You see, I’ve been interviewed by the Famous Bloggers Club and they have put the interview live.

You can read a little bit more about me (if you are inclined to!).

Read how I made the transition from 9-5 corporate world to running my own on-line business.

Here’s the link:

Interview with Andrew Rondeau from WeBuildYourBlog.com

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Post from: Blogging Guide

I Am Famous

When the internet first went mainstream, pages were flooded with pop-ups promising things like luxury cruise holidays, telling us we were selected as the millionth visitor to a site, and if we just input our details we’ll be the lucky recipient of a great free handout.

As people got wise to the rather basic scams out there, the scammers took notice and began to evolve. They used more and more definitive internet marketing techniques.

As human beings, we all obviously love the thought of getting something for nothing.

This is how scams work; they capitalize on our in-built hope that we may one day win something, or come in to a windfall. This is a natural reaction to have, and this is what makes scams successful on an ongoing basis.

A friend of mine had an elderly grandmother who got scammed to the tune of thousands, because she subscribed to a service which promised to deliver massive jackpot cash prizes, if she invested a small amount of money. The family is still paying off the debts incurred by this lovely woman, who simply hoped to be able to land a cash prize big enough to set her relatives up for the future.

The internet is rife with offers from scammers, posing as legitimate businesspeople.

Money laundering deals come in to my mailbox on a daily basis, promising that I can make a small fortune, simply by inputting my bank details.

Another great scam is the e-mail that arrives asking me to confirm my bank details, for the purposes of enhancing my online security.

Getting Savvy With Online Scams

Unfortunately, most of us learn the hard way to remember if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.

My early experiences of online scams have taught me to check things carefully, and I now have a built in monitor which alerts me when something seems suspicious.

When I set up my on-line business, I decided to be one of the good guys – to only offer products for a reasonable price, and commit to providing an ongoing service that reassures people that I am there to support them.

When I launched my blogging course, I vowed to keep costs low and service high, to work towards restoring people’s faith in online businesses.

(I believe the blogging course is very fairly priced compared to other courses – please do not be ‘put-off’ by the price and think it is too cheap to be any good.)

The course is now re-launching, and I hope I’ve proven that there are some good business people out there, even online, that can provide a product that does exactly what it promises.

Now, if you send me your bank details and deeds to your house, I can help you optimize your blog.

Alternatively, check out my blogging course by going here: Blogging Course and sign up without giving away all your worldly goods!

Ever been scammed? Please share your views in the comments below.

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Post from: Blogging Guide

Avoiding The Pitfalls Of Internet Scamming

Let’s assume you have all those things in place. If you do, you have a great chance of being a successful blogger but…

…there is one thing that can ruin all your hard work and that’s…

Customer Service

When you run your own on-line business, you are accountable for the customer service side of the business.

That could be as simple as replying to the majority of your comments.

Or:

• Providing some advice to a customer’s question

• Making it easy for the customer to purchase your products and services

• Responding to any customers requests

You need to be willing to go the extra mile when it comes to customer service…but sometimes it can be hard…

Here are a few funny true stories that were passed to me by one of our Income Blogging Guide Membership members, Jean Gogolin.

Jean started her brand new blog, The Complete Olive just a few weeks ago. She provides some beautiful recipes for “People Who Love Mediterranean Food”.

The Stories:

Samsung Electronics

Caller:             ‘Can you give me the telephone number for Jack?’

Operator:      ‘I’m sorry, sir, I don’t understand who you are talking about.’

Caller:             ‘On page 1, section 5, of the user guide it clearly states that I need to unplug the fax machine from the AC wall socket and Telephone Jack before cleaning. Now, can you give me the Number for Jack?’

Operator:      ‘I think it means the telephone plug on the wall.’

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RAC Motoring Services

Caller:             ‘Does your European Breakdown Policy cover me when I am travelling in Australia?’

Operator:      ‘Does the product name give you a clue?’

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Caller (enquiring about legal requirements while travelling in Europe)

‘If I register my car in France, and then take it to England, do I have to change the steering wheel to the other side of the car?’

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Directory Enquiries

Caller:             ‘I’d like the number of the Argo Fish Bar, please’

Operator:      ‘I’m sorry, there’s no listing. Are you sure that the spelling is correct?’

Caller:             ‘Well, it used to be called the Bargo Fish Bar but the ‘B’ fell off.’

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Then there was the caller who asked for a knitwear company in Woven.

Operator:      ‘Woven? Are you sure?’

Caller:             ‘Yes. That’s what it says on the label — Woven in Scotland’

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Tech Support

Tech Support:            ‘I need you to right-click on the Open Desktop.’

Customer:                    ‘OK.’

Tech Support:            ‘Did you get a pop-up menu?’

Customer:                    ‘No.’

Tech Support:            ‘OK . Right-Click again. Do you see a pop-up menu?’

Customer:                    ‘No.’

Tech Support:            ‘OK, sir. Can you tell me what you have done up until this Point?’

Customer:                    ‘Sure. You told me to write ‘click’ and I wrote ‘click’.’

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Tech Support:            ‘OK. At the bottom left hand side of your screen, can you see the ‘OK’ button displayed?’

Customer:                    ‘Wow! How can you see my screen from there?’

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Caller:                            ‘I deleted a file from my PC last week and I just realized that I need it. So, if I turn my system clock back two weeks will I get my file back again?’

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This is a true story from the WordPerfect Helpline, which was transcribed from a recording monitoring the customer care department. Needless to say the Help Desk employee was fired.

Actual dialogue of a former WordPerfect Customer Support employee:

Operator:        ‘Ridge Hall, computer assistance; may I help you?’

Caller:               ‘Yes, well, I’m having trouble with WordPerfect.’

Operator:        ‘What sort of trouble?’

Caller:               ‘Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away.’

Operator:        ‘Went away?’

Caller:               ‘They disappeared’

Operator:        ‘Hmm. So what does your screen look like now?’

Caller:               ‘Nothing.’

Operator:        ‘Nothing?’

Caller:               ‘It’s blank; it won’t accept anything when I type.’

Operator:        ‘Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out?’

Caller:               ‘How do I tell?’

Operator:        ‘Can you see the ‘C: prompt’ on the screen?’

Caller:               ‘What’s a sea-prompt?’

Operator:        ‘Never mind, can you move your cursor around the screen?’

Caller:               ‘There isn’t any cursor; I told you, it won’t accept anything I type.’

Operator:        ‘Does your monitor have a power indicator??’

Caller:               ‘What’s a monitor?’

Operator:        ‘It’s the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV. Does it have a little light that tells you when it’s on?’

Caller:               ‘I don’t know.’

Operator:        ‘Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where the power cord goes into it. Can you see that?’

Caller:               ‘Yes, I think so.’

Operator:        ‘Great. Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it’s plugged into the wall.’

Caller:               ‘Yes, it is.’

Operator:        ‘When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there were two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one? ‘

Caller:               ‘No.’

Operator:        ‘Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and find the other cable.’

Caller:               ‘Okay, here it is.’

Operator:        ‘Follow it for me, and tell me if it’s plugged securely into the back of your computer.’

Caller:               ‘I can’t reach.’

Operator:        ‘OK. Well, can you see if it is?’

Caller:               ‘No.’

Operator:        ‘Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way over?’

Caller:               ‘Well, it’s not because I don’t have the right angle – it’s because it’s dark.’

Operator:        ‘Dark?’

Caller:               ‘Yes – the office light is off, and the only light I have is coming in from the window.’

Operator:        ‘Well, turn on the office light then.’

Caller:               ‘I can’t.’

