And when the main screen is turned on, the second screen can be used to for quick shortcuts which can be accessing contacts, or serve up notifications. While this is similar to the Edge display on Samsung phones, the implementation on LG seems to be much better.

Powering the LG V10 is the same Snapdragon 808 Hexa core processor with 4GB RAM. The LG V10 features 5MP Dual Front Cameras with two separate lenses to capture standard 80 degree selfies or perfect wide angle selfies of 120 degrees, without the need to pan the smartphone which increases the likelihood of camera shake. The rear camera is 16MP with F1.8 Aperture and OIS 2.0 which is similar to G4.

The V10 comes with resilient Dura Guard frame which firmly secures the display to protect the phone from hard bumps and tumbles. The phone comes with 64GB internal storage along with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. It also comes with support for 4G LTE. There is a 3000mAh battery which is removable. The phone comes in Space Black,  Luxe White, Modern Beige, Ocean Blue and Opal Blue colors.

The LG V10 also features power and volume keys on the rear panel similar to LG G4.

LG V10 will be available in Korea starting this month followed by markets such as the United States, China and key countries in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Pricing is not announced as of now, but expect a more premium pricing compared to the G4.

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The device also comes with 8GB internal storage which is expandable to 32GB via micro SD card. This is the cheapest 4G LTE device from Lenovo in India. Here is the detailed review of the phone.

Here is the video review of the phone.

Design and Build:

Design wise, the Lenovo A2010 is a decent looking smartphone which does not offer anything new in terms of design in the budget segment. The phone comes with three capacitive buttons, typical of Lenovo. The rear panel has a matte finish and houses the 5MP camera along with flash, Lenovo logo and speaker located at the bottom. The power and volume keys are on the right side. The 3.5 mm audio jack and micro USB slot are located on the top portion.

The front panel has 2MP front camera and the 4.5 inch FWVGA display. Since the phone has only 4.5 inch display, it is pretty compact device to hold although it is not slim. Overall, it is decent device in terms of design and build.

Display:

The Lenovo A2010 comes with a 4.5 inch FWVGA display (854 x 480 pixels) and the display quality is pretty poor. It is not just the low resolution which is an issue on A2010, the display quality of the panel is also poor and there is no protection on the display. The touch response was also not very smooth and was sticky to our liking. The colors look washed out and the sharpness levels are way too low.

There is also no ambient light sensor which means you need to manually increase the brightness when you go outside. Overall, we were pretty disappointed with the display quality on the A2010.

Software:

The Lenovo A2010 runs on Android 5.1 with the custom Vibe UI from the company. While there are lots of similarities with the Vibe UI on other devices, the UI on A2010 is a stripped down variant considering this is a smaller display and a budget device. The notification center is a custom one with quick toggles included.

The Vibe UI looks different from the stock Android. The UI does not come with app drawer and has multiple home screen which you can customize.

Vibe UI does not offer too many customization options and there are no themes included in this device. But you can change wallpapers and add widgets to the device. The phone also comes with few apps from Lenovo which includes Sound Recorder, FM Radio, Portable Hotspot, Syncit and Shareit.

Overall, the UI is just average and does not offer anything new.

Performance:

Lenovo A2010 runs on 1Ghz Quad core Mediatek processor with 1GB of RAM. The performance of the device was just average and is good only for causal usage. If you push it hard with multiple apps with heavy usage, it does show some lag.

The device offers 8GB internal storage and out of which 4.5GB is available to user in the first boot. You can also extend the storage via micro SD card. The phone also allows you to install or move apps on the SD card which is a very handy feature. The phone does not supports USB OTG.

The gaming experience on the device was just average. While it was able to play most of the games, the poor quality of the display provides poor gaming experience. Multi tasking is implemented in Android Lollipop way and switching between apps was decent although not the best performance.

Watch: Lenovo A2010 Gaming Review

The call quality of the phone was pretty good and we didn’t have any issues with dropped calls. The output from the rear speaker was just ok, but since the phone has a slight bend on the rear panel, it does not affect the music performance even if you keep the phone on flat surface. Overall, the phone provides decent experience for causal usage.

Camera:

Lenovo A2010 comes with a 5MP rear camera with fixed focus and LED flash and a front facing 2MP camera. The camera interface offers decent features and looks similar to the interface on most Mediatek powered phones. While the camera is just 5MP, the phone offers 1080p (Full HD) video recording. The photos taken using the device lacked detailing and the colors look washed out most of the time. The photos were noisy even when taken in bright sunlight. The fixed focus makes things worse for the camera when taking close up objects. The low light performance was pretty poor and were mostly noisy.

The video recording was also not great on the device and lacked details. Overall, the camera on the Lenovo A2010 disappoints. Here are some of the samples taken with the device.

