Archive for » July, 2007 «

Jul

Would you like to be able to make a million dollars blogging? Of course, you would. Although most of us blog in an effort to help others, money always enters the picture, in one form or another. We may want to make a few bucks via our affiliate advertising, by selling an ebook, to gain exposure and become a public speaker, or we may have another motive.

Which probloggers do you think have made a million dollars? Steve Pavlina? Darren Rowse? John Chow? Maybe a few I haven’t named, but I doubt there are very many individuals who have reached seven figures, blogging.

Do you honestly think you can make a million with a tip jar, Google AdSense, Chitka MiniMalls, ClinkBank, Link Share, Commission Junction, or TextLinkAds, just to name a few?

Is it time for you to quit blogging and make a million, by doing something else?

Last night I watched “The Big Idea” with Donny Deutsch, the renowned advertising guru. To quote his bio,

he implemented his “leaner, meaner, faster, smarter” philosophy to transform a small advertising shop into one of the nationâ€™s top 10 agencies. The $2.8 billion full-service agency has provided clients with strategic marketing programs that are intrusive, effective and talked about. Prestigious clients include GM, Johnson & Johnson, DirecTV, Novartis Worldwide, and IKEA.

Reread that, his advertising agency is worth $2.8 billion.

On the show (7/19/07), Donny Deutsch, spent the hour promoting struggling entrepreneurs. These individuals have great ideas, have done their business plans, have done marketing and sales on a small scale, but now want to get national and worldwide recognition. He offered advice to each person, and gave them hints as to what to do next. How cool is that? Donny Deutsch, giving you free advice, plus letting you promote your product on national tv. That would be like having Steve Pavlina, Darren Rowse or John Chow, leave a comment on my site, and then “showcase” my blogs, on their site.

“The Bid Idea” concluded the show with Kim Lavine, President and Founder of Green Daisy Inc. She has been nicknamed, “the Mommy Millionaire. Kim provided the audience with links to six websites that are paramount to up and coming entrepreneurs. Included in the list are SCORE, The US Patent Office, and TradeShowToday.

But….the most interesting link was www.GoDaddy.com .It was suggested that you build a website. How ironic. Us bloggers have already done that.

What I’m suggesting is, if you have a great idea, go with it. For starters, check out “The Big Idea” website. For motivation, read the stories of the entrepreneurs who have succeeded, as well as these new entrepreneurs, who are destined to be the next millionaires. Their stories are filled great tips. Learn from them, just as you’ve learned from your favorite probloggers. Take your idea to the next level.

If you’re blogging, you already have exposure. Get a business plan. Get a patent (if needed). Promote your product on your blog. Do what’s needed to get your product on the market. Do your homework. None of these individuals said it was easy. But, if you have an idea, and you have the belief and passion, you can succeed.

The show that aired on 7/19/07 highlighted six new ideas. They were:
Eve Alexander A manufacturer of maternity lingerie.
Chilly Jilly A shawl/sarong in a bag
iHearSafe earbuds To protect children’s ears from load music
Klip-Flops A “design your own” flip-flop
Send A Ball A gift and greeting all in one (a ball)
Vroom An “energy” candy

These are all great ideas. Each product has a large target market. These entrepreneurs all have the potential to make their first million, in a very short period of time.

My question to you is, “should you quit blogging, and follow your dream?” As a blogger, you’re part of the way there.

It’s all up to you.

Update: Due to the popularity of this post, I have also featured this subject on my second blog. In that post, I have included additional links and more information to consider, when setting up a business. It can be seen at:Observation Mountain.com

Category: Archives, Lessons Learned, Making Money Tags: adsense, Blogging, Blogs, google 11 Comments

Jul

Recycle Used Print Cartridges – Save Money

Barbara Swafford

Did you know you can recycle your used print cartridges, and get a store credit?

I found out about recycling used print cartridges, quite by accident. I was in Office Max, and a customer was turning in used print cartridges. She got a store credit, which, in turn, reduced her total purchase. I asked the cashier about their policy, and she said that they give a store credit of $3.00 per used print cartridge cartridge.

