Monetize Your Life
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So you visited my site or another blog and would like to pop in more often and keep track of the content on the site. So you add the site as a bookmark and Bob’s your father’s brother. Except what if you wanted to be notified when new content is added or existing content is updated. Well you can by subscribing to the RSS feed but what the heck is an RSS feed?
What is RSS
RSS feeds are the answer to the modern internet. The internet is all grown up and with the growth of broadband across the planet we have as a planet access to more information faster than at any time in history. We are no longer limited by our technology but by time we have available. RSS feeds are a result of the change in the face of technology allowing content on the internet to change constantly. The internet as you know it will not be the same in 5 minutes time and has probably changed fairly drastically in the last 60 seconds. RSS feeds were designed with this in mind, the dynamic web a web in constant flux. A static bookmark is no longer sufficient for a website who may add and update content many times an hour. We need content as and when it changes RSS delivers your internet right to your browser in real time.
RSS means Really Simple Syndication
The syndication bit simply means the delivery of media and the really simple is what RSS is.
Now you:
- No Longer need to check for updates when a site is updated your RSS feed gets updated automatically
- No longer need to navigate to each site you regularly read the content is right there when you open your RSS feed reader
- Can receive breaking news as and when it happens
- Drastically reduce the time you need to spend on the internet
- Drastically increase the amount of media you can consume
I have included an additional video as well as text guides on how to use RSS feeds all of which are quite comprehensive, in the resources at the end of the post should anything still be unclear.
How to use RSS
- Get an RSS reader there are a plethora of RSS readers on the market for sale and for free I suggest starting with a free reader like Google Reader
- Once you’ve found a RSS feed you’d like to subscribe to click on the RSS icon.
- If there is a drop down select your reader if not you should see a screen similar to the one below where you’ll be able to choose your preferred RSS reader.
- Go back to Google reader and you should see the latest posts from the RSS feed you’ve subscribed to in Google Reader
That is as they say is that. Rinse and repeat for every site RSS you’d like to add and a come back daily and keep track of your important sites as and when they change.
How to Use RSS Feeds More Resources:
- What is RSS? by Darren Rowse – a great look at why and how to use RSS feeds
- Getting Started with RSS by Paul Stamatiou – A great guide to using RSS from PaulStamatiou.com (found via LifeHacker)
- How to Explain RSS the Oprah Way
Everything you need to know about RSS feeds and feed readers is included in the this guide on how to use RSS.
Internet: Useful Tips:
RSS In Plain English
Subscribe to my blog via RSS now 
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While going about my business I was lucky enough to discover one of my favorite movies at a second hand store. Stranger Than Fiction
Ok this is not a Stranger than Fiction review though so for those who have not watched Stranger Than Fiction I thoroughly recommend finding a copy of it, I’ve tried very hard not to spoil the movie so I’ve steered clear of spoilers as far as possible so if you haven’t seen it keep reading I’m pretty sure this won’t ruin it for you when you do finally watch it.
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Beat Writers Block
The most common problem amongst writers? Writer’s block! Writer’s block is described as everything from the work of the divine to a medical condition. So what is writer’s block? How do we get Writer’s block? How do I beat writer’s block and most importantly how do I avoid writer’s block?
Writer’s Block is a Myth
Writer’s block is a myth, a label for a society in love with labels. Even in the depths of supposed writer’s block I could get 10 words out of any of you! All I’d need would be a hot poker (grins evilly) Point I’m trying to make is with the right motivation writer’s block would be a thing of the past. If I asked you, while you languished in the pits of writer’s block hell, to write about the history of your cat or importance of understanding the offside rule or why Friends was the greatest cultural event of the 90’s I bet your cup would be overflowing. These are subjects that you know inside out and the words would likely pour forth from you like one liners from Chandler. Continue reading »
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Ok so let’s blow off some steam. I have recently become genuinely annoyed with the state of the blogosphere. The more time I spend as a blogger and blog reader the more I find smaller blogs bowing to pressure of Google and it’s fascist bots. Sure I’ve just started blogging and I spend some time on SEO writing on all my posts just like everyone else but it’s not an obsession. If my content is good and I keep at my strategy for getting my blog out there, good SEO writing or not, people will show up and they’ll bring friends. I’m pretty sure I believe this.
Keywords and SEO Picking the meat from the bones
Carcass
Why bother driving tons of readers to your site with great SEO writing strategies only for the crowds of people to arrive have a look round and realize, that after they’ve picked the meat from the carcass of your keyword riddled body they still feel distinctly unsatisfied.This is self defeating. You’re wasting your time and you’re wasting mine! Me and my SEO illiterate, keyword abhorring friends will leave your site never to return ever again.
I believe and use the idea of SEO writing religiously
First and foremost for me SEO writing means my writing
S hould
E ngage/Entertain/Educate/Excite
O ther (people)
Pick your own ‘E’ word or any other letter I’m just illustrating a point here. The important bit here is other people. If you write content that entertains yourself, congratulations! You no longer need a television. The important thing is does, it entertain others. Does your content solve a problem for other human beings. If it’s not, you’re going to find it tough to go from a great SEO, high traffic, high bounce rate blog to a positively viral blog. Where readers arrive and for better or worse you’re stuck with them till a really offensive post you do part.
SEO and SEO writing
SEO writing is the problem, not SEO in and of itself. SEO writing is the practice of dumping in a ton of keywords then trying to hang some content on to them after. Real SEO writing that drives conversion is a by-product of good focused content. See the difference? You need to write your post then go back with your SEO glasses and give it polish. SEO writing for the sake of SEO writing is self defeating drivel. Unless you’re a poet write clearly and plainly. Fitting the word artichoke into a sentence because it Google friendly is just dumb, artichoke. When writing a post do your homework, find a topic people have an interest in, answer questions people are asking pimp your post. If it’s good meagre SEO will be enough. If it’s bad supercharging it’s SEO will only give you a much larger group of people reading a bad post and being less likely to return.
