Posted by kexbrown on March 20, 2009
Are you looking for that perfect image to add to your current article to enhance your blog? We all know that articles with images are more interesting, though it takes your pages longer to load.
Where do you go to find free images? There are many sources on the web and here is an article that gives you the low down on 30 free sources of images. You might ask, “what’s the catch. Nothing is free.” But, truly these are free images.
Some offer them with no strings attach, others limit the number you can download in a day, and some offer their images with the Creative Commons Attribution License. You get the images for free but you have to give credit to the person that created the image.
Find out more about these sites, Thirty Sites to get Free Images.
Some of us are a little better at taking pictures and using PhotoShop than others. So, what can we do to play with those with more talent? use photos from talented individuals. These sites will help you find that right photo to go with your article on cooking, sports or nature! Enjoy.
Posted by kexbrown on February 21, 2009
Have you ever gotten frustrated when clicking ads within the Adgitize Ad Network? You click an ad and end up on an advertiser’s landing page that isn’t displaying an Adgitize Ad Group. Then what do you do? How do you get started clicking again?
Well, many people have used the New Publisher list found on the Adgitize Blog and in the Members Lounge. Others go through the LeaderBoard. But, both of those solutions are limited in their functionality and usefulness.
Frustrating Finding a Publisher
Adgitize member SharkByte was expressing concerns about this issue last week. And you know I agreed. It can be frustrating finding a publisher that you haven’t clicked on today. Well, problem solved. Two changes made this week will solve this problem.
LeaderBoard Expanded
LeaderBoard expanded to include top 300 members! This change will open up another 200 member’s blogs that you probably haven’t clicked on today.
Blogs Not Clicked Report Now Available
This I think will be a huge win for members that choose to score points by clicking on ads. This report is specific to your needs. It takes all active publishers and their active blogs. Then it removes publishers you have already visited. Then it randomly chooses 50 blogs you haven’t visited today.
How do you get to the report? It is simple. Go to the Member’s Lounge. Choose Reports. Then under the Publisher’s Section you will see a link for “Blogs Not Clicked Today.” Just click that link and you are ready to go.
One thing I noticed is some members have multiple blogs. They may have the Adgitize Ad Group on one or two of multiple blogs in our network; but every blog may not be carrying the Adgitize Ad Groups. So, on occasion you will come across a blog or two that aren’t displaying ads, but it should be a minimal issue compared to your current process.
Exposure to New Blogs
For me the exciting part is each day you won’t be clicking the same blogs. You will be exposed to new bloggers. You will have the opportunity to find new similar blogs to possibly partner with and gain new friends. You will see how others have used themes and plug ins to build their blogs. Who is using WordPress, how about Blogger? As an active clicker in the Adgitize Ad Network you are building a list of blogs that you enjoy by your exposure to new and varied bloggers. You are expanding your personal BlogoSphere.
Anyway, the next time you are clicking in the Adgitize Ad Network, take a look at the new Publisher Report – Blogs Not Clicked Today and let me know how you like it. Did it help you? Was it easy to use? How can it be improved?
If you find a blog that is abusing our rules, please let me know. There are still some out there with too many ad groups and ads, inappropriate content, pop ups and other things that are against our terms of service. In the past these blogs ran under our radar, but now they will be exposed, so please let me know if you see something and we can correct those issues.
Posted by kexbrown on January 11, 2009
This is a strange title for an article by an advertising firm don’t you think? Understanding community? What does that mean? The blogosphere is a huge world with millions of blogs. You can find articles on basketball, politics, crafts, personal fitness, gardening, cars, keeping the planet green, and thousands of subjects. But, is that your world? Is it really? Are you constantly checking and reading blogs on all those subjects or others?
I would be willing to bet that you aren’t looking and reading everything out there. You are probably interested in a few (maybe 5) subjects that you kind of keep up on. There is one subject that you are passionate about and is the reason you became a blogger. You have a message to tell the world.
Nourish Your Community
How does that fit in with community? Your world community is really quite small. I would say it is like a small midwestern city with anywhere from 50 to 5,000 members. It isn’t a large audience. But, it does represent people from all over the world. Do you have readers in Nigeria, Columbia, Russia and Canada? Your readers are your community.
Just like a real city you need to nourish your community. You share your thoughts on your blog and people come and extract nuggets of information they deem important. But, there is more to a community than just throwing food at people. We are a species of communication. Despite many different languages, the internet puts us together to share information and learn from each other.
Here are a few hints to help you succeed in this virtual world of communication and community.
- Write articles of interest and stay on topic
- Have a comment section or forum for your visitors
- Visit other Blogs and comment or participate in forums
Write Articles of Interest and Stay on Topic
Successful blogs choose a subject and then strive to stay consistent with that topic. If you write about health tips then be regular and dependable about writing on that subject. It is easy to become distracted and veer off into other themes unrelated to your first ten posts.
Why is this important? Your visitor’s first impression when they come to your site will determine if they will ever return. So, they land on your blog and you have an article about a recipe for homemade grits, an article about bowling, another writing on dating and pictures of your child’s trip to Chucky Cheese. To the visitor expecting another issue about quantum physics they become confused and justifiably angry. It’s like there is a bait and switch going on with your writing. You promised them articles on gardening and they see articles on making money online. They are hurt. Your community suffers.
Have a Comment Section or Forum for Your Visitors
Do you ever go outside and talk with your neighbors over the fence or in the driveways? They ask you questions or check on something important to you and you get in a dialogue with them.
Your blog should be that little backyard fence with your neighbor. An opportunity to talk with your readers, get feedback about your articles and maybe learn a little more based on the experiences of others. You talk, you listen, you communicate, and you build community.
Visit Other Blogs and Comment or Participate in Forums
When you are building community you don’t just sit at home and wait for all your community members to come calling at your door. You open the door, walk outside and check on your neighbors. You attend the ball games, backyard barbecues, church meetings, political discussions, book clubs at the library and go to the local swimming pool. You get out of the house and you mingle with others.
As a blogger you need to do the same things. You need to virtually leave your house (your blog) and enter the scary blogosphere and meet others. You meet others by visiting blogs and …. commenting and leaving messages on forums. You communicate with others either in the same blog subject area or a related blog subject area. You will learn and have more fodder for your own blog.
Maybe you ask, “What would I say on a blog comment?” Well, let me start by telling you what not to say, “Great article dude.” This serves no useful purpose and on this blog would be labeled spam. What you want to do is to actually read the article. Leaving comments can be a very useful device which I will reveal in a moment. But, the first and most important step is to read the article.
Did the Author Forget Something?
Then ask yourself some questions. Do I agree with this article or disagree? Why? Did the author forget something that you feel is important to the discussion? Is the author relating old information that isn’t relevant anymore? Have you ever experienced a similar event in your life? How did you handle it? Is there someone else the blogger should know about because of this experience?
After asking those questions then write a response to the article with at least 3 paragraphs. Why 3 paragraphs? Because by the 3rd paragraph you will finally have found your voice and will say something of value to the audience of that blog.
Finally – A Secret about Community
Here is the little secret about community. When you build your own community for your blog and participate in other communities your world gets bigger. If you comment sincerely, openly and with comments that add value to the conversation your personal community will become larger. This is a little known blogger secret and can be quite successful in attracting new traffic to your blog.