Operator:        ‘No? Why not?’

Caller:               ‘Because there’s a power failure.’

Operator:        ‘A power … A power failure? Aha. Okay, we’ve got it licked now. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff that your computer came in?’

Caller:               ‘Well, yes, I keep them in the closet.’

Operator:        ‘Good. Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store you bought it from.’

Caller:               ‘Really? Is it that bad?’

Operator:        ‘Yes, I’m afraid it is.’

Caller:               ‘Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them?’

Operator:        ‘Tell them you’re too stupid to own a computer!’

How would you deal with such customers?

What funny customer services stories do you have to share?

Please share your views in the comments below.

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Post from: Blogging Guide

The Funny Side of Customer Service

To celebrate (and generate some buzz, of course!), we are holding a contest where you can win the latest 8G iPod Nano (5^th Generation – worth $125).

Please note: if you live outside the U.S. or UK and win, we’ll send you $125 via Paypal as an alternative prize.

To enter the contest, all you need to do is download our free Income Blogging Guide Here’s the link (opens a new window): http://www.incomebloggingguide.com/

By downloading the guide you will be automatically entered into the contest.

If you have already downloaded the guide, you will be automatically entered.

Double Your Chances of Winning:

If you retweet this post, your name will be entered twice into the contest.

You can use the retweet button within the post or you can copy and paste the text below and tweet it manually:

“Retweet To Enter The IncomeBloggingGuide.com Contest And Win an 8G iPod Nano! http://bit.ly/booDp1 #IGBContest”

Deadline Date:

The deadline is Friday 14^th May (midnight, USA EST).

Winner announced:

Monday 17^th May, we’ll draw the lucky winner (using Random.org).

More About The Income Blogging Guide Membership:

If you want to have your own on-line business, then you may wish to view our course details.

Please Note: There are no images of mansions or flashy cars, just the exact details of how you will benefit.

Here’s the link: www.incomebloggingguide.com/stepbystep/

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Post from: Blogging Guide

Win The Latest 8G iPod Nano: Enter The Simple IncomeBloggingGuide.com Contest

“Blog about something you are passionate about”

“Blog about something you are knowledgeable about”

“Blog about something that helps people overcome their problems/concerns”

And all that is true…

…do that and you have your best niche.

If you are interested, passionate and knowledgeable about the niche you blog about, then it will be much easier for you to write the content for your blog. It will also be much easier to understand your visitors’ wants and desires. It will be the best niche you can go for.

I started off my first blog on the subject of “Manager skills”

For the first 29 years of my career, I worked for large corporate companies and worked my way to Senior Management managing 1000’s of staff.

I loved the theory and practice of good business management … Leading and developing staff, public speaking, delegating, managing projects … I could talk and write about it all day!

So the best niche for my first blog was an obvious one – ‘Management’. I had so many subjects and topics to write about. I had the experience. I had the passion.

Then as my blogging and on-line business experience grew…I started this blog and I’ve covered all sort of topics that ‘touch’ blogging including SEO, list building, creating and launching products, copywriting, outsourcing, building relationships…all the things needed to make a successful on-line business. That became my best niche.

So where am I going with this?

A few weeks ago, Daniel Scocco of www.dailyblogtips.com wrote a blog post entitled, “You Don’t Want To Be A Jack Of All Trades”. In the post, Daniel talked about focussing your energy into one thing. He said ‘Painters only paint’, ‘Great programmers only code’ and the post got me thinking.

Should I be focussing on one area of blogging rather than being generic?

What is my best niche?

Another recent experience also got me thinking.

Yesterday, my wife had an operation on her eyes to help improve her sight. The operation was performed at the London Moorfield’s Eye Hospital.

As you can tell from its name, it is a hospital that specializes in ‘eyes’.

Now what about this…the person who performed the operation ONLY specializes on the front of the eye.

He wasn’t an eye specialist…he was a ‘front of the eye’ specialist. He didn’t deal with the back of the eye…that was someone else’s role.

He has spent all his working life dedicated and focussed on the workings of the ‘front of the eye’.

How focussed a niche is that?

Pretty focussed I would say.

Is he in demand?

Absolutely – he performs private operations every day and makes a small fortune. Good luck to him…he is very knowledgeable and very hard working.

So what do you think?

Should I stay generic and talk about proven blogging tips in general or should I delve a bit deeper and focus on ‘Blogging for newbies’ or ‘building blogging relationships’ or ‘Blogging SEO’? What do you think the best niche would be?

Help me decide and complete the confidential poll below and/or share your views in the comments. Thanks.

[poll id="2"]

Post from: Blogging Guide

The best niche – should I change?

Some months your blog income can be great and some months, pretty poor.

When I first started my on-line business I was recommended to create my own products and that’s what I did (and that’s what I would recommend to anyone starting on-line).

But even after creating your own products, you simply don’t know how many you are going to sell.

Some days it’s ten and some days it’s none. All you can do is keep on promoting and keep on getting more traffic and opt-ins.

But still your blog income isn’t stable.

So you start to promote other products, hoping to earn a commission as an affiliate.

AND you grow your opt-in list and build relationships with your list hoping some will also buy from you.

That helps to stabilise the blog income.

Then you might offer such personal services as coaching or mentoring and you gain one or 2 personal clients,

Again that helps stabilise the blog income.

Then you might create another product.

This diversification (own products, affiliate commissions, opt-in list, personal clients) all help stabilise the blog income – which is what we want isn’t it?

But by far the biggest most stabilising blog income action I have taken is to create my own membership site – the Income Blogging Guide Membership.

In simple terms a paid membership site is a web site or course where you charge customers to gain access.

Each month your customers pay you a fixed fee and in return you provide access to certain documents, a course, audio, videos…perhaps a forum or teleconferences…anything really to help improve your customers knowledge of the subject covered by your membership site.

So how does a membership site improve the stability of a blog income?

If you have 100 customers all paying you $27 a month for access to your membership site…that’s $2700 of blog income every month.

Of course your membership site has to provide excellent, up-to-date and worthwhile content, month in, month out for people to continue to pay…otherwise many would cancel.

Creating a membership site can be hard work but the rewards are certainly worthwhile and if you are looking for a more stable blog income, it is the way to go.

To start my own Income Blogging Guide Membership, I first got hold of Yaro’s free Membership guide.

It is a really good guide that goes into the details of:

·    The technology required

·    Content and pricing your membership site

·    Getting people to buy

·    The pre-launch and launching of your site

·    Reducing membership attrition rates

·    Making sure everything runs on auto-pilot

·    Plus more.

So it is definitely worth getting, as the whole guide is free…you can get it by going to this link:

http://www.webuildyourblog.com/yaro-membership-guide.htm

Just so you are aware, Yaro is about to open his Membership Mastermind Course which is the next step on from the free guide. So if you get his free guide, you will receive some emails from Yaro, trying to persuade you to purchase his paid Membership course.

In the paid course, Yaro goes into much more detail of what is required plus you get access to Yaro himself via a forum and regular teleconferences.

I did buy the full course because I wanted to build my blog income fast and have my hand held by someone who was already successful at building Membership sites, Yaro always over delivers…so it was worth it.

Of course, you may only need the free guide. If you are wanting to stabilize your blog income, I can really recommend you start thinking about building your own membership site and grab Yaro’s free guide .You can get it from here:

http://www.webuildyourblog.com/yaro-membership-guide.htm

Have you opened your own Membership site? How did you do it? How is it going? Share your views in the comments below.

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Post from: Blogging Guide

A blog income can be acquired via a membership site

Pawan Agarwal Owner of MaxBlogPress

This interview is with Pawan Agarwal, the owner of www.MaxBlogPress.com.