Battery Life:

The phone comes with a 2000mAh battery and the battery performance is decent overall. With average usage which includes calls, browsing, social networking and few snaps with the 5MP shooter, we could easily get a day of usage on the device which we feel is quite good for a budget device.

Verdict:

Priced at Rs 4999, the Lenovo A2010 is one of the cheapest 4G LTE enabled phones in India. The issue with A2010 is that the hardware is pretty low on most counts when competition offers better specs at the same price. But having said that Lenovo A2010 could be your secondary phone just for calls and casual browsing. Lenovo’s after sales service is also pretty good and better than many other online only players.

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Today, we take a look at some of the best phablets you can buy for less than Rs 10000 in India. So if your preference is large screen devices in budget category, here are some of the best phablets to choose from.

Micromax Canvas Doodle 4

The device sports 6-inch (960 x 540 pixels) qHD IPS display. It is powered by 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582M processor and runs Android 5.0 (Lollipop). It also features 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal memory which is expandable memory up to 32GB with micro SD.  On the imaging front, it features 8MP rear camera with LED flash and 2MP front-facing camera. The device supports DUAL SIM and connectivity features include 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS. It packs 3000mAh battery.

Price: Rs. 7,715

Buy Now

Panasonic P61

P61 comes with a 6-inch HD display and is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor, runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). The device  comes with 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. These have dual SIM support. The device features 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory which is expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD. It packs 2800mAh battery.

Price: Rs 10,600

Buy Now

Micromax Canvas Doodle 3

The phone comes with a 6-inch FWVGA display with dual SIM support. The phone runs on 1.3Ghz dual-core processor with 512MB RAM. There is also 4GB internal storage which is expandable. The phone also has a 5MP camera and a 0.3MP front camera for video calls. The phone runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and comes with a 2500mAh battery.

Price: Rs. 7,800

Buy Now

Spice Stellar Mi-600

It has a 6-inch (960 x 540 pixels), powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor, has an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 3.2-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes with dual SIM support with dual standby.It runs Android 4.4 (KitKat) and has 1GB RAM, 4GB of internal storage with memory card slot and a 2500 mAh battery.

Price: Rs. 5,699

Buy Now

Karbonn Platinum P9

It comes with a 6-inch display which is having a qHD resolution (960 X 540 pixels). The device is powered by 1.3GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). On the imaging front, the device sports an 8MP  rear camera with LED flash and an 8-MP front-facing camera. It comes with dual SIM support and 3G connectivity, similar to most other Karbonn smartphones. The phone also comes with 1GB RAM and 16GB internal storage which is again expandable via microSD card.

Price: Rs. 8,000

Buy Now

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Why Do People Prefer WordPress Over the Others?

Currently, there are 3 blogging platforms popular in the market, WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla, with each of them offering their own customizations. However, people are looking for the easiest solution when setting up their blog so it’s important they use a platform easy to install, etc. Next, many bloggers don’t have the coding skills to go around customizing their website so it’s important they have a plug n’ play interface. WordPress has gained popularity for providing people with exactly this, an easy to use interface with millions of plug n’ play plug-ins. No matter what you’re trying to achieve through your blog, it’s much easier with WordPress than other CMS platforms. However, this doesn’t mean you should close off your mind to Drupal and Joomla because each has their own perks. You really need to sit down and figure out what you’re trying to achieve, then make your final decision.

What’s the Best Way to Find Relevant Twitter Followers?

Here’s a good strategy to implement when building your Twitter followers. By now, many of the top bloggers in your niche have a Twitter account. In my niche, which is “SEO marketing”, the influential people have 50,000+ Twitter followers, which make them a good source to find relevant people. When setting up an account, it’s important to fill in your profile, making it as relevant as possible to your competitors. Add name, description, URL, etc., and then start by visiting the Twitter profiles of authority people in your blog. Why? Their followers most likely will be interested in your content and blog so will make a good fit when they follow you back. Next,

Start slow, adding 10 relevant followers a day, where you’ll obviously find from competitor accounts. Next, try to set up groups and start by posting your best content so they know you’re valuable within your niche.

Should I Invest in Facebook Ads?

The answer to this question will depend on your niche and marketing budget. Facebook has an awesome advertising platform because it allows you to geo target, select age group, interests, etc., however, it can be very expensive at the same time. If you have money to spend on marketing, there are other cost effective methods like hiring a solid SEO team, paid directories, PPV, and banner ads. Facebook.com should be checked out and if you decide to throw an advert up, then do a trial run. Start small and track your results to find out if you are getting high conversions where you’re actually making more money than you’re spending.

