Questions about blogging

1. 77

   TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years ago

   I just started an RV Lifestyle blog on blogger and need to know these things:
   
   What is the best way to link between HP and the blog
   How do I set up affiliate accounts for the blog
   How do I use the "pages" on Blogger...am not sure what the deal is with them.
   
   Thanks for your help

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   1. 86

      WryLiltposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Link from HP TO the blog. You get 100% of advert share and ownership on your blog. It needs traffic. HP doesn't.
      
      Google "[Topic] affiliates" or look up sites like ShareASale or Commission Junction.
      
      Pages are static content - they usually sit in the top menu. For instance "About", "Contact" etc. Posts are displayed chronologically.

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   2. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I've got a Hub about how to monetize your blog, which explains about affiliates - you'll find it on the slider on my profile

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2. 67

   2uesdayposted 11 years ago

   If you see signs that the blog is going to work well for you in the future is/was a place in settings where you buy the domain name for a year. If you do, selecting the auto-renew option makes it easier in coming years. I hope the feature is still available as I have not looked lately.

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   1. 86

      Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Don't wait till then - buy it now.  If you wait, any links you get in the early stages will be wasted if you move later.  So take the plunge, find yourself a nice .com domain name which reflects your subject, and add it now.

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      1. 67

         2uesdayposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         That is good advice Marisa I am still learning about these things and make mistakes as I have lost an active domain name recently by not having it on an automatic renew.
         
         I just looked for the place in settings on Blogger where you could buy a domain name easily and the buy a domain name section does not appear to be available now.
         
         When I searched on GoDaddy to renew the domain name I had been using it came up as available but when I went back later, it was no longer available. I think that I am one of those people that are good at learning by their mistakes.

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         1. 60

            Mark Ewbieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Don't start me on GoDaddy!  What these sites do is steal your domain names if you let them lapse and then offer them back at inflated prices.  They even steal your ideas - so if you search for a name and think I'll go back later it will now have a new price.

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            1. 77

               TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Any ideas about how to make a blog look better than just a listing of articles?  When I look at my blog overview page, it looks so....blaahhhh!

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         2. 86

            Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            No, you can't buy your domain name through Blogger.  You  buy it somewhere else, then you'll find the instructions on Blogger to attach it to the blog.
            
            https://support.google.com/blogger/trou … ts=1734115
            
            The instructions do look a bit scary at first glance, however if you buy your domain names at a good registrar (I recommend Name.com), they will help you with setting up the records at their end.

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            1. 86

               WryLiltposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               You can buy your domain name through Blogger. Or you could. They do it through GoDaddy but it goes straight onto your blog domain.
               
               I wouldn't recommend it though, a headache to use as it's not a proper domain account.

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               1. 86

                  Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  They've got rid of that service, you can't buy a domain through Blogger now.

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      2. 77

         TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Would somebody explain to me, dumb as I am, what the importance of a domain name is?

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         1. 86

            WryLiltposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            A domain name is like "timetraveler.com". You can't build a website without one (unless you use free blogging sites like timetraveler.blogspot.com)
            
            I personally use Namecheap

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      3. 77

         TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Where do you buy a domain name?  I see Google sells them...is this a good bet or is there something better or does it even matter?

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      4. 76

         Silva Hayesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Good advice.  I have a blog, MosaicRoad.blogspot.com, that is attracting more and more traffic.  I decided recently to buy the domain name and have my own website.  Well, someone bought up that name and was just sitting there waiting for me to buy it - for $1,595 . . . instead of the $10 I could have bought it for back when I started the blog.

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         1. 77

            TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Silva Hayes:  Did you buy it from Google?

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            1. 76

               Silva Hayesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               No, I didn't buy it.  I looked up the owner; it's PageCheap.com in Denver and they listed it for sale for $1,595.  How could I buy it from Google?  Would love to own it but can't afford it at that price.  Tell me more, please.

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               1. 77

                  TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  Silva Hayes:  I misspoke  What I meant to say was could you have purchased it from Google or would have been another seller?  I need to buy a domain name but want to make sure I get it from the right place, unless doing so does not matter.

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                  1. 76

                     Silva Hayesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     If it had been available (floating around out there not owned by anyone) I could have bought it from Google or GoDaddy or any number of others.  I didn't know until now that one could buy domains from Google (thanks!).  I wish I had bought it when it was available for ten bucks!  Now, what about after you buy a domain name, who hosts it?  How do you determine that?  You would look at costs and quality of service, ease of use, all kinds of factors.  We had two web sites in the past (about 6 years ago) and it was quite an administrative task to keep them running.  Don't know what it's like now.

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                     1. 86

                        Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        You can't buy them through Google any longer.   
                        
                        What TimeTraveller is planning is simply to attach the domain name to a free Blogger blog, so there are no other costs involved.   That's certainly the cheapest option but it's not as powerful as using Wordpress on our own (paid) hosting, and if you're going to write about contentious subjects, there's always the risk that Blogger could close your blog down.

