There are many great things you can do with blogs, but you can also be a downright evil motha-fxxker. Today I am going to show you some ways in which you can be an evil blogger.
Start a blog just to sell links
How To: Selling links from a blog is very easy. Just build up a pagerank of 3 or higher, and you are almost guaranteed to start getting offers. You can also sign up for an account with TextLinkAds.com - frankly, this is a very easy way to make money, you won’t get rich, well, not unless you create hundreds of blogs, but it is idiot proof.
Why It Is Evil: Selling links is technically against the terms of service at Google.com - so this could get your site penalised. It also goes against the purpose of linking on the Internet… afterall, a link should act as a vote, but by purchasing links, we are fixing the voting. Very evil.
Start a blog to sell paid reviews
How To: You can create a blog and add some crappy content, and then at a later date, start posting paid reviews. A paid review is like any other blog post, but it is specifically designed to promote something, and the blog owner gets paid a fee to write and publish it.
Why It Is Evil: This would be like a contestant on Pop Idol or American Idol paying Simon Cowell to give a good verdict. Look, there is nothing wrong with advertising, but don’t try and pretend it is a normal blog post. That would be evil.
Create blogs to interlink to your main blog or website
How To: You simply create numerous new blogs, and in each blog you add links to your main blog or website. If you are very careful, and use different keywords, web hosts etc… it can increase your search engine rank.
Why It Is Evil: Not only is it a little unethical, it can get you penalised if Google catches you. So if you are going to do it, make sure it is done with moderation.
Summary
Whilst there are many, many ways to be an evil blogger, and yes, it is possible to make some quick cash from those techniques… in the long-term they will get caught out, and it will destroy all of your hard work. So if you still want to be making money from blogs in 12-18 months, don’t be an evil blogger.
It is often said that if you follow your passion, the money will follow… and in many respects that is true. But I have also come to learn that the real big money is where the fear is.
Look at any sports person, entrepreneur, athlete etc, and you will see that at some point, they had a situation or decision that was very scary, but they did it anyway. This is what makes them special, and this is the key to succeeding in life and business.
It is easier said than done, trust me, but next time you are in a situation that makes you fearful, just do it anyway.
Ok, I will be honest, I don’t know everything there is to know about good blogging, but I know enough to get you started on the right track. Below are some of my tips for being a good blogger, feel free to add your own in the comments section:
You Have To Find The Passion
There is no point writing about politics if your true love is snow boarding. Write about what you know, what you love and what excites you.
Be a Realist
Some industries are quite simply huge. Cracking into that market is going to take a whole lot of time and effort. So have a 12 month plan and stick to it. It is perfectly normal for blogs to get virtually no comments for the first six months.
You Should Build Friendships
All bloggers know that networking is an important part of running any blog, but most bloggers treat this process with a cold, business life attitude. Your goal should be to make friends with other bloggers in your industry, and the networking will follow automatically.
Have Fun
If you are not in the mood for blogging, don’t blog. Blogging should be fun, it should excite you and your readers. It is not a matter of life and death, so remember to always have fun.
Own Your Own Domain
Many years ago it was perfectly acceptable to have a blogspot or a typepad domain name. But we are now in 2008, and not only does it cost less than $10 for a domain name, there are blogging platforms such as Wordpress that make the blogging process virtually idiot proof. So get your own domain today, before someone else gets it first.
Listen To Your Readers
I am not saying you should let your readers dictate to you, but when you get comments and feedback, listen carefully to what is being said. Some companies pay a small fortune for customer feedback, and you are getting it for free, so don’t ignore it. Put your ego to one side and take onboard the constructive criticism.
Ok, here is a big question for all online business owners…Â Would you rather have$1 million dollars, or 1 million friends on something like Facebook or LinkedIn?
* The 1 million friends are all at least partially relevant to your niche.
One of the biggest problems with working on the Internet is the fact that you are sat on your backside for at least 8 hours per day, which can quickly lead to becoming very unhealthy (among other issues).
Today I am going to talk about how technology is making us unhealthy, and how I intend to combat this… with…. more technology.
Backstory
I started working online fulltime approx 4 years ago, and since creating a home office 12 months ago, my daily exercise has become almost non-existent. I also bought a car 5 months ago, and that has made matters even worse.
Fortunately I have a very high metabolism, so there is little chance of me becoming overweight, but there are still signs that I am not as healthy as I once was.
The Challenge
Of course, all fitness freaks will just tell me to go and run for 30 mins per day, and yes, that would help, but let’s be realistic, it ain’t gonna happen!
The Solution
I am now starting to use technology to help me get more healthy again.
Solution 1 - Nintendo Wii & Wii Fit
Create your own character and track your fitness levels, weigth and BMI.
Making fitness fun?
Using technology to get fit?
