How To Use Your Own Domain With Blogger
I had started a few blogs in the past, all on Blogger.com. I found blogger easy to use and also you can have your own ads on it unlike having a blog at blogname.wordpress.com (that is having a free blog). It was really fun to post and seeing the post count increasing weekly but how I would love to have it on my own domain.
Now, I do not mean that having my blog at blogname.blogspot.com is not good but having your own domain adds your personal touch to it and it also make the blog address more professional. I made this little tutorial as it was not very easy when I tried using a domain on one of my blogger blogs. Also, I assume that you bought your domain on godaddy.com as it is where I bought mine, not sure if the setting is same for other registrar, this may be useful if you are not at godaddy. You also have the option to buy a domain directly via blogger, this is the easiest option as they will set everything for you automatically.
Here is what you should do, it is as easy as 1, 2, 3 
1. Login to your godaddy account
2. Choose the domain that you would like to use for your blog
3. Click on “Total DNS Control and MX Records”
4. Now click on “Add New CNAME Record”
5. Enter your domain name without the “www” and “ghs.google.com” as above and click ok. I suggest you do not put www, as you will have the option to redirect it the www version later from blogger.
6. Go to your blogger account, then Settings and then Publishing.
7. Once you are there click on “Custom Domain” which will lead you to a page that looks like this:
8. Add your domain in the space provided in this format “www.domain.com” and save settings.
9. Do not forget to tick the box that says “Redirect domain.com to www.domain.com” and save settings again.
10. Done already? Yes! I hope it saved you some time.
Everything should be working like a charm now. Also you should not worry about losing your previous readers as your old blogger address will redirect to your domain.
Obsessed with Writing Perfect Posts
I have not been blogging much lately but still I have tons of posts in drafts, that left me thinking why I have not yet fully written the posts yet and published them? Reading through the blog again I think my problem is that I have the need to make my posts look perfect and have a bit of a professional look. I do not know how and why but this has affected the way I blog in a way, since I am now posting less regularly and I have the feeling that what I write is not really good enough to be blogged about.
I did not really discussed about the issue with anyone but I think everyone would suggest me to write about whatever comes to my mind which is what I usually do but it is just the way I want the post to look that cause a problem… I am obsessed with perfection! I know how fun it can be to write daily or as often as possible and seeing comments coming it, I really enjoy blogging but I also need to change my blogging mindset.
Also while writing I am not sure about the length of post, here also there is no limit but I need to have an average, all these thoughts are killing this blog slowly and I need to find a solution fast so that I post more regularly.
Okay enough bragging about what is killing this blog, I have been a bit busy setting up a few stuffs about affiliate marketing. I am not sure if it is my thing yet but I will not know unless I try right? So, hopefully if everything works out fine, I will be glad to write about my affiliate marketing experience in future posts to come.
And if by chance there are any of my readers who are already into affiliate marketing and have tips to share are most welcome.
photo credit: perfection
Posting Regularly is Important
If you are planning to be a serious blogger, it is important to set a blogging frequency for yourself. I have noticed that it is not easy for most bloggers to post daily and some days you might just have a blank mind.
Leaving too many gaps between posts is not a good thing as your blog will grow slower and you probably do not want this to happen. Another thing I have noticed is when I do not posts I get less visitors, like me you probably want your visitors count to increase daily and not the opposite.
I am sure as a blogger you must have asked yourself this question too. How many times should I post daily or weekly? I have checked around and found that many bloggers already wrote about this topic, this means blogging frequency is important if you want your blog to be successful. According to me there is no exact posting frequency as it all depends on the person who is writing, but it is important to keep posting at the same pace. Here are a few interesting articles about post frequency:
Post Frequency - How Many Blog Posts are Too Many?
Does the frequency of your blog posts matter?
And this one that I think is the most interesting, Why Blog Post Frequency Does Not Matter Anymore. It is true that if your blog is receiving more than 5k visitors daily and you already have over a hundred posts but if you are a new blogger it does not really make sense. Let’s say I am participating in social sites to bring traffic to my blog, what if I don’t have anything to give my readers?
Of course when I am talking about a good posting frequency I am not saying that you should post daily but at least 3-4 times a week is good to start with, but if you can post daily it is even better.
photo credit: The toys after purchasing a new laptop…
The 4 Main Types of Blogs
I was thinking about blogs the other day (I do that everyday but this time it was some deep thoughts). Why some bloggers choose a specific topic to write about while others will write just about everything. According to me, blogs can be put in 4 main categories. Categorizing them in these categories can help me a lot when I subscribe to feeds, how? This way I will have only 4 main category, of course each will have different subcategories and also I will not get confused too much as I usually subscribe to all the blogs I find interesting. What are these types of blog that I keep talking about?