What are Trigger Action Words?

Trigger action words are placed within the “call-to-action” to create a conversion. First, a “call to action” is text, image, or anything else showing the visitor how to take advantage of the offer or additional resource. You’ve probably seen these words appear on landing pages or other forms of content…

• Click here
• Buy Now
• Free Trial
• Download Now

However,

In my experience, there are some words that work better than others. The words you use should depend on what you’re offering. For example, for product sales, the term “free trial” converts well because it gives people a chance to try something before purchasing. If you’re offering a free eBook, then use the term “Download Free Now” so they know you aren’t charging for the download. Others that also work well are “click here”, “Read Now”, etc. Before making your decision on what text you’d like to use, research your product and what you’re trying to achieve.

What are Your Thoughts on Contact Forms?

It’s very important to add a contact page and form to your website. It helps improve your identity on the website and adds to your legitimacy. It’s even more important for local businesses because people prefer to do business with those that have a way of contacting them. Google Places has made it no secret that they use contact page information to help optimize you in the SERP’s. Contact information provides the much needed proof that you’re a business and how people can get a hold of you.

If you want a simple answer, then here it is…

I recommend everyone to have a contact page and form on their website. It’s great for credibility, engagement, and optimization.

Why Do People Prefer WordPress Over the Others?

Currently, there are 3 blogging platforms popular in the market, WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla, with each of them offering their own customizations. However, people are looking for the easiest solution when setting up their blog so it’s important they use a platform easy to install, etc. Next, many bloggers don’t have the coding skills to go around customizing their website so it’s important they have a plug n’ play interface. WordPress has gained popularity for providing people with exactly this, an easy to use interface with millions of plug n’ play plug-ins. No matter what you’re trying to achieve through your blog, it’s much easier with WordPress than other CMS platforms. However, this doesn’t mean you should close off your mind to Drupal and Joomla because each has their own perks. You really need to sit down and figure out what you’re trying to achieve, then make your final decision.

What’s the Best Way to Find Relevant Twitter Followers?

Here’s a good strategy to implement when building your Twitter followers. By now, many of the top bloggers in your niche have a Twitter account. In my niche, which is “SEO marketing”, the influential people have 50,000+ Twitter followers, which make them a good source to find relevant people. When setting up an account, it’s important to fill in your profile, making it as relevant as possible to your competitors. Add name, description, URL, etc., and then start by visiting the Twitter profiles of authority people in your blog. Why? Their followers most likely will be interested in your content and blog so will make a good fit when they follow you back. Next,

Start slow, adding 10 relevant followers a day, where you’ll obviously find from competitor accounts. Next, try to set up groups and start by posting your best content so they know you’re valuable within your niche.

Should I Invest in Facebook Ads?

The answer to this question will depend on your niche and marketing budget. Facebook has an awesome advertising platform because it allows you to geo target, select age group, interests, etc., however, it can be very expensive at the same time. If you have money to spend on marketing, there are other cost effective methods like hiring a solid SEO team, paid directories, PPV, and banner ads. Facebook.com should be checked out and if you decide to throw an advert up, then do a trial run. Start small and track your results to find out if you are getting high conversions where you’re actually making more money than you’re spending.

What are Trigger Action Words?

Trigger action words are placed within the “call-to-action” to create a conversion. First, a “call to action” is text, image, or anything else showing the visitor how to take advantage of the offer or additional resource. You’ve probably seen these words appear on landing pages or other forms of content…

• Click here
• Buy Now
• Free Trial
• Download Now

However,

In my experience, there are some words that work better than others. The words you use should depend on what you’re offering. For example, for product sales, the term “free trial” converts well because it gives people a chance to try something before purchasing. If you’re offering a free eBook, then use the term “Download Free Now” so they know you aren’t charging for the download. Others that also work well are “click here”, “Read Now”, etc. Before making your decision on what text you’d like to use, research your product and what you’re trying to achieve.

What are Your Thoughts on Contact Forms?

It’s very important to add a contact page and form to your website. It helps improve your identity on the website and adds to your legitimacy. It’s even more important for local businesses because people prefer to do business with those that have a way of contacting them. Google Places has made it no secret that they use contact page information to help optimize you in the SERP’s. Contact information provides the much needed proof that you’re a business and how people can get a hold of you.

If you want a simple answer, then here it is…

I recommend everyone to have a contact page and form on their website. It’s great for credibility, engagement, and optimization.

If you have a monitor with with a resolution of 1920×1080 or higher, in Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1 you would put your DPI scaling to 125% or higher to make text and images appear larger and more easy to read. But when you put the DPI scaling to 125% in Windows 10, you see in a lot of dialogs and windows the font gets very blurry.

