New Blogger Strategies and Goals

“With 3 years experienced as a blogger, eHow writer and a  product designer in Zazzle, I am getting better and better in this venture”.


Looking back to my newbie days, I have learned so many things and I wanted to document it in this blog as a memo to myself, to my friends and to someone out there who are taking the same trail as I did. If I wanna make another blog and plan to monetize it for upfront and residual earnings and if I will be asked which of the two is my priority, I prefer to blog for residual earnings.


“Write, write, write or read, read , read or work, work, work TODAY and Reap the fruits of your Labor Tomorrow. ” I know it is the sweetest gift for your self and family in the END.


I started blogging since 2008. It was really hard as an English as a Second Language Blogger. During those days, I need to re-read my posts as many times as possible for grammar and spelling or else my post will be rejected by advertisers. But in a long run, I am getting better and better in this venture. Reading and joining forums for writers help me a lot as I learned that they too need to re-read and review their articles for the same reason. Now, I am motivated to do better than my best. I am not afraid to try everything and learn from my mistakes. I am also confident to mentor newbies in blogging if they ask for help.


Did you know how much I earned in blogging since 2008?

• I joined at least 3 paid blogging sites and I earned at least $2000 with them per year.
• I joined two contest: learning video making and blog about it first prize $500 and $5000 from Godaddy.com for trying one of their products called Smartspace and make a blog entry about it. (I have links to prove these.)

Below are some of my blogging strategies and goals for 2011: 

1. Develop a blogging post format:
• Contents must be at least 200 – 300 words. It’s funny because, it looks like it will give me a hard time in creating posts but as I try to start typing and I was surprised how some ideas just flowed  or popped up in my thoughts. Have you experienced it? As for me, I noticed it since I started following my blogging outline. It’s very easy to connect ideas if we add more life to our blog post. It’s not just all block of text.
2. Blog with Search Engine Optimization for a better ranking in Google and Traffic.
3.  Add related image/images. Respect copyrights. Use free cliparts or photos. Or I will sign up to photo affiliate program related to my post/s and at the same time I will also earn a commission when someone purchases like Allposters.com, Zazzle.com product images and much more.
4. Embed or add related videos from Youtube, Dailymotions, etc. This is really effective if you have a how-to topic. Resize player if you wish. Edit it after you copy and paste HTML or Javascript code. Look for the length and width, then save.
5. Highlight, enlarge, resize text or fonts appropriately. This will give your post an attractive look and not just plain text.
6. Recommend products or books from Amazon (apply for Associate), Commision Junction, etc.
7. Add appropriate Add-ons or plugins like easy share buttons.
8. Add affiliate links and banners. Google Adsense, Adbrite, infolinks, etc. But do not overdo it.
9. If you will add referral links, be honest, enclose it in a parenthesis.

Main Goal: To earn $500 a month online in 2 years. 

At this point, my earnings are least $200 per month. I did well in residual income like eHow, squidoo and zazzle while paid blogging is just a bonus  and I will not count it as my passive income because it is not regular. See samples of my articles integrating all the strategies above in my squidoo profile below:

• How to make a soccer ball pillow
• Dish gardening pictures and designs
• Famous Hawaiian wedding songs and lyrics
• Mathematics poster collections 

I started using or implementing this technique in my new WordPress blog, The blogger's Trail. I'm just to busy to update that site. One of the sample posts: How to earn money from the Internet using Twitter.

Look at the image in this post above, click it and it will lead you to the store link of that product, if someone buys it, I will get 15% sale commission. It's a great earning potential in zazzle. You only have to create designs or refer their products. But the best part of it is that you can use the image in your website without any copyright violations. 

In order to achieve my goals, I set a weekly review of my all my posts (for that week) and edit it implementing my strategies above. Sometimes, I did daily tweak for my eHow articles and still found some errors that needs to be corrected. I also join a writing forum and request them to critique any of my articles and in return I will also visit their post and critique them. I have a notebook to note my online earning updates. Aside from regular tweaking, posting more Quality articles  is one of keys to success in writing online. My target is to post at least 3 articles per week for my residual sites. Promote each articles to sites like Redgage and shetoldme (pay per view), blogs, forums, etc. Use original contents and be helpful since Google has changed its algorithm and will kill sites that copy and paste contents. 


I am still encouraging everyone to keep writing  and be successful and don't forget to connect to your neighbors and help one another.

The bottom line is “What can we offer to our readers?” They are most important part in our blog posts. Our success in this venture lies on them.

Please don't forget to FB LIKE above, if you like this post or leave a message. Thank you guys!

