Your YoungBlogger is On Leave For the First Time in Two Years! Seriously

I never actually thought this would ever happen to me but it just did. As of now, I'm officially on "blogging leave", the first time in my two years of blogging! Nah. It's probably for the better. I'm sure you've noticed that my blog have been kind of lazy for the past couple of week. OF COURSE that's my fault. And for the next two weeks or so, it's going to be real silent! Would you want to know the reason

I hate to use this excuse, but I've been terribly busy

This week was really a nightmare. To put it simply, I had my final exams on all SIX subjects. Which explains my inactiveness for the past two to three weeks. Of course you don't just get to an exam just by studying for one week (six subjects!). I've been studying for almost a month and it sure wasn't a fun thing to do (unlike blogging). But of course I've already made it clear that MY PRIORITY IS SCHOOL.

The good news is- it's all over! My last exam (on Political Science and where I have to read an entire 10 chapters of government mechanism stuffs) was held yesterday and I couldn't be any happier that I'm finally having my semestral break!

So if I'm done with exams, then why am I on leave?

Well here's the thing. It's not just about the final exams that I've been busy for the past couple of weeks. I've been also busy in training and it's been one hectic training I have to say. For the next eight days or so, I'll be on a debating competition and there'll be no chance that I can sneak up on my blog if I'm in there.

Yep. I still have a life outside blogging. I do collegiate debate. It's fun actually, and somehow, it helps in my blogging. So that's the very reason for my leave.

But I will be back as soon as I can

I swear on that. Ugh. This is really something I have to get used to. Not being able to blog for more than a week. Terrible. But of course, I need to make that training worth the effort and be a good teammate to our contingent. That means I have too focus on the competition for now.

I should've requested for guest bloggers to make up for the time of my absence or just write posts in advance. but then again, I was so busy I didn't even have the time to do that. My bad really.

Good stuffs will await my return!

To make up for it, I have lots of plans for my comeback post. I'll probably be giving free stuffs and possibly, free services. If I can make it, I'll release the ebook that I've been working on for quite some time now. Really, when I get back here, I'll make sure to return with a blast. Mark my word. LOL.

WISH ME LUCK!

This is my first time to be on a national debate competition (and this is my first year as a college debater) so my nerves are definately not in a good condition. Haha. I'll perform my 110% though- for me, and for my team.

Excuse the typos on this post. I'm now on a rush to get my things packed and ready. Will be heading at the hotel in 3 hours. Sheesh. What a rushed post.

That'll be all for now. Be good people. I'll be back soon!

Read Full Content »

BlogrPro Dot Com Review – Hey, It’s Actually Blogger’s Product!

First stop, congratulations to BlogrPro Dot Com for winning a spot at Hesham Zebida’s first ever Famous Bloggers Contest. And oh, that’s the reason why we’re having this review in the first place. Again, congratulations! Now for the real meat of this post – as what my title says, BlogrPro is actually a shortcut for Blogger’s Product. And here I am thinking it’s Blog Professional (which might make more sense right?). Of course, that’s not the only thing about BlogrPro, read to learn more!

What is BlogrPro Dot Com really?

The concept of BlogrPro Dot Com is derived from web 2.0. It’s actually a blog covering diverse niches from blogging, SEO, make money online, wordpress, web design, softwares, mobile phones & other forms of technology (specifically those concerning the internet.

Who’s behind the blog?

Another misconception too coming from my part. It’s actually a 2 man blog as it’s run by two guys from India named:

Karthik
A business graduate and is working in one of India’s top most company. He loves Business and it’s forms like Supply Chain Management, Human Resources and Marketing. He also loves the technology which forms the vital role in any business.

Karthikeyan
A freelancer and a technology addict who did projects like an Operating System, Search Engine, Content Management Systems, etc. He is specialized in Web design, Web development, Wordpress, SEO, etc.

