· Straight texts
· Photographs or images (photoblog)
· Video (videoblog)
· Audio files (audioblog)
· Hyperlinks

Usually presented and arranged in reverse chronological order, blogs are essentially used for the following purposes:

· Online journal or a web diary
· Content managament system
· Online publishing platform

A typical blog has the following components:

· Post date -the date and time of the blog entry

· Category - the category that the blog belongs to

· Title - the title of the blog

· Main body - the main content of the blog

· RSS and trackback - links the blog back from other sites

· Comments - commentaries that are added by readers

· Permalinks - the URL of the full article

· Other optional items - calendar, archives, blogrolls, and add-ons or plug-ins

A blog can also have a footer, usually found at the bottom of the blog, that shows the post date, the author, the category, and the 'stats' (the nubmer of comments or trackbacks).

There are numerous types of blogs. Some of them are the following:

1. Political blog - on news, politics, activism, and other issue based blogs (such as campaigning).

2. Personal blog - also known as online diary that may include an individual's day-to-day experience, complaints, poems, and illicit thoughts, and communications between friends.

3. Topical blog - with focus either on a particular niche (function or position) that is usually technical in nature or a local information.

4. Health blog - on specific health issues. Medical blog is a major category of health blog that features medical news from health care professionals and/or actual patient cases.

5. Literary blog - also known as litblog.

6. Travel blog - with focus on a traveler's stories on a particular journey.

7. Research blog - on academic issues such as research notes.

8. Legal blog - on law (technical areas) and legal affairs; also known as 'blawgs'.

9. Media blog - focus on falsehoods or inconsistencies in mass media; usually exclusive for a newspaper or a television network.

10. Religious blog - on religious topics

11. Educational blog - on educational applications, usually written by students and teachers.

12. Collaborative or collective blog - a specific topic written by a group of people.

13. Directory blog - contains a collection of numerous web sites.

14. Business blog - used by entrepreneurs and corporate employees to promote their businesses or talk about their work.

15. Personification blog - focus on non-human being or objects (such as dogs).

16. Spam blogs - used for promoting affiliated websites; also known as 'splogs'.

Blogging is typically done on a regular (almost daily) basis. The term "blogging" refers to the act of authoring, maintaining, or adding an article to an existing blog, while the term "blogger" refers to a person or a group who keeps a blog.

Today, more than 3 million blogs can be found in the Internet. This figure is continuously growing, as the availability of various blog software, tools, and other applications make it easier for just about anyone to update or maintain the blog (even those with little or no technical background). Because of this trend, bloggers can now be categorized into 4 main types:

· Personal bloggers - people who focus on a diary or on any topic that an individual feels strongly about.

· Business bloggers - people who focus on promoting products and services.

· Organizational bloggers - people who focus on internal or external communication in an organization or a community.

· Professional bloggers - people who are hired or paid to do blogging.

Problogging (professional blogging) refers to blogging for a profit. Probloggers (professional bloggers) are people who make money from blogging (as an individual blog publisher or a hired blogger).

Below are just some of the many money-making opportunities for probloggers:

· Advertising programs
· RSS advertising
· Sponsorship
· Affiliate Programs
· Digital assets
· Blog network writing gigs
· Business blog writing gigs
· Non blogging writing gigs
· Donations
· Flipping blogs
· Merchandising
· Consulting and speaking

The following are a few things that you need to consider if you want to be successful in problogging:

1. Be patient. Problogging requires a lot of time and effort, not to mention a long-term vision.

2. Know your audience. Targeting a specific audience or group is a key to building a readership.

3. Be an 'expert'. Focus on a specific niche topic and strive to be the "go-to" blogger on that topic.

4. Diversify. Experiment with various add and affiliate programs that enable you to make money online (aside from blogging).

5. Do not bore your readers. Focus on the layout. White spaces, line spacings, and bigger fonts make a blog welcoming to read.

Certainly, it is possible to earn money from blogs. One just needs to take risks, the passion, and the right attitude in order to be a successful problogger.

