Blog About Your Blog » Blogging Tips http://blogaboutyourblog.com Giving you your daily blog fix Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:55:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Grow Your Blog by Working With PR http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2010/09/22/grow-your-blog-by-working-with-pr/ http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2010/09/22/grow-your-blog-by-working-with-pr/#comments Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:00:25 +0000 Matthew Henrickson http://blogaboutyourblog.com/?p=1491 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Grow Your Blog by Working With PR", url: "http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2010/09/22/grow-your-blog-by-working-with-pr/" });]]> Contests really took over the blogosphere when I was getting started. By being able to offer different items for free, it made the appeal of your site that much better. It also really gave visitors to COME BACK and a way to grow your numbers daily.

Just by hosting contests on your website you could require them to become an email subscriber, a friend on Facebook, or a member of your forum. I even built up a list for the top 20 contest blogs. Even though it’s a bit outdated it was really popular.

From the emergence of contests, so has people working for companies to find bloggers to host contests. This is where my site, Its All Free Online, has been able to grow. Sometimes the trouble is FINDING those PR reps.

If you are spending all your time looking for companies to work with, it can take away from your blog, as well as the quality of your content. Having THEM come to YOU is always a plus.

There are a few places you can use to help you out with that. And guess what? They are all owned by Moms!

Momdot Brandfluential

momdot

I have been a member of Momdot for several years. I like being ‘the guy’ on the forum. The ladies on there accept me as their own, helped me grow, and have been a huge supporter. The owner, Trisha, has gone out of her way to help me out on more than one occasion.

After I joined their “VIP” section of the forum, which is a co-op for PR pitches, my blog changed forever.

Now Trisha is going more mainstream and offering her newest service, Momdot Brandfluential.

Are you a blogger that loves to work with Public Relations? Are you Brandfluential? When marketers reach out to us for specific campaigns, let us know if you want us to email you with potential review, giveaway, or mainstream media opportunities.

Within just one short week of starting this program, she was already able to share a unique spa opportunity with her members. Along with that, she is in the works with more campaigns.

I know this will be a success and I am happy to be able to get in on the ground floor.

Blog Friendly PR

Blog Friendly PR

Through my Momdot connections I have also been able to work closely with several bloggers. One of those is Shasta. She recently purchased Blog Friendly PR and revamped the entire site.

Right now she is trying to spread the word and offering a $25 gift card if you post about her grand re-opening!

Double Duty Divas

I am new to this network, but I have already gotten 2 opportunities. I asked them to send me information about their site and this is what I received:

At BlogHer 2009 Bridgette (Experimental Mommy) and Cecelia (Cool Baby Kid) realized they had a full time job, part time blog and two young children each in common. They decided to join forces and create a blog network to support each other and the other Double Duty Divas that shared their multi-tasking challenges. Since that time the Diva network has grown to offer, in addition to support and cross-promotional opportunities for the bloggers, review and advertising campaigns for companies. With some of the top review bloggers among their ranks, the Divas also provide Twitter parties, coupon code campaigns and holiday gift guide inclusion opportunities. Speaking at BlogWorld 2010 about Harnessing the Power of Numbers and Creating a Blog Network, Bridgette and Cecelia plan to help others cross-promote and support blogs within their niche to grow and build a promotional network of their own.

Make sure to check out these websites and feel free to comment below on any networks that you use!

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]]> http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2010/09/22/grow-your-blog-by-working-with-pr/feed/ 13 Protect your Blog from Getting Hacked http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2010/05/21/protect-your-blog-from-getting-hacked/ http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2010/05/21/protect-your-blog-from-getting-hacked/#comments Sat, 22 May 2010 02:33:24 +0000 Matthew Henrickson http://blogaboutyourblog.com/?p=1483 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Protect your Blog from Getting Hacked", url: "http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2010/05/21/protect-your-blog-from-getting-hacked/" });]]> Hacking is a commonly used term and generally it refers to the process when an unauthorized person modifies a program or changes configuration settings in order to gain access to data or files he or she is not allowed to access.

Hacking is one of the worst things that can happen to a web master. Even the most reliable web hosting provider can’t fully protect you from being hacked. In addition to the other losses you suffer, getting hacked ruins your reputation.

When you have chosen a best web host, even if it is shared web hosting provider, there are ways in which you can make your site hack-proof. Of course, if you haven’t chosen a reliable web hosting provider, all your efforts to protect your site from getting hacked are in vain. The best web hosts take security serious and they do a lot to protect your site.

