Quick Blogging Tips for Inspired Bloggers

This post is a special contribution of livingsenior.

...go with your gut and take the first thing that pops into your mind.

While you’re thinking of what to write for your own blog post, pause a minute here to check out what others are saying about blog writing. There are a zillion tips and tricks – many of which would be helpful… if only you had the time to read them.

One thing that comes up time and again is the importance of writing fast. Face it, some people are agonizingly slow writers. They write down a thought and then reread it, rewrite it and delete it before they start the process all over again. Nothing is good enough. There’s nothing bad about being conscientious, but in blog writing, time is of the essence. This isn’t War and Peace. Your readers want advice, commentary and humor – not perfection.

So you pick up the pace. Then what? Well, it’s a great idea to get your thoughts on paper faster, but as every writer (and editor) knows, the writing still needs to be readable. Blogs are, by definition, a casual form of writing. That’s fine. It’s okay to abandon AP style. It’s even okay to start a sentence with an “and” or a “but.” But…you can’t misspell things or have long run-on, unreadable sentences that lose your readers after the first 10 words. So once you (quickly) get your thoughts down on paper, take a minute or two to read it over – and clean it up. Don’t be tempted to rewrite everything. Use the advice of teachers everywhere: go with your gut and take the first thing that pops into your mind. In blog writing, the same is true. Don’t rewrite what makes the writing yours.

Try using bullets to make your points.

• Bullets attract the eye and set your thoughts apart.
• It’s easy for readers to scan things that are in a paragraph set apart by bullets.
• Bullets make it easy to find something you want to reread again later.

Every writer has their own style – that’s part of being a writer – but you also need to know your audience. If you’re writing for geeks, use tech-y terms (as long as you understand them). If you’re writing for business professionals, you’ll want to use a more serious tone.

Stay true to yourself. You started your blog because it meant something to you. Don’t let others pressure you to change your point of view. Mention both sides, yes. But cave? No. On the other hand, don’t present that point of view in a condescending, rude or patronizing tone. And if you printed incorrect information – or found other facts that cause you to change your mind -- well then, by all means say so. And say why. Readers won’t always agree with you, but you’ll want them to respect you. Write on.

Image Source: allvirtual.me

Posted by Editorial Team on 7/20/2012 08:00:00 PM in Blogging Tips, Writing Techniques

12 Effective Make Money Blogging Tips to Remember

Blogging is like planting a tree. At the early stage, you expect to exert your best effort to water, weed, and guard your little tree so that it will grow tall, fruit bearing one. Blogging is similar to that example, you need to build a better blog first, before you can expect a living from it, finally you can quit your job and work from home, right at your living room. But what it takes?

Here are 12 vital make money blogging tips to follow so that you can build a better foundation in your early blogging career.

