Archive for » February, 2008 «

Photo Credit wilhei55′s photos
109403969 951e539f1f And You Say You Are Not A Gambler

On two of my favorite blogs, both authors have written about gambling, in December 2007, Hunter published an article titled “I won the lottery”, and recently, Nez wrote a post titled ” Who Are The Gamblers?”

Lotteries and casinos, are notorious for aiming their marketing toward those that should not be risking their money on odds that often exceed a million to one. Sure, the casinos and state lotteries post signs that say something like this “Gaming should be used for entertainment purposes only, and should not be used for investment opportunities”

But, many people, even if they are, will not admit they are gamblers, let alone, addicted to gambling.

Today’s Lesson

Bloggers are actually big gamblers.

How, you ask?

First, we take a gamble when we get a blog. We don’t know if we will actually like blogging, but we flip a coin, and give it a try.

If we pay a web host, we are spending money on something we’re not certain will give us a return on our investment.

We write, what we feel/think, taking a gamble that others will want to read it, let alone comment.

Then we sign up for free, time consuming, affiliate programs, gambling visitors will click on our links.

Have you ever played a slot machine? I have. You give it some money, hit the button/pull the handle, and wait for the little characters to line up. If they do, you win, if they don’t, you try again….spending more money.

With blogging, we do the same thing, We publish posts and think we are going to be “lucky”. We hope to get lots of traffic. If we don’t, we keep trying, publishing more and more articles. We know, with just the right post, we will get discovered and become an overnight success. As gamblers often mutter, “just one more time”, we do the same thing.

Let’s look at stat checking. That’s just like watching the numbered balls as they roll out of the Power Ball cage. We set our traffic goals, and hope to see the exact numbers, but as they roll out, we realize we’re not a winner. We’ll try again tomorrow.

Blogging can also be compared to poker. The dealer quickly throws cards your way, you peek, put on your best “poker face” and cross your fingers. You win and get more chips (traffic/credibility), if you lose, your chips are taken away (decrease in traffic/credibility).

Look at the big name bloggers. They are like the dealer. They might throw you a “21″ (link), but chances are, no matter how many times you comment on/link to their site, they won’t. They know you’re a sucker for a link, and take advantage of it. They’re laughing all the way to the bank. I believe the saying in gambling is, “the odds are always in favor of the “house”".

You might say, but I love to blog for the sake of sharing and helping others.

That is great motivation for blogging. In fact, that’s why I blog.

But, we are also gambling..

Just like all bloggers, our biggest investment in blogging, is time.

Are you getting a “return” on your (time) investment?”

That’s a question, only you can answer.

Today’s Assignment

Are you winning with your blog?

Is your (time) investment paying off?

Is your dream to be a “dealer”

If you were a “dealer”, would you throw more “21′s” (links)?

Do you feel like the “house” and have the odds in your favor?

Or, is it time to give up this addiction, and find more useful things to do with your time?

Yesterday I wrote how we often marry our blogs, by becoming consumed with blogging.

Today, I will share time saving tips I use on a daily basis which streamline my blogging activities..

Today’s Lesson

1) Install a good spam blocker. I use Akismet, however, there are others available which will alleviate wasting time deleting spam comments.

2) With WordPress, use the post timestamp. Write when you are feeling creative, and use the post timestamp to schedule the publishing times.

3) If you have a particular aspect of your blog you want to track, check to see if there is a plugin available to do the job. A good plugin can save tons of time.

4) Check statistics no more than once a day. Less frequently is better. Stat checking can put you on a roller coaster ride of highs and lows, thus affecting your creativity.

Photo Credit fdecomite’s photos
406635986 fa8da57692 m 15 Time Saving Tips For Bloggers

5) Set a realistic blogging schedule based on your daily work load/home life. If need be, use a timer.

6) Subscribe to you favorite blogs via an RSS feed. Catch up on them all at once. I use Google Feed Reader and it works well for me.

7) Refrain from Stumbling or Digging posts if you are under a time crunch. Social networking can become very time consuming

8.) With WordPress, take time to watch or read tutorials. There is a great list of them published on Business Blogging 101. Understanding your blogging platform, along with all of the available shortcuts will save you many hours of frustration.

9) Set a specific time to check your comments. Use that time to answer new arrivals.

10) Leaving comments on other blogs is important, however, do not feel obligated to comment on each post. Your favorite bloggers know you have a life too, and don’t expect daily comments.

11) When researching for posts, use your bookmarking feature to save a page you may link to in the future. I often use the RSS feed for this purpose, although that’s not what it’s intended for.

12) If you are signed up for Google AdSense, use the AdSense Notifier, available with Firefox. Your earnings will show on your task bar, thus eliminating the need to check your AdSense account.

13) Use your center click (on your mouse) to open a web page in a new window. I like using the “tab” feature Firefox offers, a center click will open new tabs at the top of your screen.

14) Use a split browser to grab links. I use the one that is available with Firefox. It takes a little practice, but is a real time saver.

15) Use the Firefox split browser when answering comments. Open your blog on both halves, answering comments on one half, and use the other half to view each comment. This saves time from continually scrolling up and down the page

Today’s Assignment

What time saving techniques do you use when blogging?

Care to share?

Photo Credit: srslyguys’ photos
1352937170 3239df6317 Me And The Blog   Till Death Do Us Part
We love to blog, but as time passes, maintaining a blog gets very time consuming.

