Five Free Apps » blogging

Blogging On iPad: A Do Or A Don’t?

Brian Mongold — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:00:12 +0000

Dale Henry has blogged about the pros and cons of a biblical counseling degree and is working towards becoming a sonogram tech

When the iPad debuted just a few short months ago, many said it would change computing forever. Some predicted that like cell phones did to land lines, it would make computing a portable venture and would eventually render traditional computers obsolete. Whether that happens still remains to be seen, but its potential to be taken on the go and do many of the functions of a regular computer certainly is enticing, particularly for a specific group of computer users who would benefit from being able to compute anywhere — bloggers. Does this potential actual pan out? Currently, it’s a little bit each of yes and no.

Blogging on the go

When inspiration strikes, being able to take advantage of it — and scoop the competition — is key for most bloggers. The iPad does, to some extent, allow for users to work from almost anywhere. Composing in Notes or similar word processing programs is no problem. To me, the iPad keyboard feels natural, but for those who do not like it, compatible keyboards (including some that fold up nicely for portability) can be purchased for as little as $30. Shop around and try one that fits you the best.

The iPad’s image capture capabilities are also appealing; wouldn’t it be great to have your word processor and image/video capture device all in one reasonably compact and portable device?

As for actually blogging, more and more blogging platforms have created apps for the iPad (and some even for the iPhone) that allow users to access their accounts from these mobile devices. WordPress was the first, but most of the other popular blog hosts have joined the fray as well.

Can you actually use it to blog?

Well…it kind of depends on what you want to be able to do while away from a traditional computer. Though the iPad has made several big improvements to its operating system since its debut to make it more intuitive and user friendly, it simply is not as good of a platform for blogging as a laptop or PC; you just can’t do as much on it as easily or as quickly. Something as simple and essential as adding links can be a chore, as switching from the Safari web browser to a blogging app still leaves something to be desired. Editing audio and video is generally out of the question as well, unless a user wants to splurge on expensive apps, and even then the quality of the finished product does not match that of a laptop or PC and really isn’t worth the time that most likely will need to be invested.

Use iPad as an on-the-go complement

That said, the iPad is still a great tool for some blogging functions that complements well the work needed to be done on a traditional computer. If a blogger has to truly get something out there in a timely fashion without access to a computer, the iPad is there for them. Serious bloggers can also use iPad blogging apps to follow comments on posts and respond in a timely fashion as necessary. Those who head up large blogs and look over staff work can do so on the iPad and publish work already in the drafts folder from iPad as well. Truly tech savvy and creative bloggers can sync their iPad with their home computer as well using programs like LogMeIn Ignition, which allows users to in effect work from their home computer using the iPad as their computer’s monitor. However, such a program is somewhat expensive ($25 and up) and requires some deal of technical expertise — and a computer left on all day at home.

The iPad and similar devices are not going to replace traditional computers anytime soon. Nor will blogging be done exclusively from mobile devices in the foreseeable future. But for right now, the iPad does present some appetizing options for bloggers on the go who want to use their mobile device for certain blogging functions.

5 Brilliant Google Chrome Extensions to Enhance Your Blogging

Brian Mongold — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 18:34:30 +0000

Google Chrome is fast, clean and full of some truly amazing Extensions that can better enhance your web experience. If you’re a blogger, you’re going to love the free Chrome Extentions mentioned below. These Extensions provide functionality to write and save sticky notes on your favorite webpages, create screen caps with built-in tools (draw arrows, blur text, etc), view and improve your SEO, spellcheck yourself, and even add some functionality to your blogging platform.

Note Anywhere

4.5 Stars, 400 reviews, 34k users | Note Anywhere lets you create and add sticky notes to any web page, with the ability to drag it to any location on the page. When you leave the page and visit later, your notes will still be displayed.

Awesome Screenshot: Capture & Annotate

5 Stars, 8k reviews, 260k users | Grab screen caps of entire pages or any portion, then annotate it with arrows, text, a blurring tool and other shapes and tools.

SEO Site Tools

4.5 Stars, 130 reviews, 27k users | SEO Site Tools gives you all the necessary page rankings (Google, Alexa, Compete, Quantcast), metrics and social media information along with in-depth information such as anchor text, etc.

After the Deadline

4.5 Stars, 80 reviews, 22k users | After the Deadline saves you from those embarrassing mistakes by checking your spelling, grammar and style. You can check for mistakes when writing emails, using social networks etc. You can simply proofread your content by clicking a ABC icon in the lower right hand corner of an editable area.

Zemanta

4 Stars, 70 ratings, 5k users | Zemanta adds functionality to your blogging dashboard, adding content suggestions, relevant test, etc. You’ll get images, links, articles and tags encouraging you to link to other content. Blogging platforms supported include Blogger, WordPress, TypePad, Movable Type, Drupal, Tumblr and email platforms in GMail and Yahoo!

Did I miss any of your favorite Chrome Extensions that make blogging life a little easier or more fun? Let me know what you think.

Want to Guest Blog at FiveFreeApps?

Brian Mongold — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 00:22:38 +0000

One of the absolute best ways to grow your own personal blog is by publishing guest posts on other sites. Why, you may ask.

