Its Friday! And now I see how the $Money is Made

Well my first business week of blogging is coming to a close and I have learned quite a bit. Yesterday evening I did some research on other blogs trying to see how people really make money doing this. I was referred to this one blogger that started out on blogger just like me but is now bringing in over $20,000 for the first 6 months of the year. How does she do?????

Its all about sales, ads, and traffic. When most people go to the Internet they are trying to look up information. It may be about the latest news story, or celebrity gossip they overheard at the water cooler, or some new diet they heard about on Oprah. Well if you can get the latest news stories on your blog page as headlines its a possibility that google will have your site come up during the search. That will get you traffic.

Then you get the advertisements on your page from various affiliate programs. Many companies are trying to advertise online, so find out if they have a program where you can benefit. There are ways to find out which programs are popular and successful and has the best commission rates.

Thirdly, its about sales. The one blog I researched made great commissions off of book sales via Amazon.com. The key is putting the right products on your page. If you are not sure, you may want to start with what are overall hot sellers for Amazon or find out the "demographics" of your readers. I have uncovered statistical programs that can tell you all about those who have visited your site.

Lastly, you have to make a choice. Do you want to create and work at a blog that is created only to make commissions or do you want to write about things you truly enjoy. I suggest the latter because that is what will keep your readers coming back. The other option is to try both. Nowadays, its not uncommon for "bloggers" to have multiple blogs with different content and purpose.

Give it a shot and let me know how it goes!!!!!!!!

Day 3 in the Blogosphere

Today I felt so proud of myself for creating a blog I suggested to my mom and my husband that they start a blog. I really think Blogger is great for first time bloggers because it requires no monetary investment but gives you a wealth of learning opportunity. Earlier today I attempted to improve the layout of my blog page by adding on gadgets. I was shocked to see how many different gadgets there are to add to the web page. The choices range from calendars and clock to pictures of cats and dogs. You can add the weather update, the stock update or just the news update. In essence, there were so many choices I could not decide. I decided to investigate further by comparing different blogs. I don't want to overcrowd my page or add things that don't make sense with my theme.

I also want to monetize the blog by adding google advertisements. I am still having trouble getting AdSense to work, but I will not give up the effort on that. I have heard stories of bloggers making thousands of dollars via blogging profits, but my friend who has been doing it for 2 years brings in only modest amounts in the hundreds. Regardless, in this economy any additional income is great.

As I told my husband, once I get things rolling I have to advertise my site. For me, that means publicizing the fact that I have a blog to family and friends via facebook or email. I think the big question any newbie blogger has is "Will anyone want to read my Blog?" Furthermore, if I get someone to read it once, will they be interested enough to subscribe or read it every day? These are questions you may ponder but you will never know the answer until you give it a try! Its almost like writing a book. Hopefully someone will find what you have to say quite interesting.

The other great tool in the blogosphere is the ability to get real time feedback via the comment section. I highly encourage people to respond with comments so you know what your readers are thinking. If I have convinced you to start a blog or you had already considered it, let me know. Tell me your story. How did you get started?

Day 2: Blog Mistakes made already

Hello world,
First I told you a little about me, now let me tell you about the mistakes I have already made trying to enter the blogosphere. When I decide I want to do something, I usually just jump right in. I am the type that does not start by reading the directions until I have attempted the project on my own and ran into a snag. Well that is exactly how I approached blogging.

I called up a friend, we talked for 15 minutes and I decided I was ready to start blogging! I went to a hosting site, created a domain name, signed up for all the bells and whistles, regardless of the fact I had no idea why I would need them. Then I went to my new website and realized I did not know exactly what to do next. So naturally I called my friend back but she was not home. I had just spent nearly $200 for a Blog domain, webhosting for a year, and I had no idea how to even set up the site. I knew what I wanted it to look like, but I did not comprehend a tag from a category.

The worst part was yet to come. I kept having trouble finding my website by typing in the url. If I clicked on it from an email sent from the webhosting company there was not a problem. Lo and behold I found out I MIS-SPELLED my brand new website address. So what I intended the domain name to be was actually a really bad misspelling of 4 little words.

Well as you can remember from my previous post, I did not start on my blogging adventure until after a long day at work, dinner was cooked, the baby went to sleep and most everyone else had gone to bed but myself. I should have expected my eyesight to be less than 20/20 at 1am.

To make a long story short, after calling myself a big idiot and admitting my error to my friend, my husband and the web hosting company , I decided I needed to start over from scratch.

Thats how I ended up here. First, it was free to set up a blog, and it was super easy to create my page. All I had to do was create a title and start typing my first post. My next step is to find a better time slot for releasing my creativity other than 1am. How do you find time to do your extra-curricular activities when you have a full-time job and a family to take care of? If you have suggestions I would love to hear it!

Day One of Creating a Blog

Greetings! I have actually been thinking about starting a blog for several months. I am a proud first time mother of an 18 month old daughter. Luckily life forced me to wait a while before having a child because I find it one the of most challenging endeavors anyone could take on. Nevertheless it gives as much back as it requires in terms of joy and laughter.

I am also the wife of 11 years of a successful businessman. We met while in college, dated long distance and married 2 years later. We have certainly had our ups and downs but on the surface we look like the happiest couple in the world. Only a few people know how difficult it has been but through great patience and hard work we are making a comeback.

I am also a working career woman. I have held several different jobs, in different career fields thanks to my versatile degree in Industrial Engineering. Even though my job may appear stable I am always looking to expand my knowledge and my skillsets. Right now I want to learn as much about blogging as possible. Also it will allow me to express my creative inner voice in a way that I have not done previously.

Are you looking for a way to express your creative inner voice? Do you wear many hats and feel under-appreciated? It is time to let the world know how we really feel, maybe someone else is feeling the same way or thinking about things from a similar perspective.