Desty Online -- Online and Offline Businesses, Online Marketing » Blogging http://www.destyonline.com Bringing offline business practices online. Turning bloggers into Businessmen. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:57:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 en Murphy’s Law in Full Effect http://www.destyonline.com/murphys-law-in-full-effect/ http://www.destyonline.com/murphys-law-in-full-effect/#comments Fri, 13 Jul 2007 16:36:58 +0000 Desty http://www.destyonline.com/murphys-law-in-full-effect/ I generally try to create a post or article each day.  Yesterday and today are so busy and stressful that not only was I not able to create a post yesterday, but it will be atleast tonight before I have something serious. 

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]]> http://www.destyonline.com/murphys-law-in-full-effect/feed/ Desty’s Gold Starred Articles July 9 2007 http://www.destyonline.com/destys-gold-starred-articles-july-9-2007/ http://www.destyonline.com/destys-gold-starred-articles-july-9-2007/#comments Mon, 09 Jul 2007 17:06:00 +0000 Desty http://www.destyonline.com/destys-gold-starred-articles-july-9-2007/ Most bloggers over the last few days have been mentioning Feedburner making two of their Feedburner Pro services free of charge.  What most of those articles didn’t do was look at the services offered and go over how these new features can be good things or bad things for your feed.  Andy Beard was laying down some Important Tips On Using Feedburner Pro - Now Free and how the new service could cost you some links.

The newly created Blogstorm gives a Beginner’s Guide to Linkbait. Linkbait are posts that you create on your blog, promote, and are so interesting that people just can’t help to link to and talk about. While I’ve written a few articles that I hoped would take a life of their own, I have never really written anything just so it will get links. I try to write articles that readers enjoy and help the readers somehow.

Derek Beau hit a couple of deal breakers when it came to an investment in Before Buying a Website, Make Sure You Are Comfortable Managing It. This directly relates to my article about common investments. Derek went with what he knew, researched, and determined that it wasn’t for him.

JohnTP gives a great explanation of The Power of Anchor Text. If you’re looking to increase targeted traffic from Google and other search engines, you don’t want to miss this.

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]]> http://www.destyonline.com/destys-gold-starred-articles-july-9-2007/feed/ When the Wall Street Journal Comes a Knockin’, You’d Better Double Check Yourself http://www.destyonline.com/when-the-wall-street-journal-comes-a-knockin-youd-better-double-check-yourself/ http://www.destyonline.com/when-the-wall-street-journal-comes-a-knockin-youd-better-double-check-yourself/#comments Fri, 06 Jul 2007 17:05:53 +0000 Desty http://www.destyonline.com/when-the-wall-street-journal-comes-a-knockin-youd-better-double-check-yourself/ Going over my traffic today, I noticed that I got some visitors from the Wall Street Journal Online.  I jumped through the link and noticed that my recent investments article was listed as a blog post about the topic.  I again jumped through their link to reread my article.

While I’m not a perfect proof-reader, I do believe that I get the vast majority of my goofs before they hit the front page.  Briefly scanning the article, I noticed two very obvious errors.  They were quickly corrected.  So, good news my first mainstream exposure.  Bad news, my article had junior high level grammar and spelling errors!

My proof-reading method goes through three stages.  I type all my articles in wordpad to ensure a good visual flow.  I copy and paste over to MS Word for the grammar and spell check.  Next, I copy and paste again to Wordpress and spell check again.  Finally after saving my article, before I publish, I view the article in the blog’s template.  I’m looking for obvious flaws, visual flows, and to make sure that any bullet points I used look alright; I once had my bullet points broken up on the individual page due to my adsense block floating in the text.

Check, double check, and triple check your work.  If you notice some traffic coming from an unexpected, but highly desirable place, check again and don’t embarrass yourself.

