JennieDuong's Blog

Now that 2007 is behind us, I offer a quick inspirational list of things any blogger can do to “jump start” their blog in the new year.

1. Figure out what you’re really an expert in. Maybe it’s time to write about that instead of chasing what’s popular.

Blog Herald: Don’t Blog About That Which You Understand Not

2. Put your readers first. Ultimately, the point of any blog is to be read by readers, and putting content first. Sounds obvious, but with all the crazy blogging details like traffic, SEO, etc., many seem to may forget this simple concept. Do a mental reboot and look at your blog as if you were a reader who just happened upon your blog. Would you read the article you found, or click the back button, never to return?

3. Subscribe to other blogs. Find some new, unfamiliar blogs and subscribe to their feeds. One place to look is your Twitter or MyBlogLog followers (you are signed up for those services, aren’t you?)

4. Comment on other blogs. When was the last time you visited all the blogs on your blog roll and left a comment?

Lorelle: Blogging Challenge: Comment on 10 Blogs

5. Link to other blogs. The Internet is all about sharing information and links are one way to make this plain for all to see.

iBlog You Blog: The Importance Of Outgoing Links

6. Have a reader survey to find out what your readers really think about your blog. Here’s a plugin you can use:

SurveyFly

7. Change your ads around. It’s a good idea to change placement of your ads periodically into new configurations.

Problogger: Positioning Your Adsense Ads

8. Declutter your blog. Way too many blogs with crazy widgets that are of little benefit to the average reader.

Skelliewag: 50 Tips To Unclutter Your Blog

9. Sign up at a new social networking service. Blogging is partly about networking, and also finding new content to share with your readers. There are many social networking sites that have a constant flow of user-submitted content. I’d recommend Twitter, Mixx, Digg, and Reddit.

Biziki: The Importance Of Befriending Other Bloggers

10. Hold a blog contest. Offering something up as a prize is a quick way to get user response and return a little focus on your blog. Avoid the paid for links thing (Google doesn’t like it).

Blogodise: How To Hold A Successful Blog Contest

11. Set up automated blog back ups. It’s important to keep your eye on the back end and using a periodic back up plugin is painless.

WordPress Database Backup

12. Update your blog’s software. WordPress recently had yet another security update.

13. Update your plugins. WordPress 2.3 now reminds you when a newer version of a plugin is available Check out the plugin page to find a link to the new version.

Shaun Low: Optimizing Your Blog By Updating Or Removing Plugins

14. Write for another blog. Many blogs put out periodic calls for guest posts. Volunteer for one to break out of the routine of writing for your own blog. You may push yourself harder when writing for someone else and get your creative juices flowing.

15. Ask people to write for your blog. You may learn something about how others see your blog by what sort of content they come up with for your niche.

Problogger: How To Maximize The Benefits Of Guest Posting

16. Take a vacation. Blogger burnout is common and is no reflection on your ability - any normal person gets exhausted when doing the same thing over and over and over and over (and over). Maybe it’s time to take a break and recharge your batteries.

Problogger: How To Take A Blog Vacation

17. Set up a blog posting schedule. Dream up a few topics you could do a series of posts on and assign a day of the week. Challenge yourself to write three posts in a day for that topic. There, you’ve taken care of three weeks.

Problogger: Plan Your Next Week’s Posting Schedule

18. Throw out your blog posting schedule. Maybe less order is what you need. Toss out the book of rules. Try posting an off the cuff rant, or post at an odd time of the day.

19. Choose (or create) a new theme. So many free themes out there, so little time. A change of scenery may provide a fresh, inspiring start.

Lorelle: Choosing A WordPress Theme

20. Write from a new perspective. Take a look at the last ten posts you wrote and list the similarities. Then set out to write a post that contains none of them.

21. Change your writing environment. Take your portable computer to the park, to the library, to a cafe. One great aspect of blogging is the ability to write and post from anywhere you have an Internet connection. Take advantage of it.

22. Stir things up. Sometimes the best way to get attention is to blatantly ask for it. Link to another blogger you disagree with and politely point out why you disagree. They can handle it.

23. Use more images. Readers like images, if only as a hook to get them interested and start reading your post. Sign up for a stock photography service and add some flair. If you’re very organized, choose one image for each of your blog subjects so you always have an image.

10e20: The Importance Of Images In Linkbait Articles

24. Get more personal. You may not need to go as far as ranting about your spouse but a little bit of heart on sleeve wearing is a good way to get some attention and maybe some pity. Everyone can relate to a writer who reveals that they are human and just like them.

25. Remind yourself that blogging is fun. Every blogger has a platform on which they can voice their opinions, put them out there, and see what the rest of the Internet thinks. It’s a new form of communication and exciting stuff. Remember that!

Blogging can be a lonely business. And if online blogger communities don’t satisfy you desire to mingle, this is a list of the top 10 events in the real world where you can participate in, meet with fellow bloggers, and share experiences.