The General Blogs
Most blog will go in this category, I noticed that many blogger choose to blog about general stuffs as it is much easier to post more regularly if you don’t choose a specific topic to post about. These are often referred to as “niche-free” in the blogging world.
I guess for the time being this blog fall in this category too, since I am mostly posting about all and everything I can think of but at the same time I try in a way or another please the reader too. Servizot might go niche someday if I feel I know enough to post about the topic I am going to choose but I think having the opportunity to post about everything I want is the best that can do.
The Niche Blogs
The most successful blogs go in this category. The blogger usually choose a specific topic and always write about it. Of course the topic chosen will have various facets of it to be covered, so if the blogs you read most often are niche blogs you don’t have to worry that the author will run out of ideas any time soon. Some of my favorite blogs in this category are: Problogger.net, a blogger who writes about blogging and ways to make money blogging, a must read for all bloggers. PerezHilton.com, a celebrity gossip blog with very addictive content updated everyday.
Why these blogs are the most successful is because the blogger is writing about a specific topic and since the readers know that at these blogs they will find what they are looking for, they will definitely come back often.
The Personal Blogs
The online personal diary, if I can call it like that. It is not going to be same as the diary that you use to have where you wrote about your crush and all those secret things you do not want to share with anyone since you are sharing everything you write with the whole world. The personal blogs will most of the time be about the author’s life, the things he is doing everyday. These blogs can be a good way to keep friends updated about what you are doing but also many other readers since human is curious!
I did not choose to keep a personal blog since I do not really have things to say about myself and I am not the type of person who likes having attention on me but that does not mean I do not read other people’s personal blogs, I am human… I am curious too. *smile*
The Corporate Blogs
Yes businesses have their blogs too. It is the new trend in the corporate world, it is a good way to keep clients updated about how the company is doing, the latest projects and so on. Most online businesses I know already have a blog. If your company does not have a blog, consider starting one or you will be a left out. Having a blog for your company is almost same as the craze a few years ago for all businesses to have a website.
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You may have noticed that I did not have a category for professional blogs since they are in the niche category. Also I wrote about category of blogs and not bloggers since a blogger can have blogs in more than one category that I listed above. So, in which category does your blog fall in?
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photo credit: a little black & white, when everything is possible, satisfied satisfying single day, signing the deal
The Power of Sharing
Blogging is all about sharing, the more you write the more readers and comments you will get to your posts. Is it not a great thing to share your knowledge with others and have the feeling you have helped someone out there? Well, this is the feeling I get when I post about things I found around and thought it might be useful to others or well researched posts. Before we continue let’s make something clear, sharing does not mean copying other bloggers posts, if you happen to do it just quote part of the post and leave a link to the original article from where you copied it. Never forget to give credit whenever you want to quote an article.
Let’s now see what are the things you can share and what not, assuming you want to be a clean blogger (by clean I mean you don’t usually post about porn, warez or whatever other illegal stuffs on you blog). Good news is everything is worth sharing, I am not going to teach you ABC but at times you need to use your common sense before you click “post”.
Very often I have seen people posting sensitive information then later feel they should not have let others know about it, they will take the post down trying to cover up but it may too late, those information might still be available on search engine cached page, webarchive.org or other people may have already blogged about it. It is best to think twice before posting about anything you think can cause you any kind of harm.
Also be careful when you post about information that requires research, for e.g. giving statistics, if you are not sure search for it and if you cannot find anything it is best not to post about it at all to avoid confusing your readers. One thing you can do is to poll your readers, this will be a win win situation for both party.
On a positive note, it only while blogging that you can get to know other people that have the same taste as you do, and it is such a great thing when like-minded people can get together. So, sharing your thoughts in blog posts is great but always moderate yourself.
I have always been among those who likes to share everything with others, whether it be ideas, something I learned or anything that I think can be useful or helpful to others. My sister sometimes get angry with me when I share my ideas since I usually have good ones but even if I love my sister dearly I can not keep myself from opening my mind to others, this way I know I will have to keep my brain working to find new ideas to share.
To end I would like to share this nice quote with you
There is no delight in owning anything unshared
I hope you enjoyed reading this post, I would love to hear what are your thoughts about it.
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photo credit: sharing
Blogging is not for everyone
I already see a few getting mad just by reading the title but please don’t be This post is mostly for those who hasn’t started blogging yet and asking themselves whether they should do it or not.
If you are going to start a blog as your personal online diary, most probably this post is not going to be be for you but it’s best that you set a goal before you start a blog. Before starting a blog you should bear in mind that it will be visible to the whole world, and people might not share the same thoughts as you. It will be best if you ask yourself a few questions before starting a blog whether it be a personal or business blog.
1. Why you want to blog?
Seriously, why? If your best answer is “because everyone has a blog” then I guess you should not start blogging right away. It’s easy to set up a blog but what matters most is to know what you are going to have on it. Without content a blog is not a blog, it’ll just be another page that has been set up online and will be left as junk.
