Home Business

First of all, i want to give you a link to a wonderful article about making money from your blog.  It’s by Steve Pavlina who knows a thing or two or zillion about the subject.  How To Make Money From Your Blog was written nearly a year ago, but the information is as dead on now as it was then.

Here’s what amounts to my favorite piece from the whole pie:  If you do decide to generate income from your blog, then don’t be shy about it.  If you’re going to put up ads, then really put up ads.  Don’t just stick a puny little ad square in a remote corner somewhere.  If you’re going to request donations, then really request donations.  Don’t put up a barely visible “Donate” link and pray for the best.  If you’re going to sell products, then really sell them.  Create or acquire the best quality products you can, and give your visitors compelling reasons to buy.  If you’re going to do this, then fully commit to it.  Don’t take a half-assed approach.  Either be full-assed or no-assed.

Love the last part - it goes for all things in life, doesn’t it?!

Several of my blogs were put up because I truly do suffer(?) from Change-the-World-itis (This one and Out of Bounds.).  One was put up because I wanted a perfect place to keep all of my recipes and cooking passion for my daughters to feed off of. One stemmed from my love for cats.  Others were honestly put up solely for the purpose of generating income.  This is my job, after all, so making money at it is pretty much something I insist upon.  It’s the difference between shopping at Kohl’s and the Dollar General Store.  If I go into the Dollar General Store for something, I want it to be because I want to, not because I have to.

I don’t pretend for one second to know even half as much about blogging for money as Steve Pavlina.  Having said that, I have picked up a little knowledge along the way.  You truly can’t write and maintain 14 blogs without learning something along the way! 

Below are a few of the nuggets of wisdom that have fallen into my lap:

1. Don’t be afraid to take chances.  We all know that a lot of people let fear of failure keep them from even trying things in life. But when it comes to blogging, I think the #1 fear people have isn’t a fear of failing but rather a fear of making a fool of themselves.  I’m not saying that it’ll never happen, it very well might - I know I’ve made a total clown out of myself before.  But, it doesn’t hurt, heck you might even get a good laugh out of it.  If you make a mistake, you join the rest of the world and say, “I blew it…”   If you have an opinion, state it.  Don’t let the fear of what others might say or think hold you back.
2. Express yourself - not someone else.   If you want to make your blog purple and red, go for it. Don’t let conventional practices hold you back.  So what if everyone else seems to be in hues of blue or green, you’ll stand out and that’s almost always a good thing.
3. If possible, get a great domain name for your blog.  When we first started, we already had about 10 websites up.  So I used some of them as a “home” for relevang blogs (for example, my food blog went off of my cooking site, my cat blog went off of my cat site, my dream analysis blog went off of….).  I wish, now, that I had given each its own domain rather than making their url http://www.whatever/blog.   That was quite a few years ago, however, and I had no idea where the world of blogs was heading.
4. Don’t choose a subject area based on what’s most searched for or where you think the most money will lie.  If you saddle yourself down with a subject you care nothing for, or know nothing about - you’ll be miserable and your blog will die a slow death.
5. If you have a blog already up and running, go to it today as though you’re a new visitor - seeing it for the first time.  What things do you like?  What things do you dislike?  Would you be able to find everything you’re looking for?  And, the tough question - the one that might just hurt a little…. What’s your initial opinion, are you struck by the friendliness of the blog, the professionalism of the blog, or are the first words to your mind, “Someone’s desperate to make money.”  Sure, money’s cool but desperation’s not
6. My favorite affiliate programs are Commission Junction and Linkshare.  They have the best merchants and are, by far, the easiest to use.  I honestly can’t think of any reason that they shouldn’t be your one-two punch - behind GOOGLE, that is.  Which brings us to…
7. Google isn’t dead!  Sure, there are a lot of people saying that it is, but I’m here to promise you that it isn’t.  Does Google work better for some subjects than others? Absolutely.  But, if you’re clever about it - that is, if you test out different colors, different placement, and different image ads, Google will show you just how alive it is.
8. Go to forums to see what’s hot.  I started hanging out in various Style and Fashion forums a while back - mainly as a way of linking my Keira Knightley website and blog.  I admitedly also have a killer interest in the subject, including a lifelong fascination with purses and jewelry.  I couldn’t even begin to count my jewelry collection and my purses number over 100.  I’m not being all flossy, flossy - I mean, we’re not talking diamonds and Channel, here.  Anyway, while on the forums, I kept seeing subject lines that read, “Looking for new fashion blogs!,” “Anyone else addicted to fashion blogs?,” “Know of any great fashion blogs?…”  I mean, I literally saw these types of posts everywhere I went!  Then I started seeing a lot asking for specialty blogs - for shoes, jackets, formal wear, high-end, low-end, handbags (!!!), teen fashion, etc.  I set aside a day and put up a fashion blog of my own, Arm Sweets.  It’s brand new, so I don’t have any success vs. failure statistics - but I can say this, I’ve had more fun with it than I’ve had with a blog in awhile!  Forums can give you a great idea of what makes people tick - then if you find something ticking that you share a tick for, go with it!
9. Something that I sometimes have to remind myself of - this isn’t life or death. If you get a negative comment, if you never get comments, if you show up first in GOOGLE or on page 12 in GOOGLE, if you make big money or chump change - this isn’t the be all and end all of life.  If it ever gets to where it seems like it is - do me and, more importantly yourself, a favor and step back for a little bit.  Gasp! Let the blog sit for a week while you work in the yard, have a picnic in the park, work on your tennis serve, go to the movies…..  You betcha!  You, your serve, your yard, and even your blog will be better off.   I’ve said it before (I’m just not sure if it was on this blog or on Out of Bounds):   If your family sees the back of your head more than they see your face, things have gotten away from you.  Personally, my mind is frying from the positions my images take in ie vs firefox.  The fox, as cute as the little guy is, screws just about everything up!  I’m still trying to figure out if there is any theme in the world that looks the dead on same in both browsers or not - but until then, I’m not sweating it anymore.
10. Finally - don’t stress over the little details.  Most people never notice.  The longer you look at something, the more it’ll slip away from perfection.

