VeriSign filed reports to the SEC yesterday which included information about the company getting hacked several times in 2010 where the hackers were able to get information about several large companies.

VeriSign is the company that is responsible for sending all traffic to the right places for .com and .net web addresses.

Many people are concerned about the fact that it took over a year to report these breaches and that they were not immediately reported to the affected companies.

Fortunately the DNS servers were not breached, which could have resulted in significantly more data being stolen.

Does this situation make you fearful in regards to internet security? Do you feel helpless? What do you believe companies like VeriSign need to be doing in order to protect against future security problems and weaknesses?

Privacy & Phones Scare Facebook

Since Facebook recently filed for their IPO – a lot of reports and paperwork have gone public about the company.

In high interest, is what high level Facebook management fears about the future of the company.

Some were not surprising at all – such as how to balance privacy with ease of use for the users.

Some concerns were not as well known such as the fear that if users stop using PCs (or MACs) as their primary internet browsing and switch to phones and tablets it will be harder to profit from the advertising.

There is no shortage of information on this company being released in the last few days and more details can be found here.

Can you “get rich quick” from building mobile apps?

A new instructional report was released from Mashable which shows some concerns new app designers have going forward.

With the explosion of new apps for the apple or android devices, a huge new industry has been built but it is not the get rich quick scheme many hoped it would be.

Learn about potential problems and pitfalls with mobile app design here.

Eugene Farber (@EugeneFarber) is a writer, entrepreneur and founder of Content Strategy Hub. He has created the Strategic Content Launch Pad to help businesses create a successful online presence through the strategic use of content. You can also visit Eugene at his blog, Reality Burst.

Strategic Content Launch Pad was recently unveiled. Tell us about the product.

Strategic Content Launch Pad is really a strategy guide.

There are some pretty crazy statistics on the sales page from a recent study by the content marketing institute. It shows that the vast majority of marketers know that they should be creating content for marketing, but most of them don’t have a strategy!

I was one of those people for over a year until I decided to have a focus, and act strategically. When I decided to do that, I reached thousands of visitors, hundreds of subscribers and a Google PR4 within a month of launching from scratch.

And it didn’t take long to begin receiving consulting inquiries.

This guide shows how to create authoritative content that puts you on the map fast.

Why do so many fail in growing their businesses online?

I think it’s because of that statistic I just mentioned – lack of strategy.

It’s pretty common knowledge at this point that you need to be creating fresh new content to be successful.

But it’s not as clear about what kind of content you should be creating or why.

It is very difficult to get a certain result if you don’t have one in mind to begin with.

At least that is what I have found from personal experience.

What edge does the Strategic Content Launch Pad package give new businesses?

With the majority of marketers not actually having a content marketing strategy in place, this guide will give you a competitive advantage because it gives you what the other guys are missing.

But, to be clear, just having any old strategy doesn’t guarantee anything.

These are strategies that are proven to work. I’ve either used them myself or participated a process where someone else was using one.

But I’m really hoping the real edge SCLP gives business owners seeking to build an online presence is a shift of mind set.

Teach a man to fish…

Some would say they’re able to obtain all the free information they need to grow their business online. A simply search suffices. What’s your response?

My response is “you are absolutely right.”

We live in a world where information is pretty free flowing and you can get your hands on most of what you need.

The question you really need to ask yourself is “how much time do I want to spend?”

Like I said, I used to be in those shoes. I spent over a year with no focus, no strategy and looking for free information.

The funny thing is I went through that same mind set change I hope readers of SCLP go through. I have actually purchased more products since creating my own than I have ever before.

To me it just makes more sense to purchase something in a nice package than spend a day or more looking for that same information for free. I could be spending that time doing something way more productive.

Plus, a good product will infuse the author’s personal experiences into the information. That’s something you can’t necessarily just get anywhere.

Should businesses and entrepreneurs consider hiring a coach or consultant to guide their online journey?

A coach is really the next [big] step up after a paid product. If you want to waste time trying to figure everything out on your own you can do that. A paid product will get you there faster. But a good coach will get you there the fastest.

So if someone is looking to build up a Twitter following, I think coaching from someone like you (@SmartBoyDesigns) who has over 150k followers, would be a good idea.

The added benefit of hiring a coach is the feeling that you have someone there by your side.

Trying to build up a business alone can be pretty tough emotionally on top of everything else.

What are your online marketing credits and expertise? How do you know what you know?

I decided that content marketing is something universal that can help any business in any industry…and I want to help.

Online marketing is really a passion for me.

I actually went to school for accounting (Bachelor’s degree…Master’s degree…the works). But after a few years of working in the field I decided it wasn’t for me.

I decided to jump into internet marketing and absorbed as much information as I possibly could.

I’ve tried it all…building niche sites, ghost writing for some pretty big marketers, etc.

And my journey has landed me here.

I decided that content marketing is something universal that can help any business in any industry…and I want to help.

I am now an Inbound Marketing Certified Professional w/ Honors Distinction, and have been helping people achieve their desired online business presence.

In such a changing landscape, how can business owners stay current on trends and best-practices?

We live in a world where businesses increasingly have to think like publishers. And the best way to publish great content is to create content that is new and up to date.

The best bet is to find individuals and companies you trust and see what they are saying. Read their blogs and follows them on social media channels.

Of course another good way to see what’s current is to see what other companies are doing and what’s working for them.

Reverse engineering can always be a fun exercise.

Are you a sports fan?

Absolutely!

I played basketball throughout high school and I continue to play as many sports as I can as often as I can.

Basketball…soccer…football…golf…you name it.

But really I am just a fan of competition in general.

I’ve been known to catch a curling match during the Winter Olympics.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Watching movies, going out to eat, the usual.

I like to spend time with my girlfriend. She’s pretty good about letting me stare at the computer all day, so just relaxing with her is always a nice change of pace (although it’s hard to pull myself away from the computer).

I moved to NYC not too long ago so just going sight-seeing all over is always a good way to spend time.

What do you “visualize” for Strategic Content Launch Pad?

The more successful your online business is, the less time you have to work with people one-on-one.

So I am hoping to provide extremely valuable information to business owners in a more scalable way.

This is my attempt to help as many businesses as I can by teaching them what I have learned through my experiences. I’ve seen a few products that charge in the thousands that provide less information. And I think that’s a shame.

And of course you can get a copy, risk free. I genuinely want the information to bring business owners to the next level online.

If it doesn’t help, you don’t pay.

Eugene Farber (@EugeneFarber) is a writer, entrepreneur and founder of Content Strategy Hub. He has created the Strategic Content Launch Pad to help businesses create a successful online presence through the strategic use of content. You can also visit Eugene at his blog, Reality Burst.

This guest post is by Mandy Kilinskis of Quality Logo Products.

I see them every day when I log on to Twitter or check my inbox: articles all with titles of “How to Go Viral on Twitter!” or “Craft a Headline Sure to Go Viral.” And while many of them do offer great tips on how to make your content, headlines, and tweets more compelling, I’m getting overwhelmed.

The phrase “go viral” has become the new “synergy.”

Powerful, but nobody can really define it.

It’s tossed around like glitter at a Ke$ha concert: it’s everywhere, you can’t avoid it, and it’s impossible to shake off.

I despise the term “go viral” because…

Going Viral is Impossible to Validate

There is no data-driven definition of going viral. Yes, I understand that there’s the loose definition of “circulating quickly from person to person.” But there’s no base value of Facebook shares or Twitter retweets that determines something to be “viral.”

