Online Bits and Pieces

Can Bing Be A Google Killer?

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:11:00 +0000

Microsoft’s most awaited new search engine Bing is now up and running in most of the countries replacing Windows Live Search. Bing, also known as the decision engine, has gained 6% market share within hours of launch. As Microsoft search engine currently holds the third-place behind Google and Yahoo Inc, it hopes that Bing will play a big role to reach a good position in the search market. With Google having the most of the market share for searches across the world and having received mixed reviews after the launch, will this new search engine can turn the tables for Microsoft?

Microsoft launched the search engine on June 1st and the engine looks pretty good when I did a couple of common searches. But when I tried to search for the newest trending topics, it didn't quite give a satisfying result. Like for instance I have searched for the "iPhone 3G S" which was one of the newest trending topics as of this writing. Bing only gave relevant search results that consists of Youtube links and blog posts about iPhone 3G S, whereas Google gave the the phone's exact official webpage on the top of the list of the search result.

Adding credit to this new search engine are the new features like the text preview for search results which is really helpful in saving time. Microsoft has also released Bing add-on for IE 8 which will be rather useful and add-ons for Mozilla Firefox is said to hit the market soon.

The new play-preview feature involved in Bing Video search has received critical reviews as one can play the video in the video search results page without going to the actual video page. This allows users to go to porn sites and other banned sites from restricted places creating a big concern for work places, colleges and other areas where these things are strictly prohibited. Some even have commented Bing as ‘porn search engine’. Let's hope Microsoft will do something about it.

Bing also comes with Travel search options which can help the user to plan the trip quite easily. This is one of Bing's options that really impresses me and it proves to be a good decision engine. I have tried it and it looks pretty good and I expect it to take over the popular travel planning sites very soon.

The new Bing decision engine has also brought new dimensions to advertising giving wide range of options to advertisers. Microsoft has posted a FAQ page for advertisers wondering just what Bing has got in it. Microsoft is also said to have changed its search algorithm considerably to make Bing a big success.Carolyn Miller of Microsoft has told WebProNews,

"We have made numerous improvements to our algorithm, focusing on spelling, freshness of results, and core ranking. Our algorithm is changing continuously to provide the best results. Although we have a six month release cycle for major updates, our algorithm is refined everyday to improve the relevance of our results and to better address our users’ intent."

ReadWriteWeb has given some tips on the Bing search strings for Chrome and Safari. Released just couple of days ago, it is too early to comment about the decision engine. We just have to wait and watch to see how it goes.

Google Just Released A Faster And More Stable Google Chrome 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Thu, 21 May 2009 21:25:00 +0000

After it was first introduced in September last year and followed up by some beta versions early this year, Google Chrome browser has a major updated version released today. Google boosts that this newly updated version contains about 300 bug-fixes is now more stable and a lot faster that even those heavy JavaScript websites will run around 30% faster, even when there are lots of of tabs open.

Some of the top requested features that were added on this new Chrome are the form auto-refil, improved new tab page, full screen mode, and the option to delete 'most visited items' in the new tab page. Some of these feature updates were already available in the beta version, but for most users who did not even know that the other development tracks exist, these updates will represent a major step forward.

To know more about this improvements, check out the short video below by Chrome's Product Manager, Brian Rakowski:

I personally love to use Chrome for my regulat browsing activities like checking emails, website hopping and blogging, but with the lack of add-ons and extensions, I cannot make Chrome as my default browser and always makes me go back to Firefox as my preferred browser for doing more important tasks on the internet.

If you're already using the earlier version of Google Chrome, you'll be automatically updated to this new stable version soon. If you just want to try this right away or if you are a new user, you can download the latest version here.

SureFireHire - Connecting Small-Medium Businesses and Freelancers

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Mon, 11 May 2009 12:21:00 +0000

Yesterday, while I was doing my website hopping routine, I came across to this forum thread from YoungEntrepreneur forum wherein the thread starter is asking people to provide honest reviews or opinions about particular website. Its catchy domain name made me curious so I decided to surf over to take a look on it.

The first thing that strucked me with the site was the nice layout. The clean layout, color scheme and the simplicity of the design looks professional to me. Then I realized that the site has the reason to look professional. It is actually an outsourcing platform for employers or service buyers, a freelance marketplace for jobs; hence, it was named SureFireHire.com.

SureFireHire is an online marketplace that connects people who need something done with people who can do it for them. It enables small to medium-sized businesses and entrepreneurs to have access to human resources of talent and expertise worldwide in accomplishing any short term projects or jobs, and definitely have options to choose from. It is an auction site for services, a similar model to popular freelance marketplaces like Elance, Guru, oDesk and Rentacoder -- but with a feel-good twist. Job posting here is free for service buyers and there is no pay per bid charges for service providers.

How is SureFireHire different from others?

It doesn’t have an overly complex fee structure. Simplicity is their concern.
There are no pay per bid charges.
The freelance hiring process is simple, and easy to use.
Posting a job or opportunity can only take about 45 seconds or less.
It only charges Service Providers a very small commission of 5% of the rate of each job or opportunity bids they win.

Doing business in SureFireHire is really simple. The service buyer or employer will just have to post his job requirements or opportunities on the site and the service providers should bid for these opportunities. The employer then has to select the service provider who he feels is best qualified and pays him directly through Paypal when the job is completed. The service provider then has to pay SureFireHire a 5% commission within 3 days after the job opportunity is awarded to him.

Founder David Naumann says that the idea came to him upon seeing the need to simplify the procedure of how businesses or entrepreneurs can have access to specific resources and acquire them, “We’ve hired people organically from the website and have seen a significant reduction in the cost of administrative expenses. This website enables small businesses and entrepreneurs to explore a vast talent pool and hire an expert to fulfill their projects or needs. Businesses are posting an ad and getting responses.”

The best thing about this site is the fee. Employers have absolutely no fees to pay for using the site. They only have to pay the services they get from the providers after they were completed. For the service providers, they can bid on any number of jobs or opportunities they want with no upfront fees and expenses. Providers only pay when a job or opportunity is awarded.