1. Use Professional Looking Template - (Blogging platform is based on your own preference.) Choose a neat looking template for your blog. It must be accommodating to the eyes of your readers. You can either use a default template from blogger or download free premium blogger templates available. Learn to customize the header, the post body and the sidebar. Consult COMPUTER HOPE for color complement for your template.
2. Avoid too many Plug-ins and Widgets - aside changing the design of your template to your own taste, you can use free to embed plug-ins to add more engagement on your blog. But do not overuse it. There are many helpful blog tools around that includes feed burner for subscription, Google custom search, friend connect, sharing and bookmarking tools, etc. If you use third party applications, please consider reading bloggers’ review or feedback. Make sure it won’t affect the loading time of your blog and its browsing compatibility. Consider the major used browsers for making such decisions like Chrome, Mozilla, Internet Explorer, Safari, etc.
3. Write Original and Quality Contents - “Quality is the King”, it won’t change. You must be unique. All your contents must be owned by you and not someone else’s existing post from nowhere. Search engines are hungry for quality and fresh contents every day, so feed them with your informative and helpful posts.
4. Use Searchable Keywords - Practice using Google Adwords Keyword Tool. Your title, headlines or post body must contain searchable keywords. Use “reasonable” number of keywords within your contents. Avoid keyword stuffing, the excessive use of keywords to deceive search engines. The keyword tool is very helpful if you “know” how to use the data from your query, so learn to use them to drive organic traffic to your blog.
5. Write Persuasive Post - How would you convinced your readers to read your entire article? Use attractive title, and tempting headlines. You can either use essay style of writing, or a list post, or a combination of the two. Use visual aids such as pictures, graphics or videos. If you have original images, better use it. Make sure you are objective and precise. Make sure you tackle your subject matter well. Spoon feed, or leave a hanging ending, it must be of your reference.
6. Write like a Pro - Do not tell them you are a total newbie. You might be a newbie in the blogosphere, but you are “not” a beginner in the topic you choose to blog about. You just started a blog about gardening, but you are a gardener for a long time before you decided to come out online for others to benefit your knowledge and techniques. You are here because you are expert in a certain matter, you want to share it free.
7. Write Fast - Do you blog in between your offline job? You need to write fast. How to do that? Concentrate and believe in yourself. Write, and continue writing. Do not draft, and delete the entire paragraph you have written. Remember, you cannot be perfect, what’s important, the message you will be imparting to your readers.
8. Write Often - Writing like a pro and fast are not enough. Blogger must blog often. It’s a “must” and not an option if you want to see a productive blog in the future. You need to provide fresh contents, and attract search engines of your scents. In my case, sometimes I may be hindered by our internet unstable connection, but if time is manageable – I don’t forget to post. If you work as a team, much better, I have known a blog that was launched last February 2012, and they have 50,000 estimated visitors as of today, with alexa traffic of about 32,000. Fact – they post 2 or 3 post daily following a good posting schedule as explained below.
9. Set a Good Posting Schedule - I came from the million. That’s my alexa rank before, but upon following some good tips of successful bloggers, I see it going down gradually – so it’s an improvement. How posting schedule can affect your rank? It’s just that, alexa is an American Site (though am not sure of its ranking algorithm), but once you have posted your contents at their early working hours, say 8:00AM to 10:00AM, it will have a good effect of your rank.
10. Use a Contact Form - Your blog might be silent for the time being, but you have followers, and if you provide some way to reach you in private – they will say “hello” and inspired you in that way. What are other purposes of blog contact form?
11. Concentrate on your Niche - successful bloggers are focused on a niche they mastered for years, you can gradually build an authority by publishing helpful contents to your blog branded with your subject of interest. What are the cons of writing different topics? You will be destructed as to what your focus will be, just like me in the beginning. You cannot concentrate, jumping from one subject to another with no connection at all.
12. Always Think Positive - This is the test. If you think the opposite way, you can’t run a blog longer. You might abandon it, or start new hoping to collect pennies. You will end up with nothing, just a time wasted. So, decide, act purposely, think straight forward, and do not quit. There are hard times, absolutely, but “quitters never win” and it’s so true here in the blogosphere.
Well, it’s about building a great foundation. Once you do, you can enjoy blogging and making money out of it, together with the presence of you family at your living room.
Posted by Editorial Team on 7/18/2012 10:42:00 PM in Blogging Tips

How to Increase Traffic to Your Blog by Writing Guest Post

This is a good question for blog beginners who wish to get more traffic free, and aims to build a good reputation in the blogosphere. This is when you think of working with other pro bloggers who have a better reputation, high amount of blog traffic in their respective blogs daily.

Writing a guest post is another challenge in our blogging career. One should consider guest posting, but how? As I have read about experiences of several successful bloggers, one of their humble statements is "they never worked all alone in their blogging years", in fact they have contributed several articles in highly respected blogs in the web, and their contribution had helped them get the name "Pro Blogger".

When you asked, what is the most affordable method on how to increase blog traffic to your blog, the nearest answer to this question is writing and submitting guest post to blogs of your niche that are around for years and have a stable traffic and good reputation to readers.

How to write a guest post?

This subject "guest post" will run a series of posts here in the SB in the coming days, and I am starting this by writing some important tips on how to write one great guest post you will be proud of. Not all submitted guest posts are published. Blog editors will choose them carefully. You might consider my humble list:

• Find Blogs which accepts guest post, it should be in your niche, or blogs of your interest.
• Search forums about guest bloggers, consider their experiences and suggestions.
• Follow the list of blogs which accepts guest post, and plan where you will submit your first contribution.
• Scan their archives so that you will know if you will be submitting first heard or unique content.
• Your post must be original, well written and informative.
• Remember, this is like a contest, so make sure you will be chosen. Make a better plan for your subject, and come out with your best.
• Your post will give you the chance to be heard by loyal readers of the blog you will be guest posting, and if you are deserving, you will receive a high amount of traffic (referrals) in return.
• Importantly, this will give you powerful backlinks, not cheap! It will help you in alexa ranking and Google page rank update.

