Blog directories

1. 87

   Marisa Wrightposted 16 years ago

   I've been surfing around, looking for blog directories to add my blog to.
   
   I found two - Blogmad and Blog Explosion - both of which have a surfing system, whereby you surf other members' blogs and earn credits so you can buy feature banners, thus increasing traffic yourself.
   
   Does this constitute a traffic exchange and if so, would I be safer to drop out and not use them?

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   1. 39

      adrainseanposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      depends on your blogs but if you plan for or have adsense on your blogs you will banned for sure as it against their policy to buy traffic in any way.
      
      Alos the kinda traffic you get is very low quality as they are not interested in your blog but just browse it to earn points and get traffci for their sites, As analysed the pageviews generated from such traffic is minimal  and is of no good.

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2. 57

   broalexdotinfoposted 16 years ago

   They are useless at least from my experience, biggest time wasters. Well unless they have a high page rank, and you`d be able to get a dofollow link, that would be the only value to your site. Otherwise just ignore those banner exchange and traffic referral sites, they are no use.

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   1. 79

      Lissieposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      
      
      Getting back to the actual question :I agree with the above: unfortunately the visitors don't stay long on your blog and don't click on your ads - so they are next to useless really - in fact worse because you will probably get smart priced for Adsense too!
      
      I think a better option, especially for someone with your writing skills is article marketing - its easy to do and there is a new product I am using and  just reviewed on my blog which is quite exciting because it allows you to get real contextual, keyword backlinks on relevant blogs.

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3. 51

   tanyacatherineposted 16 years ago

   A blog is often a mixture of what is happening in a person's life and what is happening on the Web, a kind of hybrid diary/guide site, although there are as many unique types of blogs as there are people. People maintained blogs long before the term was coined, but the trend gained momentum with the introduction of automated published systems, most notably Blogger at blogger.com.
   Thousands of people use services such as Blogger to simplify and accelerate the publishing process. Blogs are alternatively called web logs or weblogs. However, "blog" seems less likely to cause confusion, as "web log" can also mean a server's log files.
   
   <no signatures please>

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   1. 57

      broalexdotinfoposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      What is this useless reply I just don`t understand, we know what blogs are, we can look up on Wikipedia and get the right meaning, for example in my case blogs are just money makers, how does that sound to you?
      
      Alex

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4. 58

   Mark Knowlesposted 16 years ago

   Alex - that is an advertisement
   
   I have reported it and it will probably have the link snipped.

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   1. 61

      solarshinglesposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      Well done, Mark! (was that an automatic spam robot or a real person) 

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5. 58

   Mark Knowlesposted 16 years ago

   I would think it is a real person, because they had to set up a hubpages account, then paste the text and then add the bbcode.
   
   What a waste of time

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   1. 69

      waynetposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      I know this, because I've tried it myself ho ho ho!

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6. 69

   waynetposted 16 years ago

   Yeah, traffic exchanges are fairly untargeted affairs, and all everyone wants is more credits to show their sites and the others who want to show their sites and then some more who want to show theirs too and maybe some small midgets would like to too and large people with slippers and....oh relax ....traffic exchanges!!! I gave up long ago, unless they provide a profile page, I am not interested.

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7. 57

   broalexdotinfoposted 16 years ago

   Lissie, if you are trying to make money online off a blog where you actually highlight you are just starting things then you`ll never make much cash.

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   1. 79

      Lissieposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      
      
      I have an unusual approach to marketing broalex - I use truth - you are right: I should have have had links to the other 2 products I mention in my review and given pros/cons and affiliate links which would have got me paid regardless of which the visitor chose. 
      
      
      However I haven't bought the other 2 products: I will not promote what I haven't bought.  A testimonial about how ever one is make $5000 overnight when they are asleep generally helps too.  My "persona" should be confident, well and expensively dressed.  I would then officially be as big a con as Yaro Sarak, Garry Conn Edwin Chia and all the rest - who would sell their grandmothers for a $
      
      The blog gets about 2.5 readers on a good day so I can't justify the 100's of dollars it would cost to buy the other products and try them.   The search engines will never find it because "make money online" is incredibly competitive term - instead my readers are people who find me in "person" here on hubpages and elsewhere.
      
      For a long time I resisted actually having a general MMO blog - but its useful for basically things like this.  It will never be my main money maker,that lies elsewhere, but it can probably cover its hosting costs :-) so I'm happy! If  I am looking to buy a product now  I generally look for reviews from people I trust: its the only way to avoid the crap!

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8. 74

   Inspirepubposted 16 years ago

   I think your approach is the right one, Lissie.
   
   As you learn more and have more successes, your readership will grow with you, and they will be fiercely loyal if you have been honest all along.
   
   I would just like to throw in my 2c worth on the people you mentioned. I would not put Yaro Starak in the same class as people like Ewen Chia. I have met Yaro personally at seminars here on the East coast, and I interviewed him about his first businesses that he started in his teens. (You can still get the interview, actually, from the Raising Entrepreneurs website). He's a pretty genuine, pretty decent guy on the whole.
   
   I must admit I don't read his blog regularly, so I can't comment on whether he does product reviews and such, but we are on his email list and the free information he gives is pretty good and pretty solid compared with the "rubbish rubbish BUY THIS rubbish rubbish" stuff you get from most of the internet marketing types.
   
