Archive for category Internet
High Quality Blog
If you want to have a high quality blog, there are some things that you should avoid. One of those things is focusing too much on the form and not the content. There are many ways you can improve the quality of your blog by making it look more professional, such as using some advanced html programming or other tricks. However, ultimately the content of your blog is what is really important. I cannot emphasize this enough, content is what brings visitors to your site, and this is what you should focus on.
Another thing that you should avoid is stealing content. By this I mean a person copy/pasting posts from other blogs and not giving credit to the author. Sooner or later people are going to notice such behavior and will prefer to read such posts from the website of the original author. On the other hand, if you get an idea to post about something by reading a post on another blog, and write about the same topic on your blog, it does not mean you are stealing content. As a matter of fact, I sometimes get ideas what to write about on my website after visiting other blogs.
Tips on Blogging
Do you feel like you could benefit from some advice? Do you need some tips on blogging? Here are some tips that might be useful:
1. At the end of each post try to encourage your readers to leave feedback by asking them a question, or even a few short questions that they will be able to answer in their comments. This only makes sense if you enabled comments and are willing to read what your visitors have to say.
2. To make your posts more attractive, use pictures, graphs, and other visual forms of communication. One picture can mean more than even a thousand words. However, make sure that you do not use too many pictures, because you want your page to load in a reasonable time. Not everyone uses broadband connections yet, so such users will appreciate websites that load fast.
3. Make sure your website does not have a lot of downtime. It simply looks unprofessional and your readers may notice that. If possible, choose web hosting that has a guarantee of 99% uptime.
4. Always try to chose catchy titles for your articles that will attract the attention of your readers. You can see for yourself what I mean by catchy titles by looking at the top submissions at bookmarking sites like Digg.
5. Focus on writing “how to” type of articles. People love them, and they are always willing to read more of those in hope of learning something new. Make sure it is something related to the topic of your blog, and something that is actually interesting and useful. You can always ask your family and friends if you need someones opinion.
Backing up Your Blog’s Database
Posted by Kent in Blogs, Internet, Technology on October 11th, 2010
Some time ago I was discussing backing up blogs. However, an integral part of a blog that I did not discuss is the blog’s database. Basically, if you forget to back up your blogs database, then you are going to lose a number of important elements of your blog, including your blog posts, comments, and data generated by different plug-ins. So in a sense, your database is more important then your blogs template files, as they are more easy to substitute.
To back up your database use the MySQL database administrative tool provided by your webhost, or in case of WordPress blogs use an appropriate plug-in such as “WordPress Database Backup”. This plug-in is a personal favorite of mine, as it is easy to install and has very neat features. Backup options include saving to server, downloading to your computer, and emailing the database to your email. Perhaps the most useful feature is scheduled backup that allows you to set-up the plug-in in a way that it will automatically perform scheduled backups and email your backup to a chosen email. Setting for a daily schedule will ensure that no important data will be lost, however, the weekly schedule might be more reasonable.
If you value the content of your blog, you should take some measures to ensure that your database will not be lost. It is a good idea to both manually and automatically backup your database. This way you will be sure that you will not lose any important data.
Viruses and Malware
Posted by Kent in Internet, Technology on September 25th, 2010
Viruses and malware are a real danger for anyone who connects to the Internet on a regular basis. The biggest chance of infecting a computer with a virus is when you download something from the Internet. Some people might think that if they do not download anything, then their computer will never get infected. However, it is important to understand that while you surf the Web there are hundreds of files that need downloading. Whenever you visit a particular page it is actually downloading to your computer. This means that even if you simply browse various sites without downloading any files, there is still a chance of infecting your computer. It is important to get virus protection if you want to be protected from various threats. While many people say that no particular program can protect from all viruses and malware, the truth is that it is a lot safer to have an antivirus installed rather than not have one installed. Antivirus programs are able to protect from most threats and that is why it is recommended not to connect to the Internet without any firewall or antivirus being installed. It might be even possible to get free virus protection if you look around.
Digg vs. Bookmarking
Posted by Kent in Internet, Technology on September 17th, 2010
There are different ways to promote your posts, and this includes submitting to sites like Digg, or to bookmarking sites like Delicious. If your post is popular enough, it can reach the front page of either Digg or Delicious. The question is which website can be more beneficial to your blog. After researching the topic, I believe that bookmarking websites like Delicious can be an ever better choice than Digg. First of all, if a person bookmarks your post or website, there is a big chance he will visit your site more than just once. This is the main advantage of bookmarking sites. On the other hand, people usually visit your post though Digg only once. Secondly, there is a link value associated with Delicious, as each link pointing to your website is a targeted link. This should benefit your SEO greatly so do not underestimate it. They are even more targeted if relevant tags are added. I am not saying not to use Digg, but I am saying to appreciate bookmarking sites more, as they can be really beneficial. Naturally, there are many ways to attract traffic and work on SEO, so do not limit yourself only to Digg or bookmarking sites.