Have I tried guest posting already?

Well, it would be my first time as well. I have written my first draft, and by the end of this week I will be telling you if my post is accepted by the editor of my chosen blog.

So stay tuned for updates, I will be sharing more tips too.

Image Source: herecomesthesun-kelly.blogspot.com

See you.

Posted by Editorial Team on 7/16/2012 10:52:00 PM in Blogging Tips, Guest Posts

Write Really Really Fast - An Effective Writing Exercise

Am here sitting in the net cafe, Sunday mid-afternoon, I still have too many pages left on my Law book for tomorrow's challenge with my professor. Am not done reading yet, the humid atmosphere at my room got me walking and slipping inside an air-conditioned net cafe. Way back on the late of 2011 and early 2012, I used to be here almost every night for SB, then here I am again.

Last night, I published my post about 5 Powerful Tips on How to Write Blog Post Fast During Break Time, today, this is a continuation to the tips that came out from my head as a fruits of my writing experiments over the months.

How to write really really fast?

Well, yes, if you are like me, you have the right to ask how can you really write in speed. Writing really fast is not bad, I told it and I emphasize it in my post - How to Write Faster Maintaining the Quality of Your Content. Indeed, this habit is productive in our blogging career, specially because the term "blog" means writing and posting fresh contents everyday. Anyway, you are not oblige to write, no one well told you "your blog is empty today". Rather, if you really think something good will happen in the future because of your "blog" then you must take the responsibility in writing.

This very moment, as you can notice it, am writing fast - yes.

Writing fast is about sitting and concentrating and putting all your thoughts on your post editor, not regarding if you got the good flow of words or spelling mistakes.

This is about "taking advantage" of the time where your mind is envelope with your passion in writing. This is about the work of your thoughts and "imagination" and fingers. Think, type until you got all the things you want to say.

You know, I believe that in a point of time, we have the ability to write one single post, or an ability to explain one single subject in "just a flow of thoughts". If we lost it, we will not find the trace or we might had a hard time finding it.

How to hold it from not passing by without documentation? It's "writing really really fast."

What you do when your terror professor dictates your assignment for the weekend?

All you have to do is scribble down words or keywords, or if you can really follow, his entire statement or instruction. That's what we do while we are writing. We don't give the chance that something would destruct us from loosing any precious ideas that are flowing in our bright imagination - they are fast like a flowing river, so be quick.

This post is different from the other one I made, obviously this is not a list post, but see? Did I write all the things I want to tell you write now? I do not stop because I forget the term I want to write, I do not stop because of the spelling mistakes I made, I only stop after am done catching all the things my mind dictates me to write - it's the time am going to edit my piece.

Should I sum up? If you want to write really fast, don't work many tabs on your browser, concentrate on your post editor, write everything you want to say, and rest and edit your work if you are done writing everything. It's catching the flows in your bright imagination.

This post is inspired from How to Write Fast @ Problogger.

Image Source: contentflicks

See you.

Posted by Editorial Team on 7/15/2012 08:00:00 PM in Writing Techniques

5 Powerful Tips on How to Write Blog Post Fast During Break Time

I mean it; every new blogger must learn to write blog post fast during break time. While we are not earning a living through blogging yet, we need not to abandon our job. But we cannot stop blogging either. Working at your task serves your daily needs, getting a master’s degree, or building a better blog will serve you in the future. Both are important.

These 10 tips for writing fast are not the direct way of earning through blogging, but these will be the way so that new blogger can build a better foundation with his early blogging career, especially if he chooses to write a post during his free time. This is about producing more quality contents with the least possible time consumed.