First impression with BlogrPro Dot Com

I actually thought it was a blogging tips blog, well, it is and more. The blog’s impact was simplistic to me, and this might be my personal bias, but I like viewing simple blogs (no clutter and easy navigation is always a plus factor for me). However, I felt there was something missing in the header part though. Maybe it’s my personal bias again, but I’m addicted to blogs who could stand-out just by their above-the-fold spot. Then again, I have to respect the simplistic inclination of BlogrPro Dot Com, and I have to say it works.

What’s the status of BlogrPro?

For me, it’s developing. There’s a recent post about having released a new wordpress theme and I’d have to say that’s always a great feat to be able to release a theme of your own. Looking at the comments section, I’d say there’s a build up or large followers too. Give a year and I wouldn’t be surprised if this blog would turn out even double of what it is now. Oh, did I mention they're running an awesome contest right now? The prize is a custom wp theme worth $111.

Posts and it’s quality

BlogrPro’s post wordcount usually runs around 400 words per post. I’m not usually a fan of short posts, but if the posting frequency is high, then I’m all for it. It sees too that there’s a generous number of responses for each post. That backs up the low wordcount then.

head over to this link: BlogrPro's best of the best posts

Overall review and recommendations for BlogrPro Dot Com

As they say, two heads are always better than one. With the two bloggers present in BlogrPro, I doubt if there’ll ever come a time that they’ll be on a rough track (the bloggers are web 2.0 experts for one). It would be better to see BlogrPro evolve though and improve on it’s branding – it’s essential for every blog. If there’s even a lot of free time, I recommend the bloggers to slowly improve on their posts. Yes, it may not be about wordcounts and all but it’s good to see bloggers delivering better contents right?

This review was made possible through Hesham Zebida’s Famous Bloggers Contest. Congratulations again to BlogrPro Dot Com!

Read Full Content »

A Law-Abiding Blog - Following FTC's Blogging Rules Starting With a Disclaimer Page

Whether we like it or not, the blogosphere had certainly changed overnight as FTC declared it's new federal register notice which happens to set new laws (and an $11,000 fine for violation if I'm not mistaken) that not only regulates the online industry even more, but has now encompassed the blogging sector. It spread with a BANG right? Oh well, as a law-abiding blogger netizen, it was high time for me to post a special page that tells what I'm getting from each and everyone of you.

GO TO BETTER BLOGGING FOR BLOGGER's DISCLAIMER PAGE

I felt it was particularly appropriate to create a disclaimer page as soon as I've heard the news. It was a short disclaimer notice as you can see, but I made sure to get my whole point across and to remind my readers (translation = you) that after all, I am benefiting from my blog (one way or the other)and that you should be double sure to be aware of it. Come to think of it, everyone benefits from their blog.

Why Create a Disclaimer Page in the First Place?

There are just to main reasons that I can think of. One would be concerning you as a blogger and the other would be concerning your reader.

FIRST REASON - To Protect Yourself

With FTC's regulation, anyone has the capacity to report you at any time and instance they want, therefore subjecting you under the policies of the FTC and the possible law suits that might arise (I'm being pessimistic but just think of it as the worst possible case scenario).

So how can a disclaimer page protect you? For the obvious reason, it's a disclaimer page to begin with. Meaning you can make public what's your liabilities and what's not your liabilities (easy enough?). The very same reason why all business have a disclaimer page is to protect themselves from possible reports coming from people who associate with their product or content.

It's just like saying, "Hey, here's my opinion but I'm in no way responsible for your action since that's you choice and you have your own brain to use." Got it? Good.

SECOND REASON - To Notify Your Readers

The same way as you want to protect yourself, you would want to protect your readers too. And in this case, knowledge (or awareness) is a form of protection. I would have been more comprehensive in declaring all my affiliations but I just summed it up in a paragraph telling that "everything you do in this blog would benefit me". It's as simple as that and I'm sure everyone would already understand what that means.

