by Jonathan Bailey on February 20th, 2013
When I was first studying design, there wasn’t much of a Web to use. So, I received most of my education and professional experience in that field learning print design.
In my closet I have several binders filled with things I made both professionally, personally and for school. This includes, flyers, brochures, buttons, newsletters, newspapers, booklets and more. However, as I was trying to pick up Web design, I brought a lot of what I learned in print design to the Web.
A lot of it was right, but a lot of it was very wrong and the Web, founded largely by people like me who grew up in the print design world, is just now waking up to some of those mistakes.
The truth is people don’t use the Web like they do a newspaper or a magazine. For an example, consider how far your nose is from your screen right now. Then, open up a book, hold it comfortably and take the same measurement, you’ll likely see a big difference.
So, if you want to create a good blog layout, you have to stop thinking like a print designer and break some of the rules you may have come to know and love, even without realizing it.
Here are five examples of rules that no blog design should break. Read More
Categories: Blog Design, Blogging Tips
by BP Guest Blogger on February 20th, 2013
Affiliate marketing is an often underrated but highly profitable means of selling laden with multiple benefits. Affiliate marketing not only is a brilliant source of earning additional income via advertising but it is also a valuable tool to increase an affiliate marketer’s goodwill and standing.
If you’re keen on becoming an affiliate marketer or indeed have already initiated an affiliate selling campaign, the following guide will manifest the finest ways of achieving success in the field and staying ahead of the competition. Read More
Categories: General
by BP Guest Blogger on February 19th, 2013
Content is King, we all know that. How many times have you heard the phrase “quality content”? Do you even know what “quality content” means? This article will explain what “quality” content is and a few ways to help you create it!
Before we start consider these points:
- Substance – Fill your content with juicy information. Awesome links and great tips.
- Actionable value – Using the above, you can provide value to the reader. They walk away from reading your content, knowing much more than they did when they started. They can go and do something better than they did before, thanks to your advice.
- Layout – Do not underestimate the value of a quick bit of formatting. Keep paragraphs short, add bullet points and numbered lists and add images where appropriate. Content with lots of white spaces like this, are much easier to read that blocks of text. Read More
Categories: Blogging Tips
by BP Guest Blogger on February 18th, 2013
If you visit the top “blogging tips” blogs today you’ll notice a lot of talk about what it takes to build a successful blog; from writing great content to coming up with a plan to monetizing your blog. Essentially, all it takes to build your blog is often talked about except what really matters; your web host.
If you choose the right web host for your blog, you’ll continue to benefit from your choice for years to come. If, however, you chose the wrong web host your blog will suffer from it for a very long time.
Slow loading speed is one of the reasons most people stop visiting a website and a whopping 78% of online shoppers will happily abandon a website if it’s slow. Also, slow websites cost the US economy at least $500 billion every year. And that’s just what we can name. There are countless other problems you will experience with a bad hosting company, some of the most common ones being: Read More
Categories: Blogging Tips
by Noemi Tasarra-Twigg on February 15th, 2013
How did your Valentine’s Day go? Either you had the time of your life, or you escaped it unscathed. In any case, I am sure you’re looking forward to the weekend. Before that, here are some of the most interesting jobs from the Job Board this week.
Good luck!
Demand Media is one of the more popular companies hiring writers, and if you’ve always wanted to work for them, here is your chance. The pay is good, and you simply have to follow their guidelines.
Read More
Categories: Jobs
by BP Guest Blogger on February 13th, 2013
Sorry for doing this (using such a headline), but I just couldn’t resist the temptation. Anyway, this post is about the reasons … the reasons why anyone would want to read your blog.
You might think that this is a topic that’s been thoroughly covered across the internet already, right? I’m sure you’re familiar with the term “quality content.” But is it really enough to get someone to read your blog? Isn’t an even more important factor missing in this blog-popularity picture?
For instance, there are a lot of mediocre recording artists who still manage to attract massive followings of people just because of their _______ … yea, no one really knows why, and that’s the point. In my honest opinion, producing this mysterious quality content is not good enough to make your blog popular / attractive to the average member of your audience.
What is the reason for this? Well, probably more than a dozen of those, but I’m no psychologist so I can only point out two: Read More
Categories: Blogging Sense
by BP Guest Blogger on February 12th, 2013
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I have already discussed about create content at part one. This article is part two which covers how to promote your content.
This is the most effective way to promote any website and get consistent traffic flowing in its’ direction. The problem with most people is that they are not patient enough to work consistently on their SEO so that they can end up with the fabulous results of ranking highly in relevant search words for their sites.
Assuming that your site does not have any technical hitches, there are 3 key SEO activities which if you execute consistently will get you amazing results. They are keyword research, on-page keyword usage and link building. Read More
Categories: Blogging Sense, Blogging Tips
by BP Guest Blogger on February 11th, 2013
(Photo credit: SalFalko)
The online reputation of your business is something that can have a great impact on the way your business is perceived by the people. When people search for your business, they come across the company website, social media links and other related information, considering that any particular person checks all of them, it is important to create a good impression through all these links. The important aspects that must be considered include:
What are your customers saying about your business, products or services?
What information are they reading about your business practices?
What sources are used to talk about your business?
Read More
Categories: General
by Noemi Tasarra-Twigg on February 8th, 2013
It’s been a long week for me, and I am looking forward to putting my feet up this weekend. How was this week for you?
If you’re still on the hunt for gigs to add to your schedule, take a closer look at the highlights from this week’s Job Board. Best of luck!
The World Land Trust-US was established in 1988 to save rainforests and other threatened tropical habitats that are critical for saving the most endangered species. They are in need of a writer who holds the same beliefs as they do and based in Warrenton, VA. This is a great job for a cause, which can help you make a living as well.
Read More
Categories: Jobs
by Jonathan Bailey on February 6th, 2013
Dear Potential Blogger,
First off, congratulations on your likely decision to start up a blog. If you go through with it, you’ll embark on a mission that is both deeply personal and extremely public, a chance to speak your mind and give voice to your thoughts on this, the most public sphere, the Internet.
However, I’m not going to lie to you. Starting a blog, maintaining it and growing it is not easy. Blogging has been around for over ten years and it’s a very crowded sphere. There are currently more bloggers than ever and audience size has not kept pace with the growth in the number of bloggers. The result, tougher than ever competition for readers and subscribers.
To make matters worse, the blog you want to do has probably already been done and better by someone else. That person (or company) is established in the niche, has a built in audience and the trust that comes with its longevity. Breaking into your market will be difficult, if not impossible.
The odds are definitely against you and the numbers make that very clear. Within a year of starting a blog, some 90% of bloggers have given up, leaving their blogs idle. Even most successful bloggers have more misses than hits, meaning they’ve walked ay from from more blogs than they’ve maintained.
So, there’s no guarantee of success, much less fame and fortune. In fact, nothing you can do will make your chance at success above 50%. As a new blogger with no reputation, you have an uphill battle regardless of how good you are and how well you do everything.
Still, there are things you can do to make your chances better. So, before you start thinking about your site name or what platform you’re going to use, here are a few things I think every blogger should be able to do and do reasonably well in order to succeed. Read More
Categories: Blogging Sense
5 Design Rules No Blog Should Break
4 Comments