• Build a habit of reading and writing. This is the very secret. How can you write fast if you do not enjoy writing? How can you write fast if you don’t have enough idea to write? Let me tell you – my day is not complete without this stuff. I love to read and write; they are so intertwined with blogging. The whole thing is about frequency, the more you engage yourself in reading and writing, the more you can write in speed flawlessly.
• Connect your post like a story. Write a post that will link to your recently published topics. Jumping to another subject needs time and research, but writing in connection to the last one you did will let your write with ease because you have more ideas to connect into. Linking your previous post is also a good SEO practice, that will make your blog united as a whole.
• Build a habit of listing down ideas. There are good keywords that will passed by in your head, but you might forget it when you are already occupied with your task at work. This topic I am writing right now is so happened when I walked my way home. I quickly get my mobile phone and listed the idea “5 how to write fast tricks revealed” on a memo. So, today, I don’t need to think about a topic in nowhere, instead, modified and enhanced the topic I had last night.
• Writing fast does not mean posting quickly. Writing is a process, though we want to write within 20 minutes or less, but not literally hitting the publish button of your post editor without checking if your content pass the quality requirements – you will know that if you follow the process with careful consideration. Quality content does not mean length, it means information. Is you post worth reading? Is your post free of typos and spelling mistakes?
• Write in time interval. Writing fast does not mean again completing your post that very moment. That point in time is your drafting stage. It’s not the product yet. Your break time basically last 30 minutes, so you can spend half of that constructing your ideas; then work again or your boss will caught you blogging. The next break, read again your post, and adds additional information. The best way to edit typos in your post is reading it after finishing each paragraph. Just remember one important quality check before posting – editing. Do not hit publish until you are sure your post is good enough to be read by your valued readers.

The truth is - I wrote this post in 2 time intervals. During my lunch break, and break on the afternoon after am done collecting pictures for our company’s product catalog. I am resting, so I spend it here again. Since I edit each paragraph after I write it, I got a little thing to do this time. This post is almost good enough.

See you.

Posted by Editorial Team on 7/14/2012 09:34:00 PM in Writing Techniques

The Value of Time Management in Blogging Success

This is an update of a life of an office worker, student, and blogger. Well, yes, I able to manage serving several masters at the same time, yet, I could not say I manage them all well.

I got 24 hours a day, I worked 8 hours, I study 4 hours, how much time left for blogging? How much time left for my personal life? Well, you know, no one is a superhero, but there is a certain magic that could help anyone manages those everyday task, with 90% efficiency.

I called it – time management!

What is the value of time management in blogging success then? Anyway, recently, I have incorporated the value of patience in blogging success – if one can wait with patience, then it’s possible to reach the peak of his goal, in a certain time though the time of happening might be not certain, yet it will come.

Today, let’s focus on time management. If you choose to have a complex life, like me, then you need to learn to manage everything that you have right now. Make a proper schedule of your daily routine. How to do it?

• Write your daily schedule, and separate things that are “must” to be done. Do you have upcoming deadlines? Work on it before starting another task. Do not leave it unfinished. If you leave important matter unfinished, see how it would stress you when it falls due.
• Learn to say no. It’s doesn’t mean you become ineffective of your job. It’s about accepting responsibility if you are sure you can stand with it. It’s your liability if you accept a task even if you know you have no time for it. Be honest, and it will set you free.
• Do you mean writing your schedule down? Well, the problem is, if you fail to follow what you have written. What you do is not conforming in your list, then you do not follow your guide and you might fail to manage your time well. Mean what you write, and see things falling into its proper place.
• Make use of every minute you have. Instead of thinking to write, get a piece of paper and write, or instead of thinking about writing a new blog post, get your fingers on your keyboard and start typing one. If you have unfinished paperwork, do not worry of running out of time, instead be in a state of action. Do it, or you will be late.
• Think positive, especially in writing a blog post. Think about SEO, but do not let it hinder you to do what you love. SEO is there, its part of blogging success, but “You” will the one who is the vital factor of your success. Be truthful to your real assumption, consider it first, say something about it – and you will have unique ideas. What I mean, do not be imprisoned of someone’s expert insights about the matter – experiment, do an enhancement!