2. What are you going to write about?
Before you start a blog, it is good to know what you are going to write about. This way you will also get an idea of who are going to be your readers also if you are blogging about something you know about most probably your blog will not die in a few months. So, better choose wisely.
3. Who are your target readers?
Many people start blogging without this in mind then gets frustrated that no one is reading their blog. Before you start your blog, I’d suggest you to spend a few minutes thinking about who your readers are going to be, what age range, sex. If you choose a good subject for your blog, you will not have a hard time to determine this part.
4. Will you post regularly?
This is one of the most important question you should ask yourself. As I mentioned in the answer to the first question, setting up a blog is easy but will you be able to fill it up, that is, will you post regularly? Now by regularly I don’t mean you should post daily but at least 2 - 3 times a week, you should not leave a big gap between two posts.
5. Will you be there for your readers?
Many might take their readers lightly but, they are the one that keeps your blog alive. You should not leave them without interaction. Let them know that there is a “human” who is behind the blog, reply to your comments. If possible take a few minutes to read their blog too.
I think these are the five most important questions anyone should ask themselves before they start blogging. Blogging can be really fun but are you ready for it? That is the big question.
Now that you have successfully answered positively to the questions above I think you can start your blog with a clear mind. Happy blogging!
Here are 2 posts I found related to this topic:
101 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Start A Blog
7 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Starting A Business Blog
65 Blogs with Top Commentator Plugin
Leaving comments on other people’s blog is a good way to get both links and traffic. If you are new, starting off with comments can get you a fair amount of traffic. Of course you should be careful about the comments you post and also the “name” you will use while leaving comments, while some blogs may allow you to use a “keyword” some might block you if they think you are trying to spam them. So, you’ve been warned, you better use the following list wisely.
PR7
http://onemansblog.com/
http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/
PR5
http://vocino.com/
http://www.bluehatseo.com/
http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/
http://www.searchenginepeople.com/blog/
http://www.shoemoney.com/
PR4
http://blog.shankarganesh.com/
http://jakeldaily.com/
http://onthewebed.com/
http://pixelheadonline.com/blog/
http://tallfreak.com/
http://uniongraphite.com/
http://www.bontb.com/
http://www.brandon-hopkins.com/
http://www.jdavidmacor.com/
http://www.jonlee.ca/
http://www.smartwealthyrich.com/
http://www.venukb.com/blog/
http://www.wayneliew.com/
http://www.yackyack.co.uk/
http://www.zacjohnson.com/
PR3
http://blog.ashfame.com/
http://blog.butterflymedia.ro/
http://bloggingawaydebt.com/
http://chenpn.com/
http://founderscafe.com/
http://slyvisions.com/
http://the-reflector.com/
http://webgrrrl.net/
http://www.adesblog.com/
http://www.bloganything.net/
http://www.connectedinternet.co.uk/
http://www.ededition.com/
http://www.jennyhow.com/
http://www.johnchow.com/
http://www.lifeiscolourful.com/
http://www.m3nghua.com/
http://www.netbusinessblog.com/
http://www.riceblogger.com/
http://www.sabahan.com/
http://www.tylercruz.com/
PR2
http://affiliateprogramblog.info/
http://ahkong.net/
http://baklaako.com/
http://www.andrewooi.com/
http://www.articlesnatch.com/blog/
http://www.blogtrepreneur.com/
http://www.chrisguthrie.net/
http://www.retireat21.com/blog/
http://www.terencechang.com/
PR0
http://www.thenetfool.com/
http://dojimonster.com/
http://mrbadak.com/
http://www.allbynose.com/
http://www.balkhis.com/
http://www.everydayweekender.com/
http://www.generalmarketingblog.com/
http://www.kucau.net/wp/
http://www.niggybuzz.com/
http://www.papajoneh.com/
http://www.szab.net/blog/
http://www.vikingblogger.com/
http://www.wahlau.net/
If you would like to be added to the list, feel free to leave a comment and I will update the list. Happy commenting!
We are stepping into the blogosphere
Not after much thought we decided to take the plunge and join the millions of other bloggers. We are not sure yet if we are going to be good at it but we are going to do our best. “We” are two sisters who are going to rock the blogosphere and make it cooler 
We will be updating the “About” page with more information about us and a bit about what type of post you are going to read on this blog. Our main goal is to become financially independent and also share what we are going to learn with others. Rest assured this blog is not going to be another “make money online” blog. We are not here to make money on top of your head, we are going to try ways to make money but also share what we are going to learn along the way. We know making money online is not easy, it requires hard work and dedication. Our moto is “if others can then we can too” and hope that we will go far in the blogging world.
Since we are new to blogging, we would love to get any suggestions from the probloggers out there. We are very cool and friendly, so don’t hesitate to contact us anytime if you have any questions.
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