Helping You Rock Out Your Site Like A Rockstar!

I have a couple favorite bloggers I like to read, and I know you do too. While not everyone has the financial means to support their favorite bloggers, here are 8 ways you can support yours.

1. Leave a comment. This is the easiest way you can support your favorite blogger, especially if you regularly read their articles. Comments are awesome and allow the blog author to know your thoughts on what they wrote. It also is fuel to carry on the topic. Remember, even though an article might say a lot, the conversation does not have to end and be one-sided.

2. Share articles you have read on social network sites. Like and share posts on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and other social networks.

3. Social bookmark blog posts written by your favorite blogger. Not only are you giving their article potential exposure to others, but with a lot of social bookmark sites, you are helping with their authority in their niche.

4. Become a fan or follow your favorite blogger on the social network sites. If your favorite blogger has a Facebook fan page, Twitter handle, or any other social network account, following them is a simple and free way to support your favorite blogger.

5. Take a moment to click on the Adsense or text link campaigns on your favorite blogger’s website. While most of these services are ones that say that the site owner cannot beg you to click on links, it is obvious that your favorite blogger is trying to make a little money. Taking a couple seconds of your time to click on their adsense and other text link campaigns can add up.

6. Consider guest posting at your favorite blogger’s site. If you love the site and like to cover similar topics, offering to contribute a guest post is great support. It is a win-win as your site gets a back link, and your favorite blogger gets more content. Furthermore, if you do submit, be prepared to return comments on your guest post to encourage others to become active on your favorite blogger’s site.

7. If you see a donate button, send $5 or $10 or $20 to your favorite blogger. If they do not, ask them if they accept donations and how you can do so. While it might not seem much, it is sure to be accepted with much appreciation.

8. If the blogger has a side business, consider purchasing their product or services. Whether it is an e-book, hosting from their small hosting business, web design services, or other products, this is the ultimate form of support.

Supporting your favorite blogger is important. It allows them to know who is reading and what they are taking away from their experience. Every little bit helps, even if it is done for free. While there are many ways a blogger can monetize their own website, none of that can be done without traffic. And having website traffic means having visitors come to read and perhaps engage.

The paid suggestions were added to the end of the list due to the fact that the most important are great blog foundation building tools to go by, especially for beginner bloggers. These are the things necessary to gain authority, learn how to engage, and overall, to learn what it takes to grow a sturdy blog that will get better with time.

What are other ways you can support your favorite blogger that has not been mentioned?

You’ve got a pretty cool blog, right? However, you keep hitting these plateaus and not being able to talk with other bloggers as easily as you would like. What is the deal? Are you snubbing your blog competition?

With 15% of the Internet powered by WordPress alone, and many others hosted on other blog host services or with other content management services, there are a lot of websites that are out there sharing all sorts of information. Each person is trying to gain readers.

Of course, you want your own readers, and there are ways to entice… like writing good content and engaging with others on the social network sites. However, what if the people you are talking to also have topics that you cover on your own site?

Simple – Keep engaging. That is what is awesome about the blogging community. Because each person is different, each person has a different angle on any topic. You can learn and get feedback from your competition.

And you know what… it could even prove to fuel your blog’s future posts.

Now, I know that maybe the issue of copying might come up and really, if you are writing your own articles, you should not have to worry about any complaints on plagiarizing. It is pretty easy to see who is just writing to cover a topic, and who is actually interested in what they wrote.

The most important thing is to make sure your blog is not all about you on a podium. Anyone can do that, but what about the people listening? Your peers in your niche can be the biggest help, especially if you are sharing and commenting on their sites. Most of the bloggers who are top in their niche, despite being busy, try their best to take the time and leave a reciprocal comment or return a share on Twitter, Facebook, other social network sites, or social bookmark sites.

When you are friendly and engage, your visitors and competition are more than likely willing to link you too!!! Free link juice is awesome!

Don’t be a blog snob. You will hurt your site more than anything.

Writing product reviews is not always easy. It does involve actually having used the product, being able to describe the item or service, and a lot of times, you may have to make sure you have a disclosure just in case you get compensation for your review.

Here is a guide to writing product reviews on your blog.

Set up a Site Disclosure Policy

You should have a site wide disclosure and also disclose on the posts you are receiving compensation for. In the United States you are required to disclose paid endorsements. Some of the paid to blog services like Pay Per Post (an Izea property) requires that you have a site wide and a post disclosure.

