The Power Of Social Media Should Not Be Ignored

Social Media is here to stay and you need to embrace it and get on board now! It does not matter if you are a fortune 500 company or someone that's just getting their first blog online, get on board the social media train.

You don't have to start spending money on exotic advertising campaigns in order for social media to work for you. Don't make the same mistake I did by waiting so long to join the party. Here's a great video on the growth and power of using social media that I came across on Social Media Examiner. I'd like to hear your thoughts or questions about the power of social media.

You can generate new blog traffic and gain a boatload of potential customers through using social media. Whatever your online goals may be, getting active in the social media world will help you get there faster and you can do it without spending a dime.

It's not as simple as just getting on Twitter and Facebook and then posting an occasional status update. You need to get active and engage other people in whatever your niche may be. You don't need to spend every waking hour on Twitter or Facebook, but don't just start throwing up affiliate links and trying to sell stuff right away because you will be disappointed with the results.

People will tune you out if that's all you're doing. I'm not saying don't ever tweet out an affiliate link, but just don't make that your sole purpose on whatever platform your using.

I can't believe how much social media has taken over our society in the last five years and can't even imagine what the next five years will bring.

I'd also recommend you to get on Pinterest and also make a Google Page for your blog or website because I've gotten great interaction on both platforms in the short time I've been on them.

Tips For Using Sponsored Tweets

 I'm a big fan of Twitter and use it all the time and I also really like the Sponsored Tweets program to earn a few bucks from my Tweets. I have no problem with someone who is trying to monetize their blogs or social networking profiles as long as they are being straight up and legit with their intentions. I'm an affiliate of the Sponsored Tweets program and want to let you know up front before we go any further.

I'm not an expert or a guru to making money online, but I'm slowly figuring some things out. I will post some tips for you on how I use the Sponsored Tweets program and hope they can be of some value to you. If you are reading this and have some tips of your own and would like to share them then please let me know and you can do a guest post or send me the tips and I will add them on here for everyone to see.

The Sponsored Tweets program is free to sign up for and you retain total control of your Twitter account and private information. They do offer a pro account that is a small monthly fee, but you don't have to use it to get offers and I'm proof of that because I'm still using the free account that I signed up with. I've been thinking of signing up for their pro account lately, but as of this moment I'm not.

You can decline an offer and don't have to explain yourself. I use them and have turned down offers and I still get offers, but I want to make that point clear for you. Don't ever let yourself feel pressured into doing a tweet because you are in control and it's your credibility on the front lines. I've rambled enough now onto my tips.

•   Be honest and don't try and game the system because it will get caught and you will lose your credibility and an easy way to generate some revenue for yourself. 
• Always and I mean always check what it is that you will be tweeting out to your followers, no exceptions! Don't just accept an offer and write your tweet and then submit it on the spot without checking the link your followers will be clicking. It will take you to the page they will see and then you can decide what to do. 
• It's ok to decline an offer! I have turned down some and I still continue to receive offers.
• Do try and make the tweet like the advertiser has requested. You may have to get creative and trim a word here or there in order to fit it into your tweet, but this doesn't happen that much.
• Be reasonable with what you charge to do a tweet.

Social Networking Sites Can Be A Very Powerful Tool For New Bloggers

Social networking sites can be a very powerful tool for anyone and especially new bloggers who are just starting out, I admit that it took me a little while to grasp this concept when I first started. Don't make my mistake and get yourself out there if you haven't already started, you will thank me later, I promise! I waited like 6 or 7 months before I signed up with Twitter and then another 2 months until I joined Facebook. Now looking back on it I realize my mistake in not getting into the game sooner.

I didn't see the reason why I should sign up because I thought it was a big waste of my time and I was not about to drive traffic to Twitter or a Facebook when I needed traffic for my sports blog! What an idiotic way to think now that I look back on it, but you live and you learn or at least your supposed too. Don't worry if you don't know anyone on either site because you will be able to find like minded people who share your likes and in some cases, dislikes. The key is to get into the game, because you can't win if you aren't playing.

One of the coolest aspects is that you can set them up to be updated automatically whenever you post to your blog! It will post a link in a tweet on Twitter that links back to your blog and with Facebook you have the option to post a link or the whole post. These sites can not only help to drive traffic to your blog, but help you earn money as well or even land you a job. I wouldn't worry about trying to make any money on them until you have built up some credibility.

I'm a huge advocate for using social networking sites because there is a lot of benefits for you if done correctly. You don't need to spend all your time on these sites because you still have a blog your trying to get off the ground. It's very easy to lose track of time and to get sidetracked which is a huge problem for lots of bloggers because I see other people saying the same exact thing. It was something I struggled with after I got into it and realized that I had made a mistake and should have arrived at the dance a little earlier.

