Blogs are big business online. There are blogs on all kinds of topics and something to suit everyone’s tastes. Wordpress is by far the most popular blogging software,and Blogger would be the most popular third party hosted site. No matter how you host it, like a dog, it needs to be fed every day to stay healthy and grow.

If you have a blog you know it’s not easy coming up with daily content. Sure, there’s plenty of PLR content out there you can use, but if you want to be original your blog needs a voice. Your voice. So what to do?

That’s where this site comes into play ”For Bloggers, By Bloggers”. It contains some of the best tips to help you with your needs as a blogger. Contributing experts of the site include

• Aaron Lee
• Danny Brown
• Frank Dickinson
• Joey Strawn
• Judy Dunn
• Patrick Garmoe

Topics they cover include deciding on a niche, how often to post, where to find content, tips and more. If you’re trying to be successful in this field this site is sure to help. Check it out at http://bestbloggingtipsonline.com/

Be sure to subscribe by email and be notified of the newest posts.

Why do gurus have to make starting an online business sound so darned hard? It's really not difficult at all, and, in fact, it can be broken down into five steps, most of which can be done for you. Don't believe me? Here you go:

1. Have Susanne Myers research a niche for you.

2. Have Kelly McCausey set up a blog for you.

3. Have Nicole Dean create your content for you.

4. Have Nicole & Susanne monetize your blog for you.

5. Then, promote your new blog! (You can even outsource that, too, if you'd like.)

Wow. I'll bet that sounds expensive. Guess what? It's actually not. I'll break it down for you a bit further and explain each of the steps above and you'll see just how super-simple it is for you to get a blog up and running, in a profitable niche, with content, in no time flat.

Step One: Find a Profitable Niche.

Easy. Get Respected Marketer, Susanne Myers, to research and find a profitable niche for you, including keywords and even blog post titles. She's already done the work in advance so all you have to do is point and click and you're ready to roll.

Each of her research packs includes the following and more:

· Detailed niche description

· List of affiliate products available

· 100 domain name ideas (plus list of modifiers for hundreds more)

· Detailed keyword report for over 1000 keywords

· 100 article and blog post ideas

· 15 different author resource boxes

Just swing by www.NicheResearchPacks.com to see what she's got available.

Step Two: Get a Blog Set up for Free.

In order to have your own website or blog, you need two things:

-A domain.

-Web hosting.

The cool thing is that I know of a web host that will actually install your blog for you so you can skip the grunt work. Just swing by www.ReliableWebs.com to sign up for your web hosting. As part of the deal, they'll install a WordPress blog for you, free of charge.

Step two, done. You've got a bare-bones blog now. (Although just to let you know, for a very reasonable fee, the owner of ReliableWebs.com will customize your blog and make it look really cool, too.)

I also am a big fan of www.hostgator.com

For beautiful themes check out Wobzy.com Premium WordPress Themes

Here’s a free Expert WordPress Installer.

Step Three: Get Content.

Here's the next shortcut for you. Swing by www.EasyPLR.com and you can grab prewritten content for your new blog that's copy/paste ready for you to use.

Now, the content should be reworked a bit by you so that it's different and unique.

Here are some videos to help:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3Xrg3dL0rs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACawA7ICwfg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysxD6mnibwU

Also, for PLR Content check out PLR.Me

And another good source for PLR

Step Four: Monetize Your Blog.

This is another step where people tend to get stuck. But, guess what? Nicole and Susanne have already done the work for you here, too.

With every niche pack from Susanne's site, you'll receive recommendations for affiliate programs that tie into the topic. And, with every pack of PLR articles that you purchase from EasyPLR.com, you'll also get affiliate recommendations.

So, sign up for some of the affiliate programs that Nicole & Susanne recommend if they appeal to you and add some promos to your blog.

You'll want to incorporate recommendations inside your blog posts eventually, and perhaps do reviews and interviews with the product owners down the road, but for now, you're up and running. Don't get hung up on this. You can always tweak it later.

Step Five: Promote your new Blog.

Here's where the rubber meets the road. It's time to promote your new blog. To me, this is the fun part, but I know it's where a lot of people panic.

Here are five quick and easy ways to promote your new blog.

1. Add your blog link to the bottom of your forum/message board posts. (See? That wasn't so scary.)

2. Leave comments on popular, related blogs in your niche. Here's a list of 20 Internet Marketing blogs if that's your niche: http://www.nicoleonthenet.com/3842/list-of-internet-marketing-blogs-to-comment-on-for-traffic/

3. Post on Twitter whenever you write a new blog post. To brand your Tweets check out MarketMeTweet

Download your Free Twitter Report and learn how to use it in your marketing efforts.