Whenever I build a new blog for myself or for clients I ALWAYS install several of Pawan’s free WordPress plugins including:

MaxBlogPress Ping Optimizer – can save your wordpress blog from getting tagged as ping spammer

Max Banner Ads – easily rotates banners to overcome ‘screen blindness’

The business model that Pawan uses is that which all bloggers should use – give something away of value and they will come back and buy.

And that’s exactly what I did.

Pawan’s free plugins are simple to use and work so well, I went on and purchased his Ninja Affiliate Plugin (that’s a link to my video review of the plugin) and I got my investment back within weeks.

I also purchased his How to Attract 365,000 Red-Hot Visitors to Your Blog Like Bees to Honey (another review of mine) guide that has interviews with the top bloggers around and again I have benefited hugely.

Whenever Pawan launches a new product or service I’m always there to listen.

Why?

Because he always over delivers and that makes him different to the rest.

So, I wanted to get to know him more – here’s a short interview with Pawan where he shares his approach and techniques to making an income on-line.

Here’s the interview:

Andrew: Pawan, thanks for taking the time out to answer these questions.

Pawan: You are welcome.

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Andrew: So let’s start – can you tell us a little bit about what you do?

Pawan: I run a website called MaxBlogPress.com. We develop software for bloggers who want to get more exposure to their blog and earn money from it as well.
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Andrew: How long did it take you to get you to where you are now, and what would you say to our readers who are frustrated and overwhelmed with their blogs, on-line business?

Pawan: It has been two and half years since I started MaxBlogPress. For those who are frustrated with their blogs/business I suggest to them to check if they are really in the right business.

I believe you should blog about the things you are really passionate about.

Things don’t go smoothly all the time and there will always be some serious problem in the business no matter how good you are at handling such stuffs. That’s when the passion comes. That’s when you can push yourself further even on the bad days.

Another thing, the success doesn’t come easily. Usually when starting up, you won’t see much traction. It’s like pushing a car. When you push it first, it doesn’t move at all. But if you keep on applying the force, it starts to move a little. Then after a while if you continue on pushing, it starts rolling faster and faster. Later, you can apply little force and the car will keep on moving faster. I think that same theory applies to your business as well.

Don’t get frustrated if you are not seeing any result. Keep on pushing and make a habit of showing up for the blog/business each and everyday. Soon, you’ll see people will start noticing you and business will go better and better each day.

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Andrew: What advice would you give someone who’s brand-new to blogging and wanting to make some income?

Pawan: First of all 3 things:

i) Choose the topic which you are really passionate about

ii) Analyze if you can deliver better than average content for that topic

iii) The audience are willing to buy something related to the topic (earn via product selling) OR you can gather very, very huge number of such people (earn via accepting advertisement)

When starting, the best way is to start giving away great content for free and gather as big an audience as possible. Don’t try to sell anything or start pitching anything from the start. It doesn’t make sense to spend your time monetizing your blog when you don’t have any audience at all. Wait until you have a stable number of visitors coming to your blog daily and only then start monetizing your blog.

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Andrew: What are some pitfalls that our readers should be on the lookout for, and how can they be avoided?

Pawan:

i) Monetizing before good number of audience has been built: As, I said above the first thing is you shouldn’t waste your time in monetizing your blog when there’s no audience at all. Build audience first and then monetize your blog.

ii) Wasting too much time: The web is like a hungry mosquito which can suck up all your time without you even knowing. Be disciplined and have predefined time for each task. For example: the two most important tasks for a bloggers are: Content Writing and Marketing. Set aside time for each of these tasks and make sure to do it before you get involved in endless surfing.

iii) Not showing up daily: You must be disciplined to show up for building your blog each and every work day. Like I said above you must build momentum to make your blog a success. Even if you are planning to post only twice a week, make sure you spend your time in marketing your blog, learning more about marketing etc… This one habit will have a big impact on your blog success.

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Andrew: What would you say is the one more important thing you’ve learned?

Pawan: Watching this whole web marketing thing for some years, the one important thing I’ve learned is being persistent. The web evolves, marketing tactics keeps on changing and nothing remain same all the time. Being persistent and willing to change myself, willing to learn new things and upgrading myself has been what made me move forward.

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Andrew: Without traffic you blog might as well not exist. What is the one best tip you can give to someone who’d like to increase their traffic?

Pawan: “Be The News” that’s the best tip I can give. We are lucky that now we are in such a time where anyone can publish any thing. There’s millions of bloggers, millions of twitter users, millions of Facebook, MySpace users… They all are like mini-publishers.

If you can write great content like no one else has done or if you create something great then it’s like news. People like to share and blog about such things. That’s great word of mouth traffic and can bring lots of free traffic for years to come.

While starting I did the same. I created many great free plugins which lots of bloggers spread around. That’s like giving something to all those bloggers to write about and being the news.

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Andrew: What are some realistic long-term and short-term goals for generating traffic?

Pawan: For short-term goal, I suggest:

i) Comment posting to other blogs/forums

ii) Gathering audiences via twitter and Facebook

iii) Ask your targeted friends to visit your blog and spread the word around

iv) Write great content which can be the news.

For long-term goal, I suggest:

i) Make the sales/monetization process so strong that you can start buying the traffic

ii) Make your blog stand high in the search engines for the popular search term of your blog.

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Andrew: I know you’re a big believer in affiliate marketing, but can anyone do this, and if so how?

Pawan: The easiest way is to write a review about the product which you really believe in. That’s the easiest way for starting out. For long term, I suggest to build a strong email list to whom you can send content as well as promote the products periodically.

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Andrew: What tools/resources would you say are essential to making an income on-line or making us more effective on-line?

Pawan: There are many tools a user can use for this purpose. It would have been easier for me to answer if it was for some specific purpose. However some of the tools I use for being effective are:

Metapad – A great replacement for windows notepad

Xplorer2 - An excellent file manager

Achieve Planner – Keeping track of all the projects and tasks

ClipMate – Easily manage copy and paste.

Direct Access – For speedily typing frequently used phrases, paragraphs and canned emails.

Evernote – For storing all the notes in one easily accessible place.

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Andrew: What do you see as the next big trend in the on-line world?

Pawan: I think the “word of mouth” will be more and more strong in the coming days. Many people these days ask for recommendation in their Twitter / Facebook instead of searching on Google. People these days are using social media the way they used to use their cell phone in the past. Using social media and connecting people via those things will be second nature for most of the people and the number will keep on increasing in the coming months.

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Andrew: What freebies can you offer to our listeners today?

Pawan: MaxBlogPress Optin Form Adder

I see most bloggers don’t build email subscribers at all. I think it’s one of the important things a blogger must do. The “MaxBlogPress Optin Form Adder” will help a user to easily place an optin form in their wordpress blog.
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Andrew: What special offer can you make for our listeners?

Pawan: The readers of this blog post can get “MaxBlogPress Ninja Affiliate” at $30 discount.

Below is the special discount link:

http://www.mbpninjaaffiliate.com/discount.php?id=ZV22giV5tOuL

This discount will automatically expire on: 9th March 2010

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Andrew: Tell us a little about some of your products?

Pawan: I think instead of me telling about the products, it’s better to visit the products’ home page to learn about all the details of the products.

MaxBlogPress Ninja Affiliate – Links to the $30 off site

$365K Blog Traffic Formula – proven tactics to get more traffic

WordPress Wizard 2.0 – How to set up a profitable blog

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Andrew: What’s the first thing you recommend our readers do after reading this interview?

