimate PR power comes from - word of mouth.

Second, to put to use (and practice) the skill you gain. I've always believed that experience is the ultimate teacher. If you don't set out to test on real people the 'expertise' you've always talked about, then I don't see the point of mastering it in the first place.

It's all about results. Always has been, and always will be.

Third, and the last reason is of course, as a monetization method. This is what I personally refer to as 'fuel money' - meaning money that let's you continue to do what you want to do. The thing about blog consultations is that while you are sharing what you know and helping others out, at the same time, you get a form of compensation that lets you do more. A definite win-win situation in my book..

How Do You Start a Blog Consultation Service?

For starters, you just have to announce it.

Okay, well maybe there's still a few things to plan. Let's backtrack a little bit.

Starting a blog consultation service requires you create your set of consultation packages and the rules and conditions that will operate before, during and after consultation.

Here are the things I considered when I opened my blog mentoring program.

Purpose - have a definite purpose for your consultation. Always specify what you can and can't talk about. The danger is when you fail to tell your student about the boundaries of your expertise, and let's face it - people always like a one-stop-shop 'guru'. For example, if your topic is about seo, be sure to include your specialty (ie you might be teaching white hat seo and your student is keen to learn a lot of black hat tricks).

Consultation plans (or packages) - you can always go for a single $___ per hour or per 30-minutes plan. But for best results, provide a variety of choices to suit the needs of your student (ie maybe s/he wants to talk for a longer period to you). Have plans that can be adjusted can also mean a greater revenue for you.

Terms and conditions - you must clearly and distinctly state your terms and conditions BEFORE someone signs up for your blog mentoring service. This includes your refund policy (if present), how you plan to conduct your consultation, what happens when someone isn't satisfied etc.

Communication method - clearly the most important one. I used to do my blog consultation on a report review method (meaning I check the blog and write a report of my findings and how to improve it). Later on, I changed the model and made it into sessions thru email and chat (basically making it more interactive). You can do something similar, or communicate via phone or Skype (which is cheaper).

Payment method - last but not the least. To make things easier, I use PayPal to receive payments. But if you have other options in mind, then go for it, just make sure your client can easily send money whatever method that is.

(See my Blog Mentoring Program Here)

But Wait, Where Do You Look For Clients?

That's the first big question that haunted me back then. Not until I realized I should go with the obvious - target my reader base first. And you should too.

It isn't a surprise that my first students are those who read my blog in the first place. That's where you get to think how many more people out there would pay for a small fraction of your 24-hour day in exchange for some enlightenment.

This is an additional pro for consultations - being able to leverage yourself directly at your audience.

In terms of promoting your consultation service, the key is to always build a hype about it in your blog (make a post or always refer to it in new posts). Also, don't forget to bring up that fact in your social networking circle and just about everywhere else. Someone might not be interested in it right now, but hopefully in the future s/he will remember to refer at you.

Last but not the least, the most important part is to gather testimonials. The best proof that your worth something should always come from another person - not just you bragging about it.

Share Your Questions (and Experiences if You Have!)

I can only tell on stuffs that's on my mind right now. So if you are thinking about opening yourself to being a blog consultant, then feel free to fire more questions.

If you have experiences about this, care to share too. I'll definitely talk about in the next post if a good discussion arises. So speak out!

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If You Have the Domain BLOGSTARTER.NET, What Would You Do With it?

Can I challenge you to flex your creative muscles?

I just want to pinch myself right now. You see, if I haven’t logged in at my GoDaddy account- which for some reason I only visit one every three months- I would almost have forgotten that I actually bought (and still own) the domain BLOGSTARTER.NET.

I bought it around December supposedly for an ebook that I’m planning to release bearing the same domain name. But because that project wasn’t pushed through (long story, I’ll tell you in the future), the domain was left to, well, stay idle in the internet blackhole.

So here’s where you come in.

I’m just psyched up right now. You know, very much game and excited to start something new (this kind of behavior led me to develop the 70 Ideas Poster product). I’m currently toying up with some fresh ideas, but ‘two heads are better than one’ right? It’ll be great to see if you have some good ideas up your sleeve that you can share with me.

Again, the question is: If you have the domain BLOGSTARTER.NET, what would you do with it?

The only catch is the ‘make-it-a-blog’ game plan is already ruled out for the reason that, well, it’s kinda obvious and that’s already the point why Better Blogging For Bloggers exist.
Maybe a service? Or a resource site? Or a forum where newbie bloggers can start?

Help me come up with something creative!

Looking forward to your ideas,

Liane

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