Also, another pro factor of making a disclaimer page is giving your readers a sense of honesty and accountability on your part. That even if you're profiting from something, they know what's happening and the less they'll be questioning your motives even. Awareness makes everyone feel more secure.

For all of those reasons, my disclaimer page is live and open to everyone who passes by this blog. Don't forget to read it! Thank you.

>> SEE MY DISCLAIMER PAGE NOW

Read Full Content »

Chitika Premium Will Now Pay DOUBLE Your Revenue

I just received an email today from Chitika (and I'm pretty sure you have too) announcing their super special double your revenue promo. Like the eager-beaver that I was, I jumped in already and made sure I updated my Chitika Premium code. Took me no longer than 5 minutes, and after that, I was done. Now, just waiting for the hits to roll in and get my double earnings.

Start Now and Get Your Revenue DOUBLED

For example, if you earn $80 on Chitika, the automatic payment you'll receive would amount to $160. I don't know how they'll be financing this kind of deal to us publishers but I'm pretty sure it's working to promote their Premium Banner ads (which is kind of genius for them).

Promo runs starting now up to the 31st of December. But hold on, the big catch is that they'll only double it as long as it doesn't exceed $100 (bad news for the really big publishers out there).

Well I guess it's high time an ad network give more benefits to the small time publishers don't you think? I'm excited with this offer to be honest - been a long time since I last witnessed something like this. Kudos to the Chitika company!

So what are you waiting for?

>>Log in to your Chitika account now and make sure you're using the Premium banners.
>>If you still haven't signed up for Chitika, you're most definately missing something.

GET STARTED WITH CHITIKA HERE...

Read Full Content »

The Five Simple Truths On Promoting Your Blog

Number one, promotion is easy to explain and yet, hard to attain - that I fully concede to. This is exactly the first great truth that you should know about all other so-so “blog promotion” articles. That no matter how easy it may sound (or explain) in the beginning, you can still end up clueless and wondering how on earth you’d really promote your blog. My solution? First, you should discover the truths.

5 Simple Truths On Promoting Your Blog

FIRST – Sorry. But there’s no ‘easy’ way.

If there is, I bet you wouldn’t be reading this one in the first place. That’s the very basic thing that every blogger out there should know. As the cliché goes, no pain no gain. Deal with it – promotion takes time. In fact, it takes a whole lot of time that I’ve already seen a lot give up on their blogs just because of ‘promotion difficulties’ (or the lack of it).

SECOND – There’s no once in a while. What we have is ‘all the time’.

Considering that you’re not on Technorati’s Top 100 blogs, what really are the chances for you too make it big if you don’t resort to daily promotion? The very reason why after you publish a post you immediately twitter about it (or submit it to social bookmarking sites) is that you’re after a certain attention. You have to seek your market because they won’t come looking for you.

THIRD - The best promotion goal? To be EVERYWHERE

Spamming excluded of course. By all ways and means, get your address splattered across all corners of the interactive web. The more networks you have the better. The bigger your follower count is, all the best. If it means you have to spend a day registering to different sites, then so be it. The goal is to gain an access to as much portals as possible.

FOURTH - It's about HOW MANY

Two words - social proof. The more you have it, the lesser you need to make an effort to promote your blog. Instead of just you, how would you want hundreds or even thousands of other people giving your free promotion with only a little effort from you (like publishing your post). Copyblogger is a good example of a social proof master.

>> Read How to make a Lifelong Reader Base

FIFTH - It's about WHO

A certain Joe telling his readers that your blog looks and sounds great is fine. A hundred or more Joe's telling the same thing about you is even better. But you know what's best? That's oone single referral form a master whom everyone listens too. Think being mentioned by CNN for example. Now what would that do? The answer? Your dream come true promotion heaven.

>> Plus, it helps to discover the strongest and most powerful link out there.