Pawan: Don’t go reading another blog post or surf around the internet. That won’t help you much. Take action! and I repeat… Take action. That’s what will make the difference.

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Andrew: Thanks again, Pawan for the interview. I really appreciate it.

Pawan: I hope some of your readers benefit from it.

What’s your view? Do you use Pawan’s approach of giving something away? Share your views in the comment below.

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Post from: Blogging Guide

Interview: Pawan Agarwal – MaxBlogPress Owner

By the way, today the number of backlinks is 7790.

In this post I share 11 methods I use but first…what is a backlink:

Simply put, a backlink is a link on a website (including blogs) that leads back to your website / blog.

In search engine optimization (SEO), page rank is at least partially determined by the number of sites that link to yours. It’s important to gain backlinks honestly, and if a lot of other sites link back to you, you will naturally get more traffic to your page.

There is a lot of argument around the quality of backlinks.

We are to believe that a backlink from a website that is in the same niche as yours carries more weight. That would make sense.

Also, we are to believe the higher the Page Rank of the website you are getting backlinks also carries more weight.

So, ideally we want backlinks from websites in our niche and with a Page Rank of 10!

There are not many of those around unfortunately.

My approach is to mix it up and not get too hung up about whether the backlinks are in my niche or coming from very high Page Rank websites. Personally, I have too many other aspects of my on-line business that I want to keep running.

One more thing to mention…

When back-linking try and use the anchor text of your targeted keyword phrase. Read my post on anchor text here: How to use anchor text to your advantage

1. Blog Commenting

An easy way to get backlinks is to target Blogs that ‘Do-Follow’.  If you want to follow do-follow blogs (i.e. the ones that provide you with a backlink), here’s a great list: http://followlist.com/

When you comment try and include your name AND your anchor text. Something like: Terry @ Tips for horse lovers

In this example the anchor text is “Tips for horse lovers”.

Aim to make 10 valuable comments per day.

2. Article Directories

Submitting your articles is a straightforward process.

You simply copy your blog post, add a bio with a link or two back to your site in the resource box. Then you submit these articles to article directories.

Some popular Article Directories for you to try out are:

http://www.ezinearticles.com

http://thewhir.com

http://www.goarticles.com

http://www.buzzle.com

http://articlealley.com

http://www.searchwarp.com

http://www.ehow.com

You can just copy and paste your blog articles – you will still get a backlink but if you want to improve your overall SEO and traffic you may wish to use a tool I recently came across and now use: The Best Spinner

The Best Spinner creates unique articles for you to publish on the article directories.

And ArticleBot automatically submits your articles (spun or not) to over 400 different Article Directories.

3. RSS Directories

I mention this technique over and over again but there are so many people who just don’t use it and it is one of the easiest ways to get automatic backlinks.

Check out this post and submit your blog feed (and others) to the RSS Directories:

How you make your blog index quicker, build back-links and increase your traffic with a task that takes 2 minutes and you only have to do it once

4. Web Directories

Only a couple of years ago, submitting your blog to the web directories was a must. Nowadays, Google, it is believed, doesn’t put so much importance on the free Web Directory listings.

However, I still do submit the sites to the Free Web Directories. As far as I am concerned, the effort it takes is quite minimal, it only has to be completed once and you still get more backlinks and some of them are high Page Ranking.

So I recommend you submit your domain to various Web Directories.

Please note: there can be a waiting period involved, sometimes as much as a few months.

Again, I use tools and services rather than manually carry out myself.

I can recommend DirectoryBot and Directory Maximizer.

5. Social Bookmarking

Most of the very popular social bookmarking sites like Digg, StumbleUpon and Reddit do not give you a backlink when you social bookmark your blog post.

However there are some that do! Sites like:

http://www.mister-wong.com/

http://www.spurl.net/

http://www.diigo.com/

I use the tool Bookmarking Demon to submit my blog posts to several of the social bookmarking sites automatically.

6. Web 2.0 Sites

Write a unique blog post and create a hub page using Squidoo or HubPages. These sites provide excellent backlinks.

Read my guest post What is a Hub-Page and Why Should You Make One? to find out more.

7. Video Sites

These days having some video blog posts is a must and once created you can submit them to numerous video sites automatically by using TubeMogul.

8. Angela’s Backlinks

Angela’s Backlinks provides you with a monthly report of 30 High Page Rank sites, using screenshots so that you can copy and have backlinks in place linking back to your site within minutes.

And the price for such a report?

$5 a month!

Here’s the link for more information: Angela’s Backlinks

9. Forums

By joining a forum and adding a signature – each time you add a forum post, you can get a backlink (depending upon the forum).

Forums are regularly indexed by search engines, and by joining and adding a signature in your profile, it is another way to get some good backlinks with your desired anchor text. If the forum is a popular one, a backlink can be extremely valuable.

In a lot of cases however, administrators don’t allow links in forums posts.  Some administrators even prohibit the search engines from indexing their content.

10. Guest Posting

Guest posting is not just about getting the backlink. It is much more than that. Read my post on Guest Blogging.

11. Internal Links

Internal links from one blog post to another blog post on your site also count as backlinks.

Each time you write a blog post, try and backlink to a previous post. That way you are also adding another backlink. Plus you are enticing your visitors to see some of your other previous posts.

Powerful tip:

What is an automatic way of linking to other blog posts?

Use the MaxBlogPress Ninja Affiliate Plugin.

Not only does it link to affiliate products, you can set up certain keywords to link to your previous posts…and when you first install it…it adds links to all your previous blog posts as well. Instantly you could get a few hundred backlinks. The number depends upon how many published blog posts you have and how many ‘backlinks’ you ask the plugin to add per blog post. I have a maximum of only 2, otherwise it can become spammy looking.

I know I have mentioned numerous ways to build backlinks but by carrying out these tasks you will also gain loads more traffic.

The Tools

One more thing to mention before I finish…within this post I list many of the tools I use each day to help me build backlinks and traffic. If you were to do several of the tasks mentioned by hand (i.e. manually), you would be spending all day just doing the tasks and have no time for anything else…like writing great content and building relationships.

So for me, the tools below are worth investing in and most are one-off payments:

The Best Spinner: simply creates unique articles for you to publish on the article directories

ArticleBot: automatically submits your articles (spun or not) to over 400 different Article Directories.

RSSBot: Submits your blog feeds (and Twitter, article directories, Facebook…) to over 30 RSS directories – meaning publish a blog post and get 30 backlinks instantly!)

DirectoryBot and Directory Maximizer: Submit your blog domain to hundreds of Article directories.

Bookmarking Demon: Submit your blog posts to Do-Follow social bookmarking sites automatically.

Angela’s Back-links provides you with a monthly report of 30 High Page Rank sites, using screenshots so that you can copy and have backlinks in place linking back to your site within minutes.

MaxBlogPress Ninja Affiliate Plugin:  Automatically set-up internal backlinks to your previous posts in an instant.

The links to the tools I use and recommend in this post are affiliate links so if you decide to go ahead and purchase, I will earn some commission.

How do you get backlinks? What tools or methods do you use? Share your views in the comments below.

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Post from: Blogging Guide

Get Backlinks – Here are the 11 methods and backlink tools I use

One year ago I left the Corporate world after 30 years of working long days, travelling around the world, managing thousands of staff and earning a nice big regular monthly pay-check.

I look back and I admit I loved my Corporate career. The majority of companies I worked for, I loved. The majority of bosses I worked for, I respected and built excellent relationships with. The majority of staff I managed were excellent team members.