Windows 10 is using another scaling method for DPI as in Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1. It is probably meant to support mobile devices more easy. So if you want to fix this issue, here is a simple freeware tool called XPExplorer- Windows 10 DPI Fix.

Just run this app and then use the Windows 8.1 scaling and fix the blurry text issue on Windows 10. The app needs to start when Windows starts and then it will adjust the DPI scaling to use the Windows 8 way. And then it will close itself.

Important point when using the app:

• It needs to start when Windows starts, but only for a couple milliseconds. Then it will adjust the DPI scaling to use the Windows 8 way. And then it will close itself.
• In Microsoft Edge some Adobe Flash objects will appear smaller, but you can simple overcome that by using Internet Explorer 11, or Chrome, or FireFox.

Download XPExplorer- Windows 10 DPI fix

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The device pricing starts at $379 for Nexus 5X and $499 for the Nexus 6P for the US market. Now, Google has also revealed the Indian pricing of these two devices. The Nexus 5X starts at Rs 31,990 and the Nexus 6P starts at Rs 39,999 according to the Google store details.

Related Reading: Nexus 5X vs Nexus 6P Specs Comparison

As of now there is no pricing details of each of the models, but we are expecting this to be for the base variants respectively. Considering that the official pricing is out, we feel the Nexus 5X is a bit over priced for the specs especially the 16GB variant which does not even have SD card. There are lot better choices available in India including the OnePlus Two and other flagships.

But we need to wait for the confirmation from Google on the pricing of different variants. The Nexus 6P at Rs 39,999 looks much better deal considering the Motorola Nexus 6 was priced close to Rs 44,000 when it was released last year.

In case you missed the specs of the new Nexus, the Nexus 6P comes with 5.7-inch Quad HD display at 518 PPI and it is powered by an Octa-Core Snapdragon 810. The device has 3GB of RAM and comes with 32GB, 64GB or 128GB storage variants. There is also 12.3MP rear camera with LED flash, f/2.0 aperture and a 8MP front-facing camera along with 3450mAh battery.

The cheaper Nexus 5X comes with 5.2-inch 1080p (Full HD) display and is powered by an Hexa-Core Snapdragon 808 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM. The phone also comes with 16GB and 32GB internal storage without an expansion slot. The battery capacity of the 5X is at 2700mAh. It has a 12.3MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, laser auto focus and a 5MP front-facing camera.

Both the devices have fingerprint scanner and comes with Android 6.0.

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My driving videos are done with a very loud convertible sport car, and I film them with the top and windows down. With a normal camera, there would be so much background noise that you would have a hard time hearing me speak. I’ve always said that great video starts with great audio. If your audio sucks, it won’t matter how great your video is. Therefore we should do everything possible to make sure our audio is of the highest quality.

To show the effectiveness of great audio, I created the two videos below. The top one was made with the built-in mic of the GoPro Hero4 Black Edition. The bottom video was filmed with the GoPro, but the audio was recorded using the Tascam DR-22WL digital voice recorder and Giant Squid Audio Lavalier Mic. The audio was synced to the video in post production using Final Cut Pro X. The final result speaks for themselves.

The Trascam DR-22WL can be had for less than $150 and the Giant Squid Audio Mic sells for $49. If you want to save some money, you can get the MIC-J Lavalier Mic for $26. It’s cheaper because it’s made in China. The Giant Squid is made in the USA. It really is amazing that for less than $200, you can now get audio quality that would have cost over $10K only a decade ago. Get the setup, and go make your own top-down driving videos.

My driving videos are done with a very loud convertible sport car, and I film them with the top and windows down. With a normal camera, there would be so much background noise that you would have a hard time hearing me speak. I’ve always said that great video starts with great audio. If your audio sucks, it won’t matter how great your video is. Therefore we should do everything possible to make sure our audio is of the highest quality.

To show the effectiveness of great audio, I created the two videos below. The top one was made with the built-in mic of the GoPro Hero4 Black Edition. The bottom video was filmed with the GoPro, but the audio was recorded using the Tascam DR-22WL digital voice recorder and Giant Squid Audio Lavalier Mic. The audio was synced to the video in post production using Final Cut Pro X. The final result speaks for themselves.

The Trascam DR-22WL can be had for less than $150 and the Giant Squid Audio Mic sells for $49. If you want to save some money, you can get the MIC-J Lavalier Mic for $26. It’s cheaper because it’s made in China. The Giant Squid is made in the USA. It really is amazing that for less than $200, you can now get audio quality that would have cost over $10K only a decade ago. Get the setup, and go make your own top-down driving videos.

While there are lots of differences between the two devices in terms of the specs and pricing, there are quite a lot of similarities as well. Here is a quick specs comparison of the two Nexus phones.

