Sometimes finding time to write can be difficult with everything else going on around you at home. There are endless distractions that compete for our attention and unfortunately they usually win.

We assume that things such as folding laundry and sweeping the kitchen are more important than our writing.

What we need to do is claim more time for our writing. Here’s how:

Skip a TV show

If you skip just one sixty minute show each evening, that’s sixty full minutes you could to be writing. If you don’t watch much TV as it is, skip a thirty minute show and write. When other people are watching shows that you aren’t interested in, don’t feel obligated to sit and watch too. It won’t be productive for you.

Carve out weekend hours

You don’t have to wake up super-early to be able to fit in writing time on the weekends. If it’s not a busy weekend there is no reason you can’t work during the day or evening for a while. Just decide on your hours and let your family know. If your children are older, chances are they are busy with their own stuff anyway. Working just two hours each day on the weekends adds up to four hours of writing time!

Write during homework time

While the kids are doing homework is the perfect time for you to sit down and write too. You’ll still be there to help them when they need it and make some progress on your own work. While you attempt to motivate your children to do their work, you can motivate yourself as well as being an example.

Ask for help

If you are finding it hard to make time to write because of all the things you need to do around the house, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Have other people cook dinner a couple of times a week and during that time you can squeeze in some writing. When you work from home it’s just assumed that you can do everything without any trouble. Let other people know that. Or show them by working and having them realize that you do more than take care of the house and writing is hard work. You working from home is not meant to be a convenience for others.

Get out

Just because you work from home doesn’t mean you are chained to your desk. Pack up your laptop and notebooks once a week and head out to the library or someplace else that you can accomplish your writing. Maybe you’d like to join a critique group or just meet with a group of other writers for the company and just write together.

Though it can take time to get the hang of writing from home, over time you will grow more confident and know what you need to do in order to accomplish your goals.

Be A Better Writer and Blogger

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Claim Time to Write

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Do you have aspirations of becoming the next Ernest Hemingway?

Do you like being “in the know,” on a first-name basis with government leaders, high-profile developers, or personalities?

Do you like being sought by folks who want to tell their story, run for political office, or publicize their business?

Or do you want to earn a steady income doing what you love, writing?

Consider becoming a news reporter.

Local newspapers are a great place to build your portfolio quickly. You can also make it a stepping stone to magazines, free-lance writing, wire services, syndicates, public relations/advertsing, publishing or authorship.

The lifestyle of a news reporter is fun, yet demanding, often requiring long hours at government meetings, in courtrooms, or at the office making telephone calls and writing news stories. Dedication requires the reporter to represent his employer if he/she happens to be on the scene when news happens, no matter what the time.

A dedicated reporter also is expected to offer help during major news events like hurricanes or floods, even if they fall on his/her off days. A dedicated reporter can be caught reading their own, or a competing newspaper or magazine, even on their off time. They’ll frequently listen to one or more television broadcast.

They’re also likely to be avid readers, devouring books as a hobby. While news reporters have the reputation of being a bit pushy, sometimes obnoxiously pushy, some reporters would describe themselves as a bit shy.

The mild-mannered reporter who folks trust is likely to be first getting a hot news tip. Because even reporters can specialize, these shy types eventually can settle into a feature writing job about gardening, or write about local sports, without having to be very aggressive. It is the muckraker, an investigative reporter writing about government-related or business scandals, who likely will fall behind for lack of aggression. These scandals attract reporters from various media, making the job much more competitive.

So how do you actually get one of these coveted, glamourous reporting jobs?

We’ll take a look at several important steps.

Step One — Keep up with current events by reading your local newspaper and listening to broadcast news. Consider subscribing to a well respected newspaper like The New York Times or The Miami Herald. Read it faithfully, paying attention to how articles are crafted.

Step Two — Earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree in journalism, mass communications or a related field. Get training/references in news writing. Be sure to take advantage of opportunities to write and edit your school newspaper. Train to work for online newspapers to broaden your base of opportunities. Learn how to use a computer. Learn how to use the Internet to look for a job and post writing samples.

Step Three — If you don’t already have one, buy a reliable car. Very likely you will be paid a gas stipend per mile, or a standard gas allotment.

Step Four — Be an intern. Seek opportunities to intern at a local news operation during the summer or school year. Take advantage of this time to learn as much as you can, make valuable contacts, build your portfolio, and get professional references.

Step Five — Consider becoming a news stringer as a part-time job while you’re in school. The small part-time assignment could bloom into a full-time job when you graduate.

Step Six — Go for your dream. Apply to the news magazines, wire services, or major metropolitan dailies. Don’t wait for them to run an ad in Editor and Publisher. The ad will bring piles of competition. Be willing to take an intern job and write obituaries or engagement and wedding notices, if necessary. Consider starting as a copy editor, but be sure to let them know you want to be a reporter so they can plan to give you the job when it becomes available.

Step Seven — If you fail to get hired at your dream news organization, or if you’re not sure where you want to work, check trade resources like US Newspaper List online and send letters of application, with resume, to a big batch of eligible employers. Offer samples of your work and references. Unfortunately, the proliferation of spam leaves you no guarantee e-mail will be opened.

Step Eight — Be sure to follow up, providing all requested information.

Step Nine — When an editor requests an interview, dress like a professional. Yes, even consider buying a suit, depending on the size and reputation of the news organization. (A suit probably is not necessary for small newspapers.) Even at larger newspaper offices, reporters typically wear casual, comfortable clothing, although suits and dressier clothing are required for some jobs. An interview is definitely time to pull out the suit at these newspapers. In any event, look professional and resist the temptation to wear your tattered jeans. They may not be allowed because you represent your employer where-ever you go on assignment.

Step Ten — Prepare for your interview by learning about the company beforehand. Plan to answer basic questions like why you would be an asset to their news staff and why you would like to work there. Be prepared to talk a little bit about yourself, but have questions to ask about the company and an editor’s expectations. Check into the area’s cost of living beforehand. Editors can and do negotiate on occasion, so you should know your salary requirements and politely let them know your needs. The salary on your first job may not be negotiable, however, so avoid appearing greedy.

Step Eleven — Repeat the application and interview process as necessary until you land the big one!

Once on the job, you may find yourself writing death or engagement notices, or covering police news. If you are assigned to cover suburban news, you may monitor local government, schools, police and courthouse events, take your own photographs and write features. It’s a great place to learn the ropes and find out what assignments you like best.

Consider joining the local press club or journalism society to make more contacts and establish yourself.

Image Credit – dbdbrobot

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How to Become a News Writer

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Rise to the Challenge

Book reviews are a great way for readers to get a taste of the story and find out if they’re interested in it, plus gather reviewers’ opinions or recommendations on a novel. People who read books and review them must walk a fine line, revealing information about the story without giving away the plot twists or ending, while writing as objective an opinion as possible. It may not be the job for everyone, but for those who love books and are ready for the challenge of reviewing them, it is possible to earn compensation for their hard work.

