If you plan on joining a blog network, either as a blogger for existing blogs on a network, or to have your blog added as part of the network, you’d better exercise caution so that you end up with a network that will truly help you reach your goals.

Some warning you should watch out for when joining blog networks include:

• Poor content – If the blog network offers poor content, stay away. You don’t want to be associated with anything that will diminish your reputation instead of build it up. Read the actual posts and you can easily see whether they are publishing spun content or are using ghost bloggers that do not even have a good command of the English language. In addition to these, many of the blogs are not even thematic and will write about any topic, which is a sign that they are accepting payment to link to sites, and as we know they will get penalized if caught.
• Ugly pages – Most link farms disguising as blog networks use templates that they do not bother to customize at all.
• No information about the people behind it – You will find that the best blog networks have “real” people behind them. Stay away from blog networks without decent write ups on the authors/bloggers and do not even provide proper contact information.

Image via CrunchyNow

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1. It should reflect the topic – Don’t add an image just to make your blog post look pretty. Choose images that reflect the topic and has something to add to the post, and when you can’t think of something suitably specific, go without (just like we’re doing for this post!).
2. Respect copyright laws – The good thing is that there are many images online that you can reuse without trampling on copyright laws such as those licensed under Copyleft. You can also search for stock images from sites like  Depositphotos stock photos, where you will find virtually any kind of image you need for a reasonable fee. However you get your images, just make sure that you give credit where credit is due and that you don’t do something against the law.
3. Think quality – Stay away from grainy images and choose image with good aspect ratios. Vector images are a good idea because they will scale properly whatever size you need them to be.
4. Insert them properly – One of my pet peeves about many fellow professional bloggers is that they don’t bother to properly align the images they insert. It only takes a few seconds to change the alignment and resize the images so that they blend with rest of the post. No matter how good your

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Fortunately, it is extremely easy to fix your blog so that more people can read it. It’s also worth noting that many people in America speak English as a foreign language. For this reason, translation of a blog becomes important.

Google Translate is the most popular form of translation for a blog. The feature is completely free and can work in one of three ways:

3 Ways You Can Make Your Website Available to the World

1. Add the Website Translator (Drop-Down Menu)

This is a great way to section off your website. For example, if you only want readers to have the option to translate your blog into a different language, you can do that. You can also hand pick which languages you want available. You can select all the languages Google Translate offers, or pick and choose. Once you make all of your decisions on the Google Translate service, a code will be generated for you. Just copy and paste the code into your webpage, and you’re done! Visit the Google Translate homepage for more information.

2. 1-Click Translations for the Toolbar

This is one of my personal favorite ways to translate a webpage. This works great if you have a little bit of extra space on your webpage and know that you only want a few languages available for translation. For example, many businesses know if they have a lot of Spanish speaking readers, so it makes sense to stick with that one language. 1-Click Translations allows the language to be on display (as opposed to a drop down menu), so it works nicely for those who think translation will be a big selling point for their business. The best part: All you have to do is drag the language you’d like found here into your toolbar, and then all readers have to do is click the link.

3. Download Google Toolbar

Although this option does not have as many language choices as the other options, it is extremely beneficial for those who speak English as a second language. Many people want to read a website in English, but get caught on a few words. The Google Toolbar allows readers to put their cursor over a word and instantly see the word in a different language. This service is also free, and can be downloaded here.

Common Concerns with Google Translation

• Comments – Many people get nervous about translation because of the comments. If a blog is read in a different language, then won’t the comments be in that same language? In some cases yes, but in many cases no. You will be surprised to find that although a reader may read something in a different language; they feel comfortable writing a comment in English. If you do get an occasional comment in a different language, it only takes about ten seconds to translate that comment into English. You can use the Google Translate website by copying and pasting the comment in the box on the left. There is a dropdown menu up top where you pick the language of the comment (or have it detected) àEnglish, and then hit “translate” to see what the comment says. You can even type in your own comment and translate it into the reader’s language if you wish!