I SHAPE MY LIFE

"Nothing shapes your life more than the commitments you choose to make. Your commitments can develop you or they can destroy you, but either way, they will define you. Tell me what you are committed to, and I'll tell you what you will be in twenty years. We become whatever we are committed to." - Rick Warren

Today I make a commitment to shape my life.

Above image by lightgazer

For weekly affirmations and positive motivation visit www.circlethedivine.com

"Commit to living the highest vision for your life, and prosperity, joy, and love beyond your wildest dreams will be realized.

When you follow your dreams, you connect to a wellspring of healing and happiness. Unite your life with Spirit by living the highest vision for your life." - Susan Santucci

There is so much value in self-assessment. It requires contemplation and reflection - tools that are responsible for the development of self-awareness.

With out self-awareness it is difficult to know where or how we are positioned, nor how to navigate through life's wilderness.

A great self-assessment exercise is asking "What stands between me and the vision I have for my life?"

If we have the power to make the choices that create the life we have, then we certainly have the power to make the decision to chip away at the beliefs that hold us back.

I choose success, peace, security and serenity. But I have other material goals equally important to me ... I choose to write and my goal is to produce books - lots of them.

This morning I took a long hard look at what steps I've been taking to achieve my publications, and I'm afraid it's been very little. I take on too many projects, which in turn steals my writing time. So today I choose to re-access where and how I utilize time.

There are two affirmation cards I keep permanently on my writing desk - SET A GOAL and TAKE ACTION! Two things I've been doing for other people, but lately, have neglected doing for myself.

It's great helping other people achieve their personal and business goals, but it's important that we also view our own goals and work as being equally important ... something I don't always do.

As I write this post, I am tantalized with a backdrop that is wet, wild and wintery. The wall of my home is glass and, nestled high on an escarpment, I am afforded the most beautiful elemental entertainment of rain, mist and wind, interacting in Nature.

Wrapped again the cold, beside a warm heater, I choose to take time to contemplate, re-access and set new goals.

I have written so much over the years, I could have produced a number of books, but always I divert from editing my own work. I do so much editing and design for other people, it seems like a chore when it comes to my own work. Perhaps it's time to stop being the editor and, with a sanguine approach employ an editor to start shaping my work!

When I loose sight of the vision I have for my life ... I tend to drift aimlessly, which is ok in short bursts, but not long periods of time.

On the back of my SET A GOAL affirmation card, there is a simple direction:

Set a goal, write it down,
and release the outcome.
Small steps make a big difference.

Visit the Affirmation page of this site for some positive direction for the week ahead.

I recently visited abbeyofthearts blog where Christine writes about not finding words and sitting in silence. It is a reminder to me, that I have not sat lately, in the space of stillness ... and I miss the nourishment it provides the Soul.

I love it when we transcend the physical limitation of words, transcend the need to use physical functions to give meaning to mystical experiences ... when one no longer actively seeks to pray, for in silence, they become the prayer.

The hub of silence presents a beauty, a stillness, where we become the vessel for living prayer. I think this is how God means for us to be. Silence gives birth to creative musing; heals the emptiness and dissolution of meaning often present in depression. Silence melts away our theories and assumptions to provide room for deeper mystery.

In the absence of silence, I have just finished early stages of designing a new website for Bicycling Australia and Mountain Biking Australia and putting together a workshop for Year 11 students who are contributing to the Youth Magazine Project with the Illawarra Ethnic Communities Council (IECC) and Port Kembla Youth Project.

I love involvement in anything that promotes community and stimulates a love for writing and expression through creative endeavors. These multicultural students will learn the art of article writing, photography and editing - all tools that will allow them to put meaning to their cultural experiences.

I have lots of creative projects happening, but in the rush of business, have not been a 'hub' for silence in some time.

I am eager for this weekend, it is my intention to slow right down ... to sit still enough, quiet enough, long enough, that I might feel the faint tapping of pulse and gentle movement of heart ... that I might breathe in the sound of wind and scent of rain.

Wrapped warm against the cold of winter, I look forward to the union of Nature, where I may kneel before the presence of the infinite, that I may transcend the thought of prayer to once again become the prayer. That I may transcend the thought of God and become one with this divine presence.