Practice Makes Perfect

For those who have never written a review or have written only a few, getting experience with writing reviews is essential. Publishers won’t hire individuals with no experience with reviewing, no matter how clever a writer they may be otherwise. Studying reviews by other writers is necessary to learn style, format, and structure, as well as becoming familiar with the content and review genres that are being published. Understanding the market will put a new reviewer on the right road to selling their own work.

Making a Name

Once the reviewer has some writing experience and some understanding of the field, getting their work into the public arena is the next step. This probably won’t include payment at first. Though some exceptional new writers may be accepted by paying publishers, most reviewers find that they need to volunteer their work to make a name for themselves and to gain attractive credentials to put on their resumes or queries when hunting for paying jobs. There are an enormous number of book review sites on the Internet that are willing to assess and publish voluntary reviews, but print magazines or newspapers may also consider free reviews. Reviewers can also benefit from creating a website or blog to display their work.

Finding a Paying Publisher

After getting a few bylines to their name, the reviewer can then consider applying to a paying publisher for a review job. Reviewers need to explore the market before sending queries, to make sure that they find a good match for their type of reviews. Publishers come in all shapes and sizes, from small to mega publications, online and offline book, magazine, and newspaper publications. Publishers interested in freelance book reviewers can be found in writer’s markets, classified ads, and employment search engines. Writing a professional query letter that follows the publisher’s submission guidelines is essential to show serious interest and competence. Most publishers will also require a review sample to assess the quality of the reviewer’s work.

Be Proactive

Once a reviewer lands a paying job, they need to be able to keep it. Of course, writing interesting reviews is top priority, but it’s also necessary to keep updated and educated. Reviewers need to continue reading other reviews, updating their own styles and approaches to reviewing, plus being aware of the changes in the market itself. A reviewer who is proactive and up to date will always be appreciated by publishers and find a secure home in the world of book reviewing.

Image Credit – Ian Wilson

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It happens to most serious writers at one time or another. You have plotted out the story line. You have developed most of your major characters and you may have even completed half of your novel. Then one day you open up your word processor, or note book, and you can’t, for the life of you, think what to write next.

Writer’s block descends like a paralysing fog that seizes up the brain and sends the new writer into panic mode. When it’s the first time it’s happened it really does seem like the end of a promising career. The flow of words that have been bubbling along like a fast-running stream have suddenly dried up and you are left staring at a blank page with no idea where your cherished writing is to go next.

It could be a short term problem that is easily fixed, a bit like a computer that refuses to work properly when you switch it on. The guru’s solution then is to switch it off, leave for a few minutes and restart. This usually works, and it’s a good idea to use the same technique with the brain. Get up from your screen, or put away your notepad and pen, and do something else for a short while. Make some coffee, go into the garden and de-head something…above all don’t sit staring at a blank screen or page. It will just make matters worse. While the coffee ‘percs’ let some ideas mull around in your head. If it’s a minor hitch, like how to start a new chapter, or even a new paragraph, just relaxing for a few moments will probably do the trick. You’ll be able to go back to your writing refreshed and ready to run again.

If it’s a major block (you’ve painted yourself into a corner with the plot, or you just can’t think of a convincing piece of dialogue that’s going to be vital to the ‘show not tell’ rule you’re trying so hard to stick to) it’s even more important to get as far away from your work as possible.

The golden rule is …don’t start to fret about it. It’s not the end of your career, it’s just a blip and you will recover from it. So try and distance yourself from this particular piece of writing. That doesn’t mean give up all together. Still try to write something every day. It’s like going to the gym, but involves a brain work-out rather than a session on the treadmill. Forget the novel for the time being and start a short story, or if you’ve never written poetry before, experiment with rhyming couplets…limerick writing can be fun and relaxing. It requires word skills and a sense of humour. Something you’re probably a bit short of under the circumstances.

Don’t become obsessive about writing though. Try not to let it be the first thing you think of in the morning. You could become depressed, and that won’t help anybody, least of all yourself. Did you have a hobby before the urge to write took over your life? If so, retrieve it from the cupboard, the shed, or the last known sighting of it and take it up again (temporarily of course, just until the ‘block’ has cleared).Whilst you’re concentrating on sticking the millionth matchstick onto that almost completed model of the Eiffel Tower the solution to the tricky problem of how to dispose of the body, or how your hero is going to escape from the locked room will probably come to you.

If you really can’t bear the thought of leaving your ‘baby’ all on it’s own try skipping the part of the story that’s giving you trouble and have a go at writing the last chapter or two. Yes, you may have the ending totally worked out, but you may also find yourself going off on a slightly different track, and this in itself could provide you with the necessary route to fixing the stalling point of your plot.

The brain is a complex organ and the answer you’ve anguished over for so long can have a strange habit of popping up when you least expect it. That’s when you need to be prepared. During this ‘fallow’ period of creativity keep writing materials everywhere. In the car, by the sink,and especially on your bedside table. Three o’clock in the morning, when you’re drifting between wakefulness and sleep, is a favourite time for a piece of scintillating dialogue to spring into your mind. It’s an absolute cracker…it will set the page on fire. You roll over and go back to sleep, and by the morning you can’t remember a word of it. Oh dear, oh dear! But think about it…you wouldn’t commit a length of prose to your word processor without saving it, would you? Unfortunately the human brain doesn’t come equipped with a ‘Save As’ facility so keep that pen and paper handy at all times. A lot of very successful writers advocate a ‘jot it down before you forget it’ policy for their writing at all times and it’s sound advice.

Lastly, try sharing your woes. You need a sympathetic shoulder right now. Don’t burden your family with it. Unless they are writers themselves they won’t understand why you are making such a big deal of not knowing how your protagonist is going to get out of the mess you’ve got him into, or how your heroine is going to respond to the good-looking guy you just wrote into her life. Close, but non-writing friends will profess an interest and then quickly become bored as you chew over every possibility. You will notice this when their eyes glaze over and they suggest a sudden trip to the shops or the pub.

Hopefully, in your personal phone book you will have the numbers of a few fellow writers you can call on in times of need. Writers groups are great for this, so make sure you’ve swapped numbers with some friendly members. If you’re a writer in isolation this can be more of a problem, so it’s a good idea to go online and check out some writer’s web sites. A quick engine search will bring up hundreds….some good, some not so, but there’s bound to be one or two that you like the look of. Register, and hey presto, you’re in a virtual writer’s circle. Post your problem on their forum…offer advice yourself if you’ve experienced something similar, and suddenly that feeling of being the only writer out there will evaporate. You’ll get a wealth of advice and feedback. And who knows? Someone’s suggestion may be just the help you need.

