Spice Up Your Blog

7 Reasons For Starting A Travel Or Expat Blog

2013-06-16T02:41:00.002+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Olga Mecking, Olga shares her experiences as an expat blogger.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

There are many reasons why you should start a blog. Your hobbies or interests, such as cooking or crafting or technology, are perfect blog topics. Changes in life can inspire you to start blogging as well. One of these changes is when you leave your home country and move somewhere else. I hadn’t even considered starting a blog before I moved from Poland to the Netherlands because I considered my life boring. Then I met my husband, became an expat and had children. Suddenly, my life became exciting and chaotic. Having an expat blog turned out to be fun and exciting, but soon became more than that. Here are all the reasons why you should consider starting a travel or expat blog if you haven’t done it already.
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Discover New And Exciting Techniques Of Creating Blog Content

2013-06-14T00:44:00.000+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Anna Robeson, Anna is looking at some different types of content bloggers can use and readers will love.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

The days of simply writing content and posting it online are long gone. I've heard the phrase „content is king” time and time again, and while I do not disagree with it, hell, I've actually written an article on the subject myself, I have to say that content is not only written. Images, videos info-graphics are also content, visual content, but still, content. The problem with today's internet is the fact that it is over-saturated with information.

Let's be honest, how many of you read articles from start to finish? I don't. Even if I find something that interests me, I usually skim through the text, and bookmark it for later. Many writers are faced with a major problem: people do not read their blog. Moreover, in most cases, it is the first few seconds that attract a user. You can be sure that a block of text isn't as attractive as a post rich in images or videos. Written content is without a doubt the most popular content creation technique, and it is also one of the most poorly done. Any respected agency will tell you that high-quality content is one of the most powerful business promoters. That being said, let us discover alternative content techniques.
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How To Select The Right Narrative Style For Your Blog

2013-06-11T01:28:00.000+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Jessica Davis, Jessica is taking an interesting look at Narrative writing styles you can use on your blog.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” -- Maya Angelou. Before you can get your story out and write it down, you need to decide which narrative style you are going to use. You may have vivid memories, amazing plot lines and great ideas but they will not have the desired effect if your narrative style or type is flawed. When you sit down to write a novel, having a clear narrative style can help you keep track of the story and prevent your from straying too much.

There is no hard and fast rule that you have to stick to one narrative style throughout the novel or short story. Many legendary authors like Margaret Atwood have often used third and first person narrative styles in the same book to great effect. This is done when more than one character presents the story. There may be numerous ways to write your story but there are only a few ways to narrate it.

Third person narrative style

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How Teachers Are Using Blogs to Enhance Their Lessons

2013-06-08T02:31:00.000+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Cara Aley, Cara takes an interesting look at using blogs in the classroom.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

The technology tools at the fingertips of a modern-day teacher are better than ever. Many teachers are leveraging blogs in the classroom in order to supplement their lessons. Whether it be by creating their own classroom blogs, incorporating teaching ideas from the blogs of other teachers, or incorporating data from topic-specific blogs into a lesson plan, there are multiple ways to leverage blogs in the classroom.

Here, we’ll review some of these in further detail.

Teachers no longer have to rely exclusively on offline tools for their lessons.

Help students to communicate with one another in the written form - By creating a blog for a class to utilize together, a teacher creates a platform by which students can communicate around things like written assignments, poetry, or personal feelings (akin to a journal entry).
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WordPress Newbies: Follow these tips for WordPress Blogging Success

2013-06-07T22:13:00.001+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Boney Pandya, who has some great tips for new Wordpress users.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

If you're new to WordPress, listen up!

You're so used to people talking about how easy and great WordPress is, but if you're not the tech-y type just yet, chances are you need a bit of guidance: it's nothing to be ashamed of. This post is for those of you that have done the initial set-up on your WordPress blog or site, and now you're ready for the next step.

Often when you search about WordPress tips or any questions you may have, you're met with jargon that can make the process of getting to know your WordPress site even more confusing and frustrating.