The site, being new, doesn’t have much job postings yet compared to other sites with the same platform. This is just normal for any starters. If you are an employer or service buyer, you can take advantage of this because there are more service providers that are bidding for small number of jobs. This can result to more competitive bidding, which is to your advantage. However, this may be a disadvantage if you are a service provider. But if you have an outstanding resume and skill set, this would not really be a problem. All in all, SureFireHire is worth a try, whether you are a service buyer or a provider.

So, with all these things about SureFireHire, who wouldn’t be tempted to surf over to the site to learn more about it and maybe give it a try? Head on now to www.surefirehire.com to get more information.

Twtjobs - Connecting Job Seekers and Employers Via Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:56:00 +0000

Twitter has been a runaway success since it was launched 3 years ago. Its skyrocketing popularity, extensibility and ease of use have been resulting to a lot of excited developers taking Twitter's best bits and mixing them up to their own ends. This is because we all know that Twitter is an important web tool for online brand management as well as self promotion. Its short term and long term benefits could not be over looked, especially in this current state of economy.

This why looking for work has to be a creative endeavour. Many people use social networking tools, like Twitter and Facebook, to find potential employers to connect to. The Montreal-based Twitter applications developer Twtapps is taking advantage of this economic crunch in a timely fashion. It just rolled out yet another new application for job seekers called Twtjobs.

Twtjobs is a business tool to help job hunters and employers connect via Twitter. You can create your "Twitter Resume" in 140 characters and employers can post a job opening. To apply for a job, you simply enter your Twitter name and if you have a twitter resume, it will be emailed to the employer. The posting page form looks simple and clean making postings very easy to do.

Other useful features include the capability of adding your LinkedIn page to its resume builder; it also has sharing capabilities with other social websites and a feature that let's you tag your resume with key skills or interests.

Twtjob has a one-time service fee in which you can decide the amount yourself. Just simply name their price that you can afford for this and you're ready to go!

Free Download of Membership Site Masteplan Report Now Available

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:25:00 +0000

The much awaited Yaro Starak's latest report Membership Site Masterplan is now released live and available for FREE download .

For those who do not know who Yaro Starak is, he is a well respected 'internet guru' who is behind the Blog BlogMastermind (a popular coaching program) from which he has earned six figure income. Yaro is a great teacher and writer, and whenever he releases a report people always eagerly await to what he has to say. He is gifted with the ability to take the most complex subjects and he makes them very easy to understand. No wonder why all of his reports and coaching programs are normally being promoted by his fellow big-named gurus like Darren Rowse, John Chow and Shoemoney.

"What is this Membership Site Masterplan?" you may ask. It is a 72-page report that teaches you how to create a successful membership site from the planning stage and right through the launch and growth stages and even on to selling your site when you’re ready to do something else.

As you will see in the report, Yaro makes the process of setting up and profiting from a membership site so easy, anyone can do it, including you. Once again Yaro has not held anything back. This is a report that is full of content, it's not some hype-filled document just designed to sell a product and not really teach you anything.

In the Masterplan, he explains how he was able to make a six-digit income from just one membership site and then goes on to lay out a plan so you can launch your own membership site and earn at least $100,000 within the next 12 months. In the report the following process were taken through:

How to find topics for a membership site
How to develop preeminence, which means people choose to join your membership site over all the other options
What sources of traffic he uses to bring members to his site and build his list
What technology Yaro uses to deliver content (this is so simple, anyone can do it)
How to make money from a membership site BEFORE you create the content for it
How to fill your membership site with hundreds of new members in a matter of days by conducting a powerful, yet simple, launch campaign
and much more...

This is by far the most comprehensive report I've ever seen on this topic, but of course Yaro hasn't put all this work into the report for nothing. He's launching a training program next week and this report is designed to introduce you to his teachings.

That being said, this report is a complete document - no matter whether you decide to join Yaro's program or not, you will benefit greatly from this report. He has put together a very compelling story and followed it up with a very detailed plan so you can do it yourself.

Just get your FREE copy now - and see for yourself!

And oh, Yaro also said he's going to release an audio version of the Masterplan too, so you can either read this report or listen to it, whatever you prefer.

The Importance of Having A Mentor

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:13:00 +0000

There are many things that you have probably thought about when it comes to your work-at-home online businesses, but having a mentor might not be one of them. However, if you have not thought of it, you might want to start thinking of it, because having a mentor for your business can really be something that you can benefit form.

A mentor is someone who has been there before. They can give you advice, tell you stories about what has happened to them, and pass on contacts along with wisdom. When you have a mentor who has been there and done that – meaning that they have actually been in your position, they are going to be much more able to really understand what you are going through, and really know what it is that you want them to tell you.

When I was still starting about 8 months ago, every single knowledge that I acquired was merely thru self-study. I must admit that it was not easy and everything seemed to be very confusing to me. Until after a couple of months of wandering, then I met Mr. Jorge Azurin, the man behind Business Summaries, who has been an entrepreneur for about 2 decades. He became my first official mentor and has been very helpful with his honest and realistic advices. To me, he is a role model with his kind and giving attitude... I learned from him, loved him and, even as I write this, resolved to be mindful of his many lessons.

There are many places that you might want to find a mentor, if you are looking for one. Remember that being a mentor is something that really takes time. Therefore, you can not just log onto a site and find someone who is willing to take you under their wing. The best way to find a mentor is to start your networking and start talking to people who have done what you have done before. Start talking to business owners who are old and those who are new and see if you can find some that you really admire and that you really think you’d like to aspire to. If you can find this kind of business, tell the person that you think that they have a business you would like to have some day.

As you build up relationships and trust with other people you will begin to find lots of different mentors for yourself and lots of opportunities to take what they have to say and trust them. There are lots of reasons that you should be able to do this ,and the biggest reason is that you will be able to take full advantage of anything that they have done before. Remember that a mentor is going to be someone who you can trust. Look for someone who has already been successful, who is willing to teach you, who does what they tell you to do and who has business practices and ethics with which you are comfortable.

When you are working with mentors, remember that you can probably have more than one. This is something that people don’t realize, but it is possible to take the wisdom and advice from more than one person at one time. This should be something that makes your life even easier as you are working towards being as successful as you can be in the market today. Your different mentors will have different advice to give you, and you will probably be able to benefit from each piece of advice that comes your way. This is something that you should also remember, and that you should take advantage of.