• Conversion – It is also worth noting that the translation is never perfect. Because languages do not always follow the same format (ex: sentence structure of subject, verb, object), it can be tough to translate perfectly. However, the translations will get the main point of the website across. If you have ever read writing from a non-native speaker, you will sometimes hear mistakes here and there; however the message is clear. Your translations will be very similar in this sense.

Translation of a website is truly one of the easiest ways your company can optimize its website. It doesn’t take up much space on a webpage or involve more than 5 minutes of work, so it’s a great little trick if you’re looking for something to spice up your website. There is no better time than the start of a New Year to try something different, and I think you will find that this is an aspect of website optimization that you’ll enjoy.

Photo Credit: cuesportnews.com

Amanda DiSilvestro is a writer on topics ranging from social media to employee background checks. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including document software to small businesses and entrepreneurs for the leading business directory, Business.com.

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Ignoring Quality Control Guidelines

Did you know that all of the search engines and advertising networks have quality control guidelines? Even your hosting provider has rules and regulations. Start off on the right foot by making sure your site’s layout, content, and overall goals are not in violation of any of these terms. You are, at the end of the day, competing for rankings within the search engines. If you aren’t following their rules, nothing else you do will matter at all.

Utilizing Flash Design

Flash design may look great, but Flash websites are an SEO nightmare. Why? The little crawlers the search engines use to see what you’re up to aren’t able to read flash coding. This means they’ll never see your new updates, will never pick up on your updated content, and can altogether miss your site. Believe it or not, most people landing on your site aren’t a huge fan of the way Flash looks, either. Just ditch it and make sure you’re working with a blog developer who is great with HTML.

Stealing Content

This should really go without saying, but you need to have 100% unique content on your website. Always. No exceptions. Write it yourself or hire a professional writer or blogger to help you. There is some debate as to whether or not duplicate content can impact your rankings but theft is still theft at the end of the day. Avoid plagiarizing content and you will earn the respect of your readers – and better rankings – from day one.

Improper Keyword Research

You are a professional and you know your niche. The problem is that as a professional you are familiar with the words most commonly used in your niche but the average consumer may not have the same vocabulary. Therefore, basing your SEO campaign around the words YOU would use to search for your product is not the same as using keywords your potential customers may be searching for. Make sure you are spending some quality time doing proper keyword research before you build your site’s pages.

Keyword Stuffing

The proper use of keywords is important – this is true. Overusing those keywords on your site’s pages does not look natural and the search engines will definitely pick up on your eagerness. The problem is that they will see your excessive use of keywords as “stuffing” or a commonly frowned upon method for drawing unwarranted attention to your site. Use your keywords naturally within your content, ensuring you use them in no more than 3-5% of the text. Anything more will prove you’re out for rankings and don’t care much about value.

There are dozens of great things you can do to improve the rankings of your blog. By avoiding these common SEO mistakes, you’ll be well on your way to success. Simply focus on providing quality content your readers will benefit from seeing and you will see growth sooner than you probably anticipated.

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Simplicity is Key

You’re going to need to start by making sure your site’s domain is short, sweet, and easy to remember. Say, for example, you want to create a site about how much you love cats. Let’s call it Cat Lover. Your domain should be just that – catlover.com. The term “cat lover” is very easy to remember and you will need to use that identifying tag on every single social media site you encounter – from Facebook to Twitter and on. You should be THE cat lover people think of when they think of their own cats.

Stop Making Stuff Up

The world of marketing changes every single day, but our vocabulary is pretty set in stone. Don’t make up a new word to describe an idea or process we should already be familiar with. It may seem catchy to you, but it is confusing to the rest of the community you’re trying to reach. Stick with familiar terminology and try to avoid using buzzwords as much as possible. Otherwise, you’ll simply be remembered as that “odd” site I stumbled upon and not the genuine expert I was hoping to find.