Have a great weekend ... don't forget to check your affirmation for the coming week.

Above image by Perla

Writers take cake for
money making websites

Tired of dancing to someone else's tune? It's no secret that a website is only as good as its content. This gives writers a distinct advantage in producing money making sites. So ... if you've been distressed because your last freelance web gig hasn't paid the bills, it's time to broaden your vision and eat cake too!

Turning your blog into a successful business venture is not only possible, but easy, particularly for writers. Advertisers are desperately seeking sites with quality content and affiliate marketing companies are eager to launch their product from good sites.

Transform your site:

1. Develop a professional approach to your blogging: keep a steady flow of good quality writing, and add content on a regular basis.
2. Market your site: present your content with good design, attention grabbing headings and attractive images.
3. Make the most of your real-estate: clean up your blog and remove anything from your site that's taking up space and not earning a return.
4. Be selective in the affiliate marketing companies that you invite onto your site: make sure you are offered a good return for the space utilized on your site.
5. Sign up with an advertising program and install the advertising code on your site.
6. Develop a strategy where content attracts advertising.
7. Monitor the performance of your advertising and affiliate programs. Ditch those that are not making money and replace them with something else.
8. Learn how to implement SEO (search engine optimization) techniques.

Most blog for money sites claim Google's Adsense and Adsearch generate the highest profit. Here are five advertising possibilities to choose from:

1. Google Adsense and Adsearch
2. BlogAds
3. TextLink
4. Chitika eMiniMalls
5. AdGenta

If you target a niche market, don't be afraid to email relevant companies, invite them to view your site and suggest that they may be interested in establishing a firm advertising campaign with you. Some companies pay bloggers to blog about them a certain number of times each week.

A majority of companies with strong on-line presence offer the opportunity to become affiliated with their business: everything from T-shirts to aromatherapy oils are available. Amazon is one of the more popular affiliate marketing programs, but do some research and find what works for your site.

Once you agree to an affiliation by signing up, the company provides you with a button, banner or advert to place on your site. When visitors on your blog click through to their website and take a particular action: like purchasing a product or signing up for information, the company pays you commission. This is usually paid into a Paypal account.

A Paypal account is a must, this is how most companies pay commission. If you don't have an account, open one now, it only takes a few minutes and you will need it.

Always explore your options, check how much commission each affiliate marketing program offers and weigh up whether the product is in demand. For those who choose wisely, this can be a very lucrative venture for your website business.

Here are four companies that have strong affiliate marketing programs:

1. Amazon
2. ClickBank
3. Commission Junction
4. Linkshare

If you invest the time developing a good website with a steady traffic flow, you have the potential of being sponsored by a company. If you can pick up a couple of these sponsorships, you are well on your way to developing a lucrative money producing site.

Freelance Writers resource sites:
www.writersfreelanceguide.com
www.creativedetox.com

Related articles
Captivate: design tips that grab a blogging audience
Above image: Theresa Thompson
_________________________________________________________________

As some of you know, I'm a student and at this stage, I'm currently preparing for my first fieldwork in Southeast Asia. It's scary, sometimes discouraging but most of the time challenging but that's not a discussion for this post--it's just my way of saying my sincerest apologies for the long hiatus (again?).

Well, there are lots of us getting the slack on the keyboard (well, blogging, i.e.). Massa P. for one was kind enough to heed her sister's call to blog again for the reason that she's got lots of fans out there (well, at blogosphere at least!? well, I might jump if I see her in person sometime, somewhere--a similar feeling when you find a fellow Pinoy in a foreign land--kabayan! in this case, uyy blogger yan!--at nasa blogroll ko pa! [fellow blogger and in my blogroll, too!]). Shari was also taking some time off writing but she's slowly getting into it again and she's also got a new theme!  Chuck, Jun and Alma are also taking it a bit slow but slowly are getting back again.

Well, blogging is hobby to most of us while some of us are getting paid, we still have a life to live and it's just how some of us are able to tame time and feel that it's always on our side. :)

Being a blogger backed by a network can be a great experience, but sometimes it can also be very frustrating.

