What differentiates a blog from a website is: Your blog is a reflection of what you are. And No matter how well you try, with every single word said, your blog reflects the mismatch (if there’s any) between what you said, how you said; and what you actually stand for, and how you stand for.

But unfortunately, this simple thing is not understood by most bloggers. The result: You’ll find multitudes of blogs which seem dishonest and fame hungry. Dishonest, for saying things which they don’t believe in and fame hungry, for choosing that stuff which they think will be more popular among the readers.

But, like real world, the above dichotomy is easily visible. Any mismatch between what you say and what you really believe in, becomes visible all the time.

People most of the time highlight dichotomy related with the field of expertise—One should blog about only those things in which one has expertise at. But I think, when it comes to blogging, which is basically sharing information with your readers (who eventually become your friends), the dichotomy which should be taken care of is the one that I mentioned at the beginning.

Why?

As expertise comes with time and hardwork, spiced with your true self;

Time and hard work are easy to understand; but how "spiced with your true self" really brings expertise ? -- As  when a person is true to itself, he/she says things he/she really believes in (irrespective of subject) and that broadens the wisdom related to the subject. And having wisdom related to any subject, is EXPERTISE.

So when a person chooses to blog about a field he/she doesn’t have expertise at; with honest (making your true self visible) prolonged engagement with the subject, the expertise is bound to come.

Now. Even if, for some reasons, a person fails to get expertise in his/her chosen subject (though a remote possibility); what will utmost happen: the blog will not have perfect posts or the blog will stagnate. But even at this possibility, if the person is aware of  “his/her true self” readers will not consider him/her as some shady person. People can call him/her dumb or unintelligent, but not someone who tried to be someone else.

And to succeed at blogging showing your true self is more important than being considered intelligent with a sarcastic bend. All the benefits of blogging come with the degree to which you show your true self, when you blog (and also when you don't).

More on this, on the next article of this series.

Please have your say on this.

Some recommenced Traffic Exchangers:


1. EasyHits4U

2. Hit2Hit

3. Traffic-Splash

4. Hitsboosterpro [1000 credits from me within 24 hours of joining ]

4. StartXChange

5. TS25

Recently, a friend started a blog of her art works. Finding me a veteran in the field of blogging (on the basis of my much earlier entry), she asked me how to get more art lovers to her blog. A little enquiry from my side, revealed that she doesn't merely want art lovers to flock to her blog (to get recognition for her art and earn money out of it); she also wants to earn money from the blog itself.

I further asked her how long will she keep her blog monetization free(means no ads from ad programs who pay on the basis of pay per click or pay per action etc., like Google Adsense). To this, she said she can keep it ad free for six months or so.

I praised her for her patience with implementing ads on her blog. Actually in a blog's lifecycle, unless you have some experience of blogging, first couple of months should be devoted fully to build the visitor base. As only when a blog has considerable visitors, one can expect to earn money thru ad programs.In addition, even though ads at early stage give you insignificant money; they give a poor impression to the readers, who start suspecting the primary aim of your blog.

As the lady, is away from monetization for the next couple of months (plus other factors too), I advised her to try Traffic exchangers.

The benefits of using Traffic Exchangers (that I explained her fully aware of what blog demands) are as under:

1) As the blog is pretty new, the first thing to do is to spread the word. The more people know about the blog the better.As the blog is going to remain ad free for next couple of months (as if you bring traffic thru Traffic Exchangers to a blog which shows ads from Ad programs like Adsense,you break Ad programs' TOS), Traffic exchangers can be really helpful in spreading the word.

2) As the blog is showcasing some form of art, for which the creator wants recognition. So that eventually the art can be sold. Traffic Exchangers are a good option; as not only bloggers, a significant number of talent searchers also flock Traffic Exchangers.

3) As the blog is an Art blog; it suits best for Traffic Exchangers. The reason being--When a blog is rotated in a traffic Exchanger, it has to grab the surfer's attention, in seconds. If it fails to hold the attention of the surfer, the surfer moves on to the next blog. Being an art blog, the lady's blog doesn't have to care about grabbing attention.

After the discussion she seemed convinced with the suggestion and the explanation. But being new to Traffic exchangers-- she doesn't know how Traffic exchangers work. I tried to put forward a simple explanation-- Traffic Exchangers as the name suggests gives you traffic in exchange of traffic. You surf other people's blogs and earn credit. You redeem the credits earned to get traffic for your blog. If you don't want to surf other people's blog , then you buy credits (As credits are what that give you traffic).