High Quality Posts
While college literature and writing classes can teach us to write articles properly, the Internet has its own rules. Here bloggers try to converse with their readers, and usually avoid using complicated language as they appeal to a broader spectrum of people. Actually, very few good and popular bloggers graduated from some kind of English studies, or have a diploma in this field. Writing the highest quality posts takes dedication, rather than knowledge. Here are some ideas on how to write a really outstanding post:
1. Use as many visual aids as possible. Do not hesitate to use colorful images that correspond to the topic of your post. It is true that a picture is worth a thousand words. In today’s world of media with so many ways to present reality like movies and slide shows, it is essential to do everything possible in order to stand out. Otherwise, your posts and blog might not attract many readers.
2. Use different formatting techniques to underline the most valuable content of your post. Try underlying the key points of your article. Use capital letters to emphasize the content that cannot be missed by your readers. Make use of it so that you can communicate something very important. Nonetheless, it is important not to use formatting techniques too much, because this way your post will become harder to read.
Of course, nothing can replace actual experience so I suggest that you keep writing. Writing high quality posts takes a lot of time so take that into account.
How To Improve Your Google Page Rank
From time to time there is a buzz in the blogosphere about actions that Google undertakes in order to update the Page Rank of our websites. This often makes webmasters think what else they can do to improve the number of valuable links pointing to their sites. While asking for link exchanges might be a good idea, it is often time consuming. I know that it can be hard for some people to convince webmasters to link to a blog that has a lower PR, and that it might be better to look at some other alternatives in this case.
The top commentators plug-in might be the solution for people who have problems obtaining links. I want to point out how you can benefit from others having this attractive plug-in on their sites, especially if they have high Google Page Rank. Simply comment on blogs that have this plug-in enabled, and that have relatively high PR. After some time you will see your name being displayed on the main page of the blog. It will not only give you higher PR when the next update happens, but also a lot of satisfaction for being distinguished among others for your dedication to leave comments. While Google Page Rank is only one of many ranking systems, it also might effect the number of visitors you are going to receive, so that is why it is important not to ignore it.
Being the First the Best?
There has been some discussion lately concerning the most popular blogs on the Internet. Someone noticed that the most popular blogs are usually those that have started the earliest as this way they had a big advantage. For example, problogger.net was one of the first, if not the first blog dedicated to the subject of blogging, and his blog still strives as one of the most popular. I think this can be explained quite easily when you look at the facts. When problogger was starting there was not a lot of competition, so even if he was making some small mistakes there were no other blogs to pose a serious threat to him. You took advantage of this time when there was less competition to learn from his own mistakes. On the other hand, if you are starting a new blog these days, then be prepared for a lot of competition and even if you do not make mistakes you will have a harder time attracting readers. On the bright side, there are already many successful blogs out there from which you may want to learn on how to achieve success. Read other blogs for at least a few days before starting your own.
Newspapers and Your Blog
If you are a blogger, then there are a lot of things that you can learn from newspapers. When it comes to newspapers, usually space is premium. This means that an 100 word article with the same information as an article with 500 words is a lot more preferable. Too often bloggers forget about this important rule, and try to write posts which are simply too long. We live in times when people value their time, because there are hundred things to do that you can choose from. When you write articles, make sure that they are short and concise. In my case, I always try to present some advice or information in my posts, and I make them short enough so that people can read them within a minute or two. Personally, I am really bored by blogs where posts are too long, because I am usually visiting blogs to acquire some information, not to fill up my time. One the other hand, all those who read blogs for fun will appreciate if your posts are long, especially if your readers are your friends that enjoy reading things that you write. Be sure to check who your readers are before starting blogging and make sure that your posts are not too short and not too long.
Secrets of Building Traffic for Free
Some time ago there was a blogger who asked an interesting question to the top bloggers:
“If you had 2-hours a day to devote to no-cost, off-blog (even off-line) marketing for your blog, what would you do?”
I read his article, and I selected some interesting responses, so here I present them to you in a concise manner:
-Leo Babuata from ZenHabits in also in favor of writing guest posts. He says that there is no better form of advertising, free or otherwise.
-Darren Rowse, author of ProBlogger claims that guest posting in the same niche is the best way to market your blog. He said that he would interact with other bloggers and their readers.
-Penelope Trunk from Brazen Careerist says that there are two offline things that are great for promoting his blog. This includes talking to people at parties and while speaking in public.
-Anita Campbell from SmallBizTrends would engage in social media marketing while using content sharing sites, social networking, and even community based sites.
-Muhammad Saleem from MuhammadSaleem would socialize with other bloggers in different ways including guest writing and commenting.
-Liz Strauss from Successful-Blog gave in my opinion the most elaborate response as she said that she would use StumpleUpon, comment on blogs, talk on the telephone with bloggers, speak at a local rotary and conference, or even buy a weekly hour of live radio time among other things.
I hope this article gave you some ideas, but remember that content is king, so it is good to first work on the content before you get heavily involved in promoting your site. If you have any additional ideas for building traffic for free, let me know.