Just Another Writer

My World, My Opinion…

The 12 Best Forums For Bloggers Who Want Bucks July 20, 2007

Filed under: Metablogging, Money — News Writer @ 5:24 pm

Hi there, Biz Grrl here. Bloggrrl is sleeping off her latest bout of somewhat disastrous insomnia, so I thought I’d show you some things. You see, until recently, I have largely been unaware of the many forums out there that can help bloggers with SEO, marketing strategies, tech issues and much, much more. I’m certain that I am not the only one who has been missing out on the fun, so I’ll share my new discoveries with you.

These are not listed in any particular order. I listed the “most users ever online” data because it gives an indication as to the popularity of the site, in other words, how likely you are to get a question answered.


For those of you who are interested in building sites for the purpose of selling them, there is a very interesting subforum on domain appraisals over here. Another subforum, Trade Services or Hire has an intriguing post from someone who is hiring people to post on forums….ick. Most users ever online: 307

This forum is absolutely hoppin’ with good SEO topics. One of the first things I happened upon was Link Building 101, a sticky at the top of the Link Popularity subforum. Most users ever online: 979

I found the Authority Blogger forum when Darren Rowse mentioned it on Problogger. Of course, that gave it a push, and it is now a nice new community of bloggers. No sleazy stuff over here, so don’t go looking for that job posting in forums. There are four subforums, which is nice to see, as it keeps posters focused so that topics don’t die early deaths. My favorite topic is Who Are Your Favorite Lesser-Known Bloggers. This forum is place where you can “Pimp Your Blog” or ask newbie questions, which is refreshing. It is also a good opportunity to build a presence on a forum which will likely continue to grow. Most users ever online: 148

If Adsense is your thing, here is the topic for you, with 123 viewing as of this writing. This site has some good subforums, including ones that are specific to Google and Yahoo. Although this forum is not specific to blogs, it has everything. In terms of knowledge that you can convert to cash, this one wins hands down in my book. Most users ever online: 3330 Note: over 2000 users online at the moment.

The hottest subforum over here is the Making Money With CPC and/or CPM Programs. It has a solid lineup of SEO, marketing and website issues subforums as well. Most users ever online: 569

This site has a decent marketing subforum. I especially liked this post entitled Viral Marketing is Like a Fat Midget with a Wig on a Unicycle. You know, because metaphors and similes and stuff like that are cool. Most users ever online: 1743

One currently hot thread over here is What Do You Read in Blogposts?. There are two subforums devoted to blogging, as well as a plethora of other information related to SEO, marketing, graphic design and lots more. Most users ever online: 7365

Over in this neighborhood, there is an interesting subforum called Relevant Link Exchange Forum. I know that some of you will find it helpful, as it is very subject specific. There is also a Freelance Jobs/Help Wanted subforum, which has some useful postings, as well as some opportunities where you can earn ten cents for posting in a forum. Hey, it’s a package of ramen noodles, so don’t knock it. And I thought some bloggers were sneaky. Most users ever online:1835 Note: This was today, so this may be one to watch.

Outfront is a forum that is primarily geared towards more traditional websites, as opposed to blogs. However, their SEO and Web Business subforum has topics that are quite applicable to many bloggers. Most users ever online: 2677

This site was acting a bit wonky when I last visited, which is a shame, because it has some interesting forums on advertising, Google, Yahoo and a job board. Nothing specific to bloggers, but the SEO advice is worth paying it a visit. Most users ever online: 2398

I had to slap Bloggrrl’s hand because she just had to click on the thread entitled Porn Blog. You should check that one out just because it is so darn hilarious in a completely unintentional way. They also are taking part in the ongoing comment discussion, and have some helpful topics such as discussions about blog platforms. And all that is just in the blog section. You can also find subforums on topics as diverse as social networking and PHP. Currently Active Users: 1941

One thing I have noticed on every one of these forums is that there are always many more “guests” online than registered users. This doesn’t make sense. If you are going to spend your time hanging out at a forum, why not add to the discussion and give yourself some linklove in your signature while you’re at it?

Just in case you’re not sure how to make a BBS signature, here is how to do it.

[url="http://url you wish to add"]Text you want to be clickable[/url]

[email]Your Email[/email]

[img]URL of image[/img]

If there are any forums that have helped you out with blogging that are not listed here, please do put them in the comments.

Subscribe and groove to Bloggrrl every day!

