Become A Blogger? The Video Tutorial by Yaro Starak
Yaro Starak has been my inspiration in setting up Viral Voices - as you can see from the Blog Mastermind link I have on the sidebar.
In recent development, he has launched a new website that contains video tutorial teaching you how to become a blogger. In painstaking details, Yaro will show you how to:
- Why You Should Use WordPress
- How To Get Your Own Domain Name
- How To Get A Web Host
- How To Install WordPress With One Click
- How To Upload Files To Your Webhost Using FTP
- Choosing A WordPress Theme For Your New Blog
- How To Install And Use WordPress Plugins
- How To Create Your First Blog Post And Blog Page
- What RSS Is And Why You Need It
- How To Use Feedburner For Supercharging Your RSS Capabilities
These fabulous content are free, and will remain so. What’s the catch? Yaro is using this educational platform to promote his Blog Mastermind programme.
Now that I have written the article series on how to set up a new blog, these videos will take your further in your exploration journey.
Have fun!
Ways to become a better comment whore
Okay, so that’s not my most catchy title, but it was meant to be a follow up from my recent article asking for more comments from my blog visitors.
The result has been pretty encouraging so far, with some new readers who dropped by to say hi via comments (yay!) and emails. Here are some valuable lessons I learned from them:
- People whom comment on blogs are usually bloggers themselves. To this, I agree vehemently. Actually I ran this “I am a comment whore” campaign on two blogs - one here, another on my personal blog. As expected, the initial response was greater here on Viral Voices, but not so on You Got Me Blogging. The reason? People on Viral Voices are bloggers themselves, and they understand the importance of commenting to build a sense of community, plus traffic. Readers of my personal blog are generally my friends, and most of them are not bloggers, hence the less tendency to leave comments. (I knew they are reading because when we meet up, they keep teasing me about stuff that I blogged about! :D)
- Another great way to encourage comments - turn off that comment moderation! I didn’t realise that until a reader pointed it out, and I thought, yeah, if I am a commentor, I would love to see my comments published immediately, and not until the blog owner decides so. Immediately I deactivate my comment moderation options on both my blog, and now I am just relying on Askimet to catch those dreaded spammers!
- Comment on others’ blog, and they will return the favour. I left a couple of comments on Untwisted Vortex, and gained some traffic from there (including the fore runner of my comment whore contest - Hari!). I also commented on Kidsblogger Carl’s blog, and conversed a little over email, and this high profile blogger came by and left a comment too. Therefore, do to others what you want others to do to you.
It’s early days yet, and already I am learning more on how to become a better comment whore. Haha.
What’s your personal rule of thumb to encourage more comments from your reader?
Carl “KidBlogger” Ocab
In the recent days I have the fortune to come across this incredible blog that goes by the name “Carl Ocab”
Yes, Carl Ocab is the name of the blogger. His blog is one of making money online, similar to what ViralVoices is about.
But what makes his blog stands out from the rest of the blogs that come across in this niche?
- Carl blogs in a no-nonsense, easy-to-follow style
- His blog template is very pleasing to the eyes, despite the numerous ads he has
- His blog ranks #1 in Google for the holy grail keyword - “Make Money Online”
- Most important all, he is all but 14 years old, and he has been blogging for only about a year
If a “kidblogger” from Philippines can make it happen online, I don’t see why you and I can’t.
Incidentally, I noticed a post from Carl that touches on the early steps necessary in building your first blog. I thought I will link it up from here, after the series of articles I have written recently.
Now, get off your PlayStation and start blogging! 
I am a comment whore
Every blogger’s dream is to have huge traffic to their blog.
And every problogger’s dream is to have a crowd of active, engage audience to their blog.
What do I mean by active and engaged? Such audience are ones who return to your blog very frequently, comment on your blog posts, tell for their friends about your blog, and subscribe to your RSS feed and email newsletter.
From my webstats, I know there are visitors coming to this blog. Some of you came here for the first time (welcome!) and some came here periodically. Here’s what my stats programme tells me about you in January 2008:
So, I know you guys are out there reading this. But knowing you guys through my stats is like… reading personal classifieds trying to find the right one, you know? I don’t know what you like, what you don’t like, what makes you come here, etc. etc. All I see are lines of text, with clues of the person you are. Good luck to me trying to know you better.
Actually, this is my long winded way to tell you this. I want to get to know you, and I can only do so if you leave a comment on my posts.