1. Cross-promote
2. Write to a whole new audience
3. Link to your own content
4. Establish a blogging relationship

FiveFreeApps currently has over 1300 registered users, 500+ Twitter Followers and 100+ Facebook fans, with approximately 3000 unique visitors a day and more than 8000 daily page views.

Topics focus on Apps, but additional posts feature entertainment, blogging, tips, and so much more so bring your specialty to FFA.

For the next month, I’ll be extremely busy with other projects and traveling. I encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity and bring your talents to a new audience.

If interested, simply post a comment below or use the contact form at the tab above. I’d love to her what topics you’d like to write about and see your blog or previous work.

5 Free Apps to Transform Your Android into the Ultimate Blogger’s Companion

Brian Mongold — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:59:36 +0000

Today’s guest post is by Tim Lenahan. To see more of his work, be sure to visit his personal website TimmyJohnBoy.com, subscribe to his newsletter and follow him on Twitter @timmyjohnboy.

Having been a blogger for several years, it was almost inevitable that I would be looking for ways to use my Android phone to help me in my blogging pursuits. That is, once I finally GOT an Android phone.

My Android helps me in several ways when it comes to my blogging. First, with my Android, along with some of these apps, I have become less tethered to my workstation. Secondly, I can be on top of things in a more timely manner.

The following list contains 5 free apps that can transform your Android phone into the ultimate blogger’s companion.

WordPress – This app is one of the first I installed on my phone when I got it. First, the WordPress app has enabled me to keep up with blog comments wherever and whenever I am. When I first receive that email notifying me of a new comment, I can immediately fire up the app, approve the comment, and reply to the comment on the spot. I am totally convinced that quickly replying to comments helps to keep the conversation going. Secondly, with the WordPress app I am able to start post drafts. In fact, I have even completely written posts using my Android using this app.

Evernote – Evernote is known for being one of the most popular and useful of the thought catching, cataloging and retrieving apps out there. With this handy app you can take a picture, record audio or type a quick note, all to be retrieved later to remind you of that fleeting thought. For bloggers, you never know when an idea for another blog post will pop into mind. Chris Brogan even says that he takes pictures to help him find inspiration. One alternative is Catch Notes.

Google Reader – Some people prefer the app while others prefer the web interface but there is no denying the usefulness of a feed reader like Google Reader when it comes to following and commenting on other blogs (make friends, create community and build traffic). As a blogger you DO do that don’t you? I personally have quite an exhaustive list of blogs in my niche which I follow using Google Reader. Having the ability to whip out my phone during down time and keep abreast with all of those sites is very helpful.

HootSuite – Twitter is an integral part of my blogging life. Many of the same people who I keep up with via Google Reader and who often comment on my blog, I also interact with on Twitter. Man, a blogger without Twitter is like, um, a car without gasoline. I use Twitter in many ways. I tweet articles I write, I tweet other interesting links that happen to fall into my niche, I develop relationships with folks, and I participate in chats.

Although Twitter chats are a bit difficult (but not impossible using tweetchat.com), everything else I mentioned ought to be indispensable in the life of a blogger and can easily be done using an Android phone. I prefer HootSuite but there are other good apps out there too.

For your blogging success, try out this rapporteur of Android apps. If I have missed any Android apps that make your blogging life easier, please share in the comments.

Tim Lenahan blogs at TimmyJohnBoy.com, and offers his newsletter to keep all his readers informed. If you use Twitter, be sure to follow him at @timmyjohnboy.

Interview with Eco-friendly Blogger Small Footprints

Brian Mongold — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 23:13:05 +0000

Small Footprints is the author of an inspiring blog, Reduce Footprints, where she delivers eco-friendly tips and awareness, inspiring us to make small changes in our everyday life that have a positive impact on the environment.

Her tips are top notch and an amazing reference to help you make a meaningful difference. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to pick Small Footprints’ brain.

Thanks for taking the time to join us. Can you give us a little insight into your background?

Thanks for having me, Brian! Well, I live in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina, in Asheville, with my husband and our cat, Isabelle (who graciously allows us to share her home). We’re not originally from this area … I grew up in Seattle, Washington, and my hubby grew up in Valencia, Venezuela. But after years living in big cities throughout the country, we discovered Asheville and fell in love with the small-town feel. We’re surrounded by nature, which is great because we love to hike and enjoy the outdoors.

What influenced your drive to be eco-friendly?

I’ve always loved the natural world. When I was a child, my family hiked and camped. We learned, early in life, to respect nature and protect it. In later years, as the world began to feel the effects of global warming and living green became popular, I wanted to do my part but felt frustrated by the media telling us that we needed to act NOW without telling us how to go about it. So I started researching the “how” on my own. The more I learned, the more I realized that small, everyday efforts could really make a difference. Reduce Footprints was born because I wanted to share that information with others … and I hoped that others would share what they know with me.

What are some of the projects you support and contribute to?

One of my favorite sites is Care2 . They discuss many issues and offer solid actions that we can take to illicit change, including a petition site which has been responsible for such victories as getting the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. I also support Oceana which works towards ocean conservation.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about everyday green living?

Many people think that their small efforts don’t make a difference … that it will take huge changes in government and big business to fix our environmental problems. In reality, the everyday changes we make produce huge environmental benefits. For example, people all over the country have started to refuse plastic bags at stores. That one simple act has brought about significant change … reusable bags are now everywhere and some cities (i.e. San Francisco) have banned the use of plastic bags in grocery stores. That happened because of small actions by individuals.