You may develop a few pen-friendships from these forums into the bargain . These are great too. You can email off all your troubles, and even if they haven’t a solution, at least you’ll feel better having unburdened yourself to a fellow sympathiser. It’s highly probable that he or she has suffered from writer’s block as well and just being told you are not a complete failure will do your morale no end of good.

Anyone author who says they have never suffered from an attack of creative meltdown is either a genius or a fibber, so don’t succumb to the notion that you haven’t got it in you to write that book. You have, and writer’s block is all part of the process of developing your skills and completing your work. And when you’ve finally written those magic words THE END the real work (of finding a publisher) will just be beginning. And when you acheive that you’ll need to start the whole darned process off again with your next novel!

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Freelance journalists write for newspapers, magazines, radio, television and online publications.

Being a staff journalist is a job full of deadlines, stress and competition.

To land a reporting job at a paper, writers usually take a position as typist in hopes they can get in line for any staff writing jobs.

As a freelance journalist, you can find stories, pitch them to any paper you like, and write about the issues and topics you prefer. There is also an option that falls between freelance and staff and that person is called a stringer.

A stringer is a freelancer who has been assigned an area by the newspaper on a freelance basis. Within the area the stringer writes about politics, town meetings, issues, school happenings, entertainment, basically anything newsworthy or of interest to readers.

A stringer is not an employee of the newspaper, since he or she is paid per story, but unlike a freelancer the stringer is given assignments. So, how do you become a stringer? Find the editor’s name on the publication’s web site or in the paper and give him/her a call and introduce yourself. You’ll probably want to pitch a few story ideas as well.

Freelance journalists and magazine writers have a lot of balls in the air at once. They are constantly thinking of story ideas, writing and sending out query letters (idea pitches) to publications, and always writing something for publication.

So where do you come up with ideas to pitch to papers and magazines?

1. The news is a great source for nonfiction writers. Truth is stranger than fiction, right? Cut out articles or snippets from newspaper and magazines you find interesting and create a file folder for each category. Keep a notepad next to the TV incase you hear something interesting and want to jot it down. Have an “eye” and an “ear” for the news.

2. Local and college libraries are a wealth of information (thanks to grants and student tuition.) You’ll find a great deal of information among the databases and periodical collections. Read back issues for story ideas. If the magazine ran the article in the past, they may be willing to run an updated version in the future.

3. Dig up information on local history or people who came from your area. Visit the local museum or historical society, both of which usually have boxes and boxes of local information. If you do not live in a city with a museum or library with a specialized collection consider making a trip to review their collection.

4. Go online and browse forums. If you’re thinking of writing an article on a certain topic, visit a related-forum to find out what people want to learn. For example, if you want to write a series of articles for first-time home buyers, visit forums and learn what types of questions people have. You can then answer these questions in your article.

5. Ask people! Call business owners and ask what the issues in their industry are.

6. Research publications and journals are a great source for ideas. For example, research journals with recent medical studies and the latest medicines are great sources for “filler” articles as well as features.

7. Talk to people. Be alert. If a new and interesting business opens up, interview the owner.

Opinion Writing

Do you have an opinion? Do you have a strong voice? Love to debate? If you answered yes, then you have a future as an opinion writer. This type of writing can be found in newspapers on the “op-ed” page, in syndicated columns, and in articles. Opinion writers also make great speech writers. A quick way for opinion writers to get published in a newspaper and start accumulating clips is by writing Letters to the Editor. Be aware of the issues in your community and nationwide and write 300-500 words on your views on the topic. These are now your published opinion writing clips that you can send in when submitting your resume, stories, or queries to publications.

A career as an opinion writer can be a harsh one, especially if you wish to have many friends. This is because you are calling the public’s attention to the issues and in doing so, will probably offend at least one person. However; opinion writing, if done with humor and wit, can make you very popular, like Jon Stewart host and co-writer of The Daily Show.

Opinions and Letters to the Editor need to start with an attention grabbing opener. If you are referencing an article or current news event, you should mention it. Make sure your point is clear and that readers know what issue you’re referring to. In the next paragraph, start to make and support your views. Be specific: give names, data, facts, dates. Make it part humor part informative.

The following is an example of a letter to the editor published March 11, 2005 in the Chicago Sun-Times.

Ex-hostage’s story has holes

“Something doesn’t add up about released Italian reporter Giuliana Sgrena’s story. If you were just released as a hostage in Iraq and claimed to see no checkpoint, no people, would you drive at a ”regular speed” or would you haul butt? I just can’t believe they weren’t driving as fast as possible to get out of that country if no one else was around. She claimed they were driving slowly because the danger was behind them, yet they were still in a war zone. There is a huge contradiction there.

She speaks worse of the U.S. troops than of the terrorists who kidnapped her at gunpoint Feb. 4 and held her for a month. And she speaks nothing of the unconfirmed $1 million paid to terrorists for her release, money that no doubt is now intended to harm troops, journalists and innocent Iraqis. Kidnapping has just become profitable in Iraq.”

This situation is tragic in so many ways and caused by many circumstances, but all the reporter sees is the evil United States. The loss of the intelligence officer is horrible, but I also think that with her refusal to give the United States information, there is some deflecting going on with this situation. I think the United States deserves some answers as well.”

Can you see why this was published? First, the author has a strong opinion and uses proper nouns (Giulana Sgrena, United States) and facts, (Feb. 4, $1 million) to support her point. A good Letter to the Editor will address a specific event, article, or other letter, use a strong voice, and have facts to support the message.

Food/ Reviews/Travel Writing

Book, restaurant, and travel reviews are also options for the nonfiction writer. These can be for newspapers, ezines, Web sites, magazines, or you can take it further and write regional guidebooks or cookbooks.

a. Book reviews:
In a book review writers give readers a little information about the book without giving anything away. Writers should also add a little information about the author, include quotes from the book, and give an opinion.

To get started write a letter of introduction to publishers telling them you are a writer and express an interest to receive certain books for review. After contacting a publisher once, often you will receive free copies before they hit shelves.

b. Food reviews:
Five-star restaurants are not the only ones worthy of a review, as you can see just by picking up the daily paper. People want to know where to go for a specific type of cuisine, price or atmosphere in any given town, state and country. Take a look, for example, at Lake Claremont Press at http://www.lakeclaremont.com/. LCP is an indie publisher in Chicago, IL, USA that creates regional guidebooks full of reviews, with the bulk being restaurant reviews.