Today’s Lesson

When you first heard of a blog, you found how to get one for free, or signed up with WordPress and got a web host. You read/watched WP blogging tutorials and soon realized how much you enjoyed writing, setting aside one hour a day/week to verbalize your thoughts. A blog is such a great outlet.

In your free time you start doing more research. You decide to add an RSS feed reader, contact page, and with the addition of some SEO, you notice not only an increase in you traffic, but in the time you are spending on your blog. You’re now up to 2 hours a day.

You then read how commenting on other blogs can generate additional traffic, so you engage in that practice. Others begin to visit your blog to share their thoughts. You answer their comments, and spending three hours daily on your blog, becomes normal.

Next, you join StumbleUpon and/or Digg. These social networks can get you more traffic and increase your community of cyberspace friends. Soon, you’re spending 4 hours on your blog,…. but it’s growing.

A light bulb moment hits. “Hey, I should monetize my blog.” You sign up for AdSense, LinkShare.com, Commission Junction and/or other affiliate programs. Signing up is easy enough, but you find micromanaging the advertising streams, is taking more of your time. The five hours a day, spent on your blog, begins to cramp your style, and interferes with your home/work/social life.

You realize you are becoming addicted to blogging. You learn to prioritize and multi task, so you can dedicate more time to your blog. TV dinners and convenience foods replace the nutritious meals you once cooked. Laundry stacks up, grass doesn’t get mowed, weeds take over your once beautiful flower bed, and dust bunnies invade your home. Friends and family begin to resent your new hobby, as it now consumes your every waking moment. As they tire of competing with a computer screen, and hearing about your blogging dollars and new cyberspace friends, they begin to distance themselves from you.

“They don’t understand”, you say to yourself, and internally defend your actions by quietly muttering, “I don’t need them!”.

It has happened.

What once began as a hobby, is now the only love in your life.

Today’s Assignment

How much time do you spend on your blog(s)?

Has the time increased over time?

How do you find a balance?

Does blogging affect your relationships?

Do you care?

Photo Credit: Mike9Alive’s photos
1032525361 ca7c9e404d New Commenter Becomes NBOTW It’s Tuesday. It’s time!

Until further notice, I will be dedicating my Tuesday post to the “new blog of the week” (nblotw). This will give me the opportunity to share with my readers, why I have chosen each new blogger.

In hindsight, I wish I had done this with Natasha, Nez and David, however, that’s the past, I must move forward, and hopefully their blogs are seeing success.

This new blogger has commented twice on my blog thus far. I believe he may have found my blog via Catherine’s comment section.

Although some new bloggers hesitate to comment, others don’t mind “jumping in”.

This new blog went online last month. It’s written by a young man who has worked in technology, graphic design and marketing. He has been following some of his favorite blogs over the past year, and in January launched his own.

I’ve had the opportunity to read several of his posts. He, like me, loves to use analogies when he shares with his readers. So far, I’m favoring his post titled:Cage Fighting Tips For The Self Employed

Without further ado, the “New Blog Of The Week” title goes to Sterling Okura, of Bizlift Blog

Although Sterling’s blog appears to be well on it’s way, I feel he will be a great addition to the community here at BWAB.

Join me in welcoming Sterling!

Photo Credit: Ben Zvan
468487548 76c71c38cb Stubborn Blogger Wouldnt Ask For Help
This lesson starts with a short story. Stick with me.

Many years ago, at a time when it was safe for two young girls to travel alone, my best friend and I went on a road trip. From the Midwest, we headed toward the west coast. Weeks later, 2300+/- miles from home, we were nearly out of money in a Bay Area town named Burlingame (CA). Too proud to call our parents, we found a safe looking park, slept in the car, took cold showers in a beach cabana, got jobs as hotel maids, and three weeks later moved into an apartment.

When we were going through this experience, we didn’t give it much thought. We found a solution to our situation, and life went on.

Years later, as my friend and I were “going down memory lane”, we realized at that point in time, we had been “homeless”. We talked about how unprepared we had been for the trip, and how not asking for help, resulted in many sacrifices, including cramped sleeping conditions in a small car. Although we admit we had been stubborn, we were also naive. But it did cause our determination to kick in, and we were able to say, we “made it” on our own.

This mentality, has stuck with me. I say I’m independent, some may beg to differ.

Today’s Lesson

I was very naive when I started blogging. Six months prior, I didn’t even know what a blog was. If I had seen one, I didn’t know it was a blog.

I wanted a blog, so I researched how to get one. I got a domain name, signed up for WordPress and BlueHost, and started blogging. I trusted the rest would “fall into place”…and it has.

But, when I had questions, I was too proud to ask other bloggers for help. From reading comment sections, my questions sounded elementary, I didn’t want to “look stupid”, so I didn’t ask, I would go back to researching. I made mistakes, crashed my blogs, and often wondered if I was cut out for blogging.

My blogs have “taken off”, but I don’t recommend others do what I did. It created more gray hairs, headaches, and sleepless nights than I care to count.

When I set up this blog, I wanted it to be helpful and welcoming. I don’t want a visitor to feel a question is “too elementary” to ask.

Although you will see some eloquently written comments on this blog, your comment or question is just as important to me.

At Blogging Without A Blog, no question is a stupid question. No comment is a dumb comment.

My door is open. I welcome you in.

Today’s Assignment

Questions, anyone?

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