A mentor is a light in the darkness, an arm around your shoulder when things have not gone well, the kick in your rear when you deserve it and a pat on the back when you have achieved your goals.

I'm still in regular contact with my mentor. Over the course of my career I will encounter many hurdles but know that there is someone that I can pick up the phone and get some honest advice. I encourage you to look for your own mentor and perhaps in time become a mentor for someone else.

How Google Adwords Work

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 03:21:00 +0000

For those who still wonder how Google Adwords system work, the video below is the latest informative explanation by Google's Chief Economist Hal Varian. Here he concisely discussed how the CPC bids and the quality of your ads determine the price of every clicks to your ads.

This is a great video for people new to search advertising, and also for experts who need to be reminded that this is one giant, pretty basic, ad-auction platform. Definitely worth the time to watch.

The Trouble With Twitter Video

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 03:51:00 +0000

Do you like using Twitter? Are you a Twitterholic? If your answer is "yes" to these questions, then this video is for you. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. The scary thing is that, this is so true.

I'm sorry to those who don't know what Twitter is and cannot understand this video. Just check this information about Twitter in case you are interested.

Use Pinging Service To Increase Your Blog Traffic

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 11:55:00 +0000

If you are blogging, then you should also be pinging. New bloggers may not be aware of the term ping and it's importance in blogging. Experts are pinging their blogs, and using this as an efficient marketing tool. To make your blogging successful, it is necessary to be familiar with pinging as it is an important part of promoting your blog.

The process of "blog and ping" or "tag and ping" is used to bring internet traffic to a website or blogsite. The process is fairly simple and effective with several valuable benefits and very few disadvantages.

Ping Defined

In simple terms, a ping is a way to electronically verify the presence of a particular location on the internet and getting a response from that location. A ping is a basic program that is built into every operating system and it is one of the most commonly used tools in the system or network administrator's toolkit. It checks the validity of an internet address existence and request response from that address. Ping is an acronym term given for Packet Inter-Network Groper.

Pinging Blogs

Ping is a XML-RPC based push mechanism. It notifies search engines and other servers that your blog is ready with updates. Once servers get notified by ping services, they visit your blog, crawl your contents and update their database. In order to get a good stand, you need to use ping service every time you update your blog. Blogs in Wordpress and Nucleus platforms use built-in pinging service and can notify servers automatically once you update your blog. But with Blogger/Blogspot blogs, you have to do it manually.

To receive the desired publicity to your blog, you need to send a ping to a large number of servers. The easiest way to accomplish that task is to use a pinging service that will ping multiple ping servers. This automatic ping service is available in many blogging platforms that can save you from having to go through the tedious and time consuming process of individually pinging many different servers.

Advantages of multiple pinging services

The advantages in notifying multiple pinging services is very obvious. It will result in a larger number of servers receiving the ping and receiving notification that there is new content on the blog.

As search engines are constantly roaming through internet sites and pages, their visits to the servers that have been pinged by the pinging services will alert them to the new content that they have not yet visited. That's the first step toward the goal of bringing the search engines to a new blog post, finding it to be worthwhile and new, and indexing the page so that the internet community can find it in the future. The more servers that are pinged when the new content is posted, the more likely the search engines can find the new page and begin their evaluation process.

Aside from the auto-ping services or plugins offered by some blog publishing platforms, you can also opt for extra pinging services available all over the internet. I normally use Ping-o-matic, BlogBuzzer OR King Ping for this blog, but I just use one of them at a time.

Disadvantages

The only disadvantage in using multiple pinging services is the duplicate pings that they can produce. This can sometimes result in a blog being considered spam by some servers. It is up to you to make the call on how many pinging services should be used, as there is no single formula in finding out how many pings it should take to be considered spam by any particular server.

Responsible usage of "blog and ping" is just one of many tools out there to increase traffic. Nevertheless, it should not be overlooked as a way of attracting more visitors to your websites or blog..

Some Freelancing Market Tips For Working Online Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:41:00 +0000

After my previous post Dos and Don'ts on Freelancing Competition for Jobs, I have the urging feeling that I need to make a follow up post about job hunting for freelancers. Whether you are just getting started in the world of freelancing or if you have been a freelancer for years, one of the biggest challenge here is how to get clients. Even the most successful of freelancers will experience a lean period here and there, so it pays to have as many sources of potential work as possible. Some freelancers lose sleep over their lack of new clients and they often try to look for hidden markets that they didn't know about before.

It is much easier to find hidden freelancing markets with an open mind and with the muscle behind your dreams to make it happen. What muscle? The muscle you need to develop: the ability to ask for work and clients. If you want to find new markets for your talents you will need to ask around, either to your freelancing friends, to your existing clients or by cold calling or cold emailing.

Myth: Finding Clients is Hard

There are many myths about freelancing but the worst one is that finding clients is hard. The reality is that if you don't ask for referrals from your existing clients and if you don't put yourself out there, you might struggle to get clients. But potential clients are out there just waiting for you to appear into their life and solve their problems.

Fact: Taking Action is Necessary

How do you develop this muscle that helps you ask for clients and ask for work? You simply put it into practice. Start with emailing the firms and clients that you would like to work with. Tell them in a short email who you are, what you do, how much you charge and how you could help them with their business needs. Sometimes you might be able to tell them that their competitors are doing something that they haven't done yet and you can guide them through the process.

Don't be afraid to send out cold emails. These companies or potential clients are always on the look for freelancers and they might just be short one freelance designer, writer or programmer at the exact time that you write them. Otherwise they might decide to put your name and contact information in a file for when they are short of freelancers in the future.

Putting yourself out there through cold emails and by asking your existing clients if they know anyone else who might use your services is hard. It takes developing your muscle, and that takes practice. You will get rejected at some point. But the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.

So what are you waiting for? Get started on your freelancing business today and send out some emails to your existing clients or to potential ones. May you find the clients you have always wanted.

DOs and DON'Ts in Freelancing Competition For Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:14:00 +0000

If you have not heard of the term "accidental freelancer," you probably will hear more and more of it these days. With job losses due to the recession, more and more people are looking into -- or falling into -- freelancing.