Often publishers look for contributors to such guidebooks, so always be on the look out. When writing for newspapers, magazines or web sites make your reviews interesting. Come up with clever titles and an entertaining opening line. You don’t want to simply write that the chicken parmesan was good and cost $16.95. Give the reader a sense of the service, atmosphere, and crowd.

c. Travel reviews:
Travel reviews can be either an impartial review of a country, cruise, airline, resort, or anything else related to travel, or it can be a personal account of your trip or experience. Readers look to these reviews for unbiased information on hotels, cruise lines and resorts, while also enlightening about things to do.

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I cannot believe that I got featured in an article by a top local newspaper in Malaysia – The New Straits Times

The article, “Cashing In Online – Lucrative if done right” was published both online and printed under the TECH & U section.

I cannot tell you how it felt to be interviewed and featured by one of the top newspaper in my country, it is just awesome !

Furthermore I’m not a top blogger in Malaysia but I guess now more Malaysians will know about me and blogs :)

The reporter who wrote that article found me thru my Work At Home Malaysia blog.

That blog is ranked no #2 for Work At Home and ranked no #1 for Work At Home Malaysia keyword at Google Malaysia.

However, in that article he mentioned about EzyBlogger.com instead of my Work At Home Malaysia blog, fine with me.

Work at Home Malaysia blog is about how to make money online and work at home tips for Malaysians. 

Here are some excerpts from the newspaper interview :-

“Can one earn good money online? Blogger Roseli Abu Bakar seems to think so. He ventured into the business of making money online in 2007 and has not looked back since.”

“Roseli now blogs through his EzyBlogger Web site, www.ezyblogger.com, which teaches people ways to make money online. He claims to earn a stable income from his online activities.”

“Roseli is one of a growing number of success stories of people who have ventured into online affiliated jobs. The Internet has evolved into a money-generating mechanism for many people, namely bloggers and Web site owners.”

The article also featured another Malaysia blogger, Lee Ka Hoong of MyBlog2Day.

Lee is a great blogger who blogged about making money online and his blog is ranked top for make money online keyword on Google Malaysia.

Life is strange you know, just 2 years ago I was out of job with no money and now I’m graded a “success” story by a top newspaper.

I must say that I’m happy with my achievements thus far and being featured in the newspaper is a REAL bonus for me.

I did work very hard to achieve what I have today.

Though I’m not making tons of money like the top bloggers, I’m making much more than what I used to earn working.

So, who said you cannot make money blogging ?

Post From : EzyBlogger Blog Tips

EzyBlogger Featured By Local Newspaper – New Straits Times

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In the world of social networking, Facebook reigns supreme.

These days more and more companies, brands, organizations and even bands are using the social networking platform to improve their visibility, consolidate their target audience, and stay connected with their customers or fans.

Setting up a Facebook fan page or group is free, fast, and simple enough that almost anyone can do it.

The first thing you’ll want to do before setting up a Facebook Page or Group is to set up a Facebook profile of your own, if you don’t already have one.

Although Facebook Pages can be created without an account linked to them, every Group needs an administrator – that person sets up and maintains the group, and his or her Facebook profile will be linked to it.

Since most people these days already have Facebook profiles, you might be able to skip this step.

If not, head over to Facebook and sign yourself up – the process is free, takes only minutes, and all you need to get started is a valid email address.

Once you’ve got your Facebook account set up, you’re ready to start creating your Pages or Groups.

It’s important when choosing whether to create a Page or a Group to note that Facebook no longer allows “fake” Pages or unofficial fan Pages – although it’s perfectly fine to set up Groups for that purpose.

To set up a Facebook Page, simply visit Facebook’s “Create a Page” center, at facebook.com/pages/create.php and follow the step-by-step instructions.

Facebook will ask you for a category and a name, and will ask you to certify that you are authorized to set up the page, finally collecting a “digital signature,” simply a text field in which you type your full name.

Once you’ve finished that, you’ll arrive at the basic Page, where you can start adding media like videos and photos, linking to external content, posting status updates, or generally “filling out” the Page with information about your band, company, organization, or whatever you’re using Facebook to market or advertise.

Groups are typically less authoritative, but more interactive than Pages.

In order to create Groups, you’ll need to be logged in to your Facebook account before visiting  facebook.com/groups/create.php, clicking the “Create a New Group” button and following the creation process.

Setting up a group requires slightly more information than setting up a Page, but can be done by anyone, not just an authorized individual.

You’ll need to choose a group name, a network to whom the group will be available (chosen from among the networks your profile belongs to), and a group category.

Additionally, you’ll have the option of adding information like recent news, location or email address.

Once you’ve finished that process, and clicked the “Create Group” button, you’re ready to go!

Maintaining Pages and Groups is a fairly similar process.

You can add rich media like pictures, videos, events and links, as well as adding biographical information, status updates, or just about anything else that people share on Facebook.

The next step is, of course, finding Facebook members who are interested in your Facebook Page or Group, but that’s a topic for another day’s discussion.

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Social Media websites represent the future of communication.

The sooner your business or organization gets on board, the better the results will be.

Gathering as many Fans (Facebook) and Followers (Twitter) as possible means you are increasing your direct advertising pool.

This is a list of the top six ways to use Facebook and Twitter to your benefit.

1. Familiarize Yourself

Social Media sites are very complex. There are classes available in most areas which can teach you the basics. Spending time exploring on your own is going to be the best way to get a hang of all the features and how to use them correctly. Start off with creating personal profiles for yourself. You’ll be a hands-on learner, and will probably be surprised at how many old friends from your past you run into!

2. Never Miss a Networking Opportunity

While you are learning the basics with your personal profile, don’t miss out on opportunities with those old friends that are coming out of the woodwork–or, for that matter, any friends or family. Tell them about your business, invite them to be fans or followers, and encourage them to spread the word.

3. Get a Social Media Intern

In the first few years of Facebook’s existence it was exclusive to students. Now that Social Media is available to everyone, students and recent grads are still the most active users, and they have much more knowledge and experience than the generations who finished college pre-Social Media. In today’s cut-throat economy, students and recent grads are on the lookout for work experience and positive references, and will often work for a lower wage or even free. Contact your local college’s Career Services department for information on how you can post an ad for an intern.

4. Keep it Fun

Facebook and Twitter are leisure activities for most users. When they sign up to be a Fan or Follower of your business, they want to be entertained. When you post tweets or status updates, keep them fun and upbeat. Don’t always focus them on business. Randomness and humor will draw attention. On Facebook you can get into the nitty-gritty details on your business’s profile page, which people will visit often if you lure them in with entertaining status updates.

5. Be Creative with your Name

On Facebook, the name of your Fan page doesn’t necessarily have to be your business name. Users tend to be more inclined to become Fans of something that provides their own viewers with a little snippet of “them”. For example, if you own Joe’s Cell Phone Shop, you might name your Fan page “Unlimited Free Texting.” This way, your customers are “Fans of Unlimited Free Texting” rather than “Fans of Joe’s Cell Phone Shop.” Then when they become intrigued and click on your page, you can explain that Joe’s Cell Phone Shop is the place to go to get unlimited free texting.

