Today I am going to talk about what I learned in 2008. I have been blogging in this blog since around September last year. It was boring in the beginning, but now, blogging has been fun for me. I enjoy writing, I enjoy sharing, I enjoy communicating, and I enjoy commenting on other blogs. During this time, I have learned a lot from my blogging experience.

1. Blogging should be fun.
2. If you don’t enjoy blogging, then it’s not for you.
3. Blog on a regular basis.
4. Communicate with your readers.
5. The Readers are everything.
6. Give readers what they want.
7. Study your readers.
8. Listen to them.
9. Don’t always go for the money.
10. Monetize your blog the right way.
11. Don’t overload your blog with ads.
12. Comment on other blogs.
13. Work on SEO.
14. Advertise.
15. Don’t spam forums.
16. Don’t write long posts.
17. Don’t bore your readers.
18. Make the readers stay on your blog.
19. Offer something free to your readers.
20. Get your own domain.
21. Get your own hosting.
22. Get WordPress.
23. Proofread your posts.
24. Back your blog up.
25. Customize your template to fit your needs.
26. Use Tags.
27. Use Categories.
28. List your blog in other directories.
29. Do a series of posts.
30. Be wise in placing ads.
31. Too many ads, less readers.
32. Don’t use Pupups.
33. Don’t use Popunders.
34. Reply to the comments.
35. Answer to the questions that your readers have.
36. Have a “Contact” page. (Still yet to do.)
37. Have a “Advertise” page. (Still yet to do.)
38. Have a “About Me” page. (Still yet to do.)
39. Use “pretty” permalinks.
40. Hold Contests.
41. Sponsor other contests.
42. Know what you’re talking about.
43. Don’t copy other blogs.
44. Use meaningful titles.
45. Do not write very long posts.
46. If you write a long post, make sure you break it up into parts.
47. Allow guest posting on your blog.
48. Guest post on other same-niche blogs.
49. Use FeedBurner.
50. Subscribe to other blogs.
51. <KEY> BE PATIENT. </KEY>

So this is the list with the 51 tips I learned from blogging in 2008.

Thanks for reading,

Klajdi Hena.

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Today I’m going to talk about picking the right platform for your blog. There are a lot of options out there, but only three of them are the best way to go with.

Blogger

One of the platforms you could use for your blog is Google’s own Blogger. It’s a really nice platform, and I recommend it for all the starters, because you don’t need anything to get started. You don’t need a domain, nor a host. When you register, you will get an URL like this one:

http://themmblog.blogspot.com

As I said, this is for new users, who like to get comfortable blogging first. And because this platform is owned by Google, the better are the chances of getting ranked higher. Here are the main reasons why you should get a Blogger blog:

• It’s Absolutely FREE
• Easy To Use
• Don’t need a domain name
• Don’t need hosting

So, if you’re new at blogging, I think Blogger is the way to go, because you need $0 to start out. I started out with Blogger too.

WordPress

If you have some money, you can purchase a domain name. Don’t know how? It’s OK, I wrote a post about that back on November. You can read the post here. After you have purchased your domain, you need hosting. I recommend HastyHost.com, because they have really good support, and really nice plans too. Plus, that’s what I use for this blog.

WordPress is a state-of-the-art publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

If you look at most popular blogs, you can see that most of them use WordPress. Because, with WordPress, it’s easy to blog. But that is not the only reason. In the next post, I will talk about why you should use WordPress. So, stay tuned!

Thanks for reading,

Klajdi Hena

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Again, I hope you had a good new year this past year, and I hope you have even a better year this year, 2009.

Today, I’m going to show you some simple tweaks you can make to your WordPress blog for a better Search Engine Optimization.

Plugins

There are a couple of plugins out there which will help you with your SEO. All-In-One-Seo Platinum SEO* is one of them, and every blog should have this installed. It allows you to change the title and the tags on your posts. Another plugin you should have is Google-XML- Sitemap, which will create a map for your sites, so popular engines like Google will be able to index your blog better, and easier.

Permalinks

Another thing that will help you with SEO for your blog are permalinks. In the beginning, the link to your post for example, might be something like this: http://themmblog.com/?p=U. Well, that’s considered an “ugly” permalink, and it’s not recommended for good SEO. For good SEO, you might use what are called, “Pretty” permalinks. (For additional help on permalinks, click here to read Codex.)

Two other things you can do is use

Google Webmaster Tools & Technorati by claiming your blog. That way you can tag your blog, and receive more traffic

Thanks, Klajdi.

