Just found out that Google does not limit the maximum number of posts once can have for a blog. That's right! The maximum number of posts for a blog on blogspot or blogger is infinity. One is entitled to an unlimited amount of posts though there is a limit of 100 blogs per user.
That gets me wondering. Is it possible to really have 10,000 or even 100,000 posts on a blog. What kind of blog will that look like? Is there even such a blog around today (like a world record for most number of posts on a blog)?
I really really wonder.
This blog is about financial freedom and serves to inform, educate and entertain the public on all personal finance matters. The author of this blog has been blogging for 5 over years. He was also a guest blogger at CPF's IMSavvy site (now AreYouReady site). This blog is visited by many unique readers from various countries every month. Do bookmark this blog and leave your comments.
Showing posts with label Blogging Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging Tips. Show all posts
Overview for January 2012
The first month of 2012 is over. January has been pretty uneventful for me except for quite a few large ticket items that I have spent on. Passive income and dividends were $0 but I am expecting a bumper crop in the month of February since that will be when all the dividends from my REITs will most probably come in.
Expenditure wise, I have probably burnt some holes in my pocket from some large ticket items:
Expenditure wise, I have probably burnt some holes in my pocket from some large ticket items:
- Car Servicing. Sent my car for servicing and maintenance during the weekend. It was long overdue and so, since I was free, decided that it will be a good time to spruce the car up a bit. The costs added up quite a fair bit - over $560++. That was for a 36 point check (normal servicing, don't ask me what the checks were), changing a new battery, change of transmission oil and new wipers to go along with it.
- Term Insurance. Just made annual payment of S$347.50 for my wife's coverage. Necessary expenditure but expensive nonetheless.
Investments wise:
- Invested in First REIT mainly for dividend income. First REIT is listed on the Singapore stock exchange and holds hospitals and nursing homes in various countries. It gives a quarterly distribution of around 1.9 cents per unit.
- Invested in Gamco Global Gold &Natural Resource Trust (GGN) - provides US$14 monthly dividends. Yet to receive the first batch of dividends for January since it usually takes some time before the cheque is posted. Expecting this to come in for the month of Feb 2012.
Blogging wise:
- Started an ad campaign and have spent close to US$100 on advertisements and promotional costs for this site.
- Also exploring new ways to generate content (either by hiring a freelance writer or through other means).
Hitting 10,000 Unique Visitors and Some Blogs are Meant to be Savored
Hitting 10,000 Visitors Per Day
Blogging. I have probably written lots about it before and the targets that I have set for myself previously. Loyal readers of my blog will most probably know the targets that I have set for myself in terms of blog traffic and stuff. I realised that I have not been pursuing those targets that I have set for myself previously and that has somehow resulted in me being haphazard in my approach towards this blog.
It all starts with the mindset that goes: "Forget about those targets, let's just do what I want and blog about what I want to." Come to think of it, targets are actually not that bad. At least they help me to stay on track and be focused.
My target for this blog is to get 10,000 unique visitors per day. Will I be able to achieve such astounding numbers? I do not know. Currently, the only "medals" I have to show for from this past time and secret hobby of mine is as follows:
1. Blog link on Mr Tan Kin Lian's Blog. Most Singaporeans will know that Mr Tan Kin Lian is one of the current 3 Presidential Candidates for Singapore). Yes, my blog link is actually on his blog! Wow, I am surprised that he actually placed my blog link when I asked for a link exchange! =) Coincidentally, all the presidential candidates have surnames "Tan". Dr Tan Cheng Bock, Dr Tony Tan and Mr Tan Kin Lian. Ha..just realised it when I was writing this post.
2. CPF IMSavvy Blogger. I actually made it as one of the guest bloggers on CPF's IMSavvy site.
Well, I must say that I must be one of the lazier bloggers there cos I haven't really found time to write lately. But I promise that I will do more to make personal finance as interesting a topic as I can to many Singaporeans. I don't profess to be an expert but rather think that there is a lot we can learn from each other's experience. Theory helps but I think practical advice and real life experience is what most Singaporeans can probably relate to better. And that is why I have been rather open about taboo topics like my income and expenditure. Hopefully, that paves the way for better conversation surrounding the topic of personal finance. Some of my guest posts there can be found in this link here: Guest Posts on CPF IMSavvy
3. People are willing to put up guest posts on my blog. I have been getting emails from various sources requesting for me to feature guest articles on my site. Browse through my blog and you are sure to find some of these guest posts which I thought my bring a certain amount of "freshness" to this blog. Do let me know if you would also like to contribute a guest post. Just drop an email to sgfinancialfreedom@gmail.com.
Some Blogs Are Meant To Be Savored....
Yes, hitting 10,000 unique visitors might be a target that I set. But I still hope that this blog will be as personal as possible. And that readers will find something that they can relate to here. My achievements in life might not be many but I do hope that there are articles and posts here that people will be able to draw inspiration or strength from. The last thing I want readers to go away with is this crazy hunger or greed for money. While this blog is titled "Financial Freedom", I certainly do believe that there are probably many many more things in life that are more important than being rich/achieving financial freedom, etc.