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Let me see you gain…

Posted by Editorial Team on 7/13/2012 10:08:00 PM in Blogging Tips, Time Management

The Value of Patience in Blogging Success

Our words for the day is Patience and Blogging Success. These two terms are so common, yet, there are people who don't know the real meaning of it. I will tell you why is that patience is linked to blogging very closely.

Why the blogosphere needs patient bloggers?

• The blogosphere loves competition - how can one competes if he gave up in the first place?
• Blogging is a real challenge. You will have a downturns of your traffic anytime.
• Would you give up if all your blog readers ran away somewhere?
• Would you give up publishing contents seeing no comment on your posts? No. You should keep on blogging.
• Time constraint. Your hectic schedule can seemingly grab your chance of writing new, but, you can continue blogging by considering a good time management.
• The thinking to produce the greatest post ever. Well, a magic post comes anytime, just write, just share helpful thoughts in your head without worrying it would go viral.
• Google Page Rank is 0 or going down. Alexa putting you at the last. Worry not. Keep away from them for a reasonable period, blog often and comeback. There would be some significant change for sure.
• And - do not compare your blog to the well-established ones. They are there before you know what is blogging about. They knew the "thing" piece by piece. You are here to start your own, do your steps.
• When answering your examinations, looking at your classmates, tracking what page of they are will make your worry, and you might answer less than the items given. In blogging, don't run out of time by looking at the other, checking where they are. Mind your own!
• Listen to the expert, but do not set aside your ideas. There are to many "how to make money blogging" or "how to blog traffic" tutorials around, but you cannot apply all of them. Decide, and choose just few and work on it a little harder. Results might be delayed, so - be patient.
• Patience? It's all that we have. Without it, we would give up, abandon or deactivate our blog, without any hope for success. Blog, just blog and success is waiting anytime. It's survival in the huge blogosphere!

Am writing this thoughts today, because sometimes, in my blogging career, like most of the beginners, am disappointed or thought of giving up for some reasons. But every end of the day, like my life offline, I must be patient or I would look forward for nothing. As an accountancy student, my professor told us: before we can reach the peak, there's a lot of sacrifices and headaches. That's true. I have do no doubt - so just keep on moving. There might be boring days, but do something to make it alive. We are on the same shoes. You are not alone. Stay positive!

See you:)

Posted by Editorial Team on 7/11/2012 08:00:00 PM in Blog Inspirations, Blogging Tips

Blogging Tools that Boost Your Blogging Experience

If you are a crazy blogger you must have come across various types of blogging tools and other blog supporting tools available online. You can make a try on various types of blogging tools to enhance your blog in terms of getting good visitors. There are tools that can help bloggers in optimizing their blog at the right level. We can also find several new blogging platforms and applications to support your blogging activity inviting blogger’s interest and it enhances the blogging performance and security at the same time.

Blog editor - Blog editor is found to be one of the best features that come along with the blogging platform. Its usage makes us more comfortable as they help to make your blog writing easier even when you are offline, which can be taken to a live online state when you login to your account page. This helps in adding pictures to your post by just drag drop option. Previously, I shared a technique about writing fast without internet connection using one of the best blog editors.

SEO Book -This is one of the blogging tools that provide you option to select free as well as payable SEO tools that are of best of your choice. This tool mainly used by most of the SEO Professionals, Bloggers and webmasters who are fully focused upon enhancing their blog. This tool can be installed to various types of web browsers and are easy to use tool that helps in optimizing and increasing your traffic ranking.

Shareaholic - Shareaholic is one of the best set of blogging tools that helps you in sharing your blog post over social circles which is suitable for any type of browser. Most of the bloggers make use of this type of tool to enjoy the services of saving your blog’s unique content and share among the web. You would also wish to try Sharebar/ sharebutton or AddThis which is a blogging tool that supports your blog.

Feed burner - Feedburner is said to be an RSS management service which helps in offering custom RSS feeds. It also acts as the best tool to manage your blogs. Traffic analysis on your blog can be checked with the help of this tool and find out the number of clicks on your blog. They also leave you chance to advertise your blog by introducing some ads to your RSS feeds. This earns you money as you optimize your RSS feeds with the right form of tool functionality. I also included Feed burner as one of the top 5 tools for building a great blog.

