Setting up a blog: Part 1 - The thinking before you start
Many blogger beginners jump into setting up a blog without thinking clearly, if they are ready to blog for profit, and if they have choose an appropriate blog topic that they can blog about passionately and monetise at the same time.
Don’t jump into that trap.
Even if setting up a blog is as easy as registering an account with any of the free blogging services out there, diving into it without having a solid foundation of your blogging strategy will often cause costly mistakes, not to mention lost of interest, down the road.
Okay, now let’s assume you have already done the necessary. If you know what you are going to blog about, and is ready to make some moolah online, let’s get your blog set up.
What options do you have?
Arguably the most popular blogging platforms out there are Blogger and Wordpress. CNET did a reasonable job in comparing various free blogging service (although Wordpress was somehow not part of the list).
But wait a minute. Is a free blogging service suitable for your blogging-for-profit project?
John Chow puts this issue into perspective:
“Having your own domain makes you look more professional. While it may not make you a pro-blogger, the ad networks will take you a lot more seriously. Some ad networks will not accept a site unless it has its own domain name. If you do it right, having your own domain and web hosting won’t cost you anything because the income the blog generates will more than offset the cost”
So therefore, stay away from free blogging service, if you can. While they are fine choices for a personal blog, but when it comes to blogging for money, you are better off having your own domain name, and have full control of your web hosting service. It also makes more sense from a branding point of view.
From here on I will be writing from my personal experience. As much as I am tempted to spend hours researching online on resources that will have you in setting up your blog for the first time, the only ones that I can comfortably recommend to you and am able to vouch for will be those that I have tried before.
(And so should you, when you start blogging. Speaking something from your experience and not simply rehash what other has said on the subject will go a long way in earning the respects from your readers)
My next post will be on how to choose a suitable domain name for your blog, and how you can register your domain name.
100 Best (and Free!) Wordpress Theme
If you have always been Googling for free, usable Wordpress Themes, your search is over.
Over here at Smashing Magazine, 100 tried and tested themes are featured, categorised into useful grouping such as “vibrant”, “simple”, “advanced” etc.
I am sure it took a lot of effort to compile this amazing list. As I glanced through the previews of these themes, I saw a few familiar one, including some that I used for my blogs.
Remember to bookmark the page! You’ll go back over and over again 
Domain Names Fiasco
Hot on the heel of the Advertlets case, here come another one… albeit on a smaller scale.
Poor Chee Kui of miriguy.com got caught unaware that his domain has expired… and it affected his clients under his web hosting reseller account. I guess this guy is pretty vocal about it.
(But, a hall of shame? Really?)
These incidents brought a few questions to mind:
- Shouldn’t online service providers (like Advertlets) make sure their scripts are not designed to hijack the entire site of their publishers?
- Why wouldn’t one subscribe to a domain name, and make the renewal automatic?
- Is web hosting reseller a good business model? Is the margin good? Is the effort worth it?
I am sure there is a GREAT blogging topic here somewhere.
Update: I spoke too soon… here’s another one got hit because of hosting issues. Oh man!
Job Board & Wordpress
I love blogging. And I work in recruitment. So imagine my excitement when I read Cheezhead’s entry on a new application, called Recruit Press.
RecruitPress is a clever combination of several key plug ins and codes to build a job board build on Wordpress platform.
But let’s take a step back and examine this. What makes a job board successful? Technically speaking, the job board should:
- Makes it easy for job seekers to register and apply for jobs
- Makes it easy for employers to get job ad credit and post jobs
- Makes it easy for employers to process applications
- Makes it easy for job seeker to search for jobs
So if you are thinking of using RecruitPress, you’ll need to benchmark it according to these criteria, which is purely on technology front. Other factors, such as database size, % of active job seekers, industry coverage etc are more of a marketing criteria for a job board.
Perhaps once I have more readers on Viral Voices, I will set up a job board here too
Nuffnang, Advertlets & the Notorious Adbaaz
Few days ago I received emails from Nuffnang about their Nuffnang Glitterati programme.
Basically this programme gives extra benefits and priority to “exclusive bloggers” - bloggers which does not have any other South East Asia based ad networks on their blog.
What enticed me is not the list of benefits - it is how they defined “exclusive”. It is kinda obvious they were referring to their closest competitor, Advertlets.
