Wordpress is more than just a blogging software.

In the past when blogging first evolved, marketers did not give it much thought...until they ...]]>

When it comes to building and creating profit pulling niche blogs niche sites) Wordpress really shines and really beat Blogger.com heads down.

Wordpress is more than just a blogging software.

In the past when blogging first evolved, marketers did not give it much thought…until they discovered the power of syndication through RSS feeds.

With Rss feeds, they can now reach out to a target markets they normally would not have been able to.

Wordpress has an in-built syndication function, unlike Blogger.com where it still needs some configuration.

In addition, Wordpress has some powerful features that make it a marketer’s dream tool:

(a) Automatic Pinging

Wordpress will automatically ping the blog directories listed each time you publish a post.

http://www.wordpressvideos.com

(b) Categories

It might not seem like a big deal, but when you realize that you can name the category using keywords you want to target, then BAM!

It hits you like a rock. You can have multiple categories named using keywords you want to target, and write your post under that category. With proper planning and carefully spreading the same keyword in your post, you can achieve higher
Search Engine rankings easily.

(c) Plugins

Plugins give Wordpress additional functions and features. All you need to do is upload the Plugin file, Activate the plugin file and you’re set to go.

(d) Easily change the theme of your blog (site)

With Wordpress, everything is just point and click (or plug N play). You can easily change the theme and layout of your Blog without having to learn about web design.

Wordpress is easy to master. Visit www.wordpressvideos.com where you’ll find a collection of expert video tutorials with Monthly Updates and other bonuses to help you in your online business.

Brandon Hong
http://www.wordpressvideos.com

Brandon is author of “Wordpress Videos”. Learn the strategies, techniques of building your profit pulling niche blogs with Wordpress. He is also author of Clickbank’s best seller “Marketing Rampage with Blogs and RSS” Videos and Audio e-book “Blogs and Rss Revealed”.

I have kept to my plan, but what has been happening on the RSS front? I have dutifully been using Blogs and R...]]>

I am not one to have New Year’s resolutions, but I do plan ahead. As we reached the last quarter of 2004, I decided that 2005 would be, for me, the year of article writing and RSS.

I have kept to my plan, but what has been happening on the RSS front? I have dutifully been using Blogs and RSS throughout 2005 to date. What about everybody else, though? Has this been the year when RSS has taken off?

One thing for sure is that there has been a lot of activity amongst internet marketers. According to Overture, they had 43,947 searches for RSS in April 2005. Out of interest, that compares to 825,674 for internet marketing. It is unlikely that an ordinary consumer would search for RSS; they are interested in the subject rather than the technical delivery term. Over 40,000 searches is high, and I think it is a fair bet that a majority of those will be marketing people trying to get up to speed and trying to understand what all the fuss is about.

One thing that does seem apparent is the over supply of information on the internet about RSS; in other words, the number of websites trying to push RSS is way out of kilter with the number of searches. Those 43,947 searches, according to Keyword Analyser, will bring up a staggering 275,000,000 results; that is a Results/Search ratio of 6258. That is very high, and indicates a tough market to penetrate and make money out of, at least on that search term. Do you think there are a lot of people looking for RSS tutorials? Well, in April 2005 there were just 272 on Overture. Results brought up by the search? 108,000,000! That’s a R/S ratio of 397,059. Big supply, and little demand. If that were the gold market, the price of gold would be falling through the floor.

I admit that none of those figures mean a great deal, and nothing about the prospects of RSS becoming mainstream. Whether we reach the stage where many millions of consumers use RSS feeds as a matter of course will depend very much on the likes of Google, Yahoo, and MSN. All three are working away, beta testing various aspects of RSS. My Yahoo has been beta testing subscription to RSS feeds for some time now, and if I start a new feed, My Yahoo is my first port of call to subscribe to my own feed. That way, Yahoo know about it and the Yahoo search engine robot will dutifully go and check it out.

In due course, it will be up to the likes of Yahoo to convince their users that there are good reasons to subscribe to RSS feeds. To achieve that, the user interface for RSS will need to be seamless from their normal daily online activity. Things are gradually moving in that direction, but it remains to be seen whether RSS will ever become part of the every day online life of the average consumer.

Much of the interest surrounding RSS has been as a Spam Avoidance System. However, last week I was doing some research on RSS feeds through My Yahoo, and it was evident already that in some topics spam is beginning to rule the roost as far as the search results go. Let us hope that Yahoo and the other key players find ways to filter out the spammers, so that if RSS feeds do become mainstream, all is clean, welcoming and useful for the average user.

