I’m really late with Comment Friday, so I thought I’d do something a little different. I wanted to write about Comment Friday and the benefits of it.

For those who don’t know what it is, it’s pretty simple. On fridays I post a random question or thought about something. I ask the visitors of our blog to give their opinion on that, or really anything they want to. For that, I will reward a random person who comments a prize. At first it was a blogroll spot for a week. I’ve since increased that prize to a link and 100 entrecard credits.

Why Comment Friday?

Meme’s and blogger surveys are popular for some bloggers. By participating in these things you can get more links, comments, etc. I thought, why not make my own? So I did.

Some blogs have a schedule where they post ‘link love’ or different things on a weekly basis. We also do that with our Sunday Contest Roundups. I chose friday for comment day.

The comment friday concept is a year old now, with our first comment friday on Jan 28th, 2007. This has since increased comments and feedback throughout the blog.

Being Unique

There are several things similar to a Comment Friday, but this is something that I thought up myself. I didn’t take the idea from anyone, however since starting this I have seen several blogs do similar things.

Comment Friday Results

Almost every friday for the past year we’ve had comment friday. It started slow, but got fire. One friday had 45 comments. It’s not a lot for some bloggers, but keep in mind that I don’t respond to every comment each one to inflate the count.

I mentioned it has increased comments throughout the blog. Our current stats are:

There are currently 689 posts and 4,738 comments.

That works out to be almost 7 comments per post. If you don’t include the posts that we lost our comments on (blogspot move didn’t include comments) that number is even higher.

Have you implemented any unique method on your blog?

For this post the comment friday is still in effect. One person will receive a blogroll link for a week and 100 credits!

I’ve read some recent ‘success’ stories of bloggers gaining RSS subscribers by asking friends and family to subscribe and read their blog. They proved that 100 readers is achievable in a month or less with this method.

The same thing method can work for affiliate marketing.

The Setup

The first thing you must do is apply to several affiliate programs and companies like NeverblueAds, LinkShare.com, and Pepperjam. If you want people to buy from your affiliates you must have a variety.

You never know what websites someone may buy online from so you want to be prepared when they want to buy from a certain online shop. Everyone prefers their own brands.

Then Simply Ask

Ask your friends or family if they shop online and if they do, would they mind shopping through your link. This has several benefits.

It helps you. This one is obvious. By sending them through your affiliate link it helps you earn money.

Affiliate offers give discounts. By promoting certain affiliates you can offer your friends and family the promotions and discounts they offer. Whether it’s free shipping or a certain % off.

This not only starts you on your way for affiliate marketing, it gives you experience as well as extra income.

My Experience

I’ve started using these methods for ‘immediate’ family and so far it’s been good.

My mother does the spending for a small company. This includes buying CPU’s, office supplies etc. Every 1-2 months I set up my affiliate links for Office Depot while she spends 200-500$. At 4% it’s not a lot, but it’s something. I generally save them money with my affiliate offers. The last one was a $45 savings.

I’ve also asked my sister who shops online because she lives in a small town. She seemed interested to help me by buying through my affiliates. However, after I mentioned to her I had coupon codes for her favorite stores, I had her sold.

Earning money + saving money for friends and family? Sounds like the best idea ever! Okay, maybe not, but it’s a start to your affiliate marketing.

People seem to be very interested when I tell them I blog and make money online. When I explained blogging I mention the Technorati system. The more blogs link to you, the better you are ranked. We are currently ranked in the top 5,000, but why not higher? Here are 8 reasons you should link to our blog.

1. We have great open and cheap advertising rates. Not buying any links for yourself, let your readers know where they can get some great promotion.

2. Our top posts offer some great ideas and concepts that you could easily include into a post of your own. We put together a best of 2007 list that would be a great start.

3. The Top 20 Contest Blogs list was just updated and is a great resource to any blogger who is looking to run or participate in contests.

4. A great thing you can do for your own blog rankings is link to established quality domains (in your own niche too). Our domain is over a year old and it could help you helping us!

5. Getting writers block for todays post? Write up a quick review about us! What post could be better?

6. If those 5 reasons aren’t enough for you, how about some incentive? Link to us and make sure we know and I’ll even pay you 50 entrecard credits, that’s as good as money right?

7. Entrecard isn’t your thing? I love social media and would be happy to shoot you a few votes on any article of yours.

8. Not into social media or entrecard? How about more rss subscribers? I’d be happy to add you to my reader.

Maybe I got a little carried away at the end, but you get the idea. We have the quality, the readers, and the support to take it to the next level.

So why haven’t you blogged about us?

Health is a growing awareness that everyone seems to be focusing on. From tv, to radio and now to blogs, nearly everyone seems to be trying to get healthier.

For that very reason, Israel of Fat Man Unleashed has released his new social media website, Healthranker. Healthranker allows bloggers, webmasters and users to submit health related articles. Related articles include, diet, exercise, fitness, basically anything to do with being healthy.

Israel is very excited about his new Health Ranker website, and for good reason. I see more and more bloggers post about health tips, recipes, and losing weight. Those articles basically have nowhere to be promoted except for digg. I’ve already submitted a guest post I wrote on FatManUnleashed for ranking.