My days are filled with posting quotas that I didn't set myself, with posting requirements on sites that I don't particularly enjoy, writing content that I don't control, and hoping that it does well enough that the company keeps me on.

All the while dealing with the fact that I don't control how the site functions or the advertising that goes next to the words I write. I consider it to be very similar to working as a reporter for a newspaper.

Blogging for myself, I get to chose how often I post, and where I post. I get to chose how the sites function, and how they are monetized and promoted.

It is a very different feeling, but you can also see the advantages of blogging for a network. I never have to worry about servers, advertising, monetization, WordPress upgrades, design, branding, or promotion. My key focus is content, and everything else is someone else's problem. It allows me to create more, and worry less, all the while knowing I will get paid for the effort I put in.

I don't know many bloggers working for themselves that after a month can expect the type of pay checks that network backed bloggers will receive.

As the web gets more competitive, and more blogs are added, I feel like I can recommend blogging as a business on your own, less and less. While there are many sacrifices being made as a blog network backed blogger, I don't know if I would be where I am today if it wasn't for Darren Rowse, Paul Scrivens, Jacob Gower, and Mark Saunders.

If you want more details on what it is like to be a network backed blogger, I suggest you check out Jennifer Chait's and Deborah Ng's Network Blogging Tips.

With Snapbomb, advertisers will pay you for your opinion. There are opportunities you can choose from. All you have to do is post a blog, and earn money right away. Make blogging more fun and earn while doing something that you love.

Problogging

Un mese di Problogging: 4 febbraio - 4 marzo

This is where internet marketing comes in- there are a lot of things you can do to drive traffic into your sites. You can do advertising- which makes for good results, but can be rather cost-prohibitive (whether you go print, radio or online), particularly if you're still starting up, or if your promotional budget isn't enough to support it at the moment.

Still, there are more cost-effective ways to get clients to find you and your website. Personally, I'm trying to find all these online directories to list my blogs in- and one site that looks promising is the Asian Business Directory. There are a whole lot of categories- covering pretty much a wide spectrum of possible businesses, and probably a lot more later on as more people sign up for its service.

Nevertheless, it makes good sense to sign up as early as now- get first-mover advantage, and all that. Take a look, for example, under 'Blogging'- there are only a few entries under that category- about 15 blogs- when there are thousands of bloggers in the Philippines alone that could make use of a little more online publicity.

Remember that directory listings greatly help not only in generating traffic for your website (or blog), but it also helps boost your Google PageRank and your discoverability. And that can only be a good thing- particularly if you're more into optimizing your site and monetizing it.

Cheers, everyone!

Our next session will be dedicated to developing your new blogs! Let's create some content that you can publish on your sites. Our first step will be choosing the focus of your blog. Variety is rumored to be the spice of life so any topic you pick is welcome as long as you don't violate the terms of service the WordPress guys asked you to accept.

Please write a short paragraph that will be your personal statement on your "About" page. Expert advice on how to go about this is waiting for you on Darren Rowse's ProBlogger site. Send me your introduction in the form of a comment to this post and you're all set for next class.

A word of caution: make sure you don't leave your email address spelled in standard format (for example, me@freedom.com) on your site. Countless spambots are roaming the Internet jungle looking for easy prey, i.e., your email address. To avoid spam, you can choose an alternative format: me {at} freedom {dot} com.

Here's an example of how Paul and Derek from Inside Home Recording are using this technique.

Happy blogging!

Next Thursday we'll begin our exploration of the WordPress content management system and the miracles it can do for you as an independent content provider. We will focus on exploring the different features, widgets, and functions you can use to develop an exciting online experience for your audience.

This is also the right time to learn more about content creation and the art of blogging. We will be drawing inspiration from the best in the field: non-profit and profit alike!

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Mr. Darren Rowse a.k.a. ProBlogger! This humble and soft-spoken Australian has a degree in theology and has managed to generate six-figure income as a professional blogger in three successive years. His site is a wonderful resource for those of you thinking about becoming professional online content producers.