Is viral definitive?

We all know that viral videos get over a million shares, but what about blog posts? Is three hundred retweets viral, or is one thousand retweets a more accurate number?

Or maybe viral is subjective. If your blog only has fifty e-mail subscribers but one of your posts gets over two hundred Facebook shares, that must be viral, right?

I don’t know!

Once your post goes “viral” how does everyone else know that it’s gone viral? Is there a special fairy that flutters down to deem something viral? Is it when YouTube starts asking if you’d like to collect money from your videos? Maybe you achieve viral status once your content is seen and retweeted by Alyssa Milano.

Hopefully people are sharing posts because they find some value in it. And yet, in many articles that I’ve read…

Going Viral Outweighs Good Content

I’m not making the claim that all content that has “gone viral” is bad content.

On the contrary, a lot of it is useful, relevant, or downright funny. But I’ve read an unreal amount of articles where the excitement of the title didn’t match the quality of the content.

You know the kinds of titles I’m talking about. Ones like: “How Sex Made Me a Better Writer” or “Pancakes Taught Me Twitter Etiquette.” But once you click the link, you just find some rehashed information that you have already read dozens of times over. The title is misleading. And now you’re mad.

If authors like that would take the same amount of time they take brainstorming catchy headlines and pour it into crafting unique and exciting content, then they’d really have something brilliant enough to go viral.

But above all, I think that people need to understand that…

Not Everything Needs to Go Viral

Even if you do produce that brilliant piece of content and it’s shared all over the internet, it doesn’t mean that you need to take a quick nap and do it all over again.

The goal, as I understand it, of “viral” content is to increase readers, shares, and conversions. So your next step should be to retain new readers and foster those conversions. Does that mean interesting titles and compelling content to sustain their interest? Yes. Does that mean padding trigger words into your title in an attempt to send it zooming around the internet again? No.

If you deliver a constant stream of amazing blog posts and/or videos, your audience will share your content. They’ll retweet it. They’ll watch it ten times and post it to their friend’s Facebook wall. And eventually, you’re not trying to make something “viral;” your content is naturally being shared.

And doesn’t a “community of sharing” sound much better than “going viral?”

Mandy Kilinskis is a content developer for Quality Logo Products, a leading distributor of branded products, and is a frequent contributor to their promo marketing blog. She loves reading and writing about social media, marketing, and all things geek.

Today’s tech news was dominated by one thing above all, Facebook filing the paperwork for their IPO.

In what may be a record breaking IPO the tech company is looking to raise about five billion dollars to fund the future of the social media giant.

Many Facebook lovers are concerned that this IPO will mean the end of the innovation in social media that facebook has been so well known for.

There has not been a date set yet for when the Facebook shares will go on sale but it is being eagerly anticipated by investors and Facebook lovers alike.

American Airlines cutting 13,000 jobs

In other business news, American Airlines announced that it will cut up to 13,000 jobs over the next year in attempt to save about two billion dollars as it comes out of bankruptcy.

In addition to the job cuts they will be cutting costs by grounding less profitable and older planes, eliminating some flight routes and cutting expenses in other areas as well.

For a more detailed list of where American Airlines intends to cut, and what prompted the cuts, click here.

In Memory of Don Cornelius

Finally in some somber news, the pope of soul, Don Cornelius, died today of a self inflicted gunshot wound.

Don is most famous for starting the television show “The Soul Train.”

This show innovated television by dedicating the entire show to music and dancing, decades before MTV or VH1.

Many people credit “The Soul Train” for helping bring what was traditionally black music and dancing to white communities and bringing them together in a way which never happened before.

Those close to me know January was a tough month.

College started, I was officially diagnosed with Lyme disease after receiving a second confirming test, forging ahead with a few stressful reputation management campaigns for clients I work with & generally feeling a sense of discouragement.

This depressive spirit isn’t the natural habitat my inner-self likes to dwell in.

In an effort to jump out of this cesspool, I decided to compile a list of some of my favorite “when the going gets tough” quotes.

Quotes shed positive light on many situations.

I hope they lift you as much as they did for me.

1. “My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” – Oprah Winfrey
2. “If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” - Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
3. “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.” – William James
4. “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison
5. “There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.” – Christopher Morley
6. “He deserves Paradise who makes his companions laugh.” – Koran
7. “Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.” – W.H. Auden
8. “Every artist was first an amateur.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
9. “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers.” – Charles W. Eliot
10. “We need men who can dream of things that never were.” – John F. Kennedy
11. “Goodness is the only investment that never fails.” – Henry David Thoreau
12. “Friendship make prosperity more shining and lessens adversity by dividing and sharing it.” – Cicero
13. “Man is the artificer of his own happiness.” – Henry David Thoreau
14. “We can draw lessons from the past, but we cannot live in it.” – Lyndon B. Johnson
15. “Man is distinguished from all other creatures by the faculty of laughter.” – Joseph Addison
16. “I have given up reading books; I find it takes my mind off myself.” – Oscar Levant
17. “Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.” – M.L. Mencken
18. “Laugh at yourself first, before anyone else can.” – Elsa Maxwell
19. “Knowledge is power.” – Sir Francis Bacon
20. “Curiosity killed the cat, but for awhile I was a suspect.” – Steven Wright
21. “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world. You impoverish yourself if you forget this errand.” – Woodrow Wilson
22. “Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds.” – Marian Evans
23. “A ship in harbor is safe— but that is not what ships are for.” – John A. Shedd
24. “Courage is being scared to death – but saddling up anyway.” – John Wayne
25. “Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love.” – David McCullough

I hope these “when the going gets tough” quotes cured your soul; as they did mine.

Sunset photo by Lozula. There’s something magical about the images this man gathers. He captures the world – and his work captures my heart.

By an Anonymous guest blogger.

In the past five years social media websites have become increasingly popular, and many business owners have begun showing interest in using social media marketing to promote their business.

These social media sites aren’t just helping when it comes to expanding a business, but can also be effective tools for informing and educating potential clients regarding the product or service being sold.

But before designing a marketing campaign on any social media site; you need to figure out what your ultimate goal is.

We all know that social media is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family, but it can also be useful for driving noteworthy business results as well. If you are unfamiliar with this new marketing strategy you need to become acquainted with the following factors that go hand in hand with successful social media marketing.

• Traffic – Effectual social media networking will drive up the traffic to your website significantly.
• Leads – Make sure that your site has a contact form so that every visitor has a way to contact you, including your various social networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin if appropriate.
• Buzz – Online publicity can be a huge boon to your success.
• Client Support – Regardless of your overall strategy, your first and foremost goal must be to deliver support to your existing and potential clientele. It is the most effectual way to get new customers and satisfy the ones you have.
• Reach – The more reach you have, the higher your website’s traffic will be.

The more you understand about the inner workings of the various popular social media sites, the better you will be at using them to market your business.

The most important thing is to get out there and be seen; potential customers want to check you out on whatever social networking site they use.

Nowadays people can’t seem to get enough information.

Being accessible is vital if you are going to succeed in this new social environment.

If you have clients and potential prospects opting out of your email list at about the identical rate new subscribers are signing up; your list has hit a glass ceiling.

The good thing is, there are elements you can correct that will raise the glass ceiling and ultimately remove it.

Everyone in the marketing business appreciates the fact that it’s easier (and more cost-effective) to hold on to an existing client(s) than to get new ones.

