Archive for June, 2008
Jun
06
How To Make Money Blogging- Choosing Your Platform (Part 2)
Please note: this was written in June, 2008! Updated, June, 2010
First off, I really want to make it clear that I am NOT an expert at blogging, actually, I am just really getting started. (6/2008) If you’re wondering what am I doing writing a blog about blogging when I’m a new blogger (say that 5 times really fast) , so am I. What I am is a teacher, and a researcher. To clarify my purpose here, it’s to give you a concise outline to get started and point you to all the resources you need to make …GOOD…money blogging. I am happy to walk along side and compare notes as we go along, too!
OK, now that we have that out of the way…..Step 2. You should have your topic now, your next assignment is also one of the most important foundational steps you will take and that is deciding on your blogging platform. Here is where I have freedom to tell you my experiences with various platforms because no one is paying me to say what they want me to! In case you aren’t sure what I mean by ‘blogging platform’, then you are at the right place. This means you aren’t up on the latest CSS or HTML, or other alphabet software and you need a basic recommendation.
Choosing Your Platform
Ok, what’s a ‘platform’? It’s basically what you use to write and publish your blog. Also know as a ‘Content Management System’ or CMS, it’s one of the most important decisions you will make in your blogging journey. There are a number to choose from, and if you’d like to see a full list, Problogger has one posted here.
WordPress
We are only going to deal with the most popular free programs. I discovered WordPress later in the game and absolutely LOVE it, and it’s 100%free. You have two options with WordPress, WordPress.org and WordPress.com. Many people confuse these two, but there is a BIG difference. WP.com is the online version that is ideal if you have $0 money to start with. They will give you a domain name (actually, it will be a subdomain of WP like like ThisIsMe.wordpress.com) and walk you through step by step. You can purchase your own domain name and plug it in if you want.
Your other option is to obtain your own hosting and domain name and put it on your server yourself. This is called a ‘self-hosted blog’. Many hosting companies already have it installed on their system, and it’s a one or two click start up. Why would you go to all that trouble and expense if WordPress is willing to host it for you? Money. On WordPress.com you are limited not only to what you can do with design and the like, but if you get too commercialized (ie: advertising) they will shut you down. So if your object is to make money, it’s wise to start out with a self hosted blog. It’s not as difficult as it sounds, and some hosting companies are more than helpful in walking you through it. Blue Host has the best customer service IMHO, and was very patient with me in the early days. Believe me, I would not have been as patient with me. I had no idea what I was doing. They spent hours at a time helping me out. iPowerWeb.com also has award winning customer service and is probably the most affordable option, including a free domain name.
Blogger
Blogger is Google’s baby, and is easily set up with Google Adsense. However, being somewhat of a remnant child of the sixties, I have struggled with how big Google is getting, and thus a little too powerful. So I enjoy promoting the free spirited WordPress. That’s all I will say, in case Google is listening….. It’s also more difficult in my opinion to use on a day to day basis than WordPress, but they do make it easier to install some of the extras (like their Adsense).
Homeschool Blogger
Homeschool Blogger is a free blogging platform that is made for homeschoolers. They have recently done a MAJOR remodel, so be patient with them. It’s a great way to get to know other homeschool families.
The platform I started with came with my hosting package and was an installed WordPress application hosted on my Blue Host. I felt limited in what I could do at the time. I have blogs on all the platforms, I tried them all just so I could report back to you what works and what doesn’t.They all work, but I like WordPress the best, and Blogger the least.
Now (6-2010) I have several ‘self-hosted’ blogs and love all the options and the ease with updating and trying new things. I enjoy trying on different themes like some women enjoy trying on new clothes! (not recommended)
Would love to hear your experiences, please leave us a comment with your opinion. Thanks!
Read next: How to make money blogging – Part 3
Jun
06
How To Make Money Blogging – Choose Your Niche (Part 1)
In all my years of looking at all the ways to make money at home, there was always loads of ideas and “the best ways” but what I found was no one told me exactly how to start. All the information was concentrated on how much I was going to make and rarely where to begin. So what would I do but dive in only to discover down the road it wasn’t going to work for one reason or another. I decided then that if I ever figured it all out that I would share it all. Free.
In looking at all the many sources of information about how to make money blogging, I can’t say this guide is the best, but it’s certainly the most condensed. You want to get started, so let’s go!
So! To begin your blogging career, you will need to decide what you want to blog about! This is probably your most important step. You don’t want to sign up for a domain name or service yet, because you need to have a clear vision of what your blog’s purpose will be FIRST.
Your blog should be something you’re interested in or your apathy will show through your writing. You will also find it very hard to continue writing every single day about something you don’t have a passion for. Of course, you also want to be sure your subject choice is profitable. Are there products or services connected to your blog that are in demand? Think about where your experience and knowledge intersect with a subject that people want to read about. One way to determine what you are really interested in is to browse the open questions in Yahoo Answers. Take a look at some of the open questions and see what you tend to gravitate towards.
If you are still having problems thinking of ideas, try looking at some of these sites and see if it helps you generate some ideas:
top 100 blogs (if you can stand the flashing ads…)
another top 100 blogs…(no flashing ads…)
have fun! You might want to set a timer, it’s easy to get lost in time when surfing the top blogs!
Make a list of 5-10 subjects you think might be possibilities and then check which subjects have profit possibilities and which don’t! The way to do this is do a search on the topics of choice and see what is available. This is the hard part, and is best an item of prayer for guidance. If there is very little available on your subject, you may find there is little interest. (not profitable) Don’t be afraid of diving into an overloaded subject area (like dieting or dating) if you think you can do a better job than most. While you are looking, try to notice any unfilled niches in your subject area.