When it comes to promotion, it's big time hardwork. You could either outsource and hire others to do it but given an effective method and the realization of these simple truths, I don't see any reason for someone to really fail in this. As for me, the simple truth is just to go out there and spread your blog's name. The rest usually follows once you've got your brand recognized.

Read Full Content »

I Crossed Another Niche! Lessons on Blogging What You're Supposed to Blog

Let's face it. You can declare whatever niche you are in and yet you might not even be specializing into it. Take the Blogging Tips niche for example. Sure, there are a lot of us in there, but just take a couple of minutes to look closely and you will discover that quite a huge number are actually harping more about Make Money Online. Okay. So what's going on in here? Before you fall into the same dilemma, heed the following lessons.

What's 'Crossing a Niche'?

Forgive my fondness of coining terms. I just don't see a better term available in the blogosphere yet. The moment you started blogging, you where already advised to select a niche in which you have to specialize in. Now, the problem arises when you declare yourself to be in a niche yet your blog doesn't look convincingly into it. That's the phenomena of crossing a niche.

Simple way to find out if you've crossed a niche.
View your 2009 post archive and identify the the topics you write about. As a general rule, more than 50% of the post should reflect your niche. If it doesn't, well you know what that means.

Problems on Niche Crossing

The very critical problem when crossing a niche is that you tend to strike confusion among your readers. Originally, they might have followed and subscribed to your blog because they are interested on the subject, but as you veer away from your niche, the more they seem to find your content as irrelevant. That certainly isn't a good thing.

Lessons to Stay on Track with your Niche

Plan Your Content

Yes - the age old method. I believe a little clarification should be made though, this doesn't mean making a list of what content comes out for every posting schedule you have. Planning your content works to posts you specially prepare for, like tutorials, tips, tricks and special issues. Meaning posts like sponsored reviews, updates, news, round-ups are excluded from content planning.

Why this helps: because planning reminds you to come up with posts that you really have to deal with in your niche. For example, if you're on the freelancing niche, you could plan to write a tip on effective writing, next week, it would be about looking for gigs, next about gathering testimonials and so on. Content planning keeps your blog in check.

>>See my content magic secret to have a better idea

Surround Yourself With Your Niche

Subscribe to your fellow niche blogs, meet and connect with fellow bloggers, join a network if you can (like Technology, Parenting, Music blog networks etc.). The point is to associate yourself with your interests. It doesn't have to be anything much complicated. A simple tab on your RSS reader could help a lot.

Why this helps: because it constantly supplies you with relevant and up-to-date information that will boost your expertise and at the same time, promote your blog. It's a win-win situation for everyone too.

If you're on the blogging tips niche (or anything related), why not subscribe to me? :)

Really Feel the Need for a Change?

You could have started as a Blogging Tips blogger and figured out that Internet Marketing is much much more exciting (and rewarding). My advice? Go on then! Change your niche! Blogging is all about freedom and interest, there's nothing to stop you if you feel like crossing to another side. What's the point in continuing to blog anyway if you think the niche isn't for you?

In this case, here are my pointers if you feel a change should come:

Announce it. Nothing clears up the confusion faster than an official post coming from you. Tell the whole story, narrate why it has happened and most of all, make the reader think that it's a shift for the better!

Stick to it. It's bizarre to see someone change niche every now and then. The point always is to specialize what you've chosen. If you can't choose between two niches, why not just start another blog right? Consistency is the key.

Gradually adjust your blog to the change. Redo you blog banners and lay-outs if necessary. Take a look at your links and see if they are still relevant. More so, be able to quickly fill in posts aboutyour new topics.

Conclusion of Crossing a Niche

It doesn't help a bit if you cloak your blog under a niche where it doesn't really belong. Readers will see through it too and it won't be good reputation for you. Clear up your stance. Make sure you align your future posts into your real topic. If you really think you need to move into another niche, then so be it. Just make sure you finally stick with it.

Read Full Content »