Posted by Editorial Team on 7/10/2012 08:00:00 PM in Blog Editors, Blog Tools, Blogging Tips

5 Reasons for Building and Writing a Great Blog

How long are you blogging write now? Today, I want to update my previous list about the “reasons to blog” by not actually looking at them. Why? I want to know if I’ve got the same idea as before – not too long ago, but it was the time that I know “blogging” has been a part of me. You can read it here - Top 10 Reasons Why You Have to Nurture Your Skill in Writing.

I "blog", I "write" and “post” often for the following reasons:

• Sharing of ideas. You need not to be the expert in that field. What you need is the heart. If you spice up your post with "passion", there are lot you can share.
• To document your knowledge. Do not keep all things in your head. Human brain is like a USB. There are limitations, and there is a danger of corruption. You cannot remember all the you have learned, you might forget some. How if you will do the most significant ones?
• A best form of leisure habit. What you do while you are free? Read? Scan notes? Play poker? Chat? A best activity during your free time is the one that give you something in return, a different feeling of achievement. Just look at your blog. Scan your archives. Amazed?
• Blogging let your validate assumptions. There are useful and helpful techniques not just limited to our life online, but our life in general. Blog about it, and see if it works for yourself. There are times worth experimenting, it will gonna paid off later.
• Build a foundation of a living online. Yes. I am saying it right. Blogging is like planting a tree, it will grow and eventually bear fruits, then you can harvest them. Same here, if you blog, it will grow and get huge traffic and let your "make money blogging". This topic written by Darren Rowse at Problogger will tell you how he makes money from several blogs he maintained. It is so possible for every blogger once reaching a milestone in his blogging career like this notable blogger.

Let's talk a little about "Make Money Blogging".

Most of us have invested our time, effort, expertise and money to yield something in return that would gonna equate to a good and decent living. Yes, that is true. I decided to go back to school, taking a course more difficult than I expected, but I cannot turn my head away from SB, because I know I have a future for it- a bright one.

It's about harvesting what I have planted, watered, and cultured. How can a tree not bear fruit in that case? Money blogging comes out after patience and effort - and the mission to provide quality and great contents.

Image Source: scottfitz.com

See you:)

Posted by Editorial Team on 7/07/2012 08:50:00 PM in Blogging, Make Money Blogging, Reasons to Blog

How to Use Twitter Hashtags to Search for Blogging Tips and Tools

Twitter Hashtags are markers for important keywords and phrases. If you marked them with hashtag, it will be searchable, so people can see it and follow or click your link. Today, twitter is abundant with so many helpful tweets if you are looking for tips and tools for blogging. Twitter Search will lead you to blogs and sites you need to boost your blogging career!

How to use Twitter Hashtags?

Think of an important keyword or a key phrase. Type it on the search box, say #bloggingtips, phrase are typed without spaces.

Let me share my honest opinion about twitter before. I used to be there, but am not engaging to something. Am a total ghost. I hope you know what I mean. I have no interaction, my intention was to only get several followers for my blog. But not now. Recently, twitter and facebook integrated each other for better users' experience. Since then, I used to appreciate both social networks, until such time I learned to use hashtags to search helpful tweets and links to people who have same interests or activities with mine. I used to use the hashtags for search purposes.

Learn more about Hashtags secrets!

• Firstly, Find useful blog tips and tools using hashtags. Search for your favorite topics with #keywords or #phrase. Aside from using Google to find for helpful topics and related blog or website, today you can enjoy querying twitter.
• Secondly, Promote your tweets using hashtags. How can you promote your articles, tweets anyway? How can you make it searchable by some other users? By putting hashtags before a keyword or phrase without space/s, you make it searchable. Some people may find your tweets helpful.

Am using hashtags for my tweets now?

I want to be honest here. No, not yet. I have known this upon visiting my twitter account last time, so what I said about the promotion of your tweets is a mere assumption. Am going to find that out soon, hope you too. One of my future topics is about my experiment regarding this.

For the time being, we already know that we can search helpful blog tips and tools via twitter using hashtags, and, most likely, marking our tweet keywords or phrase with hashtags will send good traffic to our blog. See? Help me validate this.

See you:)

Posted by Editorial Team on 7/06/2012 08:00:00 PM in Social Networks, Twitter Hashtags