Another example of how small efforts have made a difference happened in the small Australian town of Bundanoon. Residents, upset that a beverage company wanted to tap into their underground water reservoir for bottling and selling water, decided to say “no” … no to the beverage company and no to plastic water bottles. The actions of approximately 2500 people resulted in the ban of plastic water bottles in their city (which were replaced on grocery store shelves with reusable water bottles) and the development of water fountains in public places. Small efforts make a big difference.

Where did you learn all the great tips you share?

Oh gosh … from everywhere. I wander the Internet for hours looking for information. I read and talk to people. Visitors to Reduce Footprints offer wonderful ideas and tips. And I try things out. I do a lot of research because I’m a skeptic … if I read something in one place, I don’t trust it … I want to see a lot of data to support an idea or fact.

For someone new to going green, what’s the very first step they should take?

My suggestion would be to start by reducing energy use in the home. For example: Unplug “phantom” energy drains (any appliance that has a clock), turn the temperature down on the water heater, turn off computers, appliances, etc. when not in use, twist off vanity light bulbs in the bathroom (who really needs 10 light bulbs anyway), use power strips and counter top cooking methods (crock pots, electric fry pans, etc.). The great thing about reducing energy use is that it’s an action which will give a person tangible results … at the end of the month when the energy bill is lower, you’ll know that you’re making a difference. And, what a great feeling to save some money while going green.

Can you share five tips that will help us all make a difference?

Buy and use less (of everything). Creating “stuff” uses up a tremendous amount of natural resources so, if we buy/use less, we save resources. Try this … the next time that laundry needs to be done, use less detergent. In my experience, the clothes get just as clean and my detergent lasts longer. The idea of using less works for everything.
Before tossing something into the garbage, try to come up with another use for the item. For example, empty jars are great for holding small items like buttons or for holding bulk spices … clean cans work great as pencil holders … paper inserts (like those in bills or advertising) make great scratch paper … clean veggie scraps (you know those little bits and pieces that get trimmed off) make great vegetable stock.
Switch from single use items to reusable items. Try cloth napkins instead of paper. Use “real” silverware on a picnic instead of single use plastic versions. Buy food in bulk rather than in small, single serving packages.
Start a recycling program in your home. If your area has curbside recycling, find out what they take. If you don’t have curbside pick-up, find the nearest center and beginning recycling the items they take.
Begin a compost bin. So many things which typically get tossed out can be composted … coffee grounds, newspaper, the cardboard inside the toilet paper roll. I live in an apartment and compost in a large planter on my patio … so one doesn’t need a lot of space to compost. In the spring use the compost to plant veggies, spread around plants to nourish them … or give it to a neighbor.

What are the benefits and overall impact in putting these tips into action?

From a personal standpoint, many of these actions will save money … and that’s always a good thing. From an environmental standpoint, the benefits are huge. Producing stuff requires great quantities of natural resources … some which actually become a new item and some which are used, and contaminated, in the production process. Putting these tips into action will mean that we use fewer natural resources. We’ll also be keeping things out of landfills which have their own set of environmental problems. Many of the things we toss out contain toxic materials … as the item sits in a landfill, toxins begin to leach out and find their way into nearby soil and waterways. Once a toxin enters a body of water, it becomes part of our food chain. So preventing that from happening is important.

Do you have any future plans to expand your awareness? I.e. book, speaking engagements, etc.

People have suggested that I write a book, I’ve been asked to contribute to several publications and I’ve been invited to appear on a local television program. I’m a very private person so anything too public, like TV, doesn’t appeal to me. As for books … I love to write so I have considered it but … I really enjoy the interaction of blogging. I feel that I can reach more people through blogging and social networks … and we can all learn from each other. It’s important to me to have a “two-way street” of communication.

What new technology should we be excited about?

Green technology is in its infancy … we’re just getting started. I think there are many things to be excited about … solar and wind power, high efficiency transportation, etc. But I’m all about the small things so one of things that I’m excited about is LED (light-emitting diode) lighting. We started out with energy inefficient light bulbs and then went to CFLs (compact fluorescent lighting). They were a vast improvement over incandescent bulbs but … not perfect. So LEDs arrived on the scene. Unfortunately, while they are efficient bulbs without the toxic chemicals in CFLs, they haven’t been real successful in everyday use like lighting a room. But that is quickly changing. It’s another small thing with a huge impact.

What is your proudest moment in your 2+ years of blogging at Reduce Footprints?

My proudest moments have been when someone tells me that they learned something on Reduce Footprints which they had never thought about before … or that they tried something out that worked well for them. I suppose, like everyone, I feel good about the possibility that something shared makes a difference.

What challenges have you faced at Reduce Footprints?

In the beginning, the biggest challenge was just getting people to read the blog. As most bloggers have learned, generating traffic takes a lot of work. Now that I have quite a few readers, the challenge is to keep the information fresh for both new and long-time visitors. Finding ideas which haven’t been talked about is tough … but I keep looking.

You have done an amazing job in interacting with your followers, while highlighting their content and rewarding their accomplishments. How critical has this been to growing your readership?

