As a Thesis Theme Developer, I handle moving Thesis WordPress Blogs across Test and Production hosting systems almost every week. In this post, I have detailed the steps you must follow to move a Thesis Powered WordPress across Hosting Systems – in most cases to a different Domain Name.
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Move your Thesis WordPress Blog to another Hosting or Domain
Blog Achievers… Alex Fraiser of Blogussion
I talk a lot about Motivation with Bloggers (in fact, I am working with an eBook on this topic!) – because it is a Key Factor that differentiates Successful Bloggers and not-so-Successful Ones, that differentiates Achievers and not-so-Big-Achievers!
There is nothing more inspiring and motivating, than knowing about a fellow Blogger, who has made it really big. And, that’ s precisely what I’m trying to do with “Blog Achivers” Series – motivate you!
In the first post of this series, I would like you to meet Alex Fraiser of Blogussion!
About Alex
Alex is the 17 year old kid behind Blogussion and Thesis Theme Customization Company, Kolakube. He is the owner, writer, marketer and the designer behind Blogussion, which he is so proud about! He released the Blogussion Skin for Sale early this year, which increased his visibility and fame, multi-fold. Also, he is a Certified Thesis Professional listed under the Approved Designers at DIYThemes.com
All you really need to know about him is this: 1) He loves blogging 2) He is a Patriots fan.
The Interview
I had a short interview session with Alex and here’s the transcript for all you readers!
Ashwin: Hello Alex! Nice to have you here at TU. Can you Introduce yourself and your Blog to our readers?
Alex: Hey all! I’m Alex, the 17 year old blogger and designer behind the amazing Blogussion.com. I’m a Senior in High School, a huge Patriots fan, and a big believer that there is more to life than a 9-5 job.
Basically, Blogussion is about blogging. As cliche sounding as that is, the articles posted on Blogussion are actually pretty unique and mind-provoking. Of course, that statement was probably even more overused, but I think you should just go visit the beautifully designed blog and see for yourself
Ashwin: Great. We can see the Motivation brimming… What are the 3 Key Techniques you use to drive Quality Traffic to your Blog?
Alex:
1. Write content all the time
Content (blog posts) is really the only thing that will drive traffic to your blog. People share it, people find it in search engines, and people post about it on their site
No one will talk about your blog, but what they will talk about are the posts you put on it. So really focus on content if you want quality traffic.
2. Rely on people
Like I said, the people who read your blog are the ones who will ultimately drive the most traffic through to your blog. They share your posts with others, then those people share it with others and so on
3. Think outside-the-box
What other kinds of content are there to create? Try releasing a product, setup a newsletter or release something like an eBook for free. People swoon for this kind of stuff, and I know personally as I have done all 3 and earned a great amount of traffic
Ashwin: Awesome. These are cool tips to every Blogger! Can you share with our Readers when and how did your Blog start Making Money? Because… I know most of Professional Bloggers out there love to make Money from their Blog…
Alex: January 1st, 2010 is a day I will never forget. That was the day I launched my first product, the Blogussion skin for Thesis.
This skin for Thesis has been selling like crazy all year and has made me a great 5 figure income this year alone. I do plan to expand on this one skin, but this is the first major way I ever tried to make money and it was an absolute success
Ashwin: This is a testimony to the fact, that real money is made with Products. Cool! What are the Additional Channels or Prospects, your Blog has opened up for you?
Alex: I have met so many great people, started a huge freelance business and have grown a blog that I can’t even maintain alone anymore. The things I have done online have pretty much changed my life in many ways, and really opened my eyes up to a lot of things in everyday life
Ashwin: One last question! What are your 3 Tips to anyone Starting with Professional Blogging and looking to Make Money?
Alex:
1. Put as much as YOU as possible into your blog
2. Always go above and beyond. Basically, over-deliver EVERYTHING
3. Don’t give up. It’s not worth losing months of hard work because “you don’t feel like doing it one day”
Ashwin:
Thanks Alex. That was a wonderful Interview and I am sure it’s a nice Sunday read, for all Readers at TU!
Hello, Fellow Bloggers! Hope you had a nice time reading this short Interview with Alex and I am sure it gave you a dose of the Motivation Tonic. See you soon in another Interview, with another Blog Achiever! Till then, signing off…
If you would like to be interviewed at TU, please Contact me using the Contact Form and I will get back to you with Details!