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                        1. 86

                           WryLiltposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                           Yep! I've heard they're cracking down on adult content, wonder what's next.

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                  2. 86

                     Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     It really doesn't matter where you get it from, but as Silva found out, some of them get up to nasty tricks. 
                     
                     Domain names are not all priced the same.   Registrars can charge extra for "premium" names.  So one trick is this: say you search for a particular word or phrase on GoDaddy (or one of the other sharks), and you find a good name, but you don't buy immediately.  When you go back to buy, you'll find it has mysteriously doubled or tripled in price. Basically, once they know you're keen on a name, they figure you'll be willing to pay whatever they ask. 
                     
                     You can save a few dollars by buying your domain names at GoDaddy but I can't be bothered with (a) those silly games and (b) the fact that they then bombard you with marketing and upselling. 
                     
                     You can buy any name from any registrar.   Personally I like Name.com.  They're not the cheapest, but you won't have to play silly games and they have generous support (something you won't always get from the cut-price operators).

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                     1. 86

                        WryLiltposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        Oooh I'll have to check them out. I use Namecheap and I find that they work out cheaper in the end - half their "addons" are free or cheap, where as GoDaddy charges for cheap domains then grabs your wallet for things like WhoIs Guard.

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                        1. 77

                           TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                           I used E.nom which I was referred to by Google.  The name costs me $47.99 per year but it is a private domain, protected from spam and keeps people from knowing my identity.  I can renew it every year for ten years for the same price and they have 24/7 customer service plus up to 10 private email addresses if needed.  I thought that was a pretty good deal...and they don't try to sell me add ons or play any games.  I'm happy.

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                     2. 77

                        TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        Marissa and Wry  I just called ENom and they do not have a cancellation policy.  They may (or may not) refund the privacy and email portion (either $10 or $20), but I am stuck for the rest.  They say I can move the name after 60 days, but there will probably be a transfer fee from the other company as well as a new charge for a domain name.  So, they get to keep $30 or $40 for nothing, and I have the choice of staying with them for a year and then cancelling and possibly losing my domain name, starting a new blog with a different name and moving my article over to it or transferring the domain name in 60 days and possibly paying more for the same domain name.  Please advise me about this asap...I had no idea that there would be problems like this, and I am afraid to add articles and increase reads and the domain name price, etc. etc.  What a mess!

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                        1. 86

                           Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                           I've replied to you direct on this, as you know.
                           
                           If you decide to stick with ENom till the end of this year, you can transfer your name elsewhere then.  Arrange the transfer of the domain name a month or so before it expires, THEN cancel your ENom account after it's been transferred successfully.  That way, there will be zero risk of losing your domain name.
                           
                           You will find most other registrars will charge you between $8 and $15 to transfer your domain, but that will INCLUDE  the cost of the domain name for a further year (if it doesn't, go somewhere else).

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         2. 42

            Writer Foxposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            So, go buy 'TheMosaicRoad.com' for $10 from GoDaddy. But, don't even check to see if that is available unless you have your credit card in hand and are ready to purchase or it probably won't be available when you check again.

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            1. 86

               WryLiltposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Or go with a reputable site that won't possibly steal your site, or charge you huge fees for any addons.

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               1. 77

                  TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  WryLilt:  Is there a way to add Pinterest to blogger blogs?  I don't see anything on the site about this, even though they have links to FB and twitter.

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                  1. 86

                     WryLiltposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     You mean the "Pin" button? People can do it straight from their toolbar, but you can easily put it on a site with code.
                     
                     http://www.codeitpretty.com/2013/03/the … s-for.html

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      5. 77

         TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Marisa:  I called Google last night to see about buying a domain and they said they do not sell them without emails.  They referred me to a site called ENom.  It was more expensive to buy one there, BUT, I think it was worth it because I also got 10 emails AND a private domain name that protects my personal information.  I got them to agree to a 10 year annual renewal at no price increase and on top of that they gave me a little discount.  They also have 24/7 tech help.  The price before discount was $50 for a year...I know that may seem high, but to me it was worth it, especially after they explained about what happens when you buy a $10 domain.  I'll be 80 at the end of ten years if I live that long, and if the site works out, I won't care if a renewal costs more at that time.  You guys all have been wonderfully helpful here.  By the way, (and I won't do a link here, just the title) the blog is called www.  rv  learning  spot  .com  (rvlearningspot...all one word).

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         1. 86

            Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            $50 for a year is a disgraceful rip-off!!!!!   A domain name costs LESS than $10 for a year, no matter where you buy it.  Anyone who's charging more than that is a con artist.
            
            I'd love to know what they said "happens when you buy a $10 domain". 
            
            I think you have purchased a hosted domain by mistake - and if that's the case, you've got a bargain.   What that means is you don't need to use Blogger at all - instead, you will build your site on eNom's servers.  As I known you're not keen on technical stuff, I can't imagine you'd be keen to get into the mechanics of setting that up.
            
            If you use the eNom domain name with Blogger, then you're just wasting around $40 each year, because you won't be able to use any of  the extra features they've offered you (like the emails).   
            
