Author Archive for Andrew G.R.

Mar | 14 | 2008

The Dalai Lama on Blogging

Posted by Andrew G.R. as Blog Tutorial Today's guest blogger is the Dalai Lama. He can teach you a lot more about blogging than I ever could. Here are his instructions for live, most of which are applicable to blogging. 1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. 2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson. 3. Follow the three Rs: Respect for self Respect for others and Responsibility for all your actions 4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. 5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly. 6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship. 7. When ...

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Mar | 11 | 2008

How to Blog small

Posted by Andrew G.R. as Blog Tutorial Last week I offered up a few tips on making your blog appear larger than it really is. Surprisingly, some bloggers have the opposite goal; that is to appear smaller than they really are. A strategy mostly enacted by monster companies to give themselves a human face. Here's how: All in the Details: Did the waiter botch your lunch order? Miss the train? Come down with the stomach flu? When big companies take the time out to share the small stuff, they humanize their efforts. Self-Deprecation: Poking fun at yourself or mildly putting down the organization for which you blog, can ...

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Mar | 08 | 2008

How to Blog BIG

Posted by Andrew G.R. as Blog Tutorial In a world of a billion blogs, there's a good chance that your corner of the Web will go unnoticed. If you are lucky enough to attract readers, you are going to want to make a strong impression to make sure they come back for more. One way to do this is to immediately establish your blog as the authority of its niche. One way to do that is to blog BIG. Here are a few tips to grow...
USE THE PLURAL FORM. Your blog might be a venue for you to rant and rave, but use the singular tense, ...

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Mar | 04 | 2008

5 Must-Answer Questions for Bloggers

Posted by Andrew G.R. as Tips, Writing Since most bloggers write on a daily basis, keeping up your motivation can occasionally be a problem. It's easy to fall into a writer's malaise. If you fear you have the potential to head down this path, test yourself for the answers to these five questions. 1) WHAT IS YOUR GOAL? Every good blog needs purpose. What are your long-term, short-term and mid-term goals Write them down and keep them visible. Look at them often and assess what you are doing to reach them. 2) ARE YOU POSITIVE? A good attitude is infectious and more likely to keep readers coming back for ...

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Feb | 29 | 2008

Put a Password Padlock on Your Blog

Posted by Andrew G.R. as Blog Tutorial If you blog, then it's almost certain that you have login credentials to access your blog platform. It's not sexy or exciting, but I'm here to remind you that now is the time to strengthen your password. Imagine logging in one day to find years of archives missing. Or impostor posts tarnishing your name. Eliminate the fear and sleep better at night by employing the following password strategies. - AVOID repeated characters and sentences. Many Web-based services do not allow passwords of this style, but in case yours does, change it up! - AVOID using personal information. Birthdates, phone numbers and even social ...

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Feb | 26 | 2008

How to Blog Like a Buddhist

Posted by Andrew G.R. as Blog Tutorial, Writing This blog entry is not looking to convert anyone to anything. Rather, we are going to briefly explore several fundamental Buddhist principles that can help take your blog to the next level. Or, at the very least, earn you some good karma. The Five Precepts are the basic ethical requirements of Buddhism. Here's how you can apply them to blogging. 1) Do not take life. This one is pretty easy. Simply put, do not kill anyone today. Preserve human (and animal/plant) life and you're 20% of the way home. 2) Do not steal. Do not take words, images or ideas from others. You ...

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Feb | 19 | 2008

Blog for a Rainy Day (Trust Me)

Posted by Andrew G.R. as Blog Tutorial, Tips, Writing Back in my days working in television news, I was taught the importance of having "evergreen" material ready to air in case of an emergency. Basically, this was generic content without any dates, names or specifics attached to it. Yes, like the plant, it has leaves all year round. If you're serious about your blogging, and pride yourself on regular updates, I would recommend creating a contingency plan in case life gets in the way. PHASE 1: Create several evergreen posts. Choose an area within your niche that is broad and has a long (or infinite) shelf life. Make a pact with ...

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Feb | 18 | 2008

Live Blogging: The Wave of the Future?

Posted by Andrew G.R. as Opinion We've talked about the ways to edit your work, but what if bloggers were forced to blog live? Lacking the excitement of a live sporting event or reality show, live blogging could be the wave of the future.

Think about it: What if you had to create a post and were not given a chance to re-write your thoughts? No spell check. No copy editing. Etc.

Would the end result be something no one wants to read - or would people flock to a Website where bloggers have to be on top of their game? Blemishes would surely ...

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Feb | 14 | 2008

How to Copyedit Your Blog

Posted by Andrew G.R. as Blog Tutorial, Tips Rewriting and revising any written work is an essential part of the writing process. The question is, as a blogger, how much emphasis do you place on editing your work? With the assumption that any writer worth is his or her salt will review work before posting, I'm curious to know which of the following methods you most frequently use.

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Feb | 12 | 2008

Quickie Tips on Becoming a Better Podcaster

Posted by Andrew G.R. as Tips A well-produced podcast can add a layer of value to your blog. If you've been staying away from the medium because you think it's a passing fad, I ask you to reconsider. All signs point to continued audio growth. Since April 2005 I've produced the Working Podcast, a career advice and employment news show that aims to inform, entertain and unite cubicle dwellers. While the show has grown at a steady rate, I've definitely made some mistakes along the way. With almost 80 shows under my belt, here are a few things that I'd love to hear more podcasters do.

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Design and Themes

Is Your Blog W3C Compliant?

Last night I checked my personal blog’s code hoping I can proudly display the W3C Validated Button. Since I use Blogger and do not really do anything to clean up the code (beyond adding Alt-tags to the images I embed) I wasn’t surprised at all to find that my blog contained lots of errors - […]
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Software and Widgets

Wordpress Plug-ins

If you blog using Wordpress and can’t do something that you want done like adding Sphere-related content at the end of your blog posts you might be surprised to find out that there are already plug-ins available that make it happen.
To find good Wordpress plug-ins all you need to do is search for “wordpress […]
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A Friend In Need

I’m helping out my friends from the UA&P - IShareHappiness Blog Team.
Whenever you feel pessimistic, angry, troubled, frustrated, and depressed – what have you – you need someone to talk to. Someone who could help you be more optimistic and help make you feel that there is hope. Sometimes it’s hard to talk to someone […]
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Monetization

Making Money Through Consumer Generated Ads

As I mentioned in my previous post today I will be suggesting some ways you can still profit by joining programs such as Pay Per Post and yet ensure that your readers don’t get turned off.
In my opinion the only way to really do this is by making sure that your blog entries stay […]
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Marketing and Search Optimization

The Blogger’s Guide to SEO

One of the best holistic guide to optimising a blog is Aaron Wall’s Blogger’s Guide to SEO. It is not the most in-depth guide but it covers all the basics (and a bit more) and is written in a such a way that even newbies in SEO will definitely understand. The guide also links out […]
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