Hopefully this post will clear up some of that confusion for you. Below are a few tips for WordPress newbies that need a beacon of light in that foggy WordPress world.

Use these tips to make your WordPress experience smooth from here on out:

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Connect Instagram And Your Blog With Photo Gallery And Follow Gadgets

2013-06-04T23:50:00.001+01:00

Flicker is the most popular photo sharing website for people looking to showcase their photography online.Instagram is currently winning the race to be the top app for sharing your Mobile images and photos.We have previously looked at ways to share your flickr photo stream on your blog, in this post it's the turn of Instagram.I have looked for the best way for you to display your Instagram photos on your blog with a sidebar widget.Also we have a neat Follow on Instagram button to help you get more Instagram followers.

So if your a 'Instagrammer' this is the one for you.

Both these Instagram widgets are added to the sidebar of your blog so first are the codes for the gadgets and below that are our videos on how to add gadgets to the sidebar on Wordpress and Blogger.
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How To Insert Microsoft Word Tables In Blog Posts

2013-06-01T22:16:00.000+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Abhishek, who shows us how and why to use Microsoft Word tabels on your blog.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Inserting tables in blog posts organizes your data in a tabular form which looks more tidy and clear.Tables can be of many sizes including different rows or columns.Mostly today all bloggers use HTML tables,and there is one drawback of using these tables that it is quite cumbersome for a new blogger because it requires right coding for full customization and it wastes more time.

Tables are extremely needed if you are showing your blog post in a tabular form or are comparing the specifications of any service or product.In case if you just write a blog post then it would be unclear to understand,it would be like that you have just thrown colors on the canvas and haven’t created your masterpiece.In this post you will learn a trick to insert Microsoft office tables in your wordpress or blogger blog’s HTML.I am using Microsoft office 2007 to create tables.

How To Insert Microsoft Office Word Tables In Wordpress Or Blogger Posts

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3 Reasons Why Honesty Matters In Your Blog

2013-05-27T23:34:00.001+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Nicolas D’Alleva, in this post Nicolas takes a no holds barred look at being an honest blogger.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

As internet use becomes increasingly more ubiquitous, so do our suspicions about the things we see, read, and hear online. Just like your seventh grade social studies teacher told you, people can write and put whatever they want on the internet (so, STOP citing Wikipedia in your term paper).

Internet users are skeptical of what they see online, and bloggers need to respond accordingly. A little honesty can go a long way in increasing your following, not to mention that there are already hundreds of other bloggers claiming to be Morgan Freeman (yes, other people know how to use PhotoShop too).

So, leave the aliases and the pseudonyms at the door, and start writing from the heart. Here are three reasons why it will make people want to read what you’re writing.

1. People can tell when you’re full of it

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The Future Of SEO And The Application Of Guest Blogging

2013-05-24T17:41:00.002+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Chris Gunn, Chris takes an interesting look at were SEO may be heading in the future.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

The SEO world has been very shaky lately as those who have dedicated their livelihoods on the development of websites and blogs have seen a shift in Google’s algorithms on the horizon. There is definitely a legitimate change coming, but is it truly worth all the hype? Does Google really want to eliminate all forms of link building, even the honorable, fair whitehat approaches? What about the people who want to have a successful site and truly follow the rules? There’s been too much doom and gloom on SEO, and it’s time to tame it down. Below is Matt Cutts’ most recent vlog “What should we expect in the next few months in terms of SEO for Google?

CHILL OUT

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5 Strong Techniques For Successful Blog Writing

2013-05-21T20:06:00.001+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Kevin Demlon, Kevin has some well explained tips for bloggers of all levels.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Although it was coined in 1999, the term “blog” did not enter the dictionary until 2004, when it was Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year. The dictionary defined it as “an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.” Since that time, blogging has become a legitimate and sometimes profitable profession for some scribblers. But like most professions, few bloggers ever achieve wealth or even fame. Most write for a small number of faithful readers who share their interests. There are of course exceptions to this rule.

