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→ October 3, 2010
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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!

Filed Under: Blog Achievers, Blog Business, Post Series
→ October 1, 2010
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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

Filed Under: Blog Business
→ September 25, 2010
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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.

Filed Under: Blog Business
→ September 24, 2010
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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

Filed Under: Blog Business
→ July 9, 2010
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10 Online Communities Where You Can Learn From Other Bloggers

community
Source: ItzaFineDay

As a blogger, you have quite a number of responsibilities. You need to provide great content, have a visually appealing site, and somehow get visitors to your blog. Fortunately, there are others who are in the same situation. Here are ten places to find help for your blogging and internet marketing.

1. Create Blog Forums

Get information about Xanga, Blogger, Myspace, Livejournal and Friendster on these forums. You can also receive graphics assistance and design assistance. You can also talk about items and events which are not related to blogging, like music and television shows.

2. Digital Marketing on LinkedIn

This group was intended for professionals who want to learn more about internet marketing and ecommerce. They discuss the practices over SEM, SEO, PHP and email marketing within their field.

3. Bloggeries

This site encourages people to be active in the forums by sharing half of the Adsense revenues with the creator of the thread. You can talk about finding the best WordPress theme, SEO, SEM and social media in these active forums. There is even an area where you can buy, sell and trade blogs.

4. Blogging Tips

This is one of the smaller blogging forums on the web, but it provides a chance for you to be part of an engaged and active community. With 127 active members, there are still thousands of posts which may provide you the answers that you are seeking.

5. Digital Point

This is a gargantuan site which is devoted to making money on the internet through blogging and other methods. If you have something that you need answered, look through their forums and there is probably an answer or information available.

6. Professional Bloggers on LinkedIn

The Professional Bloggers group on LinkedIn was founded by Darren Rowse, the founder of Problogger.net. It is intended for those who want to learn about the business of blogging. This LinkedIn group will teach you the basics of blogging and generating traffic for your site.

7. Bloggst

At Bloggst, you can submit your blog’s feed to the site and they will broadcast any updates that you make. The more people who know about your site, the more popular your blog becomes in Google’s eyes. There are thousands of participants on this forum to interact with.

8. Blog Catalog

Blog Catalog is one of the largest blogging sites in the world. Submit your site to the catalog, and it immediately becomes available on their site. There are people from all walks of life, including those with your interests. Blog Catalog encourages people to look at their groups section to find others of like mind.

9. Authority Blogger

On Authority Blogger, there are threads for everything having to do with blogging. You can find bloggers to write your posts as well as bond with the other subscribers.

10. Warrior Forum

The Warrior Forum has been around for twelve years and has a thriving membership. The members are centered around internet marketing, including article marketing, affiliate marketing, ad networks, SEO marketing and much more. This is the forum to join if you are serious about monetizing your blog.

With the variety of places to go, you can find a place to call home. You want a forum or group that is friendly and welcoming, one that makes you feel at home. Good luck!

James is a full time writer and analyst at a leading ink cartridges store based in England where he writes reviews for products like the HP 300XL ink cartridge as well as covering the latest news and developments in the design world on their blog.

Filed Under: Blog Business
→ January 10, 2010
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5 Habits of an “Extremely” Successful Blogger

success_habits_blogger_1

Every Professional Blogger out there – you and me – wants to make it big.  We are fascinated by the success of a few Bloggers like – Darren Rowse and Dave Risley. 

But do everyone of us understand that Blogging is a different ball game?  It is a totally different business, that requires varied capabilities and strategies.

Even with the right strategies in place, extreme success in Blogging can take ages.  But can we spot some common characteristics and habits among the successful Bloggers? Yes, and this post gives you just that.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Business
→ December 28, 2009
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Beyond Blogging – an eBook from the Experts

beyondblogging

There has been a flurry of eBooks around – but this promises to be a good one.  Beyond Blogging is an eBook featuring case studies on the Top 15 Bloggers in the world and their interviews, which promise to be extremely motivating. Some of the Prominent names in the list include – Darren Rowse, Brian Clark, Chris Guillebeau, Chris Brogan….

The eBook authored by two exciting guys – Nathan Hangen and Mike CJ – is already out for purchase.  An affiliate program is soon to launch – so sign up here and watch out for the updates in your Inbox.

Also an interesting Twitter Contest from Beyond Blogging is on and it just takes a bunch of tweets from you to participate.  So what are you waiting for?  Join the party and enjoy the happiness of reading and sharing, this holiday season.

Filed Under: Blog Business
→ October 22, 2009
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Writing more Blog Posts – the Myth and the Reality!

Every wannabe Professional Blogger has this question.  How do I write more Blog Posts?  (Psss… a secret – with a Professional Blog the quality is more important than the quantity of posts!)
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Business
→ October 14, 2009
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Writing a Blog Post at the Speed of Light

Every Blogger would agree with me, that it takes a longer time to write a Blog Post – than to get an idea on what to write.  Do you know there are some simple techniques that can help you write a Blog Post, almost at the speed of light?  Read on!

Don’t Meddle a lot with the Post Title

I agree that the Post Title is a very important aspect of a Blog Post.  But don’t meddle with it a lot, at the time of writing.  Choose a Draft Title, which can be modified once the post is complete.  This will help you concentrate on the content, than just the title. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Business
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