Experience Become.com

OH MY Gosh... I can't believe the shopping experience at www.become.com.  Yes it is true. We went to Santa Fe NM and saw the greatest things and I just had to have some things like it. But how to afford it. Well Become lets us become the people we wanted to be. Sectional Couches are the main thing that I missed from my upbringing in a big suburban home in MA. Just look at the ones on display from the become site. We got ours there and it was so easy and absolutely satisfying. Now we can have two conversation pits going at once or just one big one at our parties. When we have friends over, Hubby can talk with his buddy and I can focus on MY friend. Candice Olson furniture is really great.

Also at Become we got the greatest Zebra wall paper. It makes me drool!!!!!! And it was affordable. Really easy on our budget. The images on this paper keep me occupied better than my favorite TV shows like American idol, AFV and different court shows. I spend much time relaxing and imagining the most interesting things sitting there in the Living room with our new the zebra print.

You know hubby does business at home sometimes...I hate this but he does bring home the bacon so to speak. And I love him. SOOOOO at become.com we found the perfect lift top coffee table to go in this great new living room. It has a LIFT TOP which allows him to keep his forms for customers at hand.

We can be entertaining and if someone likes his "pitch" he can whip out the form and get the signature with leaving the room.....I LOVE IT! Please write to me if you have similar or dissimilar experiences. For me, till I learn better, I will do my shopping at Become as it has really help us to Become who we are and wanted to be all along.

Suggested Ideas for Blog Comments

Adding comment to articles and blog  help that post to have a better page rank in Google and other search engines. This is what I learned while being one of the writer in eHow and actively reading and occasionally participating in the forum.

I am annoyed with my wordpress blog called the Bloggers Trail that receives too many comments every day and 98% of those comments are not useful. All are spams and website promotion. I repent spending time reading it and approving and trashing it out. I finally, decided to disable my comments in all my posts and then I will figure it out later. 

As a blogger, I've been visiting some of my friends website and here some of my observations: 

1. English as Second Language Writers or bloggers. The article or blog post was written in English but for some reasons, some of your social network friends have the same dialect as you are which is  not English. For instance, scroll down any of your blog post, you will notice that majority of the comments are not in English and sometimes, the author also replied it in her dialect. What is wrong with this? 
2. Some comments are ridiculous. It does not say anything about the topic you are posting. You author spend time thinking and editing about it does not deserve comments that are not beneficial to your blog.
3. Some of your friends or visitors fill comments with spams. Too many links that are not related your post.
4. If you can think of some observations, please add under comments.

Some suggestions in writing comments:

1. Write it in English Language if an article is written in English.
2. Mention the title or the topic of the article in your comments.
3. Add more words if your want to as long as you stay in the topics.
4. Write your name or pen name as the author of the comment and not the name of the product you are promoting, anyway you can still add any URL in that comment.
5. Share it to Facebook or Twitter and other social networking sites as you wish. You will also benefit for doing it since your link is also there. 
6. Return the favor. When a friend give you great comments and shared your post. Return the favor by commenting, recommending and rating any of his/her article.
7. Leave non English comments to the message area like chat box, shout box, or email the author if it is personal.

The first two suggestions are good enough, if you can think of any more points, please feel free to add it  under comments. I am not an expert, this is just all my ideas. The bottom line is to help each other in this online earning venture.

I Think, Therefore I Blog by livejournal
Design personalized mousemats on zazzle

Bloggers Trail : My new blog from wordpress

Last November 23rd 2010, I decided to create another blog called the "Bloggers Trail". I had previous blog  named thebloggerstrail.blogspot.com. These two blog have the same concepts. It's all about blogging tips and tricks and other online earning ventures success and failures. The new Bloggers Trail is very improve and has its own domain from bluehost.com through wordpress. Somebody recommended it while I was reading a great successful residual earner online. I gave it a try.


At first, I was very excited created and adding widgets to my blog. After a day or two, I received great good comments. After a week, more and more comments were added. Of course, I read and approved it manually. Some looks sincere while others look spammy. I became more suspicious everyday. Are they real or not? Someone posted a comment and it says that all comments above are ridiculous. It really does not help me and my readers. All are general comments, it does not mention any of my article's topic and it was all praises and promotions of their products. They all want to be approved that is why they made those dumb comments.


Anyways, I disabled all my articles' comment there and I think I am very happy with my decision.

The Wife's Bellybag

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of CryoCell International. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

My Wife Is Pregnant!   She is asking me for the Free BellyBag.   Yes, it is true.  The bag is a very large high quality cloth bag for diapers or for use as a beech or shopping bag.  It is ordered for free by the largest company in the world that  specializes in freezing a portion for the umbilical cord for future purse if necessary in the case of serious illness.  I told her she is crazy but she told me to fill out the form at http://www.cryo-cell.net/online/epip/RequestInformation.aspx. I did.  I am no dummy.  Now, I know more about cell therapy and my wife has a deluxe bag.