Following are three tactics that will enable you to keep more subscribers on your mailing list.

1. Establish Expectations

I cannot emphasize the importance of setting expectations for your subscribers enough.

The bottom line – it works.

Examine campaigns of large numbers of loyal subscribers and you will find common principles.

A critical foundation to lay from the start is to explain in a clear, easy-to-understand, yet detailed manner exactly what they will be getting from you.

When they understand what is going on, what to expect and the value of what you will provide in your email campaign they will be less likely to select to opt-out or complain.

Tell them why they should trust you…

• Your web form or opt-in box should clearly identify what the potential subscriber will get for trusting you with the key to access them (and their wallets) – their email. Tell them upfront what you will be delivering to their inbox and how often they should look forward to receiving valuable messages from you.
• Require your subscribers to confirm and reply to the confirmation message after they submit their email information. You will lose a percentage of your opt-ins in this additional step, but the ones you keep will not hit the spam button at the first sight of your email. You should personalize the confirmation message. Let the subscriber know what to expect, what the next action step is, and thank them for taking the action to confirm.
• Make your subscribers feel like they are welcomed and appreciated for signing up and confirming. Again, remind them what they’ve signed up for – some people are in information overload, distracted or just plain forgetful of what they sign up for. Even within a few minutes. Reiterate exactly what you’ll be e-mailing them, how frequently you will e-mail them and how they can opt-out of receiving your messages.
• Constantly test and re-test the results you get from your campaign. Segment you list, analyze the open rates, opt-out rates, response to your request of asking them to take action of clicking on the link enclosed in the email.

Over deliver on value and you will continue to keep the your subscribers hooked.

2. Generate Brand Loyalty

When people start to correlate your brand with good things, you will be able to leverage marketing magnetism.

You will attract and keep people engaged and wanting more of what you have to offer them.

Remember that any time you communicate with subscribers and customers, you’ll be generating opinions and ideas about your brand.

One way to build buzz is to strive to offer superior customer service.

3. Focus Attention On Subscriber Behavior

If a person buys a product or service from you, they are much more inclined to purchase from you again.

Remember, it’s more profitable to hold on to existing clients and prospective clients than to have a constant revolving door of “out with the old and in with the new ones.”

Constantly analyze who’s opening your messages and who’s clicking on your links.

Use this analytical information to send more personalized messages to segments of your list.

Make it easy for your subscribers to share their preferences with you and enter more detailed information about who they are and what type of information they are interested in receiving from you.

Remove the Glass Ceiling from Your Email Campaign

It’s not difficult to pull ahead and outsell your competitors, and substantially improve your business, when you create and put into practice strategic email marketing tactics designed for maximum retention.

This is particularly true in a sluggish economy when many of your opponents are reducing, down-sizing and giving up.

Do the complete opposite, and you’ll expand and prosper.

Kim Peek was a famous savant in America.

Having the magnificent capability of remembering everything he ever read, he was literally a walking encyclopedia. Nearing the end of his life he could easily recall the information from any of the 10,000+ books he had read.

Due to his phenomenal abilities, the movie “Rain man” was even created based on his life.

I remember watching that movie for the first time and being utterly amazed at what the mind is capable of doing. It stores memories. That alone, is a miracle. The brain is able to store, assimilate and recall thoughts, words, smells, sights and more.

To me, the brain is fascinating.

If Kim Peek were still alive today, I believe the following might be some of the advice he’d give in regards to crafting endless blog content.

“Christian, I don’t have anything to write about. Where can I get blog content ideas?“

I’m asked this question over and over again.

For quite some time, I really didn’t have a specific answer. In my mind it was a foreign thought to think there wasn’t enough to write about. Isn’t endless blog content everywhere we look?

If you ever get a sneak peak of my blog’s dashboard you’ll see I have almost 300 draft posts. My Evernote is filled to the brim with hundreds upon hundreds of songs, notes, blog post ideas, thoughts, opinions, worries, inventions & beliefs. Anyone who knows me personally will notice I keep a spiral bound notebook with me almost everywhere I go. Journals litter bookshelves.

So, the question remains. Where do I find my endless supply of blog content?

Let me tell you.

Let’s get a list going. Let’s make it endless.

To paint a better story of where I find blog content, I thought it might help to give you a list of examples.

Visual examples through words are one of my favorite ways to understand abstract concepts.

• Your blog niche is gardening. Let’s follow the example of Kim Peek and go read a book; the first place I’d check is the library. Once you get to the library find every book related to your niche. Bring those puppies home and read, read, read. Write notes. Think. Analyze. Without plagiarizing, use your new information and skills to compile more blog posts.
• Sometimes when the sun is about to set, I’ll take a moment to find a spot where I can watch it. Thoughts and ideas usually flood to my mind during a setting like this. I never forget to have my notebook with me.
• Remember that often, you won’t have the same spark of genius twice; so write everything down.
• Read other blogs. You’d be amazed at how much you learn by becoming involved in your niche.
• On the same front, be sure to comment on other blogs. When you post a blog comment, you’re helping your brain to remember what you’ve learned. As you ponder and process the blog post you’ll also have many more thoughts and ideas come to your mind.
• Use Amazon. I love buying books and after I finish each one I write a book review blog post. Bam! Another piece of content.
• Don’t forget to use your friends and family as a resource. Ask them to help write for you. Maybe you could create an interview with them that you’d feature on your blog? Ask them, “What’s it like living with a blogger? How do you feel about this hobby of mine?” The question possibilities are endless.
• At the moment I’m taking some college courses. It’s a great way to refresh some of my web development skills, while also gathering an ample supply of notes upon which to draw blog content from. There are many blog niches, of which have a matching course to take at a local community college. For example, if you write about art – have you considered taking a class in a medium you’ve never worked with?
• Be sure to have lots of desk toys. Every 25 minutes I try and take a few minute break. If you know me well, you know I have lots of desk toys. Squishy things, putty, NeoCube and more. Get your hands working with something and often the blog content will flow naturally.
• It sounds a little counter-intuitive, but you’d be surprised how often blog post ideas come to me while watching TV. It happens. A lot. Just don’t make this your excuse the next time your husband or wife comments on how much TV you’re watching. “It’s okay, sweety, Christian told me it would be good for my blog project!“
• Browsing through the daily news pertaining to your blog’s niche is a great way to “spark” the mind with new blog content ideas.
• Have patience. Some days you’ll have no ideas, while other days you’ll pump out ten posts. Just as the seas ebbs and flows, so are minds do too.
• Hit up Google Images. Enter your niche as the search term and become inspired by the photos that pop up.

Now, here’s the “takeaway” secret that comes after you start using all these blog content ideas:

If you start compiling a list of draft posts, notes & thoughts – you’ll have the comfort in knowing you’ll never be without blog posts. Have the urge to publish a post? Pull up one of those drafts you’ve been saving, spend 15 minutes editing the content, and you have a great post in a jiffy!

Some Parting Thoughts

The brilliant part of putting these practices to work, is something I cannot teach through blog post.

You’ll learn. You’ll grow. You’ll think. You’ll write.

By continually searching for new blog content ideas, you’ll really start to see the endless pit.

There are ideas everywhere.

They’re contained within books, our hearts, thoughts, friends, family, television, theater, movies, poems, ballads, songs & the internet.

So get out there and start writing!