The policy should state that your blog will from time to time publish paid reviews on products.

Blog with Integrity

If you did not try out a product or service and just threw a post together, while some people might not notice, those who did use the product might call your bluff. Making money is always nice, but if you are sacrificing your integrity, you are basically lying to your readers… for chump change.

Your honesty is important. There are companies out there that really want to know your honest opinion. In not writing a truthful product review, you really risk your reputation with brands wanting to approach you to review their product or service.

There are sites out there, like Fiverr for example, that have opportunities for you to make money by posting fake reviews. Do not get caught up in this as it does nothing but shoot your reputation down. Only take review opportunities that encourage your honest feedback.

Choose Products or Services to Review that are Relevant to Your Site

If you have a review about diapers and your blog is about tech gear, this is not an ideal post to publish. Choose opportunities that match your site’s focus. In choosing every opportunity under the sun, you risk confusing your readers. Products that are relevant to your site will help build the authority you need to grow your blog.

Be Thorough When Writing A Product Review

You want to be as informative as possible so being thorough is extremely important with product reviews. If you do not write enough information, your review could be seen as you did not like the product or there really was not much to say about it.

Other than your own opinion, you can even do some research on the product and maybe share some of the reactions out on the social network sites. Twitter can be a great example of a site you can pull reactions Just do a search on the product or service and all the people who have mentioned it on Twitter will show up in the results.

Think of every angle you can cover to make your review better than other sites in your niche that may also be talking about the same thing.

Of course, there are other tips, but I would love to know what are some of your suggestions to people writing product reviews on their blogs?

Everyone has started a website in some manner. Some started on a free host and others invested right away in their own hosting. However, what is best for you? This article will go over hosted blogs versus free hosted blogs and cover the pros, cons, and in between.

What is a free hosted blog?

A free hosted blog is one that you sign up with a service like WordPress.com or even Google Blogger and they automatically put together an account you can start blogging with right away. Of course, they are free, but you have to agree to their terms of service. Some of their basic services are limiting, and even some of their paid services if you wish to upgrade can be as well. Free hosting is great for beginning bloggers trying to test the waters and see if they would like to become a serious blogger.

Please note that in a previous post I did do a side by side comparison of both WordPresss and Blogger as free hosted services.

What is self-hosted blogging?

Having a self-hosted blog is where you have bought your own web hosting, your own domain, and installed your blog service of choice, like WordPress (WordPress.org), Joomla, Drupal, or any other type of content management service or program available.

You have more control over what you can put on your website in regards to design and content. This is normally a good idea to invest in for bloggers who have decided to become more serious about blogging and want to have more control over what they syndicate or even to monetize their site.

The Pros of Free hosting a blog

Blogging on a free host can be great because it allows bloggers to not have to shell out money. For startups, this is great as it can be a testing ground to see how the blog itself progresses. Of course, another is that most free blog hosts do to some extent have some great features that are just enough for newbie bloggers to be satisfied in using. For example, both WordPress and Blogger have some tools to add more functionality.

The Pros of Self-hosting a blog

Self hosting a blog gives the blogger a lot more control over what can be put on their site. There are more choices functionality to add, like more plugins and more theme choices. Aside from being able to download and install more pre-made themes, the blog owner can install their own theme or one they paid for that was made by a web designer.

Having a domain gives the blogger a little more search engine optimization oomph in comparison to free hosting. The domain itself adds more authority to the blogs that are mapped on free hosts to a sub domain. Most of the content management services are open source and actively worked on, so the scripts are always updating… and normally are free. Most of these CMS also come SEO ready out of the box, or if they do not, they have modules or plugins that can be installed to help.

The Cons of Free hosting a blog

The downside of free hosting a blog is that bloggers have to be actively aware of the site’s terms of services. Normally bloggers have failed to abide with these and have had their service terminated. Some of the most common violations have been: affiliate links, accepting and posting paid to blog opportunities, and even inappropriate content not acceptable according to the host’s terms of service.

Free hosting, as much as the price seems right for a lot of people, it can be very limiting- both as a user and for the reader. For example, Blogger has a strange comment system that many bloggers like to limit their comment system to only accept logged in Google Blogger users. In WordPress, some scripts are not allowed to be pasted into the widgets.