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Under the hood, the Pixel C is powered by a Nvidia Tegra X1 processor coupled with 3GB of RAM which should provide great performance.

The tablet also comes with a Bluetooth keyboard which attaches to it (sold separately) and comes for $149. The tablet will run the latest version of Android 6.0 and also feature the USB Type C port for connectivity.

Apart from these, there is no mention on the camera available on the tablet. It comes in 32GB and 64GB storage options.

Price and Availability:

Google Pixel C is priced $499 for the 32GB variant and $599 for the 64GB variant. The keyboard will cost $149. Google has mentioned that the tablet will be available during holidays, but no mention on the exact availability date.

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The Nexus 6P comes with 12.3MP rear camera with LED flash, f/2.0 aperture and a 8MP front-facing camera. The phone also comes with fingerprint sensor on the back and has 4G LTE support with dual front facing speakers.

Nexus 6P has 3450mAh battery and also USB Type-C port.

The cheaper Nexus 5X is made by LG and comes with 5.2-inch 1080p (Full HD) display and is powered by an Hexa-Core Snapdragon 808 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM. The phone also comes with 16GB and 32GB internal storage without an expansion slot. The battery capacity of the 5X is at 2700mAh. It has a 12.3MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, laser auto focus and a 5MP front-facing camera. The Nexus 5X also comes with Finger print sensor on rear panel and Google calls this Nexus Imprint.

Both the devices run on the latest version of Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) and comes with 4G LTE and has single SIM card along with USB Type C port.

Price and Availability:

Google Nexus 6P comes in Aluminium, Graphite and Frost White colors and is the pricing is as follows.

• $499 for the 32GB version
• $549 for the 64GB version
• $649 for the 128GB version

Google Nexus 5X comes in Carbon Black, Quartz White and Ice Blue colors and the pricing is as follows.

• $379 for the 16GB version
• $429 for the 32GB version

Both the devices will be available for pre-order through the Google Store in the US, UK, Ireland and Japan starting from today and will ship in October. It will be available in 40 more countries in October 19th.

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The phone comes with 5.2-inch (1440 x 2560 pixels) Quad HD display and is powered by 2.2 GHz MediaTek Helio X10 (MT6795T) Octa-Core 64-bit processor with 3GB of RAM.

The phone has 32GB internal storage which is expandable to 2TB via SD card. The phone still have the dual camera type set up, but instead of the secondary camera, it is occupied by the laser auto focus unit.

The phone comes with Android Lollipop with Sense UI on top of it. The phone has 2,840mAh battery and front-facing BoomSound stereo speakers and the fingerprint scanner integrated with the home button.

The front facing camera is an ultra pixel unit. The phone also comes with the usual connectivity options including 4G LTE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi. The phone is priced $630 and will be available in Taiwan in the first week of October.

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The specs of the device is similar to the HTC Butterfly J which is the flagship phone of the company in Japan.

The phone has 20.2MP primary camera on the rear which is a duo camera set up from HTC with a secondary sensor to capture distance information. This  allows for post-shot autofocusing and it has a Sapphire crystal-protected lens with f/2.2. There is also dual-tone dual-LED flash and also supports 4K video recording. The front camera is a 13MP selfie camera which can shoot videos in 1080p.

The smartphone measures 150.99 x 72.99 x 9.99mm and weighs 161g. It also comes with a 2,700mAh battery and one of the important features of the device is that it carries an IP57 rating for dust and water protection.

The phone comes with usual set of options like 4G LTE, NFC, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. There is also HTC BoomSound along with Dolby Audio.

The HTC Butterfly 3 runs Android 5.0 Lollipop with Sense 7 on top of it. It will currently launched in and is priced approx $600 and comes in three colors-  white, carmine (red) and midnight blue. There is no mention on the global availability and pricing.

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As you can see in my menu above I have a disclaimer in the main menu.  I even insert this (when I remember to) in posts.  But as you can see I leverage it for a bit of credibility.  Not only do I disclose that this blog makes money but also my positions in consulting and companies I am associated with.  After all I am legally obligated to.

Double win.

But what about emails?  It seems like the FTC is cracking down on newsletters that do not have proper disclosure by bloggers.

I need to do a better job with this myself and so I have been looking at what other people do.

In particular I like what Andy Jenkins does.  He not only covers the disclosure policy but has a little fun with it at the same time:

Please read our Affiliate Disclaimer: From time to time, we will promote, endorse, or suggest products and/or services for sale that are not our own. Our recommendation is ALWAYS based on our personal belief that the product and it’s author will provide excellent and valuable information or service. This may be based on a review of that product, our personal or professional relationship with that person or company, and/or a previous positive experience with the person or company who’s product we are recommending. In most cases, we will be compensated via a commission if you decide to purchase that product based on our recommendation. In some cases, we will receive the product for free for review purposes, or just to use. In some cases, we have used that product to our personal satisfaction in our own businesses.