As always, I welcome feedback. Any feedback that you might have. Please let me know how I can improve this blog by commenting below or just dropping me an email. Thank you and have a great weekend ahead!!
Revert Does Not Mean Reply and Mistakes that New Bloggers Make
Many people confuse the word "revert" and "reply". Very frequently, we see in emails whether personal or work where the sender asks readers to "Please revert by....". And most people actually do not realise that this is the wrong use of the word. In fact, I have been guilty of this mistake for many years too. It wasn't until recently that I realised my mistake. The confusion between these two words and the misuse of them is common.
Back to the main topic of mistakes that bloggers make. Just yesterday, I wrote about how the news had reported bloggers that can earn up to $5000 per month. I am almost certain that this will spark some youngster to pick up blogging as a hobby. Some might even do it at the expense of studying or working.
I am not a full-time blogger. But having blogged for a few years now, I thought that I should at least "impart" whatever I have learnt and clear any misconceptions that some may have about blogging. So before you proceed to set up a blog and become a full-time blogger, here are a few things that you ought to know:
Blogging is not as simple as it sounds.
They hype about people making money from blogging always sounds too good to be true. It sounds like pretty easy money. Why not? Just sit at home and type and wala! Money appears in your account. The problem is: It is not as simple as one thinks.
Blogging is actually a lot harder than one thinks. Apart from issues like Writer's Block, you also have to deal with the many other problems that come with it. Bloggers also have to struggle with how much privacy they hope to achieve or whether they want to keep their blog a secret. What if you realise your friends are reading your blogs? Will you still write it? Blogging is not like tuition or some hourly part-time work where pouring in more time equates to more effort.
In fact, writing a single post a day probably makes little difference (in terms of ad revenue) to writing 2 posts a day. In fact, there are article writers out there who are willing to charge $3 for a 300 word article. And why are they not setting up their own blogs to publish those articles? Because a 300 word article will not actually make you $3 in ad revenue. And that is why article writers will sell you their articles. In fact, most people are better off churning out 300 word articles for $3. You would probably earn much more from writing articles for others compared to blogging. So churning out 10 or even 100 posts a day on your blog is not going to translate to a multiplier effect. It most probably will have little effect.
So remember, blogging is not as simple as it sounds. Putting in the time and effort does not guarantee success. Unless you are already a celebrity, it is going to be awfully difficult to reach that $5000 per month figure. It is achievable but I believe only the best bloggers in Singapore are able to reach that amount. And that means bloggers like Xiaxue or people who have managed to amass a huge following. And that usually means hours and hours of hard work. Definitely not as simple as you would like to think.
Blogging Requires Passion.
Blogging also requires a certain amount of passion for writing, sharing, and of course, the topic that you are going to write about. In my few years of blogging, I have seen countless cases of bloggers who beg for a link exchange only to stop blogging after a few months. It is just way too common. The amount of time required to blog is more than you can imagine. And to keep it up for years is even much much harder. Most of these bloggers think they will earn money from blogging but then realised that after 1 year of blogging, they are better off focusing on their jobs and working part time (or perhaps just selling their articles to others). The money is simply better than what they can earn from their blogs. Basically, blogging requires a lot of passion. And that means blogging even if you don't earn any money from your blogs. If you can't do that, you most probably would not make it as a full-time blogger.
Full Time Bloggers Can Earn Up To $5000 Per Month
Just recently, I wrote about blogging and its misconceptions. Basically, I was commenting on the fact that many readers have misconceived ideas about who I am and what I do due to "historical" drips and draps of information that are scattered over this blog and which I have failed to update. Thanks for bearing with all the confusing information but sometimes it helps if readers just visit the most current posts to find out where I am in life. Of course, there are certain issues which I blogged about and failed to update all later. So it seems like I am still struggling with that issue but perhaps I have already gone way past that and did not see the point in blogging at all. For info, I have a full time job now and am quite happy with my life.
Anyway, it was interesting to read the news today to learn that more Singapore bloggers are going full-time. Nuffnang had indeed revealed that the top bloggers in Singapore can earn up to $5000 per month. Of course, that is quite a tidy sum of money and I am assuming that most of this income is derived from ad revenue. Of course, there must be other sources of income. I reckon that celebrity bloggers are earning somewhere close to that amount. But compared to international bloggers, the $5000 per month figure is of course quite low.
The only fear I have is that many more people will jump recklessly into the blogging bandwagon. Of course it is possible to make a full time career out of blogging but it is probably not as simple as it sounds. And the picture painted might make it seem so rosy: Work from home, flexi work hours, good money. It is not that simple. And I am sure the full time bloggers will attest to that.
For every blogger that is earning $5000 per month, I am pretty certain there are 1000 others who are earning less than $5 per month. Remember, $5000 per month is not the average, it is what Nuffnang considers to be the higher earners. So these are really the outliers and not your average bloggers.
Anyone here knows of a full time blogger? How much does he/she earn?
Spent US$50 Registering A Domain Name
So Christmas is coming. And over the weekend, I spent US$50 to register a domain name for one of my sites which I wanted to shift from the current blogspot to a .com domain. The $50 was paid off from the ad revenue I received from 2 sites. The money was still stuck in paypal so I decided to just use it to register a domain name for the fun of it. Or should I just say: to gain some experience?