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• Overheard on #Blogchat: Can Readers Find You? (@thekrg) (blogworld.com)

Things To Consider Before You Trot Out Into The Blogosphere

I was upset and venting a little the other day because trying to get a handle on all this blogging and earning revenue is a battle with peaks and valleys that we all go through and I was frustrated, again! There really is so much that needs to come together in order to "make it" online as a blogger. I started with no knowledge and feel I have learned a tremendous amount about blogging and how things work in the blogosphere, but I still have not put it all together and that is where my frustration lies, within myself because it's not coming together as quick as I want it or need it to! I'm sure there will be plenty of people who will read this that can understand where I'm coming from with this. I have plenty of great ideas and things I want to do online, but that is not enough because my lack of other essential online skills are what I feel is holding me back. I'm not giving up by no means and will continue to forge ahead and learn those skills, I can't quit because I know in my heart that I can do this. I will say that you need to have a plan before you start this and start planning as soon as you decide to become a blogger. You need to have a PR Plan for your site and have an understanding of how search engines work because you must be able to get site traffic. How will you earn money through your blog if you want to? It takes more than just good content although that is essential to your sites survival, no exceptions to that! Also you need to make your readers feel engaged with your content, I have learned that as I have gone along here. I'm talking about through comments and feedback on your site. So as you see it's a lot, but not unattainable in my opinion. I have become convinced that a group blogging effort is the way to go if you can find the right group of people to join up with and you all have the same goals and agendas to make it work. What do you think and why? I'm curious to hear what other people have to say on this and really appreciate any feedback that you can provide.

Related articles

• 5 Ways to Monetize Your Blog Without Selling Out (problogger.net)
• Why a Blog Challenge is Great for a Blogger (famousbloggers.net)
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• Inside the Life of the Other Kind of ProBlogger (problogger.net)

Learn To Use Facebook And Build Your Community

I have started learning how to set up a Facebook page for my sports blog and see that it can be used to drive traffic and get new site readers. I admit that I'm a little late to the party,but late is better than never! It's free to use and not to difficult to set up even though I'm having some issues getting it like I want. I blame it on myself because I'm still learning all the ropes of blogging and social media. Another aspect of making your blog successful is to build your site as a community, Darren Rowse from Problogger.net goes into this topic deeper on his site. I remember thinking, "What the hell is this dude talking about?", when I first read it. Now I really get what he is talking about. You need to engage your readers by asking questions, letting them submit content and interacting with each other. It becomes like a family and that creates a loyal readership which helps your blog grow!

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• 13 Simple Ways Of Increasing Your Facebook Likes (thenextweb.com)

Trying To Tie Up All Loose Ends On My Blogs

I've been blogging around 18 months or so know and have really learned a lot, but I still have a ways to go before I'm satisfied. I'm throwing myself into learning more about Adsense and Analytics because I want to take my blogs up a notch and I see value in learning all I can about those Google programs. It's been a real challenge for me because I'm flying solo and in order to maintain and grow a blog there are many things you must do to get traffic to your site and turning that traffic into readers. You must produce content that people want to read and that can consume a ton of your time. I have really fallen in love with blogging and want to continue so all these things I call loose ends need to be fixed!

Google Friend Is Great

I just discovered how important Google Friend Connect is and if you are like me you will love it. I know that I probably write and talk about Google, but I can't help it because they have some great applications. The best thing is that almost all are FREE! I don't work for Google and want to make that clear, I do have an Adsense account that I'm struggling to learn, but that is for a later post. When I decided to start a blog I was so excited about the possibilities and ready to roll, but I had a minor problem. I could only sign on to a computer and barely access the internet. I had no clue what I was doing and had to start from scratch. So I went to work and have been learning ever since. It was September 2008 when I started learning. I still have a long, long way to go in order to fulfill my vision and reach my goals, but I'm making progress! I started my other site Beltwayboysports.com on a self hosted Wordpress.org platform. I have been attempting to start an email list and user sign ups for the site with nothing but problems. It has driven me crazy and frustrated me to no end! Then I discovered Google Friend. So what can this do to help you and give you a big assist with your blog? It lets you build your list and site sign ups with no headache at all. Plus you can send newsletters to your members, make surveys and let your site members communicate with each other and it keeps stats for you. There is more that you can do with it. It allows you to do all of this without having to code anything. I have it on the sidebar of this site. I wish I would have found it before, it will save you a lot of time so you can be free to do other things for your site. I hope you will find this helpful. Let me know how it works for you or if you discover another way to use it, thanks and I look forward to hearing from you!

A Wordpress Plugin From Blogging Heaven

I found a Wordpress plugin that is absolutely amazing, it's the Header and Footer plugin that has been developed by Satollo.net. I added it to my self hosted Wordpress blog at Beltwayboysports.com and it has worked great with no problems. What it does is allow people like me who don't understand coding to add stuff to your template very easy. You just paste whatever it is into one of the boxes that are labeled and the plugin does the rest. You can ad adsense or anything like that to your site, it really helps newbies to be able to monetize their site or to add other functionalties for your readers. I wish that I would have found this months ago! The plugin is free and will cost you nothing more than a couple minutes of your time to install and have it up and running. I highly recommend it because I know how intimidating trying to add something to your template can be for a new blogger. I hope that this will help you on your blogging journey!  

5 Blogging Tips To Grow Your Audience

1. Post frequently when you first start your blog
2. Post comments on other blogs that you read
3. Respond to comments and emails that your readers send to you
4. Don't try to push crappy products to your readers for the sake of making a dollar, because they will not remain your readers for long. 
5. Join the social networking party with Twitter, Digg and all the others that are out there in the Blogosphere.

There are plenty of other tips for growing your readers and gaining traffic to your site, but the main thing is to get out here and join the party! Good luck and have some fun!