IMPORTANT: Always Always ALWAYS do your OWN due-diligence before making any purchases, whether we recommend them or not. Never, EVER purchase anything that you cannot afford. Avoid purchasing products that do not have a clearly stated Guarantee, or that promise ridiculous results, like “Getting Rich Quick”. Most people don’t do anything with the products they buy, and most of the time, their results are zero – kind of like that Bowflex that I bought that is now serving as a clothing rack… No, there is no such thing as a “Free Lunch”. Don’t do drugs, stay in school, etc. Be safe out there!

Now it is in smaller type and at the very bottom (same text as above but a screen shot to put it in perspective):

So be compliant but have fun with it.

Also of important note I must disclose I am not a lawyer and you should always consult with one before taking action on this.

In this article we are going to break down a simple seven step formula that will greatly improve your chances for finding success in the world of blogging. Each of these seven steps are from the Blogging.org’s infographic titled “7 Steps to Creating a Successful Blog from Day One” and is also shown at the bottom of this article.

Whether you are a starting a blog for the first time or already several months or years into an existing blog, the good news is that there is always time to make improvements and to see better results from content creation, outreach and ranking higher in the search results.

Follow These 7 Steps to Build the Foundation for a Successful Blog

Without further ado, here’s a quick breakdown of the seven step process every blogger should take when planning the launch of their new site.

1. Pick Your Topic – The topic and focus of your blog is extremely important. Not only is it about the content that you create for the site, it’s also about how you are going to provide value, brand yourself as an expert and down the road, how you make money with your site. When choosing a topic, try to go as niche as possible.
2. Create Your Avatar – The people who visit your blog are known as your ‘avatar’. The more you know about your audience, the better you can create and cater content to their needs. Know your audience and you will find success!
3. Domain Name and Hosting – One of the best ways to set your blog off in the right direction from day one is to get setup with a unique domain name and quality web hosting. While there are free blog hosting alternatives out there, many of them will keep you limited on what you can do with your blog, and you will also never have full ownership over your site and content.
4. Content Creation – Content creation is the substance of your blog. It’s what people are going to see in the search results, and find value in when they actually read it on your site. Focus on creating high quality content, and not just content.
5. Blog Launch – When all of the pre-planning is done and in place, it’s time to finally launch your blog for the world to see. Create a few blog posts before promoting your blog and also take some time to spruce up your theme, enable some top WordPress plugins and make your blog your own. No one likes to visit a site with little value or substance, make sure yours is ready before promoting it.
6. Content Promotion – Content promotion is key to finding success with a blog. Spend more of your time on outreach, social promotion and gaining high quality backlinks versus just creating content. The more your blog content is out there, the more traffic and success you will find.
7. Monetize – With a high traffic blog and all of your killer content now in place, it’s time to start looking at your monetization options. Google Adsense is a great option for newbie bloggers, while other methods like affiliate marketing and production creation is better for more advanced bloggers. No matter how you are going to make money with your site, make sure you are still providing value in the process.

Bonus Tip: LEAD GEN & SALES FUNNELS

I wanted to add in a special bonus step as well, which would have to be a lead generation and sales funnel. This has been the driving force behind the success of JohnChow.com. No matter what happens in the search results and social media, as long as John continually drives people to his mailing list, he will have a system in place that works for him 24/7. You can listen to John’s story here and learn more about how he creates his automated mailing lists and sales funnels.

Follow these simple steps and you will find success in the world of blogging. The most important things to remember are to niche down as much as possible, focus on creation quality content and then putting in the time and effort to promote your content once it’s published.

In this article we are going to break down a simple seven step formula that will greatly improve your chances for finding success in the world of blogging. Each of these seven steps are from the Blogging.org’s infographic titled “7 Steps to Creating a Successful Blog from Day One” and is also shown at the bottom of this article.

Whether you are a starting a blog for the first time or already several months or years into an existing blog, the good news is that there is always time to make improvements and to see better results from content creation, outreach and ranking higher in the search results.

Follow These 7 Steps to Build the Foundation for a Successful Blog

Without further ado, here’s a quick breakdown of the seven step process every blogger should take when planning the launch of their new site.