As a freelancer competing for jobs, we have to make it a point to stick out from the rest. And as long as you’re professional about things, there’s nothing wrong with maintaining an edge.

Here I sum up the things I learned from experienced freelance gurus, as well as those I learned from my own experiences being a freelancer for almost 2 years, I have come up with a compilation of tips or the "dos and don'ts" in competing for jobs in freelance world.

DO: Make your marketing portfolio flawless. These days, a simple click to your website by a prospective employer could mean the difference between getting the gig and getting passed up. So make sure that your logo or branding is solid, and carries across things like your marketing banners, business card and website. Content matters just as much as design, and you’ve got to have both to compete against.

DON’T: Ask fellow freelancers for specific referrals. While there’s nothing wrong with seeking out a mentor, I think it’s crucial not to try to step on their toes. I’ve had plenty of people asking me for specific leads and referrals. Although I don't mind them doing such, but I still think it isn’t the proper way to enlist help. Stick to asking others for advice on how to do things and don’t try to dig for anything more, such as asking them who some of their clients are. They’ve gone through tons of hard work to get their connections and it’s only fair that you do the same.

DO: Keep learning. It’s vital to stay on top of your game—and that means staying on top of your industry, too. Whether you read books, surf the net, or attend seminars, it’s always great to be updated and learn newest strategies, techniques and players that involve your industry. This is particularly true if you’re in a technology-based field, as that is constantly changing. Even writers that only use Firefox and MS Word to get by also has to learn new tricks and make new connection.

DON’T: Be nasty with networking. I accompanied a friend of mine in a networking event once geared towards creative professionals. Everyone was nice, except for some writers. It seemed that everyone within their own specialty wasn’t too friendly, and instead were only nice to those who could possibly give them paying work. The fact is, even others in your field can provide good connections. No matter what happens, it’s best to be nice to others in your field especially at networking events where people can apprehend on your vibe easily.

DO: Enhance your services. Staying competitive means constantly taking stock of what you can improve on your skills and your services offer direct benefits to your clients so exploring this area of your business is worth the time.

DON’T: Bad-mouth a competitor. This should be a given, but I feel the need to say it. Because some freelancers don’t insult others on purpose, but that doesn’t mean they don’t do it. When clients ask why they should use you over a competitor, it’s important to highlight your advantages rather than the competition’s shortcomings. This saves you from burning bridges and also helps you to appear more professional.

Even though you may not play for a team as a freelancer, it doesn’t mean that good sportsmanship doesn’t count. Just always put your best foot forward and continue giving yourself that competitive edge -- the right way, of course.

List Of Sites That You Can Get Paid To Blog

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 05:40:00 +0000

Sorry that it has been awhile since my last post. I have been extremely busy and trying to keep going with the lack of time every single day.

Although I may not have said it here, but it's obvious that my goal for this blog is for it to be a place that I can learn and share anything about freelancing work online, blogging, internet marketing, blog promotion, making money online and maybe connect with other people that have the same goals. Unfortunately, I always lack time to do this because of my other responsibilities that are sometimes cannot all fit on a 24 hour in a day. So for now, I will still be posting but not as often as I used to. And in the meantime, my posts will be shorter but I will still see to it that every entry will always be as helpful as possible. It may contain mostly about links of the new posts from other blogs or new programs. So now, this one will be about earning from posting or blogging.

As you may know, one of the ways to add income to your blog is to get paid to write a post about a product or service.

To get better exposure and better search engine rankings some companies will be willing to pay you to write about their stuff. There are those that feel this isn’t entirely fair as you’ll probably want to be nice about the guys who are paying you, but it’s a widely used way of profiting from your blogging and a lot of well regarded bloggers do it - so why not consider it too?

To be fair, to earn the big bucks you’re going to need an established blog with a good number of posts but you can start small and grow from there. The beauty is, like with affiliate marketing, it doesn’t cost you anything to get started.

It’s a changing market that you’ll want to keep an eye on. I recently came across a big list of paid blogging websites over at Hongkiat.com that is really comprehensive and updated. If you’re interested, get over there and check it out.

What Do You Think Of MMO E-Books?

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:51:00 +0000

Make money online e-books? Personally, I think most of them are junk. There’s a lot of them out there, and you had better be prepared to fall over your fair share of it if you intend to do any kind of business online. That’s not to say that there aren’t also nuggets of gold available but you’ll have to go to the end of a lot of rainbows to find them.

The key to building any kind of successful business online always has been and always will be information. The reason the internet has taken off the way it has is because it allows anybody from anywhere to access information about what interests them and whether you are buying a new TV or subscribing to a newsletter what you want is the best information available to help you make the right decision.

This is no secret, and it is the reason why information products have been a big growth industry for the online gurus. At anywhere from $27 to $197+, you can buy this ‘How To…’ guide or that ‘…Secrets Revealed’ e-book and truth be told some of these are invaluable in what they can offer but sadly, most of them are junk.

It is really important, in terms of securing your own success, that you take these products for what they are and never put all of your eggs in one e-books basket. So how do you know if what you’re being sold is information gold or just junkyard scrap?

First, not every quality piece of information is for sale. There are tons of great, free advices available. You may think that no one would really give away high quality info for free but you’d be wrong. In fact many people use exactly such methods to establish themselves as leaders in their fields and encourage people to visit their sites. You can check out for the big list of sites that are giving away ebooks for FREE.

Testimonials are great and can give you an insight into what the literature has helped other people to do but remember, nobody is going to put a bad review of their product on their site so the best thing for you to read is actually an excerpt from the book. Some authors will actually circulate a page or 2 of their work to encourage new readers. If you can’t find anything then you can always just ask and if their work is as great as they say it is then they should have no reason not to show you a page or 2.

Once you have purchased/downloaded the e-book make sure it does what it says it does. The content of the book should be exactly what the title and sub-headings claims it will be. If you find it going off on a different tangent then it’s a safe bet that the information will lead you off in different directions too.

Lastly pay close attention to the little things like punctuation and grammar. It may not seem important but think about it: If a person hasn’t taken the time to make sure that their work is professionally presented what else might they not have been bothered to do? In the multi-national world wide web there will always be some discrepancies for example the differences between UK-English and American-English spellings, but other than that there really is no reason why the work should be sub-par.