Not too sure whether it is worth the investment but guess I can see whether it works out in the end and then decide a year later whether I still want to keep that domain name.
Anyway, it was really troublesome setting up the account and stuff. I was using GoDaddy but was fumbling through it and wasn't really sure how to get the Wordpress up too. I made a fatal mistake in that I did not configure Wordpress on the root directory and ended up having to delete it and reinstall it again. That was like the killer move which wasted a few hours of my precious time.
Hopefully all this will be settled and I can unveil my new site soon. (Or if the way things are going, it might be weeks or even years =)
Oh well, guess that is all part and parcel of life. Sometimes, things just move slower than we expect them to take place.
Weekend Crowds
I am not really sure that I enjoy weekends anymore. I mean, I don't really enjoy going to malls on weekends as they are just so crowded. And crowds tend to make my blood pressure go up. I just need my own personal space. And sometimes, it is difficult to find that space during weekends as every single place I can think of is often so crowded. So staying at home sometimes works best for me.
Not too sure whether it is worth the investment but guess I can see whether it works out in the end and then decide a year later whether I still want to keep that domain name.
Anyway, it was really troublesome setting up the account and stuff. I was using GoDaddy but was fumbling through it and wasn't really sure how to get the Wordpress up too. I made a fatal mistake in that I did not configure Wordpress on the root directory and ended up having to delete it and reinstall it again. That was like the killer move which wasted a few hours of my precious time.
Hopefully all this will be settled and I can unveil my new site soon. (Or if the way things are going, it might be weeks or even years =)
Oh well, guess that is all part and parcel of life. Sometimes, things just move slower than we expect them to take place.
Weekend Crowds
I am not really sure that I enjoy weekends anymore. I mean, I don't really enjoy going to malls on weekends as they are just so crowded. And crowds tend to make my blood pressure go up. I just need my own personal space. And sometimes, it is difficult to find that space during weekends as every single place I can think of is often so crowded. So staying at home sometimes works best for me.
Diversifying Streams of Income - Passivity the Key
I have been trying to diversify the various streams of income that I currently get.
I have my earned income from my 9 to 5 job. This is the most hard earned income as I literally have to work hard to earn it. Any day I stop going to work means that I stop earning money literally. In this time and age with the retirement age set at 62, I need to find some kind of work that will allow me to work beyond the official retirement age.
I have dividends from my stocks and real estate investment trusts (REITs). Sold off my Canadian Royalty Trusts (Canroys) some time back so I no longer am able to get those monthly cheques which were wonderful to get.
Online ad revenue has also been kind to me as I have managed to sell certain spaces on my blogs for cool sums of money. It is sometimes quite amazing how I have managed to diversify the various streams of income. From relying solely on Adsense to other alternative sources.
I have been toying the idea of starting a business but still do not have a concrete idea what to sell. It needs to be something really easy to set up and which requires minimum effort on my part. It doesn't have to bring in much, maybe just few dollars a month.
What I realised is this: Once I open up another stream of income, I become surer of myself and somehow will be able to slowly turn on the taps and increase that stream till it turns out to be a sizeable stream.
I will keep all updated once I have managed to seek out that additional source of passive income.
Stay tune!
Does Donate Button Work?
Does putting a DONATE button on the blog help? I cannot help but notice that many people have placed donate buttons on their blog to ask readers to support them in their blogging efforts. In fact, some bloggers say that they have actually managed to get donations from certain generous readers.
I thought it would be pretty cool to try it out so I have just placed a donate button on the top right of this blog.
Hopefully some generous soul will donate to me some money to buy me a cup of coffee?
Wonder whether anyone else out there has tried putting a donate button before and whether anyone did donate any money?
Perhaps I will wait for one month and report my findings. Stay tuned!
How Powerful is Your Blog?
Every now and then, I am amazed at the power of blogging.
I am not a natural blogger and blogging does not come naturally to me. Yet, I find it much easier to express myself through writing compared to speech. Thus, I blog.
What makes it amazing is the ability to rank high on Google searches for certain keywords. In a certain sense, one is able to get your thoughts across to many people at one go. Imagine people reading your postings on certain topics and taking action on your advice or recommendations!
Just another scenario. Imagine being able to "talk" to thousands of people each month without actually having to meet them. This is what a blog is able to do. It really amazes me on how powerful a blog can be if you use it for the correct purpose.
Many times, I have had ideas on how I could expand my blog be it in terms of layout or the content. I have brainstormed on various topics that I would like to write about but simply procrastinated. Perhaps it is time I take some action to propel this blog forward to greater heights.
How powerful is your blog? How do you intend to make it more impactful?
I am not a natural blogger and blogging does not come naturally to me. Yet, I find it much easier to express myself through writing compared to speech. Thus, I blog.
What makes it amazing is the ability to rank high on Google searches for certain keywords. In a certain sense, one is able to get your thoughts across to many people at one go. Imagine people reading your postings on certain topics and taking action on your advice or recommendations!
Just another scenario. Imagine being able to "talk" to thousands of people each month without actually having to meet them. This is what a blog is able to do. It really amazes me on how powerful a blog can be if you use it for the correct purpose.