Start Guest Posting

Guest posting is an incredible method for branding yourself and your blog. You’re going to start by going to some of the site owners in your own niche. In this case we’re still talking about cats. Hopefully you’re already a fan of a few cat-related blogs. You’re going to approach those owners and ask if you can write a guest post for your site. Many blog owners are open to guest posts and by writing one of your own you are doing two things. First, you are putting your name out there as an expert in your field. Second, if your lucky you will get a backlink to your own site in the process.

Build a Social Media Presence

Earlier we mentioned making sure you are using the same name across all of your social media sites. Now’s the time to talk about how important it is to have a presence on social media. Did you know that Facebook is currently competing with Google for the top ranking as a search engine? People spend tons and tons of time on social networking sites, talking to friends and searching for information. You need to be where the people are. You need to have professionally designed pages that are active and up-to-date, allowing you to communicate with followers, build a reputation, and send readers back to your site.

Create a Logo

Last, but certainly not least, make sure you have a logo that stands out in the eyes of your viewers. Once you have that logo, make sure you are consistent with the design, fonts, and colors in all of your marketing materials, websites, social media profiles, and even offline items like business cards. People who consistently see your logo will begin to associate it with you.

These are just a handful of the things you should be doing to brand yourself and your blog. Make sure you are taking some time to think about the way you are portraying yourself online. The message you send will make or break your business.

Corinne Dominski is a huge fan of communications and social networking. She also loves using sites like Adecco USA temporary staffing services and online faxing services to make communicating with others just a little bit easier.

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Fortunately, there are some good suggestions and ideas that you can glean from the blogs of other people. The most common start would be to just a small greeting or introduction. This probably one of the most popular ways of starting a blog. A simple “hi, this is my blog!” post is one of the most common you’ll see on the internet. It’s a no-nonsense way of kicking off a blog. But some bloggers may not want to start off their blogs in this manner. Fortunately, there are also “fancier” ways of starting a blog.

You can start a blog by introducing yourself. Since most blogs are personal in nature, giving a backgrounder on yourself will give your readers a fair idea of why you have a particular perspective about certain topics that you’ll eventually discuss in your blog. You don’t need an exhaustive biography, just touch on the important facts that will help readers get to know you more.

You can also decide to give the raison d’etre of your blog. Write about why you started it, and what motivated you to do so. Personally, I think this is the best way of starting a blog. It gives the readers the lay of the land, so to speak. They’ll already know beforehand what to expect from your blog, which could pull in more like-minded readers. For example, if you say that your blog will be about your perspective as non-US citizen on the Obama Administration’s policies, it will surely attract people who are looking to read about what your thoughts will be on future issues.

An ingenious way of starting a blog is picking out one of those memes that are all over the net. Try to find a meme that is related to the topic of your blog, this will be a great way of giving a bird’s eye view of your views and also what to expect in future blog posts.

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It is nothing to see blogs of all types on the internet. Many people now make a living writing blogs. This is a relatively new job just like internet marketing consulting is fairly new. Neither of these jobs would exist if it was not for the internet. People need to find their way to different websites. They go online with a purpose. It could be to communicate or to shop. The internet stores want to attract these people to their website so they will buy from them. They do this with articles and blogs. These blogs may contain keywords which will bring the shoppers to the right site.

Writing these blogs is an interesting job and there is an opening for people who enjoy writing about different topics. Internet marketing consulting is another job that was brought about by the internet and online markets. If you are interested in becoming a professional blogger then you should check out the different sites that hire writers. You will meet many interesting people online.

You could live in the US and work for someone on the other side of the world. I am a professional blogger who truly loves the work. It is difficult to get bored with it since the topics are widespread and some can be quite interesting and educational. You will learn as you write. Professional bloggers set their own hours. Some may work day and night while others just work a few hours a day. The choice is up to you.

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I knew what the article would say before ever even clicking the link and of course, after checking it out, I was right.

I told him my thoughts on the article and he was a little taken back. He thought it was a good post about something that beginning users wouldn’t know.

My advice to him was to stir up controversy and stay away from the obvious. Everyone is fighting over the obvious ways of doing and saying things.