When the Huffington Post, a news blogging website, was sold to America Online (AOL) for $315 in February of 2011, it sent shockwaves through the blogosphere. Suddenly, everybody and their mother thought they could strike it rich by simply starting their own blogs. As you might expect, most of them fell flat on their proverbial faces. How do we know?
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5 Ways Your Blog’s Design Is Making You Susceptible To A Hacker

2013-05-17T01:36:00.001+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Stephan Jukic, Stephan lists how to to keep your blog safe from hackers.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Running a blog is often a work of love that takes a lot of work and creates something of enormous personal or even business value. This applies especially if you’re blog is old and loaded with thousands of posts that garner you thousands of visitors. Losing all this to hackers and intrusion programs over the course of a single day would be a serious disaster.

While no site or blog can be made completely and totally hack proof, you can limit the possibility for total damage by following the following crucial steps, and making sure that you do one other vital thing: Back up, back up and back up again! Do it regularly, never forget to do it.Click Here To View Full Post >>

Google+ Authorship: Where You Become The Link

2013-05-14T00:32:00.001+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Shannon Williams, Shannon is looking at how and why you should use Google+ authorship on your blog.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

You may have noticed the last time that you searched any newsworthy topic on Google—whether it be a recap of the Academy Awards or new developments on the latest iProduct—that some of the search results have a small picture of a smiling individual beside them.

That picture is likely the result of what is known as Author Rank. Sites with regularly updated content can add a specialized link onto each author’s name (a link that connects with the individual’s Google+ account), so Google crawlers recognize that this person wrote the content for the page. The more that author publishes, the higher their Author Rank.
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Comparisons Of Wordpress Theme Customization Methods

2013-05-09T15:29:00.002+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Brian L, Brian is looking at the best ways to customize your WordPress theme for a unique look.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Wordpress has become such a popular CMS that it's common to see "cookie cutter" websites that use the same theme. Fortunately, it's possible to dramatically alter the appearance of your Wordpress site through various customization methods.

The most common methods of customization include editing a Wordpress theme's code, creating a child theme, using a theme mask and paying a custom designer. In this article we'll go through these options in more detail, along with the pros and cons of each.

Directly Editing a Theme's Code

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How to Write Breathtaking Blog Posts with your Readers in Mind

2013-05-07T21:52:00.000+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Emmanuel Obarhua, who takes an in-dept look into article writing.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

The only way you can make your articles unique and mind boggling is to make a difference in how you write; your writing is the most essential part of blogging. It propounds how good you are, it brings paid writing opportunities, it reputes your blog and a million more... I guess you must have heard the blogosphere’s number 1 adage; “Content is king”. This cannot be attained by the length of an article, instead it either spoil the whole thing or delay the way you update your blog as you only want to write lengthy posts.

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Load Posts With Infinite Scroll On Blogger Blogs

2013-05-05T13:28:00.000+01:00

In this tutorial we have a new way for posts to be viewed on your blogs homepage, namely infinite scroll.Infinite scroll has been a popular trend in web design for some time and now you can have it on your blogger blogs.On Blogger we have on the home page by default 'Previous' and 'Next' buttons to load a new page of posts.Now this tutorial takes another step with adding Infinite Scroll to Blogger blogs.

This is user friendly and will cut down on load time.So I have the demo and a quick add button for you to add it to your blog in seconds.
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Stuck on a Blog Topic ? Use These Exercises to Get the Ideas Flowing

2013-05-04T01:58:00.001+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Cara Aley, Cara has some fresh new ideas on getting those creative juices flowing on your blog.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Writing can be a fabulous avocation, but all writers at times face the inevitable writer’s block. It can be extremely frustrating to feel as though you are fresh out of ideas, especially as a blog writer who is under pressure on a daily basis to write original content.