Writing for people is transcendental
I enjoy writing for other people, nothing excites me as much as when I receive a reaction from a reader, when I’ve made a connection and somehow my words have stripped away the many thousands of miles between me and my reader. When my words have made irrelevant the differences in culture religion and beliefs and my ideas are laid bare. Keyword abuse in SEO writing strategies tend to strip away the value in all internet writing. Keywords drive hits and become a “SEO iron curtain” behind which good sense appears to have gone to sleep. These bots don’t care about my ideas which i quite frankly find condescending and and arrogant. I mean sure i can’t read millions of lines of text a day, but I can write mean things about bots, take that bot bastards! I refuse to spin any yarns for your pleasure.
Bots are a fickle bunch
Impressing bots is a tough job. They’re a fickle bunch and as dense as your keywords may be i can make mine denser, really I can, don’t tempt me. The problem is, there is a point where traditional SEO writing just becomes comical. The bots giggle with glee as they promote these semi nonsensical posts to the top of heap for their relevance, knowing that over the long run they’ll be overhauled by the articles actually written for people. These articles gain authority. These articles are passed around, bookmarked and linked to. Ultimately great keyword use will only get you so far. If you want traffic build a rapport with your readers not a paint by numbers SEO writing strategy.
Quality of traffic counts
Write about what you’re passionate about. Write to be understood by people. You may find less traffic but higher quality of traffic. Most every type of monetization works better when you have authority. When the reader is invested in your site and in awe of your knowledge they are more inclined to trust any offers you have on your site. When a reader lands at your site and feels that they’ve been duped with insincere SEO writing, fancy keywords and meta tags they’re more likely to think I’m not buying anything this sleazy ad serving, spammer is selling thank you very much.
How to write Content that engages other people
- Solve a problem for your readers
- Turn a common problem on it’s head and give a different take on an old chestnut
- Get annoyed about things that annoy your readers, like dodgy SEO writing (oh how I hate you)
- Be a little controversial, play devils advocate now and then
- Use comments from your readers as content for future posts (the comments will come in time)
- If it sounds right but isn’t bot friendly go with what sounds right
- Read your writing out loud no one likes a smarty pants make sure your language is natural
Bots never get picked first for dodge ball
Traditional SEO writing is a reality of the modern internet however with the advent of web 2.0 we are no longer completely at the mercy of the machinations of the search engines. As a result I suggest spending time building your networks and writing content that is useful to people. Bots don’t have friends and don’t click on ads. I kinda feel sorry for them sometimes.
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- @BabyBrownEyez09 RT @H33MFRESH: Twitter is my entertainment
- @DiegoFami RT @DavidM_16: Después de tanto despotricar por Twitter que pensará la gente de mi... Ah espera... Que me importa una mierda... jajajaja
- @CLanning31 RT @nickhernandez14: Everybody me and @CLanning31 are fighting tomorrow (; im making it twitter official!
- @Captain_Rooibos First night flight! Woohooh! Kinda irrelevant but I just wanted this fact to exist on Twitter.
- @AngryFashion I'm Bouta Delete My Twitter After That Shit
Writing content? Add value to your reader add value to your community
I’m not in the business of writing about writing content but I came across a very interesting article written by one of my many many blog readers this evening, If you want more traffic for your blog, you have to give more traffic. This was really enjoyable post which reminded me again, as I slog away behind my laptop that I’m not in this on my own, every time I hit a key I’m paying my dues in one of the toughest and fastest growing communities on earth. Neat hey?
So what are you on about?
My blogging started with me skulking around blogs I enjoyed, like The Simple Dollar, Problogger, Zen habits and Lifehacker. Looking back at these blogs now I realize how much the “voice” of each blogger when writing content contributed to the type of community that turned up day after day to interact with the content. Over and above this these guys were and are authorities in their niche. It helps I suppose that these are all professional bloggers, able to spend their time “researching.” With an advantage like this how screwed are the rest of us writing content? What chance do we have against full time web trawlers in their niche? Surprisingly we have an excellent chance they’re just giving all their knowledge away. They’re happy to add to the value of your blog.
Don’t leave anything on the table
A-list bloggers have figured out the trick to this blogging game there’s one rule. Yes only one, no neat bulleted list or catchy system for success just one rule. Add value. Add value to your reader. Add value to your community. A-list bloggers leave nothing on the table. They’ll tell you everything they know if you’ll listen.
Spend time finding questions
This might seem dumb, what value are questions? Now imagine writing a post where more than 50% of your readers sign up to your RSS feed or E-mail updates. Sound impossible? Not really, if you know what questions your readers are asking to end up on your site then you’re well on your way. Answers are easy to find. No matter how knowledgeable you may be, until your content asks and answers specific and relevant questions you’re going to struggle to become an authority as your readers trawl through your unrelated content (or more likely give up and look elsewhere)
Get by with a little help from your friends
Now to neatly come back full circle to that post that started it all. Blogging is about synergy not SEO or advertising. Blogging is a dialogue. Build a following, send them to sources of information that will be useful to them, add value and they’ll be your friends forever. Build a relationship with bloggers in your niche and you’ll save yourself a heap of pain trying to reinvent the wheel.
The key to all of this though is sincerity. Just like in real life, people can only be manipulated so much. If you want true synergy you need to give without motive. Give because you can. You’ll get screwed over now and then. Even if you make one great blogging acquaintance out of every 100 interactions you make, you’re probably doing something right.
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