Manage your Twitter account with ease Schedule tweets across all your Twitter accounts, send DMs to all your followers. Vastly improve your productivity on Twitter with Socialoomph

4. Guest blog on other blogs for exposure.

5. Create some videos and post them on YouTube with a link back to your new blog.

6) Publish an Ezine: The only way to collect email addresses of your visitors and build your own opt-in list is with your own ezine. If you're not publishing, I strongly suggest you start and add a sign up box in the upper right hand corner of every page in your site. To learn more about ezines,
visit http://www.EzineUniversity.com

7) Use P.P.C:  That's "Pay Per Click," for all you newbies out there. If you're not using Google Adwords and Yahoo you need to open an account today.

To learn more about pay per clicks go to: http://PayPerClickResearch.com

8) Swap Links: You've heard it before but it bears repeating: find other related blogs and swap links with them. Not only will it give you a slight boost with the search engines, but it will also enhance your site for your guests by giving them more related resources to explore. Check out http://LinkPartners.com

9) Write Articles: Write short articles such as this one and distribute them to article lists and other ezine/blog publishers for possible inclusion on their site, ezine or blog. Try to keep them short under 500 words. And use a good resource box offering something for free. This tool should help with the writing process.

10) Press Releases: Try to come up with a news angle for your blog and compose a press release and submit it to the media. If just one person
picks up your story you can get a large amount of traffic.

Check out:
http://tinyurl.com/4obb

11) Promotional Products: Have pens, pencils, notepads and other promotional items printed up with your url and give them away. Try http://Epromos.com

Get URL plates for your car at: http://www.mcpromotions.com/adURL/

Also check out Google Social Search Secrets

I also recommend this free course if you're a complete beginner and want to learn more about web traffic: www.WebTrafficBasics.com

Of course these steps are basic and I could certainly dig in further, but, I promised you that this would be super-simple so that's it. Now go do it!

Blogging is an endeavor tried by many, deserted by some, and works out really well for others. There's a lot of work involved and there's no shortcut when it comes to doing it, and doing it right. According to "The Future Buzz" 133,000,000 is the number of blogs indexed by Technorati since 2002. That my friend is a staggering number. But hey, there's always room for one more.

If you're new to Blogging or you've been thinking of starting a blog of your own. Daniel Scocco of http://www.dailyblogtips.com/ has written a free book entitled "Making Money with Blogs". He's been blogging since 2005 and today earns a 6 figure salary from all his efforts. In this ebook he shares the core principles of what he learned along the way when it comes to having a successful blog.

This ebooks weighs in at over 50 pages and it's very nicely done. The font is large enough to make reading online or off easy on the eyes and the formatting is excellent. Basically, it looks good kid! Now if you're a seasoned blogger,this ebook is not for you it's mostly geared towards the beginner, someone just getting started with their own blog, or the person who's been thinking about it but not quite sure where to start.

Daniel covers a lot of ground with topics such as:

- Domain Name and Hosting: The importance of where your blog "will live" and choosing your own domain.

- Making Money Online- Can it be done? Yes. Here he points out the importance of specializing in one niche
and really focusing on a topic. Choosing something you're passionate about always makes for a better blogging
experience.

- The importance of good quality content to build community.

- Using headlines with emotional hooks

- Where to come up with topic ideas to write about.

- The importance of sticking to a regular publishing schedule

- Design and Usability- Food for thought with links to some free resources that will really help you.

_ Mistakes some bloggers make and how to avoid them.

- The importance of building relationships with other bloggers.

- How to build traffic and promotional tips and ideas such as commenting on other blogs, exchanging links, guess blogging, even Social Media.

- Making money with ad networks complete with links to popular networks and services.

Like I said it really is well written but mainly suited for the beginner. I give it 2 thumbs up. If you'd like to grab your own copy you'll have to subscribe to his ezine to gain access by going to http://www.dailyblogtips.com/make-money-blogging/

To learn more about Daniel and how he got started check out this interview at http://spotlightideas.co.uk/?p=2794or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/danielscocco

A website is where you conduct your business. But, where can customers and visitors go to learn more about you and get to see you with your hair down, so to speak? Start a blog as a companion to your main website and another way to build more traffic too.

Blogging is basically online journaling. People start blogs everyday on a number of topics.  You can talk about a number of topics and get responses from those who visit and read what you post.

As a business tool, use your blog as a place where customers (and potential ones) can go to get away from the more formal website where you sell your products or services. Allow them to find out more about your business and more importantly, the person behind the business. A blog for your business is a great way to get people talking about your business.

Getting Started

Getting started is not as hard as you think. Many blogging platforms offer free web hosting. Two popular blog hosting sites are Wordpress and Blogger. Customizing your blog to your needs is not a chore when you have ready-made templates to help you. Each site offers step-by-step instructions to help you get up and running in no time.