Many times, I have had ideas on how I could expand my blog be it in terms of layout or the content. I have brainstormed on various topics that I would like to write about but simply procrastinated. Perhaps it is time I take some action to propel this blog forward to greater heights.
How powerful is your blog? How do you intend to make it more impactful?
Best Blog in Singapore
I have always wondered who owns the best blog in Singapore.
Singapore afterall is a tiny island with only 5 million people living on it. Out of this, I reckon that less than 10% of the population has a blog.
And out of this 10%, perhaps only 1% update their blogs regularly.
Based on my very crude estimates:
The number of people with blogs in Singapore = 500,000
The number of people who update their blogs regularly (once a week) = 5000
That should place the number of "good" blogs out there at a figure less than 5,000. That is not alot if you ask me. Afterall, the internet was supposed to be the NEXT BIG THING.
If there are only 5,000 good Singapore blogs out of the millions of blogs out there in the world, it means that Singaporeans are not making their voices heard in the blogosphere!
Bloggers are changing the world & Singapore should not be left out.
Bloggers are changing the world. As a whole, they provide an unregulated form of media that seeks to inform, entertain, educate the public. Other bloggers simply view their blogs as a place to rant their private thoughts and feelings (ironically for the whole world to see).
In this sense, bloggers do not view their works as pieces of art. But that perhaps is what separates the BEST blogs from the NORMAL blogs. The BEST blogs are those that are always striving to keep their content fresh, always interacting with readers, always looking for ways to improve their blogs. They view their blogs as more than just personal diaries or online journals. In a certain sense, they see their blogs as tools to change the world. Some unwittingly change the world by just ranting their private thoughts.
Afterall, we are all easily influenced by the thoughts, words and actions of other people. Everything that one reads will influence the person to a certain level and sometimes this influence even transcends the conscious level. FOR EXAMPLE, because a blogger is making money from stocks using fundamental analysis, we might become more inclined to view fundamental anlaysis as a stronger tool than technical analysis.
Enough said about blogging. Who do you think has the best blog in Singapore?
Singapore afterall is a tiny island with only 5 million people living on it. Out of this, I reckon that less than 10% of the population has a blog.
And out of this 10%, perhaps only 1% update their blogs regularly.
Based on my very crude estimates:
The number of people with blogs in Singapore = 500,000
The number of people who update their blogs regularly (once a week) = 5000
That should place the number of "good" blogs out there at a figure less than 5,000. That is not alot if you ask me. Afterall, the internet was supposed to be the NEXT BIG THING.
If there are only 5,000 good Singapore blogs out of the millions of blogs out there in the world, it means that Singaporeans are not making their voices heard in the blogosphere!
Bloggers are changing the world & Singapore should not be left out.
Bloggers are changing the world. As a whole, they provide an unregulated form of media that seeks to inform, entertain, educate the public. Other bloggers simply view their blogs as a place to rant their private thoughts and feelings (ironically for the whole world to see).
In this sense, bloggers do not view their works as pieces of art. But that perhaps is what separates the BEST blogs from the NORMAL blogs. The BEST blogs are those that are always striving to keep their content fresh, always interacting with readers, always looking for ways to improve their blogs. They view their blogs as more than just personal diaries or online journals. In a certain sense, they see their blogs as tools to change the world. Some unwittingly change the world by just ranting their private thoughts.
Afterall, we are all easily influenced by the thoughts, words and actions of other people. Everything that one reads will influence the person to a certain level and sometimes this influence even transcends the conscious level. FOR EXAMPLE, because a blogger is making money from stocks using fundamental analysis, we might become more inclined to view fundamental anlaysis as a stronger tool than technical analysis.
Enough said about blogging. Who do you think has the best blog in Singapore?
Blogging to Financial Freedom
One of those crazy dreams of mine is to be able to maintain a blog that will actually provide me with an income so that I could do the things that I want while blogging about all the wonderful things I get to do.
This would probably include things like month long trips to far away places and blogging about all the sights and sounds, trekking through the Amazon forest, climbing the Himalayas, sipping coffee at Venice, exploring caves and many more!
Of course, I am a dreamer and this is what dreamers do best =)
But I believe that someday, I might at least get to fulfill my dream in parts and share my joy with all my readers. I must afterall reward all of you for listening me rant into the infinite space called Cyberspace.
Is blogging to Financial Freedom possible?
I certainly do not think so. Financial Freedom occurs when one's passive income far exceeds his expenditure so that he choose the lifestyle that he wants.
Blogging definitely does not provide one with passive income. It can provide you with income but it is definitely not passive. I repeat...it is not PASSIVE
After my two years of experience, I would say that most people are actually better off spending their time giving tuition and stuff. The monetary rewards you get from blogging is too little to compare with the income that you could get from doing other miscellaneous stuff like babysitting, tuition, coaching, etc.
The only benefit of blogging is that you get to do it anywhere you like and the idea of being able to make easy money online is of course the holy grail to most bloggers.
So my advice to those who are trying to be full time bloggers is this: Stop trying!
Your success at blogging will only occur if you put your heart and soul to it. If your motive is to make money, it is unlikely that you will succeed.