Where do you find blog content ideas? Do you believe the blog content “pit” is endless? If you’re struggling to come up with post ideas, share your concerns in the comments – and myself and others would be happy to give you some feedback and thoughts.

This is a “guest interview” with Val Curtis of the food blog Mental Chew. There she works to bring seasonal gardening, food and fun to her island-style family (and the world).

How did you decide on the blog name, Mental Chew?

Originally, I liked the idea “Food for Thought” but, of course, it was taken.

I wanted something that would capture the idea of “think before you eat” since, as consumers, we really do drive the market.

I had been reading through various options in a thesaurus and making combinations and finally landed on it. I think subconsciously I had “Mental Floss” buried from the magazine a friend had given me a couple of years before my blog came into being.

It is so important to keep thinking about your thinking!

Where did your love for gardening and food start?

When I moved to San Juan Island the type of food, the quality of food and the community aspect of food created a shift for me.

Potlucks were 2-3 times a week during the summer.

Fresh caught salmon, oysters, crab, scallops, lingcod, prawns, homemade breads, salads and sides from personal gardens, friends who were like family gathering around fire pits with great wine, laughter.

It was addictive and why my “summer stay” in ’97 turned into a permanent move.

How do you generate traffic to your blog?

Currently I use Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon and several sites for moms who blog.

What’s been the most difficult part of blogging?

Finding my audience and staying focused have presented the biggest challenges for me.

I am an ideas person.

As a teacher, I thrived on creating new units that would fit my current students’ needs and personalities. With my blog, I can have variety, but I understand that there has to be a little predictability in order to bring people back.

Do you think photos are important within blog posts?

I believe that we are drawn to visuals over text.

It is why we use icons on our computer desktops and why my students would scan a page on a website and think the answer wasn’t there (because the question wasn’t about one of the graphics).

One of my greatest pet peeves on blogs is when authors use graphics and do not credit their source when it is not one of their own originals. Perhaps this strikes a chord with me because I shoot all of my own photos and I have quite a few posts I never published because the photos I took were not worth posting.

When it comes to writing about food and gardening, a picture can be a wonderful expression of what my words cannot bring to the screen.

When it comes to my kids, there are moments that my words could never do justice. There is a moment, a feeling, an image.

What advice would you give to a frustrated gardener?

Think of each year as an experiment.

You try something out, there may be success or failure, a combination or surprising outcomes. Whether the weather, a mold, a raccoon or Towhee throw a wrench into your “plan”, it is all part of the experiment.

You learn, you alter.

I would also advise to start small, have some success and then build on your successes. Herbs will grow. Start there.

How do you stay motivated and driven?

Blogging is my mental release as a stay at home mom

It is where I can complete my thoughts and complete a task. My days are filled with 100s of incomplete tasks and with blogging I click on “Publish” and I am done!

Gardening is an important past time for our family.

It starts in the winter when all of our seed catalogs come in and we decide what we are going to grow and when. This is followed by planting starts and tending them, readying the soil, new projects and eventually our spring planting. Then it is all about tending, harvesting and preserving until October.

Watching my kids pick peas off the vine for their snacks and strawberries for their pancakes is incredible motivation. Knowing where their food comes from and what was or was not used to promote its growth is reason enough.

I do fear I am raising veggie snobs though. My four year old turns his nose up to “less than fresh” produce.

Where’s the best place you’ve ever traveled to?

We have an incredible love for Costa Rica.

It’s incredible biodiversity and the warm, welcoming friends we have there make us yearn to return.

I really want to go to Italy to experience agriturismo. The concept is close to my heart.

Perhaps the best trip overall, is the one that brought me to San Juan Island, home.

About Val Curtis

I grew up “behind the Orange Curtain” of the OC and now I have been living life on an island in the Pacific Northwest for the last 14 years.

Over the years, different avenues have allowed me to wear many hats, (Preschool teacher, SCUBA field researcher, marine biology camp instructor, legal secretary, grad student, tech geek, liveaboard, middle school science teacher) however; now I am blessed to be a Stay at Home Mom. said with pride and a sense of thanks.

Growing up, I was removed from my food and now I am in it.

Gardening and buying local meats is how we are creating meals these days.

I am not afraid of butter, but margarine makes me cringe. I am mindful of how much sugar we use, and refuse to open a packet of anything identified as a sweetener. I believe in healthy meals, real desserts and giving in to rib-sticking goodness occasionally (although those are the most fun to write about!).

Meal planning starts with produce in our house and at least two days a week, we have veggie-only meals. My blog, Mental Chew, is about appreciating seasonal gardening, food and fun for my island-style family.

In addition, my camera is frequently in front of my face, so I have a little fun posting pics there as well.

Overall, I am concerned about what is happening to our food source and through my writing, I hope to inspire moms and dads to get their kids outside, make great food from scratch with their families and get their hands in the dirt.

You can visit Val online at Mental Chew, WikiMommy (Contributor) and SJI Mamas and Papas (founder and facilitator).

There are only two types of people in this world. Those who fall to never get up, and those who rise once more.

When others tell you to lay low. Charge.

Drowning in tears is not a slow death; it’s simply an opportunity for revival.

Born three weeks premature and with a sever case of Jaundice, I had a slim chance of survival. Against all odds I was blessed with a one month birthday, and on.

If there’s belief, never take no for an answer.

Do not be afraid to talk. You have words within that will change the course of forever.

A stone to stumble upon is simply fun while falling.

Beating hearts are the body’s way of smiling.

It’s okay to be afraid. But realize that which is feared is often important.

Rise. Charge. Revival. Survival. Belief. Change. Fun. Smiling. Important.

Sunset photo by Lozula.

By Ahmed Kidwai

Growing up I have been kicked, pushed, sworn at and much more.

The thing that sets me apart though is that I get back up. Not only that but I get back up and use these negatives as a fire to succeed. This typically happened in school, in terms of academics.

Growing up I was always fascinated and exceled at Science, Math, P.E but nothing really artsy – however my teachers always looked at this as a negative. Constantly being put down because I used both hands to write, I could barely read, and my French was not good (they teach French as a complementary to English where I am from).

When I hit 3rd grade I just couldn’t take it anymore.

In 3rd grade they decided they’d split up the class into groups to work during free time. One group was the “smart kids” the other was the kids who were a little slower. I was so offended by this even in third grade that I exploded.

I told myself I’d do anything and everything to become the best and from then on I’ve been on cruise control to success.

Believe in yourself!

“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” - David Brinkley

So many times I see people giving up because someone else has told them, “You aren’t good enough.”

Who cares what anyone else says!

It is your life.

Make it the best you can, push yourself to the farthest limits and at the end of the day you can at least know you worked harder than anyone who told you that you could not do it!

To me it takes more to do something then say something.

An example of this was when I was talking to a former high school teacher and I was telling them my aspiration to go into medicine. They looked at me a little strange and said “hope you’re smart enough.” I smiled and prompted to respond politely, but in my mind I took it offensive. That night I studied as hard as I could for my upcoming finals, negative comments just drive me to do better.

Stay organized!

“Action is the foundational key to all success.” - Pablo Picasso

I don’t even know where to start about organization!

It is absolutely necessary to do well in whatever you want to succeed in! You need to remember important dates, papers you need for a meeting, maybe a pencil for class and so much more.

You need to be on the ball.

How exactly do you think things will work if you are spending hours trying to find the date of a dentist appointment when you have to write a business plan, or make notes for class!? These sorts of things cut into YOUR valuable time.

