What is a Blog NOW?

A blog or web log used to be defined as a mere online diary where opinions about every little matter in one's life is announced to the whole world.

But that's eons ago.

A blog is no longer just an online nook where a teener rants and raves about his or her lovelife or lack thereof.

So what is a blog now?

A blog is now a marketing tool which entrepreneurs either with online businesses or brick-and-mortar ventures use to earn directly or indirectly from.

How can you earn from blogging?

- you can market your services through a blog without hard-selling
- you can keep your customers yearning for more or loyal to your products or services through a blog
- you can earn from ads if you have a niche blog
- you can find a job through your blog

More details about each of these ways of earning from blogging next..

Article Marketing Tips

Article marketing is one of the hottest Internet marketing techniques that rocks the world of webmasters. Although it sounds as easy as writing an article and distributing it to the innumerable article directories, there are particular tactics that one should use to ensure the impact of this marketing method.

Sure, the no-follow greediness has spreaded like a deadly virus. It is the use of this code that makes links non-sense in the eyes of search engine spiders, thus, bearing no SEO points. However, there are other benefits that article marketing conveys. And these benefits can only be maximized if you play your cards well.

Here are some suggestions on how you can get the most out of your article marketing campaign:

Nice Niche
Writing articles for niche topics is one way to increase the pick-up-ability of your articles. This improves the chances of getting publishers to be interested on your content.

Article Directories that Perform
You also have to choose the best article directories to avoid having to submit your content to non-performing directories. This saves you time and effort.

Tease 'Em
Tease your potential readers through the use of your resource box or that part of your article where you place your signature or where else to get more info about you, the article you wrote and distributed, and your services or products.

Article on Blogs
Article marketing has also evolved into a more dynamic way of benefiting from other publishers, particularly bloggers.

Writing SEO Articles about Technical Topics

If you consider yourself an all-around SEO article writer but you're suddenly faced with mental block because all projects that are being thrown your way are about mechanical objects that you've never used, how do you force yourself to push the pen? Perhaps professional writers who are now having more lucrative businesses from clients say that you simply say no.

But if you just won't take no for an answer, you can still work your way up there - where no technical topic is too technical for you.

Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Gather as many references as you can. Internet articles such as those from Science journals, Wikipedia and Associated Press can be great sources of references. If you still can't find enough information to churn out a decent article about a technical topic, go to the nearest library! Encyclopedias can help. Arming yourself with easy-to-grab (not easy-to-coy, mind you) information from encyclopedia CD's is an ingenius way of dealing with these topics, too.

2. Ask your geeky friends. If you know someone who may know more about the topic than you do, record an interview with him or her. Ask all the questions that you'd like your article to answer. However, don't just rely on your interview. It's still important that you use other sources for fact-checking and beefing up your article.

3. Look for online forums that cater to those people who are interested about your so-technical topic. Introduce yourself politely and ask post your questions to the right threads.

Having Difficulty Gaining Access to Your Gmail Account?

I've noticed that one of the reasons why SEO writers don't get to meet their deadlines these past few months is that they are having a hard time opening their Gmail accounts. My own solution is to reboot the PC. But, I got this tip from Joe Chengery's newsletter that might also help:


a. Close the browser window you're in, open up a new one, andtype in http://gmail.google.com

b. Where you see the login box, you'll see a link that says "I cannot access my account." Click on that link.

c. Follow the directions on that page; that should help youaccess your GMail account if you're using dial-up.

"I have done that and been successful, but then I have trouble logging in again if I leave my inbox, so I have to do it again.If you experience similar problems, you might want to consider switching to the "Basic HTML" mode, down at the bottom of the screen when you are in your GMail inbox.

I prefer the Standard View myself, but unless I access my inbox early in the day and leave that window open, I usually have trouble logging back in, resulting in a "Loading" message page that doesn't load. But, if worse comes to shove, the "BasicHTML" mode is better than not having access to your GMail account at all.

If the steps on that page don't help you gain access to your GMail inbox, you will be able to contact the GMail Help Team so that they can assist you."

When You Get Tempted to OverStuff Articles with Nonsensical Words

When writer's block or burnout strikes, many of us SEO writers tend to make our articles read like Renaissance-time novels. The passive form gets abused and high-sounding words become the norm. To abate this, please read this great resource:

How to Write in Plain English

One Great Blog to Help SEO Writers Improve

I'm a sucker for how-to writeups thus my job as an outsourcer of SEO articles (which are mostly tips on everything under the sun).

I've been reading http://copyblogger.com for the real deals of writing for online readers. I've thought of sharing it here because I've started witnessing the deterioration of the headline-writing skills of the other SEO writers. Too many assignments can really dull one's writing prowess at times.

So, here, please do read Brian's http://www.copyblogger.com/10-sure-fire-headline-formulas-that-work/ to get yourself kicking again in writing headlines.

Free Tool for Freelance Writer Newbies and Experts

Found this great resource for those who are planning to advance their writing career. According writingworld.org, marketing one's writing skills is the next best thing if you want to do better on your freelancing stint. So here's a pdf file of a Freelance Writer's Marketing Plan.