Calgary Blog Info

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The Lyceum Project

A multi-blog derivative of WordPress, suitable for installations with 2 or 2,000,000 blogs!

Whether you are writing for a newspaper, book, magazine or blog you have no doubt experienced the dreaded writers block. For any writer it can be very frustrating. Many serious writers don’t take writers block lightly. Some begin doubting themselves and if writing is meant for them. An important thing to realize is that you aren’t alone in your struggles. You do need to be careful that your writer’s block doesn’t last to long. An inactive site could lose traffic and may never regain the strength it once had. So take a breather and have a look at the following websites to overcome your writer’s block. Good Luck.

Prija from Blogging the Movie, is hosting another link train. You can win a copy of the Four Hour Workweek and a link from his site. The contest stays within Google Guidlines by adding a noFollow tag in the links.

***** Start Here ******

Prize

1. Free 4-Hour Workweek Book.
2. A chance to have a permanent link on front page of Blogging The Movie dot com.
3. Sign the Records Book as it travels to 10 different winners.

Contest

This contest is sponsored by BloggingTheMovie - A featured documentary about Bloggers. This contest contains no-follow links. So it is Google friendly and by creating an original introduction you won’t be dinged for duplicate content. This is an ongoing marketing campaign. There will be 10 winners at which each winner will be able to host their own contest which will be sponsored by Blogging The Movie. 1st Winner: Susan Suarez | 2nd Winner: Investing Adventures | 3rd Winner: Can be you!

Rules

1. Write an original short snippet introduction to avoid duplicate content.
2. Just copy the section between the start and end.
3. Add your 3 favorite blogs with rel=”nofollow” in between the link on the code page. i.e. <a href=”http://www.url.com/” rel=”nofollow” target=”_blank” title=”url name”>URL.com</a>. This is extremely important to ensure that Google won’t ding us. Make sure you contact the bloggers and insist they participate so they can keep this going.
4. Email your URL of your blog post to Free4hourWorkweek@gmail.com
[Deadline: 12/31/07 ]
Favorite Blogs

Betshopboy | DerekSemmler | Enkay Blog | MsDanielle | JimiMorrisonsHead | Siteguide.us | Darin.cc | JonLee.ca | Samanathon | MrGaryLee | KellyCho | SusanSuarez | RobertaFerguson | Bloggrrl | TheKingKongBlog | TheBeefJerkyBlog | LifeisColourful | MarketingDeviant | MaleWail | RomanDock | 40hourstogo | TylerCruz | JonathanVolk | Egonitron | SuncoastScribe | Gnaka | WorldOfAngel | MyBlogContest | TheGeekBoys | CalgaryBlog.info | r3fresh | Internet Duct Tape | The Daily Wenzel | Exploding Beakers | Calgary Blogs | Add your 3 Favorite Blogs here (it is important that you change the link to rel=”no follow”)

If you were not tagged, you can still copy the list and add yourself on. No worries, it’s a win-win for everyone. So lets get ready. Get on the list to become the 3rd winner on the Train Contest

***** End Here ******

Author: Jeff Spires

Blogging 101

Bloggers are artistic in their own way and blogging is often considered a work of art. By describing their thoughts and emotions using the written word, bloggers are placing their own creative mark on the world-wide-web.

By definition, blogs are technically weblogs, referring to the server’s log file. This concept was introduced in the mid-1990s when web logging first came on to the virtual arena. Logs on the web flooded the online community providing a wider source of information on the internet.

Currently, web logs still require the use of a web site with domain names. Blogs, on the other hand, only need an account registered with a provider of blogs. These accounts are normally provided for free by the blog provider.

Blogs are like personal journals, they are created by individual users who share their experiences, daily activity, thoughts and ideas online. This form of journaling has allowed people from all over the world to be recognised.

However, this type of person cannot be compared with well-known personalities who normally seek fame through alternative mediums.

The business world has hugely benefited from the boom of blogging. With businesses increasing their online presence, blogs provide an opportunity to boost their credentials on the internet. These blogs are made visible on the internet to promote the products or service offered, leading to an increase in online revenue.

Additionally, business blogs are an excellent method of increasing credentials for a company. Customers are able to buy with confidence as online businesses establish a reputation in the virtual market place.

You can earn money from blogs using RSS technology and syndicating your own blogs to your business’ web site.

You could make your blog one of the most interesting on the internet, whether you’re writing for business or pleasure. Here are some tips to help you create a reader-worthy blog:

1. Evaluate your audience

When you’re writing your blog, think of what might interest your reader. Even though your blog might generally be of a personal nature, you still need to consider whether if will be interesting enough for your reader. You are after all, writing the blog with the ultimate hope that someone somewhere will read it. The reader doesn’t necessarily need to relate to your writing, but they should be able to understand the scribbles on your blog and enjoy the read.

2. Use visuals

Visuals in the form of photos always make a blog more interesting and worthy of browsing. The old adage ‘pictures speak a thousand words’ comes to life in the world of online blogs. You don’t necessarily need to upload images of yourself, and you certainly should never use photography that may pose a danger to anyone, but you should try and make the most of the space on your blog with pictures that complement your textual quips.