Optimize the 24 hours you have in a day by staying organized!

An example of this that has happened to me recently is trying to locate my physics notes to study for my Physics final. I was very careless about keeping my notes together and now I am missing key things. Going back to my textbook to make notes is so tedious and time consuming! I honestly believe I’d have been better off keeping my notes in order.

As of now I will never make this sort of mistake again, it is so costly!

Concluding, I can not reiterate more: believe and stay organized and not only will you succeed but you will be more than satisfied with your life!

Due to the generosity of UPrinting, I’m giving away free 250 business card printing packages to 3 lucky winners.

UPrinting produces beautiful business cards.

After designing and ordering my own cards from the company, you’ll see from the photo on the right that they’re printed with detail, quality and a dash of sparkle.

I’ve been handing these cards to everyone I meet. I love the ability to choose rounded edges and custom card shapes. The cardstock material is also heavy duty.

In short, they last.

And that’s why I’m so excited to give three of you the same opportunity to have these cards…

…free!

Some Thoughts From UPrinting…

1. What separates UPrinting from other printers?

Our customer service and prepress is way ahead of our competitors, easy-to-use upload interface, website and design tool.

We also make sure that they get free services that could help them with their printing projects (like free file review, free easy design tool, free sample kit, and 24-hour customer support).

2. In a digital world, what makes printed material continually beneficial?

Printed materials still have much better customer recall and are still very effective. For example, even though people keep trying to develop a digital equivalent to business cards and flyers,  there are no practical digital alternatives to them. This also applies to almost all our products. The very existence of a print product subconsciously gives a sense of reality, and often credibility- both of which are very important for anyone who wants to spread a message.

3. For bloggers, what would you consider your most valuable product?

Business cards.

4. Are your prices competitive?

ONLY if you consider value for money. For the quality and customer service, yes we are.  We deliver quality products at affordable prices.

5. When was UPrinting started?

UPrinting has been online since year 2000.

6. What’s UPrinting’s mission and goal in business?

UPrinting is a tech company that aims for growth – with a conscience.

We try to be an indispensable tool for small enterprises of kinds, especially those with progressive ideas.

How do you enter the giveaway?

Remember, three separate individuals will win a set of 250 business cards. If chosen, you will provide a business card design (or use UPrinting’s online business card creation tools) & then receive your 250 illustrious business cards to pass out to friends, potential clients and those interested in what you do online. Isn’t that fun?!

The steps to enter the giveaway are simple…

1. Tweet the giveaway! Use the Tweet button below this post, or craft your own. Your tweet must contain @SmartBoyDesigns, @UPrinting and a link to this post to be counted.
2. Leave a comment! After you’ve tweeted the giveaway, leave a comment here on this post mentioning your completion of the task. If you really want to get involved, share with us your reasons for desiring new business cards. The stories are what make social media fun.

On February 1st, three random winners will be selected.

If you’re selected, you’ll receive an email from myself and one of UPrinting’s customer service employees – guiding you through the ordering process. Shipping is on UPrinting for winners in the USA while those outside the USA will have to pay shipping charges.

I’d like to give a big, public thank you to UPrinting for supporting the small business community. Their efforts in providing valuable services, with quality interwoeven, is beyond priceless.

Thank you UPrinting.

Jeevan Jacob John is a young blogger who blogs about networking, marketing, social media and traffic generation. He tries to come up with new analogies and perspectives to make it easier for others to understand and apply. Find him at his blog – Blog Networking 101.

We hear the word Creativity a lot of times. But, most times, the word is misinterpreted. Let me ask you: What is creativity?

As I understand, Creativity is just a simple act of looking at the familiar in unfamiliar ways. Everyone in this world is creative, whether they agree with it or not.

We use creativity in our day to day life. But, each of us use it in different measures. Some, like artists use it to express themselves through different colors and shapes. Others like writers (like me and you) use words to express our thoughts (are we really expressing our thoughts?).

The extent to which we use it is what matters.

We should try to use “more” of our creativity; be more creative.

I mean, you don’t have to take paint brush to paint or read books or write more articles or whatever.

All you have to do is “do things differently“.

For instance: Try using your hand to brush your teeth instead of your tooth brush. Yup, that’s creativity

As I mentioned before, Creativity is the act of approaching things different. Let’s say that you are going to check Facebook. Instead of doing your daily activities, do something different. For example: If you daily activity is to comment on your Friends’ wall, then stop yourself from doing that. And interact with your fans on Facebook Page (As a blogger, that would be a great thing to do ).

The Apple.

Last week, my Art professor asked all students to draw an apple – from our mind. All of us drew a nice little rounded apple – red in color (We didn’t color it; but if we were to, it would be red).

She gave us some time to work on it (say like 2 minutes). And then she told us to stop drawing and to compare our apple to the apple she drew. And yes, our apples looked similar.

After that, she took out an apple, that she brought along with her, and told us to compare our apples with the real one.

Of course, we noticed lots of differences – the real apple is not perfect in shape, not fully red in color – it had some green and yellow, didn’t have a petal of leaf and many others differences like in texture.

And then came the important part. She told us that what we drew were our mind’s “concepts of apple“. Our mind constructs a concept for every little thing that we see. And when we are asked to think or draw it, we usually think of that concept.

The reason why I gave you this example is to signify the importance of mind’s concepts (and to allow myself to be creative – it has been a long time since I have included a personal story in one of my blog posts ). We usually do things based on these concepts. Whether we are blogging, painting, cooking or even knitting.

Let me explain what we can do, as bloggers:

Spend more time doing things that you aren’t used to doing.

For the past week or so, I have been spending a lot of time on reading and commenting blogs (Usually, I don’t do much commenting). Well, I did that for a couple of reasons:

• To Be More Creative
• To Get More Blog Post Ideas
• To Engage With Other Bloggers
• To Get More Link backs
• To Get More Traffic
• To Motivate Myself to Guest Post on those Sites

The list goes on (the longer the list, the stronger my motivation, the easier I can keep up with it).

I have also been writing every day for the last few days (The first time I am doing that for blogging).

What things do you do usually for blogging? Writing? Commenting? Reading Blogs?

There are a lot of things you can do instead:

• Write for your subscribers – Write tips for your subscribers only.
• Interact with your subscribers
• Engage on Twitter and/or G+
• Etc.

Well, it depends on who you are on and what you do every day.

You could so something new or do the same thing that you do in a different way.

For example: If you are going to write for your blog, stop that, and guest post. Or you could write on a topic that you haven’t written for a long time.

Or start a personal blog and write on a different niche.

Or write a blog post without any planning.

If you are going to comment, stop that and engage with people who commented on your latest posts (via Twitter, G+ or Facebook).

The possibilities are endless. You just have to choose one that helps your blog in a beneficial way.

Do things creatively.

Do things differently.

Do the things that you do in a different way.

Be a Creative Blogger!

P.S. I think I have been creative with this blog post too. Because usually I don’t like this. A change is good. Isn’t it?

P.P.S Like the article? Will ya help me out by writing your thoughts or marketing it to the world? Thanks a lot!

The Art of Manliness- is a blog dedicated to uncovering the lost art of being a man. The Art of Manliness is authored by husband and wife team, Brett and Kate McKay. It features articles on helping men be better husbands, better fathers, and better men.

Tell us about The Art of Manliness.