Secure Operating System and Web Server Stop Hackers

Anti-hacking measures start with the security of the operating system and the web server. These are steps the best web host should take, especially if you are on a shared web hosting plan. With shared web hosting you can’t do a lot about the security of the operating system and the web server, so if you haven’t picked a reliable web host, you will pay for this dearly.

Some of the steps a reliable web hosting provider will take in order to secure the operating system and the web server are:

  • Install patches as they are released.

  • Limit access to your web server and site.

  • Disable all the services of the web server you don’t need.

  • Use password protection for files and directories. You can also password protect your files and directories from cPanel and the steps are easy. Go to Security ? Password Protect Directories and choose the files/directories you want to protect. Then in the next dialog box add the required data and this is all.


Read-Only Files and Directories

Read-only files and directories are one more obstacle for hackers. This is easy to do:

  • Go to cPanel and select File Manager.

  • In File Manager select the files you want to make read-only and click Change Permissions.

  • When the dialog box opens, leave the ticks only in front of the Read boxes and click Change Permissions in order to apply the changes.

Secure operating system and web server, as well as read-only and password-protected files and directories are not all you can do to make your site hack-proof. Firewalls and security plugins, together with secure passwords and regular backups are some additional measures to take.

The iFrame Virus

The iFrame virus is a widespread type of malware and you need to defend yourself against it. The iFrame virus adds tags to pages, thus allowing hackers to gain access not only to the visitors’ site but to the root and ftp passwords as well. You can protect your blog against the iFrame virus and here is how:

  • Format your PC in order to erase any info a hacker might get and then change your root and ftp passwords.

  • Install an anti-virus program.

  • Join an online webmasters’ community to keep pace with recent anti-hacking developments.

The measures we listed in this article are just some of the steps to take in order to make your blog hack-proof. If you take them and you have chosen a reliable web hosting provider, this will more or less make it harder for hackers to abuse your site.

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]]> http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2010/05/21/protect-your-blog-from-getting-hacked/feed/ 9 Why Networking with Other Bloggers is Important http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2010/05/06/why-networking-with-other-bloggers-is-important/ http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2010/05/06/why-networking-with-other-bloggers-is-important/#comments Thu, 06 May 2010 16:24:13 +0000 Matthew Henrickson http://blogaboutyourblog.com/?p=1480 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Why Networking with Other Bloggers is Important", url: "http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2010/05/06/why-networking-with-other-bloggers-is-important/" });]]>

Too many bloggers view other bloggers as their competition. They have the mentality that it’s one against the world, so they never reach out to other bloggers. This is a dangerous mistake. Sure, other blogs are technically your competition, but networking with the right bloggers can yield numerous benefits.

Why? Because with a large network, you have everyone working together to benefit one another. In other words, instead of just you promoting your blog, everyone in your network is working to promote your blog. Everyone benefits, and with the combined efforts of many, you’re able to get better results than you could ever achieve by yourself.

Here are just some of the top benefits of networking with other bloggers.

  • Get on their blogroll—The blogroll is the little sidebar on blogs where the blogger has links to some of his (or her) favorite blogs. Not only does getting listed here give you another link back to your website, but it also acts as an endorsement from the other blogger. It tells his readers that your blog is worth checking out.

  • Guest posting opportunities—Guest blogging is one of the best things you can do to promote your blog and your brand. Guest posting on another blog puts you in front of an entirely new audience. It lets you position yourself as an expert, and you get to include links back to your website, helping you improve your search engine rankings. Of course, the first step to getting guest posting opportunities is to connect with other bloggers in your niche. Never stop networking!

  • Attract more back links—Most bloggers link out in their posts. It’s a way of providing readers with access to more information on interesting topics, and it’s also a good tool for networking with other bloggers. Remember, whenever you link out, the other blogger is alerted with a trackback. By networking with other bloggers, you make them aware of the content you’re putting out. So, whenever they mention a topic you’ve blogged about, you have a good chance of them linking to your post.

  • Get tips and advice from the best—No matter how long you’ve been blogging, you can always learn something from other bloggers. I love sharing blogging tips with fellow authors. Other bloggers may be able to offer you advice for promoting your blog more effectively, or they could show you simple tricks for being a more productive writer. Build relationships with bloggers you admire, and always keep your eyes and ears open for their advice. If your relationship is strong enough, you may even be able to solicit advice from them.