Some bloggers do make tons of money but you have to admit that they had the first mover advantage. If another girl tries to write like Xiaxue or Perez hilton, they are not going to be as famous.
Adding Value to Your Readers
The key to making money from your blog is perhaps this: To add VALUE to your readers.
How does one add VALUE to your readers?
- Entertain them
- Educate them
- Inform them
Those are the three things that I think are necessary to even earn a single cent from things like Adbrite, Adsense, Amazon Associates, etc
All bloggers at the end of the day entertain to a certain extent, educate to a certain extent and inform readers to a certain extent. It is not how much you are doing each of the three but whether you are better at others in these areas that will distinguish you as a blogger.
The word "blogger" is also misleading. Bloggers are in fact online journalist who work for themselves. Whether they put a price tag on their writing is another matter altogether.
Journalists write for newspapers to make money. Bloggers write for themselves. They could have written to the straits times and stuff but they chose to put it on their own website. This gives them creativity and room to explore various writing norms that the normal media does not allow.
A blogger can chose to write in short sentence, long sentences or in whatever way he deems fit. He is not constrained by topic or timeline. He is his own boss at the end of the day. It is this freedom that is also the downfall of many bloggers. With no deadlines, no agenda, no careful thought, no editing, the blogger is left to his own devices to write whatever he pleases. Whether it is a profitable business, he does not know.
View Your Blog as an E-Magazine
The best way perhaps to view your blog is to look at it as an E-Magazine or e-newspaper. What do people want to read? What are they interested in? Is your site updated regularly?
Because you are the editor, salesperson, marketing executive, and writer for the entire blog, you need to take care of various aspects of the blog at the same time. This can be draining and might require a lot more effort especially if you are holding a day job.
The result is that the blog is often lacking in certain aspects. It is thus good to get comments from readers on how you can further improve your blog.
Would you visit your own blog if you were a reader? Would you come back again and again?
A look at the Bloggers of STOMP
Most of you in Singapore will probably be familiar with STOMP which is a site where star bloggers are also involved in blogging. I do not know how much they are paid but it seems that they do not have the freedom to choose the topic.
The one thing that I realise is that majority of these star bloggers are female. Perhaps, a male audience is expected for this tabloidy kind of topics. Afterall, most New Paper buyers are male. So you can expect why females make a large number of these star bloggers.
So entertaining is best left to females. Mr Brown is an exception as he can be highly entertaining in a funny way too. So it seems like what is left for male bloggers is to be funny when it comes to entertaining. Female bloggers have it much easier. If they are good-looking, they can just post pics of themselves.
Learn from Others, Know Your Audience
This is my last tip for the day.
Learn from other bloggers. Find out how they write. Learn what makes them successful.
After that, try to apply it to your own audience. A blogger at the end of the day needs to know who his audience is. He cannot please the whole world. He has to target his blog to a specific group of people.
I hope you have found this lengthy post useful.
This would probably include things like month long trips to far away places and blogging about all the sights and sounds, trekking through the Amazon forest, climbing the Himalayas, sipping coffee at Venice, exploring caves and many more!
Of course, I am a dreamer and this is what dreamers do best =)
But I believe that someday, I might at least get to fulfill my dream in parts and share my joy with all my readers. I must afterall reward all of you for listening me rant into the infinite space called Cyberspace.
Is blogging to Financial Freedom possible?
I certainly do not think so. Financial Freedom occurs when one's passive income far exceeds his expenditure so that he choose the lifestyle that he wants.
Blogging definitely does not provide one with passive income. It can provide you with income but it is definitely not passive. I repeat...it is not PASSIVE
After my two years of experience, I would say that most people are actually better off spending their time giving tuition and stuff. The monetary rewards you get from blogging is too little to compare with the income that you could get from doing other miscellaneous stuff like babysitting, tuition, coaching, etc.
The only benefit of blogging is that you get to do it anywhere you like and the idea of being able to make easy money online is of course the holy grail to most bloggers.
So my advice to those who are trying to be full time bloggers is this: Stop trying!
Your success at blogging will only occur if you put your heart and soul to it. If your motive is to make money, it is unlikely that you will succeed.
Some bloggers do make tons of money but you have to admit that they had the first mover advantage. If another girl tries to write like Xiaxue or Perez hilton, they are not going to be as famous.
Adding Value to Your Readers
The key to making money from your blog is perhaps this: To add VALUE to your readers.
How does one add VALUE to your readers?
- Entertain them
- Educate them
- Inform them
Those are the three things that I think are necessary to even earn a single cent from things like Adbrite, Adsense, Amazon Associates, etc
All bloggers at the end of the day entertain to a certain extent, educate to a certain extent and inform readers to a certain extent. It is not how much you are doing each of the three but whether you are better at others in these areas that will distinguish you as a blogger.
The word "blogger" is also misleading. Bloggers are in fact online journalist who work for themselves. Whether they put a price tag on their writing is another matter altogether.
Journalists write for newspapers to make money. Bloggers write for themselves. They could have written to the straits times and stuff but they chose to put it on their own website. This gives them creativity and room to explore various writing norms that the normal media does not allow.
