While it’s been a while since I’ve posted here it’s not because I haven’t been writing or following other blogs. I’ve had a few things happen in my personal life which took alot of my time away from this blog as well as others I currently have.

But I have managed to keep writing on a couple of them.

I thought I’d write a little piece on here about some more helpful ressources I’ve always found useful and enjoy.

One blog I’ve been following for some time has been Serradinho Blog which covers topics related to blogging… lot’s of stuff on Wordpress. The blog’s author George Serradinho also has lot’s of great free E-Books on affiliate marketing for download as well as a long list of Wordpress plugins.

I’ve also been enjoying the Blogussion site that focuses on Blogging. I’ve always found great tips on writing and blogging on that site. Lot’s of stuff on growing your blog and ultimately learning to become a better blogger.

Just thought I’d share a couple of things.

Something that I need to do is set a few goals and topics for this blog. It fell by the way side as I’ve been focused on my personal life and also writing on a couple of other blogs.

I’m convicted of that by simply writing this article…. time, effort and goals… all essential ingredients in developping a site. Part of my learning experience!!

Hope you are well!

Seems like there’s always lots going on for me both in my personal life, work life and blogging life.

Been learning alot about the “ins and outs” of blogging, internet marketing, writing and also time management which is another challenge at times.

There are 3 areas I’ve been putting alot of effort into recently.

1. Writing on “my favorite blog”

I’ve started a couple of different blogs with various subjects that both interest me and that I know something about. One blog in particular has been much “easier” to write.

Although I love and am passionate about the topics of each of my blogs this one in particular I started about a year ago and just got serious about writing on it through the summer when I decided to learn more about blogging and how to develop them (blogs).

Some interesting doors have opened with this blog resulting in some very neat exposure. That may be another reason why motivation is quite high to keep writing on this one….

2. Still spending time reading

Some of my spare time (which I really haven’t had alot of) has been spent on research. I’m still following many blogs of various topics relating to blogging. From affiliate marketing to writing skills, the blog topics I’ve been following have been very beneficial.

I had also signed up for ShoeMoney’s 12 week Extreme Internet Marketing Program. It’s packed with tons of great information for anyone who has interest in internet marketing.

3. Building relationships with people who share these interests

I’ve been spending some time with people who share my interests both online and in person.

Building relationships with people, I’ve been learning alot. And there may be some great partnerships ahead.

Had a couple of brainstorming sessions with 2 different people about creating a few different sites of topics that we share interest and knowledge in. In some cases 2 or 3 heads can be better then 1!

Yesterday I read this great article by Yaro Starak’s blog “Entrepreneurs-Journey”.

I’ve been following Yaro’s blog for a couple of months now… really since I decided I wanted to learn about generating income online and how to develop websites/blogs.

There’s always a wealth of information on his website.

In this article “How Can You Make Passive Income Online?” he shares insight on a few important subjects.

One thing that I always get out of reading some of his articles is the importance on defining what it is that you want to develop. Like a business plan really. I had never thought of blogging that way before. On my personal blog I would often write about anything at all but since trying to do some of the things suggested by Yaro and others… I’ve created a more focused blog.

A big point in this article too is that I believe it to be of the soundest advice!

There’s no “make quick money”, “money for nothing”, “it’s so simple and easy”….

It’s important to be realistic about the internet.

Your audience can be HUGE online
- That doesn’t mean it’s a sure bet
- That doesn’t mean you’re not gonna have to learn
- That doesn’t mean you’re not not gonna have to spend hours working on your project
- That doesn’t mean that you’ll make millions

But at the same time, you very well succeed and make millions. Many do.

It’s important to be realistic

I’ve been self-employed and a small business owner for 3 years out of the last 5 and have had some success, at times it loooked VERY promising, at times it looked totally like it was gonna flop. I’ve had highs and lows both in business and my personal life in this time.

An online venture is no different.

My favorite quote from the article may sound bleak to some, but I take it as realist. And there’s a positive.

“Failure As A Path To Success”

To generate income online is much like creating a business and there’s a pretty high chance that it will require lot’s of time, thought, patience, effort, love, persistence…. and accepting failure or challenges as a learning experience.

Head up. So far in a couple of short months while I haven’t seen any real financial rewards for my efforts some very encouraging doors have opened for me… with the possibility of being a guest writer for a few other reputable blogs in certain “niches” and one of my blogs was recently mentioned on a radio show.

So following the simple steps I’ve learned from Yaro and others, doors have opened for me. This is still a hobby for me but I see that with work, time and effort…. anything is possible.

You can read Yaro Starak’s article “How Can You Make Passive Income Online?” here.
(Well worth the read!)

Since I started this blog which is about my experience in learning to be a better blogger and also learn to generate income online, I think I’ve come to a couple of conclusions.

1. I believe more then ever that creating a successful blog where you build a readership takes serious time and effort.

2. Starting with 1 may be a good idea

I picked 2 topics that I’m passionate about one of which I had begun writing about 10 months ago… so the idea was to try and better develop what I had started. After that it was work on my second blog.