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]]> http://www.destyonline.com/when-the-wall-street-journal-comes-a-knockin-youd-better-double-check-yourself/feed/ The 2 Questions You Must Ask Before Taking Paid Reviews for Your Blog http://www.destyonline.com/the-2-questions-you-must-ask-before-taking-paid-reviews-for-your-blog/ http://www.destyonline.com/the-2-questions-you-must-ask-before-taking-paid-reviews-for-your-blog/#comments Thu, 05 Jul 2007 15:25:40 +0000 Desty http://www.destyonline.com/the-2-questions-you-must-ask-before-taking-paid-reviews-for-your-blog/ July’s fixed expenses for the hosting of Desty Online were covered this morning when Bloggerwave paid me for my sponsored review. While I am writing with joy that planned expenses have been met early in the month, along with 10% of the revenue has been invested, I really want to touch on a warning to the many would-be reviewers out there.

There are a host of paid to blog or pay for review sites out there. Check with Dosh Dosh on what paid review sites are available. If you’re just starting out, there won’t be very many opportunities for you. Let me pass on this small piece of advice: DO NOT TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY OFFERED TO YOU!!!

There are two hard and fast rules to follow when taking on paid review gigs.

Rule #1 Does the product / service / site mesh with your blog?

Desty Online focuses on two areas of interest in its posts: the set-up and running of businesses, and some Internet marketing. In basic terms, we’re here to help you start your business and to pass on tips about blogging and how to market your blog as we learn them. A sponsored review of Bloggerwave, an advertising site that buys and sells for reviews of products and services, falls into a tip for other bloggers in how to earn some extra income from their blog. I had another opportunity for a paid review through Bloggerwave, but the service had nothing to do with Desty Online and its focus, so I turned it down. If you take every opportunity to do a paid review, no matter what the subject is, you will lose readers. Readers are at your blog because of your brand of information. If you go outside that brand just to get paid to blog, you’ll be perceived to be after the fast buck, and who wants to go to a blog just to read ads.

Rule #2 Does your paid review give any value to the reader or is it just to make some money?

Readers don’t want to read ads; they want to read what you normally write about for free. If you do write a paid review and the subject fits in with your blog’s topic, don’t make the review posting itself an ad. You want to tailor the post to what the product is about, but write the post as if it were one of your normal non-sponsored articles. Tie the product into the article, but don’t make the article about the product.

Having the opportunity to get paid to blog via sponsored reviews is a great gig for the blogger, but the blogger himself has a responsibility to his readers. That responsibility is to not only do reviews that fit in with the blog’s content but mesh the product of the review into a quality post so as to enhance the reader’s experience.

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]]> http://www.destyonline.com/the-2-questions-you-must-ask-before-taking-paid-reviews-for-your-blog/feed/ Project: I, Blogger http://www.destyonline.com/project-i-blogger/ http://www.destyonline.com/project-i-blogger/#comments Wed, 04 Jul 2007 04:13:54 +0000 Desty http://www.destyonline.com/project-i-blogger/ Check out the where Project: I, Blogger is with these updates. 

Even after reading Maki’s comment under Anyone Have a Blogger Guide to Ethics, I couldn’t help keep thinking about it.  Is there no set of guidelines that most bloggers follow?  Aren’t there certain things you just don’t do? 

 Project: I, Blogger

I’m going to visit as many blogs as I can, asking everyone I can, what do you, as a blogger, see as the universal ethics of being a blogger.  If you have an opinion or views, please, post them in the comment section below or send me an email using the Contact Me page.  I’ll be compiling the results, with linkbacks, as soon as I get a good sample.  HOPEFULLY some A-List bloggers will participate, but their views will be as equal as other bloggers.  The only thing I ask is that you mention in your comments or emails how long have you been blogging.