I did work hard. I ended up being the Manager who could turn things around. If there was a ‘problem’ department I was asked to go in and turn it around. Get it back to providing a great service again.

Of course, I had a great team around me. It wasn’t just my efforts.

Leaving the Corporate world was always my plan b.

Over the years, I had seen people leave and go off and do their own thing.

I remember one guy started a skateboarding park. I understand he runs a bed & breakfast place now.

Another started property development.

Another opened a pub.

Another a tea shop.

I admired them so much. For having the courage to leave the Corporate world and start their own thing.

“I couldn’t do it”, I thought.

A really good work colleague used to say to me, “I don’t know how you do it. Working 12 hours a day for this place. You need to start your own thing”.

Of course, fear was holding me back.

I had a mortgage.

I had 2 young children.

I was good at my job and I felt ‘safe’ and I didn’t mind the hard work. I’ve always enjoyed my work.

I was earning really good money in return for my hard work. My wife and I invested wisely. We purchased several other properties and rented them out. That brought in extra income.

But there does come a time when money isn’t everything as I explained in my worst decision post.

While still working for the Corporate Company, I started my own Management Skills site and on-line business…then after 2 years of working weekends and evenings, I left the Corporate world, one year ago and started this blogging guide blog, as well.

This was my very first blogging guide post on WeBuildYourBlog:

So, what is a blog?

No comments, no tweets on that one!

One year later, here are my current stats:

Blog posts: 232

Comments: 1592

Backlinks: 7670

Alexa Ranking: 52,753

PageRank: 3 (I think it should be higher but I just need to work harder, don’t I?)

Page one of Google for my 6 targeted keyword phrases

Twitter Following: 25k

Am I happy with my blogging results?

Yes but…

I am disappointed with my Google Page Rank. I did expect it to increase in the last update but I’m not losing sleep over it and I’m certainly not going to change my approach to blogging…as it now provides me with a decent income.

Most of my income does come from my own product sales

As I stated above I started off in the niche of ‘Management’ and in that area I have 3 products that I sell:

The First-Class Manager

Great Successful People

Mastering Public Speaking – Get Applause Now

By far, my best selling product in this area is the Mastering Public Speaking product. No matter which area you work, public speaking is crucial. Even blogging if you are making videos or on the seminar circuit.

And in the last year, I’ve created several blogging guide type products including these 2 with Anja Merret:

Article Writing Service

How to Write Articles for Maximum Effect

But the most exciting is my first ever Blogging Guide Membership site (currently closed for new members) that I created with Joel from Blog Tech Guy.

It’s a great success and hard work but it’s also been great fun creating the Blogging Guide course and helping others. That’s where the real fun and buzz comes from – when someone says we have made a difference to their blogging experience.

(By the way, we used Yaro Starak’s “build your own memberships course” to build our first membership course).

Have I had fun in my first year working for myself?

Absolutely YES!

Of course, I’ve made a lot of mistakes (they will be detailed in another blog post soon) but that’s how you learn, isn’t it?

I love working from home. I love the freedom I have. I love building reciprocal relationships. I love building new products that help others improve their lives.

The last year has flown by and I’m glad I took the decision to work from home.

Are you having fun?

I recently came across this video entitled: “The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun”

How are you having fun while blogging? Share your views in the comments below.

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Post from: Blogging Guide

My Blogging Guide Blog Is One Year Old

Although it is a relatively new concept, most blogs I visit offer numerous buttons for me to click in order to promote and socially bookmark the blog post I’m reading.

So why should you socially bookmark other peoples blog posts (and even your own, sometimes!)?

Relationships

Building relationships is an absolute must if you want to have a successful blog. I am going to say that again because I want you to be more successful than you are today and you can be if you build on-line (and off-line) relationships.

I’m going off tangent here but bear with me…just for a minute or 2.

I’m not saying I’m super successful or anything like that but I do make my living via my on-line business…and I would not be able to do that without relationships.

I have products which I sell on-line that have been created with business partners.

I have on-line friends who I can turn to for advice whenever I need to and they know I am there for them as well.

I have friends who are affiliates of my products and I am for theirs.

AND we promote each other’s blog posts via Social Bookmarking.

Why am I mentioning this?

Because one way to build relationships is via Socially Bookmarking other peoples blog posts. If you like a blog post, add a valuable comment and then socially bookmark. Do this over a few weeks and the blog owner starts to see your name appearing each time they publish a post.

Then you could ask for one of your posts to be posted on their site as a guest post.

Then they might guest post on your site.

Then you could become an affiliate of their products or services and the two of you build a great relationship.

That’s why I mention social bookmaking and relationships.

What else is there to say about Social Bookmarking?

It’s Free, Easy and Quick!

Most of the social networking websites are free to join. Digg, StumbleUpon and Reddit, for example, do not have any joining fees. These 3 websites alone have a massive customer base. Thousands of individuals go to these sites for information and to see the latest news and gossip.

If you join up to these 3 sites, you will be joining thousands of others and will be able to start socially bookmarking blog posts you like. If you have a Digg account, you will be able to ‘Digg’ other peoples blog posts, just by clicking on the Digg icon. And it’s the same with all the other social bookmarking sites.

Sign up, get an account and start socially bookmarking. You could start off by having a target of writing 10 blog comments per day and then socially bookmarking each site. The owner will start to realise you are becoming a loyal visitor and may even come to your site and start commenting and socially bookmarking your posts.

Plus when you social bookmark a site you have commented on, someone sees it, likes what you are saying and clicks on your link to your site…voila – a new visitor.

Powerful advice: Do not over promote your own blog posts, otherwise you can be classed as a spammer and be banned.

Word Of Mouth Is Priceless

If a friend of yours recommends a restaurant or service, you are much more likely to try the restaurant or service yourself, right?

When you social bookmark someone’s blog post, you are saying to others, “I like this…I recommend you read this”. So others read it and also social bookmark it. That’s the real power of social bookmarking.

Also, make it easy for your visitors to social bookmark your blog posts by using one of the many WordPress plugins. I like the Sexy Bookmarks plugin. See below to see the icons I display. Click on one while you are there!

Popularity Wins

On many social bookmarking sites you can add sites as your favorites. With sites such as Digg and StumbleUpon, you can recommend sites. People browse these sites to see what other people recommend. Search engines also love sites that have been ranked well by visitors to such sites.

Getting Indexed

By having your bog posts added to Social Bookmarking sites, they will be indexed faster. This helps your blog posts get listed quicker which can create extra traffic.

However there are some downfalls to social bookmarking.

Everyone is Doing it – Meaning There’s More Competition

Social Bookmarking is catching on fast. This means that you are now competing against more and more people on the popular bookmarking sites…and that means there is less chance of your blog post being noticed. So the more relationships and people you can get to bookmark your posts, the better.

Spam

People are getting used to spam. Many people ‘spam’ the social bookmarking sites with crappy blog posts promoting the latest flavor of the month.

Don’t do it. Only social bookmark your best written blog posts. Simply write naturally and people won’t see you as a spammer.

Used sensibly, social bookmarking can bring you loads more traffic and help build relationships.

What experience have you had with Social Bookmarking? Share your views in the comments below.

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Post from: Blogging Guide

The Pros and Cons of Social Bookmarking

It’s not a marketing ploy or anything like that. You see, we have an optimum number of sign-ups and we have very nearly reached it.

We weren’t expecting to close down so soon…

Perhaps our brutally honest, non-hyped up approach is working better than we ever dreamed it would…Income Blogging Guide Course

Access to Income Blogging Guide is removed this Wednesday at 11.59pm Eastern Time for many months.

Truth be told, we will NOT be re-opening soon.