If you are ever in doubt about the advice you’re receiving don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. Check with people you know, ask in the forums even email the author of the book and ask them for more information. If you’re still not sure then follow your instincts, put the book down and move on to the next rainbow.

Did This Blog Get Its First Ever Page Rank Because Of Google Analytics?

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:06:00 +0000

Just yesterday, I noticed that this blog Online Bits and Pieces or OBP got its first page rank. It has PR 2 now which is not bad for a 5 month old blog. So, is Google having another update of rankings? I don't think so. The most recent update was on the last few days of 2008. Many new bloggers expressed their gladness with the update results that time. But some are still wondering why Google is not being generous to their blogs.

That year-ender update didn't affect me at all as I was not expecting to get any page rank for this blog. Why? It's because even if I work as an internet marketer, I am guilty of not having much time in putting more contents on this blog. I'm also guilty of not applying SEO on this or even promoting it through social bookmarks. And yes, I have not (yet) promoted this to any other social networks aside from Twitter. Guilty, guilty, guilty!

One more important thing that I realized was that I forgot to register OBP to Google Analytics Service. I realized that only when I was planning to join Dollar Shower's very challenging blogging contest which requires every contestant to share a part of the blog's analytics info as basis for winning. And since I can't join the contest, I decided to postpone my Google Analytics registration on the following day, in which later was followed by another week!

After I have finally registered OBP on Google Analytics last week, guess what? Yes, I got this PR 2 after a week - as a reward I guess. Haha! But kidding aside, this made me realize how I have been unfair to this blog. That's why I am starting to do tweaks on it from this day, apply SEO stuff and do more promotions later. If time permits, I will also put more sensible contents at least twice a week.

This too should make everyone realize how important it is to register your blogs or sites to Google Analytics Service. I used to think that Statcounter was enough for this blog or that Feedburner traffic analytics , but only the lazy-a** part of me tells me that. This statement is addressed especially to new bloggers. But for those expert bloggers out there, if in case you want to take your Google Analytics to an advance level, you can get lots of plugins and tricks on this good collection from Bryan Eisenberg. Also, a lot of people were asking me about the info on my Alexa widget on the sidebar that says the number of links that this blog has is 430,890, and how I did that. C'mon guys, you know how unreliable Alexa updates work these days. The info of course is not true. So, at this time we can just count on the reliability of Google not only in analytics but in all webmaster tools it can provide.

Just a quick warning though - do not spend much time studying the web analytics as this is proven to be addictive! :)

(Updated) Free Downloads: Windows 7 Beta and An Ultimate Collection of Free Useful Software Programs From Microsoft

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 08:38:00 +0000

After all those sensational delays, the much awaited Windows 7 BETA is finally available for download. Microsoft is said to be limiting this availability for the first 2.5 million downloads. Do remember though that you should have Vista installed in your system for you can be upgraded to Windows 7 Beta. This beta tester is said to be expired in August this year.

So if you are one of those "Vista sucks!" people, grab the Window 7 now here.

( Update: I was surprised to get a message from Mr. Blake Handler himself to update me about the download limitation change. Windows 7 Beta is now available for unlimited download until January 24. Thanks again to Mr. Handler for taking time to do this.)

Next....

Maybe some of you know about this already but I just want to share this to those who are not yet aware that there are over a 150 software application programs and utilities that are available for free download courtesy of Microsoft. These applications are great for enhancing your use of Windows and MS Office environment. Finding them all would be extremely difficult and time consuming. But thanks to Blake Handler as he compiled all of them in a Spaces blog.

I personally find the list very useful even with the new baby Windows 7. Check them out here.

Some Cool Ways For Kids Or Teens To Make Money Online

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 10:10:00 +0000

Happy New Year to all of you, dear readers! I hope you have welcomed the year with the big bang and with so much great things to look forward to. And since this is a brand new year that we're up to, I decided to make my first post on topic about young people - kids and teenagers, what cool things they do on the internet nowadays.

Gone are the days when kids used to hang around on the internet only to play games, chat, surf the net, stream audios and videos, socialize in Facebook or MySpace , or just download mobile phone apps and iPods stuff.

These days young entrepreneurs are on the rise. They are always on the lookout for innovative ways to earn some cash. And because kids of today spend a lot of time online, Internet and e-commerce has been an integral part of their lives. Their opportunities online are the same as that of adults; in fact, they have more of an advantage because they are more tech savvy, have wider friends online and they have the capability of creating huge networks of friends in no time.

If you want your teenager kid to start off with earning some money on their vacation, or if you are a teenager reading this blog looking to earn cash from the internet, here are some ways that you can try:

Play Games
Yes, you read it right and did I just see your ears clap? :)

With the amount of time that you spend on playing games online, you can make money from this hobby. There are many gaming websites that offer reward points or cash prizes for winners. Some websites even offer rewards and prizes base on the number of played games instead of your wins. However, you have to make sure that you are indulging in online games that are offered on secure websites. You should try and pick a game that you are good at, to increase your chances at winning.

Game Testing
Another way to make money from playing games. There are game companies and websites that are willing to pay you for testing new games and providing reviews or feedback on those games.

Paid Online Surveys
Did you know companies in the United States alone spend over $250 Billion dollars a year trying to convice consumers to buy their products? They are spent on advertising as well as research. Marketers often study teenagers' opinions in order to evaluate an important market segment - they often make use of paid surveys or online surveys for such studies. You can earn cash giving your opinion to over 450 companies in the US. A lot of survey companies like Global Test Market and Survey Savvy offer these opportunity to different countries as well. And you can also use your contact base to earn commissions by promoting these paid online surveys to other teens.

A website Cashcrate.com accepts teenagers from 13 yrs old and above. You just fill out surveys that pay or offer free goodies. In case you think this won't work well, think about this. Companies pay people to try their stuff, to comment on it, and to give the company their opinion. You could be one of those people, getting paid or getting freebies for your opinion. Pretty sweet, right?

Paid Research Site
Websites like Studentoffortune.com , an online tutorial marketplace, where a student can post a question with with a price called bounty, then you can answer it and win the bounty. Do you have a cool hobby or an expert on something? Read a bunch of books on one subject? You can earn money from this site. Everyone has some knowledge to share and can get paid for it. I have not tried this yet, but I'm thinking of giving it a try.