And never, ever be afraid to ask questions.  I think speak for most people when I say that I love to receive e-mail and when someone asks a question, it’s very flattering.  It feels good to think that someone’s coming to you for your opinion and it feels even better to think that you’re helping them.  Not too long ago, I had a young man e-mail me asking what celebrities I thought were “hot” right now - he’d seen a few of our celeb sites and wanted to put up one, himself, that’d “get mad traffic.”  I felt so honored to be asked that I ran a few tests and found the most searched-for 10 celebs over the past year.  I showed him who was consistently searched for, who was currently on top and why they might not stay there…and even showed him who would have new cds/movies soon.   

His site is in the works, and I’m sure he’ll get “mad traffic.!”

If you’re in the habit of using your head for anything other than a hat rack, you know what it feels like to hit the occasional brick wall. Thud or WHACK - the sound all depends upon how fast you’re going.

I WHACKed about a week ago. It seemed like everything I mentally touched fried a few precious brain cells.  And take it from me, I’m not confident enough in the number of these guys to risk loss.

Come to find out, apparently my think tank was just running low on motivational fuel.  I wasn’t even clever enough to seek out fuel on my own - I had to come across it by accident.  I was looking around at different blogs that used a particular blog theme.  It’s the same theme we use on a few of our entertainment blogs (Our Keira Knightley one, for example).  Anyhoo, I was looking at different techniques and navigational matters.  I landed on one by a lovely lady named Trish Jones.  Even though I was on a mission and was supposed to just be “Window shopping,” her smiling face made me want to read what she had to say.

Glad I did!

Her words were spirited and motivational, and the time that I spent with them brought me back from the whack.  The post that had the most impact on me was the one titled “The Key to Success is Knowing What You Want” - I would quote her last sentence in the post, the quote that I promptly wrote on an index card for future motivation, but I’d rather you go on over to her blog and read it for yourself.

While there, be sure to read more of her posts.  You’ll find yourself refueled, refreshed, and quite ready to go out and make a little magic.

Joi

I recently waxed about 90 shades of stoooopid.  Within the span of 1 month, I jumped into:

1. Putting up 2 brand new blogs.
2. Putting up a brand new website. 
3. Moving two websites to new domains. (Jessica Simpson Unveiled and Bo Bice Online)
4. Re-doing the complete looks of 3 blogs and 5 websites. (I’m actually in the middle of website re-vamping #6 and there’s a #7 poking me in the side.)