   Ewen Chia, on the other hand, I have had a bad experience with one of his products and associated poor customer service, complete junk sent out to his email list, and I have seen him speak live once - basically a 90-minute sales pitch with zero content of value.
   
   To me they are chalk and cheese.
   
   Jenny

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   1. 79

      Lissieposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      
      
      You are so right Jenny: I am not the guru following type I don't even usually seek out mentors : but I noticed that I am now in the habit of not using google to see if I should buy a IM product but checking a handful of blogs - its about trust really - and unfortunately some of the big names have made very,very bad names for themselves, and a lot of money.
      
      I came close to signed up with Yaro's blogging course - but I got put off because I didn't want to set my self up teaching others to do what I hadn't been successful doing myself - it was low point in my online career really - and sent me back to real work part/time.
      I have since heard other people feel that they were badly scammed by that particular course/coaching program .
      
      For months I stopped doing any sort of make money online blog: a) because  I could never get it up there in the search engines against the big boys and b) because I felt like a fraud doing it - because my income is - still less than $500/month online
      
      Someone wrote me a comment though saying something along the lines that seeing someone grow was as useful as seeing the success end too which is my experience too so I started writing the 100sites blog
      
      Oh Rochelle can't find the blushing smilie

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   2. 73

      Shirley Andersonposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      I can't speak from any personal experience with Ewen Chia, but I was surprised to read this as I was under the impression that he was one of the 'gurus'.  Guess that speaks volumes about impressions.

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      1. 79

         Lissieposted 16 years agoin reply to this

         
         Oh he is very,  very good at what he does! I didn't say he was incompetent :-) - my internet markeitng has my very short list of good guys on it!

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9. 98

   Rochelle Frankposted 16 years ago

   Lissie-- I like your reply (especially the part about truth). I am pleased that you are my first fan.

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10. 87

    Marisa Wrightposted 16 years ago

    Thanks for the replies.  It's funny, I knew that traffic exchanges were "illegal", but until I came across a couple, I had no idea what they looked like!   These two sites look like ordinary blog directories to begin with - it's only once you sign up that you discover the surf-for-credit element.
    
    Love your comment about honesty, Lissie - and kudos to you for having the right attitude!  I"m like you, but it took me a much briefer flirtation with online work to send me back to a "real world" career. 
    
    For me, the bottom line is that an online career requires almost as much work as a real-life job, if one is to earn a decent living from it.  And that time is spent holed up alone at home with the computer.  I've discovered that's not my thing at all - even if I'm not actually interacting with people, I need the "buzz" of things happening around me, otherwise I lose all motivation.  Working at home is like walking through treacle - I don't get anywhere fast!

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    1. 79

       Lissieposted 16 years agoin reply to this

       
       
       Im the oposite: I love being holded up at home with the computer :-) - funny  Iwas thought  Iwas introvert - but coroporate world kept telling me I was a leader and an extrovert - and now  I find I was right all along! 
       
       Its taken a year but I feel now  I understand how the internet marketing game works, I know what I have to do to make money and that I do really want to make my $4000/month and retire! I'm not saying I know it all but I know enough to start being a lot more effective :-)

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       1. 87

          Marisa Wrightposted 16 years agoin reply to this

          That's great, Lissie, I'm glad you've found your niche!   I'm very conscious that I'm in the minority on most writers' sites and "make money online" venues, because most people who write or blog are introverted types who enjoy their own company. 
          
          The funny thing is, I am an introvert - I'm just one of those odd introverts who is happy being alone so long as there's a lot happening around me.  My ideal would be to do my writing in a cafe, if I could only have my keyboard and mouse with me (I can't work on a straight laptop because I have an old neck injury).

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          1. 74

             Inspirepubposted 16 years agoin reply to this

             I work at home - but it's hardly quiet!
             
             Chris and I sit at desks close together, amid a constant swirl of kids, cats, and houseguests, which we have about one week in six. For the last year, we have had at least one kid home sick at least 2 out of 3 days during school term time, and in the school holidays our three kids turn into six, nine or twelve kids because we are one of the few homes with resident parents during the day. We should charge for it, lol.
             
             What I wouldn't GIVE for the chance to see if I like writing in my own company.
             
             Chris and I take our laptops out to a cafe for some peace and quiet!
             
             Jenny
             
             P.S. I have also found that I can get a solid chunk of work done on my laptop in a paediatric ER - it usually takes six hours or so to get a doctor to turn up and treat the kid, and ours all know the drill and bring a book to read while they are waiting.

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             1. 79

                Lissieposted 16 years agoin reply to this

                LOL this is truely beautiful Jenny - and totally explains why mother's can multi-task!

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11. 61

    britneydavidsonposted 16 years ago

    Blog directories as you mentioned can really be helpful indeed!

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12. 73

    Shirley Andersonposted 16 years ago

    Hey Lissie:
    
    http://hubpages.com/profile/EwenChia
    
    I knew I'd seen his name on here somewhere.

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13. 74

    Inspirepubposted 16 years ago

    It's pretty simple when you're a mother - multi-task or die ...
    
    Jenny

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