            Reading eNom's website, they seem to be more in the business of recruiting people to resell their domains, than selling them direct to individuals   Reading this review seems to confirm that:
            http://community.spiceworks.com/product/5172-enom
            
            Google are not experts on domain names or hosting, so don't think that just because some guy at Google recommended this company, that means it's good.

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            1. 86

               WryLiltposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Agree with Marisa. Sounds like you've been ripped off.
               
               I use Namecheap and they charge around $10-12/year for a domain name. They give you domain privacy for free the first year then something like $2/year after that.
               
               You do NOT need to pay for anything other than a domain and privacy (and that's optional).
               
               They have heaps of addons, none of which you need. Emails come with your hosting anyway, as do most other things.

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               1. 89

                  Jean Bakulaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  I got my domain name from Name.com, and it was only around $10.00. I already have it set up to renew when the year is up. I had other issues because my blog is on Weebly.com, the ads were showing up as white lines when the blog was in live mode. They offered me their Pro service for free for a year, to be fair, but although I like having my own blog, I think they will charge me $99.00 for another year of Pro when it expires. I don't know what I will do then, I haven't made much money on the blog. But Name.com was easy to work with.

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               2. 77

                  TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  Well, too late now.  The deal is done.  I don't have to renew after year one, however, so if someone else will let me keep my domain name, I may move.  If not, I'll stay. $50 won't break my bank.  Also, if I decide to add a second blog, I can use the ones you guys mentioned.  I asked people about this for 4 days, and when nobody really responded, I decided to do it on my own.  Needed to get things going.  Oh well!

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3. 75

   Barbara Kayposted 11 years ago

   A mistake I made years ago was not buying a domain name. I had the website and it had the host name on it for about 7 years. It was a free site with the hosts ads on it.
   
   When I added Adsense to the site, I decided to purchase a domain name. All my old links weren't counted anymore. I was placing on the first page of Google and got knocked down to page 10. I've never recovered fully and the new domain name was added in 2009. That was a big mistake.

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4. 65

   Astra Nomikposted 11 years ago

   I used to have my blog on a free Weebly site and then I bought a proper domain for it and it is hosted on Weebly. I am very satisfied with it. I can post my own work there and not worry about editorial content as I control it all. I control the advertising and admin. I love blogging and it is earning me revenue in the half year it has been online.
   
   Every writer should have her (or his) own blog or website. No one can promote you better than you.

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5. 77

   lobobrandonposted 11 years ago

   And you can have a max of 6 pages or so but of course unlimited posts. So, you'd need to decide what would work best as pages and what would be better off as posts.

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   1. 77

      TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      lobobrandon:  I'm hosted by Google and saw nothing about limits on anything.  I can't figure out what the "pages" are for or how they work.  Can you explain it to me?  thanks.

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      1. 86

         Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I'm not aware of any limits on pages either.   He may be thinking about navigation being a problem with too many pages, because some people use "tabs" along the top of the blog to display pages, and you can't fit too many along that row. 
         
         You can see page links on this blog, under the header picture and above the text:
         
         http://howtwolive.blogspot.com.au/
         
         However, you can also put a list of pages in your sidebar, in which case you can have as many pages as you like. 
         
         Pages are useful.   Use them for anything you want to keep separate from your flow of posts.  So for instance, you might want an "about this site" page, or you might want to have a page of recommended products, or you might want a "hints and tips" page.   
         
         While I've got you, please,please,please ring up eNom and cancel.  I've been doing some Googling and they're not to be trusted.

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         1. 77

            TIMETRAVELER2posted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Marissa:  I think it's too late to cancel now.  Guess I'm stuck.  It's been a week since I saw this info from you guys.

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      2. 77

         lobobrandonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         @Marisa & Time traveller
         
         Back when I created blogs it was 6 pages at the max. I still have one, but never bothered to check as I thought 6 was the limit. Seems like the lifted it up to 20 around a year ago.
         
         Check this: http://productforums.google.com/forum/# … g46llZVbaQ

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      3. 76

         Silva Hayesposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         TIMETRAVELER2, about the Pages feature.  My blog is about mosaic art and I use the Pages feature for articles I have written that give instructions or other information.  My sporadic posts could be about anything; I try to keep to the subject of Mosaics, but I might post one about vacation or that it's raining, or whatever I want to say, but my Pages don't change (unless they need to be updated).  For example, I have a "Page" entitled "Materials and Methods," and another one is entitled "My Hubpage Articles - a Link."  Another one is entitled "Mosaic Guitars."  On that page, I have pictures of a few that I've done.  So if a visitor wanted to see only my guitars, they could click on that page, instead of searching the entire blog.  Hope this helps; guess you could use the Pages feature however you want to.  For example, you could have a blog about gardening.  Your daily or weekly posts would just be about what you're up to that day.  But over on the right, you could have a "Pages" section where you talk about Green Beans and Okra and Tomatoes.  Really, I guess you don't have to use the Pages feature at all unless you see that it's useful to you or to your visitors.

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