If the article had said that complex designs were leading to using too many div tags and that while tables were still not the answer, understanding the use of other xhtml elements could streamline code and build a better, more semantic site, then I would have been impressed.

When you are tackling a subject, you need to find your hook. You need to find something that will set you apart from everyone else. If they are all applauding a piece of software, go over it with a fine tooth comb, and point out its flaws. If they are all loving an application for one reason, then try to find a different reason why it is good.

Our jobs as writers is to teach, inspire, translate and open people’s eyes. If your post is nothing but a repeat, you loose the opportunity to captivate the people that stumble onto your site, and transform them into repeat visitors.

What steps do you take to stay away from the obvious? Let me know in the comments below.

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John Sells the Dream

One of the biggest misconceptions still out there regarding blogging is that you can make a bunch of money overnight. John earns $1000 per day from his blog, and he built that little empire in a year, so anyone can do it, right?

Well, not quite. Even if you took all of the same steps towards building and monetizing your site as he did, you would still fall quite short in terms of traffic, fame and revenue. Things have changed online and I highly doubt anyone could copy his steps to get to the same point in the same amount of time.

John, also rarely adds valuable content to his site, with a strong mix of paid reviews, affiliate program posts, and a variety of content on his own life. These posts really only help to earn him more money without providing much content worth remembering and serves to only persuade people further that what he does is easy to replicate.

I hear, “I could blog about food and weird products all day too” and shake my head. If only it was that simple, then everyone would be doing it.

People have long since forgotten that “if it is too good to be true, then it probably is” and this rule holds even more true online than any other medium or communication space before it.

John Chow is a blogger’s worst enemy. He shows the world a slanted picture of what it means to be a blogger, and is probably solely responsible for many horrible blogging trends online.

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Reporting

The reportage: The report: The News. Just simply saying what has happened. This could range from Aunt Mildred’s wedding to George or the Marriage of the Queen of Buggyland to the Prince of Salami. It could be anything as long as it happened. This usually falls under the five wise men of Rudyard Kipling’s five wise men name: (i) who, (ii) what, (iii) when, (iv) where, and (v) how?

How-To-Do-It

These articles range from how to prepare an omelet to how make your own nuclear bomb – a writer actually did several years ago and he was immediately hired by a government agency upon discovery of his thesis. Articles/posts such as these gives the reader step-by-step instructions on how to prepare and assemble/or cook a specific dish or object. Note that there will also be articles/posts that will fall under sub-form of How-To-Do-It – the advise piece or the question & answer piece.

The Narrative

A more detailed and personal account of an event in past and the present. A tad bit longer and more meandering a narrative not only gives you the facts of what has happened but it also gives you an inkling of the emotion of the moment as things happened – although more often it is a very personal account of what has happened.

The Confession

This type of article/post deals with revelations. Most oftem personal revelation of what one did or what one felt like doing during a given time. It could also be an article or post that leads one to the writer or blogger’s realization usually after something has happened our occurred.

Interviews

This type of post/article is a question and answer piece – usually but not limited to one person. It may focus on one aspect of a person’s life; a person’s career or only subject of interest.

Reviews

A critical discussion or commentary of a book, play, film, gadget, and service. As such you should have a book review; a review of a play; a film review; a review of a gadget and even a restaurant review. Does the reviewer think this bad or good? A good review will often tell why they think something is good or bad.

Argumentative:Opinion: the lead: the editorial

This type of article/post argues for or against an issue or a cause. This type of article is used to dissuade or encourage the reader. In some instances, ir can also be used to challenge the reader to action.

Analysis

An analysis, whether post or article, aims to provide the reader a thorough discussion of a subject. It starts with an introduction, a brief description of the topic, the issues involved; the pros and cons of an issue; A summary and a conclusion or a non-conclusion.

You will probably find that a number of non-fiction writing you have done will fall into one or two or three or even four of the types. There maybe even more.

And so my friend what do you write?

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