A blogger can chose to write in short sentence, long sentences or in whatever way he deems fit. He is not constrained by topic or timeline. He is his own boss at the end of the day. It is this freedom that is also the downfall of many bloggers. With no deadlines, no agenda, no careful thought, no editing, the blogger is left to his own devices to write whatever he pleases. Whether it is a profitable business, he does not know.
View Your Blog as an E-Magazine
The best way perhaps to view your blog is to look at it as an E-Magazine or e-newspaper. What do people want to read? What are they interested in? Is your site updated regularly?
Because you are the editor, salesperson, marketing executive, and writer for the entire blog, you need to take care of various aspects of the blog at the same time. This can be draining and might require a lot more effort especially if you are holding a day job.
The result is that the blog is often lacking in certain aspects. It is thus good to get comments from readers on how you can further improve your blog.
Would you visit your own blog if you were a reader? Would you come back again and again?
A look at the Bloggers of STOMP
Most of you in Singapore will probably be familiar with STOMP which is a site where star bloggers are also involved in blogging. I do not know how much they are paid but it seems that they do not have the freedom to choose the topic.
The one thing that I realise is that majority of these star bloggers are female. Perhaps, a male audience is expected for this tabloidy kind of topics. Afterall, most New Paper buyers are male. So you can expect why females make a large number of these star bloggers.
So entertaining is best left to females. Mr Brown is an exception as he can be highly entertaining in a funny way too. So it seems like what is left for male bloggers is to be funny when it comes to entertaining. Female bloggers have it much easier. If they are good-looking, they can just post pics of themselves.
Learn from Others, Know Your Audience
This is my last tip for the day.
Learn from other bloggers. Find out how they write. Learn what makes them successful.
After that, try to apply it to your own audience. A blogger at the end of the day needs to know who his audience is. He cannot please the whole world. He has to target his blog to a specific group of people.
I hope you have found this lengthy post useful.
10 Ways This Blog Can Help You
I have been reflecting on what it means to blog and what my blog is meant to achieve during my lifetime. And if I could focus it down to ONE word, that word would be HELP.
The main purpose that I hope this blog can achieve would be to HELP others.
Throwing all my expertise (whatever little that I have) and experience into this blog, I hope to be able to help others in one way or another. Just thinking out loud, these are the 10 areas which I think I can help you through this blog:
1. Studying in University. I have made a few mistakes when I studied in university. I would like to think that my experience in university would be able to help others make a better decision on what to study for their degrees.
2. Doing what you don't like. I am an expert in this. I did a job which I did not really like for what seemed like an eternity. Yet looking back at it, I realised that I have gained tremendously from it. If you are doing something you absolutey dislike, I can share with you my experiences to help you look at things from perhaps another perspective.
3. Blogging Tips and making money using Adsense. As much as I don't like to admit that I am a blogger, the fact that I am using a blog betrays me. I would certainly like to think myself of a philosopher who rants his pieces on the internet for all to see. Nevertheless, I believe that in my short years of blogging, I do have a few tips to impart here and there. I have already received two Adsense cheques thus far and will be receiving my third cheque next month. If you are not making a single cent from Adsense, I would like to think that there is perhaps some way that I can help you.
4. Investment Decisions. I am not a guru when it comes to investment. There are many other gurus out there. However, I dare say that I have made a lot of mistakes in investing and I could share with you all these mistakes that I have made so that you pay less tuition fees to Mr Market. The market is a cruel place and unwise decisions can sometimes be avoided if you just spent the time asking around. Everyone is sure to have their own opinion but at least you get another point of view. I have been investing in the stock market since 2001 and I think I know a thing or two about investing for beginners. If you are looking for experts, please look elsewhere.
5. Career change and Purpose in Life. This is perhaps my forte. I have spent the last 2 years pondering over a career change and also thinking about my purpose in life. I come from a Christian background so my perspectives are naturally shaped in the Christian thought. If you would like to bounce off ideas with someone should you feel hazy about life, feel free to find me =)
6. Bible questions. I can help you understand the bible better if you are a non-Christian. I was once an aethist but coverted to Christianity when I was in secondary school. My rational thinking and scientific mind in the past made me refuse to believe in a God that created the entire universe. Now, I am pretty convinced that scientific methods are limited in the sense that they are just models to best describe certain events and happenings. A black swan event could just come along and prove everyone wrong. I don't like to debate with ppl because when i was a non-Christian, I did not like people to debate with me about religion. Now that I am a Christian, I would say that I could offer you certain ways of viewing the Bible that you might never have seen.
7. Marriage and Parenthood. Being married and being a father, I can share with you my experiences about queuing for a HDB flat, getting married, holding the wedding dinner, living together with your wife, and also the joys of being a father. This will all be based on personal experiences but it is better than nothing.
8. Financial Freedom. As this blog suggests, I am trying to attain financial freedom and not become a slave to money. I am not there yet but I believe that God willing, I should get there someday. I can share with you my experience as I make this journey. I encourage you to follow me on my journey and not become one who has to worry all day about retirement
9. Singapore. I live in Singapore. I have a view of Singapore that outsiders might not have. If you are a foreigner, I am willing to answer any questions you have about Singapore to the best of my ability.