Here we provide some ideas in for how to get those ideas flowing when you simply feel fresh out.
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5 Creative Ways To Get To Know Your Blogging Audience In Real Life

2013-04-28T20:59:00.001+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Garrett Moon, who has some interesting views on how you can profile your audience.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Many of us think that we know who we are writing to, but do we really? The problem with identifying and understanding our blog audience is that we resort to dated techniques that don't help us understand who they really are. Sure, our audience might be made up of 25-35 year old females, but who is that, anyway? What keeps them up at night? What makes them happy? How can we, as bloggers, motive them to read and share what we have to say?

What Really Matters

For starters, you need to understand what matters to them. I have been an advocate for completing basic audience profiles. The goal of these profiles is to get a sense of how your audience thinks, rather than just who your audience is. In these profiles, you will identify a few key things:

What is their name?
What do they do?
What keeps them up at night? (i.e. What are they worried about?)
What motivates them to read your stuff?
What do they need most from you? How can you help them?

The goal is to complete several profiles and then use them as you write new posts. As you write, you should be talking directly to one of your audience members. You should have them specifically in mind. When we write TO someone rather than simple FOR someone we can do a much better job of relating to them on a human level. But, sometimes even this exercise isn't enough.Click Here To View Full Post >>

Complete Guide To The New Google+ Comments On Blogger And WordPress

2013-04-26T18:19:00.000+01:00

It's been a week since Google launched the new Google Plus commenting system for blogger.In this post we will look at how to use Google+ Comments on Wordpress, Bloggger and the custom blogger templates.

With Google Plus trying to compete in the social network scene with Facebook it's no surprise like Facebook they launched their own comment system.The question for us bloggers and publishers will be "Should We Use Google Plus Comments ?".

The thing that first struck me was the fact once implemented only people with Google plus accounts would be able to comment on your blog.With the current blogger treaded comments or indeed Discus and Intense debate readers had a number of options as to how they wanted to comment.I think the real let down with Google+ comments is the lack of an option for people that don't have a G+ account to comment either as anonymous or with name and email.

So the other comment systems defiantly have the advantage of choice but that is just one aspect.Google plus comments do look great, are lightweight and Google+ is a fast growing network.

If you think Google+ comments is for you below we have information on how to add them to Blogger and Wordpress.
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77 Billion Wordpress Spam Comments To Date ! Are You Protected?

2013-04-26T03:32:00.000+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Jason Roiz, Jason is looking at keeping spam comments to a minimum on Wordpress.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

77,430,232,104- That’s the number of spam comments prevented by Akismet to date. Unbelievable but true! Are you wondering how many of these were directed towards your blog? If yes, then it’s time to quit thinking and start acting!

Spam commenting is at an upsurge. At the time of writing, 52,453,722 spam comments had already been detected for the day! It is the easiest way for attackers to compromise with the security of your Wordpress blog. So, what do you do? Akismet will obviously do its job, but as a blogger how will you decipher between ‘ham’ and ‘spam’? Let us help you. Enlisted below are some ways to give spammers the boot.Click Here To View Full Post >>

7 Reasons Why Acting Goofy On Your Blog Helps Business

2013-04-21T20:07:00.002+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Brianne Walter, here Brianne explains why you don't have to be serious on your blog at all times.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Bloggers, like any other business owner in the world, take their blogs very seriously. Every bit of information they put on there and every post is somber and serious and high on information. Not many would ever want to tamper with the serious image that they have created in front of their audiences. However, as many successful bloggers know, acting goofy on your blog could be a great alternative to always being super serious. Here are a few reasons why you should consider bringing out your goofy side every once in a while on your blog.

1. It helps you and your content team relax

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A Slick New Featured Posts Image Slider For Blogger

2013-04-15T18:06:00.004+01:00

In the past I have provided Blogger users with a number of different Image sliders or featured posts sliders.Recently while working on a blog design job I had a client looking for a very specific slider to display some of their best images.The slider needed to have some specific specifications which were not covered by my previous efforts.I also needed to make the slider lightweight and easy to edit so the client could quickly change the images and links.