Our home biz is always busy, but in the months after my mom passed away, it’s almost been like I’ve been scouting out things to do.  Anything to keep the mind from wandering into, “If only…,”  “What if…,” and “God - this sucks!” 

Yesterday, I was catching up on some house/garage cleaning and chores.  For some reason, mid-way through mopping the dining room floor, I pictured a Chinese Proverb on a poster I’d seen a long time ago. It said, “There’s only an hour a day between a good housewife and a great one.”  That little proverb can be taken and used on just about any occupation in the world - not just overworked/underpaid/under appreciated housewives.  It can also serve as inspiration and motivation for countless other pursuits:  How about weight loss and fitness.  An hour a day could make the difference between:  1. Losing a little weight and,  2.  Having to go shopping for new Levi’s!

1 Hour’s not that hard to finanagle, either. What if you started tomorrow getting up an hour earlier - PRESTO, a whole extra hour handed to you on a silver platter.  Or, if you aren’t a morning person, start going to bed an hour later - or get up 30 minutes earlier and turn in 30 minutes later.  Just find that extra all-important hour and utilize it.

Something I’d really love to do is take up sewing again.  When my girls were really little, I had a sewing machine that I taught myself to sew on and I’d crank out the cutest little shorts, skirts, and jumpers.  Then, life happened, my machine broke, and I forgot everything I ever knew.  I think I’m going to demand an extra hour from each of my days and take it up again.

My husband has used this type of philosophy on his golf game.  He devotes around an hour to working on his swing.  He punishes a bucket of balls at the driving range regularly and has earned himself a killer relationship with his driver.

Is there anything you’d love to learn, re-learn or improve upon? 

There’s just an hour in your way.

Go for it!

Joi

…You read the post on the other side of the link below.  It’s that good. On second thought, it’s twice that good.

Do You Make These Mistakes With Your Blog?

While there, look around at the other posts.  That’s actually what I’m in the midst of doing, and why this post is super short - I’m in class!

Joi

I was flipping back and forth last night between my beloved St. Louis Cardinals and the equally beloved Food Network.  A show on the latter was doing a story about pancakes (which I’m now dying for) and the host was interviewing one of the founders of ”The Original Pancake House,” Ron Heighet.  Mr. Heighet struck me as a very smart and conscientious man.  

I have a habit of keeping a notebook and pen nearby whenever I’m reading or watching tv - in case someone drops a little brilliance in front of me.  I don’t really trust myself to remember the brilliance on my own, so I document it.  I’m  used to writing down cooking tips and recipes from Food TV (for my cooking website and blog) - but last night it was a quote that I scribbled.  There was not only a lot of wisdom in Mr. Heighet’s words, but the solution to a lot of problems and near-problems.

When asked what separated his restaurants from the rest, he spoke of their attention to detail and of their dedication to providing the best food they could - because, ”Every order reflects upon us.” 

Can you imagine if every individual within every business could really latch onto that philosophy?   That, not only does every order, transaction, and/or service reflect upon them personally - each of their workers do as well.

It just struck me as a novel approach to business that should be more common.  It’s something that we should all keep in the forefront of our minds, whether or not we’re in business.  Everything we do reflects upon us - either positively or negatively.  Everything makes an impact and everything leaves an impression.

 Between the pancakes they featured and their founder’s insight, I’d love to check out one of their 100 restaurants - but there aren’t any in Kentucky!  The closest ones to me, judging from their website, would be in Indiana (Indianapolis) and St. Louis.

Oh, well, I think I’ll just make a big stack of buttermilk pancakes tonight.  Beats the long ride!

Joi

Not long ago, Google added an “Advertise on this site” line to their ads.  Not a biggie, I guess - but the page that one ends up on is apparently pretty bland. (Quite honestly, I’ve never clicked through one to see.)

Someone posted a question about the subject on Ask Dave Taylor, and as he’s so wont to do, he answered. Click on through to see for yourself - or to, for that matter, ask your own question(s).

Joi  

About 7 years ago, our family started a Web Design and Publishing business (Hightide Web).  When blogging caught fire, we launched 14 blogs and recently added Blog Configuration and Hosting to our Hightide services. 

Blogging is a whole different ballgame from web design/web publishing.  Just when we reached ownership status with html, php shows up at the door.  Along with it, comes all sorts of headaches like rss (migraine), content management, databases, etc. 