Yes, leaving a comment. That’s all you need to do, so that I can have a conversation with you. Here’s why you should leave a comment:
- It tells me that you are here, and that you are reading this
- It shows you care about the topic discussed
- It gives you an opportunity to ask a question, to criticise my posts, to voice an opinion
- It links back to your blog, giving you some nice Google juice
- It lets you build a rapport not only with me, but also with your fellow commentators
Here’s a little incentive to you to leave a comment. I will be monitoring my commentators for the next two weeks, and the top commentator who posted the most number of comments gets a free advertisement spot right here on the front page! You will get to put a nice little square banner under “Sponsors” (see the first sidebar to your right), with a one-line text link to your blog.
All you have to do is to leave comments on my posts, from today till 14th February 2008!
(That’s Valentine’s Day, by the way)
When I receive your comment, I will visit your blog, and if I have your blog interesting, I will include you in my blogroll to read, leave comments, subscribe to your feed etc.
One good turn deserves another, eh?
Now, what can you comment on? Just post the first thing that cross your mind. Here are some suggestions
- Tell me if you think my post is interesting, and why. Let me know if you are linking to the post from your blog, so that I can pay a visit
- If you hated my post, and think that this is the worst thing that has happened since Paris Hilton, let all my commentators know! I am more than willing to be corrected and learn from my mistakes
- Show a similar posts somewhere on my post topic, or (better still) you have blogged about something similar before? Let me know, so that I can add on to my post as “related posts from other bloggers”
- From time to time, I will pose a question at the end of my blog posts. Your comment can simply be a response to the question
- If you really have nothing to say… just leave a comment that says “Great post!” or “Your suck” or “Hi!”. I won’t fault you for that… sometimes I really want a blogger to know I was at their blog, but I have little value to add to their blog post.
Now… you can get started by simply answering this question:
Do you think this post is a great idea?
Fire away, my blog readers. I am looking forward to hear from you 
Setting Up a Blog: Part 4 - Choosing Your Blogging Platform (Blogger, Wordpress, Movable Type)
There are many platforms available to power up your blog. They are free versions (like Blogger.com), and paid ones (like Movable Type). They are also those that will host if for you - but we already discussed that you should use your own domain name - and those that you can publish/install onto your own server.Here are my takes on three of the blogging platforms that I have used before - Blogger, Wordpress, and Movable Type.
Blogger.com offers perhaps the simplest platform for you to get started. The interface is very easy to use. Granted, in recent months there are many new features being included - such as label for posts - but there are all good news.
Personally I think Blogger.com offers you the most flexibility when it comes to customising your template. There are tonnes of free Blogger templates on the web ready to be used. In fact, Blogger is so easy to use that it has become a platform of choice for many beginner bloggers.
Blogger.com also offers you free blog hosting under their own domain name, such as yourblogname.blogspot.com. Some of the money making blogs that I saw are taking advantage of this service.
Blogger.com allows you to publish your blog onto your own server, via FTP. I see a few advantages using this method:
1. You still can make use of Blogger.com’s simple functions
2. Your posts are saved on Blogger.com server. If anything happen to your web host, your posts are saved, at least
More info on this FTP publishing method can be found here. I used Blogger.com exclusively when I got started with blogging, and one of the grievances that I had was that it does not allow me to categorise postings. With the post label function, blogger can do that now.
But ever since I discovered WordPress, I have not looked back to Blogger anymore.
WordPress is simple the most powerful publishing platform that I had the fortune to come across. Yes, at first it was a little difficult to navigate through it’s many advanced functions, but after you get the hang of it, you will never look to other platforms.
I can think of many advantages of WordPress:
1) You can write both posts and pages on WordPress. At times, you will want to create standalone pages for “timeless” information, such as the “about” page, the “contact information” page, the “advertise” page
2) You can easily enhance your blog with many, many different WordPress plugins. Plugins are special scripts developed by third party that you can install onto your own WordPress blog. On this blog, you can see the “Top Commentators” - that’s a plugin. If you leave a comment, you can subscribe to updates to your comment thread via email - that’s a plugin, too. You can’t see this - but on the back end, I am using the Askimet plugin to control spam comments, so that I do not have to spend half my day moderating and deleting spam comments
3) You can edit and change your template rather easily. WordPress’ powerful templating engine allows you to upload different themes into your blog, and changing between themes is a mere click away. With the right plugin, you can also allow your visitors to switch between themes for a more personalised experience.
I can go on, and on, but you can already see I am a big WordPress fan. And I am not alone - professional bloggers like Darren Rowse and Yaro Starak swear by WordPress as well.
If you are using the web hosts I have recommended, your hosting package will come Fantastico, which is a powerful script installation engine that you can easily manage via cPanel - where you control everything about your web hosting. Using Fantastico, you can install a WordPress blog by just three clicks. I won’t go into the technical details here, but drop me a comment if you found youself stuck installing WordPress on your Fantastico.