The Art of Manliness is a 100,000+ subscriber blog started in 2008. The blog is dedicated to “reviving the lost art of manliness” and publishes articles on things like self-improvement, relationships, dressing and grooming, etiquette, health, finance, and manly skills. The goal of the site is to help men better themselves in all areas of their lives.

How did you build your blog to the stature it is today?

First, identifying an untapped niche was probably the most important thing.

There wasn’t a men’s magazine/website out there that appealed to the thousands of men who weren’t interested in the stuff other men’s magazines covered (hot babes, six pack abs, expensive cars) and earnestly wanted to learn how to improve their lives and become better men. Men who were interested in good old fashioned, wholesome manliness. We found success by filling that void.

Second, and I know it’s cliché, but writing interesting, unique, helpful, top-quality content was a major key. Almost all the content on the blog is “evergreen,” stuff that will be just as useful to people five years from now. We set ourselves apart from other sites in that we don’t just look at other blogs to get ideas and regurgitate what is already going around the web.

And we don’t just spout off some rambling thoughts or talk about what’s going on in our personal lives. Instead we do a ton of research for each article–we check out lots of books from the library and spend hours pouring through them. My wife and I each work 40-50 hours a week on the site.

I believe you have to really hustle to be successful.

Why have most men lost their manliness?

I don’t know if most men have, but a lot of men are struggling.

Several sociological and economic factors have contributed to the decline of manliness. First, while the feminist movement made great and needed strides in advancing the rights of women, it also had some unintended consequences. Men no longer knew what their role in life was supposed to be. And while women were being celebrated and empowered, men became stereotyped as macho brutes or boyish nincompoops.

Secondly, many Gen Y and Gen X men grew up with fathers who weren’t around due to divorce or demanding jobs. These young men lack male mentors, and all they see in the media as examples of manliness are the bumbling dads of television sitcoms and commercials, the violent meatheads of action movies, and the sex-obsessed lotharios of men’s magazines. Thus, in a culture where the typical rites of passage have disappeared and adolescence has been extended, a generation of men have been left without guideposts on their journey from boy to man.

Finally, ancient philosophers and our Founding Fathers warned that the biggest threat to a hardy and robust manliness was luxury. They argued that luxury and great wealth made men weak and soft. The past 40 years has seen an unprecedented growth of wealth and luxury in the history of the world. Consumer goods like electronics and food are cheaper than ever and accessible to most Americans. This is tremendously beneficial to society, but it also leaves men craving real challenge and looking for opportunities to create instead of just consume.

Men today have just as much potential as their grandfathers–they’re just saddled with low expectations and a lack of role models and mentors to help them find direction.

Tell us about your new book!

Our first book, The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man concentrated on the how-to’s of manliness; it was a handbook on things like how to tie a tie, give a speech, be a good friend and father, start a fire without matches, and so on.

The new book, Manvotionals: Timeless Wisdom and Advice on Living the 7 Manly Virtues is about cultivating the inner man and bringing back the definition of manliness as a life filled with virtue, excellence, and honor. The book is an anthology of the best advice ever written down for men–quotes and excerpts from the letters, speeches, and writings of great men on what it means to be a man. The book is designed to give men some inspiration, direction, and purpose in their lives.

What are some of your passions?

I love helping men become better men, reading, spending time in the great outdoors, and most of all, being a husband and a father.

Favorite book? Movie?

Favorite book: The Great Gatsby.

Favorite Movie: It’s a tie between Back to the Future and Shawshank Redemption

Favorite quote:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” –Theodore Roosevelt

Jim Blogger loves fitness. He was a jock growing up and he never gained his “freshman 15” in college, where he majored in journalism and minored in sports medicine. Now he teaches weightlifting classes at the local gym, and writes a fitness blog with really good articles. But he has a problem: Even though he has great articles, he doesn’t make that much money from his blog.

Sound like anyone we know?

Like Jim, most bloggers are like come from writing backgrounds or were interested in their niche before they started blogging. This means that even though many bloggers make great content and know a lot about what they write about, few have the business know-how to make money off their writing.

I’ve worked in online marketing for over a decade so I know a thing or two about how to make money with a blog. I want to help other bloggers succeed, so I’m sharing a few ways that you can make money blogging:

Affiliate marketing

Merchants (also confusingly called advertisers) will pay bloggers money to get people to sign up as leads (a lead is someone who’s either signed up for a trial or registered their personal information, such as their email address, to a merchant) and/or buy products. Usually, you will get a percentage of the product sold if you’re getting paid to sell products. You get paid a flat amount for each lead you sign up.

Newsletters

The most common way bloggers run affiliate programs is by placing banner ads on their site. However, it’s also common for blogs to allow people to sign up for their mailing list, and send out a newsletter each week. Instead of selling people’s email addresses to spammers (which decreases the value of the blog) or sending them spam yourself, email them relevant information that they’ll actually read. This will increase the value of your blog to your readers, make them tell their friends about you, and gives you an excellent opportunity to place some affiliate links. Make sure to choose high quality products: Readers won’t want to read your blog anymore (and certainly won’t click on any of your affiliate links) if your newsletter points they feel like they are being pointed to products that are rip-offs.

Pay per click ads

Pay per click ads don’t work well in newsletters because you’re not being paid that much per click. As a result, many of the people clicking on your ads need to be people new to your blog, not your hardcore readers who’ve signed up for your newsletter. That’s why pay per click ads don’t work in newsletters but they work great as banner ads on your site. Pay per click banner ads on a website are usually less targeted than affiliate ads for a hand-picked product in a newsletter to a very narrow niche (such as people who like weightlifting, as opposed to people who like fitness in general) audience, so you need a lot more clicks to make the same amount of money. However, Google AdSense tailors ads based on an individual reader’s search history, so AdSense pay per click banner ads can be more profitable than affiliate banner ads.

Don’t stop here!

I’ve shared a few ways to make more money on your blog, but this article’s by no means the end-all be-all of content monetization. To make even more money, you should look for more articles online and watch webinars about content monetization, like mine on Friday the 27^th of January. Space is limited so register ASAP!

This is a guest post by Murray Newlands. Murray and his company Influence People do blogger outreach for a variety of clients, such as INTENTclick.

This interview is special to me. The owners of Kylerkraft Studio are my grandparents! They’ve always been, to me, great examples of living with positive intent. From their example I’ve learned that you can make a living doing whatever you love. Keep your passion strong – and you’ll be successful. I hope you enjoy the interview!

Tell us a little about Kylerkraft Studio. What do you create?

Kylerkraft Studio came into being in 1989.

I create original art dolls which are images of Father Christmas, Santa Claus, Belsnickel, St. Nicholas and santas by many other names and cultures.

How did you become involved in creating collectible santas?

Over 20 years ago I had a desire to make a santa figure to decorate my home. I had been admiring collectible art santas for many years prior but never could justify spending money for one.

I took a simple little santa-making class in which I made a rather primitive santa figure with a styrofoam ball for a head and a simple fabric robe for his costume. It was a cute figure but not exactly what I had longed for. Because of my desire for a collectible santa and my experience being a seamstress and crafter I recreated that simple little santa into a more acceptable figure.

I created a face by doing needle sculpture out of fabric and made a more intricate costume for the santa. I put the santa figure on display in my home and when people saw it they asked if they could commission me to make one for them.

I was thrilled that people liked my creation enough to want one for themselves and I was especially thrilled when I realized that I could earn extra money doing something I love.