Ethics and your Blogging Business
Professional Blogging is a Business. As with every Business, it is absolutely necessary to be Ethical with Blogging.
We all take care to be Good to ourselves, when running a Blog.
But how can we be Good to our Readers and Fellow Bloggers?
No Plagiarism
Plagiarism is one serious thing, that can greatly affect the Credibility of your Blog. The Primary Attribute of a Blogger is Authenticity and Credibility – and plagiarism can do serious damage, to both these!
But, never confuse Plagiarism with the usage of Excerpts and References to related content. They are always good and healthy to your Blogging Business. As a thumb rule, make sure to keep in mind the following, before including relevant content in your Blog Posts:
- Check if the Content can be Referred or Used with Attribution (Best way is to the check the Copyright Information on the Source Website/Blog)
- Make sure the Source Content is not Paid/Premium. If yes, chances are high that it cannot be Referred or Reused
- If in doubt, contact the Source Content Owner to clarify any questions before using the content
No Spam
When your Blog gets Subscribers – you not only Get their Email Addresses, but also their Trust.
Avoid Misusing the Trust or their Email Addresses at any cost. Don’t Spam your Subscribers. Before publishing content to your Subscribers make sure to ask yourself the following questions:
- Will I be happy to receive such content or promotion in my Inbox?
- Does it add Value to your Subscribers?
- Did you experience the Benefit yourself, before recommending to your Subscribers?
No Promotion to Illegal Content
At any cost, don’t promote Illegal Content. It marks a scar on your Blog’s reputation and though you may get immediate benefits, they may not work well on a long term.
Some examples of Illegal Content include:
- Pirated Software
- Illegal Distribution of Copyrighted Videos
- Sharing Paid eBooks or other Material for Free
- Selling Email Addresses
- Sharing or Promoting Confidential Information
In short, don’t promote or share anything, that you won’t do, if it was your own!
No to Offensive Content
Never publish anything on your Blog that can be offensive to your Primary Readers. That not only hurts their emotion, but also can damage the reputation of your Blog.
I want to be clear on the message here! Your Blog’s primary niche may be a generally offensive content – but that’s not what I am talking about.
Don’t do or publish anything that might be Offensive to the Primary Readers of your Blog, in your own Niche!
To Conclude
Be always nice to your Readers. Not just that – be nice to your Fellow Bloggers and other Internet Marketers you deal with. After all, your Blog is part of the Big Ecosystem and it cannot flourish without being nice to others in the System. Being Ethical also makes you an Inspiration and Illustration for others to emulate! Happy Blogging.
Photo Credit: Creative commons
A Lesson learned from Bryan, put to use!
I had the privilege of watching the session SEO Copywriting Made Simple for Freelance Writers, by Brian Clark yesterday in the International Freelancers Day.
Here is a lesson I learned and put to use, almost immediately!
One of the important SEO tip he shared, was to maintain a single page repository of your Prime content. This not only helps in Internal Linking, but also helps you focus on promoting and tracking the SEO of just the repository page rather than all the individual Blog Posts. Awesome!
I followed his advice and created my first repository page on Blogging tips – click here to view the tips
By the way, International Freelancers Day seminars have been awesome so far. It’s running today too – if you have still not registered, do so here! There are some awesome sessions to come yet.
How to Keep your Blogging Motivation Alive?
I have seen many, who Start a Blog, Love and Live with it for sometime and finally Lose the Motivation and let it die. A lot of hard work in Building the Blog, gets wasted for the Loss of Motivation. If you are one, don’t worry!
There are many others like you and I am one of them too. Here are a few solid tips to keep your Blogging Motivation Alive!
1. Keep Reading
Believe me – the more your Read, the more you feel the urge to Write. Don’t just read content on your Blog’s Niche. Read everything around, that makes sense to your Profession and your Life.
Another side effect of Reading is – you get a lot of Potential Topics and Ideas to write about. Think about reading on a Top Product and the urge to Write a Review about it!