 

To paraphrase the company literature, they provide education and awareness on the vast potential benefits of stem cells and regenerative medicine to treat disease and save lives today and in the future. 

 

I know this is important because our family is subject to some highly inheritable childhood disease.  The chances of our baby getting it are one in ten the doctors say.  Of course there is no guarantee that this will help if our precious baby to be does contract the disease.  Yet, how can we not take advantage of this "insurance policy".  The price is cheap by any comparison.

 

My neighbor has emailed her available time for a consultation and got the Belly Bag and it is great.   She told them when to call and they called exactly then.  They used no pressure tactics.  Francine is not sure if she is going to go ahead but she got the bag.

 

I am telling all my friends to do it.  Just visit the site and give them any of your contact info.  Tell them when to contact you.  That is all.  They have a very good reputation as you can see from a brief Google search.

 

Useful links for your bellybags: 

www.Cryo-Cell.com

www.Cryo-Cell.net

Beep your cost down

I am very into doing funny things:  I went to the Los  Angeles auto repair and parts shop and got a "BACK - UP BEEPER" .   This was the same place that sold me the head gasket for my Honda civic but that is another story.   Well, I figured out which wire under the back of the car ran to the back up lights and cut into that circuit for the beeper.  Now when I go into reverse in a crowed parking lot, I feel safer.  It is less likely that I bump someone!  


I found this place from repairpal.com. It is a free site that I use to check estimates from repair places.  There is an iphone app too so I can get help easily in a new place.  It is an independent unbiased opinion from professionals as to what a repair should cost.  It is simple enough to use that my grandmother can do it.  Next time you here a Honda civic beeping like a truck, wave, its me! smile.

valentine's day gift: sold products from zazzle

I just got from work and checked my email and to my surprized, I have 9 purchases for my zazzle. Thanks to my customer Fabienne of Switzerland for liking my products and designs. Here are my star products for today. Now, I will spend time designing and uploading images. Visit my store: http://www.zazzle.com/alohagems*

3 bumper stickers

1 mug

1 round button

1 t-shirt

1 key chain

2 stickers

Opps, I have another purchased after writing this note. Woot! 10 purchases in all on Valentines day!! I can't forget this day....

Pink Hibiscus Y Apron by alohagemsaprons

Many more kitchen apron designs online at zazzle" apron designs on zazzle

I posted it in my squidoo account. If you are interested, please follow this link.

Sample Cover Letter for Removal of Conditions

Hawaiian Dragon Goddess

Hawaiian Dragon Goddess by Skydancer
More Hawaii Posters

Xoom Corporation, cheapest way to send money online

I made some research about this online and from my personal and social networking friends. I even asked it in the forum. Customers can also apply coupon codes before checkout for 100% free service charge, 50% off service charge and other promotion conditions. Receiving countries have different guidelines but Xoom's Help links and/or customers service representatives will surely help you with this. It is very easy to sign up.


The good news this time is that Xoom Corporation run a  Refer A Friend Program powered by TellAPal where you will earn $15 referral bunos each friend you refer and your friend will also receive the same amount for every friend he/she refers. Please read Xoom Refer a Friend Program Terms for more informations and details. Read also About the Xoom Refer a Friend Program to see how it works.


Note that your first money transfer is only $2.99 and you will receive $15 rewards too. Below is one of the FAQ's in Xoom that might interest you:

How long does a Xoom money transfer usually take?

This is determined by two components: your payment method and the payout method.
Payment Methods Accepted

• eCheck - Xoom receives funds from your bank account within 0-4 business days
• Credit Card or Debit Card - Xoom receives funds immediately

Payout Methods

• Cash Pick Up - Immediate to one (1) day
• Bank Deposit - Immediate to one (1) day
• Delivery - Same day to several days depending on distance

Why people get married in Hawaii?

The Hawaiian islands are widely known as one of our worlds most romantic places. The beauty of the mountains, the ocean and the flowers make Hawaii THE romantic wedding venue. Just listen to the "Hawaiian Wedding Song" and you can see how people are able to associate their marriage with love and romance in the Hawaiian Islands. Music speaks to the soul. And can be remembered after the wedding to transport the peple back to that joyous memorable occasions.

Transportation is expensive but this can be partially or even COMPLETELY OFF-SET because there are many locals eager to help you plan and arrange a wedding for ANY BUGGET. The State of Hawaii allows local people to obtain the right to marry people easily. See the article by my husband and I on this little known fact plus much more on rain in Hawaii and how to have a wedding on your budget. Read more.... Famous Hawaiian Wedding Songs: Music and Lyrics

The Joy of Boudreaux's Butt Paste

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Boudreaux's Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.

