Archive for February, 2008

One of the most common design issues associated with web sites, and especially with blogs, is clutter. It's so easy to fill the sidebar with links, widgets, and clicklets. So easy that even the most ardent minimalists have to stop and unclutter their sites from time to time. So, how do you decide if something should be displayed on your blog? Here is an easy to follow process to help you unclutter your blog. Photo by ...

One of the key ways to grow a new blog is to get noticed by the right people. A simple way to get this recognition is to write guest posts for other blogs related to yours. There are only so many avenues for people to find your blog, and links to your blog on other blogs is one of those ways. Especially when your blog is relatively new, you will most likely not have a ...

It happens to all of us one time or another. You stare at the blank screen, or perhaps one with a half-written post. You stare until you feel like pulling your hair out....and still nothing. You just crashed head on against writer's block. Photo by Mayr via Flickr Hopefully, you have been pacing yourself and haven't try to post more frequently than you could manage -- if you aren't, I recommend that you ...

One of the most important concepts in producing successful creative works is to know your audience. If you know what they want, and what will encourage them to do what you want, then you know what to produce. Photo by delgaudm via Flickr In blogging, once you get going, you can know your audience by their comments. But what about the early stages, before your blog has many commentators? The simple solution is to become your ...

About the Author: Four Pillars writes on Quest For Four Pillars. QFFP has a wide range of topics including personal finance, investing, retirement planning, real estate and lots other stuff. + + + This article contains some information and ideas that I have about how to grow a small or new blog efficiently. Unfortunately writing good content is not enough -- there are so many blogs out there that you have to do some extra work ...

If you are making money from your blog, you are going to have to report it on your tax return. I know, it's a bummer. But the good news is that you are making money from being a writer! Do you know how many people can say that? Not many, my friend! Depending on your individual situation, adding all that money to your tax return can add a significant amount of ...

Last week I talked about determining who makes up your target audience. Now that we've figured out who we're talking to, we have to figure out how to reach them. Your blog can be full of great, interesting, relevant and appropriate content for your target readers, but if they can't find you, then they can't read you. Blogging, at the start, is a game of being noticed, and one of the simplest ways of getting ...

Every blogger starts at the same place - a theme you chose and your first article. But once you start writing and getting your groove, you will want to do more for your blog to help promote it and follow it's growth. Although there is a ton of advice available on what every blog should have, these 5 items that I have chosen are a good place to start if you are just starting a ...

One key concern about having advertisement on my blog is the fear of alienating my readers; especially regular readers who come to the blog daily and leave comments. Unfortunately, some of the best monetization opportunities call for disruptive ad placement. For example, one of the best performing AdSense ad is the large rectangular block placed inside the content itself. So, how can a blogger strike a balance between maintaining an appealing blog while maximizing ...

Whoa, is there such a thing as the wrong WordPress theme? Sadly, the answer is yes. There are literally thousands of themes out there. There are some really good ones, and inevitably, there are some bad ones too. Where to find WordPress themes Before I show you what make a theme bad, I would like to share some resources where you can find WordPress themes: WordPress theme directory -- the most well known one since it is linked ...

Aside from the standard accounts for your blog -- i.e., domain name, web hosting, and WordPress -- there are several companion accounts that I think are very useful. Below are 12 essential companion accounts, plus two that are worth mentioning. For Money and Monetization PayPal - This is an online payment web site that allows you to accept money and credit card for products or services that you sell. I have used PayPal to accept payments, ...