Archive for the ‘Blogging’ Category
Cookie cutter blog themes aren’t for everyone
There seems to be two primary reasons that people take advantage of cookie cutter blog themes. If you are new to blogging, or you have created a blog for fun or personal reasons, you simply may not want to pay for a custom blog theme. The other possibility is that you have multiple blogs.
Every blog theme has its own quirk that the user will have to adjust to. Some themes have easy to use theme editors, while others you have to manually adjust the code. One blog theme works with all of your favorite plugins, while the next works with just half of them. One works well with Internet Explorer, but is a complete mess with Firefox.
The point is that once you learn how to manipulate one blog theme, you may want to use it as much as you possibly can in order to provide your readers with the best results. Who could blame you?
The problem here is that a cookie cutter blog theme rarely is suitable for all of your blog themes unless they are all relatively similar. One blog might need a “breaking news” section while another blog would have no use for this.
Since many of us simply don’t want to pay for a custom blog theme, the only real option left is to learn how to code the stupid things. This will allow you to tweak the cookie cutter designs in order to accommodate your blogs. For those of you who are really ambitious, you can even create themes from scratch. Anybody who is serious about blogging will be benefited by this extra knowledge!
Now if you are using a blog theme for fun, nobody can possibly expect you to pay for a custom design. Since you only have to focus your attention on one blog it should be far easier to find the right theme to accommodate your content, while still producing the best results for your readers.
![[del.icio.us]](http://thebloggingcenter.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://thebloggingcenter.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Feed Me Links]](http://thebloggingcenter.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/feedmelinks.png)
![[Google]](http://thebloggingcenter.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[Kaboodle]](http://thebloggingcenter.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/kaboodle.png)
![[LinkedIn]](http://thebloggingcenter.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/linkedin.png)
![[Reddit]](http://thebloggingcenter.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png)
![[Squidoo]](http://thebloggingcenter.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/squidoo.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://thebloggingcenter.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Technorati]](http://thebloggingcenter.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](http://thebloggingcenter.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Windows Live]](http://thebloggingcenter.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/windowslive.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://thebloggingcenter.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://thebloggingcenter.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
Filed under Blogging, Blogging Tips
Pay attention to Google Adsense optimization notifications
Did you know that Google Adsense will actually alert you if you are not fully taking advantage of their services? It’s true! These alerts are called optimization notifications. Once a month Adsense will send you one of these notifications if it has determined there are things you can do to increase your earnings.
Adsense has created a system that actually analysis certain aspects of your account. This includes everything from your referral settings to the actual ads that display on your sites. This process is completely automatic and you don’t have to do anything to enable to the optimization notifications.
So if you happen to see an optimization notification in your account – take the time to read it. What ever suggestions it might contain you should consider implementing them on your sites. Who knows, you might just see a dramatic increase in your earnings! Who doesn’t want that?
If you happen to receive an optimization notification don’t let it discourage you. It takes a while to successfully configure each of the different channels that are available to you. Take content advertisements for example – there are different types that you can display on your site. You can change the color of these ads and even their shapes.
Every time you make a change to your Adsense settings make sure you spend some time monitoring the relevant reports. It is essential that you understand how your changes are affecting your earnings. If you make a change and notice your earnings drop, you can easily reverse the change and try something new.
The importance of user generated content
As I have said so many times before, it can be really difficult to get a new blog established. It takes a lot of time to setup a blog, pick a theme, install the necessary plugins, and come up with creative tag lines to attract the attention of your readers. On top of all that, you still need to fill your blog with content.
If you are looking for an easy way to fill your blog with content, you should become familiar with the concept of user generated content. This simply means that your users are creating some of your content for you. There are several ways you can do this and each method has pros and cons. Take the time to figure out which method will serve your blog the best.
One of the safest ways to add user generated content to your blog is through a WordPress plugin called FV Community News. This simple plugin will create widgets that you can add to your sidebar. One widget will allow your readers to create a blurb of info that will be displayed on your site. You can mediate all blurbs before they are displayed. A secondary widget is actually used to display the blurbs in your sidebar!
Another great way to get user generated content on your blog is through a different WordPress plugin called TDO Mini Forms. Unlike the FV Community News plugin, the blurbs that users contribute are inserted into posts. After you approve these posts they show up on your blog like any other post that you would create!
Filed under Blogging, Blogging Tips
Get more comments on your blog
If you do not have an established reader base for your blog, you may find it difficult to get people to comment on your posts. You should not feel bad that you aren’t getting any comments – just take a moment to realize that it takes a while to get a blog established.
There are things that you can do to encourage your readers to leave a comment. The first thing you might consider doing is adding a few “dummy” comments to some of your posts. This will make your blog look active and may encourage others to add their own comments to your blog. Sometimes people just don’t want to be the first to comment! If you don’t have the time to create these “dummy” posts, there are writing companies out there that you can pay to do this for you!
The next thing you might want to consider is establishing a system that rewards your readers. This is easier than you might think. There are plugins for WordPress like “Top Commentators” that will allow you place a widget in your sidebar. This widget displays the names of the commentators who have posted the most. You can adjust certain settings on the widget, including how frequently it is reset and how many names are shown. Once you set up this widget, it pretty much takes care of itself. You may be surprised how many people want to see their name in your sidebar!
The last thing you always want to make sure to do is reply to comments. When you see the comments start to roll in, make sure you take the time to respond to them. If nothing else, thank the person for stopping by!
Filed under Blogging, Blogging Tips
How do I get people to start posting on my forum
I have already discussed why linking to a forum is a great idea, but my intention here is to talk about how to get one started. Starting a forum can be intimidating and this is why many people never even try. It might be easy enough to create one and get it ready for posting, but how did you get people to post.
The bottom line is that getting people to post on your forum takes a bit of time and effort. Some people enjoy being one of the first members to join a forum. It gives them a bit of prestige once the forum becomes popular. These are the people you want to attract in the beginning. They will happily post and over time others will follow. Attracting these posters may require a bit of luck so don’t be too disappointed if things start off slowly.
Another way to get things started is to recruit your friends and family. Have them join your forum and start posting so things look active. I have used this particular method in the past and it was surprising how quickly other people found and then joined and became active on my forum.
There is a third option that many bloggers use to get their forum started. You can actually pay people to post on your forum. A flat rate for a predetermined number of words is typically charged. You can then choose how many times a day you want people to post. This is a great way to get things started, although I would consider this a last resort.
If you do go with this option, just take the time to monitor your forum and make sure the people are posting according to your agreement. Also make sure that the content of the posts matches the tone that you are wishing to portray.
Filed under Blogging, Traffic and Blogs
Benefits of linking a forum to your blog
There are a number of reasons that make forums a great addition to your blog. If you have ever posted on a forum, you already understand their value. Forums are simply a great place for people with a similar interest to gather and discuss a variety of different topics.
There are plenty of free forums available that just about anybody can get up and running in a matter of hours or days. Popular forums even offer skins that allow you to customize the way they look in order to integrate it seamlessly with your blog.
One of the major benefits of adding a forum to your blog is attention. If you can start a successful forum with a number of active posters, you will greatly boost traffic to your blog. More readers can lead to more people clicking on your ads or buying things from your blog. If you aren’t trying to earn money by blogging, more readers also mean that your posts are seen by a wider number of people.
Adding a forum to your blog also has another great benefit. If you are placing advertisements on your blog, a forum will give you more landscape to tinker with. How many forums have you visited with at least one advertisement at the very top of it?
Filed under Blogging, Traffic and Blogs