Your blog will be a part of your website so the domain name can be also. Remember to keep it easy to access for anyone. If they know your website name, then they will be able to find your blog. You can also create a link to the blog right from your website’s pages and vice versa.

What Will Your Blog Include?

Ideally, you may want to use your blog to draw more traffic to your site. Existing customers can find a place to ask questions and communicate with other customers. For people who find you through your blog (versus your business website), they can find out from your customers just how great your products or services are.

Offer interesting content. Your blog posts are shorter than full fledged articles, making it easier for readers to gain insight and information. Create posts that will engage the reader. If your business happens to be about gardening, offer content that gives tips for growing different types of flowers or how to winterize your garden as examples.

You can even give them a teaser so to speak. Those interested in learning more can do so by visiting the link you include in the individual post that refers them to a page on your website with more detail. Remember to keep the voice of your blog relaxed and inviting in order to keep past readers coming back and new ones interested in learning more. 

Your blog will be a less formal setting so you can use it to give your customers a place to do a variety of things. First, they can offer their opinions. With blog posts, there are always places for comments. Pose questions in your posts like “How can we improve our business?” or “What did you think of the new product line?” and invite visitors to provide their feedback in the comment section.

Post contest links and discount coupon codes on your blog. To enter the contests or take advantage of the codes the readers will have to follow the link back to your website.

As you gain a wider readership, you can add more features. How about a “Letter from the Owner” type section? You can post blurbs from reader comments and your take on what they have to say. Invite notable guest writers who have something to offer your readers to blog for you as well.

Above all, interact with your readers. When they comment, answer back. This shows that you are not just there to promote your website or to sell them something. In fact, try your hardest not to sell them anything at all - at least at first. Instead, give them helpful information, interact with them and then post links to your main site as well as other sites. Let them find their way to your site based on your newfound relationship.

 

P.S. It can be a pain to manually update your blogs with fresh content. I know you hate this boring job. But don't think that the old-fashioned method of using content from RSS is the only solution.As you know, it will make a website for Search Engine bots, but not for REAL Visitors.

RSS feeds only pull information to your blog from the first few sentences of various content sites...usually not more than 55 words. So if a visitor really wants to read it, he will LEAVE
YOUR SITE and go to the article source to continue reading. You are losing visitors instead of converting  them into customers!

Here's a simple and powerful solution that will automatically post QUALITY content to your blog. =>> http://automaticblog.net/?e=msmerle

There's a lot of different reasons why people choose to blog. For some it's personal and for others it's to make a buck. No matter what your reasoning if you're a blogger or a "wantabe" blogger don't miss this guy's post. He points to some of the best posts published by ProBlogger.net which is one of the most heavily visited and popular blogs online today. Topics covered include how to make money blogging, designing a blog, WordPress and much more. If you have a blog you're sure to learn something and if you don't have a blog but plan to someday make sure you bookmark this valuable information.

The life of an internet marketer revolves around one thing: Content. You need articles for your blog, more great content for your newsletter or ezine, and even more quality articles if you plan to do article marketing or guest blogging to get free advertising for your website. So, before you throw in the towel completely, let me share a few ideas with you that may help you to actually have time away from your computer.

When looking for articles, you have several options. I personally recommend that you use several of these suggestions to add a variety of content to your websites.

I'll start with a few of my favorites...

Grab some Free Reprint Articles at the Directories.

Article directories like EzineArticles.com, LadyPens.com and ArticleBase.com are packed with quality articles that you can reprint on your site. The only requirements are that you do not edit the article in any way and that you include the author's resource box (or bio) at the end including the link or two that the author has included to his/her website.

It's a win-win situation. The author gets free advertising. You, the publisher, get free content.

There are three negatives to using this type of article.

· First is the issue of duplicate content. You're sharing the same exact articles as everyone else that uses that directory. This is not a big deal at all if you're using the article in your ezine, obviously, since duplicate content is only an issue with the search engines. It's also not a huge issue for your blog or website, as long as you write an introduction to the article, and preferably a wrap-up statement or recommendation at the end.

· Second is the very difficult issue of finding quality content. Gone are the days of grabbing any old free reprint article. You want Expert Content only – and many of the article directories have “bleck” articles.

· Third is the issue of posting those darn links in the author resource box. You're basically advertising for someone else for free. Ouch.

Good news! I can help you with the free advertising part in the next section of this article.

Use Extra-Special Free Reprint Articles.

Oftentimes ebook owners and other marketers with affiliate programs offer articles with a twist. You get to replace the link(s) in the author resource box with YOUR affiliate link for that program.

Here you'll find many articles that meet that criteria: http://freeaffiliatearticles.com/wp/

OR, if your favorite Experts regularly offer reprint articles, ask if this is an option for you.

That way, the expert still gets free advertising. And, you, the publisher, still get great content. But, you can also benefit by earning affiliate commissions as well.