For more details, read all the articles of the Traffic Exchangers Series:

Article 1:Bloggers and small businesses ! -- A free account at some Traffic exchanger can increase your traffic
Article 2: Registered with the best traffic exchagers: What NEXT!
Article 3: Bringing in visitors to your Website
Article 4: Should I add my adsense ads showing site on TEs
Article 5: Recommenced Traffic Exchangers

In a recent post titled “Way to promote your blog at Yahoo Answers”, I emphasized how striving to get an expert status at Yahoo Answers can help you promote or bring traffic to your blog. In short, what I wanted to get through is the fact that when a person becomes an expert, he/she is taken more seriously and hence listened well. So what an expert writes on his/her blog is also well received.

Now, one can apply the same principle to other social networks or anywhere where people network to promote anything one has expertise at.


Talking of the Expert status, GetGlue by AdaptiveBlue, a recommendation engine helps you get an Expert status by learning more about you. Once you get it, it’s up to you, how you use this status to your advantage.

Get Glue does this by learning more about you by :

1) Getting you to fill out a survey or profile
2) Getting you to rate or review items
3) Watching your search history patterns.

Alike other recommendation engines, Get Glue too works on three levels, or rather three concentric circles. You and your likes / dislikes are in the center. Your friends form a ring around you, and the whole GetGlue community forms the largest circle.

So try Get Glue, and see if you can get an expert status in the categories they have stacked.

Yes Shah Rukh khan is the new addition to the bollywood actors, who tweet. He joined twitter on january 3, 2009.

although both internet and conventional media has reported about this event, none has mentioned the twitter address of SRK. To save yourself from following some fake srk, I searched the twitter for the real Shah Rukh Khan. And here he is:

http://twitter.com/iamsrk

In my earlier post , I explained how Yahoo answers can be used to promote a blog. In this article let I share with you the strategy that can be used to promote a blog. But before that some basic things.

Choose a yahoo screen name which serves best to your field of expertise or the subject you blog about. This will give others an obvious clue about the reason for your presence. Choose a yahoo screen name that says something about you and/or your blog.This will help you cement your yahoo presence. Don't keep the default profile pic; instead put your photograph in your profile.

How to promote the blog:

Choose the particular blog post or the entire blog, which you want to bring traffic to or promote; and put it in your Yahoo answers profile. You have to keep these links handy, as you’ll also be using these, when you answer a question.

Now although Yahoo answers forbids you from promoting your links, while answering a question; it allows you to add those links to your answer which in a way enrich an answer.

For example if you answer a question—“How to add a widget to blogger blog”; you can add a link which you think is the source of your answer or helps in detailed explanation.

Now there are two ways by which you can promote your blog content or your links.

If you blog about a particular niche, then you just keep answering questions stacked under the yahoo answers category/subject same as that of your blog subject.As you progress to higher levels, you’ll increase visitations to your Yahoo Answers profile.

But if you blog about a number of things, on a single blog; then the best way to promote your content is to answer those questions which are related to your recent post. For this you first have to do an advanced search on yahoo answers for the topic that promotes your recent post, if you chose to answer it. And while answering the question, you just add that particular post as a source or as a link assisting explanation.

And one more thing, post a thoughtful answer. An answer which honestly tries to solve the problem of the questioner. This means adding your blog post link to your answer only when you think your post explains or assists the answer best. If you think contrary, then add the link, which fits in the situation; no matter if some one else’s.

What is Yahoo Answers:

Yahoo Answers is a service, where people can find answers to their questions. All one needs, to be able to post a question at Yahoo answers is a yahoo email id.

When a user posts a question at yahoo answers, he/she in a way makes a request to other users to help find answers. So whenever a question is posted by a user, other users provide answers to the questions. The answers appear as a list below the posted question; which can be easily scanned by the questioner to find the answer which answers the question, best.

What users get for contributing answers:

In exchange of the effort Yahoo users put to find answers to the questions; a user gets 2 points for each answer. In addition, if a user’s contribution/answer is chosen the best, either by the questioner or by yahoo answers community, the user gets 10 points as a reward.

The points so earned, catapult a user to progressive levels. Higher the pointed earned, higher the level reached. The higher the level, higher is the popularity of the user in Yahoo answers community.

But apart from this, a user also gets traffic to his/her blog for contributing answers.


Bring Traffic to your Blog using Yahoo Answers:

When you use Yahoo Answers, you bring traffic to your blog in this manner:

--When as a user, you post answers to other users’ questions, you increase the chances of the other contributors and the questioner, visiting your yahoo Answers profile (So make sure you put the blog you want to bring traffic to, in your profile).

--Contributing answers to the questions which match your interest or expertise, establish you as an expert in that niche. So people pay attention to what you say, not only at yahoo answers but also at your blog.

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So start using Yahoo Answers and bring the most valuable thing for a blog Traffic.