 

3 Reasons Why The Underwear Post Was A Rotten Idea July 19, 2007

Filed under: Metablogging — News Writer @ 3:05 am

Sometimes, what we think are clever posts should sit in the draft stage for a while before we press that “Publish” button. My last post, Bloggrrl’s Essential Guide To Men’s Underwear would be an example of one of those posts. Here are the reasons why I think it should have stayed in WordPress purgatory:

    1. It was not gender neutral. One of the things I did not consider when starting this blog was demographics. I figured it would be the same as in my personal life–whoever likes it, likes it. Whoever doesn’t, doesn’t. Whatever. Of course, in my personal life I tend not to snicker over pictures of hilarious men’s underwear with my male friends. They just don’t seem to be that into it, for some reason.
    2. It was not safe for work. I didn’t think about someone opening this up at work and cruising around while sitting at a desk that a boss might walk by. That is an important thing to consider, because many people are reading blogs at work, at least during their lunch hour. And as Joe at FourBux nicely pointed out, people often surf in public places. While the casual observer cannot tell if you are reading about risque men’s underwear, they can certainly tell if you are looking at it. Yikes. I should have named the post, NSFW: Straight Men Beware if I was going to write it at all.

Those are the two reasons I had been pondering as I began to write this post, when another commenter said something disturbing. I usually don’t approve anonymous comments, but this one happened to be true.

    3. I have overdone the metaphor. This comment had a high “ouch” factor because I actually considered this and posted it anyway. There is something to be said for listening to that little voice that is screaming, “Hey Bloggrrl, you are saying the same darn thing over and over again in different ways and people are going to catch on!” But no, I was too caught up in having fun writing the post.

So, the point of this post is not to beat myself up over it, or even apologize, although anyone who opened it at work probably deserves an apology or at least a Kiss. The point is to let you know why it was a bad idea, just in case you are considering doing something similarly idiotic, which you probably aren’t.

There is a secondary point that is also important to mention here. That is that the best-selling women’s panties on Amazon are the crotchless variety. And the best-selling men’s underwear are tighty whities. What is up with that? There is no justice in this world. I would do a compare and contrast if it weren’t for the the first two reasons mentioned above. Although, violating number one would make some of you men happy at this point, I’ll bet.

However, as I mentioned before, you, dear reader, are the reason I was looking at underwear on Amazon. I’m not going to mention the reason why or the word “underwear” again for 10 days. It is really messing up the Adsense, and I might lose out on fifty cents if I’m not careful.

 

Bloggrrl’s Essential Guide to Men’s Underwear July 18, 2007

Filed under: Metablogging, Silly Stuff — News Writer @ 3:52 pm

I had every intention of writing my follow-up blog health post, Is Your Blog Anorexic, but insomnia struck again, and I got on a roll looking at men’s underwear. Now, before you go thinking I am a weird, pervy woman for looking at men’s junk stuffed into interesting decorative yet functional undergarments, let me tell you something. I was doing it for the blog. I promise. I won’t tell you why yet, but the mystery of why Bloggrrl was looking at men’s underwear on Amazon.com at 3:37 in the morning will be solved before two weeks are out. Then it will all make sense.

These underwear will make whoever discovers them at third base run screaming for the door. Sorta like this:

//www.sparklee.com

Save it for MySpace.

I learned that apparently, there is underwear that likes to style and profile. Yes, profile. That’s how they market this brief. It is a fine example of putting oneself out there, so to speak. Check out the unusual ads that Tim over at eMonitized has created. Getting attention is always good in the blogosphere, unless we are talking about the very, very bad kind.

the very very bad kind

This is the very, very bad kind. You see, it doesn’t matter how hot this guy’s body is, because he is never ever going to be able to show his face in public again after wearing a girdle in a serious manner. Was that underwear photo shoot really worth the $200? Dude, I sure hope so! If you are doing something extraordinarily atrocious on your blog to make money, such as advertising unethical services, then people will never, ever want to look at your blog again. Rhys at The Gospel According to Rhys knows what I’m talking about. Read the bit about “War Ass”.

incomprehensible

It is easy to understand why this guy would not want to show his face. Some things are simply incomprehensible. Is your blog one of them? There can be a difference between being an expert and being someone who can explain things to others. Some web experts are so smart that I can’t count as high as their IQ’s, but what they write about does not make sense except to other experts. And if other experts are the only ones who can understand it, then what is the point, really?

let it all hang out

On the opposite side of the spectrum from the expert lies the person who lets it all hang out. This blogger happily shares his digestive troubles, difficulty losing weight and who won the farting contest between he and his wife last night. This is fine, and can make for entertaining reading, but this person will rarely be perceived as an expert.