Now that you know some of the reasons you should be networking with other bloggers, let’s talk about how to network properly.

  • Comment regularly on other blogs. Make sure you leave value-adding comments. Not just self-promotional blurbs. And be a regular commenter on targeted blogs. After a few comments, the blogger will probably start to notice you.

  • Link out to other bloggers. This pings other bloggers with a trackback, letting them know your blog exists. More times than not, the other blogger will come check out your post, and he may even initiate contact with you.

  • Thank those who link to you. It’s great blogging etiquette, and it can serve as an introduction for building a relationship.

  • Connect with bloggers on other social networks (Twitter, Facebook, etc.). This lets you interact with the bloggers more closely, helping you build up your network. Focus on creating actual conversations with key influencers.

  • Be assertive, but not a pest. You can’t just sit back and expect other bloggers to come to you. You need to actively build up your network. Just make sure you aren’t overbearing. Respect the time of other bloggers. They’re busy too.

  • Give help before asking for help. You never want to be seen as a leach. Always give more help than you ask for, and make sure to establish yourself in the community before you ask for anything. Otherwise, people will just think you’re some newbie who’s only out for himself.

  • Reach out to lesser-known bloggers. The top bloggers are bombarded with messages all day long. You have a better chance of building a connection with a lesser-known blogger who has a decent following but isn’t huge.

What networking tips would you add to this list? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment!

David Smith is working for Conversion rate optimization Company Invesp. Feel free to download free landing page templates from Invesp

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]]> http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2010/05/06/why-networking-with-other-bloggers-is-important/feed/ 18 Should You Blog About Sarah Palin? http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/10/09/should-you-blog-about-sarah-palin/ http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/10/09/should-you-blog-about-sarah-palin/#comments Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:53:35 +0000 Matthew Henrickson http://blogaboutyourblog.com/?p=1297 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Should You Blog About Sarah Palin?", url: "http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/10/09/should-you-blog-about-sarah-palin/" });]]> Sarah Palin Alaska Magazine CoverWebsites and blogs can take advantage by following trends. The past few weeks people have been interested in the presidential campaign. Seemingly the most fascinating thing in that campaign has been Sarah Palin. She has been one of the top web searches the past few weeks. People want to find out about her.

Following the Trends

Now it may be a little late to start an entire blog dedicated to Sarah Palin. Of course it would be short term (unless she becomes VP). However if you were following the trends you may have found a way to include her name into a post of yours already (like this one). With so many different searches you may be bound to get some of the traffic. There are several ways to try to work her in. My favorite is a video of Sarah Palin’s Miss Alaska Pageant Video.

This is also a great method to do with upcoming movies, technology releases like computers, cell phones and music players. Of course once they are finally released you will see competition and most likely less traffic.

Be Creative

So should you blog about Sarah Palin and what’s hot? Yes and no. Be creative in working in hot topics into your post. It all really depends on your niche. Titles like Why Sarah Palin Wouldn’t Be Good At Making Money Online or Would Barack Obama Be A Good Webmaster or Is John McCain Too Old For The Internet could be funny, on topic, as well as able to do well on social media. These titles alone could intrigue people enough to read, especially as we get closer to the voting day, everyone seems to want info!

Are you blogging about what’s hot?

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]]> http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/10/09/should-you-blog-about-sarah-palin/feed/ 4 Your Personal Brand http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/09/20/your-personal-brand/ http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/09/20/your-personal-brand/#comments Sat, 20 Sep 2008 11:20:23 +0000 Anthony http://blogaboutyourblog.com/?p=1264 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Your Personal Brand", url: "http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/09/20/your-personal-brand/" });]]> Here’s a quick introduction to building a brand based around you.

Personal Branding is complex field of marketing and branding that would take an entire book to explain, but I would like to give you a few tips as to how to build your own brand.

What is a Personal Brand

Your personal brand is how people ientify with you.  You may be the “geeky tech blogger” or the “creative photoshop genius”.   Your brand consists of your blog posts, tweets, videos, photos and even the links you save on Del.icio.us.

Be Yourself, Be Open

You can use an alias online, but this will weaken your brand and make you harder find.  I use the same username for most of my social accounts, that same username is the name of my blog and is indexed in Google – People see my username and know its me!  Its also important to be yourself.  When writing blog posts or tweets etc. don’t take on an alter ego as people see straight through this.

