Blog Platforms and RSS Feeds are critical to social media marketing

 As more and more social networks are born everyday, the more apparent it is becoming, that unified blog publishing platforms will be a requirement of every business who elects to try and keep up with the shift toward blogs and social media.  If you want everyone to link back to you through RSS, then you must have a source of original content that people find interesting. I'm personally noticing that more and more of my traffic is coming from social networks, like Digg, Stumbleupon, and many, many others.  The reason you are going to succeed if you keep interesting blogs going, is that you have the knowledge that most people don't have the time or the willingness to keep blogging.  So what do they do?  They take your RSS feed and put it on their various profile pages and social networks.  What's so cool about blogs is that they are also loved by Google bots, which means your organic search traffic is also coming in.

Is 'Blogging for Dummies' an Oxymoron?

  Say cheese! 
More and more, blogs are becoming part of mainstream culture.  Anyone and everyone can start a free blog about whatever floats their boat, and opinions about blogs are about as extreme and varied as the actual blog opinions that you read about. Then there are those who are on the fence, such as traditional media; which of course probably hate us (jealous) but can't deny that blogs now have at least a small but absolutely undeniable influence on those who use the Internet to communicate, collaborate and yes....to market!

I ran into this guy the other day (about the 3rd person in last month or so), that said he went out and purchased Blogging for Dummies (I didn't even know there was one).  I said "great to hear".  It really should be great to hear from me seeing that my company owns a blog platform that it wishes to market to the world, especially towards the non-sophisticated bloggers (dummies).  There is one disconnect though.   Will blogging ever really connect with traditional marketers or will blogging be transformed by these marketers?

Its true that blogs can really drive alot of traffic.  True, that its a great way to brand oneself.  True, that people actually make their living as a blogger.  Have I made my point? 


  

Google AdSense is a Big Racket - Google Alternatives

Taking a shot at Google!

I happen to have a Google AdSense account and make on average a peasily 5cents per click.  My best estimate is that Google makes about 20 times that at least.  AND, they hold onto your money for about 2 months at least, so they're making interest big time when you consider the billions of dollars they have in their account from advertisers.  The latest conspiracy theory that is looking real is that I've noticed that on some very competitive keywords, Google is sending traffic my way through their content targeting software, which I do make money from so I can only complain so much, but I think the reason they're doing this is so they can charge those advertisers 2 or 3.00 per click and pay me out 5cent....Sounds like a ponzi scheme.  Keep posted and beware of big brother (google).  We must band together and find a monetization model backed by a banking institution, that will pay the publishers 95%, not 5%! 

If You Have Something to Say Become an iReporter

Are you an articulate individual with something to say? Wouldn't it be great if somebody paid you fair wages just for writing your opinion?   If you answered yes to both of these questions, stop providing free content for sneaky fat cat media companies that like to pretend they're an online community, sign up as an iReporter instead.

Being an iReporter for Moguling entails reporting the news and writing product reviews for countless advertisers. Moguling provides the platform and a free blog site. They're such good sports that they even provide links to news articles so that you don't have to waste time trawling the Internet for inspiration.  

Moguling isn't a major media business. There is nothing pretentious about them. Instead, their attitude is understated, relaxed and, above all, professional. Those who sign up as iReporters are not expected to be groveling sycophants. As an iReporter, you can say what you really think as long as you aren't crude and obnoxious in the way you express it.   

Moguling works with some very popular sites. They work their special magic recipe so that these sites appear at the top of search engine listings. This guarantees that thousands of people will read the work you do as an iReporter.

I've been an iReporter for about six months now, and I sincerely love what I do. My work as an iReporter is a career and I take it seriously. The harder I work, the more opportunities I get. There is no evil boss breathing down my neck or making unreasonable demands. Since I work from home, I can write in my pajamas if I feel like it. I can also choose my own hours. In fact, it is now one in the morning and I am wearing my pajamas. My hair is a mess too, but nobody cares. Furthermore, since the more I work the more I earn, I can even choose my own salary.   In addition, being an iReporter is very easy. Any literate person can do it. It takes me between twenty thirty minutes to create a two hundred-word post, but I'm a little obsessive. Other iReporters can write one in ten minutes.

What do I love most about my job? I hold strong opinions about many different subjects. Being an iReporter gives me the opportunity to earn decent wages for expressing thoughts and feelings that other people are definitely going to read. I cannot think of a better career.

Don't write anymore blog posts for supposed online communities. They earn money for the content you provide, but they don't give you a cent for it, and that's greedy. If you're an expressive person with a lot to say, signing up as an iReporter could be the best move you ever make.

Bloggers going to have their Day!

  Old Media companies and Newspapers are not long for this (cyber) world.  With CNN's launch of iReport.com it really outlines just how out of touch CNN is, but not just CNN but other media outlets as well.  Current Media companies are treating the Internet like one of those old poorly made concert t-shirts, the one's that once you put your favorite band into the dryer, is good to last for about 3 or 4 wears before it loses its luster.  iReport.com is like a poorly scripted YouTube, but after people get over the gadget factor of the new site, CNN will be forced to acquire somebody who actually knows what is going on in the Blogosphere.

The Blogosphere and all those derivatives are soon going to band together once an intelligent monetization model can find their way through the garbage affiliate programs, which includes Google's ad sense. Whoever bridges this chasm with a good plan backed up by a better monetization model, will be the next Google.  A model whereby individuals can empower themselves and their body of work through one aggregate source.