This is a tough question. While the statistics say that those actions have been largely responsible for growing our readership, it was never why I chose to take them. I enjoy interacting with people and never wanted to simply lecture … blogging, for me, needed to be a conversation. Once that conversation got started, I was so impressed (and continue to be) with what others had to say and the efforts they were putting out, that I felt compelled to tell others about it.

What inspired your popular “Change the World Wednesday” series, that’s now more than 55 posts strong?

Actually, that was my hubby’s idea. I was trying to find different ways to get people involved and motivated … something that would generate action. I was also looking for something that wouldn’t require quite so much research … informative posts are wonderful and necessary but because I want to be sure of the facts before I present them, I spend enormous amounts of time and effort preparing each article. So my hubby suggested that we have weekly challenges … and it’s been so much fun! They are a little easier to write and people have embraced the activity. He’s brilliant (yeah, I’m a little biased).

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Green living isn’t about being perfect … it’s about taking actions which will protect the earth. Together, I believe we can make a huge, positive environmental impact.

Thanks, Brian, for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts! It’s been a pleasure to visit with you today!

I would like to thank Small Footprints on such as insightful look into her eco-friendly life and for giving us so many outstanding tips. It’s truly been a pleasure having. Be sure to visit and follow Reduce Footprints for more great tips and to share with one of the best communities of like-minded folks you’ll find.

40 Tips to Become a Blogging Ninja!

Brian Mongold — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 12:30:00 +0000

I started blogging in September 2008 & it’s been an amazing journey. My blogging technique and the tools I use to blog has drastically changed over the last two years. Through many successes, there are failures. I’ve fell on my face quite a few times, was ignorant about blogging & had very little knowledge of what Blogger, WordPress or any other platforms were or how they worked. I only knew what blogging was from a reader’s perspective.

I’ve learned so much in my short blogging stint! I truly believe to fully succeed, you must first fail. Of course how you deal with these challenges will better define your success. As I’ve made countless mistakes, I’ve became a much better blogger by working my way through each blunder and applying my knowledge to the site.

Getting Started With The Basics

1. Blog About Your Passion – Blog about what interests you the most. Blogging is tough work & it’s easy to run out of ideas or get bored. If you stick with your passion, you’ll be able to rediscover that inspiration to post after burnouts or blogger’s block.

2. Find your Niche & Target Audience – It’s very easy to lose focus & go too many different directions. My original idea changed from great resources & humor to focusing on great resources. Try these sites for ideas 100 Useful Niche Search Engines.

3. Use a Visually Appealing Design – Use a design that will work for you and be appealing to your audience. There are plenty of free and unique blogging themes, regardless of the platform.

4. Learn All You Can – I learn something each day I blog. It may be something minor, but the key is to continually progress. I had no clue about blogging when I started, but have quickly learned from fellow bloggers and sites like Problogger, BlogDoctor, Warrior Forums, Digital Point and Authority Blogger.

5. Be Unique – There’s far too many blogs on the net, so understanding what makes your blog unique is extremely important. I continually assess my site & ask myself what it is that differentiates the site from the rest. This helps me strive to be different. Try interjecting your personality to put a unique spin on your content.

6. Stay Focused – Try to have a central focus that ties in with your site concept.

7. Use a Traffic Analysis Tool – By using a traffic analysis tool, you’ll be able to analyze your visitors & traffic. This will help you see everything you need about your visitors, top content, trends, etc. I use Google Analytics and Quantcast, which are free tools that accomplishes this goal and then some.

8. Establish a Posting Schedule – Keep readers coming back for more by publishing new content on a schedule. I started blogging & posting 3 or 4 posts a day, which was impossible for me to keep up with with the research I have to put in for each post. I set a posting schedule of 4 to 5 post per week. I also post a weekly “favorite bookmarks” entry. Avoid the “I’m finally posting again” type posts.

9. Don’t Blog to Make Money – When I started blogging, I was in the process of job hunting, I had thoughts of trying to blog full-time & make money, that that just doesn’t work for a new blog. Rather than destroying my site with annoying ads everywhere, I opted to just shoot for making a return on what I spend on the site. These days, I do just fine with displaying only one AdSense Ad. I prefer to keep it that way, so readers can focus on the content and not annoying ads.

10. Make People Think – I’m still looking to improve upon this, but by asking interesting questions or posting thought provoking content, it will help to pique further interest, conversation, etc.

11. Focus on Your Post Titles – Which would you rather click to read, “Sites For Shopping” or something like “10 Money Saving Sites That’ll Knock Your Socks Off”? Think in terms of article titles you’d like to read. If your title stinks, your content will go unread. People judge a book by it’s cover, so give them a flashy cover to make them want to see what’s inside.

12. Be Human – Show your profile, social networking links, etc. Talk to those who comment & don’t be afraid to tell readers about yourself. I’ve attempted to improve this by adding an About Me section & The Story Behind Eazy Cheezy.

13. Use RSS & Display it Near the Top of Your Site – Make your RSS easy to find. This gives your readers different methods to obtain your content as it’s published. Flexibility allows readers to pick the reader of their choice. I recommend using some fancy RSS Icons & Feedburner, although there are other great options. I noticed by moving my RSS to the top, I’ve increased subscribers.