Be Social

Create a Twitter, FriendFeed, Flickr, Youtube, Del.icio.us, Digg and Facebook account.  Your website used to be your homepage.  Now its spread across all of these sites.  Its also very important to use these sites properly.  Many people fail on Twitter by simply posting links back to their blog.  This just annoys the community. The same can be said for all other social networks.

Yes, you should be using all of those sites.  If you think they are useless its due to ignorance rather than actually believing they are duds.

Copy The Best

Take a look at Kevin Rose, Robert Scoble and Michael Arrington.  They all have strong personal brands. So its a good idea to look at what they are doing and copy.  And yes, that does require passion and commitment.  All three of those guys love what they do….and it shows.

Join In

Comment, Comment and Link.  When I see a cool article I link to it.  All my profiles are linked so posting it to Delicious will distribute it out to my network.  Giving link love (to quality content) is your most powerful marketing tool – so don’t underestimate it.

And once again – don’t bother talking about yourself and your content on Twitter, FriendFeed or your blog.  Limit posts about your own ventures to 3 per month, max!

For more of my content check out my blog feint.me – or follow me on Twitter.

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]]> http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/09/20/your-personal-brand/feed/ 4 Need Post Ideas? Browse Your Keywords http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/09/18/need-post-ideas-browse-your-keywords/ http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/09/18/need-post-ideas-browse-your-keywords/#comments Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:35:07 +0000 Matthew Henrickson http://blogaboutyourblog.com/?p=1258 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Need Post Ideas? Browse Your Keywords", url: "http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/09/18/need-post-ideas-browse-your-keywords/" });]]> Thinking of new ideas to write about everyday can be time consuming and difficult. I’ve been working on BAYB for coming up to 2 years this November. Sometimes it can be trouble to come up with new posts. So today I spent some time browsing the keywords people used to find this blog.

Use Your Keywords

People are using these keywords to find your blog, so it obviously that people desire whatever knowledge it is. Looking at my keywords several people found us through searching for information on Logical Media, NeverblueAds, John Chow’s Blog, Squidoo, and Mylot. Right there, I have found 5 different topics to write a blog post on.

Using that method can not only can further help your SEO rankings and bring more visitors to your blog with these keywords, it can also give those potential readers exactly what they are looking for.

Target New Keywords

By looking through your keyword list this can also show you what people are NOT searching for. Are you targeting specific keywords or phrases? Maybe it’s time for a follow-up post about your favorite affiliate program to try to drive visitors to your blog that way.

We put together the Bloggers Guide to SEO, which is a great place to get started.

How to Build Your Keyword List

Maybe I should tell you HOW to find the keywords people are using to find your blog. If you have Statcounter or Google Analytics installed, you are already a step ahead. If you don’t, do it now!

Statcounter will show you the last 500 visitors to your blog. To find the keywords they used to find your blog, go to Keyword Analysis on the side. This will display all the keywords used for the past 500 subscribers.

If you are looking for something a bit more longterm, you should use Google Analytics. You can set it up to any time period, the default setting is the past 30 days. Then go to Traffic Sources, and then to keywords. You can view the full report or just most popular 5.


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]]> http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/09/18/need-post-ideas-browse-your-keywords/feed/ 6 When Networking Fails… http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/09/08/when-networking-fails/ http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/09/08/when-networking-fails/#comments Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:28:32 +0000 Matthew Henrickson http://blogaboutyourblog.com/?p=1241 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "When Networking Fails…", url: "http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/09/08/when-networking-fails/" });]]> When Networking Fails

To successfully network a blog with other blogs in your niche can do wonders for your SEO, traffic and overall branding. I had that idea with Contest Live. Its the only active contest voting network and with so many contests going on daily, I thought it would be a perfect resource for bloggers with contests. After getting set-up with the website and content up I began contacting the blogs on the Top 20 Blogs list as well as several others.

And The Result Was…

Well it was sad. I got one response declining link exchange and that. One actually asked a bit more about Contest Live, but that was two weeks ago, with no response since.

As BAYB has become a great place to find contest blogs as well as our weekly contest round-up, I not only envisioned Contest Live as a place for contests, but also a place to find other great contest blogs.

So how do I attain that with a failed networking campaign?

Attraction with Contests

To get initial buzz and visitors, sponsoring contests has been a huge boost. I have sponsored entrecard credits and advertising space for Contest Live. I’ve been able to balance links to Contest Live as well as the blog.