So we were looking for the slider to be :

1. Full Width - so it spans the entire width of the blog but also for this tutorial I wanted the width to be easily changed.

2. Auto and manual scroll - We wanted the slider to scroll through images automatically, the slide would stop on hover and also visitors would have the option to scroll at their own pace.

3. Two ways to scroll - We wanted to have the classic Next/Previous buttons but also bullets below the slider to skip to any image.

4. Easy to edit - The HTML code for the slider can be accessed via the layout page rather than buried within the template.

So in this post I have to tutorial to add this new slider to your blog.You can see a live demo of the slider by following the like below :
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List Of Useful Traffic Monitoring Tools For Bloggers

2013-04-11T23:08:00.001+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Teyona Dame, who lists some of the best traffic tools for you.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Do you want to make sure your blog stays in the limelight? Do you want to be certain that it remains almost always in the top 20 stats of any search engine? Then you need to get seriously cracking with the hottest traffic monitoring tools on the net today.

Monitoring traffic, and applying the stats gathered in bettering your blog gives it that extra zest needed to attract more traffic. Tracking visitor traffic and analyzing the information you gather thereby is essential in measuring the high and lows of your SEO tactics.

In today’s digital domain, where the race for fame extends across the waves of a different medium altogether, the following traffic monitoring tools should prove of immense help to bloggers.Click Here To View Full Post >>

Blogging Tips For A Niche That's Not So Exciting

2013-04-08T15:09:00.001+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Lauren Smith, in this post Lauren tackles the problems faced when writing for niches seen as less exciting or boring.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Hello, my name is Lauren Smith and I'm an online editor for safe retail website, ADCSafes. I have been reading Spice Up For Blog for a little while now, and have been wanting to contribute a blog post for a while, the only thing that has been stopping me so far is not knowing what to blog about. I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to blogging, I'm 19 and have a couple of years experience in SEO and Wordpress, so hardly an online guru, I have, however, had experience of writing for a small variety of niches, some of which have been easier than others.

The content I find easiest to write is content that is relevant to my interests, and maybe not even necessarily my interests, but broader interests of people from my demographic. For example, I don't particularly like Nicki Minaj, but I'm pretty sure that with a little research I could write a killer article on her. Why? Because there are plenty of other people surrounding me who do like her, and know a lot about her, so it's easy to find a target audience and thrive on it.Click Here To View Full Post >>

5 Deadly Sins I Committed With My First Ghost Writing Client

2013-04-04T20:35:00.002+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Kingsley Agu, in this post Kingsley has some tips for freelance bloggers.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Do you still remember that moment when you check your email or facebook inbox, and you come across a mind boggling email or message, specifically from a soon-to-be prospective client? Yeah, I know how happy you’d be then - especially if this particular message is your first from any client online.

I think I can relate very well with the short remembrance above; since I can still vividly remember how my first ghost writing client contacted me from facebook; asking me to write for him.

This story goes on and on. But it’s not the story I want to tell you about - it’s about the mistakes and glitches which I did as a newbie who just met his very first client.

I also think you can learn from this story as well; because it practically address problems which newbie freelance bloggers encounter, and how they can possibly avoid such problems.

These were the mistakes or should I say - deadly sins which I committed with my very first client-Click Here To View Full Post >>

Not a Professional Writer ? An Amateur Writers Guide to Sounding Like an Expert

2013-04-01T14:00:00.001+01:00

Guest Post - Our host is Gina Smith, the majority of bloggers are new to writing content but as Gina explains in this post that does not mean they can not write like the pros.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

The thought of writing a Blog intimidates a lot of people. Why? Most often, people think they have to be a professional writer to sound articulate and knowledgeable. While details such as proper grammar, spelling and word use is important with any type of writing, the beauty of Blogs is they can be written in your preferred writing style. In fact, it is actually recommended that Blogs be written using a more “informal” language. Therefore, if you focus more on what you say rather than how you say it, it’s not very difficult for an amateur writer to be viewed an online expert.Below are some great tips for the amateur to write like a professional.
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