14. Submit Your Site to Search Engines & Directories – This will help your content show up in search results and to build authority. You can use Add URL, which provides direct Links to Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc and Top 55 Best Blog Directories & RSS Submission Sites.

15. Get a Technorati account & Submit your blog. Technorati is like Google for Blogs. Here’s my Technorati Account. Learn more about Technorati.

16. Post Quality Over Quantity – I’ve heard arguments from both sides, but SEO or not, sloppy posts could find people unsubscribing & you can lose readers.

17. Find & Participate in Forums In Your Niche – If your niche is something like Career Assistance, you’d want to participate in discussions at LinkedIn, Monster, Careerbuilder, etc. You’ll build relationships with those offering similar services & gain trust in your target audience by helping solve their problem.

18. Ping directories after each post – This will ensure each directly you submitted your blog to catches the lates entries. Try PingMyBlog.

19. Add “Related Posts” & “Popular Posts” – To get more page views & offer relevant content to the reader, add a “Related Posts” section below your article with all the relevant links. You can add a Popular Posts section on your site to give easy access to your best and most popular work. I love the YARPP WordPress Plugin.

20. Use Images – Vector images and graphics are appealing to the eye. A big personal turn-off for me is a site with all text and no pictures. Images can help to enhance the look and feel of your site and posts. Here’s an amazing resource of Free Vector Images.

21. Use Social Networking & Bookmarking Sites – Twitter, Stumble Upon, Facebook, LinkedIn & many other social networking sites can bring a significant amount of traffic to your site.

22. Add Social Networking Badges to Your Site – Make it easier for readers to submit or bookmark your content. I recommend ShareThis.

23. Get Involved in Social Networks – Rather than just submitting articles, you’ll probably fail if you don’t involve yourself in the communities of Facebook, Twitter, Stumble Upon, etc. Find other sites in your niche as & take the time to comment. Many blogs who you support will support you as well. You can always further network.

24. Use Effective Keyword Tags – Using effective keywords will help your site appear when others Google their keywords. Try Google AdWords Keyword Tool to find the keywords you should be using.

25. Promote your Blog – Add your link or RSS Feed (as appropriate) to your e-mail, message board signatures and RSS or widget on social networking sites. Just make sure you follow message board policies & don’t do this in a spammy way. If you can use your link or logo in signature blocks.

26. Use Performance Plugins – I highly recommend using a Caching plugin, if you blog with WordPress. It makes a significant difference in page loading times. Try W3 Total Cache.

27. Widget Control – Be careful adding too many widgets or plugins can make your webpage crawl. Seconds seem like a lifetime when you are browsing the web. You’ll definitely lose those readers with slower connections.

It’s All About Your Readers
28. Accept Reader Input & Feedback – I was able to extend and improve quite a few posts by listening to valuable reader feedback.

29. Appreciate Your Readers & Followers – If someone takes the time to comment on a post, be sure to respond to them (provided it’s an actual comment & not self promotion or spam). If you can, visit their site & comment on an article of theirs you like.

30. Show Your Appreciation – Show appreciation to those select readers who always return & interact on your site. Realize that they are spending their valuable time on your site. Try a post that offers something for your reader, such as “Share Your Best Blog Post” every once in a while. You’ll get more comments and readers love that stuff.

31. Respect Your Readers – Always be respectful to your readers & in turn you’ll earn their respect.

32. Think In Terms of Your Readers – You have to know your audience & stay on top of trends to really figure out what your readers may want to read about? Try to stay up on sites that are in your niche. If you write about a given topic, keep yourself informed on that topic.

33. Help Readers Solve Problems – If you post a “How To” or provide tips, try to do everything you can to help any of your readers solve problems they may have. Chances are, if you gain their trust by helping them to their satisfaction, they’ll come back for more. Quite a few of my posts have been written based off questions I’ve received by readers. Also, if you are trying to find an answer and there isn’t a good source to help you solve your problem, that’s your queue to fill the void. Chances are, many other readers are Googling the same question.

Become a Blogging Ninja!
34. Play Like the Pros – Take a look at your favorite sites. What widgets or social networking badges do they use? How do they communicate with their readers? What kind of design do they have? Observe & borrow some of your favorite elements to help take your site to another level.

35. Add a Contact & About Page – All well established sites have About & Contact pages. If you use Blogger, you’re a little more limited but there are still many different tools to use. I use the WordPress Plugin Contact Form 7.

36. Take Chances – I’ve taken chances by modifying my design & tweaking my logo multiple times. The biggest risk I’ve taken was moving to a domain and from Blogger to WordPress to SquareSpace, then back to WordPress. This proved to be a better long-term decision. WordPress is the platform for me.

37. Guest Blog – I’ve guest blogged at quite a few sites, which has helped me reach a larger audience. In addition to my guest blogging, I’ve hosted several guest bloggers. I’ve developed relationships through social networks & by following several blogs and the best relationships I’ve attained is typically with the bloggers I’ve collaborated with. This is an exciting way to reach a larger audience & get a fresh point of view. Cross-promotion is very valuable. Here’s on of my personal favorite guest author posts for example. Technological Innovations That Will Help Us Change the World.

38. Get Your Site Reviewed – I’ve had my site reviewed at Warrior Forum, Digital Point and Blog Catalog. Each review has given me a different perspective in pointing out ways for me to improve. The reviews were honest & extremely effective. Take a look at 15 Sites That Give Free Blog Reviews.