"Get Paid To" Opportunities
Also known as GPT sites, "Get Paid To" are sites that offer you to get paid to do one or more of many different actions online such as reading emails, surfing the web, clicking ads, participating in group profit and information sharing, completing sign-up offers, to name a few.

Do note that you should NEVER PAY to join any of these programs. These websites maker money by getting a percentage from the actions that you do or the offers you complete. If you come across a GPT or similar sites like paid surveys site that requires you to pay fees to join, ignore them and look for the ones that is "free to register".

Be an Affiliate
You can join affiliate programs that sell products online for the young market such as CDs, clothes, concert tickets, movies, game consoles, and other things that young people usually shop for. You can use your social network sites like MySpace and Facebook to promote those products your friends might be interested in. Simply post a link of the product you are selling and earn a commission when friends make a purchase. You can also sell those stuff on eBay or create your own shop site if you can.

Create a Blog
Anyone can literally create blog or a website even if you don't have programmiing or web design skills. If people find the blog useful or interesting, it will have consistent visitors. You can create a blog or a website on a topic that will be enjoyed by other kids or teenagers like you, and the topic can be anything from games to sports to clothes. Once the blog gains lots of visitors, then monetizing it becomes easy. You can add some advertisements to your blog by signing up on some CPC and CPA ad networks like Google Adsense or Bidvertiser in which you can earn revenues for every click or view of those ads from your blog. You can also put ads of those products you sell from affiliate programs that you joined in or better yet, make a review blog of the products that you sell. A little search engine optimization needs to be applied on your blog using social networking sites and it can be all set to take off.

I must admit, making money through a blog is not easy. It would take sometime and an enormous amount of effort before a blog can be monetized. If you are just starting from scratch, you can read this useful post from CourtneyTuttle about creating a profitable blog. But let me inspire you. There are a lot of kids and teens out there who have established themselves as professional bloggers because they have made their blogs profitable and some are even earning 4-5 digits of dollars a month.

Carl Ocab, who himself started making money with his blog at the age of 13, has created a another new site called Youngest Bloggers where you can see a long list of youngest bloggers around the globe. Check it out and learn more from them. If these kids can do it, so can you!

These are just some of the many opportunities that you can get from the internet. Be wary though not to get tempted with enticingly huge payment offers as there are many scams anywhere online. Remember the saying "If it's too good to be true, it usually is." and always apply it in your quest for making money online. Spend some time researching and making inquiries before you jump in any opportunity. As you get older and learn all the ropes, there will be more opportunities that are open for you. It just takes effort. And of course you can do it.

Just Wishing Everyone...

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:27:00 +0000

Wishing you all the joys and blessings of the season and hoping that you got to spend it with your family and dear ones.

Monetize Your Blog While You Gain More Traffic With ADGITIZE

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 11:32:00 +0000

Today I have registered to this new player in advertising network and monetizing blogs - Adgitize. As you can see, my square ads on my sidebar were added with Adgitize affiliate advertisement and another couple of square ads on the featured blogs section together with the Entrecard ad.

I could say that Adgitize system has similarities with that of Entrecard . Their goal is the same - to drive traffic to blogs and websites. And like Entrecard, it is also based on the point system. But the difference is, Adgitize points will be converted to cash.

Adgitize not only pays for publishing, but also encourages bloggers to post entries more often and rewards us for page views and ad clicks we make to other participating blogs. The program gives rewards by the following points system below:

You will earn points for every post that you make on your blog. (50 points per post)
You will earn points when you click on ads for other members within the community.
You will earn points for the visits that your website or blog gets.
You will earn points every time someone clicks a member ad on your blog.

The earning calculation is your accumulated points to be divided by the total points earned by all Adgitize members (these are clearly explained on their site). The minimum payout through Paypal is just $10. If you don't have Paypal yet, you can sign-up for a free account here.

But there's more to that!

You can also earn as an affiliate and for every person that registers as a member under your affiliate link, you will get a one time referral earning of $5. PLUS... You will also get another $5 for each month that they continue to advertise on the Adgitize network.

Personally, because the system seems to mainly focus on the bloggers benefits, I am not sure if Adgitize can earn enough to keep the program last long. I can't help to think that Adgitize might have to adjust some rules in its system later. Oh well, we'll just see.

So, do I recommend you to sign up with Adgitize? Yes, absolutely. Its membership is free so there's nothing to lose. And while you earn from those point rewards as a publisher, you also get the opportunity to gain some traffic to your blog because of the available surfing system within the members network. So how can you waste this opportunity?

Try them now. Or if you want more information, you can visit their site here.

As an Internet Earner, Would You Consider Engaging Yourself in FOREX?

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 03:34:00 +0000

I know and I regret that I've been neglecting this blog for quite sometime now. And I'm surprised to know that some of you don't get tired of checking this out once in a while. Thanks! I've been busy with some domestic issues here and there, and with some jobs I got myself engage in lately. For now, I don't want to promise though I will try my best to post fresh content at least once a week to share with you some random bits of ideas here on the internet. So, now let me start again with this money making business that is now very popular on the net.

You already know about the internet being one of the tools used to make some cash through online businesses. The fact that the internet can deliver cash right at your doorstep, you will definitely want to try and take a piece of the big pie in the internet. However, what kind of other online business can ensure you to earn some cash? I'm sure many of you have heard or maybe engaged in FOREX trading. Although this kind of online business has existed for a few years now, you may now realize that its becoming a popular form of income generating businesses from the internet.

For those who don't know, Foreign Exchange or FOREX is a financial market place where you speculate on changes in exchange rates of foreign currencies such as the Dollar, Euro or Yen. In short, currencies are traded against one another in FOREX. In order to become successful in it, one must know when to trade specific kinds of currencies and which currency they should trade it against with.

In the past, the FOREX market was closed only to multinational corporations and large financial institutions. They are the only ones allowed to trade in this vast and most liquid market in the world. But thanks to the internet as times have changed a lot. This includes the FOREX market that has been open to individual investors who has access to the internet. It also means that even if you don’t have a million dollars to spare, you too can now become a FOREX trader. In fact, with just a hundred dollars, you can start trading currency in this very large market.