10. Books. I love books and try to have a book at hand wherever I go. I will do my best to recommend good books to read. My book reviews are terrible though but I would certainly think that I can identify a good book when I see one.
The main purpose that I hope this blog can achieve would be to HELP others.
Throwing all my expertise (whatever little that I have) and experience into this blog, I hope to be able to help others in one way or another. Just thinking out loud, these are the 10 areas which I think I can help you through this blog:
1. Studying in University. I have made a few mistakes when I studied in university. I would like to think that my experience in university would be able to help others make a better decision on what to study for their degrees.
2. Doing what you don't like. I am an expert in this. I did a job which I did not really like for what seemed like an eternity. Yet looking back at it, I realised that I have gained tremendously from it. If you are doing something you absolutey dislike, I can share with you my experiences to help you look at things from perhaps another perspective.
3. Blogging Tips and making money using Adsense. As much as I don't like to admit that I am a blogger, the fact that I am using a blog betrays me. I would certainly like to think myself of a philosopher who rants his pieces on the internet for all to see. Nevertheless, I believe that in my short years of blogging, I do have a few tips to impart here and there. I have already received two Adsense cheques thus far and will be receiving my third cheque next month. If you are not making a single cent from Adsense, I would like to think that there is perhaps some way that I can help you.
4. Investment Decisions. I am not a guru when it comes to investment. There are many other gurus out there. However, I dare say that I have made a lot of mistakes in investing and I could share with you all these mistakes that I have made so that you pay less tuition fees to Mr Market. The market is a cruel place and unwise decisions can sometimes be avoided if you just spent the time asking around. Everyone is sure to have their own opinion but at least you get another point of view. I have been investing in the stock market since 2001 and I think I know a thing or two about investing for beginners. If you are looking for experts, please look elsewhere.
5. Career change and Purpose in Life. This is perhaps my forte. I have spent the last 2 years pondering over a career change and also thinking about my purpose in life. I come from a Christian background so my perspectives are naturally shaped in the Christian thought. If you would like to bounce off ideas with someone should you feel hazy about life, feel free to find me =)
6. Bible questions. I can help you understand the bible better if you are a non-Christian. I was once an aethist but coverted to Christianity when I was in secondary school. My rational thinking and scientific mind in the past made me refuse to believe in a God that created the entire universe. Now, I am pretty convinced that scientific methods are limited in the sense that they are just models to best describe certain events and happenings. A black swan event could just come along and prove everyone wrong. I don't like to debate with ppl because when i was a non-Christian, I did not like people to debate with me about religion. Now that I am a Christian, I would say that I could offer you certain ways of viewing the Bible that you might never have seen.
7. Marriage and Parenthood. Being married and being a father, I can share with you my experiences about queuing for a HDB flat, getting married, holding the wedding dinner, living together with your wife, and also the joys of being a father. This will all be based on personal experiences but it is better than nothing.
8. Financial Freedom. As this blog suggests, I am trying to attain financial freedom and not become a slave to money. I am not there yet but I believe that God willing, I should get there someday. I can share with you my experience as I make this journey. I encourage you to follow me on my journey and not become one who has to worry all day about retirement
9. Singapore. I live in Singapore. I have a view of Singapore that outsiders might not have. If you are a foreigner, I am willing to answer any questions you have about Singapore to the best of my ability.
10. Books. I love books and try to have a book at hand wherever I go. I will do my best to recommend good books to read. My book reviews are terrible though but I would certainly think that I can identify a good book when I see one.
Blogging Tips : What I Learnt From A Trip To Holland Village
Over at Problogger, Darren suggests that one of the ways to make your blog a better blog is to simply go shopping and do some observations.
For those who check my blog regularly, you would know that I was at Holland Village today eating my breakfast.
One of the other things which I did not mention about was that I spent a fair bit of the morning walking around Holland village too.
What does this got to do with Blogging Tips? Well...I guess that I have learnt quite a fair bit from observing this certain shop at Holland Village and I believe that if you understand the psyche of shoppers, you would also understand the psyche of people who surf the web and visit your blog.
The Indian Newspaper Stand
There is this particular newspaper and magazine stand that has been at Holland village for years.
It is directly opposite crystal jade and you will find it if you just walk from the Holland V bus stop to Holland Village. For those who are familiar with the place, you most probably know which news and magazine stand I am talking about.
For the uninitiated, this magazine and newspaper stand literally sells like thousands of magazines and newspapers from all over the world. It is not a huge stand but lining the walkway are rows and rows of magazines and your daily newspapers.
If you are blogger in Singapore, this is a treasure trove.
No...I am not asking you to buy your newspapers and magazines from there. What I am suggesting is that you observe how such a newspaper stand operates and incorporate the ideas into your blog.
What Are People Interested in Reading?
There are only 5 million people in Singapore. Less than 10 per cent (I am guessing) ever makes it down to Holland Village.
Yet, this stand is loaded with so many magazines and newspapers. It gives you an idea of what people are interested in reading. Not only that, it shows you what are the things that people like to read based on the quantity of certain magazines on the shelves.
If you ask me, I notice that there are a few sections to this particular magazine stand.