*P.S. Blogging Tips pointed out that All-In-One SEO is now Platinum SEO. Thanks Blogging Tips.

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First of all, for all you that read my blog in a daily basis, I want to say thank you, and sorry. I closed up December with only 6 posts. That is UNACCEPTABLE. I know, but that was because my blog was messed up somehow. Here is how it all happened. One day, I go to my blog, and I got a message, saying that my hosting account had been suspended. So, I went on MSN, and contacted the owner of my host, Robert, and he said that my blog was overloading the server. So after he showed me the error logs, one of the files on my blog, was doing it. So, I deleted that file, and I thought everything was going to be fine. Well, no. That wasn’t the case. My graphics in my blog weren’t showing at all, because hotlinking was disabled. So all that, it was my fault.

So I wanted to apologize to all my readers, and I want to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR.

We also got a PR1 from the Google PR Update, which took place yesterday.

Thanks a lot, Klajdi.

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Today I am going to show you how to increase the targeted traffic to your blog, with three steps. Not you only will get targeted traffic, you will also improve your blog’s performance. So here are the steps:

1. Straight to the point

When your reader is reading your blog, they should right away know what your post is going to be about. You don’t want to make them wander what you are talking about. You got to show them your point, so basically, what are you trying to get across? Because if you make them wander, than the chances are they won’t be back.

2. Messing with your blog

How long have you had that theme for? Maybe getting a new, maybe premium theme can attract more people. Because the design of your blog can attract more visitors. Also, make it easy for your visitors to browse your site, and find information easily.

You also have to pay attention to the position of your ads. You can’t bother your visitors with your endless ads, or they will never come back again.

3. Browsing around

For me this is the best way to get targeted traffic to my blog. Owning a blog can be challenging at times, but you got to put some time and effort in it. You need to visit other blogs with the same niche, and leave comments. Good ones, of course, and the owner, or loyal readers of that blog, will come to your blog and see what you got. That’s how you get traffic people, it’s that easy.

So why don’t you go ahead and try these tips, and see if it will work for yourself.

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I got to tell you, that the experience with the new WordPress, 2.7 has been great. I upgraded two days ago, and I had some problems for about a day, that’s why the blog was down on Friday/Saturday. But everything is fixed now, and I’m enjoying and exploring the new WordPress. I got to tell you, it’s really great. Many new options that I can’t even tell you, because there is a lot.

I am also thinking and getting ready a big contest that will be here, HOPEFULLY by Christmas. If you are interested in sponsoring, it’s not too early yet.

I am still looking for guest bloggers. If you are interested, contact me, and I will create you an account. As of now, we have Corey from Diligent Design.

That’s all for today guys, I’ll see you later!

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Well, stumbling across the web, I saw that TheUniversityKid.com is for sale. Yep, Jason has decided to sell his blog, because he has started another Money Making Blog.

I was shocked to see this, because I used to be a fan of TUK, and now, to see it being sold, I feel bad. Although whoever might buy it, might take good care of it.

It is actually really sad to see him leave that site, which has such good potential. Well, all I can say is that if you’re interested, you can find it listed on SitePoint. Or, if you can find someone to sell it to, then you can

get 5% of the money, so that whould be $750. And that is a lot, for doing nothing.

I was also thinking of selling this blog a couple of times, but I couldn’t do it. I said to myself that I had to be commited to it. I can’t just quit right now.

So no worries folks, I’m not going anywhere.

See you next time, Klajdi Hena.

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Are you ready to make thousands of dollars a month online by putting in some hours of work?

Swastik, a pro flipper has made thousands of dollars flipping different kinds of websites, and so can you…

Alright! Today Swastik is introducing to you a complete guide to flip a blog starting from scratch, add every bit of value to it, and sell it off for a much higher value. The product is very newbie friendly. Even if you don’t have ANY experience of creating websites earlier, you may order it and start flipping websites.

The methods described in the book WILL MAKE YOU ANYWHERE NEAR 3,000-5,000 $ a month, provided that you’re willing to put some work into. Don’t get scared by the word “work”. I know it’s unusual with those “quick money making without lifting a finger” schemes but are they any good?  You need to put in some hours of work (with experience, you’ll usually do it faster) but the results will be worth it, believe me.

The product takes you from choosing a niche, picking a domain name, choosing web host, setting up the website, adding value, selling the website. There is also a small case study, a demo sales copy & resources page to make the work easier for you!