2. Run Blog Series and Regulars
Another main reason to lose motivation – is running short of Content to write. A Simple Way to over come this problem, is to maintain a Blog Series and Regular Posts in your Blog. This also lets your readers know, when and what to expect from your Blog. Some Ideas around this are:
- Choose a Topic and Write a Series of Posts around it
- Write a Weekly/Monthly roundup posts, with links to Top Content in your Niche
- Write Periodic Product Reviews
- Run a Video Tutorial or Interview Series…
3. Invite Guest Writers
What’s better than getting more traffic your way – with not writing a post for sometime. This can be easily achieved, by building a Network of Guest Writers for your Blog.
Deliberately advertise in your Blog, that you are looking for Guest Writers and Invite Applications from them. Offer incentives like AdSense Revenue Sharing, Paid Writing etc.
4. Write in the Mornings
This is my favorite. I write most of my Blog Posts in the morning – at least the Post outlines! I complete them probably later in the day.
You write the best, when your mind is fresh after a Good night’s sleep. Try this magic tip and let me know if that works for you!
5. Keep Promoting your Blog Posts
Use Social Media to constantly promote your Posts. Don’t restrict yourself just to the new posts – but also the old ones which you think are worth propagating. Believe me, the feel of people sharing and talking about your Blog Posts goes a long way towards boosting the Blogging Motivation
Can you think of something else to keep your Blogging Motivation Alive? We are all ears…
Photo Credit: Darcy McCarty
A Killer eBook on Online Marketing!
Online Marketing of Websites and Products are getting challenging everyday.
With a lot of competition around, my friend Derek Halpern has released a Killer eBook to help you with this!
We have long been advised and trained on Body Language, with reference to Professional and Personal lives. In this eBook, you will learn that such Body Language is very well applicable to your Website or your Blog.
In this eBook you will learn:
- How “Line of Sight” Increases Conversion Rates
- The Best Way to Optimize Images to Grab Reader Attention
- How “Active Commands” Influence People to Take Some Form of Action
- The “One Page, One Goal” Method to Streamlining Your Website
- How the CIA “Face in the Crowd” Tactic Applies Online
- The Perfect, Most Persuasive Font for Any Situation
I grabbed this eBook and finished reading it in just 30 minutes. But this eBook will be my reference and the ideas I learned will be my base for the Online Marketing Endeavours.
And did I tell you that this eBook if Free? Click to grab a copy of this Awesome eBook!
5 Ideas to Start Selling Stuff on the Internet!
Have you been waiting awhile to Start Selling Stuff on the Internet? If yes, there is no better time to Start than now. Here are 5 Simple Ideas to Start Selling on the Internet.
These Ideas are meant to be a Spark, to invoke your Creative Mind to get into the race!
1. Start a Blog
In my opinion, the simplest and the effective way to Start Selling is – to Start a Blog. The Blog will be your platform to communicate with the Prospective Buyers. A Typical Vision of using a Blog to Sell is – To Share Ideas, Establish Authority, Gain Readers & Prospective Buyers, Make the Pitch and Sell the Stuff
It is a long term way of selling stuff, but it is the most effective!
2. Sell eBooks
eBook Creation is more easier than you think. Here is an useful post from Yaro on How to Create and Sell an eBook in 14 days or less.
In short, all that you need is High Quality Content, a Viable Market and a Channel to Distribute the eBooks
3. Paid Writing
Content is another entity that you can sell on the Internet. There are numerous Sites that offer money for Quality Content you write. If you are technically inclined, the Network of Blogs under Nettuts accept content from Guest Writers and pay for them.
You could explore similar options in your Niche and Start Selling your Content.
4. Offer Training and Courses
This is not an easy path – but it definitely is a big way to Make Money Online. Using your Skills and the Talent, you start Making Money by Teaching & Training other people.
Though Reputation and Authority are key in succeeding with Teaching – this is a channel you can explore!
5. Build Products
This is by far the most proven way to Sell Stuff on the Internet. Build Products around your Expertise and Sell them the right way. Similar to an eBook, look for the Market and the Prospects. You might also want to pilot a few Products, before diving deep
So what are your Ideas to Start Selling Stuff?
Photo Credit: greggoconnell
Setup GoDaddy Nameservers for VPS Hosted Domains [Tutorial]
Are you planning to move from Shared Hosting to Managed VPS Hosting? Do you have the Domain Names registered with GoDaddy and want to use them with your VPS?
Here is a step-by-step tutorial to help you do it!
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