Remember Healthranker is in beta, so there may be a few bugs. Any problems you encounter make sure to submit to help everything flow better.

This Isn’t The First Time…

that we’ve seen Israel featured on Blog about your Blog. A few months ago we covered the release of his blogger workout ebook. The ebook features workouts especially for bloggers. There are great ways to lose weight and exercise and continue the blogger lifestyle.

I’ve also gotten into his weight loss movement, by guest posting about FatManUnleashed. I mentioned my Master Cleanse Diet, didn’t go the way I had hoped. So my new method has been morning routines including walking, exercising and eating a nice, but small breakfast.
I’m excited to see how Healthranker will do in today’s blogosphere. I am predicting great things, so make sure to go and get signed up and start submitting your health articles.

I recently turned down an opportunity to publicize and receive reviews from Bloggers Showroom, because they require putting a widget on your blog. They require putting a widget on your blog. I respectfully declined, widgets just aren’t for me. Too many widgets scare me, I don’t even use the MyBlogLog Recent Readers widget anymore.

Too Many Widgets is Like…

A generic blogspot blog.

A widget overload may be okay for a personal blog or new blogspot user, but not for “established blogs”. You don’t see A-listers displaying badges or widgets saying their blog rank or directory links. The only time a widget is needed is if it offers something very beneficial for you as a blogger.

For example, entrecard sent about 400+ unique visitors this month already. MyBlogLog used to send 100-200 visitors. Scratchback earns about $20per month. These widgets, at least for me, are quality and beneficial enough to keep on the sidebar.

Once a widget no longer offers value for your blog it should be removed. Once MyBlogLog stopped delivering the traffic it used to, it was gone. Sidebar space is prime real estate for important features on your blog.

Benefits of Widgets

Depending on the widget there are several benefits to display widgets.

• Referral traffic
• Networking
• Value for your readers
• Publicity for displaying the widget (similar to referral traffic)

Negatives of Widgets

There are also several negatives of displaying widgets.

• Sidebar clutter
• Slower loading page
• “Free” advertising
• Unprofessional look
• Design clash

“Over Widgetizing”

By “over-widgetizing” you can be ‘just another blog’. Surfing the blogosphere I often find 3 column blogs with very slow loading pages that turn me off on the first visit.

Widgets are definitely addicting to bloggers. They generally provide free or “cheap” traffic. By simply adding a widget you could get visitors to your blog. As bloggers we sometimes get lazy and give into widgets, but at what price?

Are you addicted to widgets or guilty of “over widgetizing”?

Welcome back to BAYB Contest Roundup! Your blog needs a blog contest: this week you have the chance to win an iPod Touch 16Gb, free music for it and free cash! Plus Entrecard Credits. Let’s go:

Apple Ipod Touch 16GB

Titan Poker Bonus Code, a site about Titan Poker where you can read an extensive Titan Poker Review, is giving away one iPod Touch (16GB, $400). Write a post about this contest with all these 3 links and you are in!
Ends on March 15th.

Free iTunes Music

Ok, you have won (I hope so…) your brand new iPod Touch. Now you need music. And what about free music? Subscribe to Free iTunes Music and you could win a $10 gift certificate for iTunes Music every week!

Cash and Entrecard Credits

DatMoney.com is running his first blog contest! Rules are simple. There is a virtual pot: for each new subscriber he will add $0.50 and 20 Entrecard Credits. So, the more subscribers, the more money you win. 1st place will receive 75% of the pot, 2nd place 25% of the pot and 3d place will receive a custom made banner (and Entrecard Credits too). To enter you can subscribe, write a post about the contest linking to the contest post and then leave a comment.
Ends on February 29th.

Stay update with the latest blog contests on the net! Visit About Blog Contests and get your daily source of prizes!

Katy from I’m Blogging That wrote an interesting post about Ted Murphy of PPP/Izea. The covered several aspects of PPP and Ted Murphy, which inspired me to write this post. Ted Murphy is one of the only ones who has been able to evolve sponsored posting to what it is today. Several services have failed at what PPP has accomplished.

With that said, PPP has failed to find a solution for their bloggers who have suffered a Google PR slap. I wrote that RealRank Won’t Work with Google PR. Guess what? It hasn’t. The PayPerPost Forum is filled with unhappy bloggers. They have a reason to be. Some went from making $1,000 per month, to nothing.

PayPerPost Solution? Recruit new bloggers.

On February 14th, that will go down in PPP history (exaggerating much?), PPP changed their TOS dramatically. For new blogs to be accepted they only require 10 posts and to be 30 days old. The previous rule was 20 posts and 90 days old. With such a dramatic change I was surprised to find that the blogpost had no comments. You can find the discussion at the PPP forum.

As a PPP blogger, I had to wait several times for my blogs to be approved. This allowed me to have more content without ANY sponsored posts until I was accepted. I thought that was both good for my blog, PPP, and the advertisers.

Now, PPP can be filled with even more splogs and lower quality blogs, if it wasn’t already. Instead of helping bloggers who have been loyal, they are basically sending a loud message by trying to get new bloggers.

What do you think about PPP and this move? I don’t think it’s out of desperation, but a move needed for them, not bloggers.