1 . Newspapers from all around the world. Apparently, alot of expats go to Holland Village as it is sort of a yuppies place. Thus, you can find newspapers from all over the world being sold here. One thing for sure...newspapers are updated DAILY. If you want people to read your blog, you need to make the effort to update it DAILY. Imagine having to visit the newspaper stand everyday without knowing whether the newspapers being sold belongs to yesterday or the day before... the same principle applies to readers of your blog. If they have to go to your blog each day to check for new content, they might get tired pretty soon and simply stop visiting because of the lack of new content.
2. Entertainment News. Yes, Lindsay Lohan without makeup and lots more... A fair bit of the magazines sold have to do with this kind of tabloids. It is not wrong. People read to be entertained and your blog should be as entertaining as possible. Notice that this kind of magazines are always loaded with pictures. Your blog should have pictures too to be entertaining. All words but no pics makes your blog a dull read.
3. Lifestyle Magazines. These are the fashion, travel, cars and home furnishing magazines. they take up another huge chunk of the magazine sections. Basically, these magazines are focused on THINGS that people enjoy looking at, doing or owning. They are dreams being sold and people are buying these magazines to find out how they can have the LIFE they always dreamed of. In your blog, you need to paint these kind of dreams too which people can relate to. Talk about your travels, your car, your home renovations... People just love to compare with others so help them by revealing a little bit of yourself.
Blogging Tips:
Okay, I might have lost some of you in the mountain of words. But here are just 3 simple blogging tips which you can take back with you based on my lesson that I have learnt from observing the magazine stands.
1. Update Your Blog Regularly (Once a day if possible)
2. Make it Entertaining (Include Pictures if Possible)
3. Make Your Blog Personal (Reveal what you wear, drive, earn or eat. People love the details sometimes)
So there you have it! Some simple blogging tips which you can apply to your blog. Treat your blog as a e-magazine and you should not go too wrong.
For those who check my blog regularly, you would know that I was at Holland Village today eating my breakfast.
One of the other things which I did not mention about was that I spent a fair bit of the morning walking around Holland village too.
What does this got to do with Blogging Tips? Well...I guess that I have learnt quite a fair bit from observing this certain shop at Holland Village and I believe that if you understand the psyche of shoppers, you would also understand the psyche of people who surf the web and visit your blog.
The Indian Newspaper Stand
There is this particular newspaper and magazine stand that has been at Holland village for years.
It is directly opposite crystal jade and you will find it if you just walk from the Holland V bus stop to Holland Village. For those who are familiar with the place, you most probably know which news and magazine stand I am talking about.
For the uninitiated, this magazine and newspaper stand literally sells like thousands of magazines and newspapers from all over the world. It is not a huge stand but lining the walkway are rows and rows of magazines and your daily newspapers.
If you are blogger in Singapore, this is a treasure trove.
No...I am not asking you to buy your newspapers and magazines from there. What I am suggesting is that you observe how such a newspaper stand operates and incorporate the ideas into your blog.
What Are People Interested in Reading?
There are only 5 million people in Singapore. Less than 10 per cent (I am guessing) ever makes it down to Holland Village.
Yet, this stand is loaded with so many magazines and newspapers. It gives you an idea of what people are interested in reading. Not only that, it shows you what are the things that people like to read based on the quantity of certain magazines on the shelves.
If you ask me, I notice that there are a few sections to this particular magazine stand.
1 . Newspapers from all around the world. Apparently, alot of expats go to Holland Village as it is sort of a yuppies place. Thus, you can find newspapers from all over the world being sold here. One thing for sure...newspapers are updated DAILY. If you want people to read your blog, you need to make the effort to update it DAILY. Imagine having to visit the newspaper stand everyday without knowing whether the newspapers being sold belongs to yesterday or the day before... the same principle applies to readers of your blog. If they have to go to your blog each day to check for new content, they might get tired pretty soon and simply stop visiting because of the lack of new content.
2. Entertainment News. Yes, Lindsay Lohan without makeup and lots more... A fair bit of the magazines sold have to do with this kind of tabloids. It is not wrong. People read to be entertained and your blog should be as entertaining as possible. Notice that this kind of magazines are always loaded with pictures. Your blog should have pictures too to be entertaining. All words but no pics makes your blog a dull read.
3. Lifestyle Magazines. These are the fashion, travel, cars and home furnishing magazines. they take up another huge chunk of the magazine sections. Basically, these magazines are focused on THINGS that people enjoy looking at, doing or owning. They are dreams being sold and people are buying these magazines to find out how they can have the LIFE they always dreamed of. In your blog, you need to paint these kind of dreams too which people can relate to. Talk about your travels, your car, your home renovations... People just love to compare with others so help them by revealing a little bit of yourself.
Blogging Tips:
Okay, I might have lost some of you in the mountain of words. But here are just 3 simple blogging tips which you can take back with you based on my lesson that I have learnt from observing the magazine stands.
1. Update Your Blog Regularly (Once a day if possible)
2. Make it Entertaining (Include Pictures if Possible)
3. Make Your Blog Personal (Reveal what you wear, drive, earn or eat. People love the details sometimes)
So there you have it! Some simple blogging tips which you can apply to your blog. Treat your blog as a e-magazine and you should not go too wrong.
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