3. Develop useful blogs

It is tempting to write about general nothings and day-to-day thoughts, but it would be more constructive to offer insightful information to your readers. Everyone can benefit from productive information and you are in a position to provide it to the world.

4. Keep it simple

Avoid using overly technical words in order to keep your blog interesting. Try not to bore your readers with lengthy and useless technical jargon. Simple writing and concise blog entries are always more accepted over complicated blogs. Always remember that the majority of internet users normally skim read or scan blogs rather than actually reading each entry word for word.

5. Interact with your readers

You should definitely add interactivity to your blog with video and audio clips. Utilise all the capacity you possibly can with interesting clips that will keep visitors to your blog captivated.

Try adding a feedback or comments section and see what people’s reactions are to your blog. This is a great way of creating a welcoming environment on your blog, and you might even make new friends along the way.

Overall, blogs are a great way to exploit ones creativity. By writing engaging blogs for either business or leisure, you’re leaving your creative mark on the internet. Use your blog to demonstrate your creative writing skills whilst cashing in on the value of blogs in a commercial environment. Share your talent and information on the internet and embrace blogs.

For even more info on this, please visit my website www.ebookscomputer.com.

Good Luck!

Jeff Spires

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-marketing-articles/blogging-101-265922.html

About the Author:

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Author: Bob Sommers

What in the world is a blog and why would I want one? This is the burning question millions of people are asking themselves everyday. Sometimes three and four times a day. If you’re one of those people, relief is on the way.

To start, a blog is nothing more than a website on steroids. It looks like a website, it acts like a website but it is so much more. The two biggest differences between a blog and a web site are the blogs capacity to allow people to communicate with the author easily and the cost. Web sites cost money and blogs are free. You’ve got to like that.

In the past, blogs had a reputation for being nothing more than on-line journals. People wrote their thoughts to a blog and posted them on the Internet using a very simple text application. Since that time humans have become much more creative with how they use their blog. And with a little help from technology companies like Google, blogs can do so much more than just text.

How are people using blogs today?

There are currently tens of millions of blogs on the Internet today with thousands more going up every hour. People are using blogs to:

Journal their thoughts and ideas

Record their dreams

Post their photography

Create an interactive community where people can collaborate on their projects

Promote family reunions

Position themselves as experts in their field

Write books and have their material critiqued by interested readers

Sell their products and services

Promote themselves and their projects

Survey their readers

As a substitute for newsletters and bulletins

Sell sex. You knew that was coming

And a million other things.

With a blog you can do virtually everything you can do with a website. The difference is you can do it by yourself and you can do it for free. It’s that easy, thanks to tools like Blogger from Google.

The most amazing aspect of a blog is that you can create a web presence that would have cost you thousands of dollars just a few years ago. And I’m talking about a web presence that is loaded with technology. Here are just a few of the things you can do to jazz up your blog.

Blogging Software

When you’re ready to create your blog, the first thing you must do is set up an account with a blog hosting company. The two biggest blog platforms are Wordpress and Google Blogger. I use them both. But when it comes to ease of use and cost, nothing comes close to Blogger. Blogger is completely free and it does not require a technician to set it up. Once you get your free Blogger account you have a blog on the Internet in less than four minutes.

Video

With your blog you can do amazing things. For example, Google makes it easy for you to add video to your Google Blogger blog. If you have a digital camera, all you have to do is upload your video to your computer, edit it using the free Movie Maker software on your Windows operating system and upload it to Google Video. You can even upload it right from your blog.

Slide Shows

This is my mom’s favorite thing to do. She uses slide shows on her blog and sends them to her children and friends. The new slide show software is fantastic and it’s free. Your photos look more like a slide video than they do a slide show. They include music, voice over and more.

Credit Cards

In the past it was a hassle to accept credit cards on your website. Today, thanks to Paypal, you can accept credit cards on your blog with no start-up cost, no merchant cost and no monthly fee. All you pay is 30 cents per transaction and 3% of the sale. It’s so simple you can do it yourself.

Maps and Directions

Do you want to create a map to direct people to your business? If so, Google Maps is the answer. With Google Maps you can create both a map and written directions to your business from anywhere in the world. Once you create your map it’s just a matter of adding it to your blog.

Games

After cartoons, games are the second most common reasons people visit blogs and websites. Google offers another service know as Google Gadgets and it is loaded with games like Tetris, Chess, Sudoko, Frogger and many others that you can add to your blog to encourage visitors. It’s addictive.

I’ve only scratched the surface with what you can do with a blog. If you have a computer with an Internet connection and the ability to read and type, you can create a web presence that will make you proud. Give it a try.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/publishing-articles/amazing-things-you-can-do-with-a-blog-244152.html

About the Author:

If you want to learn more about building a blog, visit Bob Sommers at TakeOnTheNet.com. He will show you where to find all the software necessary to create and promote your blog. You can also listen to Bob Sommers on his Recognized Expert Marketing Show.