I first saw this great baby rash cream on Oprah. Then a month later we visited New Orleans for vacation and to see my friend Aretha. We love the great LIVE Jazz music and fantastic unique Creole food. My Friend said she uses Butt-Paste for her baby and she lives there and it is made by Boudreaux's in Louisiana and naturally she is a big supporter. Well I tried it and now I am a believer!

When we got back to Iowa I just used my regular cream but then I ran out and at the same time I was watching the cable show called While You Were Out. I sent my Husband to the convenience store and instead of doing as I said and getting the right thing, he just got my regular stuff. Well I was burning mad and he got the message. He said he was embarrassed to ask for the Butt Paste. Just then it was mentioned on the TV! After that he was willing to go out again and ASK for it. It is a funny name. Well, it is carried here in the big discount store and they have three types: The one pound jar, the three ounce tube and the All Natural three ounce tube. We laugh now about while you were out you were afraid to say Butt Paste. This cream is superior in acting quickly. It is easy to use, effective, gentle, and most important of all to my hubby: not messy.

The Doctor and pharmacist I've asked both say it is good. I say so too!

Finally you need to know Boudreaux's Butt Paste has other uses too...Hubby Hyam had a laugh with his big time hunter friend John about the name Butt Paste and then we were shocked to learn that Johu uses it for the bottom of his feet. In the cold Iowa winter season the bottom of his feet get dry and the skin even starts to crack. John says that occasional use of the butt paste keeps his skin moist and crack free.

Visit Boudreaux's Butt Paste to receive free product sample.

We love Butt Paste!

I love Socialspark more!

I've been blogging and earning with socialspark since 2008. I was not as active as other bloggers but I got at least $2000 with them from blogging. There are real with great customer service support that will guide you for every problems and doubts while you are using their website. Both bloggers or publishers and advertisers benefit  from this company. The kind and form of advertisements they created are really awesome.

You, advertisers should not take a second thought as soon as see their site. Why? This site gives you the best bloggers or publishers to promote your website, drive more traffic and more customers for your products. This is the best way to achieve your online marketing goals. People usually search for reviews of products before buying. These highly qualified publishers will help you anything you like to be promoted online.

Promoting your website through twitter and facebook, might be effective too but not as good as blogging it and publishing articles or reviews online.

Did you know?

"The SocialSpark referral program officially launched this week! To celebrate we are holding a contest and giving away a trip for two to Hawaii including airfare and seven days of hotel accommodations." from IZEA email promotions.

I've been earning money blogging about interesting products & services via my sponsor SocialSpark! Sign up here: http://izea.in/r2UK

TABASCO Original Red for Family and Friends

This post brought to you by TABASCO® Original Red. All opinions are 100% mine.

Every time we go for groceries, we always check to see that we have TABASCO® Original Red as one of the FULL EXTRA BOTTLES of our favorites in our shopping list.  My family loves it and uses it many times a week if not daily.  My husband cries if we run out.  My Auntie won’t eat her eggs.  Really.  So we keep one or two extra unopened bottles at all times.

My made at home lunch which I take to my school job daily is not perfect if I do not include Tabasco red hot in a small container.  (The department and discount stores have a big selection of perfect 3 once containers now due to carry on baggage restrictions.)   Lunch time is one of my favorite parts of the day at work.  I can chat with my friends and we can share Tabasco Original Red if someone forgets their sauce.  Sometimes, someone buys a big bottle and keeps it in the fridge as one of the foods to share.   

A week ago, my co-worker was a little worried about her neighbor asking a favor to have a super bowl part right at their place. They live in the same apartment building.  She can’t imagine how difficult it will be, especially kids running all around their area. We told her to  just enjoy the day! It’s not everyday after all. Then after 2 days, she finally get over her worry and even invited us to attend the party. Of course, we will not go there without a Pizza with Tabasco Original Red sauce.  

We love a weekend  brunch.  We may have meat, seafood, or pasta.  As a kid I just liked the “hot” in Tabasco sauce.  Now, as an adult, I love the subtle increase in flavor of all these foods that Tabasco original red brings out.

Finally, We know that you will like these TABASCO® Original Red ideas: Pizza Perfected and Game-Day Party Menu. 

My First Advertiser Offer from the New Socialspark website

So finally, I got an offer from an advertiser who gave me a chance and accepted my application to write a post for their website. I asked help for some of my family members for create a great post and I hope that the advertiser will love it and approve my post. Thanks to you.
The article will be posted as soon as it has no problems