Blazing Minds » successful blogging

15 Ways To Become A Responsible Blogger

dean — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:39:39 +0000

How does it feel to have your own little part of cyberspace, where you can air your thoughts, views and ideas? Doesn’t your blog give you a great opportunity to share, impart learning, learn from others and grow as a person? Sadly, not everyone is using their blogs positively or responsibly. Here are the 10 rules of responsible blogging.

1. Verify Information Before You Post

If the information you’re going to post is not true, of if you’re not sure of its veracity, be honest with your readers about it. The credibility of you as a blogger and that of your blog depends on the integrity of what you publish.

2. Respect People’s Viewpoints

Don’t use your blog to come down heavily on anyone’s viewpoints, be they religious, political, moral or whatever. Allow your blog to be an impartial ground where people can discuss multiple viewpoints but insist on respect.

3. If In Doubt, Wait Before Posting

If you’re not sure about a particular post, wait for at least 24 hours before posting it. Yes, we know, all bloggers undergo pressure to post and stick to a schedule. Check with your friends and network if it’s sensible to post it. If your counselors indicate in the negative, refrain from posting it.

4. Know That You’re Accountable For Your Blog

Always keep in mind that you’re accountable for your blog’s content, how it’s written, data accuracy and the comments as well. Be prepared to take charge of your publishing consequences. Accept mistakes; publish an apology and work to resolve conflicts immediately.

5. Demonstrate Humility While Expressing Your Thoughts

It is impossible to get the whole picture of someone else’s life. Be quick to listen but slow to speak when it comes to expressing your thoughts and opinions on people and their beliefs. You have to especially mind this when you’re blogging about someone with whom you disagree.

6. Know What Not To Blog About

If you’re blogging about yourself, you will become vulnerable and put yourself out there, perhaps not in the best possible light. If your story involves other people, both you and the other party get implicated. Think hard about how open you can be and whether you’re creating trouble for yourself and for others through your blog.

7. Learn The Basics Of Copyright Law

Even if you remove copyrighted content from your blog, the infringement still exists and you’re still accountable. Don’t copy paste content. Always check if content is copyrighted or not (even if there’s no copyright notice). Take the time to learn the basics of Copyright Law

8. Monitor Comments

Attach a comment policy to your comment form; this will help your readers know what kind of comments are welcome. Also don’t publish comments immediately without moderating them.

9. Never Forget To Give Credit

If you’re using referenced material, provide a link to the reference. This is not only ethical, but helps readers read the reference material to get an overall picture. Be sure to credit the authors of articles if you’re using open source software such as WordPress.

10. Include A Disclaimer

If you are employed by an organization, include a disclaimer in your About Us page saying all expressed views are yours. Disclose who your employers or partners are and make sure people understand that none of them are responsible for content disagreements.

11. Be Transparent With Sponsored Posts

Advertisers look for sponsored reviews for extra mileage. They’re a good way for bloggers to earn more money as well. However, you must maintain transparency with your readers when it comes to sponsored posts. Dedicate a page for sponsored posts and outline what your readers should expect from them.

12. Maintain Transparency With Affiliate Links

Readers cannot identify affiliate links that are cloaked. The “link cloaking” technique may get you extra clicks and revenue but it is basically unethical and bad for your blog’s future. You will lose visitors who’ll view your blog as a trap. Create value for the reader and keep your affiliate links transparent.

13. Know And Respect Tax Law

Any money you earn via your blog is taxable. If you’re paying writers anything more than $500 for your blog, you should file a 1099 form. Read up on your tax obligations today and don’t wait till your blog is shut down.

14. Don’t Cheat Social Bookmarking Sites

Don’t try blackhat methods such as cheating search engines by hiding text behind images, buying Diggs and so on. Sooner or later you’ll have to pay a heavy price, as these methods are not sustainable.

15. Test Products Before Promoting Affiliates

Remember that anything you provide on your blog reflects directly on your credibility. When it comes to affiliate marketing, don’t just grab a money spinner. Rather, promote a product you believe in and make sure that your audience gets value out of your efforts.

One Failed Attempt To Build Relationships With Bloggers (BasicBlogTips.com)
5 Tactics of Reader Engagement From an Expert Blogger (famousbloggers.net)

15 Ways To Become A Responsible Blogger is a post from Blazing Minds Copyright 2008-2011. Please link back when using this source material.

If you enjoy reading my blog, then please support me with a donation and Follow @BlazingMinds on Twitter

I’m Minted With My Monthly Earnings!!!

Karen — Thu, 06 May 2010 06:52:38 +0000

How minted am I? Well it’s probably been one of the better months that I have had, not only has my blog brought in a bit of revenue, but also from other sources such as MyLikes with the aid of Twitter and with the inclusion now from GoViral Network and Ebuzzing, it’s been a brilliant April… It was a very good month and these don’t come that often, but when they do, they are worth the wait

So I suppose you all want to know how much I’ve made in April, don’t you…..

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ok! Enough already, let’s get on with it, please understand that using these websites etc, may not yield a massive amount of earnings and some of these are made by hard work and commitment

SponsoredReviews.com – £23.62

GoViralNetwork – £51.03

MyLikes – £15.12

Ebuzzing – £103.00

Google Adsense – £6.30

Sponsored Tweets – £0.09
Total for April = £199.16 ($302.23)

So there you go, it’s been a good month, May might not be as good but, I’m certainly going to give it a shot

No related posts.
I’m Minted With My Monthly Earnings!!! is a post from Blazing Minds Copyright 2008-2011. Please link back when using this source material.

If you enjoy reading my blog, then please support me with a donation and Follow @BlazingMinds on Twitter

When Blogging There Is No Waiting Game

DragonBlogger — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:33:21 +0000

Bloggers have to realize that there is really no “Waiting Game” with blogging, unlike the previous generations where “If you build it, they will come” mentality existed and worked for certain types of companies and services bloggers have to “Go Get” their audience. There is just too much competition in virtually every category and topic on the web, just production quality articles and keyword tagging them alone is not sufficient to get you noticed and drive people to your site by itself.

You must immerse yourself in social media and every blogger is a sales person trying to promote their site and their opinions to the masses. Sign up for every single social network you can find (Digg, StumbleUpon, Mixx, Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, Plurk, FriendFeed, Ping.FM, BlogEngage, HubPages, Zimbio, BlogCatalog and hundreds more). Sign up and create a profile submit at least one or two articles to each social network, make sure your online “handle” is owned by you so your ID always associated on these networks is always your own.

If you are blogging with the intention to earn money from your blogs, you should also invest in your blog and grow its traffic. Very few bloggers are successful without putting some money into their blogs, this mostly should go toward promotion and advertising whether it is running CPC programs on AdWords, or running a campain on PayPerPost or SocialSpark to help get the word out. You want to invest a little bit of time and money into promoting your site and by funding it you are paying for awareness.

Know that your investments are far less than opening your own restaurant or physical business and you only invest what you can afford, but remember above all else. There is no waiting game in blogging, you must actively promote and sell your blog if you really want to get it recognized and successful.

You can read more of my blogging articles over at Dragon Blogger Technology and Entertainment Portal.

-Dragon Blogger

Related posts:

Blogging Tip: Save Drafts for a Rainy Day

Blogging Tips from Blazing Minds in 2009

Blogging Tips for Bloggers and Commentators

When Blogging There Is No Waiting Game is a post from Blazing Minds Copyright 2008-2011. Please link back when using this source material.

If you enjoy reading my blog, then please support me with a donation and Follow @BlazingMinds on Twitter