As I started working on my second blog it came quite clear that to do each site justice requires time.

Writing material that’s worth reading takes effort and trying to get out there and participate in the blogging community also takes effort…. and a great deal of time.

So I’ve probably taken on a bit much to start with. Really, to be honest, sometimes I envision in my mind that things will happen much easier then they sometimes do… that might be a touch of nievity but it’s also a touch of inexperience when it comes to writing lots of content and connecting with people. Building my readership…. as I participate in readership on other people’s blogs.

My goal first and foremost is to develop these 2 particular blogs…. building readership and as mentioned participate in readership among other bloggers.

Would I love to generate income from this?

Yes. Of course.

As tempting as all those “wonderful” programs out there that automatically spew out content sound… because it makes it sound as though you’ll prosper for nothing… building a readership is connecting with people. I don’t believe people will or can connect to a site built with robot blurbs.

At least, that’s what I think.

Have I jumped ahead too much taking the task of developping 2 blogs?? Possibly. Hindsight will tell.

Ever want to build a new business? Ever have ideas on how you would do things a bit differently and get excited about it? Ever day dream about what “the results” would be? I have!

Only problem is that wanting to do something, ideas about something, excitement about something and foreseeing what the possible results would be are only a starting point. At least that’s what I’ve found out.

If your dream is to build a new business or create that great blog or website that’s going to generate passive income then all those elements mentioned above are great assets. Good ideas, excitement, the dream…. they’re all important ingredients.

But along the way some things will surely happen as you’re “trudging the road of happy destiny”….

Personal challenges

You may come across situations where someone in your life is not supportive of your idea or your dream and may try to shoot it down. Ridicule you and you’re idea… It becomes very hard to focus and to believe! And believing is certainly vital to any successful venture.

I’ve come across MANY personal challenges in my small business. Currently going through personal challenges!

But speaking with other entrepreneurs and reading about others experiences has always inspired me and show me that others have gone through some of the same trials.

Remember the “Pet rock”?? Some of you might, some might not…. I personally wouldn’t have thought of it as a great idea at all… but someone did and believed… and sold a great many!

Financial challenges

Quitting a job and trying self-employment can be scary. It seems like jumping into the unknown at times. And many options like getting financial credit for cards or a house may not be easy for a while.

Being challenged with the finances is something that I’ve been faced with quite a few times. I’ve been fully self-employed on and off since early 2004. At times it seems as though everything is coming together… coming together quickly… and then boom… everything slows… money is tight.. etc.

Through those times it’s very hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel. This I know from experience.

One of the most encouraging things that I’ve ever done is speak with others (again!) who have small businesses or have been there.

I remember speaking with a man who runs an insurance company and I started asking him questions while I was there on business. Eventually we got on the topic of starting up a small business and the financial ups and downs. He went on to tell me some stories about himself, about some of the very things I had gone through and yet here he was running this stable company employing several people.

I’ve always found encouragement speaking to others who’ve walked the path before me. Even if their business was different then mine there can be many similarities.

Reading blogs is very inspiring for me… in learning to create different types of websites.

Starting up any new venture takes persistence… takes time.. and you gotta believe! Gotta want it. Gotta do it. Then you can make it happen.

At least that’s what I think.

While I’m not a writer I’m enjoying the experience and also learning alot. Learning about some things I had never given thought. The art of writing effectively is one I’ve never really thought much about, at least until now.

So while reading different blogs today and putting my Google Reader account to good use I stumbled upon this blog article on ProBlogger titled “How to Write Sharp adn Snappy Blog Posts“.

In the article there are many great tips on how to write effectively. I’ll just mention 2 of the 5 points outlined in the ProBlogger article.

1) Write in Short sentences.

Sometimes I have a tendency to stuff as much into a sentence as I possibly can. Since I started making an effort to build a couple of blogs I’ve been taking the time to read some of my articles and it’s been helpful. At first while re-reading what I had written it often felt as if what I wrote just wasn’t clear. After about a month and a half of re-reading my articles I think I’ve gotten better… at least I can understand what I write a bit better.

5) Write in a conversational tone

Writing in a way that makes it easy to understand, like when I’m trying to explain something to someone, I try to make myself easily understood. When I find a blog I really enjoy I’m usually not concerned with the length and technicalities of the texts. The blogs and websites that I do enjoy have easily understood texts.

Even in the case of technical blogs and/or forums, years back when I first learned how to setup servers and work with Linux I was helped immensely by well written blogs and forums. Somehow those people had been able to take their advanced knowledge on a subject and write it so that I (the beginner) was able to understand.

For me there is great value in a clearly delivered message.

The article mentioned above is very well written and is totally worth reading.

Today I decided to listen to a couple of podcasts rather then listen to music while working and I discovered that I was already subscribed to a podcast that caught my eye. I found them very helpful to once again state what I’ve been learning that building a passive income online takes some time and effort.