To get my mind around blogs, I put my first one on Blogger.  I didn’t have any bad experiences with them - aside from the fact that I didn’t have my own domain name, and the strip at the top annoyed me.  But the rest of the experience was a breeze. 

When I felt like I could take the training wheels off, I researched the heck out of TypePad and WordPress.  I went with WordPress and have never, ever regretted it.  All of our blogs are WordPress blogs, and we’ve never encountered any reason(s) to change that status.  WordPress is even more of a breeze than Blogger, and it’s 100% easier for readers to leave comments on than the others.

My favorite part is all the great plug-ins you have at your disposal with WordPress blogs - they’re really amazing!  The techlicious brainpower that goes behind developing these themes makes my jaw hit the carpet.  (If you’re a plugin developer, you pretty much rock!)

FeedBurner is another gift from the blogging gods - if not for them, I’d be decked out in a white jacket today - the one that ties in the back.  And I haven’t nearly enough of a tan to pull white off yet. Like WordPress, FeedBurner has a style and approach that is impossible not to catch.  IF you read their site thoroughly and ask questions when they arise, you’re home free.

If you currently use WordPress, I wanted to throw you a few links you may or may not be aware of.  There’s a wealth of information here and is more than worthy of printing out and reading through:

1.  WordPress Advanced Topics
2.  WordPress Terminology
3.  WordPress Lessons

Blogging isn’t going anywhere - in fact it’s just getting hotter and hotter.  Companies aren’t ditching their websites (as a web designer I breath a huge sigh right about here), but they are adding blogs to their sites.  It’s getting to where Blog is one of the first things I look for on a website - and if I don’t see it in the navigational column or tabbed menu, I kind of wonder why they’re out of step!

If you have any questions about blogs or blogging that I could answer, feel free to shoot me an e-mail - joi@selfhelpdaily.com.

Have a wonderful day,

Joi

If you are interested in starting your own business (or a second one, for that matter!), here’s an article that you just might find useful.  It’s not the same-o, same-o yadda yadda that usually follows the words “Start Your Own Business.”  This information is fresh and insightful.

#3 sounds like something that’d be perfect for college students - make a little extra money AND keep their skills sharp.  What am I talking about??? College students, nothing…that’s what I need!

 Here’s the link, see what you think. >>> Top 3 Businesses to Start Now

May Monday be half over before you realize it’s Monday.

Joi

If one of your dreams is to be an author, I have a man you simply MUST familiarize yourself with.  His name is Steve Manning and he serves the aspiring writer the way Emeril would serve the aspiring chef. 

I’ve always found words to be particularly fascinating and some of my happiest moments are when I’m in hot pursuit of them - writing at the dining room table or tapping away on the computer in our home office.  So, if a book or manual has been written about writing, I’ve read it. 

Writing is like any other craft, you have to do your research.  You should find mentors and “teachers” and absorb their knowledge.  It only makes you better!  I’m often asked who I would recommend if I could only recommend one such mentor.  The answer, Steve Manning.  He is the one author who tells the reader, or student, everything they need to know in order to realize their dream.  And get this, he lays out how to write that all important book in just 14 days!  Do you realize how many you could turn out within a year?!  

Do yourself the biggest favor you possibly could right now and take the first step toward your dream.  Click HERE and you’ll be on your way!!!

Remember, dreams do come true - if you want it badly enough.

Joi

I’m getting pretty jazzed up about this eBay business - the thought of an extra $3,000 a month has my wheels turning.  So, I’ve been reading up on the subject and, since I play well with others, I thought I’d share:

To be successful on eBay, you have to stand out and get noticed by the people who’s attention you want - You know, the ones with $$$$.  Here are a few tips from people who have been successful at this sort of thing:

1. To catch the most eyes, you really need a photo of what you’re trying to sell.  People want to see it before they buy it.
2. Time your eBay auction to end at times when people will actually be online.  Early evening hours during the week are considered the best ending times.
3. Make your headlline stand out.  Use all capital letters and your listing will jump off of the page.
4. If you click on eBay Pulse on the homepage (eBay.com), they’ll show you a lisst of the most common searches.  So, when you’re yard sale hopping, or scouting out thrift stores - you’ll know what to keep an eye out for.

See Making Money the eBay Way for more information.

Have an awesome week!

Joi