Not to forget, another con is that some forms of advertising are not allowed on some free hosts. Once an account has been flagged to be suspended, a lot of times it is difficult to retrieve old information. It is gone. For some bloggers, this can be alarming.

The Cons of Self-hosting a blog

Normally the cons of self-hosting a blog is usually cost, but that should not be bad if the right web host is chosen. The other is learning to install, and also use a content management service. For those bloggers not so savvy in HTML, it might be a bit overwhelming as it is needed from time to time. However, most CMS do have a visual editor and with some exploration and playing with the backend, especially in WordPress, becoming familiar with blogging comes with time.

While these are some of the pros and cons, I would love to hear your take on free hosted blogs versus self-hosted blogs. Are you self hosted or on a free host? In your opinion, what are some of the pros and cons?

So, you started blogging. For whatever reason it was (teaching, personal, entertainment, or other), you must have learned something. What has blogging taught you?

For me, blogging has taught me a lot. I am a person that has a wide range of interests. I started with one site and ended up with several. However, a couple of them, I ended up knowing that I loved to help and teach others where I learned practically by myself. No many taught me b2 or WordPress. Not many taught me how to create graphics.

I painstakingly read books, and experimented. Every success was shared and my readers exercised those between 2002 to 2007. In 2008, I started refocusing. I also was a little burnt out. I networked with a lot of bloggers and they were more into not engaging so much. The few who did actually still blog today. Those who blogged the old way fell into three results: either having several blogs for different topics, totally quitting the blogging scene, or moved onto the social network scene for personal and entertainment reasons.

It was also in 2008, a new breed of bloggers started. They were new and had the same goals in mind. Some with good intentions, and others still not quite at the point to be teaching… however their readers learned along with them. Since then, I have enjoyed seeing the blog community grow. Although I am practically an evangelist for WordPress, I was happy to see what others were talking about and their opinions no matter the blogging platform or content management system. It adds a unique twist to anyone’s day. It also encouraged my own drive to continue on.

Just shy of a decade, and I am happy to be where I am at. I do have ambition to be a better blogger, but I know this one thing.

A long time I drove myself to be the top in the blog world, in a time where social networking was not emphasized much. I did well and had a lot of traffic, a lot of comments, and even visited and commented at other blogs. However, my blog was everywhere and just was not where I wanted to be. I did not want to mix my extremely personal life in the midst of sharing my love for teaching. I was not happy with this as I climbed too quickly and some of my better friends got left behind. I had to go back recently to search and reconnect.

Blogging has taught me many things. I have learned to try to stay humble about my blogging and not seem ‘know it all’ or forgetting those who helped my site grow. I have learned how to write and express myself better. I have also learned exactly what I want to do with my blog… well, blogs.

I know there will be a lot more to learn, even after 10 years of blogging. Please remain on my journey to keep learning if you have been for a while. After all, I have learned a lot from my readers too.

If you are a blogger or have been in the past, what has blogging taught you?

When you first blog, you might be on the learning path. You are not sure what you want to target and often your site’s focus is not really honed in really well. Discovering your path in blogging takes time and a lot of bumps along the way.

With so many sites out there that try to assist their readers on how to run their own blogs, there are still a lot of mistakes made. This is okay. The fun part about blogging is that is really is a learning process. You learn how to use the software, how to write and express yourself better, how to engage with others online, how to promote your site, and in many cases how to make money from your blog too.

It is no rush for you to get to your goal. You will make mistakes and remember… as I said, that is okay. As your site grows, you will find what your readers are interested in and tackle those topics with zest.

Throughout the years I have seen a lot of websites. I have seen a lot fade away. I have mentioned this in the past. This is because the person did not have enough time for their site and really discovered that blogging may not have been their games. Others stopped blogging on one site, re-focused, and started with a fresh site to go with new topics.

And let me share with you – I did a lot of re-focusing. You better believe it. Almost 10 years of blogging and I had gone through a lot. I had a mega site of all sorts of stuff like my personal like, to WordPress and web design, and more. I divided and re-focused into three different websites: Blondish.net, WPAddict.net, and Mommy-Blogger.net. Each of these sites were me, but with topics to keep those solely interested in specific topics coming back. While some people liked my WordPress articles, they did not want to read about my personal life experiences, and vice versa. And some of my mommy blogger friends were just blown over by all the tech lingo too…lol.