I left Movable Type to the very last for various reasons. First off, I must say that MT is the most advanced blog engine you can find. My problem with MT is that it is way too advanced for beginner bloggers. Even for advanced bloggers like yours truly are flabbergasted with all the technicalities in using the platform. I recently discovered that MT has a free version, but back then when I tried it out, I have to pay for my MT. With the free MT, I have limited functionalities.
When you can have a fully-controlled and user-friendly platform like WordPress, why go through the hassle, right?
So there you go, my recommendation in choosing your blogging platform. Obviously, I am highly recommending WordPress for your new blog. It will definitely set you up to a great start.
Now, get blogging!
(Razlan’s Note: It has been some time since I last updated the blog. Sorry if you have been waiting for updates. Much stuff has happened recently in my personal life, so the little hiatus was a little inevitable. But I am back! Thanks for the patience )
Setting up a blog: Part 3 - Choosing and Subscribing to a Web Host
My previous post will give you details on how you should choose your domain name, and which registrars that I have used before to register my domain name.
Now let’s move on to the next important thing:
Step 2: Choosing and subscribing to a web host
Arguably one of the most daunting decisions that you’ll need to make as a blogger is choosing your web host. Your web host is a service provider whom will be providing you with the server space and bandwidth to run your site. There are literally thousands of web hosts out there, from very big out fit like GoDaddy.com that serves international customers, to your local web host provider (like IT Works Interactive in Singapore, to your many resellers whom most often than not working on a one manshow basis.
Over the years, I have subscribed to (and in some cases, ditched) many web hosts. In my experience, often when you choose a web host, there are a few key things you need to consider:
How much web space do you need? Typically as a blogger, you don’t really need that much of web space. Unless of course, if you are a photoblogger (but even so, you can get started with a free photo hosting service like Flickr). As a guideline, a 100 MB webspace will be more than enough for you to get started. Remember to check that your web host provides easy option for you to add on space later on without too much hassle.
How much bandwidth do you need? Again, a typically blogger really does not need a lot of bandwidth. Unless you are streaming live video (why not use YouTube?) and audio (consider imeem.com?), 1GB bandwidth is more than enough for a starter blog.
How much setup support do you need? This depends on how much technical knowledge you have. If words like “web space” and “bandwidth” and “DNS settings” set your brain all fuzzy, you’ll need the best customer support there is from your web host, who can guide you, step by step, in setting up your blog. That narrows your choice somewhat, and often you need to pay more for such helpful hosts. If you are okay with (or willing to learn) these technical aspects, than you will have more web host options
How much technical support do you need? Specifically, find out if your web host provides back up. If so, how often? Is the site hacker proof? What kind of uptime does the host promise? I will recommend a weekly back up host, with certain measures in place to protect your server from hackers, and 99% uptime will be sufficient. Why is this important? Well, as someone whom recently lost three years of hard work due to a hacking incident of my largest site, you don’t want to be in my shoes. The recovery is literally a pain in the ass.
Let’s move on to recommendations. Personally I can vouch for the following services:
Don’t be deceived by the bare (and seemingly unprofessional) website. MJZ Hosting, ran almost single-handedly by Matt, offers a no frill web hosting at unbelievably cheap prices. I have been hosting many of my sites with him. The thing about Matt is that, he is very flexible with your needs, and he responds to your email personally. His hosting plans are really, really affordable. I remember subscribing to his ATOMIC plan - which offers 500MB web space, and 15 GB bandwidth, at US$19 a year! That’s like less than US$2 a month! I highly recommend MJZ Hosting for blogger beginners.
Recently I have moved one of my sites to Mid Phase Hosting due to recommendation by a high-profile blogger. Also goes by the Anhosting, the web host offers unbelievably package for the price they are charging. The package that I am having right now is for 500 GB, and bandwidth of 5000 GB a month! That’s like 100x more than what I used to get, all for less than US$5 a month! My buying experience with Mid Phase Hosting has been pleasant experience. According to some past users, they have very strong customer service, robust back up system, and hacker-proof protection. Not sure if the promo that I subscribe to before is still there, but I suggest you check out their packages. Not only that, they also offer you free domain name, as long as you are subscribed to their service!
While I can recommend and vouch for these two web hosts that I am using, I am sure there are others good web hosts out there. If you have any recommendation, do drop a comment so that I can include in this list from time to time.
My next post will be on the final step in your blog setup, before you actually start blogging, and that is choosing your blogging platform.
Help a fellow blogger in need
I do not know who RT Cunningham is, but I read about his personal misfortune - more accurately, his wife’s.
It triggered something in me. Here we are, fellow bloggers, trying to make our mark in the word and hopefully earn a respectable earning from our hard work. Suddenly you hear one of your fellows got into deeper trouble, one through no fault on his own. You are moved by how staunchly he is living through his problems, and how he pours his heart out to his readers.