39. Work To Get Returning Visitors – Getting people to visit your site is the starting point, but in reality a small percentage will actually return. This goes back to setting yourself apart & understanding the value you bring to your readers. There’s no magical formula, but one thing that’s worked best for me is helping newer bloggers in forums/e-mail as well as frequently visiting my favorite blogging sites. Being active in social networking communities & building relationships is key.

40. Conduct & Publish an Interview – Conducting an interview is an excellent experience & one that can help bring unique and intriguing content to your site. Don’t be afraid to approach other authors for an interview, but be sure to do your homework, limit your questions, show them why they should want to have an interview published on your site & be very respectful. Take a look at my most recent interview, Q&A with Rick Richter, CEO of Ruckus Media.

Blogging Resources
100 Killer WordPress Resources – Steffan Antona’s Blog: 100+ Killer Resources for WordPress Hackers, Designers and Powerbloggers.
Blogger Toolbox: 100+ Tools and Themes – Mashable: An extensive guide to over 100 free and premium tools, themes, and shortcuts for Blogger.com users.
Blogging Toolbox: 120+ Resources for Bloggers – Mashable: An aspiring blogger can be overwhelmed with the vast amount of resources, tools, and advice for bloggers available on the net.
A – Z of Professional Blogging – Problogger: A – Z of Professional Blogging Tools
Top 10 Tools to Get Blogging Done – Lifehacker: Writing your blog should be a fun way to stretch your mind and stay connected.
My 50 Favorite Blogging Resources – Pronet Advertising: There are thousands of blogging related resources on the Internet which can create an overwhelming experience for anyone looking to get into blogging.
101 Essential Blogging Resources – Blogtrepreneur: Update: There are now 122 resources.
Time to Check: Are You Using the Right Blogging Platform – OJR: Blogs are one of the hottest publishing tools around, but picking blog software can be confusing and frustrating. Use this primer to get a feel for what’s available and what will work best for you.

Blogging Platforms
Blogger: Free Blogging Platform.
TypePad: TypePad charges between $4.95 – $14.95 monthly, depending on level of service chosen.
Blogware: Charges between $8-$15 per month, depending on reseller.
WordPress: Free Blogging Platform.
Movabletype: Normal users will pay $69.95 or higher & Commercial users pay at least $199.95.
Terapad: Various pricing options. Free, Standard for $14.15 per month & Pro for $49.15 per month.
Habari Project: Next-generation blogging.
Lifetype: Open Source Blogging Platform.
Drupal: Open Source Content Management.
Squarespace: Starts at $8 per month.

What have you learned about your blogging experience? What’s your platform of choice? This is a post that is a collection of many of the aspects about blogging that I’ve learned thus far. I still learn something new almost everyday. My weakness is in SEO or Search Engine Optimization, but I’m starting to learn more and grow. I hope you find this helpful to your blogging experience. Please do share your stories, experiences, etc.

I Just Published My Blog on Amazon Kindle and You Should Too

Brian Mongold — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:24:24 +0000

Earlier today, I made the decision to sign up for a free Amazon Kindle Publishing Account so I could publish Five Free Apps on the Kindle. Why, you may ask? Doing so not only gives your readers an opportunity to keep up with your blog on a different platform, but you to make a few bucks along the way.

“Kindle Blogs are auto-delivered wirelessly to the Kindle and updated throughout the day. They are fully downloaded onto your Kindle so they can be read even when you’re not wirelessly connected. And unlike RSS readers which often only provide headlines, blogs on Kindle contain full text content and most images.”

Publishing Your Blog on Amazon

After you sign up for a free publisher account, you’re all set to log in and begin publishing you blog. You’ll need to fill out a quick and easy form, providing the following information;

RSS/Atom Feed Address
Blog Title
Tagline
Blog Description
Blog Author/Publisher
Upload a Screenshot & Header Image
Website Address
Language
Categories
Tags

Additional information I had to include was my name, phone number, address, payment information (routing number, account number) and one thing I found interesting was there were no options to set subscription prices.

Once you plug in the information above, simply select “Publish.” After publishing, it specified that the blog would be published within 48 to 72 hours.

However, after just an hour or so, I found my blog now appears on Amazon. Amazon set the subscription price for $1.99 per month, but for all blog subscriptions readers get a 14 day free trial.

Pricing & Payment

Blogs tend to be published with a price set for $0.99 or $1.99 per month for subscribers. You’ll get a 30% cut of the pie. You don’t have the option to set the price. Amazon sets the price based on what they believe is a fair price for readers. Amazon also doesn’t let you offer your blog for free either.

For Five Free Apps, Amazon set the price for $1.99 per month. If I had the choice, I’d either offer it for free or $0.99.

Kindle Publishing Dashboard

You can publish more than just one blog to Kindle and with the Dashboard view, you’ll be able to keep track of each of the blogs you’ve published, along with the number of trial subscriptions and total subscriptions for each. You’ll also get a link to the product page so you can visit your page and see all the ratings and reviews.

Product Page

Once published, your blog will be available for subscription on Amazon, with subscriptions auto-delivered wirelessly to your Kindle.