This model definitely adds an increased level of appeal compared to traditional reprint articles. Wouldn't you agree?

Write the Articles Yourself.

You can choose to write some of your web content yourself. I highly recommend that you do write much of your own content, at least on the sites where you're trying to establish yourself as an authority.

However, there are options below that will enable you to post quality content to your website without having to write all of it yourself. (Some you can just edit and use.) The difference in the options below is that YOU become the expert, rather than endorsing someone else as the expert.

Try: http://articlewritingassistant.com/members.php?id=5960

Hire a Quality Ghostwriter or Copywriter.

A ghostwriter is a freelancer who writes for you (usually articles or reports), but you take the credit.

A copywriter specializes in writing copy that sells, and you usually take the credit.

There are many sites on the web where you can find writers. Start by asking around, or go to sites like elance.com (a job posting site) or Shelancers.com (a directory of freelancers) to look around. Having a ghostwriter on hand can keep your blog fresh and active.

Our Favorite Shortcut: Stock up on PLR articles.

PLR articles stands for Private Label Rights articles. PLR articles are usually written by a ghostwriter and sold to several website owners. This means that you (and a limited number of other bloggers) can edit the articles and publish them without being required to link back to anyone or give anyone credit for writing them. You become the expert when using PLR articles.

Customize the articles, tweak them for your market, insert examples or photos or case studies and publish them on your website -- or just use them as they are. Either way, you gain a lot of flexibility when working with PLR. Not only that but they are very affordable.

So, How do you Find a Good PLR Service?

Simple. Find a PLR site that's been around for awhile and offers professionally-written and edited content that's sold in limited quantities. That will ensure that you're not getting recycled PLR, but are getting your hands on top-quality content.

One such service is: http://www.plr.me/affiliates/uid/msmerle_2

Our Recommendation for Top Quality PLR, Sold in Very Limited Quantities:

EasyPLR.com has been offering the best niche plr article packs on the web since 2006.

- Great reputation. Thousands of happy, repeat customers over the years.

By Merle

When Oprah announced on her show that she "LOVES" Amazon's Kindle, millions of people rushed out to get one. First introduced in 2007, the "Kindle" is Amazon's electronic replacement for books. It's a portable, wireless device that allows you to download books, magazines, newspapers, even blogs instantly and take them with you anywhere.

Since the Kindle can hold over 1,500 books, that's like carrying around an entire library in the palm of your hand.

The wireless connection is built in and provided at no charge by Amazon. There's also a built in browser for viewing websites and reading emails.

Amazon's Kindle Store has over 230,000 ebooks to download, plus U.S. and International newspapers, magazines, even blogs. Almost all of the ebooks sell for $9.99 or less. The latest model is a larger more improved Kindle DX which was made available this year. Boosting a bigger screen and longer battery life, it can even read to you out loud. Now that makes for a nice bedtime story. It also holds over 3,500 books and sells for about $489.00.

The Kindle can also display PDF's which you can transfer from your computer with a USB cable. The older versions of the Kindle could read PDF's and Word documents, but they had to be emailed to Amazon first to convert them to a format readable by the Kindle. This option is still available as well.

So what does all this mean to you? Well, if you're a blog publisher you can now publish your blogs in the Kindle Store where users can subscribe to them for a monthly fee. This is a great way to make some money and increase your subscriber base all at the same time.

First you'll need to go to http://kindlepublishing.amazon.com to set up an account and submit your blogs for approval. Once approved your Blog "goes live" in the Kindle Store within 12 to 48 hours.

The Kindle gives the user full text and images from the blogs they are subscribed to, which unlike an RSS feed only gives you the headlines.

When submitting your blog for approval here's the information you'll need:

1) Blog Title
2) Blog Tagline
3) Description
4) Image from top of your blog (banner or masthead)
5) Screenshot of your blog (optional)
6) Posting Frequency

It's really pretty simple to get your blogs listed.

So how does the payment process work? Good question, nice to see you're paying attention. You'll be paid 30% of the monthly blog subscription price. Amazon sets the price, not you. It's priced on what they think is a "fair value" for their customers. For example, my two blogs were set at $0.99 a month.

All blog subscriptions are free for the first 14 days. Then they're billed at the monthly subscription price.Blogs are wirelessly updated throughout the day.

You'll be paid by check or EFT, your choice. Electronic Funds Transfer has no charge, but if you opt for a paper check and live in the U.S. you'll have an $8.00 fee attached. Payments are sent once your earnings reach $50.00.

If you publish a blog I'd strongly encourage you to get it listed in Amazon's Kindle Store. It won't
cost you a thing but a few minutes of your time and makes for great free exposure..

For more on the Kindle see:

http://tinyurl.com/lqhcug

There's a forum for issues related to Kindle for blogs
at http://forums.kindlecentral.com/forums/index.jspa