I have always been using Nuffnang on my personal blog. Of course I have heard about Advertlets before, but after reading some stuff about them online, I decided to stick with only one ad network.
So when I received the email from Nuffnang on the exclusive programme, I was half hearted to blog about it, since I have nothing much to say about Advertlets… until I read about the domain hijack case on my friend’s blog.
I do not wish to reiterate what many other blogs have to say about the incident. Despite the fact that Advertlets publishes a letter of apology to all their users, I still feel that the case has severely comprised the trust that its bloggers have on them.
I mean, if you can’t even take care of your own domain renewal, how can I expect you to take care of my interest? What happened - expired credit card number?
While I sympathise with their misfortune, it is for sure I will remain loyal to only one ad network now.
And on that note, I am pleased to introduce their ads on Viral Voices
The point about having a niche blog topic
Only two days ago I wrote a cheat sheet to choose your own blog topic, in which I outline an easy way to choose a niche blog topic.
And then today I found that Yaro wrote whether we really need to have a niche blog topic.
The argument gives an example on how one can still earn a sizable income from blogging about a popular topic. Internet marketing is one of them. There are literally 1000s of bloggers out there in this niche. But yet more people are getting on the blog wagon on this one (just like yours truly).
What gives? It boils down to three main point.
When there is a demand, there will be traffic. More and more people are getting fascinated with the idea on making it big on the Internet. These people will search for other similar blogs, subscribe to mailing list, click on ads, pay for services. And when they spread the word on Internet marketing, more newbies will join the fray. And the cycle continues.
However, only the really committed and reasonably good bloggers can sustain their level of success. You need to be committed to your course, and you need to be passionate about your subject (hence my advice why you need to blog about something you are already blogging about). When you are passionate and committed, you develop great and unique pillar articles (a term I coined from Yaro), and your reputable grows to sustain readers’ loyalty.
This is where your unique relationship with your readers will help to propel your blog to success. Having earned their trust, you become their source of reliable information in their niche of interest. They are more inclined to trust you when you recommend a certain service/product. And the rest… you know how the story goes.
So what’s the lesson here? Is topic authority and readers relationship more important than having a niche blog topic in today’s crowded blogosphere?
I reckon this is a never ending debate. One can’t survive without the other.
So for you new bloggers out there, my advice is this - do all three, and you will never go wrong.
How to choose a blog topic?
When you set up a personal blog, it is easy to know what you want to blog about. You can treat like a diary, writing about your day-to-day routine. Perhaps a review of a movie you watched, or a book you read. At times you might blog to vent your frustration about your friends, or your job.
(Though, if it is the latter, I suggest you lock up your post. You don’t want your boss come sniffing around)
However, if you are set to blog for profit, you need to think harder on your blog topic. This single element of your venture will dictate the success or failure of your blog. Unlike a personal blog, where you can simply stop writing and no one will bug you about it, a for-profit blog will be a big waste of effort if somehow your blog topic is off the mark, or the updates inconsistent.
There are often two main factors you want to consider when you choose a blog topic - profitability and passion. Blogging about something you love (like in my case, my chick lits) is easier to keep at, since you know the subject inside out and you won’t run out of things to write about too often.
On the hand, you have to consider the profitability. If your blog topic is not something that you can monetize, your effort will be wasted. It will be hard to make sole income from generic Google ads. However, if your blog topic is very profitable, chances are there will be lots of bloggers out there blogging about the same thing.
So, what do you do? How do you decide? For a blogging novice, this alone is a big headache. Well, here’s a cheat sheet to get you started.
(From here on I am assuming that you have, at least, a personal blog, and has been blogging about stuff for sometime)
Discover what you always blog about
Easiest way to get started is to build on things you have already blogged about. Even if you blog about “mundane” stuff on your daily life, a pattern (or two, or three) will emerge. If your blog has categories, see which category has the most blog posts, and most blog comments. From the control panel of my personal blog, it is obvious I always blog about travel, movies and (of course) blogging - these can get me started
Do an environment scan - how many blogs out there are on your topic?