6. Give Customers an Incentive

In order to get exposure on Social Media, you need lots of Fans and Followers. The problem is, not many people outside of your own personal circle will promote you out of the goodness of their hearts. This is where you offer something free, or discounted. TGI Friday’s recently offered a coupon for a free burger to the first 50,000 customers who became their Fans on Facebook. They got their 50,000 Fans in a matter of days! If you can’t afford to give away tons of freebies, try offering participation in a contest or giveaway. Get creative and have fun!

Image Credit – Andrew Girdwood

Post From : EzyBlogger Blog Tips

Social Media to Advance your Business

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Many people are completely mystified by the explosion of new technology these days, both in the real world and in the world of the Internet.

Just navigating websites can be a daunting experience, and learning all the lingo may seem like a mission impossible.

Blogging is one of those evolving technologies, and though it may seem incomprehensible, blogging is actually a useful tool for Internet communication.

Blog Basics

The word blog originated from the term weblog, referring to a website with regular entries or posts of information in the form of journals, editorials, news articles, conversations, and sometimes graphic material like pictures or video. These posts appear on the website in reverse chronological order, with the most recent entry at the top of the page and progressively older entries posted below.

In addition to the blog posts, a blog page may also contain other features such as archiving of old entries, ability of visitors to make comments on posts, related images to the subject of the blog, links to related material, and news feeds notifying a subscriber of new content to the blog. There are many blog creator systems available on the Internet, eliminating the need to know how to use HTML to create a webpage. This makes blogging accessible to everyone.

Blog Uses

A whole community has evolved around blogs, called the blogosphere. This includes all blogs of any subject, whether they’re personal in nature or business oriented. Bloggers, or people who create blogs and post in them, produce content on various subjects ranging from simple online journals to in-depth educational strategies and complex marketing tools for businesses.

The most common use for blogs is still personal, people sharing their lives or interacting with one another on specific topics, but blogs are having an impact on many other aspects of our worldwide civilization, including politics, entertainment, health care, education, and business. One of the best aspects of blogging is its ability to open up the fields of information exchange and communication. On any given topic, bloggers can express their up-to-the-minute knowledge and opinions, offering multiple unfiltered perspectives and almost limitless access to further research.

Powerful Tool

Blogging is not just a communication tool, but also an evolving method for influencing the way we live today.

Creating blogs is a simple and an effective method of expressing oneself, but even if a person doesn’t feel ready to dive that deep into blogging waters, blogging content can still be an excellent source for entertainment and education.

Not all Internet technology has to be a mystery—once demystified, blogging becomes a powerful tool to help our society step into the future.

Image Credit – Michael Karshis

Post From : EzyBlogger Blog Tips

Blogging Demystified

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Some people think that blogging is for the isolated, or the dysfunctional: that it consists of alcoholic finger-jabbers or political obsessives firing their opinions into cyberspace regardless of the audience.

There are plenty of blogs like this! But it doesn’t have to be like that.

You can create and build an audience for your writing and get immense satisfaction from it.

How to begin, then?

You need first and foremost to choose your style and subject. Some generalised blogs reach a wide audience, but if that’s what you want, stick to a particular topic or group of topics. Politics is the most well-known one, but you will need the stomach for a lot of argument and debate if you choose it! Other blogs focus on domestic life or literature, or culture: whatever you choose to focus on, your blog needs an identity and readers need to know what to expect when they check out your blog. Writing on hundreds of different topics may seem like a good way to attract hits but it won’t necessarily build an audience.

You need to decide on your style: comic, controversial, laid-back, intelligent – what will your online persona be like? Although there is space for variation, if readers log on and suddenly find splenetic, drunken rantings where they expected discussion of the arts, they will not be impressed.

To build and sustain your audience, you need to comment constructively on other blogs and to link on yours. You can blog without allowing comments, but a few exceptions aside, this is not a great way to become known. You need to get your name – or online identity – known widely and commenting on well-known blogs is a great way to do this. You need to do it thoughtfully and intelligently, though. Just leaving one-liners or trolling (deliberately provoking the readers of that blog) is not helpful to you. Engaging in argument and making good points is helpful!

The most well-respected bloggers behave ethically, through not trolling, responding appropriately to comments and keeping just the one online identity if they choose not to blog under their real name. It isn’t your opinions as such which count, it’s how you behave and how you write. It is sometimes said that bloggers are the perpetually outraged, preaching to the converted. This is just not true. The best blogs involve wide-ranging discussion as well as well-written content. A blog which attracts dissent and on which well-moderated debate takes place is one which will earn a lot of respect. That doesn’t mean you can’t write your foul-mouthed outrage, just that that alone isn’t enough.

It’s also often said that you need well-written content first and foremost. This is true. But lots of great content is out there and unknown. You don’t need to be Shakespeare or a Pulitzer Prize-winner to blog well. You just need to write clearly, researching your topic and having proper support for any arguments you choose to make. Your style must be accessible. Posts should be detailed where necessary but not essay-length all the time. There’s also space for quips, random thoughts and jokes.

Joining a blogging agglomeration can be useful in building an audience. There are many of these, based on political affiliation, nationality or religion (for example). There are also blogging directories, which use your url and a few words to describe the blog, and which can be used by readers to search for the types of blogs they might be interested in. It goes without saying that the more links you have, the better.

One of the reasons that blogs do come and go is that blogging for an audience is hard work. You need to post regularly (several times a week, though not necessarily every day) and you need to keep up the quality of your posting and commenting. It can involve a commitment of a couple of hours a day or more. The rewards for this are twofold: satisfaction at becoming well-known, and financial – blogs with lots of hits can earn money from advertising and lead to the blogger being invited onto mainstream media outlets for discussions or interviews. Before you embark on this process, ask yourself: do you have the time and energy it takes?

Finally, don’t believe what you might have read elsewhere. Blogging is not dead, nor is it dying. Twitter and social networking sites are complimentary to blogging. You can, for example, post your tweets on your blog. In fact, blogging is only just coming to maturity. In the UK this year, a blogger forced a political resignation – the first time this has happened, and before the mainstream media could act. Bloggers break stories, start and maintain campaigns, try to raise awareness and keep a vast online debate going. Through the well-known blogs, people come to new art forms, read books they did not know existed, even learn how to cook!

Millions of people blog, all over the world.

Joining that community and taking part in its arguments, campaigns and laughter can be really satisfying.

Take the plunge!

Post From : EzyBlogger Blog Tips

Blogging for an Audience

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Studies had shown that video in rich media ads can make or break a campaign.