These are George Foreman briefs. I’ll tell ya, I have learned a lot tonight. Who knew? I figure that these underwear must be meant as a weight-loss incentive, implying that the wearer can become the The Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Machine. Now, any blog that is a lean, mean, fat-reducing machine is going to be good. First of all, anything that implies fat reduction in today’s McDonald blubber-clad society is going to draw in tons of visitors. And then there is the part about being lean and mean. This blog won’t be cluttered. It will have great information conveyed in a clear, concise manner. Absolutely no nonsense.

You have the pink blog. I’m somewhat guilty of this. I’ve been told that the color pink will drive off male visitors, but as this picture clearly shows, men can be quite comfortable with the color pink! If I ever get tired of you guys hanging around, I will consider putting up a flowery background with some Hello Kitties thrown in for good measure, though.

It may not help you in the romance department, but jokes will help you in the blog department. Apparently, I Can Has Cheeseburger gets 15 million page views a month and earns $5,600 in that same time period. With posts like the one today, I’d say they’ve earned every penny of it.

Apparently, no real person was harmed in the creation of this ad.

If your blog is like this, then you’re good. Geeks are in style now. However, I’d guess that this sort of thing works better on the blog than in the bedroom. Just saying.

I really don’t know what to think about these, other than if I encountered them in real life I would be unable to refrain from laughing hysterically until I wheezed. Transparency is generally good in the blog world, just as long as there isn’t too much of it, you know? Don’t review products that you know nothing about just so you can insert affiliate code and hope to make a few bucks off of some dude shopping for a new car stereo. That is not slick, it’s slithery. Weblog Tools Collection has a good article on this topic. On the other hand, it is not good form to post pictures of your stuff on the Internet, especially if it is unexpected. That’s when transparency has went too far.

Why doesn’t the guy wearing these have that pumped up six-pack? Be honest. Is this your blog? Is it wearing that boring and not-cool-nerdy blue business look with nothing to spice it up even a little bit? Do you write exclusively about mutual funds? Did you know that the best selling underwear on Amazon is tighty-whities? Why? Why??????

After I got over the shock, I was delighted to realize that men also wonder if their butts look good in their jeans. Do they really? This is wild. So do you pad your blog? Padding it with content is good, while padding it with gazillions of ads and other visual clutter is not. Take a look at this blog. Pretty clean design, and it’s still making over 6K a month.

Aw…this guy even looks embarrassed! They should have distracted him or something. These briefs have the unfortunate name of “Balls in One Erector”. I’m trying to think of some way that this could apply to a blog, but I’m laughing too hard. Perhaps you’d like to give it a try.
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Information Improvisation

Homes must be designed in a way that there is proper space and place for everything to give it a well maintained look and elegance in the way of life. The bathroom cabinet must be built away from the shower to prevent it from rusting. The kitchen drawer slides must be well lubricated for smooth functioning and extra storage boxes space must be made for convenience in living. Different materials and eatables can be stored inside homes using different techniques which are available on the internet on home storage research page. Homes made in severe climatic zones also install energy storage cabins to preserve energy.

 

Making Money With Affiliates: Duh! July 17, 2007

Filed under: Metablogging, Money — News Writer @ 5:35 pm

I need to come up with a new category name, perhaps one like, Ways I Am Stupid. This little story would definitely make the cut. Hang in there though, because what I’ve learned can make you some real money, meaning this is not about Adsense. People who claim they make thousands with Adsense, please do us a favor and tell us how you actually do it! I recently read a post by a guy who claimed to be making thousands from Adsense, but who charges $10 for a link on his sidebar, which has one link. Something about that seems a bit fishy to me, and not the yummy farm-raised salmon kind of fish, but more like the sushi on the buffet that made my son throw up for three days after he ate it on a dare from me. Yes, I feel guilty.

First of all, I have to express my bewilderment at having read blogs about making money online for months now without ever having seen an article detailing precisely how it is done. There are all sorts of tips, lists and bits of helpful advice, but I never got the big picture until now. Perhaps that is because those articles all assumed prior knowledge, which I did not have, because there are certainly excellent resources out there. So for those of you who are in the same boat as I am, I’m going to lay this out plainly. Old hands at this are going to be bored, and the greedy may even be pissed off that I am giving the secret away, because the majority of people I see doing this are not telling you that they are doing it.