One thing I really like about publishing my blog to Amazon is the readers can review the blog. I plan to keep an eye on the reviews and use them to my advantage to improve the site. Though the 30% cut is a bit low, it’s still a few bucks in your pocket and a way to get your blog a little more exposure.

Want to subscribe to Five Free Apps on your Kindle? Try it out for the 14 day free trial and let me know what you think. Do you have a blog on the Kindle? Feel free to share your experience and your subscription page.

6 Free High Quality WordPress Themes

Brian Mongold — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 11:18:47 +0000

Prior to settling on my current Pagelines WordPress theme, I’d find my self a bit bored with my theme and try on some new templates for fun. After all, it’s always good to see how your content looks in other well designed themes.

Here are a few free WordPress themes that caught my eye. For being free, these themes are quite attractive and pretty well designed.

Arclite by DigitalNature

Preview | Download

Hanging by John_wdl

Preview | Download

Evening Shade by Pyrocode

Preview | Download

TweetMeBlue by John_wdl

Preview | Download

RedTime by John_wdl

Preview | Download

MT dark

Preview | Download

5 Killer Blogging Tips

Brian Mongold — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 19:37:39 +0000

Earlier this year, I published 30 Lessons Learned From a Newbie Blogger, revisiting lessons learned from one year earlier. As most bloggers will attest, we make mistakes, while learning something new all the time. It’s now been two years since I started blogging and have tried three different blogging platforms, while having a major domain transition switching from EazyCheezy.Net to FiveFreeApps.com. To date, my first two years of blogging have been a roller coaster ride of successes and failures. With the two years under my belt, I thought I’d share some of the best tips I’ve learned along the way.

Test Different Ad Size, Placement & Design

My advertising platform of choice is Google AdSense. I’ve always been against placing too many ads on the blog, since it takes away from the content. However, if you’re like me you pay for your hosting, domain names, etc so the goal should be to eventually make more money than you spend.

My first year of blogging wasn’t very profitable. I never realized the importance channels give you when tracking ad success and I didn’t test enough designs and different placements. After furthering my knowledge, I experimented with just about every ad size, design and placement and here was what I found to be the most successful for my particular blog.

Size: 336 x 280
Placement: Top left hand corner above individual posts
Design: Link/image, matching the blog font, link color and background as close as possible

Great Resource: Techmaish.com’s AdSense Design and Placement Tips for Improving Earnings

Use List Posts

I love list posts and I’d estimate approximately 95% of the site consists of short lists of various subjects. List posts organizes information well and is easier for your users to read. Many users also like to share list posts with social networks such as Stumble Upon, Digg, Reddit, Twitter and Facebook. My personal success story is with Stumble Upon. After Google, Stumble Upon is my biggest source of traffic. Currently, the site averages approximately 1100 daily visits from Stumble Upon. However, I don’t submit my own content and I’m not an active user on Stumble Upon.

Great Resource: ProBlogger.net’s Write a List Post

Write Catchy, Descriptive Titles

When first blogging, my titles were awful. Spend some time on your title and look at it from your reader’s point of view. I learned by observing titles of my favorite magazines and sites, while taking a look at my articles and asking myself “would this title draw me in or push me away?” I try to do this self test with every post. The content of the article is very important, but the title can make or break your article. Make the titles catchy and be as descriptive as you can in as few words as possible.

Great Resource: Sitesketch101.com’s 10 Tips to an Awesome, Eye-Jerking Post Title.

Use Analytics

One thing I’ve been on top of since I began blogging was taking advantage of the various tools that provide analytics for your site. I use a combination of Google Analytics and Quantcast to further examine top content, top referral sites and in depth information about visitors to the site. In Google Analytics, I pay attention to things such as bounce rates, average page views per visitor, % of new vs. repeating visitors, browsers used and much more. I use Quantcast more for the demographics of visitors.

Great Resource: Google Analytic’s free Online Course

Keep Learning

When you stop learning, you fail. Educate yourself about the topics you cover and always work to improve your blogging knowledge. For most of us, we are the only owner, writer, editor, marketer, etc. To be successful in each area, it requires work. Sites I suggest taking advantage of include, but are not limited to Problogger, BlogDoctor, Warrior Forums, Digital Point and the Authority Blogger.

Do you have any killer tips you’d like to share? How about your blogging experience? Feel free to get involved in the discussion below.

5 Engaging WordPress Plugins You Should Install Now

Brian Mongold — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:57:15 +0000

Engaging with your readers is crucial to the success of your blog and it’s also one of the key ingredients I lacked when I first began this blog. WordPress provides us with countless Plugins to enhance our blogs and solve this problem, but there are so many, which ones do we choose? I love installing and trying out Plugins and I have lost track of the number of WordPress Plugins that I’ve given a shot, but typically end up deleting 90% to 95% of those I install. The Plugins I’ll be covering below are some of my favorites and in my opinion, the best of the best in the category of reader engagement and sharing with social networks. Enjoy.

WP Greetbox

WPGreetbox still amazes me how very useful and functional it really is. It’s a plugin that shows different customizable greeting messages based on the referral site. If accessed from Twitter, they’ll receive a message that asks them to remember to Tweet the post and follow you on Twitter. I definitely attribute an increase in subscribers to this plugin. It’s interactive, engaging and makes it easy for readers to subscribe, share, etc. It has 31 total greetings you can use and you can add to the list. I’ve added the settings page below, to give you an idea of the various messages you can modify and display.