DoubleClick benchmark study suggests that rich media ad formats that contain video “overwhelmingly” outperform other types of creative media ads, such as images and simple animation Flash.

Findings suggest that people who see a video in a rich media ad are more likely to make the purchase.

Rich media ads containing video on average appear to increase purchase intent by 1.16%, compared with a controlled group that did not see a video ads.

Compare that with simple Flash at 0.26%, and there’s a huge difference.

The Brand Value of Rich Media and Video Ads By DoubleClick

AffiliatePLY.com is the giving the tools for advertisers and affiliates to monetize video ads.

AffiliatePLY.com is a performance based affiliate network that uses video instead of banners.

The idea behind is that affiliates can choose from a selection of videos provided by their participating advertisers, which is simply embedded at their site.

The embedded videos include an interactive, clickable and trackable action-based layer which enables viewers to be directed to the advertiser’s landing page.

AffiliatePLY.com network is video based only. It’s new and unique concept that offers a solution to the growing use of video ads on the internet, and leveraging it for traffic and income for both affiliates and the advertisers.

Affiliates can actually start using videos on their sites and earning commissions on it, and advertisers can leverage their vidoes and getting traffic of them.

AffiliatePLY.com affiliates reports that the video had improved their site’s SEO and page ranking, as well as the CTR. The CTR among their affiliates is approximately 6%-8%.

Video is more accessible with AffiliatePLY subtitle solution. The video subtitle can be defaulted based on user IP, or can by a drop menu (the user see a drop down menu where they can chose their languages), and viewers spend more time on the site.

For more information: www.affiliateply.com

Why use video ads ?

Videos convert better than any other format, users enjoy video and it improves the user experience, so they spend more time at your site, it improves your SEO and page ranking, and it is simple to use and implement as banners.

See a sample of the video ads provided by AffiliatePLY.com at the top right of this blog.

More affiliate networks and affiliate programs for bloggers here.

Post From : EzyBlogger Blog Tips

Monetize Video Ads with AffiliatePLY.com

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At last, I decided to change this blog theme to the Thesis wordpress theme. I have been trying a few themes across my network of blogs and really liked the simple Thesis theme basic design.

Being new to Thesis, I was looking for this theme’s tutorials, tips and hacks to help me with customizing the theme. I’m no wordpress coder so I need to search for information on the how to customize the Thesis theme.

Below are some of the info I found on how to customize the Thesis theme which I hope could help other Thesis theme newbie users :-

Thesis Theme Official Site

- Thesis Theme for WordPress

- Thesis Theme User’s Guide

- Thesis Theme Support Forum ( Must Be a Thesis Member )

- Thesis Theme Answers ( Must Be a Thesis Member )

- Thesis Development Blog

- Thesis Theme Affiliate Program ( If you wanna make money promoting Thesis theme )

Other tutorials, tips and hacks on customizing Thesis Themes

- Installing Thesis Theme for the First Time

- Thesis Theme SEO Tutorial

- Customizing Thesis – Standard to Unique in 6 Easy Steps

- Thesis Tutorial – Hooks for Dummies

- How To Change The Color of Individual Tabs on the Thesis Navigation Bar

- How To Add Banner Ad To Your Thesis Theme Header

- Thesis Theme Sidebar Tutorial

- 8 Thesis Theme Design Tips To Make Your Blog Better

- Tweaking Your Blog Design with CSS

- Amazing Thesis Theme Skins for WordPress

- CSS Custom Headers Tips

- Thesis Tutorial : Contextual Submenus

- OpenHook Thesis Plugin Tutorial: Theme Customization Made Easy

- Tutorial : Multilevel Menu with CSS and JavaScript

- How To Add 125 x 125 Ads To Your Thesis Sidebar

- How To Determine Your Thesis Theme Site Layout

- Thesis CSS Reset

- How to use Firebug for CSS ( Video )

- Thesis Theme Custom CSS Code Robot

- How to Add a Twitter “Follow Me” Widget to the Thesis Theme

- Choosing a Color Palette and Scheme for Your Thesis Design

- How to Add Your Custom Banner Image to the Thesis Theme Header – CSS Version

- Find the Best Thesis Designers for Theme Customization, Design and Development

- 3 Easy and Highly Requested Thesis Theme Tutorials

- 10 Ways to Customize Thesis and Enhance Your Blog

- 100 Resources for Thesis WordPress Theme Users

- Customizing Thesis Theme 404 Error Page

- Simple Way To Customize Copyright Footer In Thesis Theme

- 4 Great Ways I Customized my Thesis Theme

- Top 10 Thesis Theme customizations

- Thesis Users Can Say Goodbye To All In One SEO Pack Plugin

- Customizing Features and Teasers in Thesis 1.5.1

- Melvin Neo – The steps I took to customise my Thesis theme

- Add an Options Menu To The WordPress Dashboard for a Thesis Skin

- Remove All Borders in Thesis 1.5

- Great Thesis Resources

- How to Build Small Business Websites Using the Thesis WordPress Theme ( Pdf File )

- Learn CSS Quickly & Easily with Thesis

- How To Add Custom Links to Your Thesis Nav Menu

- WordPress Thesis Theme Customization

- Make Money Promoting Thesis Theme ( Join Thesis Affiliate Program )

I hope these links will help new Thesis theme users to customize their blog.

Anyway, what do you think of EzyBlogger’s new Thesis Theme ?

Post From : EzyBlogger Blog Tips

List of WordPress Thesis Theme Tutorials, Tips and Hacks

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EzyBlogger first blog contest is now over and 2 winners are selected randomly.

The 2 winners are :-

1. Carol Ann Wiley

2. Leslie Chong

Congratulations to Carol and Leslie who each win a one month membership at Blog Themes Club.

The winners will be contacted by Blog Themes Club on how they could redeem their prize.

Thanks to Blog Themes Club for sponsoring the contest and all who participated.

I hope to run a new contest soon and it will be a twitter contest.

More info on the twitter contest soon.

In the mean time, do check out Blog Themes Club premium wordpress themes.

Post From : EzyBlogger Blog Tips

EzyBlogger Blog Contest Winners

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I have never did any contest for this blog before and I thought I should have one now.

This blog contest will be an easy one. All you need to do is leave a comment below.

However, you must be subscribed to EzyBlogger by EMAIL in order for you to win.

I cannot track if you’ve subscribed to EzyBlogger Rss Feed so you still need to subscribe by EMAIL in order to qualify. You can always unsubscribe later if you don’t want to receive EzyBlogger updates by email.

For this blog contest, I’m giving away 2 one month membership to the latest premium wordpress theme site – Blog Themes Club.