If you are ready for a hands-on coaching course where we, Andrew & Joel, fully support, nurture and care about your online success…

…then come on board and join us.

Click Here: Income Blogging Guide Course

If you are concerned about being scammed…don’t be.

Just like you, we’ve purchased products that promise riches and all that stuff.

We are not promising riches…or flashy cars…or big mansions.

Instead, we are promising to show you exactly what you need to build a solid on-line business using a proven, tested, step-by-step approach.

We promise to be there when you need support via our Income Blogging Guide Members Forum and weekly teleconferences.

You have a 60-day guarantee and if you feel like the course is not for you then you get a full refund…no questions asked.

Do you possess the desire, commitment and focus to get your own on-line business up and running in 2010?

Simply take our course for a test drive. Try it out.

Remember…you have NOTHING to lose and everything to gain with our 60-day money back guarantee.

What could be fairer than that?

Go here now to sign up: Income Blogging Guide Course

Make 2010 the year you start working from home, have your own business while someone who really cares about your success is supporting you every step of the way. This opportunity is about to close its doors for many months. Jump on board…see you inside…here’s the link…you know what to do:   Income Blogging Guide Course

Post from: Blogging Guide

Income Blogging Guide Closing

Want to know what the most common 4-letter word that individuals say when they buy some sort of ‘making money on-line’ product?

No, it’s not a swear word.

It begins with ‘H’.

“HELP!” is what they say.

They buy the product, realize it’s just a load of theory and the seller is no where to be seen.

And guess what most customers then do?

Buy another product and so the vicious circle starts again.

Now is your chance to break out of the vicious circle because our Income Blogging Guide Course is now live.

Everything you need to build a solid on-line Internet business that will generate income for you on autopilot AND enable you to reduce your working hours so you get some freedom and time back into your life…but NOT overnight and with some hard work.”

You don’t need to buy anything else.

No “super-duper” traffic products.

No “make me a million dollars by the morning” special secret programs.

Just our course if you want a solid on-line and real business that you own and run.

BUT before you do…we are not promising to “make you a million dollars by the morning”.

We do tell you how much we expect you to make and you might be surprised because it may not be enough for you. That may make you go and buy a product that does…but that is your choice. We cannot promise you millions of dollars…sorry!

Before we starting creating this course Joel and I spoke to numerous individuals who have spent a fortune on ‘making money on-line’ type products and they have delivered one thing…NOTHING.

Of course, we have purchased some of those so-called ‘get rich quick’ products. We know what it’s like to be scammed.
Today, you could break free and not have to say ‘HELP’ anymore.

You are getting access to a complete step-by-step course that shows you in minute detail exactly how to build your own on-line business making you some extra income and allowing you to get some freedom back.

Simply check out the amount of support you are going to get once you sign up:

Income Blogging Guide

We are going to show you the way. We are going to support you ALL the way. We are going to motivate you.

We personally care about YOUR success.

Income Blogging Guide

Now the choice is yours…we hope to see you joining us.

Post from: Blogging Guide

What is the most common 4-letter word used by Bloggers?

The contest is now closed.

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest.

Joel and I have picked the TWO winners using the tool http://www.random.org/ and I have written to both of them.

One has confirmed and he is a guy called Tim Cooke. Well done Tim!

If the second winner doesn’t claim their prize within 48 hours. I shall pick another name using the same tool.

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On 6^th January 2010, Joel Williams (www.BlogTechGuy.com fame) and I will be launching our brand new Income Blogging Guide Course and to celebrate we are holding a free contest.

First, let me tell you a little about the Income Blogging Guide Course.

It’s not just about blogging…

It’s a six month course and covers all the stages required to build a successful online business, generating income and giving you some freedom back.

The stages covered in the course are:

1. Blogging Essentials

2. List Building

3. Traffic Generating

4. Product Creation and Launching

5. Copywriting Secrets

6. Outsourcing

The key to our step-by-step “Income Blogging Guide Course” is the way and format in which it is delivered.

Each week we provide a single lesson, with a few simple tasks to be completed, and it takes no more than a few hours per week. We provide the specific and detailed instructions to follow.

Each lesson assumes you have no blogging or technical knowledge at all and shows you exactly what to do in a step-by-step approach, using screen images and videos.

No overwhelm, no guessing, just an uncomplicated straightforward plan to blogging income that anyone can follow. You will literally have your first blog set up in under an hour, and have money-making traffic within weeks.

Plus we have several ‘critical extras’ that make the difference between success and failure when creating an on-line business.

The Prize on offer:

One winner will get access to the whole Income Blogging Guide Course for free. (prices to be finalized but easily worth a few hundred dollars).

Entry Rules:

Download our updated free report, “The Income Blogging Blueprint” and your name/email goes into the ‘hat’.

The updated free report, “The Income Blogging Blueprint” is a multi-media guide and includes all of the following chapters:

Choosing Your Niche

Choosing the Best Blogging Platform

Keyword Analysis

Choosing A Domain

Buying a Domain Name and Hosting

Installing WordPress

WordPress Overview

Adding New Themes

The ‘Must Have’ WordPress Plugins

Getting Your Blog Indexed

Blog Security

Adding Content to your Blog

Making Money

Managing Your Day

Having The Right Bloggers Mindset

The Next Steps

You can’t win if you haven’t downloaded our free report (if you already have downloaded the new free report, then you will be automatically entered into the free contest).

Sign up here:

FREE “Income Blogging Guide Blueprint”
The Step-by-Step Approach to Building a Successful Blog and Making a Blog Income

I hate spam as much as you. I will never rent, sell or otherwise share your information with anyone! You can unsubscribe at any time.

If you’d like to increase your chances of winning you can gain extra entries of your name/email into the ‘hat’ by completing the following tasks:

Re-tweet this blog post by simply clicking the re-tweet button at the top of the post (1 extra entry)

Digg this blog post by clicking here: Digg (1 extra entry)

Promote the contest on your blog (5 extra entries) (Please email me when you have, andrew at webuildyourblog.com)

Time Frame:

Saturday January 2, 2010 until Tuesday January 5, 2009 at 12 noon EDT (click here to see current EDT time)

Winners Announcement:

The winner will be picked using the cool free tool http://www.random.org/ and they will be notified immediately after the contest has closed and have 48 hours to claim their prize.

Winners will be posted here as soon as they have claimed their prize.

IMPORTANT:

You must download our free guide to qualify. The additional tasks will provide extra entries.

Thanks and good luck.

Post from: Blogging Guide

Free – The Income Blogging Guide Contest

Not me or Worthing Beach (unfortunately!)

This is pretty hard for me to admit but I may have just made one of the worst decisions of my life!

In fact, now I’m writing about it could be the second worst decision i.e. telling the world about the fact, I may have just made one of the worst decisions of my life!

Some of you know my background. Just a real quick summary for those that don’t:

Worked for 30 years in the corporate world, had a pretty successful career, received some amazing pay rises and just before I gave it all up, I was earning over $250,000 every year.

Then out of the blue, someone said to me, “Have you thought about making a living on-line?”

That was 3 years ago. I worked full-time, long hours and then worked on my own on-line business the evenings and weekends.

Then 6 months or so, ago I gave up the corporate world. I was ready to be a full-time blogger (or Internet thingy person, as I often say!).

Possibly the worst decision of my life!

So what is it?

I’ve kept in contact with several of my ex-work colleagues and one of them rang me recently. He offered me a 3 month contract, working for him…wait for it…for  $1500.00 a day.

Yes, $1500.00 a day!

Working 20 days a month, $90,000.00 in 3 months!