Getting set-up as a sponsor was a lot easier than I thought. Some contests were already in progress and I caught them early enough to throw in an additional prize. Ive also contacted people who are looking to host a contest and get in that way.

I even got my own contest featured at A Blog of Goodies and was able to pick up several great members and people submitting great contests.

We have a great guide 6 Tips for Hosting a Blogging Contest, which is a little old, but still remains pretty valid. I am looking to feature a few more contest tips upcoming.

Have you been able to use contests to further promote your website?

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]]> http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/09/08/when-networking-fails/feed/ 5 How To Sell Your Blog Interview http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/07/29/how-to-sell-your-blog-interview/ http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/07/29/how-to-sell-your-blog-interview/#comments Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:51:59 +0000 Matthew Henrickson http://blogaboutyourblog.com/?p=1190 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "How To Sell Your Blog Interview", url: "http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/07/29/how-to-sell-your-blog-interview/" });]]> Sell Your Blog

I like to follow the sales of blogs, I find it interesting. We blogged about Blogging Fingers getting sold a while back. The blog on the block this time was Bloggin-Ads. Mike has become a friend and contact over instant messaging since his blog has emerged. Lately he has fallen on some hard times.

I hate seeing a blogger down, so I did my best to help his sale along. I thought now that his blog has sold it would be a great thing to interview him.

If you missed the sale, he recently sold his blog for $5,000, expecting a lot more (as did I). He cited other blogs being sold.

http://onemansgoal.com sold for $10,000
http://cashquests.com sold for $15,000
http://johncow.com sold for $25,000
http://bloggingexperiment.com/ sold for $15,000
http://bloggingfingers.com sold for $6,000
http://www.blogohblog.com/ sold for $10,000

According to this list, his blog was definitely valued at about 15-20k in my opinion. Whoever got it, definitely got a steal in my opinion.

I interviewed Mike Huang to see what went wrong.

Was selling your blog harder or easier than you thought?

Yeah, it was actually a lot harder to find bidders and potential buyers than I thought. I really thought I would receive bids up to $10,000, but that was out of the picture. Not to mention, the sale was hard on my wife and I especially after all the hard work put into it.

Why don’t you think you got the price you wanted?  The long term advertising promises? Or something else?

From what I’ve been told, it is because of the long term advertising. What I should’ve done was not mention that, just receive bids, and if it goes high enough, I would just refund all the advertisers. I believe I could’ve gotten a least $7,000 or $8,000.

Another problem is the domain, which has a dash in it, which could cause problems with SEO, but not too much.

You mentioned the sale at Mybloglog, Blogcatalog, and Twitter. I also saw it on a lot of forums, which ones? What do you think drove the most bidders?

I mentioned it EVERYWHERE (mybloglog, blogcatalog, twitter, etc). Digital Point, Bloggeries, and NamePros. The most bidders most likely came from twitter or from other bloggers that mentioned it (hopefully BAYB!)

What did you learn from the sale?

What I learned is that you should never expect too much from selling ANYTHING because it may come out different than expected.  A sale is much harder than what it seems and actually requires a lot of work.

Anything else we should know? Is the sale for $5,000 finalized?

It’s pretty much finalized and it’s in progress on escrow.com right now. Another thing to mention is that Escrow.com is the safest way to sell a site. Depending on the amount, if it goes over a few thousand, a seller should use escrow.

My Insight

The advertising slots that were already promised seemed to be the downfall, there were also other negative comments in sale thread.

A few pointers by observation when selling a blog:

  • Tie up future advertising. I generally don’t like to sell a year in advance lately, but I have as of late.
  • Along with advertising tie up any lose ends to make you look bad. Mike still had an open contest that wasn’t finalized which caused problems.
  • Don’t change the blog around, keep the theme and posts going regular so the bidders can see how the blog functions and won’t take over with nothing left.
  • Offer to stay on as a paid blogger to keep the “face” of the blog there, if possible.
  • Lastly, this goes for Mike, don’t redirect the URL to another site in the closing hours of your auction!

Any other questions you have for Mike that I missed I’m sure he’d be happy to answer!