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]]> http://www.destyonline.com/project-i-blogger/feed/ What To Do With Your Blog on a Slow Day or Holiday http://www.destyonline.com/what-to-do-with-your-blog-on-a-slow-day-or-holiday/ http://www.destyonline.com/what-to-do-with-your-blog-on-a-slow-day-or-holiday/#comments Wed, 04 Jul 2007 02:32:57 +0000 Desty http://www.destyonline.com/what-to-do-with-your-blog-on-a-slow-day-or-holiday/ Its the day before the 4th of July and it’s a slowwwww day.  I’m ready for a day off and my brain is fried!  I want to keep my blog running with quality articles, but sometimes that’s difficult.  I have tons of ideas but some days nothing comes out.  I’ve had days where I write a post for Desty Online, write a guest blogging opportunity post, and still have another idea.  Traffic numbers and RSS readers are slowing growing; I want to thank each and every person who reads these pages and feeds.  I seriously appreciate it!

 Scanning the feeds I subscribe to, I came across How to Keep Momentum Going on Your Blog with a Points System  from Problogger.  It’s a great idea for those of us serious about keeping quality on our blogs instead of posting just any ol’ thing.  But I’m thinking that it’s more to keep the blogger himself busy and involved, but doesn’t really increase or expand the readership.  I mean really, 10 points for installing a plug-in?  Some plug-ins work behind the scenes and the readers would never notice.  In my opinion, if an improvement doesn’t directly enhance the reader’s experience, it shouldn’t count.

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]]> http://www.destyonline.com/what-to-do-with-your-blog-on-a-slow-day-or-holiday/feed/ Anyone Have a Blogger Guide to Ethics? http://www.destyonline.com/anyone-have-a-blogger-guide-to-ethics/ http://www.destyonline.com/anyone-have-a-blogger-guide-to-ethics/#comments Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:22:32 +0000 Desty http://www.destyonline.com/anyone-have-a-blogger-guide-to-ethics/ Just so you know, I’m constantly on the prowl for information on blogging.  What I find, I share with you so we all learn something.  One thing I’ve been looking for, is at-least mention of an ethics guide for bloggers. 

 I’ve learned about trackbacks and have been going through all of my old posts to make sure that I take advantage of trackback urls by other bloggers I’ve linked to.  While the blogger has supplied the trackback url, meaning to me that they want you to use it, I noticed that some of my posts have pinged those articles already.  I’m not sure if it did its job since it wasn’t the specific trackback url supplied, so I updated articles with correct trackback urls.

 If any blogger notices a second trackback from me and they’re not a happy camper, I’m sorry.  Mark it up to my inexperience as a blogger, but keep in-mind that it was my wish as a business person to make sure that I take advantage of all opportunities that I can to expand.  I’m sure they’ll understand, hopefully…

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]]> http://www.destyonline.com/anyone-have-a-blogger-guide-to-ethics/feed/ Desty’s Gold Starred Articles June 30 2007 http://www.destyonline.com/destys-gold-starred-articles-june-30-2007/ http://www.destyonline.com/destys-gold-starred-articles-june-30-2007/#comments Sat, 30 Jun 2007 18:37:02 +0000 Desty http://www.destyonline.com/destys-gold-starred-articles-june-30-2007/ Chris Lodge at Blog Op is looking for Guest Bloggers while he goes on vacation July 7th.  This is an excellent opportunity for bloggers to not only network with other bloggers, but can possibly drive some traffic to your own blog, IF you submit some quality content.  I read his 1st article mentioning that he was looking for a guest blogger last weekend.  I contacted Chris and submitted what I considered a fairly decent article contrasting the news print media and the explosion of blogging.  Chris has been great and checked out my blog, giving excellent suggestions on places I was stuck on with the technical aspects of the blog.  Hopefully my article does Chris justice during his vacation.

Andy Beard rails against new Mybloglog features in MyBlogLog New Features - The Abusive and the Incomplete.  I had a conditional different opinion and posted it in comments.  MyBlogLog is an excellent social community site and if you’re not there, get there now!

Dan and Jen at Blog Success Journal posted a great article on How to Start a Blog and Make Money Online in 10 Easy Steps.  Being the type of person who believes that he can always learn more, I starred it to consume this weekend. 