What Swastik is talking about is a proven method, easy to set up and loads of potential. There are some facts he’d like to mention about flipping websites :

* With a startup investment of as low as $30 USD, you can get started and flip the website for 4-6 times better price. Then use the money for your next flip, and so on..
* It won’t take much of a time to set everything up, especially when you become more used to it. With most of the web hosts providing a single click blog installation feature, you don’t actually have to make anything.
* You may want to outsource work from your second or third flip, saving time and icreasing efficiency. See this - You take 3 hours building a website, invest $30 into it, list it and sell it for $200. A profit of $170, right? What if you can build 3 websites in the same time, invest $200, and sell them for $600. Profit of $400. That’s what outsourcing can do!
* You may even buy starter websites, work on them, bring traffic and sell it off for much higher!
* Many will say that the market will become over-saturated with more and more flippers coming in. No, it won’t. With more people, more rubbish will be there for sale. That means the quality sites will have a better chance of selling! With this guide, you’ll learn how you can add value to the website to sell it for high.

What more? Swas is providing you with free consultation services as and when you want (if he’s online, generally 18~ hours a day) if you buy the product.

Plus, if you refer sales, you’ll bag in 50% of the actual price that the guide is. Cash gathering for the Christmas, ain’t it?

The more experience you get, the better you’ll profit. Starting off with $50 profit on my first flip, Swas now make $300-400 on every flip he does. Also, he’s made contacts with buyers which is very very valuable. You’ll see your sites sell off without even listing them, you may just ask your previous buyers if they are interested, and that’s how he mostly does it!

Alright, here is the price for the product - 9.95$

You cannot miss these hot products for just 9.95$ having the potential to earn you well in thousands :

* A well written flipping guide that takes you step by step to create a website and sell it. Also contains a demo sales copy, a resources section & a small case study.
* After sale support guaranteed. If you feel any problem anytime, you may contact me on the email provided in the product.
* Affiliate sales : You can earn 50% of each sale you refer. Sign up with our affiliate program today!

You don’t want to miss the product!

Click here to view more details

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We’ve had a great month here at The Money Making Blog this November. We have had some really big moments, like my interview with Garry Conn, and some really good posts, like how to write a killer blog post, how to pick the right domain, and how to get traffic from forums. And also Corey’s guest post on the 25 important steps to an online business.

I hope we have a great time during December too. There might also be a contest, but I am not sure yet. I will let you guys know when I start organizing it.

Comments

This month we had 27 comments from other people. Now, this might not be a lot for some people, but because this blog is just a couple of months old, that is a good amount of comments for me. So I’d really like to thank all the people that took the time and comment. Thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate that.

Posts

Five of the most important posts we had this month are:

1. Corey’s 25 Important Steps to an Online Business: This was Corey’s first guest post on my blog, and I think she did a fantastic job. She covered everything that there is to be covered on the Online Business. She really did a great job, and I am looking forward to more great posts like this one from Corey.

2. How to get traffic from forums: In this post I talked about how to get traffic from forums. Traffic is really important to all the bloggers, and that’s why I will try and show you many ways to get traffic.

3. Garry Conn Interview: This was our biggie of the month. I got a chance to interview one of the biggest successful bloggers on the net, Garry Conn. This was the post with the most comments, 11.

4. Picking the right domain: This was another big post we had. A good amount of comments in this post too, where I showed how and what to look for when choosing a domain name for your business, because the domain is the most important thing when starting.

5. Writing a killer blog post: Not any comments in this post, but it is really important to know how to write a good-ass blog post. These four steps are really important. To read it, click here.

Well, that’s about it ladies and gents. I’m really looking forward to a good month.

Thanks, Klajdi.

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There are various steps to starting your first online business, but in this post, I’m going to highlight the most important. Or rather, the 25 most important steps to help you succeed and grow online! So sit tight and get ready to take some notes.

1) Have an Idea

Everything starts with an idea. Perhaps it’s the solution to a problem you always have. Or maybe it’s something you think would be really, really fun to attempt. Either way, any business first needs the spark to ignite the fires of growth.

2) Have Another Idea

Anything that won’t sell, I don’t want to invent. Its sale is proof of utility, and utility is success. - Thomas Alva Edison

There are going to be times when the first idea you had was already created, or is just not going to work with the online market. Remember to always have back-up ideas. When in doubt, think of ways to improve upon already well established products and services. Be unique.

3) Tell Your Idea to Someone

Before beginning development: tell someone your idea. The best way to test if you’re insane is to ask. If you’re particularly established financially, ask a consultant or marketer.

4) Review the Idea

After you’ve asked someone for advice, go back and review your idea again. Make sure you have the time, resources, and motivation to actually move forward. This is probably the most critical step.

