Blogging for nothing?

June 27, 2010 by · 7 Comments

Almost two years ago when I was still a beginner in the world of blogging, still consider my self a beginner but after two years?! haha, my only wish was to be able to buy my own computer. I only wanted to stop renting in computer shops because it’s very costly. Also, I made a promise to my self that if it will happen, and I knew it’s going to happen, I’m going to write a lot of sponsored posts to earn money. I planned to make this simple hobby into a part-time job. And as an old saying goes: be careful what you wish for, what if you actually get it?

Luckily, I did get it. For the first time in my entire life, I got a laptop and an unlimited access to internet. This means I can blog my heart out, chat 24/7, surf till I drop, and visit my facebook account anytime I want. Take note, though, that the main purpose of this laptop is to earn money. But what am I doing? I’m spending so much time on Youtube and watching music videos will not give me money :(

It’s more than slightly disturbing how I’ll manage to find a way to chat with friends while watching the video of Pyramid by Charice but will not even bother to update my blogs. I can be a multi-tasker if I want to, but I just can’t do it in blogging. Battling lack of time is not the only problem. My laziness is always getting in the way, too. Worse, it seems that I’ve already lost my interest in submitting my sterndal.com to get-paid to blog websites. Okay, wait a minute, let me rephrase that. I think I’m just not doing my best to meet the requirements of PPP. I should be hurrying by now to finish that 20 required posts to start earning the soonest possible time, right? Yeah.

This is just foolish. What’s the use of having a laptop and an internet access if there are no earnings? It’s like investing my hard-earned dough in a business without profit. It’s just a waste of time if you will ask me. I mean, of course, I do love blogging. Reading has its own rewards, writing is another thing. I am genuinely flattered when people tell me they read my blog and some even say my posts are witty and interesting. I know you’ll find this hard to believe but there are about five persons who told me they like my blogging style :)

Having said these things, let me ask you a question. Isn’t it pathetic to blog for nothing? A lot of people will disagree, for sure, but please don’t get me wrong. It is quite understandable that most bloggers do it for the sole purpose of having fun. No money involved. Period. Besides, what is more liberating than to blog without worrying about audience interest, or traffic, or Page Rank, Alexa Rank and Technorati Rank?

Well, for me, blogging without earnings is disheartening. Wouldn’t it be nice to have it all? To be able to blog and earn at the same time? To have readers, visitors and advertisers as well? That is exactly my goal. So, I have to get real. I’m not blogging for nothing. I’m here in the blogosphere to do what I love, to earn money, and to socialize.

There isn’t always time for updating my blogs. I have a full-time job. I have no time. But I will make time. The trouble with me is that I’m not focused and I’m too lazy. Having a laptop is my biggest break in blogging. The opportunities are endless. One can never tell if this can change my life for the better. This is it! I’m gonna seize it!

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The Lure of Blogging

June 19, 2010 by · Leave a Comment

I’ve never wanted anything else but to have my own blog. Okay, aside maybe from having my own online dating site where scammers, RACISTS, and fake people are not allowed to join. I work in a company that publishes journals abroad and I’ve always admired authors who write something worth reading. Basically, having my own blog is an ambition fulfilled, and much more than that :) Why? Because I get the opportunity to be the author, editor, typesetter, proofreader and QA of my own article, all rolled into one hehe! I feel like I have my own Publishing House with my little blog :) How cute, right? In addition to that, it also gives me the chance to document my life as the ordinary Manila girl who has simple plans and dreams. I want to write about my thoughts, feelings and experiences so that maybe someday, when I grow old, I’d read again my posts and perhaps I’d ask myself “what the hell was I thinking?” haha! :) Now, isn’t that exciting? Only one thing is missing though. READERS. What is an article without readers? I am not really after the fame. But I think it would be nicer if someone would be interested to read my posts :)

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My 2 Blogging Dilemmas – Solved!

August 3, 2009 by · 1 Comment

Do you often work on long hours to gain traffic for your blog? I do, and I know how tiring it can be. Reserving whole days or weekends just for blog hopping is extremely frustrating knowing there is no guarantee that they will also visit back to me. My blogging techniques, just like those of many aspiring bloggers, obviously need improvement. I’ve thought about this overnight and here are my findings and solutions:  

Problem # 1 Very Low Traffic  

I suppose one of the many reasons why a lot of people are soo into blogging is because of the opportunity to earn money. This is my primary motivation, I admit. Unfortunately, I can’t do that without an impressive Alexa rank.  

Simple Solutions  

  • Register my other blogs to Blogexplosion and alot at least 30 minutes every other day to surf sites. The more I surf, the better chances of getting free hits for my sites. I’m just not sure if bestfriend google will be happy to know about this because based on the quality guidelines, autorotation is not allowed. There is another site that offers the same function (Globalautohits) but it’s so effortless I’m hesitant to join.  
  • I will also register my blog to Linkreferral to get constructive criticisms and reviews.
  • Leave greetings and messages in blogs that have chatboxes or tagboards so the owner will be notified that I was there. I will leave my url and hope to get a visit in return.  
  • Although I have an entrecard in my sidebar, I haven’t really used it that much. But I’ve seen a lot of bloggers attesting to how effective it is, so I’m gonna drop my EC to 300 blogs this coming weekend and see if it really works. It should, lol.  

Problem # 2 Need free backlinks  

I now understand why bloggers and website owners are going gaga over page rank. Although I still don’t have any idea on how it is computed (my blog I Love Sterndal has more than 100 backlinks while this one only has 4, but both got PR2), I am certain about one thing: it is a requirement to get approved in paid to blog sites like PPP. More incoming links means higher chances for a better PR. But the question is, where will I get free backlinks?   

Simple solutions:  

  • Based on my personal experience, the easiest way to get free backlinks is through submission in popular blogging communities. My plan is to submit my blogs to Blogoria, MyBlogLog, Blog Catalog, Blog Hub, Zimbio, Technorati, etc.  
  • Leave meaningful, sincere comments on other people’s blogs.  
  • Ask other bloggers to exchange links with me.    

The only problem now is I’m too lazy to do all those solutions. LOL

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My Own Domain

May 19, 2009 by · 3 Comments

This is it! I made it! Yehey! I’m very happy :) After more than half a year of serious blogging, I’ve finally saved enough dollars so I can buy my own domain name, www.sterndal.com. Wow! Thanks God!

But this is something I didn’t really plan. I am so contented with my two blogs in Blogxi where everything is a piece of cake. Ms. Vienna has always been nice to assist if something goes wrong or if there is anything I would like to change in my blogs. I just had the idea of having my own domain because everytime I would take an opportunity in PPP, the requirement would most often say ”you should have your own domain to take this opp” or “free blogs should not take this opp” which kept me frustrated a great deal. Most of the available opps for me are about online dating or gambling or just about the things that don’t interest me. So, I decided to use my $98 worth of 4-month blogging income to buy a webhosting plan which comes with a free domain. Is it too expensive? I don’t know but I’m glad I’ve discovered that there are a lot of free wordpress themes available in the internet before I was able to purchase one.

Now that I am hosting my own blog, it feels like I am on my own. Now I would have to solve all of my blogging dilemmas by myself. Gone are the days when I need not worry about the template and html codes or java scripts, all those blogging jargons I don’t really understand. Now I have to familiarize myself with FTP, CPanel, File Manager, DNS and everything. As in, everything! Now I have a total of three baby blogs to take care of. Now I would be busier than ever. I know it wouldn’t be easy but it’s going to be worth it. Go Sterndal! I can do this!

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