The great thing about the FOREX market is that it's almost always open everyday. You can be able to trade anytime of the day and anytime you want. The trading here is also very large in terms of the amount of money being circulated. In fact, in a single trading day, hundreds of billions of dollars are exchanged. So with this kind of market, you will definitely be able to make some cash and a lot of it if you know how to play with the
trade. Now you may think just how do you get started trading in the FOREX market assuming that you already know how to trade in it?

Basically, you will need to sign up an account with a FOREX broker. You will then be required to sign a margin agreement. This agreement states that you are trading with borrowed money, and, as such, the brokerage has the right to interfere with your trades to protect its interests. Once you sign up, simply fund your account and you will be provided with FOREX trading software where you will base all your trades from. By then, you'll be ready to trade!

Another good thing about this is that FOREX brokers will be able to guide and advise you on what trades you should make and when to trade. This is why you have to remember to go with a broker that has a lot of experience in the market and the one that has extensive tools and research so you can make sure that you will minimize the risks of losing money
.
Although this is a huge market, in fact the largest, there are huge risks involved. In fact, there are some people who lost their life savings in this market because of misinformation and inexperience.

To trade, or not to trade? Many are reluctant to involve in this trading because of its ‘risks’. Generally speaking, there are risks everywhere in our life: Factories may malfunction, customer may not walk-in if you open a shop, stock market may crush, and if you are employed you may get fired during company downsizing. There are risks everywhere! The important issue here is how you learn and maintain your risk. So if you are considering participating in FOREX market, you should learn managing the risk involved, instead of being terrified.

So, even though the FOREX market can make you good profit, there are risks that you should always be wary about. Just remember that you do need to study the FOREX market well first before you start trading. And be sure that your broker meets certain criteria and should take the time to find a trading strategy that works for you. Remember, the best way to learn to trade FOREX is to open up a demo account and try it out. This will maximize your chances to make successful trades and will make you more profitable in all your internet deals.

Make Money With Your Digital Camera

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:09:00 +0000

You enjoy taking photographs and people keep telling you that you have a great eye. How hard is it really to make money from your photographs ?

There's a lot to taking good photos and there's no way that one post could cover all the aspects of a good photo. This is an overview about how to get started making money with your digital camera.

Before you begin you will need:
- a decent camera doesn't have to cost the earth but it can be all the difference when it comes to making beautiful photos. If you don't have one, my friend Audrey has a special review on a Canon 10-megapixel digicam that is so affordable. Check it out.
- a computer with internet where you can find places to sell your photos.
- to understand the different features on your camera learning to use the special features on your camera can make all the difference.
- to keep your eyes peeled for good photo opportunities at all times.

The subject - when taking commercial photo's this is obviously very important. You will want to photograph a wide variety of subjects that would cater to different clients tastes and niche.

Anyone can make a good living from selling stock photos online. People pay photographers enormous amounts of money for their services. You must remember that selling anything takes work. You will need to spend a great deal of time marketing yourself and your work.

If you are serious about making money from your photos then you need to start putting together a portfolio containing your best work. Having a portfolio on hand can be very useful when wanting to impress prospective buyers. You could even set up an online sales system selling your photos.

You could use some more unconventional methods to generate cash with your camera. What about making screensavers from beautiful photos? If you don't have the technical know-how you can refer on this ebook to learn how. The book is very helpful that you don't have to be a professional photographer for you to use your camera as a money making machine. It will even show you where you can sell your photos and where to get free-trial sofwares that you will need to get started.

There are just some of the markets you can consider selling your photos to. Online photo websites, print magazines, newspapers, travel brochures and books all need photos. Keep your eyes open for any publications that appeal to your niche.

All that’s left to do it grab your camera, shoot and start making money!

01/29/09 Update: Check this post from Thursday Bram where she stated 5 good sites you can sell your photos to, plus other options of making money with your photographs. Useful post indeed.

Work At Home - The Real Deal

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:50:00 +0000

The idea of working from home has a lot of appeal. Why not? You are free of many worries. You don't need to worry about a morning commute, you can get more sleep, no rushing off to work, no co-workers to be friendly to first thing in the morning or when you're having a bad day. You don't have to follow another person's schedule and you don't need to worry about an angry boss looking over your shoulder and pressuring you.

It does sound good, but beware of the problem in that view -- it only focuses on what you don't have to do and not what you do have to do.

You don't need to worry about a morning commute, but you do need to worry about getting your head into a frame of mind where the distractions of home (TV, a good book, hobbies, chores, etc.) don't get in your way. While you don't have to follow someone else's schedule, you do need to devise your own and stick to it if you are to meet your projects' deadlines. When you think about "working from home", it is best to put emphasis on the "work" rather than the "home".

Okay, so you have an idea about what you're in for and do you still want to continue?

Good. First things first: do not quit your day job immediately on the assumption that you will be able to earn a great living working from home right off. Once you get in the swing of things, you may even realize that it's great to work from home for a few hours a week to generate some extra income, but you don't want to do it full time.

About the things that you will need. The first and most obvious is a computer with an internet connection. The location of that computer is as important as having it though. If you are the type of person who likes watch TV and you know you'll end up getting sucked into a show when you're supposed to be working, keep your computer in a room with no TV. You need to cut distractions.

As well, when you are at work on your computer, treat it solely as work time. No Instant Messaging programs, no games in the background, no surfing the internet for Facebook, Friendster and the like. Those who already work from home agree that mastering a disciplined approach is one of the hardest parts of the process. It's easy to have the discipline to show up to work on time when you work in an office and your boss might fire you. It's a lot harder when you work at home and you say to yourself, "Well, I'll get started in an hour or so, I've got plenty of time..." Think like that too often and you'll find yourself either missing deadlines or at least cutting them really close.

And also, if you are a person who loves everyday social contact with other people and enjoy working as a close knit team, then working from home may not be for you. It tends to create isolation, boredom and loneliness with some people as there is no social interaction with colleagues. There is usually a complaint of having lack of technical support in work from home jobs. It is possible to succeed in work from home jobs only if and when you are self motivated and organized in your life.