Blog Themes Club is run by Kevin Muldoon of Blogging Tips and Sarah Gay of Stuffs By Sarah who have agreed to give away a 1 month membership to 2 lucky EzyBlogger readers.

If you are looking for clean and fast premium wordpress themes, you should head over to Blog Themes Club now or leave a comment below to join the blog contest where you can win one.

Blog Themes Club offers various wordpress themes at affordable price starting at $19 for a single theme license. You can download all available themes if you sign up as a member plus receive updates on existing themes and get premium forum support option.

You should take advantage of the current Blog Themes Club launch promotion where membership rates are reduced at $29 for 3 months, $49 for 6 months, and $69 for 12 months. The promotional rates end 31 July 2009.

My favourite wordpress theme at Blog Themes Club is Anima – Give Anima a try.

EzyBlogger Blog Contest Details

If you want to win one of the 2 one month membership to Blog Themes Club, just leave a comment on this post below.

Remember that you must subscribe to EzyBlogger blog by Email in order to qualify.

I will select the random winners on Wednesday 24th June 2009.

Post From : EzyBlogger Blog Tips

Blog Contest – Win Membership To Premium WordPress Theme Club

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In recent years, working and earning online has become an attractive idea for many people. Some may choose this option because they think it offers the greatest amount of work convenience and flexibility. It is also no secret though, that many are lured to the concept of making money online because of the numerous success stories that are freely circulated in the internet.

Whatever your reasons for deciding to work online, it’s about time you realize that it isn’t always as easy as it seems. The truth of the matter is that there are more people who fail to earn well online than those who succeed at achieving financial gains. Before you even decide to dip your fingers into the online money making field, you would do well to take note of a couple of important tips.

#1- Do your homework first.

There are many legitimate ways to generate income from the internet. You may for example earn through affiliate marketing, blogging, product selling, niche marketing and freelancing. Some however make the mistake of immediately diving in without knowing exactly what they are in for. If you decide for example to try your hand at blogging, you would have to find out too about such related areas as design optimization, search engine optimization, promotion and advertising. Find out if you are up to the task of educating yourself in these areas. Otherwise, you could end up wasting a lot of time on a little corner of the web that attracts only a couple of flies.

#2- Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses.

It goes without saying that if you want to become a freelance writer, you need great writing skills. If you want to become an affiliate marketer however, you will need more than just the skills of a writer to pull through. As an affiliate, you would need to have a knack for sales, marketing and interpersonal relations. Simply put, you have to evaluate what you are good at and what you are poor at to find the right money making avenue to pursue.

#3- Develop the skill to detect good opportunities.

The internet is a rich place to find all the tools you will ever need to start earning. Unfortunately, it has also become a breeding ground for the unscrupulous. Along with legitimate opportunities are scams or offers that have little value. If you do not have the natural instinct to detect what is good and what is not, you need to find the right tools to help you. Find independent review sites and free forums related to the type of opportunity in question. This is where you can potentially discover clues to fishy programs or deals.

#4- Make sure that you are highly self-motivated.

Working online means being your own boss. That means you need to ensure that you have the discipline to get up and work even on ungodly hours. In some cases, you may have to work more than eight hours a day to achieve your goals. Having low self-motivation can be the single most significant stumbling block to achieving online success.

#5- Keep in touch with individuals who have come before you.

Some of those who have already succeeded online may be more than willing to lend a helping hand to beginners. Finding legitimate gurus or teachers however can be just as tough as finding good opportunities. Anyone can claim to be a guru or a top earner. The best places to look for real help are blogs with many people following and established forums with numerous members.

Earning online is not impossible. You would however need to be prudent, studious and determined in order to really make a break. Moreover, you need to know yourself inside out in order to find what will fit you best.

Image Credit – Scumfrog

Post From : EzyBlogger Blog Tips

Five Tips to Help You Earn Online

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Anyone who produces written work, whether they are writing an article, a business proposal or an academic thesis, should bear in mind the importance of proofreading and more importantly, the dangers of not proofreading.

Proofreading is not solely the job of an editor as many might have you believe.

Proofreading your writing is a very important and integral part of the writing process but how should you go about it and what might you be looking for?

Here you’ll find five tips to help you get the most from the proofreading process and ensure the quality of your writing reflects the effort made.

1. Get a second opinion. Proofreading your own writing is fine, up to a point but independent feedback is valuable. You can be too close to your own writing and subject to spot the errors sometimes. Have someone you trust proofread your text. Many advisers say that you should get a friend or family member to do this. This is fine if you’re sure they will be able to spot errors. You need someone with an eye for detail and a sound knowledge of grammar and spelling. Encourage them to give you constructive criticism where they think they see errors, and not to just tell that something is wrong without offering an opinion or a reason why.

2. Never try to proofread your writing as soon as you’ve written it. Your mind is telling you what you think you wrote and not necessarily what actually made onto the page. Most editors will advise that you go and do something else for at least a few hours to ensure your attention has been diverted and you’ve had time to drop the train of thought that you had when you were writing. In truth, it’s far better to put the writing away until at least the next day, possibly even a few days if you have the luxury of time. This will guaranteed that you come back to it with a clear view or even just in a different mood. It’s much more likely that you will spot mistakes and areas for improvement.

3. Make sure you actually read the words on the page. Simple though it may sound, for many people this will be very difficult as their normal method of reading may be very fast, almost skimming the text. This is not a suitable reading style for proofreading unless you are very experienced. Thorough proofreading requires the editor to see, appreciate and digest every single word and its place in the sentence.

4. Never fully rely on spell checking applications and automated grammar checkers. They are no substitute for a thorough human proofread. Make sure you fully understand the limitations of spelling and grammar checkers and what they are actually checking for you.

5. Look for mistakes in context with the type of writing you’re undertaking. For example, grammatical mistakes associated with the way you speak or even a regional dialect may be fine and might even add to the texture of a character if included in dialogue. If, on the other hand, you’re writing a guide on the importance of perfect grammar, you will probably want to be much stricter with your language.

Image Credit – foxypar4

Post From : EzyBlogger Blog Tips

5 Tips to Help You Get the Most From Proofreading

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I noticed Google pagerank is updating when I visited Kevin Muldoon’s blog – Time To Tweet.

I was surprised to see that Time To Tweet now have a Google pagerank 2.

I know Time To Tweet has a PR0 yesterday so Google must be doing some pagerank updates.

The next blog I check have to be my own blog – EzyBlogger.

I’m surprised to see that EzyBlogger now have PR3 !! Cool.

I did some google search and yes many sites are saying Google is updating the pagerank.

The last pagerank update was in April and you can say that this round of updates is earlier than before where the updates are normally every 90 days or so.

A lot of people says that Google pagerank is not important – I agree but it does play a role to some extent.