Are there many blogs out there blogging about the same thing? Are they blogging for their own interest, or out to get money too? You need to answer these questions as they will tell you if there are too much competition out there, and if there are sufficient interest online (individual blogger) that will be interested in your blog. For example, if I do a quick Blog Search on travel topics, I can see that there are a couple of blogs which are big on travel, like Travel Blog, Real Travel and Lonely Planet. However none of these seem to be blogging for profit, so now I know I am off to a good start.
But wait - can your blog topic be monetised?
Think about your topic. As someone who is passionate about it, what are things you spent your money on? What are the companies providing these products/services, and do they advertise on Google, have affiliate programmes etc? If there are many companies market through the web for business, chances are you will have channels to monetise your blog since it is related to what these companies have to offer. For example, I always need to purchase air tickets for my holidays, and I often buy them online. After a bit of digging, I discovered that plenty of companies advertise on Google selling air tickets, and companies like Zuji and Priceline offer affiliate programme. Again, a good start
Your blog topic is so “general”, how can make it more focused?
The general rule of thumb is that, the more niched your topic is, the more targetted your traffic will be, and the easier it will be to exert an influence on your select audience group. To discover a niche of your topic, simply branch out your topic into sub categories. Go by size, geography, budget, lifestyle, tools etc. For example, I can branch out my travel topic by geography (Asia, Asia Pacific, Australasia, Europe, North Asia), by budget (on a shoe string, luxurious travel) or by tool (just by train, travel accessories, travel transportation). Each of these second level sub categories can be further branch out - but you might want to stop at the third tier. You won’t want your topic to be so niche that you can’t find its audience or advertisers!
You found your topic - what’s next?
There are just so many things you can do at this stage. Set up a blog. Gather your old blog posts. Do research online. Bookmark related blogs and forums. Whatever it is, the important thing is to stop reading and start blogging.
To recap:
Step 1: Discover what you love, and have wrote about before
Step 2: Check if there are still room for growth on blogosphere
Step 3: Find out if there are money to be made on your niche
Step 4: Focus and “niche” your topic
Now… I am off to start blogging on mine! 
I am back
You know how life can change so unexpectedly, smacking you on the head and make you disorientated for months?
That was what happened to me. Despite my most genuine intention, Viral Voices got abandoned as I went to sort my life out. It sure dampens my blogging fire somewhat, but certain recent events for me worked up again, and here I am trying to make a living out of blogging.
Well, fellas, I am back, though I think no one is here to see this post. However if against all odds you are here reading this, drop me a comment.
At least I know this blog is alive. Barely, I know. But it will get back to its feet.
My sites always do.
Can blogs really make money?
Now that you are confident you are ready to blog for profit, you’ll need examine the next crucial question - can blogs really make money?
The answer is yes. The question is how much.
The easiest way to explain to you is by relating my own blogging experience.
I have started my old blog on Blogger.com in my personal interest. I didn’t expect it to evolve into a much larger website with its own domain name. TaufikBatisah.net was born from my infatuation over Singapore Idol season 1 (ah, that’s passion!) and relentless blogging, day and night. I was very disciplined in producing content for a specific group of people – the Idol followers and Taufik’s fans.
What I didn’t do was to blog for profit.
When the site readership was hitting 100,000, I realized there is an opportunity to monetize the traffic. So I registered for a Google Adsense account and planted ads on the site. I also used the customized search feature and referral for firefox download, but the income was really, really miniscule.
That was back in January 2005. By October 2005, my earning was US$ 100.42, averaging at US$10 per month). I immediately cashed in, and a check was released to me – oh, sweet joy!
Since that check, I have not cashed in my earning at all, letting it accumulate. During this period (November 2005 till now), I did not do much to optimise my ads placement etc. All I did was letting the ads sit on the site, and hope to get some clickthroughs from my visitors.
This is how much I earned since then:
The amount worked to an average of US$10 per month too. It is really very little money, considering that the website has very high traffic.
Where did I go “wrong”? Simply put, I did not set out to blog for profit. While the site achieves what it sets out to do – to promote Taufik to his fans and build a community of admirers – it simply didn’t make the cut to make loads of money.