Who taught you the art?

The first five years I was in the santa-making business I bought books on the history of santas in different lands, took a doll making class and practiced sculpting the heads out of a polymer clay.

For the most part I am self taught. I did take a two day class in sculpting heads, several years after I taught myself to sculpt, to fine tune my skills.

As a small business owner, how do you stay focused each day while producing your product?

I make the studio a pleasant place to be.

Early on my husband and I built a studio for me to work in.

Having a place to have all my supplies handy, and a place where I can go and work for a few hours and then leave everything where it is to go and take care of my family has been a blessing and has helped me to focus when I’m in a creative mode.

I think that another thing that keeps me focused is knowing that I have deadlines in which I need to be ready for art shows and special orders from customers. I allot time several days each week in which to work on my santa creations.

I make the studio a pleasant place to be.

You have 60 minutes of spare time in your day. What do you do?

I seldom have 60 minutes of spare time in a day but I do carve out time each day to take a brisk walk or ride my bike.

I find that when I’m outside in nature, enjoying the fresh air and my beautiful surroundings it helps me to sort out all that I have to do in a day. I also find that my creative juices flow when I am away from the phone, TV etc.

I consider my walks and bike rides to be a precious time when I can rejuvenate myself.

What inspires you?

I find inspiration in nature, in seeing a beautiful fabric that can be incorporated into a santa costume, in people’s faces and expressions, in the tender moments in life, in an object that I can use for a santa to hold, in the spirit the Christmas season brings.

I also get inspiration when a customer at a show asks me if I’ve ever thought of making a santa with a particular theme  or a santa in certain colors of clothes or a santa from a certain country.

Lots of times I will be doing a task and for one reason or another I will be inspired to create a santa in a certain way.

In a struggling economy what do artists need to do in order to continue making sales?

For one thing, I have created quite a following of customers who purchase a santa figure from me each year or so.

I always keep in touch with past customers by sending out a newsletter each year.

The letter tells my followers what new designs I have created and what shows I will be selling at for the year. I also have a web site in which I post pictures of my santas on. In the early days of my santa making there used to be magazines devoted to the art of santa making.  I was featured in many magazines, on TV and in an art book. All this free advertising really made my sales soar.

Now there aren’t many magazines that feature santa making so I have found other ways to showcase my work.

If I am asked to showcase one of my santas for a TV commercial for one of my shows I jump at the chance. If I am asked to feature one of my santas at one of my shows in the artist’s gallery I also oblige.

One thing I know for sure is that if an artist wants to continue making sales they need to keep their name out there and change their product style a little each year in order to keep the customers interested.

How do you interact with customers in a positive way?

Our customers that have been buying from us for years have become like family.

We (my husband is my right hand man) always respect what our customers tell us and we listen to them.

We keep in touch with our customers.

When someone new comes into our booth at a show we always greet them and tell them about the product and how it is created.  I feel confident that everyone we meet and talk to feels welcome and respected.

One thing we never do is pressure anyone to buy from us. I make a “feel good” product that evokes love and the Christmas spirit–how blessed am I to be able to do that for people!

If you are a beginning blogger or are a seasoned blogging vet, you may occasionally need a blogging tip to help you create content or to get you back on track.

However, if you are a new blogger you might need a lot more help.

Regardless of how long you have been blogging, the following dos and don’ts can help you to be a bigger blogging success.

• DO post regularly. This blogging tip may be old news, but if you are a new blogger you may not really know what regularly means. You should try to post at least once a day, maybe even more.
• DON’T put a ton of ads on your blog. If you are a beginning blogger, this might not seem like a good blogging tip because you want to start making money. Your visitors don’t like ads, and if there are too many, they won’t click on any of them because they won’t come back. Put up a few pertinent, discretely placed ads to have readers and income potential.
• DO tell people you are blogging. If you are a new blogger, a quick way to initially get visitors is to tell people you know that you have a blog. Let folks know via your social media networks and tell the folks you know in real life, like family and coworkers. Even if you have been blogging for a while, let these people know about your site, as they may become your biggest fans.
• DON’T have music or video autoplay on your blog. If someone clicks on a link to your site while slacking off at the office and the newest Rihanna hit starts blaring though the speakers, he or she will be embarrassed and won’t come back. Even if the aforementioned scenario doesn’t play out, music and other audio like this is annoying.
• DO comment on your comments. A new blogger often doesn’t think of blogs as social media, but they very much are. If you comment back on your comments, readers will come back more often because they feel like they are in a discourse with you. If you don’t comment, they will feel ignored and may stop visiting.
• DON’T post just for posting’s sake. If you are trying to build a legitimate blog, this could be the best blogging tip on here if you are struggling to post one or more times a day. If you don’t have anything relevant to post, don’t toss just anything up. Your readers may not appreciate a scattered blog with off-message content and may stop visiting.
• DO comment on other blogs. And leave links to your site when you do so. Make sure that these are pertinent, honest comments about the other bloggers content. Your comment will lead to some folks clicking to your site through this comment, and it could cause your blog to squeeze just a centimeter up the search rankings.
• DON’T use spammy methods to get visitors and readers to your site. There are plenty of black hat SEO tricks a beginning blogger may be willing to try to get instant success, but don’t do it. If you do things that are funky, fishy and maybe a bit spammy, you won’t get off to a good start. Your blog could end up with a bad name, and you could even get it blacklisted from search sites. Ouch!
• DO subscribe to your own blog. You need to know what your readers see through their RSS feeds. If something is difficult to read, you will know before your readers start running away.
• DON’T forget share and social media buttons. This blogging tip is a big one. These share features let you readers market your blog for you. Without these you are severely limiting your blogs potential and drastically cutting down on the amount of people who will be exposed to your amazing work.

This article is provided by Kevin Moor who writes for different sites, which inter alias are working to find perfect uninstaller.

This is a guest post by Michelle Mantel. Michelle is an article writer with more than five years of professional experience in the writing industry.

If you asked anyone 20 years ago what a blog was you would likely get blank stares. Fast forward to Y2K and you don’t look so crazy to other internet gurus. More than a decade later, blogs are taking the internet by storm.

However, I have found that many bloggers, and publishers alike, struggle to find the one thing that matters the most: finding your inner voice.

A blog is more than splattered thoughts conveyed through words on a page. It’s a chance for you to create your own platform. Finding your inner voice doesn’t have to be a challenge. All it takes are a few steps to get you along the right path, and you’ll be writing from the heart in no time!

Your Voice Is Unique to Your Personality

Everybody’s inner voice is unique to their own personality.

Your inner voice is essentially your subconscious combined with a tinge of creativity. When writing, there are so many thoughts and ideas jumbling inside one’s brain. However, it’s important that you distinguish what’s really coming from the heart and soul, versus what sounds better to the reader. Writing for blogs should not be viewed as a task. Instead, it should be viewed as an opportunity to share those thoughts with others. After all, you’re not writing a paper in which you’ll be graded on.

Everyday, take a few moments to look at what other bloggers have to say on their platform. You might find that you have similarities with certain bloggers and perhaps they are writing down the exact words you have been trying to find! You will find that most bloggers are either willing to share thoughts and ideas with you or in most cases, they’re having just as difficult of a time finding their inner voice.

Relax.