5) Write it all Down

Now comes the planing stages. Invest in a mead composition book and a pencil (or a moleskin and a pen if you’re rich) and start jotting down your logistics. What do you need to focus on to really get started? What goals do you have for the future? Do you need to outsource? Really sit down and hash out all of the details.

6) Review it Some More

Go back and evaluate all of your planned out steps. Are there some things you’ve overlooked? Do you need to acquire or outsource certain aspects? Be sure to keep your needs and goals in mind!

7) Learn More About Your Idea

Chances are, there are similar services, sites, and products to the one you have in mind. Why not look up some reviews on them? Learn what your target audience is going to want and go give it to them

Think of a Good Name

Once all your research is complete, think of a good name to represent your idea. It could be an allusion, a pun, a funny sounding word, anything that shows off your goals, product’s purpose, and tone.

9) Think of Another Good Name

There’s a good chance somebody’s already thought of the same name as you, so be sure to generate a back up.

10) Think of a Slightly Different but Still Effective Name

My first choice for Diligent Design was actually “Intelligent Design,” which is a Darwinian reference. Obviously, that was taken. Diligent works too. Sometimes you’ll have to think of an alternet, but effective name for your new product.

11) Get a Domain Name

Now that you’ve got your awesome name, grab the .com for it. Be aware of the meaning of extensions. “COM” stands for commercial, “NET” stands for network, “BIZ” stands for business, and so on and so forth. Don’t be afraid to get something more representative. They’re all indexed pretty equally.

12) Get Some Hosting

Now it’s time to start your online journey. Go out and buy some web hosting, but not before reading reviews on your prospective host! Many have suggested hostgator as a great one. I use Bluehost. I wouldn’t recommend them.

13) Write Your Mission Statement

Now is the time to write out your business mission statement. This should be no longer than 5 sentences, and should be the purpose of your business, and your goals for the future in a nutshell. Keep this document for copy, marketing, and inspirational purposes.

14) Get a Consultant

Unless you’re a seasoned business professional, ask somebody smarter than you for help. I constantly ask for critiques, advice, and marketing techniques. The best place to do this is twitter, but don’t be afraid to email the owners of respectable blogs for some thoughts. If you have the coin for it, hire a professional business consultant, but be sure to check their references.

15) Get Copy Written

Now that you’ve got everything planned out, hire a copywriter (or do it yourself) to promotional text created. You’ll want a slogan for quick advertising purposes, and a long explanation for “about” pages, print marketing materials, etc.

16) Get a Professional Design

You’ve got your name, your mission statement, and your copy. Now’s the time to go out and hire a designer to package them all into a professional, visually attractive, scalable design. Obviously, I’m a little biased about recommendations in this area, but always be sure to check out your prospective designer’s portfolio to see if you like their style. And don’t forget to get price quotes! The only thing worse than a bad design is an expensive and bad one.

The alternative, of course, is to go ahead and make one yourself. Of course if you’re not too graphics savvy, you might want to rethink this action. An unattractive design could drive away potential clients!

17) Upload Everything

Setup your FTP (or ask somebody to do it for you, if you’re not too tech savvy) and upload your design to your web host. Make sure you don’t have any 404 errors and that everything validates.

18) Learn Your Definitions

So you’re online now, but do you understand everything? Now’s the time to start looking up thinks like SERP, SEO, and the dreaded word, “niche.” Try to have a basic understanding of how your marketing is going to work and how you’re going to reach your customers.

19) Market

You’ve got the copy and the graphics; Now’s the time to start marketing! Utilize the techniques that work for you and drop the ones that don’t. Above all, always keep taking actions to improve!

20) Network

Any professional will tell you that going it alone is tough, lonely, and often unnecessary. Start networking with other sites in your market, and form some profitable business connections.

21) Analyze

Analyze your traffic sources and your most profitable ventures. Adapt to these conditions. Remember that focusing on what works is way better than focusing on what doesn’t.

22) Adapt

Adapt to new situations, technologies, and problems. Form solutions to keep your business going and feel free to unload work onto some other people if you find yourself going under. Evolving is how you survive and grow.

23) Market More

Keep getting your name out there! If you tell them, they will come.

24) Expand Your Service

Once you’ve established the core of your business, and have it well managed, start expanding to the new needs of your customers. Are they asking for something specific? Perhaps branch off into that department and create a unique solution to their needs.

25) Repeat

Empires are built on expansion. If you’ve got one successful idea, chances are you can generate another. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

What are your actions to creating an online business? Do you have a difinitive process? What kinds of struggles are you meeting in today’s market? Leave a comment below and show MMBlog some love!

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