For this example, I am going to go with Dreamhost. That is because this is the company whose affiliate program I have failed to understand to an alarming degree. Actually, let me back up for a sec. I did not even know what an affiliate program was until about a month ago. Let me explain.

An affiliate program a company or network who pays you, the website (or blog) owner, whenever someone purchases a product through your site.

Of course you may be thinking that you don’t often see products for sale on other people’s blogs. That is absolutely correct. Check this out:

I’ve found Dreamhost to be very easy to work with, blah blah blah.

Okay, now let’s pretend that is part of a post, just like it was in two others that I have put on this site. Mouse over the word Dreamhost. Notice how in the gray bar under the screen it shows the r.cgi?328715 gibberish after the dreamhost.com part. This is the affiliate code.

Why is this important?

Here’s why.

dreamhost money

They pay you $97 dollars for ONE referral. You can also choose to take a long-term view of things, and get paid 10 percent of subsequent payments by the people you have referred. Here is where the me being stupid part of the story comes into play. Remember when I said I have a blog hosted with Dreamhost? Well, I paid full price for it. This, apparently, is something that no one else does. The reason is because affiliates can choose to create their own promo codes and give people discounts, which probably everyone in the universe has taken advantage of except me.

My promo code is: ILOVEBLOGGRRL

This promo code gives anyone who purchases a Dreamhost plan $97 dollars off of the purchase price, which brings it down to $2 a month for the person buying it. Of course, this is the best promo code on the net, because I will not get $97 per referral, since I gave the entire amount away in my discount when I created the promo code. I will get $0 dollar per referral at this point. Oooh baby, I’m gonna be rich!

So why bother? Well, I still have the opportunity to make 10 percent off of people’s Dreamhost renewals, which means I will begin to see money a year from now. The other thing is that since I figured out how the promo code works, I just don’t have the heart to try to get people to pay full price for a service that they can get cheaper from another site. It makes me feel sleazy. In other words, I don’t want people to feel as dumb as I did for paying full price, and chances are, they will find out! I also do not want to have to start wearing blue polyester suits and loud ties, so I will have to stay on the up and up.

Of course, Dreamhost is just an example. The thing I have learned is that this same model is applied to clothing, shoes, surveys, anything you can buy from Amazon, and just about anything you can buy from anyone, anywhere. It even applies to sex. Next time you click on one of those dating sites, look for the referral code! And, next time you are shopping online, look at the very bottom of the home page and look for the word “affiliate” or “associate”. Click on it, and you will enter the matrix known as affiliate marketing. And it is a matrix–it is everywhere behind what you read. Chances are you run into it several times a day.

Take a look at this post from Tim Ferris’s Four Hour Work Week blog. Oh my. The boy is already swimming in book sales, but I’m sure he is making even more bling from this post. Mouse over the links, and you’ll see what I mean. The laptop is over $2000 dollars, so he will make a good $200 or so if anyone bites the bait on that one. Notice how it is all carefully crafted into a “how-to” post. By the way, his book will give you insight into the marketing and sales world like you have never imagined, unless you are a marketing/sales person. (Notice how the clickable link “his book” has an affiliate code–mine! Here is the link to sign up, and I do not make money if you do, although there are many other programs where that is possible.)

It’s kinda nice for those of us who don’t want to bother with inventory and all that. Find a nice affiliate program and promote it. However, this is when you need to start thinking about that “niche” that everyone is talking about…

Did I make any money off the 155 clickthroughs I have gotten so far from my Dreamhost links? No. One reason is that I did not have the promo code. I got in a hurry when I signed up and didn’t even check that part out, after which I realized how stupid I had been to pay full price! Lesson: Read the fine print! Another reason is that too many other people are doing it, and people have had ample opportunity to get it elsewhere. Yet another reason is that many people who have blogs, unlike my former self, are hip to affiliate marketing codes and avoid them. This is why SEO (search engine optimization) is important. People who arrive at your page looking for the product in the first place are more likely to buy it.

What I will be doing during the next month is showing you two niche blogs that I have created, and how much money they make using some tricks that I know now that I understand how much potential affiliate marketing really has. It could be a real disaster. Stay tuned.