Roy Thomsitt is the owner, webmaster and author of http://www.change-direction.com and http://www.routes-to-self-improvement.com

A. The big answer is "it depends."

Here's seven tips to help:

1. Determine your audience's need and demand for your book. If your book solves a particular problem for a preferred...]]>

Q. The big question asked me in teleclasses or client sessions is “How should I price my eBook?

A. The big answer is “it depends.”

Here’s seven tips to help:

1. Determine your audience’s need and demand for your book. If your book solves a particular problem for a preferred audience, it will sell well at any price. When you know your 30-60 second “Tell and Sell,” you’ll be more likely to know a proper price.

Let’s say you have a book “Stop Divorce Now.” Your tell and sell includes “Helps the nearly divorced audience, both men and women.” That audience gives your book a slant, and makes it more valuable. In the “Tell and Sell” you must also include the benefits your book brings its audience. The top benefit of this book is that it stops divorce now.

No matter the number of pages, anywhere from 15-99, this kind of book will bring a healthy price. Maybe $39.95, maybe more.

2. Sell to your “wants it short, easy, and cheap to yield big profits audience. You can charge more than some general information book aimed at a general audience.

The 8 and 1/2 by 11″ forty-page book “Write Your eBook or Other Short Book–Fast!” loaded with how to’s and which specific steps to do first, along with hundreds of Web and email resources is well worth the list price of $24.95. The author puts it on discount several times a year for only $18.95, but it sells well at $24.95.

If someone wants to write and publish a book, this price tag is small for what it gives and the speed one can finish a short book to start making money within 60 days.

3. Know that eBooks bring as big a price as print books. Don’t under price yours. Assign it the highest price you feel your audience can afford. If you don’t sell many (remember to sell many you need to promote your books Online and on Web sites) try a lower price. Always start with the highest price.

4. Rethink your title to sell more books. Make it short and compelling, but be sure to make it clear. Three-six words will sell better than a really long title, although there are exceptions.

One eBook “High Traffic=High Web Sales” sells better than “How to Dramatically Increase your Web Traffic and Sales.”

5. Know that “how-to” books bring a larger price than a story.

6. Price your personal growth and health books lower than the specific how-to books. Shorter eBooks such as 10-30 pages will easily go for $7.95 to $12.95. Longer ones can go for $15.95. This audience is huge, but your book has far more competition in this group. Think Chicken Soup for the Soul series, selling over 70 million.

7. Promote your eBook Online to catch the Online business people. Reach 1000’s, even hundreds of thousands each day you submit a related article. They want all kinds of books. Learn how to sell more books by learning this kind of promotion.

Apply these tips to your print books too. You can make 1/4 to 1/2 your income from book sales if the price is right.

I have been reading a lot about podcasting. I even attended a teleclass on the subject, Podcasting for Coaches given by Ramon Williamson. I learned so much about podcasting from that one class, that I decided to write an article about it for this ...]]> What is podcasting and why should you care?

I have been reading a lot about podcasting. I even attended a teleclass on the subject, Podcasting for Coaches given by Ramon Williamson. I learned so much about podcasting from that one class, that I decided to write an article about it for this week’s ezine. So here goes…

First of all, what is podcasting?

According to wikipedia, podcasting is “the practice of making audio files available online in such a way that allows software to automatically detect new files and download them.” In English that means that you put audio files on the Internet for people to save to their computer or ipod or mp3 player. The way I look at podcasting is that it is the audio equivalent of blogging.

So now you know what podcasting is. I know you are wondering, so why should I care about podcasting. Simple, podcasting is in its early stages now. It’s where blogging was 4 years ago. If you get in on podcasting now, you will be light years ahead of your competitors in your niche.

You don’t have to be a techie geek to know how to podcast either. If you can talk on the phone then you can record a podcast. Blogger.com has a service that allows you to call a number and record your post instead of typing it. You do have to be registered with them, but it’s free to register with them. Another way to get your podcast set up is to use audioblog.com There is a fee associated with this service, but you can record longer posts with this service. Blogger’s service only allows you to record a 5 minute post. Audioblog’s service allows you to record a 60 minute post. Of course you could always do some digging and find sophisticated equipment, but that is beyond the scope of this article.

Here’s what you need to do next. Go to blogger and sign up for an account. Once you have your blog set up, go to audioblogger.com and follow the directions they give you. The site is very user-friendly. Do it Now.