That’s a lot of money.

At fist, I was thrilled.

It’s nice to be wanted.

“Let me think about it”, I said, trying to stay calm.

I got back to him and said, “I’m going to have to say ‘no’. Sorry. You see I’m right in the middle of a new blogging course launch and I just can’t stop and put it on hold.”

There was no way I could do both.

You see, I love working for myself. I love knowing I can work when I want to. I love my walks to the coffee shop in the morning. I love coaching and mentoring others about blogging and the internet. I love my afternoons off. I love the freedom.

I have no debts and I easily make enough money to keep me living pretty well.

BUT…I keep thinking “$90,000.00 for 3 months work”

But I’ve made my decision

I’ve now got to ‘get over it’ and go ahead and release my new blogging course.

But that scares me as well!

I’ve still got loads to do but I’m loving the creation side because it revolves around everything I do on-line…blogging, list building, gaining traffic, product creation and launching, copy-writing, outsourcing…all the things I do to make a blog income so I can enjoy my freedom.

And that freedom would have been taken away if I had accepted the role and it’s not just about money is it? It’s having the balance between the two.

I don’t want to say much more about the blogging course as I’m still finalizing things.

Anyhow, I just had to get that ‘off my chest’ and now I’ve told the world I do feel better.

I’m looking forward to the comments on this one – what would have you done? Share your views in the comments below.

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Post from: Blogging Guide

I May Have Just Made One Of The Worst Decisions Of My Life!

I know you may not want to hear this but it’s very close to another year finishing and it’s nearly 2010!

What did you achieve in 2009? Everything you wanted to?

Will 2010 be any different for you?

Now is a great time to start reflecting on 2009 and then invest some time on your plans for 2010.

What are you going to achieve in 2010?

Are you going to make it your best year ever?

Soon individuals will be thinking, “2010 is the year for me. I’m going to do something with my life”.

Some will be thinking, “No longer will I be at the beck and call of someone else. I shall start my own business.”

Some will go on to be more precise and say, “I shall start my own on-line business”.

And I applaud everyone who wants to make changes for the better.

So how do you start making changes?

First you need to have a definitive goal. A goal of what you want to achieve.

Three years ago I wanted to leave the 9-5 corporate world. That was my goal. It took me 2.5 years to achieve my on-line business, which enabled me to leave the 9-5 and become my own boss.

Then once you have your goal defined, break the goal down into bite sized tasks.

For instance, if your goal were to have an on-line business, this month you could research on what niche you’d like to enter. Then learn about blogging and get your first blog set up.

Then next month find out about how to monetize your blog and get visitors to your blog.

Then the following month, create your first product.

And so on.

Each morning (or night before) make a list of tasks you’d like to achieve today, all of which take you one step towards your monthly goal.

Not All Tasks Will Be Good

Not all your tasks will move you towards your goal. Some might move you away from achieving your goal but remember you are learning a totally new activity and making mistakes can be good.

Some of the tasks will help you to achieve your goal.

However, no matter what you read on the internet, an on-line business is not just a blog and a product.

There are many who start an on-line business, create a product, have a successful launch and you never hear of them again.

They have a successful product, they make a few joint venture partners, make some sales and they think that’s their business.

That’s not a business. That’s a one time product creation and launch.

An on-line business involves having a customer list you sell multiple products and services to regularly.

You have multiple ways that prospective customers enter your lists and you have multiple items you offer them at different times.

Make 2010 Your Best Ever

Are you going to make 2010 your best year ever?

Share your goals in the comments below for others to see.

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Post from: Blogging Guide

Want to do something different?

I love coaching, helping, advising and creating information products best.

Perhaps it’s the ‘Management’ side of me coming out. Before starting my on-line business I was a Manager for 30 years managing big teams in big corporate companies.

Before that I was a petrol pump attendant. Remember the days when someone used to put your petrol in for you, check your oil levels and wash your windscreen. That was me!

Nowadays sharing my knowledge, doing interviews, producing videos, coaching and creating products is what I love to do and the beauty of the on-line, especially blogging business, is anyone can start with very little outlay.

To start blogging all you need is a domain name and hosting from some supplier like HostGator which costs $4.95 a month. That’s it. You can start blogging!

After a while you may wish to invest in a premium theme but that can be a few months down the line.

HINT: Enter my contest and win a premium theme, click here:  Free Thesis Theme (and other prizes)  contest

Then you want to start thinking about creating your own information product. It’s quite easy to create.

You could write a 50 page report, interview an expert in your niche, or create a few videos. That may take a few days from start to finish but once it’s complete, that’s it.

You could get some fellow bloggers promoting it as affiliates and guess what?

You now have a product that you have created and you’ll get paid for it for the rest of your life.

I am making all this sound easy, aren’t I?

Well it is and it isn’t.

Parts of the process are much easier than others.

Getting a domain and hosting and setting up a blog is fairly easy. My free multi-media guide will show you every step of the way. It includes loads of screen images and videos. And numerous individuals who have never been on-line have done exactly what the report sets out to do: Build your own blog in 45 minutes.

Just fill in your name and email address here:

FREE
Guide, Build Your Own Profitable Blog In 45 Minutes

I hate spam as much as you. I will never rent, sell or otherwise share your information with anyone! You can unsubscribe at any time.

Now where was I?

Oh yes, creating your first product can also be easy. Spend a few days finding out what people want in your niche and fill the gap. You can do that in a few days.

But it’s the income side that can be hard.

Selling your product is not as easy as some of the gurus and sales letters tell you.

You may have created the product once, but marketing the product never stops.

You can put  a banner or text link, write a few reviews, and share some of your product for free – all on your own blog.

Depending upon how much traffic you get on your blog will determine how many times you sell your product.

Want a rough estimate of sales per visitor?

One sale per 1000 new visitors.

So if you are getting 100 new visitors a day to your blog, you’ll make a sale of your product every 10 days. I am assuming your first product will be in the low cost range of $5 – $50. So $50 every 10 days isn’t going to pay all the bills, is it?

You have to find others – affiliates – to sell for you. You have to create all the extra materials like flash banners and emails and that takes time and investment.

I’m not trying to put you off. As I said at the very beginning, I love this on-line business but it does take commitment. It does take persistence. It does take patience.

I suppose what I am saying is don’t be deceived by some of those sales letters and gurus out there.

The information business is an incredible business, but creating your product is only the beginning. Most of the hard work is creating the systems necessary to have the product selling for you every single day.

What’s your view on selling your products?  Share your best product selling tips in the comments below.

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Post from: Blogging Guide

Create a Product Once, Sell for Ever

My wife, Joy, and I in kenya

Thought I’d have a bit of fun today and share with you 50 things you just didn’t know about me:

1. I met my wife on a blind date

2…I proposed on Valentines day 4 months later

3…we got married 7 months later

4…and we argued almost every day on honeymoon!

5…and we celebrated 25 years marriage this year

6. I was born on a council estate in London

7. I like to cook in my spare time

8…and my favourite dish to cook is a roast dinner

9 When I was 15 while playing football, I twisted my knee and the knee cap went right round to the side of my leg…

10…. numerous Doctors surrounded me because they had never seen anything like it before!