Working at home may not work for everyone, but if you can overcome the challenges, it can be the best job in the world.

Why Submitting Articles is Important For Bloggers and Webmasters

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:46:00 +0000

Many people think that submitting articles to article directories is a complete waste of time. They're saying all you need to do is create tons of keyword rich content and place it on your blogs or website, that search engines will find your website and you will get a whole ton of new traffic.

But in reality, it is not as easy as that. This isn't "Field of Dreams". If you build it, they still will not come unless you start taking some real action to get your name and site all over the Internet.

2 Main Reasons Why Submitting Articles to Article Directories is Important:

1. You will become an expert and authority in your niche

When you submit articles to article directories such as Ezine Articles or Article Base, you can be cited as an expert on websites, blogs and ezines that you didn't even know were there. Many will have thousands of subscribers in YOUR target market.

It's true. Most of the ezines, websites and blogs out there have "guest authors" and "featured articles" written by someone other than the publisher. These "contributions" are actually articles plucked right from article directories!

Now, if someone looks you up and sees literally thousands of results, and 25 of the first 30 search results are about you and your expertise...you'll be the automatic expert in their eyes.

They'll listen to you, because from what they can see, everyone is listening to what you have to say. And because they want to hear more of your expertise, they'll come to your site to invest in your products and service. This means more money in your pocket. So, why wouldn't you want to submit articles to article directories and spread samples of your expertise all over the Internet?

2. Builds quality backlinks and Google PR

You can use articles to drastically increase the amount of links pointing toward your blogs or websites. The major search engines absolutely love quality one way links. To the search engines, links are a kind of measurement of how relevant and important your website is compared to others on the same topic.

If you want to climb higher in search results you must have more websites linked to your blogs or website. The higher you climb in search results the more unique visitors you will get. The more traffic your website receives, the more money you will make!

So, do you think it's a waste of time to submit articles to article directories? Hopefully you can now see just how much article marketing can do for your business. If you're not yet submitting to article directories, it's time for you to get started.

Win a Free Handbag at Handbag Planet

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 03:13:00 +0000

This might sound out of topic here. But this is about a contest, winning and getting something for free is still earning, right? I just feel the contest might be interesting to some because of its convenience of joining. If you're interested, read on.

Handbag Planet is celebrating the launching of their website on October 15, 2008 and they are giving away a free handbag every hour for 24 hours on the day of the launch. Their high fashion, trendy handbags are inspired by popular designer brands and priced between $30 and $80.

Joining is easy. You just have to sign-up with your name and email address, and that's it. After signing up, you can select the handbag you would like to win. There's absolutely no catch - this means NO shipping/handling fees or credit card required. Yes, it's really that simple!

I just finished signing up and I chose to win this handbag:
If you are interested to know more, just visit Handbag Planet website.

Monetize Your Blog Through ViralBlogAds

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:12:00 +0000

Another horse on advertising race has come out. ViralBlogAds is a Pay-Per-Click image ad network especially designed for blogs. Its focus is on producing a robust and easy to use advertising platform.

At a glance:

Displays only Image Ads. Ad sizes available: 125X125 and 468X60
You get paid if someone clicks on the banner
Once someone has signed up through your referral link, you will automatically receive 15% of their ad publishing earnings, for life!
Free Ad Exchange: You can set up upto 3 free ads to exchange with other users
Payout will be via PayPal

For Advertisers
Since ViralBlogAds is a Pay Per Click ad service, you only have to pay if the visitor clicks on your ad and visits your website. It gives you a full control over your advertisements which is great for tracking the return for your investment. Statistics are broken down into a daily archive, enabling advertisers to drill down to the stats of specific domains. This can let you analyze and tweak the performance of a campaign in a particular blog.

For Publishers
Monetize your blog with 125×125 ads slots or 468×60 banner and your account will be credited whenever you receive clicks on it. A single line of javascript code is all that is required to start displaying ads; including fully configurable size and layout options. Payouts will be via Paypal and with minimum of US$25.

A free blog ad exchange is available to all active publishers, to advertise their blog if no inventory is available.

There is also this publisher bonus fund, which rewards a selection of outstanding publishers each month with a cash bonus.

Referral Program
For every publisher that signs up under your referral link, you will receive 15% of their publishing earnings, for life!

Synopsis
The program is still on its pre-launch stage so it's not yet easy to get an accurate idea of the system. It is under the partnership experienced Internet entrepeneurs, Colin Klinkert of Viral Networks and Simon Emery of OIO Publisher, so chances of them coming up with a great service are pretty high. People who join early always have more advantage by referring more people to sign up under them.

Unlike many programs and companies on the internet, ViralBlogAds works with each of its members closely. Using its feedback messaging system, it is their goal to continuously improve your experience so your blog receives more web

If you haven't join ViralBlogAds yet, be one of the pioneer members. Sign up now by clicking here.

Bloggers Do Have Brains! - Technorati's Statistics

noreply@blogger.com (frenchy) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:44:00 +0000

Technorati has released its annual stats in its ‘State of the Blogoshpere 2008″ report. There are quite a few interesting stats to come out of the report including the fact that 74% of all US bloggers have graduated college.

Many feel the only intelligence required to write a blog is the ability to put a few words together - and make some sense (some blogs leave that to question as well). No, bloggers do have brains. In fact, blogs themselves seem to be becoming more sophisticated. Quick Stats from the report include:

* 66% of bloggers are male
* 60% of bloggers are between 25 and 45
* 44% of bloggers earn between $20k and $75k
* 48% of bloggers live in the US
* 45% have a Technorati Authority number of 1 or more
* Half of bloggers who responded are on at least their second (or 8th!) blog
* 59% have been blogging for two years or more
* Non first-time bloggers contribute to four blogs on average, and the average blogging tenure is three years.
* Female bloggers are more likely to affiliate links (41% v 32%)

Why are these stats important? If you’re an advertiser, you can target your ad placement according to who is behind the blog as much as by who is reading the blog. Blogs that get past the two year mark tend to be stayers and bloggers that get beyond the two year mark tend to have more than one blog. You can draw many other conclusions from the data - the biggest being that blogging is alive and well and being driven by individuals with intelligence - as least, that’s what the stats say.