Professional Blogging for Dummies

At Ollie's Discount Store in Niagara Falls, New York, I bought a copy of Professional Blogging for Dummies for only $6.99 (regular $29.99).  While I have had a blog for three and a half years, I thought it was about time I learned how to be a professional blogger, to make money at my blog.

I was happy to learn that I am already doing some things right.  I post regularly and frequently.  If I can't post, then I save the date and catch up later on.  I always include photographs or pictures in my posts.  Another thing I have been doing lately is listing previous posts which connect with a current post, almost like cross references.  I also have my five most popular posts listed on my home page. Recently, I started including tags in my posts to encourage backlinks.

Here are some things I can do to expand my reader audience.  Firstly, I can provide a link to other blogs, called a blogroll.  That way, I will get fellow bloggers aware of my blog and hopefully invite reader comments.  I can become a regular follower of other blogs and make comments on their posts. I can also link to Youtube for a sound bite occasionally.

I like the author's suggestion of categorizing my blogposts.  It makes it more reader friendly.  That way, I increase the likelihood of a reader reading more than just the current post.  

Of course, to make money, I can sign up with Google Adsense which I am in the process of doing. There are also freelance writing opportunities online for bloggers like Hubpages.

The author, Susan Getgood, also mentions how to monitor and measure the success of your blog, called Google analytics or metrics:  how many people read your blog (page views); how engaged they are with your blog ex. read one post, read multiple posts; how people find your site ex. search keywords; which are your most popular posts.  As the author states:

"Understand though that even a little bit of attention to your metrics can reap big rewards.  Just keep the importance of your metrics in perspective.  After all, you're a blogger, not a calculator."

So, look out fellow professional bloggers, here I come!

To read author Susan Getgood's blog "Marketing Roadmaps" visit:
http://getgood.com/roadmaps/

To order a book, visit:
http://www.amazon.ca/Professional-Blogging-Dummies-Susan-Getgood/dp/0470601795

http://www.amazon.ca/Professional-Blogging-Dummies-Susan-Getgood/dp/0470601795

Technologically Challenged

I am a dinosaur.  I don't own a cell phone.  I've never sent a text.  The only reason that I joined Facebook three and a half years ago was so that I could connect with other writers.  However, it's been a great forum for my blog.  Now, I'm looking for more blog followers and hits.  This week, therefore, I decided to become a full fledged member of the social media world.  My teenage son can do these things in his sleep, but for me, it's a monumental task.  But I was bound and determined to do it.

I started out with Twitter.  I signed up and opened an account -- without any tears!  I sent my first tweet, successfully.  Then I went crazy and sent several other tweets.  Next I turned to Pinterest.  I signed up, opened an account and pinned my first photo.  I even tried Google +, but Thomas told me that it was a waste of time, so I gave up on it.

My next task was to sign up for Google Adsense (http://www.google.com/adsense/).  I've been blogging for three and a half years, why not make a bit of money at it?  Once again, I signed up successfully.  Now I just have to wait up to a week to be approved.

I have always wanted to write more articles.  I discovered Hubpages on the Internet.  Why not sign up to write Hubs?  So, I gave them a list of information as well as my Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest accounts and signed on the dotted line.  I wrote my first Hub, "Open Adoption:  Uncharted Territory", which took an hour and a half to complete.  Then I pressed a button -- and it disappeared!  I didn't cry, I didn't throw anything.  I just calmly started to rewrite the article.  This time, however, I saved it in Microsoft Word, just in case.  The second time around I was able to successfully submit the article. I was told it would take 24 hours to proofread before it would be published.  I don't care -- I'm a Hubber!

Besides Social Media, another way I can increase my blog hits is to use tags.  Again, how hard can it be to learn? So, I googled it.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out how simple it was.  Each time I write a new blog post, I have a box to the right of the text with the word Labels at the top.  I click on it, a box opens, and I list the words that I would like highlighted from that particular post.  Then, when I publish my post, voila!  The highlighted words appear in orange at the bottom of my post as "tags".

I thought, I wonder if tags are the same as "hashtags"?  I guess they are.  I was so proud of myself that I bragged to my daughter Jacqueline that I had learned how to use hashtags.  She laughed and explained to me that a hashtag is something you use when you text.  She said:  "Stick to Facebook, Mom.  It's more your speed."  

Nonetheless, I am still pleased that I have navigated through the Social Media world successfully. My next task is to set up an official website which will provide links to my writing (blog, newspaper articles, short stories).  Can I do it?  Will I succeed?  We'll see.  If I'm successful, you'll see me doing a happy dance. Thomas and Jacqueline, however, will not bat an eyelash.  I'm still their "dinosaur" mother.

wordpress.com