I only purchased this recently, and it is not a cheap option. With the Nintendo Wii, the game and the Wii Fitness Board it cost over $400
Result
We only got this very recently, and thus far I haven’t had time to use it much, but both myself and my girlfriend have really enjoyed it, and as I write this I am aching from head to to. The Wii also comes with many sports games, which are a lot of fun as well.
Solution 2
Last year we purchased an exercise stepping machine/bike, the idea being that we could go for a run during winter without leaving the house. To get through the boredom of this, you can simply install a TV near the machine. We personally just use an ipod touch and listen to music.
Result
I personally got bored of this, but Elena uses it almost daily. I believe that having a TV close by may help, I like the idea of going for a 90 minute run during a football game.
Possible Solution?
I do have some healthy hobbies, for example, I play golf, and I even like the occasional stroll, but like many of today’s generation, I also like to play video games and watch TV.
So here is an option… instead of fighting your passions and trying to go on a TV and video game diet, why not use technology to incorporate exercise into them?
For example, if you purchase something like this:
You could in theory play your video games and watch TV whilst exercising at the same time.
In fact, if you were watching a good TV show, you could easily do 30 mins exercice without once becoming bored, which for me, is the main issue with exercise.
Summary
Entrepreneurs are rarely lazy. I used to be a pro athelete, so laziness is not an issue at all, it is the boredom that is my issue. Entrepreneurs can often require a lot of stimuless to prevent boredom, so by incorporating exercise into my enjoyable hobbies, I may eleminate that.
Cost Issues
I appreciate that many youngsters who are reading this may not have the funds to spend $600+ in exercise equipment, or $400 on a video console, or $350 on an ipod etc… but these are alternate options that are cheaper.
Like the title of this article says: ‘Exercise is Boring - Let’s Use Technology’. Check back in one month and I will post the results.
Terri Sjodin, founder and principal of Sjodin Communications, a public speaking and sales training company, goes over the six components of a successful three-minute elevator speech.
Even young entrepreneurs may need to look for a job at some point in their lives, the job hunting process can be scary and frustrating, so today I have listed 7 key things you should NOT do if you want to find a good job with ease.
1 - Worry About Failure
Even the best entrepreneurs experience failure. In fact, the best entrepreneurs see failure as a positive, something from which we can learn. However, if you want to get a crappy job, then simply let that first failure affect you. Give up when you experience failure, and under no circumstances adapt a never say die attitude.
Don’t give up, treat it as a long term project, and keep your chin up.
2 - Don’t Create a System
If you want to find a job, then you will need some form of system to manage yourself and your job hunting process properly. Perhaps aim to apply to one job per day, store all contact details in a seperate file, follow-up 72 hours after each interview request etc…
If you wander aimlessly from one opportunity to the next, you will soon get distracted and confused.
3 - Be Unrealistic About Your Value
If you are 18, I don’t care how good you think you are, there is a good chance that you still have a LOT to learn, and that learning process is going to be costly for your employer. So yes, by all means value yourself highly, but also be realistic, if you think you are a 7 figure earner by 18 or 19, then you are only going to cause delusions.
4 - Expect The Job Finding Process to be Quick and Easy
So many youngsters think that they will stroll into a good job in 24 hours. The truth of the matter is that it can take weeks, months and occasionally even years to find a job. So prepare a three month plan, execute it, and be patient.
5 - Underestimate Face-to-face Interviews
It doesn’t matter what it says on your CV, if the employer meets you and thinks you are a complete fool, you will not be hired. Anyone can lie on their CV, but a face-to-face meeting reveals the truth. Aim to secure actual interviews as often as possible, avoid phone interviews, and prepare yourself be answering test questions.
6 - Expect to Need Top Qualifications
There are certain jobs where certain qualifications are vital. But many employers now know that experience will almost always beat qualifications. Remember, you can read about driving a car for 10 years, but as soon as you get in the car, you will stall the engine the first time. So don’t go into the process with the attitude that only the most qualified candidates will get hired.
7 - Focus on yourself
Every good sales person and copywriter knows that the worst mistake you can make is to focus on yourself. If you go into an interview and only talk about yourself, you will not be fired. Focus on what you can do for the company, tell them how you can be of benefit, how you can improve sales, etc…
Ok, so now you have all the techniques to ensure you never get a job. But don’t worry, you are an entrepreneur, so hopefully you will never need a proper job anyway
1 - If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. Anne Bradstreet
2 - That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest.Henry David Thoreau
3 - If hard work were such a wonderful thing, surely the rich would have kept it all to themselves. Lane Kirkland
4 - I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position.Mark Twain
5 - Money is like manure; it’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around encouraging young things to grow. Thornton Wilder
6 - It’s pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness. Poverty an’ wealth have both failed. Kin Hubbard
7 - It is easy when we are in prosperity to give advice to the afflicted. Aeschylus