There is a program that is highly recommended that has a plug in search area telling you the perfect ratio of interest to availability. They also provide one of the easiest web hosting and posting options there is for a very affordable amount. It’s everything you need in one package, if you’re interested it’s called NPC-Niche Profit Classroom. I’ve tried it myself and can highly recommend it. It will cut your learning time in half, if not more.
Once you have your subject chosen, think of a domain name and blog title that says what you write about. A cool tool to brainstorm a domain name is NameTumbler.com.
Hold off on buying your domain name for now. Remember, if you haven’t purchased your hosting yet, most companies will give you a free domain name with your purchase.
The last task in this lesson is to think of your byline. Your byline is a one sentence summary of what your blog is all about. This will give you focus and help you stay on track. For instance, Homeschool-Entrepreneur.com’s byline is “Teaching It, Learning It, Doing It!” At one point, it was “Where Learning Makes Sense Cents ”
Read next: How to make money blogging – Part 2
Jun
06
How To Make Money Blogging-Intro
I’ve spent the last 4 hours researching and looking at blogs and what others are doing to make a GOOD income blogging. Obviously, there are many, many people doing it as a full time job and doing very well with it, but all will say that it is work. Those journaling their journey tell how they virtually lived online at first. So, it’s not a get rich quick income, but it certainly seems to suit the typical homeschool family as a way to make money at home!
Think about it, your blog could be a topic of special interest to your family and you could make it a daily school assignment! Writing practice, research, and creative thinking all rolled into one ongoing assignment! The best part is you can get started for free!
OK, here is my plan. For the next 6 months, I am going to dig online and offline for the best of the best blog advice there is and journal my creation here on bizyhomeschoolers. I’ll let you know every detail, including what I make, so that you will know what to do -or what NOT to do – to make money blogging! I also would like to link to as many homeschool bloggers as possible, so watch out. However, that’s all for my intro because it’s late, and I’m going to bed, good night!
Read next: How to Make Money Blogging – Part 1
Jun
06
My Vision for this blog….(aka Our Story)
This is your traditional ‘Welcome to my blog’ first post. The first post is always the hardest, not sure why that is but I have a feeling that I won’t be at a loss for words.
So, I would like to share with you my vision for this blog. Homeschooling has changed a lot since 1989 when we started homeschooling our 11 year old daughter. Actually, we tried to start in 1983 when Rachael’s kindergarten teacher (Calvary Christian Academy in Denver, CO) told us that due to her ‘precociousness’, she would do much better in a home school situation! I really wasn’t sure how to take that, but being somewhat of a 60′s throwback turned newborn Christian, I found the unconventional idea of homeschooling intriguing. However, at the time we were “professional” foster parents for an unwed mothers home and the administrators of the program did NOT like the idea at all. I guess they thought the young mothers might want to try it themselves or something.
Homeschooling is so much more accessible now, with abundant support available in almost every capacity, more curriculum choices than we know what to do with and last, but certainly NOT least-the internet! You could almost design an entire curriculum from online resources alone.
Aside from all the wonderful changes that the early homeschoolers didn’t have, there is one thing that hasn’t changed at all. The homeschool family’s finances, or lack thereof. It is a rare family that successfully homeschools without one parent staying home full time with the children. Homeschooling is definitely a full time job!
Our economy is geared around a two income household, which makes surviving on one income very difficult for the majority. Not that it can’t be done, and done well, I personally know many that have taken up the challenge enthusiastically, but I know more families that struggle with it immensely.
We were one of those families that struggled with it immensely, and found our solution in a variety of home business endeavors. Finding ideas and resources were scarce and scam awareness was not in my biological data base. As a result, over the last 20 years I have researched 100′s, if not over a thousand various ways a homeschool family can make money and maintain a respectable homeschool at the same time.
One day a friend was over and we were looking at an article on “How to Choose Your Perfect Business” and one of the questions was, “What do you know the most about?” While I was musing over the last 20 years of homeschooling, playing ‘soccer mom’ and all the other mini businesses that I had run, my friend pops up with my long sought answer: “Your perfect business is finding home businesses!” I was always coming up with new ideas, or new takes on old ideas, and actually, was probably almost annoying at my constant obsession with finding another “new” idea that could solve someone’s financial woes, but now I finally began to see how God might be able to use those countless hours searching every knowledge source I could lay my hands on.
All that to say is my vision for this blog is to put in print all the possible ideas and resources for homeschool families to make money at home while still keeping up with the kids’ home school. Part of the solution also lies in teaching your kids to start their own business and make it part of their everyday school. But that’s another website, and would love to have you stop by HomeSchool-Entrepreneur.com sometime and say ‘hi!’.
More From HomeschoolEntrepreneur
Jun
06
Huge List of Great Blog Resources!
Here’s another HUGE list of great blogging resources- everything from blog helps to platforms to search engines and more. If you are serious about making money with your blog, spend some time here!
Daniel Scocco is the creator of Daily Blog Tips, one of the top blogging sites. His blog offers quality information on everything you need to know to catapult your blog to greatness. Beware, once you’re there, you won’t want to leave!
This list of blog resources came from dfinitive, a popular bookmarking site that Daniel has been named their ‘resident blogging expert’. No small honor.
HUGE list of blogging resources
Welcome to Homeschool Entrepreneur!
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