Create Your Own Template

Create Your Own Template II

Amit has recently returned from speaking at Affiliate Summit Boston. And he posted a link to a slide show from his talk. It’s posted at a site called slideshare, which is also worth checking out. In order to download the file you will need to register. But the site is worth checking out because it also has some other cool presentations.

If you’ve never installed a WordPress plug in before you get a little glimpse in to plugin installation and FTP. But the important part I like is he shows the proper way to configure All In One SEO Pack. This plugin can give your blog powerful SEO benefits if it is configured correctly. So check out his video.

How To Install And Configure All In One SEO Pack By Court

• change home title to keyword
• check rewrite titles
• post titles=post title | blog title
• deselect-use categories for META Keywords
• deselect-use no index for categories
• deselect-use no index for archives
• deselect-use no index for Tag Archives
• check Autogenerate Descriptions
• Change Blog Title To Keywords under WordPress General Settings

The first time I purchased WP Affiliate Pro I had trouble getting it to work properly. So I returned it and tried some free plugins that did similar things, such as alinks and wp affiliate. It seemed like free would be a better option but I still wasn’t satisfied with the results.

So I decided to try WP Affiliate Pro again but at the same time I heard about WP Affiliate Elite. So I purchased both and tested them on two different blogs that also run on different servers. Here are my results:

I finally got WP Affiliate Pro to work and it does what it’s supposed to do. It’s an easy to install plug in and easy to configure. I think they are the first and original creator of this software. This plugin costs 97$, but sometimes you can find online deals where it sells for less. Another way of getting a discount is to purchase it from your own affiliate link.

But the one I decided to keep was WP Affiliate Elite. It does the same thing as WP Affiliate Pro but the interface is set up a little better. And you can change the colors of your links without messing with CSS. Where as with WP Affiliate Pro you have to edit a couple of lines of CSS to get the same effect.

WP Affiliate Elite also cost less at 47$. And they have an affiliate program as well. The one small downside to this software is when you install it you add one file to your plugins folder and one to your root folder. Which is still really simple, but without reading the installation text it’s a step you could miss.

Anyway I think WP Affiliate Elite is a plugin worth having, and I’m keeping my copy. Do you use these plugins or something similar? Also I’d love to hear any input on hiding affiliate links.

The Winner!

I just have to add that since the guys at Archon media took over the John Cow site there has been a lot of useful information. So if your interested in the contest head over to John Cow and subscribe and download the ebook, and check out the contest post for more chances to win.

Several years ago when I first heard of Satellite radio, I knew this was something I had to have. I needed to put a stereo in my car anyway. I went to the audio dealer and announced I wanted XM radio in my car. They must of had some type of Sirius incentive going on. Because they insisted Sirius was better and showed me the program guides to compare.

They both had awesome commercial free music options but it did look like the talk options for Sirius were better. So I went with the Sirius and never regretted it. In fact I love Satellite radio and I don’t know how anyone with a vehicle can do without it.

I know we have iPods and CDs, and some people are now on the HD radio bandwagon, but if you haven’t actually tried Satellite you are missing out. If you get a head unit, which means the Satellite radio is built in, you don’t have to mess with FM transmitters. This is well worth it.

What this  means is you can drive cross country without ever losing reception, or having to adjust your channels. You can also listen to any genre of music commercial free. And all sorts of talk options, from news, business, sports, you name it. There is something for everyone and something for your every mood.

It’s great in traffic and on long trips, and for catching up on the news on your way to work. And the beauty of having all of these options in your radio, is that you don’t have to change or find CDs, you don’t have to download anything.

You don’t even have to decide what your in the mood for, just start turning the dial until you find what suits your mood best. No thought, no effort, no preparations, no hassles, and yet you have unlimited variety at your fingertips. So you can worry about your driving and let the radio worry about providing the entertainment.

I’ve never regretted my decision to choose Sirius over XM, although I have considered getting both, but for practical purposes this would be overkill. The only programming that I know that XM has that I would like would be the Oprah and Friends station.

So now with the merger of the stations today, I heard that I can get the best of both worlds. Yay, now I can listen to Oprah instead of Martha Stewart. So I went to the Sirius website to see what was going on with the merging of the programming.

Things don’t look final yet, but from what I could tell, in order to get the combined programming you will have to update to a premium account. But there will also be packaged options. Will I eventually be listening to Oprah while sitting in traffic? Probably but I have a feeling I’m going to end up paying more.

I really do think Satellite radio is great and worth paying for up to a certain point. Because I was an early adopter I got locked into a yearly discounted deal, that I renew every year, and it is money well spent. But will I be willing to pay 20$ month, for Satellite radio. The answer is no! I don’t mind paying for a quality service but lets hope greed doesn’t become the 3rd partner in this merger.

Any Internet Marketer worth his/her salt, or aspiring marketer for that matter. Knows about the wealth of information that can be found in Google Trends. Today when I checked trends the #1, hot trend was a familiar name. The one and only Mignon Fogarty known as Grammar Girl. Yes I have talked about her in previous posts.

Apparently she is on a book signing tour for her new book; Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips For Better Writing. You can also download her podcast of the same name for free on iTunes. I was an early fan of Grammar Girl, and I hope to play a game of Scrabulous with her some time.

Her most frequently asked questions are the following:

Who VS Whom : Use “whom” anytime you could answer the question with “him.” This is easy to remember because both words end with “m.” Example: Whom do you love? I love him. Who stepped on Squiggly? He stepped on squiqqly.

Lay VS Lie : People lie and objects lay. Examples; I like down on the couch. I lay the book on the table.

Affect VS Effect : Affect is a verb, Effect is a noun. The arrows affected the aardvark. The effect was eye-popping.

Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.

Langston Hughes

Mark over at the Niche Store Builder site has been making these really informative videos. I just watched Using the Firebug Extension for FireFox to Understand Site Layout and it was like a light bulb going off in my head. I use both IE and FireFox and I’ve known about the Firebug extension, but I wasn’t sure how to use it. After all reading all of that information on the about page is a lot of work.

If you are interested in having successful blogs and web sites and perhaps earning a little cash while your at it. Then there is a lot you need to learn. When I first began I was fascinated to just be using WordPress. Now, I know that it’s possible to outsource technical chores you can’t do. But that’s easier said than done.

I’m pretty sure in order to make money online, it helps to learn, how to code. How to properly use the tools you need. From simple things like WordPress and Windows Live Writer to HTML, CSS and PHP. To SEO, keyword research, and link building.

Don’t be afraid to dive in and start doing while your still learning. But check out some of Mark’s tutorials while your at it, they’re really helpful. There’s a lot to learn. So good luck and get busy.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.  ~Dr. Seuss