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]]> http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/07/29/how-to-sell-your-blog-interview/feed/ 13 Should I Move Off Of Blogspot? YES! http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/07/09/should-i-move-off-of-blogspot-yes/ http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/07/09/should-i-move-off-of-blogspot-yes/#comments Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:26:06 +0000 Matthew Henrickson http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/07/09/should-i-move-off-of-blogspot-yes/ SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Should I Move Off Of Blogspot? YES!", url: "http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/07/09/should-i-move-off-of-blogspot-yes/" });]]> A very common question I see bloggers ask is should they move off of blogspot. The simple answer is YES! If you really want to brand your blog and make money with it, you need to get off Blogspot. With that being said, I myself have several blogspot blogs. However, any blog I want to make money with all are .com.

Whats the Big Deal?

A new blogger may be thinking, what is the point? Wouldn’t it make more sense to stick with a free blog, instead of paying money for something else? Here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t think twice about moving off of blogspot.

Ownership and Branding

BrandingYou never really own your Blogspot, Google does. They have the power to shut you down if they want to, just by suspending your blog.

You never see any of the big make money online bloggers, or any huge bloggers in general with blogspots. You don’t see John Chow Dot Blogspot or The Huffington Post Blogspot, do you?

Transferability

Transferability
You can’t really sell your blogspot blog if you wanted to. You could figure out some way around it I’m sure, but it still wouldn’t have the value that an established .com would have. Some people are “weary” of just exchanging links with someone on a blogspot, why would they consider buying your blog?

Customization

With your own domain and hosting you can customize your website however you want to. There are thousands of Wordpress themes and hundreds (thousands?) of Wordpress plugins to make your blog function however you want.

Blogspot has some themes, very few already installed to choose from.

Affordable

affordable
Lastly to have your own domain and web hosting it is really affordable. A domain only costs about $6-10 depending on where you get it. Hosting can cost as low as $4.99 to about $10 per month. Use our Blogging’s Best Buys to find great deals on domains and hosting.

There are many reasons to jump on off the Blogspot wagon, with little reasons to stay. If you are asking yourself whether or not you should move off blogspot, I hope I convinced you.

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]]> http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/07/09/should-i-move-off-of-blogspot-yes/feed/ 15 What Now? They Keep Unsubscribing http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/07/03/what-now-they-keep-unsubscribing/ http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/07/03/what-now-they-keep-unsubscribing/#comments Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:59:54 +0000 Matthew Henrickson http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/07/03/what-now-they-keep-unsubscribing/ SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "What Now? They Keep Unsubscribing", url: "http://blogaboutyourblog.com/2008/07/03/what-now-they-keep-unsubscribing/" });]]> The problem with having a RSS base from contests and other promotions is that they might have only subscribed for the prizes. It’s your job, as a blogger, to make them stay long term. The last successful big contest we did was actually our Christmas Contest.

As we’d of course like to launch another huge successful contest, it does take a lot of time to organize and run successfully. With so much competition it is becoming harder to entice people to participate.

What Now?As mentioned earlier, some people just participate (like subscribing to RSS) then later unsubscribe after the contest is over. We’ve been able to keep a lot of our readers this long, but as of late, we’ve seen a lot of unsubscriptions. Other than a contest, what can you do?

Get Readers Involved

Give them a reason to want to come back and read day after day. This of course includes posting frequently, daily is best. But beyond that, then what? We always do our Comment Fridays which are definitely a lot of fun. This allows us to ask questions to our readers and get them involved.

Other things could be fun polls to do, round-up posts, or personal entries in your blog.

Launch New Campaigns

I would consider a contest, an advertising campaign, wouldn’t you? It generally takes time of course, as well as a prize. Advertising is your time and money invested into your website or product.

So why not try something else? I would definitely recommend visiting blogging forums and interacting with other bloggers, or other people interested in your niche. Our favorite blogging forum is Bloggeries.

There you can participate in similar discussions you talk about on your own blog, as well as promote your website as well as develop your brand.

Participate in Fun Competitions

Blogging Idol at Daily Blog TipsAnother recent ploy to get more RSS subscribers has seemingly been a “competition”. We’ve seen Conn vs Cow do whatever it is they are doing. I still don’t get it, but it seems to be working for them apparently.

Another interesting competition (which I wish I could of gotten in) is Blogging Idol at Daily Blog Tips. The competition is between 100 different bloggers. The main goal is to increase their RSS subscribers the most with different tactics. The top winner will receive $3000! That sounds like a fun way to increase subscribers with great incentive.

What do you do when you see your RSS feed count dropping?


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