1. Pick Your Topic – The topic and focus of your blog is extremely important. Not only is it about the content that you create for the site, it’s also about how you are going to provide value, brand yourself as an expert and down the road, how you make money with your site. When choosing a topic, try to go as niche as possible.
2. Create Your Avatar – The people who visit your blog are known as your ‘avatar’. The more you know about your audience, the better you can create and cater content to their needs. Know your audience and you will find success!
3. Domain Name and Hosting – One of the best ways to set your blog off in the right direction from day one is to get setup with a unique domain name and quality web hosting. While there are free blog hosting alternatives out there, many of them will keep you limited on what you can do with your blog, and you will also never have full ownership over your site and content.
4. Content Creation – Content creation is the substance of your blog. It’s what people are going to see in the search results, and find value in when they actually read it on your site. Focus on creating high quality content, and not just content.
5. Blog Launch – When all of the pre-planning is done and in place, it’s time to finally launch your blog for the world to see. Create a few blog posts before promoting your blog and also take some time to spruce up your theme, enable some top WordPress plugins and make your blog your own. No one likes to visit a site with little value or substance, make sure yours is ready before promoting it.
6. Content Promotion – Content promotion is key to finding success with a blog. Spend more of your time on outreach, social promotion and gaining high quality backlinks versus just creating content. The more your blog content is out there, the more traffic and success you will find.
7. Monetize – With a high traffic blog and all of your killer content now in place, it’s time to start looking at your monetization options. Google Adsense is a great option for newbie bloggers, while other methods like affiliate marketing and production creation is better for more advanced bloggers. No matter how you are going to make money with your site, make sure you are still providing value in the process.

Bonus Tip: LEAD GEN & SALES FUNNELS

I wanted to add in a special bonus step as well, which would have to be a lead generation and sales funnel. This has been the driving force behind the success of JohnChow.com. No matter what happens in the search results and social media, as long as John continually drives people to his mailing list, he will have a system in place that works for him 24/7. You can listen to John’s story here and learn more about how he creates his automated mailing lists and sales funnels.

Follow these simple steps and you will find success in the world of blogging. The most important things to remember are to niche down as much as possible, focus on creation quality content and then putting in the time and effort to promote your content once it’s published.

If you have any feedback or questions, please post it in the comment box below. Let’s get started…

Does my blog design really matter?

Blog design is very important and a solid design will increase the user engagement on your blog. Google has also stated a well-thought out design can help boost rankings within the SERP’s. Here are some elements to pay attention to…

First, ensure content is easy to find by adding a clear navigation menu. Next, a solid internal linking structure is great for visitors to find other relevant content leading to increased social shares, etc. A solid internal structure will also help index your website better and increase page authority. Next, make sure your layout is well thought out with statistics showing a right-sidebar as having the highest conversion rate. Next, a load speed below 3 seconds of optimal to increase user engagement and boost rankings. The last thing Google wants to do is display a slow loading site high within the SERP’s. This hurts user experience and de-values the search engine.

How do you moderate spam?

If you’re like a majority of bloggers, then you’re probably using WordPress and have customized it to suit your needs. WordPress has more than enough plugins that will take care of the spam problem. These plugins can be customized to perform moderation tasks that fit your preference. Here are the two popular ones I recommend…

• Akismet – When you first install WordPress, this plug-in is installed and simply needs to be activated. The plug-in is very simple as it automatically detects SPAM and will send it to the designated folder. However, it’s important to keep a close eye on the emails it sends through.
• GASP – This plug-in is picking up in popularity and the interface is very easy to use. The plug-in will add a cap-tcha to your comment form. Having a captcha will ensure that no bots can send through spammy comments and emails, etc.

Should I use free or premium themes?

I get this question many times and my answer is very simple: It’s depends on what you’re trying to accomplish and your budget. Because blog design is very important to increase user engagement and decrease bounce rate, I would recommend exploring both options. For example, all themes whether FREE or premium can be customized but if you lack the basic CSS skills, then a premium theme might be the right choice for you. Next,

If you’re simply blogging for yourself, a simple FREE theme will be able to handle your requirements. If you have a budget and can invest some money into premium themes, then that’s an awesome option. Keep in mind that you should consider the purpose of your blog and what environment you’re trying to provide for your audience.

What social networks drive the most traffic to a blog?

From my experience, you should devote your time and effort into the big 3-4. The social networks that have proven to be successful in growing my blog are Facebook.com, Twitter.com, Google+, etc. These networks have millions of users each month and your effort will yield greater results when engaging on them. Next, it’s important to learn how to use the interface effectively before starting your campaign. Always focus on relevant followers, using the right #hastags and posting the highest quality content. You’re going to be up against enormous competition and the ones who succeed will be those who effectively engage with relevant people.

Next,

Use tools like Google Analytics and Bitly.com to track where most of the clicks are coming from. This way, you can direct your focus to only those 1-2 social platforms.

How did you add the social sharing buttons on your posts?