11. I love chocolate and Belgian beer

12. I have one tattoo. My wife’s name “Joy” in Hindi on my forearm

13. My wife and I are learning to ballroom and latin dance

14…We can dance the Waltz, Quickstep, Jive, Tango, Foxtrot, Samba, Rumba

15. I started my on-line business 3 years ago while working full-time

16…and left the 9-5 corporate world earlier this year

17. I also blog about self-development and Management: Manager Skill

18.I dropped out of university after one year – I wanted to earn money

19. When I was 17 I had 4 part-time jobs as well as being at school

20. I managed my son’s football team for many years and we won several cups

21. My favorite band of all time is Earth, Wind and Fire.

22…and I always go if they tour the UK

23. I am a Pisces

24. I go for a walk for 30 minutes every morning

25. My wife and I have 2 children

26. I say “no worries” a lot

27. I’d love to be able to sing but I am actually useless

28. I don’t particularly enjoy writing yet I write almost every day for this blog and other blogs. In fact, English was my weakest subject in school.

29. I love buying books and have stacks I never get round to reading

30. I adore food especially puddings like apple crumble and custard

31. I love getting up early and working – sometimes 4.30am

32. I don’t watch too much TV but I do like Strictly Come Dancing

33. My wife and I play badminton every week

34. I have 2 brothers and sisters – all older than me

35. Mon nom, Rondeau, est français

36…but I can’t speak French

37. My first car was a Mini

38…and now I drive a S-Type Jaguar

39. I recently gave up my $250k corporate job

40… to become a full-time internet thingy

41. I have only ever lived in two places – London and Worthing

42. I love wearing striped shirts

43…but sometimes just wear shorts to work

44. I love making lists

45…and crossing things off when completed

46. I’ve been a Chelsea football fan since I was 5

47. My dad was a scrap metal dealer, and in the early days I went out with him on his horse and cart

48. I am hopeless at spelling

49…and my wife proof reads all my written work

50. My favourite film is BIG with Tom Hanks. Here’s the trailer. Bet you have to laugh!

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Post from: Blogging Guide

50 things you just didn’t know about me

My wife, Joy and I. Our first night in Kenya.

I have mentioned a few times that this year my wife, Joy and I are celebrating 25 years of marriage. Well some of you have noticed I have not been blogging as often as normal over the past few weeks and that’s because my wife and I have just had our celebratory holiday!

We decided to go to Africa. Kenya to be more precise and include a safari.

We booked the holiday in February this year. The 7 months to the actual holiday soon passed.

As it got nearer and nearer the more excited we got but also the more apprehensive.

What shall we take with us?

How much money do we need?

Will the kids (well adult kids – 20 and 22) be OK without us?

Will the house still be here or trashed when we return?

We booked “all inclusive”, so we didn’t need to take much money with us.

We looked on-line to check what was needed for the safari trip.

And we told the kids to behave themselves!

And what about our on-line business?

I was working even longer hours to fit everything in and keep my blogs active while on holiday.

The departure date arrived.

We packed.

We were ready.

We took the train to Gatwick. We were on holiday!

We checked in.

The holiday company gave us free access to the ‘first-class’ lounge. That was nice of them.

A nice comfy lounge. Free snacks. Free drinks. It was a great start to our celebratory holiday.

The flight was full.

A nine-hour flight ahead of us.

Now before I go much further, I want to tell you how much this holiday cost us. $10,000. Just have that in mind.

So we get on the plane.

The seats are bigger than normal and the legroom is good.

We have these little TV screens in the backrest of the chair in front of us.

We get settled. We try and relax but we are excited.

First thing the air hostesses do?

Try and sell us a drink.

$5 for a coke.

$6 for a coffee.

They want us to pay for drinks!

I just paid $10k for this holiday!

Next thing. Would you like to upgrade your film choice on the TV screen?

Another $10

“No thanks”

Three hours into the flight. It’s now 11pm.

At last, we are served our in-flight dinner.

I cheekily ask, “Is it free?”

“Of course! Chicken or beef?”

“Chicken or beef what?”, I ask

“Don’t know”

“You don’t know?”

“No, we were just told ‘chicken or beef’”

My wife and I both chose chicken.

It was OK.

We also had a free coffee!

WOW!

Then they come around and try and sell you duty free goods.

Then breakfast.

The breakfast boxes were just dumped on our flight tables.

No smile.

No eye contact.

Where’s the customer service?

They need training I thought.

Unless I can help it, I’ll never fly with this company again.

I can tell you the holiday got much, much better!

Post from: Blogging Guide

The start of our Holiday

I was studying for a Computer Science degree and I got bored! I dropped out. I decided to leave. I wanted to earn some money. I gave up the degree course.

I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I just knew I didn’t want to go to college anymore.

I visited the job centre for a few days. There was a job in the banking area of London. Right in the city of London. The job was for a Pensions Clerk.

£3,600 annual salary plus free lunches. That’s equivalent to £8,500 in today’s world if we use 3% inflation – that’s is less than the minimum wage!

But I was happy and I got free lunches. I was offered the job.

I took it.

I also had a couple of little part-time jobs at weekends and evening collecting football pools money and valeting cars.

I certainly wasn’t afraid of working hard. I enjoyed the extra money.

Within a few months I joined the IT department of the same London company and my salary almost doubled overnight.

I moved around a few companies and ended up having a great career in IT.

Then about three years ago I started my own on-line business while working full time. I worked long hours for the company I was working for and evenings and weekends on my own on-line business.

There was a lot of downsizing and redundancies and I wanted something to ‘keep me going’ if I were ever made redundant.

I survived the cutbacks numerous times.

I continued to work hard at my full-time role and my on-line business.

So for 29 years, I worked for a company…for someone else.

Then four months ago, I had the option to take voluntary redundancy.

I took it and suddenly I’m working for myself.

No boss. No objectives. No staff to manage. NO MONTHLY SALARY!

That’s pretty scary.

I’m now on my own.

I make all the decisions.

I decide when to work and what to work on.

Nowadays, I have 4 major activities that I perform most working days:

1.    Content creation – blog posts, videos, new products, tweaking my own blogs

2.    Marketing – article directory, blog carnival, RSS, directory submissions, blog and forum commenting, affiliate marketing, social bookmarking, Tweeting

3.    Clients – working and mentoring with my clients on their sites

4.    Learning – reading other blog posts, completing the next phase of a course I am doing

Most days, it takes me 15 seconds to get to work. I just walk from the bedroom to the home office.

Turn on the pc and while it is booting up, I just check what I have planned to do today on my activity list.

Then I check my emails and respond to any that need responding to.

Check my direct tweets and reply to any that need replying to.

Check my blog traffic stats to see if I am on target with increasing by 10% month on month.

I am a member of a couple of membership forums (Yaro Starak and Jason Potash) and I go in and see what people are discussing and if I can add any value to the discussions taking place.

That takes, on average, an hour.

Then it’s coffee time.

Then I look at my plan to see what I have planned for the day.

I have a weekly plan and the weekly plan is broken down into daily tasks based upon the 4 activities I mention above.

And each daily task is broken down into 60-minute chunks.

And at the end of each week, I plan out the next week’s daily plan and activities.

By having a daily plan and planning ahead, it helps me focus.

What helps you focus on your on-line business?

Post from: Blogging Guide

How to stay focused when working from home

There would be arguments for, arguments against.

There’d be shouting and swearing, maybe even a bit of pushing and shoving. Well, maybe not, but wouldn’t it be fun to watch?

Why?

Because some would say, definitely include article marketing, some would say don’t, some wouldn’t know either way and some wouldn’t care!

So there is no correct answer, to “Should we use Article Marketing as part of our on-line business?”

The only think I would add, is I do, as part of my link building campaign and I get some high ranking link backs from the likes of Ezinearticles.com.

If you want more advice on article marketing, check out this blog post by Tim Grice, owner of the hugely popular, SeoWizz.net

Post from: Blogging Guide

To perform article marketing or not, that is the question