Tag: Blogging

Categories
Blogging Internet SEO

The Panda Slap

If you run a website and have basic interest in SEO, you probably heard that Google recently released their so-called Panda update, a change in algorithm aimed at getting rid of the shitty sites such as eHow.com and similar content farms.

The change in the algorithm came in 2 iterations. The first one came out on February 24th, in the US only, affecting about 10% of search queries. The second one was released on April 11th and was rolled out in the rest of English-speaking countries, also making a slight change to the US algo, which supposedly affects an additional 2% of US queries.

On the morning of February 25th, I was glad to see that my iPhone blog had gone through the update and came out unhurt. Even better than that, it seemed I was doing even better in search engines. It was nice to see Google recognizing me as a good resource. Then on April 12, everything changed when I realized the second iteration of the Panda update had slapped me in the face. Big time!

Continue reading “The Panda Slap”
Categories
Blogging

Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.

I just updated one of my WordPress blogs to the latest version available, directly from the WP admin panel. After hitting the “please update now” link, I was quickly presented this message: “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.”

For the first minute or so I thought WordPress was working in the background and that my site would be back up in a couple minutes. But 5 minutes later, it was still displaying this message. I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t worrying…

Continue reading “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.”
Categories
Blogging

Find Your Voice

Everyday I see people online that are trying really hard to blog and pretend to be what they’re not. They usually try to use very complicated words, or they try to make themselves bigger than they are by saying “we”, when they should just say “I”.

Why do people do this? They try to impress us because they are worried that if they show what they really are, then they won’t be taken seriously. Reality is, it’s quite the opposite. If you pretend to be what you’re not, people will eventually figure it out and you will lose all respect they might have had for you.

Because it’s easier to show what you really are than pretending to be someone you’re not, finding your voice on your blog shouldn’t be a painful exercise and will benefit you greatly.

Continue reading “Find Your Voice”
Categories
Blogging

I’m A Blogger

blogger

Earlier this year I wrote a post about how I make money online in which I stressed the fact that it was hard for me to explain people what my job is when they ask what I do for a living. At the time, I was doing many things online which made it hard for me to tell exactly what I was doing, especially to those people who don’t know much about ways of making money online.

Things have changed a lot since then. My lovely fiancee and I traveled the world, I gave up on Google Adsense after they gave up on me and decided to take me back after all, but most importantly, my iPhone blog went from about 300,000 visitors/month to over 1,500,000.

Continue reading “I’m A Blogger”
Categories
Blogging

The Three Pillars of Blogging

3 pillars of blogging

In my previous article about how I make money online, I briefly mentionned that to run a blog, you need expertise about a given topic, time, and dedication. I think those are the three pillars of blogging.

When I tell people how I make money blogging, they get really excited and want to start their own blog. Some of them actually do start their own blog but the majority fails because they either lack expertise, time, or motivation. If one of the pillars is missing, your blog is going to collapse.

Let’s have a look at the three pillars.

Continue reading “The Three Pillars of Blogging”
Categories
Blogging Internet Marketing

How I Make Money Online

make money online

When you meet someone for the first time, there is always a time in the conversation when you’re going to ask each other what you do for a living. When I was working for the man, the answer was easy. I would simply say “I’m the Vice President of Marketing for a web company that offers various services to franchise companies”.

Now that I am self-employed and that I generate 100% of my revenues on the Internet, I find it a bit harder to explain what I do in one short and concise sentence. The best answer would be that I make money online. I’ve found that telling this usually generates about 60 more questions about the possible ways to make a living off a computer and an Internet connection.

In this article, I would like to discuss the various ways I make money online, mostly through blogging, content publishing and projects for clients.

Continue reading “How I Make Money Online”
Categories
Blogging

Real Name Vs Username – Which One Should You Go For Online?

hideThis article is a follow up to a post I wrote a few months ago about why you should use your real name on Twitter. Blog reader Eric emailed me and explained he’s worried giving his real name online might get him into trouble. The following is Eric’s question and my answer to him.

Continue reading “Real Name Vs Username – Which One Should You Go For Online?”
Categories
Blogging Internet

Content is King

A friend of mine sent me an email and asked me the following question about content creation.

Instead of replying to him, I thought that would be a good case study about duplicate content and how to create good content for your site.

If you have questions you’d like me to answer, feel free to contact me.

Continue reading “Content is King”
Categories
Internet

My Blogging Blueprint

Late last night I received and email from someone from Hungary. The subject of the email was: Twitter, blogs, online fame or how should i do? Basically, this guy named Attila (yes, like Attila the Hun) was asking me how to be successful online and where to start.

Continue reading “My Blogging Blueprint”
Categories
Business Internet

Online Businesses And The Reality Of Working For Yourself

working from homeA few months ago, I finally took the the plunge by quitting my full time job in order to focus 100% on my internet business, and so far, I have to admit it is the best decision I ever made: I don’t have anyone to report to anymore; I don’t have a schedule; I do what I want; and I can work from anywhere in the world. The best is, I make about as much (maybe more) than I did in my full time job. Looks great on the paper, doesn’t it? But is it as great as it seems to be?

Continue reading “Online Businesses And The Reality Of Working For Yourself”