Overall all my websites and blogs recorded higher PRs while some were downgraded and a few remains the same.

What about you ?

How did your blogs score on the latest pagerank updates ?

Image Credit – cvander

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Google Pagerank Is Updating – EzyBlogger Now PR3

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When it comes to blogging there are many factors that work together toward becoming a successful blogger.

A few of them include content, design, community, traffic, SEO, monetization and the like.

Most top bloggers give great importance to their blog designs. It is true that the design of the blog has its own impact on the viewers as well as blog owners. A design based on the web psychology can entice visitors to stay for longer periods or even make them click on ads.

Blogger also focus on the vital elements mentioned above to promote their blogs. However, many have not understood the importance of logos in blogs. Logos for blogs can be defined as pictorial miniatures representing the theme of the blog. Logos can be one of the important tools that can improve your blog drastically. Logos have been for long exploited by industrial firms to be remembered and recognized by the customers, and it can create as equal an impact if they are included in your blogs.

Logo designing requires a combination of intelligence and dexterity. This is why it is hard to find good logo designers. A well designed logo imprints itself in the subconscious minds of the viewers and helps them in retrieving the idea of your blog upon seeing the logo again. Logos lasts longer than any other content of the blog in the minds of visitors and induces them to check your blog frequently for updates. A unique logo helps you blog to stand out from the crowd.

Include a well-designed logo on your blog will not only impress visitors but also have a great impact on you as well. It serves as a motivating factor and makes you work harder to reach your desired goals. There are a number of websites in the Internet that offer logo design services at affordable cost. You can also get logos free of cost from websites that use software to generate logos or from design companies that offer free services either for a link or for mere popularity.

This post is brought to you by Accounting Software Icons and Adsense Templates which also do Custom Logo Designs.

Post From : EzyBlogger Blog Tips

A Well-designed Logo Can Add Value to Your Blog

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Facebook is one of the top of social networking sites on the Internet.

The site was founded by a Harvard University student named Mark Zuckerberg who began the site as a way for students at the university to network with each other. This limited social networking site eventually expanded to include campuses in the Boston area.

Soon even that was not enough.

Facebook became the number one tool for social networking on college campuses. After seeing much success, the owner of Facebook opened the site up to high school students and then eventually to anyone who is over the age of 13.

Since 2004, Facebook has grown to include more than 200 million active users. These users are located throughout the United States and worldwide. The main appeal of the website is that people can search for their friends, coworkers, and family members and as them as friends. People can also search for new friends according to what networks they belong to. Networks can include colleges, high schools, places of business, and geographical locations.

Users of Facebook have a number of options to communicate with their list of friends. In a similar way to Twitter, Facebook users can update their status and let their friends know what they are up to. Friends can also communicate public messages on another user’s wall. Private messages are sent to the user’s on site inbox.

A surge in the number of affiliated applications have also provided additional ways to communicate between friends. These applications are used for giving virtual gifts, displaying favorite sports teams or televisions shows, and sharing other fun information.

Facebook also has a number of features that allows for a more business approach to using the social networking site. The Notes section of Facebook allows people to write open messages for all of their friends to see. The Notes section also provides a way to share updates from any RSS feed from a blog.

The marketplace on Facebook works similarly to Craigslist. Users can post an ad to sell a product or service, buy a product or service, and announce events. The the option to create groups is another way for users to create a buzz for a brand, promote a business, or just meet people with similar interests.

Facebook does also have its share of drawbacks. The site has experienced privacy issues in the past. The website has also been used by businesses to discover more about potential employees, which has led to many people being turned down for jobs because of the content on their Facebook page. But with additions to the choice of privacy settings, Facebook has continued to evolve to meet the needs of all its users.

Even with the problems that can occur with a Facebook account, millions of people have successfully used the site to connect with friends, far away family members, and even new customers for business.

As the site continues to grow, users are constantly finding better ways to utilize this remarkable social networking tool.

When I’m not tweeting, you can find me at my Facebook account.

Post From : EzyBlogger Blog Tips

Facebook – My Favourite Social Networking Site When I’m Not Tweeting

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Twitter is a social networking site with a twist. Twitter offers users the ability to connect with friends, coworkers, and clients by answering one simple question: What are you doing?

The catch, however, is that the question must be answered in 140 characters or less – including spaces.

The answer to this question is known as a tweet. Tweets can be simple sentences, short links to other webpages, or links to pictures. Users of Twitter subscribe to their favorite Twitter users. This is known as following someone. A user’s followers will get updates on their home page every time someone updates their answer. If users follow each other, they also have the option to send direct messages to each other. These are similar to private messages on other social networking sites.

Twitter was created by Jack Dorsey in 2006. It quickly gained popularity and surpassed the popularity of other networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. I joined twitter back in 2007 when Shoemoney talks about it in one of his blog post. That account was suspended as I was merely using it to post my latest blogs post using Twitterfeed lol.

Twitter has moved past the basic web tool that it started out to be. Now many users Twitter from their phones, as long as the phone can send and receive SMS (short message service) messages or use an application with devices like the iPhone. Telephone gateway numbers exist for the United States, India, Canada, and the United Kingdom so that people around the world can update their Twitter account from almost anywhere. Twitter is a completely free service, although users that Twitter from a cell phone will still pay the normal text messaging fees as per their provider’s service agreement.

According to a recent survey, Twitter is the fastest-growing social networking site on the Internet. The survey found that Twitter has seen a growth of more than 1300% since the beginning of the year. To put this in perspective, Facebook has seen less than a 300% increase in the same amount of time. And the trend keeps growing. Monthly visitors to the website are at an estimated at 6 million people.

Unlike Facebook and other social networking sites, Twitter is not just for the young and Internet savvy. Many people find it easier to use than other social networking options for staying in touch and networking for business. In fact, many celebrities and politicians are utilizing Twitter to reach a wider audience and bypass traditional media routes to get their message heard.

Those with blogs and Internet businesses have also found Twitter to be a successful marketing tool. With applications such as TweetLater, Twitterfeed, Ping.fm, and Twitpic, business owners can provide followers with information on updates, new products, and contests. While Twitter has not replaced the email newsletter, customers find using Twitter easier to get updates for their favorite businesses without clogging their inbox.

Because Twitter is still a new sensation in the social networking world,the owners of Twitter are still looking to improve the site with additional options for users and ways to help people make better connections. At the moment, the owners want to keep Twitter as a free service and that does not seem likely to change anytime soon though there are a lot of hype lately that they are selling twitter.

Good reading blogs on everything twitter :-

- Time To Tweet
- Twitter Tips
- Twittercism
- Twitter Tips ( Another? )
- Twi5.com

Image Credit – Brood_wich

Post From : EzyBlogger Blog Tips

My Tweet On Twitter

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