Last week, I was in Office Max, and the cashier let me turn in five used print cartridges, for a savings of $15.00.

I have since called two other office supply stores, and here’s what I found:

Both Staples and Office Depot, offer a credit/coupon for $3.00 per cartridge. You can turn in up to three a day

Call your local office supply store, and see if your used brand of print cartridges, qualify for the in-store credit.

Recycling is always a good thing. And, by recycling your used print cartridges, you can “make money”. How sweet is that?

Want to make a few brownie points at work? Let the boss know about this money saving tip.

This article was also posted on my OM blog. See that site for more money and time saving ideas.

Category: Archives, Hints, Saving Money 3 Comments

Jul

Buy Me A Beer, Or Coffee Plugin

Barbara Swafford

I just added a “tip jar”, i.e. “Buy Me A Beer” Paypal donation plugin.

Since I’m not a drinker, I am using the coffee cup graphic.

While researching and visiting other blogs, I’ve run onto the “Buy Me A Beer” plugin. I asked myself, if it was offensive, but decided it’s not. Most of us are struggling bloggers, with some overhead to pay. Blogging takes us away from time we could be spending working a part-time job and earning a wage, however, we all feel we have something valuable to contribute to society. Hence, we spend our free time, planted in front of our computers, busily researching and posting information, we hope our readers will find valuable.

So, if the information we share with others holds value, maybe some of our readers will feel compelled to make a contribution to our “cause”. After all, aren’t most blogs, actually like “non-profit” organizations? We, too, have a “cause” we believe in.

Do you want to add the “Buy Me A Beer” (Coffee) plugin? Go to,www.blogclout.com. The plugin was written by Ankesh Kothari. Great job, Ankesh.

Category: Archives, Plugins and Widgets Tags: Blogging, Blogs 3 Comments

Jul

How To Revive Older Posts On Your Blog

Barbara Swafford

If you’ve been blogging for any length of time, you may ask, “What do I do, to revive my older posts”?

I see at least three options.

1) Revive older posts in your blog, by rewriting them, concentrating on keyword density, and/or adding more value to the post. I address this, in an earlier post, (Blogging Block, Can’t Find Anything To Blog About).

2) Use internal linking in a current post, by referencing an older post.

3) Let the old posts “die”. Some old posts aren’t worth reviving.

By using one of the first two methods, the older posts in your blog, can be resurrected

Do you know of other ways to target older posts? Drop me a comment.

Category: Archives, Lessons Learned, Posting Tags: Blogging One Comment

Jul

Blogging? How Often Should You Post?

Barbara Swafford

If you’re a newbie to blogging, you’ve probably asked the question, “How often should I post to my blog?”

How often you post to your blog, is a decision you should make even before you start to blog. Ask yourself,

“What is my objective to blogging?”

“How much time do I have, to spend on blogging?”

“What are my resources?”

As a newbie blogger, I had set a goal of posting everyday. But, posting to my blogs daily, was a little optimistic. I now have a goal of posting 20 times a month. For me, that’s more realistic, and fits into my schedule without adding undue stress on myself.

Some days I can easily write several articles. No problem. Other days, I “hit the wall” with writer’s block. I’ve begun to use those productive days to my advantage, and post date my posts. (See How to Post Date Your Posts – WordPress ).

I’ve read that bloggers may “run out of material to blog about” around month four. If you’re aware of that, and compile a list of subjects to draw from, you may “slide through” those tough months without a problem. In an earlier post, Blogging Block, Can’t Find Anything To Blog About?, I list ideas on where to find subjects to blog about.

It is said that one well written post, is worth more than ten badly written posts. Therefore, if it takes you a week to write one good post, set your goal at one post per week. If you’re filled with tons of information you want to share with others, set your goal higher.

Posting more often, may make your blog more popular sooner, however, if you don’t post often, but your content is good, your blog will grow accordingly.

Posting frequency? It’s all up to you. There’s no right, or wrong answer.