An inner voice is vital for bloggers who wish to truly connect with their audience. For example, I used to be a news reporter and initially had this tight persona about my delivery. This was simply because my inner voice was blocked with expectations and stereotypes of how I should deliver my work. Now that I have started jogging down the thoughts that I know are coming from the heart, I find it easier to send the messages I’m trying to convey.

If you are struggling with your content or have writer’s block, take a breather, step away, have a cigarette, do whatever it is that YOU have to do, in order to get your mind and body in a state of relaxation. For some of us, writing is what helps us get to this state but let’s not forget about the days when we too would write down a few sentences, only to find ourselves staring at a blank page for the next 20 minutes.

Dig Beyond & Refine Yourself

Overall, what I’d like to you take away from this is be yourself.

There are hundreds upon thousands of webpages out there with bloggers who are trying to force sales pitches down your throat, yet don’t have anything meaningful to say. Don’t get me wrong, everyone has to make a living. However, you will find that finding your true self, or inner voice, will help you create this immense bond with your audience that no sales pitch can ever replace! The best part of it all is this technique can be applied to just about anything in life.

I’m just passionate about writing so wanted to relay my thoughts through my platform.

Remember, what your trying to say will eventually come out, if you allow your mind and body to relax. So take these next few moments to jot down some thoughts and ideas. Start digging beyond your conscious and let the thoughts roll out through your finger tips. What you’ll find is what  you’re trying to say is on the verge of coming out, you just need that extra push of self-motivation.

Many people want to make money online, especially with the present day economic woes. As people try to find ways to make money online, many folks unfortunately fall prey to scams that can rob folks of their money, their hard work or both.

There are tons of free sites for making money online, but, unfortunately, many of these are some of the aforementioned scams. There are, however, many reputable free sites for making money online. The following sites are free to you as you get started making money online.

Amazon Mechanical Turk

This site is great, but it won’t make you rich. As an Amazon site, this is pretty much as legitimate as it gets. The tasks found on this site are super simple, and this means that most of the tasks you find on this site can be completed within a couple of minutes or less.

While this site is legitimate, the work you do here can’t replace your income. It can add up to some spending money if you do enough of them, and you can earn this money on this completely free site.

Visit Amazon Mechanical Turk here.

oDesk

oDesk is completely free for freelancers to use, and the vast majority of jobs on this site are completely legitimate. Like any site, an occasional scam could pop up, but the folks who run this site are diligent, and scammers usually are quickly booted from this site.

Like many freelancing sites around the web, there are jobs in many areas here. From writing to web design to social media, there are available gigs in these areas as well as man, many more. This free site lets users make money legitimately online.

Visit oDesk here.

Blogger

Starting a blog is a great way to make money online, and Blogger is one of the easiest to use, free blogging platforms available. It comes loaded with many easy to us tools, and the ability to monetize your site is just one of them.

Starting a blog doesn’t mean that you will be instantly bringing in the dough, but there are many things you can do with your blog that can bring in income. Ads and affiliate networks are one way that you can make money with your free blog with a site like Blogger or WordPress.. You could also make money through paid posts, request for contributions and other channels. If you want to start making money online for free, Blogger is a good start.

Visit Blogger here.

iStockPhoto

You can sell your photos as stock photos for free, and you could make money doing so. You need not be a professional photographer to make money with this site. Your photos of fireworks on the last Fourth of July could make you some money. The photos of the particularly appealing looking salad you mad last weekend could be salable as well. Posting your photos here is not a guaranteed money maker, but it t is a great start. If you can figure out which niches and keywords are underserved and post appropriate photos, you could really bump up you extra income.

Visit iStockPhoto here.

Conclusion

There are a lot of sites for making money online. Unfortunately many of the places online for making money online aren’t the most legitimate, and some are downright scams. There are, however, plenty of legitimate sites that are completely free ways for making money online. The sites listed here are just some of the free, trustworthy sites for making money; there are thankfully many more. However, as you set out to make money online, take care and be wary, as you can never know when a scam could pop up.

This article is written by Kevin Moor, who also writes for mac-reviews.net, a site featuring various mac reviews.

Hoards of folks have been asking me to write a biography. A history of my relationship with the online world, how I started and where I hope to go in the future.

The deed has been done.

There is a catch, however.

I didn’t write the biography myself.

I hired a professional writer to compose my “official” biography. All I did was give the individual (who happens to be my Aunt) a list of items that could be inserted. I’m pleased with the outcome.

You might ask why I didn’t write the biography myself?

I simply don’t like writing lists of my accomplishments and successes.

This might come as a surprise to you, as I talk about myself on the blog and throughout the internet often.

I’m not very good at talking about myself.

Although I’m happy to explore transparency, document situations in my life online and share solid facts – my family will attest to the fact that I become a wicked mess when I receive praise. Bashful. My cheeks go bright red like Bashful himself, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Deliver a singing performance in front of 10,000 people? A riotous cheer ensues? Yep. I’m all smiles, blushing and bashful as could be. Although I’m very outgoing and deliver a confident performance, the effects of praise cause me to cower.

This offers itself as a strange conundrum.

Sell Yourself While Still Remaining Approachable

It’s important to sell yourself online. Your brand and its worth are crucial to your businesses success. People want to hear why others are successful, where their credits lie and how they know what they know. It gives them reason to listen.

I believe, however, that it’s also important to stay humble enough to remain approachable.

Do you ever want to come to a point where people are afraid to talk to you? I don’t.

Intimidation isn’t my goal.

So, know I’m working on a better balance.

I’m striving to become more transparent by sharing where I’ve found success while also striving to remain humble and approachable.

How will I find this balance? I believe it will come by paying deeper attention to my lifelong pursuit…

…to be a light in the world.

By remembering this simple motto I’ll always be asking myself a simple question. “Is my attitude and behavior helping me to shine bright?”

Those who listen more than talk are the ones worth listening to.

Want to read my new biography?

I’m talking too much. It might serve me well to follow my own advice.

I intended to write a short, 50 word post about the release of my new biography.

Sorry. My post was hijacked by my rampant thoughts.

Anyways, you can read my new biography or “about” page here.

A few more places to learn more about me.

Below I’ve also captured links to a few others places online you’ll be able to learn more about me. I hope you enjoy the effort these folks have put into promoting my goals, visions, dreams and pursuits. I’m grateful to each one forever.

Apologies in advance if I forgot an interview on your blog. Feel free to add it in the comments below!

• The Naked Truth About Christian Hollingsworth
• Judgement Day (this post really touched me recently)
• CREATIVE MINDS – Christian Hollingsworth
• Christian Hollingsworth: Small Business Influencer
• Colfax youth trains dogs, dreams of Iditarod race
• Library display cabinet equals Eagle Scout rank
• A day in the life of blogger and social media marketer, Christian Hollingsworth
• Interview with C. Hollingsworth from Smart Boy Designs
• Frank’s #FollowFriday: Christian Hollingsworth
• Make Money Online Interview with Christian Hollingsworth
• Christian Hollingsworth Founder of Smart Boy Designs
• Interview: Christian Hollingsworth from Smart Boy Designs
• True Peak Journey: Christian Hollingsworth
• An interview with Christian Hollingsworth
• Christian Hollingsworth – Small Business Influencer
• Only 26 Days Left, I Would Appreciate Your Support
• Do you know Smart Boy?

Are you happy with your current blog biography? Where do you find the balance between selling yourself and humility? Sometimes if we’re too approachable within our sphere of responsibility, others take advantage of what we offer. Do you believe this to be a problem?