The VERY first blog I started reading was Building an Empire.  Its a personal blog on a lady who invests in real estate for a living.  She chronicles how she was able to quit her job (actually she got laid off, but it was what she needed as her job was getting in the way of her investing) and takes you into the world of real estate investing.  She has an excellent community on her blog.  If you like real estate, check her out!

Last, but not least, test your blogging addiction at Daily Blog Tips.  I was only 60% addicted, thank goodness, but I don’t know if I should go for a lower number (that’s what my wife says) or go for a higher number (pointers anyone?).

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]]> http://www.destyonline.com/destys-gold-starred-articles-june-30-2007/feed/ Save 39% on Blog Mastermind, Limited Time Offer! http://www.destyonline.com/save-39-on-blog-mastermind-limited-time-offer/ http://www.destyonline.com/save-39-on-blog-mastermind-limited-time-offer/#comments Wed, 27 Jun 2007 15:05:13 +0000 Desty http://www.destyonline.com/save-39-on-blog-mastermind-limited-time-offer/ Blog Mastermind had its product launch last Thursday and it has been a huge success! A mentoring program developed and ran by Yaro Starak, Blog Mastermind brings Yaro’s years of practical experience to the front in helping people learn to optimize their blog in order to make income. Yaro personally teaches techniques he personally uses on his own blog to generate $4000 to $6000 per month.

Yaro shows step-by-step using video and podcasts how to

* Set up and customize your blog
* Build your readership
* And make money

As a start-up blitz, Yaro is offering a limited time offer. Join now and save 39% off for the first month. That’s a $30 savings off of the normal price of $77. This offer is good until end of Thursday June 28 2007.

Check out some of Yaro’s free resources that demonstrate his methods and you’ll see that Blog Mastermind is worth it.

Blog Profits Blueprints — a free report written by Yaro that details strategies and tactics on blogging basics to bring yours up to par. Great for new bloggers and its free!

A look behind the scenes at Blog Mastermind — Yaro recorded this video giving a tour of the Blog Mastermind sites, showing exactly what you get if you join Blog Mastermind.

How I Make Money Blogging Video — Yaro takes you on a tour of his own blog, pointing out techniques he uses to make money.

The Blogspot Case Study Video — Look over Yaro’s shoulder as he reviews a blogspot blog. 

Join Blog Mastermind, save 39% off the monthly price, and you won’t be disappointed. I’m not.

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]]> http://www.destyonline.com/save-39-on-blog-mastermind-limited-time-offer/feed/ Others Respect Your Authority at Technorati http://www.destyonline.com/others-respect-your-authority-at-technorati/ http://www.destyonline.com/others-respect-your-authority-at-technorati/#comments Fri, 22 Jun 2007 14:21:36 +0000 Desty http://www.destyonline.com/others-respect-your-authority-at-technorati/ What are bloggers talking about? What blogs are so popular that thousands of web sites and blogs have posted links to them?

Technorati has the answers.

Technorati is a social site that not only tracks links between blogs but articles posted by bloggers and their key words. Top searches, top tags, and WTF (Where’s The Fire) are features to keep the individual blogger informed as to what the blogging community is talking about.

Joining Technorati is free and easy to set-up. To get your blog watched by Technorati you must 1st claim your blog. This is as easy as inserting some HTML code into your blog’s template and then informing Technorati when it’s done. They will then search your page for that HTML code and report back that it has been found and they have your blog in their network. Easy!

The main use of Technorati is where they track how many links other sites or blogs have linked to your page. Your Authority number is the amount of links others have to your site. Not only is this a status symbol showing how important others view your blog, but the Authority is also used by some advertisers, such as PayPerPost, in determining opportunities and possible investment in your available ad space.

The coolness factor of Technorati is ratcheted up further by their unique widgets created for your account that you can post on your site free of charge. Here are some examples:

Technorati Top Tags

Technorati Top Searches

An account with Technorati should be a MUST for all bloggers. If you don’t set foot on their site after you register, that’s fine, but register and get your blog some Authority!

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