Over the years, I’ve experimented with a lot of different types of social buttons. First, it’s very important to have social buttons above and below your posts. Next, social engagement can boost your traffic 5x within a very short period of time. Social media has changed the way people find and share content online so it’s important you leverage this trend right away. Next, if you’re using WordPress, you’ll have enormous options in terms of plug-ins, however, I would stick to the most recognized like AddThis.com and ShareThis.com. They have been in the business for years and offer a WordPress interface as well. Next,

It important to use a plug-in that provides complete stats on clicks, content ratio, trackbacks, etc. Knowing this data will help you make a more informed decision when posting content within social platforms. The cool thing is installing these plug-ins will be done automatically as soon as you configure the plug-in. The installation will automatically add the required code within the pages and you simply configure it after. That’s all!

If you have any feedback or questions, please post it in the comment box below. Let’s get started…

Does my blog design really matter?

Blog design is very important and a solid design will increase the user engagement on your blog. Google has also stated a well-thought out design can help boost rankings within the SERP’s. Here are some elements to pay attention to…

First, ensure content is easy to find by adding a clear navigation menu. Next, a solid internal linking structure is great for visitors to find other relevant content leading to increased social shares, etc. A solid internal structure will also help index your website better and increase page authority. Next, make sure your layout is well thought out with statistics showing a right-sidebar as having the highest conversion rate. Next, a load speed below 3 seconds of optimal to increase user engagement and boost rankings. The last thing Google wants to do is display a slow loading site high within the SERP’s. This hurts user experience and de-values the search engine.

How do you moderate spam?

If you’re like a majority of bloggers, then you’re probably using WordPress and have customized it to suit your needs. WordPress has more than enough plugins that will take care of the spam problem. These plugins can be customized to perform moderation tasks that fit your preference. Here are the two popular ones I recommend…

• Akismet – When you first install WordPress, this plug-in is installed and simply needs to be activated. The plug-in is very simple as it automatically detects SPAM and will send it to the designated folder. However, it’s important to keep a close eye on the emails it sends through.
• GASP – This plug-in is picking up in popularity and the interface is very easy to use. The plug-in will add a cap-tcha to your comment form. Having a captcha will ensure that no bots can send through spammy comments and emails, etc.

Should I use free or premium themes?

I get this question many times and my answer is very simple: It’s depends on what you’re trying to accomplish and your budget. Because blog design is very important to increase user engagement and decrease bounce rate, I would recommend exploring both options. For example, all themes whether FREE or premium can be customized but if you lack the basic CSS skills, then a premium theme might be the right choice for you. Next,

If you’re simply blogging for yourself, a simple FREE theme will be able to handle your requirements. If you have a budget and can invest some money into premium themes, then that’s an awesome option. Keep in mind that you should consider the purpose of your blog and what environment you’re trying to provide for your audience.

What social networks drive the most traffic to a blog?

From my experience, you should devote your time and effort into the big 3-4. The social networks that have proven to be successful in growing my blog are Facebook.com, Twitter.com, Google+, etc. These networks have millions of users each month and your effort will yield greater results when engaging on them. Next, it’s important to learn how to use the interface effectively before starting your campaign. Always focus on relevant followers, using the right #hastags and posting the highest quality content. You’re going to be up against enormous competition and the ones who succeed will be those who effectively engage with relevant people.

Next,

Use tools like Google Analytics and Bitly.com to track where most of the clicks are coming from. This way, you can direct your focus to only those 1-2 social platforms.

How did you add the social sharing buttons on your posts?

Over the years, I’ve experimented with a lot of different types of social buttons. First, it’s very important to have social buttons above and below your posts. Next, social engagement can boost your traffic 5x within a very short period of time. Social media has changed the way people find and share content online so it’s important you leverage this trend right away. Next, if you’re using WordPress, you’ll have enormous options in terms of plug-ins, however, I would stick to the most recognized like AddThis.com and ShareThis.com. They have been in the business for years and offer a WordPress interface as well. Next,

It important to use a plug-in that provides complete stats on clicks, content ratio, trackbacks, etc. Knowing this data will help you make a more informed decision when posting content within social platforms. The cool thing is installing these plug-ins will be done automatically as soon as you configure the plug-in. The installation will automatically add the required code within the pages and you simply configure it after. That’s all!

In this Driving with John Chow episode, I explain why that kind of reasoning makes zero sense, and it’s really just a lack of confidence in yourself. I also give you the true odds of Internet success. It’s a lot higher than you think.

In this Driving with John Chow episode, I explain why that kind of reasoning makes zero sense, and it’s really just a lack of confidence in yourself. I also give you the true odds of Internet success. It’s a lot higher than you think.