BarCamp

BarCamp is a different kind of conference where bloggers, new media enthusiasts, and entrepreneurs gather to learn and discuss various aspects of the new media among themselves. There are no set agenda or pre-decided speakers and everyone is free to join.

The first BarCamp was organized in California by a group of 6 people as a weekend conference. The camp was an instant hit and since then there have been more than 150 camps organized across the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia with more than 10,000 people attending. The second anniversary of the BarCamp was celebrated in August this year.

BlogHer Conference

BlogHer Conference is an annual conference for women bloggers being organised since 2005 by BlogHer, an online community of exclusively working for the fairer gender with a membership base of around 13,000 bloggers. This year’s event was organized for two days in June at Chicago with over 800 bloggers participating. Discussions and sessions were on providing resources and tips to women bloggers. The 2008 event is underway though the venue has not been decided as yet.

BlogHer also organized the first BlogHer Business Conference in 2007. Next year, this is scheduled to be held in April at New York. BlogHer is also starting a new event in 2008, the BlogHer Reach Out Tour, that will tour across six US cities.

BlogTalk

BlogTalk is an European conference for bloggers, developers, and researchers of the social media. The first BlogTalk was organized in 2003, and since then the conference have been organized in 2004, 2005, and 2006. The next BlogTalk event is coming up at Ireland in March 2008.

BlogTalk 2008 will be a 2-day event of meetings, presentations, and exchanges of research. This will include topics on technological developments in social software, new blog and wiki applications, and social software in politics and journalism, among others.

Blog World & New Media Expo

Blog World & New Media Expo is perhaps the most-hyped event that is going round the blogosphere these days. The event is a two day affair coming in November at Las Vegas. Positioned as the world’s largest blogging and new media conference, the event will have plenty of seminars and panels on blogging, video blogging, podcasting, internet radio, TV broadcasting, and social networking to choose from. Some well known web experts and bloggers are expected out there.

Gnomedex

Gnomedex is another high profile blogging and web 2.0 event. The seventh Gnomedex was organized in August this year in Seattle. The conference was attended by hundreds of bloggers, podcasters, and web experts. Popular blogger Chris Pirillo was the main host for the event and Guy Kawasaki was one of the eminent speakers.

One interesting part of the conference was the UnGnomeCamp, the unofficial post-conference gathering for those who couldn’t make it to the Gnomedex.

International Conference on Weblogs and Social Media

International Conference on Weblogs and Social Media is the new avatar of the popular workshops on the Weblogging Ecosystem, started this year with over 145 people attending the event. The 2008 event is schedule in March 2008 at Seattle. The conference is primarily for researchers from different fields like computer science, linguistics, psychology, statistics, sociology, multimedia, and semantic web technologies for discussion on blogs and the social media.

New Media Expo

New Media Expo is an annual event for digital media creators, podcasters, and content developers. The 2007 event was held in California with more than 65 companies participating. The next expo is scheduled to be held in August 2008 at Las Vegas. As part of the expo, there will be a conference with sessions on podcasting beginners, attracting & growing audience, monetization & business podcasting, advanced audio & video creation, and new media strategies.

Podcamp

PodCamp is another barcamp style conference for podcaster and listeners, bloggers, and people interested in the new media. Since the first PodCamp in 2006 at Boston, there have been 21 PodCamps organized across the US, Europe, and South Africa.

Postiecon

PostieCon is a popular and free conference organized by PayPerPost Inc. for bloggers to discuss blog marketing, monetization, and building traffic. The upcoming Postiecon event starts on November 9 with an advertisers summit followed by a day-long conference and a distribution of the Blogger’s Choice Awards on the following day.

SobCon

Sobcon is another conference for bloggers on publishing, design and branding, tools, analytics, social networking, marketing, and other subjects of interest to bloggers. The 2007 event has been concluded with 15 speakers and 250 bloggers participating.

Source: http://mashable.com/2007/11/03/10-events-for-bloggers/ 

1. Use a Specialist

Your mortgage lender may well offer to provide your mortgage-related insurance policies. But remember, they are not necessarily insurance specialists and may not offer the best cover or the most competitive premiums. However, when it comes to buildings insurance, it can be wise to accept your lenders' insurance as they will then have a vested interest in your property should the worst happen.

2. Shop Around

It is very easy to look compare the simpler types of insurance, what they cover and how much they cost, on the internet.

3. Visit an Adviser

An independent financial adviser can help you to select and arrange your insurance. They can be invaluable when it comes to more complex types of insurance, such as convertible life insurance, for example.

4. Don't pay for Unsuitable Cover.

There is no point in being over-insured, or paying for cover that is not relevant to you. For example, if you are self-employed, then the unemployment element of Accident, Sickness and Unemployment (ASU) insurance is not needed.

5. Don't Under-insure

If you do not have sufficient cover, you will regret it when something goes wrong. When it comes to contents insurance, for example, there is no point cutting corners : you must go through your house and add up the value of everything, and make sure your insurance would cover it.

 yourmortgage.co.uk