The podcast series I listened to today is “Internet Marketing Secrets Podcast” and the 2 podcasts I listened to were about Traffic Generation.  There is a 3rd in the series and I’ll be listening to that tomorrow.

The 2 first parts of the podcast were quite interesting and I heard over and over again some of the very points I’ve been finding on reputable blogs on building a passive cash flow from websites.

You need good content.

All the websites and scams that preach the good news about making money for nothing. Don’t believe it. At least, I don’t believe it.

When I just think about it a bit… if I go to a website:

What keeps me there and what brings me back?

It’s not the Google AdSense on their page! It’s the content that they’ve published on their site. It really is. If I find a website that has information on it that I find useful in anyway then there is a higher chance that I will return on that website.

The Internet entrepreneur’s interviewed in these podcasts also seemed to write for the viewer first and search engines second. Basically writing their content on their blog in a clear fashion for the viewer while keeping in mind to use certain keywords in their texts and titles.

The subject of link building came up and their general consensus was to stay away from all forms of auto-pilot systems that generate links and instead (once again) focus on the content being presented while trying to build relationships by commenting on other blogs and websites to join and or create conversation. It was mentioned a couple of times that if other bloggers or websites find your content interesting and well written they may eventually link to you creating “organic” linking.

I found it very interesting and did learn a great deal.

The point I see once again by these successful internet marketers and entrepreneurs is that it takes time, effort and persistance just like building any other business.

There are many other business and blogging related podcasts to be found in iTunes.

About a week ago I wrote an article titled “Great Internet research tool – Google Alerts” and that it was a very valuable tool for anyone who were doing research online. Today my focus is on another great tool, Google Reader.

For anyone not familiar with Google Reader it is an RSS reader that allows you to easily keep track of blogs, news sites, job sites…. any site that offers RSS feeds. Essentially when one of the sites your tracking is updated it will show up in Google Reader in a short time. This means you don’t have to constantly visit the websites that interest you to see if they’ve been updated which can save you quite a bit of time and makes it very convenient.

I use Google Reader on a daily basis. I have been for a couple of years.

There are a great number of different topics that I follow, like technology, news, business bloggers, sports news and sports bloggers…etc. Google Reader gives me the ability to check for new content from many many different sites all in one place. If it wasn’t for these RSS feeds and a program like Google Reader I don’t think I would follow nearly as many websites. I would have to be constantly “surfing” from one site to another.

I’m easily able to view new content and read the articles I want to read all in one place and in much less time.

Another big advantage that I find with Google Reader is that it is web based. This means that I don’t need to download a program and install it on my Mac or my PC. So I just visit it in a web browser.

You can create folders to categorized the sites you are following. I find this makes it quite a bit easier to sort through.

All you need is a Google account, you can find the Google Reader website here.

It seems like every now and then everything is in balance. My work, my family life, my finances… but every now and then I come to a realisation that the scales have tipped and the balance I thought I had is gone.

Tonight I had one of these moments.

Although I’ve known for some time now that there’s a rough patch to go through and my head’s been in my work quite a bit I hadn’t really sat down to think about it. It’s my beautiful little girl’s 6th birthday tomorrow and as I was putting her to bed I started thinking back. I noticed she was asleep and I kept thinking about her…. 6 years she’s been a blessing in my life. Then I started to realise just what it means to her when I spend time with her and by that I don’t mean sitting in the same room as her or the car.

Spending time with her and being able to give her my full attention. Bring her to soccer and watch with interest as she learns with the other kids. Bring her to the park… color…. all kinds of stuff.

So tonight I saw that I must adjust things in my life.

Why am I writing about this?

Because it seems when some things are out of balance everything gets messier.

Blogging is something I really enjoy and when my head is worn out or buzzing because I’m totally focused on work or whatever… then it becomes quite hard for me to write. It gets very hard for me to study and learn which is part of the motivation behind this blog. To learn about monetizing websites and even blogging in general.

And sometimes when everything gets really rushed it’s important to find the priorities. I identified mine tonight. There’s no doubt if I have some fun with my daughter the experience will be refreshing and it will certainly apply to both my work, blogging and my studies.

Knowing when to “just do it” (start a blog, study…etc) and when “to slowdown” (family,enjoy life, friends,rest,read…etc…).

Sounds so simple.

A couple of days ago I was writing an article for one of my blogs and wanted to put a picture in the article but wondered what was the best place to look. After looking in a couple of places I found a new site I’d never seen before.

At first I searched on Flickr’s Creative Commons website but couldn’t really find what I was looking for. Flickr’s Creative Commons site is a great place to look if you need some stock photo images.

Then I stumble across a site that I had never heard of. A website called PicApp.

What I was looking for was a couple of pictures, both of hockey players. Hadn’t found the guys I was looking for over at the other site but when I searched on PicApp a bunch of pictures were found.

Check out the PicApp website and take a look at PicApp’s advantages page.

They even have a WordPress plugin that you can find here on the PicApp blog.