Sexy Bookmarks

Sexy Bookmarks is another great way to provide readers with the ability to share your content by displaying the social network icons of your choice below or above your content. There are a total of 27 social networking icons you can display. The icons pop up as readers scroll over them. It’s a clean and attractive way to let readers pass your content on to their networks.

About Me 3000

About Me 3000 is a very flexible and useful Plugin to have on your WordPress Blog. I replaced my About Me page with this widget since it provided so much flexibility and functionality. What About Me 3000 gives you is the ability to use a Gravatar, an overview of you or your site, as well as several social networking and e-mail icons linked to your profiles such as; your e-mail, Facebook, Friendfeed, Feedburner, Delicious, Myspace, LinkedIn, Stumbled Upon, Technorati, Twitter and YouTube. Another cool thing they added is a Reader Count, taken directly from Feedburner. It’s quite customizable and you can pick and choose what you want to be displayed.

Top 10

Top 10 is a very cool way to both display some of your best work and to get additional link clicking love from your readers. Top 10 simply counts each post by number of page views and tracks them on a daily and overall basis. You can view the page views in your WordPress Dashboard and display them as a Widget. Since I don’t spend much time tracking my statistics on Google Analytics anymore, this widget helps me keep an eye on which posts are becoming popular and which aren’t. It also gives your readers a chance to check out your best or most popular past work. You can specify the number of links you want to display, whether you want overall or daily stats and several other display options.

Subscription Options

Subscription Options is a Plugin that gives your readers three different subscription options to keep up with your blog and content updates. I replaced two other widgets with this one. You simply configure it by plugging in the URLs for your RSS feed, Feedburner E-mail Service e-mail and Twitter Profile. You can also size the icons to your liking.

Any great WordPress Plugins that you believe deserves mentioning? What do you think about the ones mentioned in this list?

10 Free Premium Blogger Templates to Outfit Your Blog

Brian Mongold — Tue, 25 May 2010 22:57:51 +0000

Getting tired of your current Blogger template? Want to try some new digs on your blog? If you use Blogger as your blogging platform, you’ve probably heard that Blogger doesn’t stand up in design when compared to other platforms such as WordPress. While this may be true in some cases, I’ve never had trouble finding Blogger templates I love.

Here’s what I like about Blogger templates. They are easy to install, the majority are free and there are countless well designed and appealing Blogger Templates just a few clicks away. You just need to know where to look.

Today, I’ve scoured the net to bring you some of my favorite Blogger Templates that are premium templates that cost you nothing.

Clean Elegance (btemplates.com) – 2 Columns, Fixed width, Gray, Right sidebar, White

Download | Live Preview

Darken (ourbloggertemplates) – 1 sidebar column on the right and 3 sidebar columns at the bottom. You can use the header image as in the sample blog or your own header image.

Download | Live Preview

Facebook Style (bloggertemplatesblog.com) – Adapted from WordPress, 3 Columns, 2 Sidebars, Blue and White, Fixed Width, Minimalist, SEOptimized

Download | Live Preview

Guarantee (bloggertemplates.com) – 2 Columns, Fixed Width, Right Sidebar, White.

Download | Live Preview

Maparaan (bloggertemplatesblog.com) – 2 Columns, Fixed Width, Gray, Right Sidebar.

Download | Live Preview

Mettalic Shine (bloggertemplatesblog.com) – 2 Columns, Brown, Fixed Width, Right Sidebar.

Download | Live Preview

Specific (bloggertemplatesblog.com) – 2 Columns, Blue, Fixed Width, Red, Right Sidebar, White.

Download | Live Preview

Todays News (btemplates.com) – 3 Columns, Adapted from WordPress, Fixed width, Gray, Magazine, Orange, Right sidebar, Rounded corners.

Download | Live Preview

Tree House (btemplates) – 2 Columns, Adapted from WordPress, Brown, Fixed width, Grunge, Orange, Right sidebar.

Download | Live Preview

Webnolia (ourbloggertemplates.com) – Minimalist and extremely flexible template with flexible multiple columns (2, 4, 5, 6, or 7 columns). You can change the columns, all background and font colors, and font types without doing any coding.

Download | Live Preview

Do you have any favorite Free Blogger Templates you’d like to share? Want to show off your new Blogger Template? Feel free to show us what you got.

Blogger Link Love – Show Me Your Stuff

Brian Mongold — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 03:47:19 +0000

Today, I wanted to give you a platform to promote a quality link or product. After all, there’s nothing like free promotion. Whether it’s a blog article you’re proud of, a new app you just launched or anything else, feel free to tell us more about it.

Providing it’s not spammy, I’ll add it to the post and share it with the readers by including your comments.

Please share the link and keep the description or comments short and to the point. I’ll kick it off with one of the most rewarding posts, which I put quite a bit of time and effort into.

Blog Links to Check Out

2010 Top 10 Free Movie Sites (eazycheezy.net) – In this post, I utilized reader votes and mixed them with my take on the best of the best in Free Movie Sites. There are quite a few quality sites to stream movies available, but which are the best? Here’s where you find out. – Brian Mongold

Please leave your comments below, providing the link and description/comments.