Posted by Posted in Consulting

I’ve started consulting

I have just started my consulting online for new bloggers or those who want to be bloggers. My first client is a girl named Rachel, who I met through chacha! She and I struck up a conversation and I explained to her what I do and she asked me for help. She is very much into at-home jobs, and she wanted to put into application what I teach at TBW.

She is a stay at home wife, and soon to be a mother who wants to work from home. She is a chacha guide, and also tried several other stays at home jobs and she wanted to give readers information about them what works what doesn’t as she goes along and tries all the free ones and eventually the paid ones so readers get the hottest inside tips on what works and what is a pile of poo. So please keep an eye out for her she’ll be unveiling her blog, and I’ll be keeping you intuned with all her updates!

UPDATE// As of this afternoon she purchased her domain from namenova.com she purchased web hosting from me as well. Installed her very first WordPress blog and is now learning how to use FTP and chmod! She is a very fast learner, she managed to install her blog, we did a layout for it and its up and running she’s now going to work on content!

Posted by Posted in Tips

Guest Blogger Randa Clay

Randa Clay is a designer and marketing consultant providing a complete package of services that includes custom web site design, blog design and template customization, as well as custom logo design, print design and production. You can find her at any of these websites: randaclay.com , randaclay.com/lumps , printables4scrapbooking.com, freestuff4kids.net

5 ways to find out what your readers are interested in reading

There is a quote by Alice MacDougall that says “In business you get what you want by giving other people what they want.” I would say this goes for blogging as well. Bloggers want readers. The way to get and keep your readers is to consistently give them the information they’re interested in. How do you find out what they’re interested in? Here are 5 ways:

1. Do you have a search form on your page? (you should) What are readers searching for? For example, I have a kids site where I have coloring pages, word searches, etc., and when I see in my stats that someone has entered something like “play money” in the search form, I make some printable play money and post it at the next opportunity.

2. What are your most popular posts? What posts have gotten the most comments? Write more like that.

3. Do a WordTracker trial or a search on Overture’s keyword tool around your main keywords. What are people searching for the most? Write posts around the items you find that are within the scope of your site.

4. Install MyBlogLog on your site and use the member pages to find out what other blogs your readers frequent, along with other things about them such as what they’ve tagged on del.icio.us, for example.

5. Where does your target audience hang out? What forums do they participate in? What problems are being discussed there? What are the topic areas in the forum? These should give you ideas about what your readers are interested in and what problems they’re trying to solve.

Now, I’m not trying to say if your blog is about underwater basketweaving, that if you find out a large number of your readers are interested in claymation that you should suddenly write lots of posts about claymation (you could start another blog about claymation and cross-promote them though). What I am saying is that if you find out that your readers are most interested in the different materials to weave their baskets with, spend more time writing about that than methods of drying out the baskets when they’re complete!

Posted by Posted in Blogging Resources

Making your blog more enjoyable

There are many ways to get more visitors to your website. One of the ways is finding fun things for them on the internet. My fun factoid for you is Speed Reading. I took a speed reading quiz and my results were 944 WPM with an 82% comprehension rate. The average reader is 200 wpm with a 60% comprehension rate. SO what are you? http://www.readingsoft.com/

Don’t harass your visitors with ridiculously long blog entries. Let them pick and choose what they want and do not want to read by getting straight to the point!

Getting straight to the point as you can see if you read here either allows people to choose to read it or not instead of having to keep scrolling to find something to read. If they like your first paragraph they will read more if they don’t then, well they don’t. Having ridiculously long entries forces someone to continue to scroll and if they are anything like yours truly I get fed up and leave since I want to get the list and see if there is something more I want to read about or not.

Posted by Posted in Blogging Resources

My first spam battle

So I come online today and what do I see 17 messages gleefully awaiting my approval! Isn’t it always fun to think you’re much more famous then you are? I know I enjoyed it. This was of course until it dawned on me that oh my goodness I have automatic approval on.. strange?

I go in and find 17 spam messages and more coming in! I thought this was insane so I said fine fine fine I will get a spam blocker and I have to say I did the Akismet as everyone else was making such a fuss about. I got my API since I can get the free one as I do not make $500+ a month on my blogs. Sadly 🙁 I will soon though it is my goal! It blocked a total of 32 messages of spam today! I couldn’t believe it.

I am not fond of having to sign up through wordpress.com for a username. I understand their point of it. But it was painless and I got my API key within 2 minutes and to install it was painless as it was already installed. You just copy and paste and click activate and I have to say I’m not looking back. Its a great tool.