I did my little bit, even though we are strangers. And if you have some spare cash, do help out a fellow blogger in it.
Thanks to Darren for the heads up.
Update: RT just updated his site informing us that a donation of more than US$3K has been received within 24 hours after he puts up the donation button. I am so glad this happened, and am glad to be of help to a fellow blogger. The blogosphere never fails to amaze me.
Experiencing PayPerPost on My Personal Blog
Recently I have joined PayPerPost network under another blog of mine. I am sure you guys are very familiar with what PayPerPost is. If not, here’s a little sponsored post that will give you a little introduction.I have been on the system for about a week now. So far only did three posts; however, all three have been accepted and I will be paid US$35! Here are the details (click for bigger image).
Your blog will be categorised based on some criteria, so not every opportunities will be available to you. However, I found that if you take advantage of whatever opportunities that you are eligible for, you can earn quite a tidy sum for it.
ViralVoices is yet to be registered under my account, therefore I don’t feel it’s right to put my PPP Direct and PPP Referral links here. But if you are interested, you can visit my personal blog to find out more.
The available opportunities from PayPerPost is really far in between. Not too sure if I can actually make a steady income out of it. But with this US$35 as a start, I am contended 
Setting up a blog: Part 2 - Choosing and Registering Your Domain Name
To set up your blog, there are three things that you will need to work on, often simultaneously. And with practice, you can repeat the exercise easily whenever you launch another new blog.1) Choosing and getting a domain name
2) Evaluating and subscribing to a web host service
3) Choosing and using a blogging platform
So, let’s get down to work:
Step 1: Choosing and getting a domain name
What is the easiest way to choose for a domain name? Whenever I need to choose a domain name for my blogs, there are a few things that I often consider:
It should be something related to what I blog about. Well, that is something blatantly obvious, really. If I am blogging about, say, manga dolls, I will choose a domain name like www.mangadollsunited.com, rather than something less related like www.ilovedolls.com. Well, if you are planning to write in a personal capacity and try to monetise that, you can use your own name as the domain name, like I did.
It should be something short and catchy. There are two main reasons why I consider this. A short URL like viralvoices.com has a better chance being recalled by readers, rather than something lengthy like i-blog-for-money-and-you-can-too.com. Secondly, those long complicated domain names packed with search-engine friendly keywords are often spam sites, or, in the case of blog, splogs. You don’t want to be associated with those, do you?
It should be something that is SEO friendly, if possible. I know, this is in contradiction with what I have said in the point above. The main thing is that you should choose something that is related to your topic and short. If you blog about email marketing, an ideal domain name will be emailmarketing.com (obviously taken), rather than inboxconnection.com (one of my now defunct blogs).
At the end of the day, the domain name you have chosen should be something you really like. After all, you will facing it day in, day out.
Now you have chosen a domain name, it’s time to register the domain name. This is a process where you check that no one else owns this domain name, you claim it as your own, and everyone who keys in this domain name in their browsers will be directed to your blog.
Over the years I have been using a couple of domain name registers, and I can vouch for these:
I was firstly attracted to Yahoo! Domains because of its low fee! During that particular promotion period, annual fee for each domain name was a mere US$1.99, and I can register up to five years! I guess that particular promo attracted many customers, so right now Yahoo! Domain only offers US$1.99 for the first year only, and even so this offer is not available all the time. Personally I also find that Yahoo! Domain control panel is the most user-friendly one among those that I have used. Changing DNS settings, redirection etc were a breeze (it is okay if you don’t what are those), especially if you have been using Yahoo! services
Another domain name registrar that I use is NameCheap.com. If you have never heard about the company, you should visit the site and get an idea on the wide range of services that they have. The whole site gives you a very professional feel, and my past experience with their customer service (despite a very brief one) has been pleasant. Their control panel has very good features that allows you to do advanced stuff with your domain names. Advanced users will like it (though I still find Yahoo! is easier to use). The price of the domains vary, but do check out the promotion that they’ll have from time to time.
In my next post, I will share with you my experience in selecting web hosts, what you should be looking out for etc. But before that, do share with me what domain name registrar that you have used before, and how was your experience like?
All About MacBook Air
Have you heard about the latest craze that is MacBook Air?
If you haven’t, I won’t blame you. The news was out less than 24 hours ago, and already I have heard about it three times in the last two hours. Once on Twitter, once on IM, and once on MSN (someone’s nick).
A quick search on Google confirmed the news. It is spreading like wildfire on blogosphere.
Apple never fails to amaze me with their marketing strategy. They don’t need to spend big ad dollars. Their fans will do the job for them.
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