While what I did was a little tedious and I may not flat out recommend, I am happy with how my blogging path has gone. I can blog about all the things I want, and where I want to without any hindrances. I never have to debate if I am out of topics.

I know there are others bloggers out there that have come to the point where they are not sure what to do with their website. It might be due to lack of knowledge or passion, or even lack of time to manage.

If there is ever a time that you are unsure of what to do, step back from your site and ask yourself:

• What do you want to do with your site?
• What do you REALLY like to talk about?
• Are you reaching the people you want to reach?
• Are you willing to re-focus your site and do what it takes to improve it?

The biggest thing out of that short list is – what you want to write about and share with others. It is important that after every time you tweak your site’s focus, you are happy with your decision and eager to come up with fresh content and topics to keep both yourself and your readers entertained.

Blogging ain’t perfect. Even journalists that step into blogging never get it right the first time. So dive in, have fun, and blog!

Occasionally I receive guest post inquiries from previous guest bloggers that want to submit a post under another name, even a fake one. I normally do not accept these types. I am very selective when accepting guest blog posts and encourage others to do the same.

Why?

Well, I want my readers to read posts from real people who they can connect with. There are too many available guest writers wanting to post that are actually using it as a way to make money. I respect that people need to make a living, but not when it may be the fact my readers are not able to connect with my guest bloggers.

Getting money to get a backlink on someone’s site, well, that means someone is making money off of me and I just gave kudos to their client in the person’s author bio. Of course, I do not publish guest posts, but I walk away knowing that my readers know who is writing and that they are eager to respond back.

I want real people to guest post, not middle men (or middle women.) I deserve it. AND…. so do you.

Even if you have a site that is fairly new, you should be selective about who you let on board. You want guest bloggers who want to interact with your readers, not someone there for just a backlink for a business. Of course, in some cases, and I say this is a not often, you may find a business who have relevant topics for your blog and wanting to interact. Great! That is what you want.

While I am sure you are eager to push out content, making sure it is quality and done honestly is just as important. You never know- you could be inviting plagiarism, spun articles that do not have much value, and much more. There is a big market out there in the freelance world looking for writers and article re-writers who will basically ghost write and allow their articles to be spun maybe a hundred times and sold to clients to disperse around the Internet.

Make sure when you are allowing guest writers on board to establish a set of rules and also, you need to follow up with them. Guest writers who are not actively responding to comments on articles they have written obviously have no care other than money. They do not even care that their client they represented got a backlink from your site nor are they held to any rules to respond to articles written.

I am sure there are quite a few people who may not agree with my thoughts on this matter, but it is a choice I made. I was tired of seeing it on other blogs and stopped it from continuing on mine as those posts in the end held little value to encourage my readers to engage.

Are you selective when accepting guest blog posts? What tips do you have from your own experience?

I love reading blogs all the time. There are so many people with different experiences and different reasons for wanting to blog. This includes bloggers with language barriers to overcome. This article will cover my series- Blogging Ain’t Perfect. I hope to address the language barrier issue.

I am not perfect when it comes to writing and English is my first language. It is not uncommon that I might have a grammar issue from time to time. In fact, every so often I get an email with a correction. I normally am happy to correct the issue and even grateful to my readers who care enough to send me corrections.

However, for those who do not write or speak English as a first language, I do know from working and speaking with people from many countries that it can be hard to blog. You know what you want to say in your own language, but when you translate it over to English, it does not always read the same way.

I have read some great articles from non-English writers/ speakers, but I have also read some pretty bad ones that had great potential. For some bloggers, this could be a problem, especially if parts of the article do not make sense.

Some common mistakes:

• Writing the opposite of what you intended to mean
• Wrong word
• Sentence is awkwardly written and makes no sense at all

How you can avoid these mistakes:

• Carefully proof your article
• If you are not sure, ask a friend to proof your blog
• Use a translation program (please note that you should proof what the program outputs)

Do not be discouraged if you have a hard time writing in English or any language that is not your native one. There is always a solution. And by the way, as time goes by, with practice, your writing does get better. Also, most bloggers and readers alike are very understanding and are more than willing to give you a helpful hand if you ask.

For those who have been blogging for some time in English as a second language or third (fourth, or more), what advice do you have to give to your fellow bloggers wanting to become better?