Now compare that to these Bloggers:
- Yaro Starak made US$6,549.52 from his blogs in March 2007
- Darren Rowse made US$244,381.98 from Chitika (aff) since 2005, and it is only one of the many income streams he has from his blogs
Drastic difference, eh? Of course, I am drawing a comparison with some of the top bloggers out there and hence it might come across as too extreme, but it highlights two important points:
- If you want to blog for profit, you have to have the right mindset and the strategies to do it
- It is possible to make money blogging – just a little (like mine) or hell of a lot (like Yaro’s and Darren’s)
This blog is set out to test the strategies and tactics as outlined in Yaro’s Blogging for Profit (aff) e-book, and therefore, yes, it is set out to achieve effective blogging, in return of which I can earn some money, thus proving that, yes, Yaro’s blueprint works!
10 ways to check if you are ready for “Blog Profit Blueprint”
How do you know if you are ready to blog for profit? As I started this blog, I asked myself the same questions, and began to list down why I think I am ready for a venture like this. So before we get started on talking about how to build a profitable blog, let’s see if you - the aspiring blogger - share some of my thoughts:
- You must own at least one blog that you actively write on. Most people start off with a blog about their lives (hence the definition “online diary”), using simple standalone blog platforms (e.g. Blogger), or blogging service that come with certain websites (like Friendster blogs). If you don’t have one yet, it’ll do you a world good to start and maintain one to get used to the world of blogging, and the blogosphere that comes with it.
- You should know at least the main differences between a blog and a website. More importantly, what makes a blog better than a website. Blogs are better communication channels compared to normal website in many ways - from technical setup, fuss-free maintenance and usage, to high interactivity off and on the blog.
- You should have some basic knowledge in modifying and maintaining your blogging platform of choice. For Blogger, you should know things like how to install new templates and modify them. For WordPress, knowing how to modify and switch between templates, and testing with plugins is a must. Such expertise comes with experience, and it will save you a world of trouble when your blog matures and attracts lots of traffic.
- You should have a good flair for writing. While being 100% grammartically correct is not necessary, the ability to blog in a clear and easy-to-understand way is essential to give your readers a good impression. You should also use your own blogging voice when you write. This gives your posts a personal touch and become engaging, establishing a connection between you and your readers - a crucial factor of blogging success.
- You should be using some form of social networking sites (what is this?). If you don’t, it’s time to start. Your experience in using these sites will show you how blogosphere works outside your blog. You will also built networks of contacts that will become your leverage when you start to promote your profit-making blog. I have a couple for my personal use - StumbleUpon, del.icio.us, LinkedIn, Friendster and Facebook - add me! Others I intend to try out soon include Digg and reddit.
- You should have some ideas on how to make money online. From Google Adsense (you see them everywhere!) to earning affiliates commission to selling advertising space on your blog, there are thousand and one ways you will come across as you seek for the most optimum channels to monetise your blog. The choices available can be mind-boggling; therefore a little knowledge on these methods will help you along the way.
- You should know the basic of setting up your own blog, if you intend to run a blog on your own domain. Purchasing a domain name, pointing it to your server, hosting the site, installing your blogging platform… if this sounds too much for you, you can always opt for free services like (again) Blogger.com or WordPress.com, or get help from your techy friends.
- You must have the right mindset for blogging. Yes, we all know that you want to make money from your blog. But it will make a world of a difference if you blog about something you are passionate about, than something that you have little idea on (but heard that it will earn you loads of money). Think again. Rule of thumb - what you blog on should make you and your readers feel good.
- You should be already quite proactive online. Being active online - reading blogs, surfing the net, watching YouTube - is different from being proactive. You would understand the behaviour and thinking of your readers much better when you are a reader yourself - commenting on blogs, participating in forums, sharing your finds online (I use Tumblr) - and you’ll know the blogging landscape much better.
- You should already be actively reading blogs, either through a blog RSS feed reader (what’s this?) or blogroll. As you’ll be reading blogs that are of interest to you, chances are your readers will be, too (assuming that you are blogging on topics that you love). So get into their blog-reading mindset - what they like, what they don’t like, how they interact with their favourite bloggers etc. Check out my blogroll on the sidebar if you are interested in making money online (of course you are!), and get started on a RSS feed reader (Google Reader or Bloglines are good choices). Remember to subscribe to my feed!
I guess some of my factors above might not come across as crucial in your decision making process to start a blog. However they are important to me and made me feel confident that I am ready.
If yours are different from mine, do share.
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