Knowing how to write high-quality content for online publication will be crucial for the success of our course projects as well. Here's one of Darren's articles on the topic: "Writing Good Content."

The rest of his blogging tips for beginners are waiting for you here.

Happy blogging!

PS The free resources I am recommending in this series have been selected solely based on the high quality and integrity of the content they provide.

PPS And here's some advice on how to stand out from the crowd as a new media designer from Darren.

now son you stand there at that door in that uniform with that big fucking gun,

The average blogger in a blog network is just a content generation machine. It is the marketing, advertising, server team, and many others that really make most blogs into profit generation machines.

As we continue to move forward, one thing I am noticing is that there is lots of competition for blogging related jobs. So if you can't set yourself apart from the crowd, you won't get the job you are looking for.

Learn how to do more with the blogging software you currently use. Learn how to do marketing, advertising, basic server support, upgrading WordPress, and a myriad of other skills, as they will stand you in good stead.

I probably wouldn't still be doing this full time if all I was doing was writing because, and to be quite honest, I am not that great of a writer. I love writing, but I am like a pianist that plays random notes and doesn't know any real tunes. Sometimes it might sound good, but I am only faking it.

Thank goodness I know how to do other things.

I remembered it hit me in the face when I saw it on an E! True Hollywood Story or something. It was a story about Keenen Ivory Wayans. You may know him as a successful and talented actor, comedian, director and producer- but for me, I will forever associate him with one of my most favorite sketch comedy shows of all time, "In Living Color".

Shout-out to my sister for getting me Season 1 on DVD, by the way. Great stuff.

Now from what I remember (I could be wrong, so bear with me), Keenen had always wanted to be a cast-member of Saturday Night Live- which has always been the benchmark for TV sketch comedy, even to this day. For some reason, he never made it into the show- but it didn't keep him from honing his craft, working on writing and directing and producing.

It wasn't long until he got noticed- this time, a TV network (FOX) presented him with the opportunity to have his own sketch comedy show- which we now know as "In Living Color", and which I think at the time was positioned against Saturday Night Live.

The show was groundbreaking. We know it now as the show that helped jumpstart the careers of Damon Wayans, Jim Carrey (back then credited as James Carrey), David Alan Grier, Jennifer Lopez (she was a Fly Girl!), and Jamie Fox. "In Living Color" went on for five seasons, until 1994- which was still a very respectable run for any TV series.

Brothers Damon, Shawn and Marlon Wayans all had fairly impressive movie careers already going on at the time the E! True Hollywood Story was done. I remember them crediting big brother Keenen for drilling into their heads this simple, but very important equation:

Preparation + Opportunity = Success.

And it has been a source of inspiration for me ever since. The story was something I've shared with people I've worked with- not just at the radio stations or the contact centers I've seen action in, but also with clients and friends.

It teaches us that success depends on two things: One- the amount of effort you put in to honing your craft, making yourself more marketable, essentially building yourself up. And Two- getting yourself into a position that opens doors for you, and grabbing the chance to showcase your skills when the opportunity presents itself. You need both to achieve success.

And yes, I believe in that.

It's no different for blogging. Building up your blog is the 'Preparation' part of the the equation. It gives you a chance to develop your writing skills, to get into the habit of churning out good content, and get completely immersed in the blogging lifestyle.

The 'Opportunity' part comes in when you start marketing your blog. You allow more people to check out your work, and you also put yourself in situations where you can get noticed by the people you want. You'll never know what you can find out there: making new online friends, getting offered to write for a blog network, getting invited to blogger events, being asked to talk about your blogging experiences at a workshop- the possibilities are endless.

In fact, blogging presents a lot of opportunities for anyone who's serious enough with it. Check out this posting for jobs for bloggers just for this month. And the way things are going, there's a rising demand for good, quality content- a need that can be filled if writing is your game.

So do you think you're ready? If so, then good for you- get yourself out in the spotlight and show us what you got. If not, well then keep building yourself up- and hope that, next time the opportunity presents itself- you'll be ready this time.