With that, I have gathered a few exceptionally useful insights and techniques from some of the best bloggers in the world to keep you in motion and in the correct path.

Do you feel like a subdued blogger?

Did you know that accountability is a great motivator? So in order for you to surpass the feeling of discouragement, tell someone about your plans. You can tell it with another blogger, tell your wife about it, and publish it on Facebook or Twitter. What’s important is to tell someone about your campaigns and ask that person to hound you in the next few days. In that way, you become accountable to that person to fulfill your plans.

Darren Rowse speaks a lot of this in his blog. Check out his tips.

Do you desire your blog to work for your business?

To create more business prospects, increase your blog’s traffic, generate positive opportunities and improve your brand as a business, you need to reach out to other bloggers in your niche.

This is what Denise Wakeman shared in her article in SocialMediaExaminer.com entitled: The secrets of growing your blog following and the pitfall you must avoid.

Setting up to increase more subscribers to your blog?

A smart tactics for pulling more subscribers towards your blog is to be laser focused.

“Make sure that you are primarily focusing on a particular topic. And the more specialized that topic is, the better you’ll do. It’s also a key to step back and evaluate whether there are enough prospective readers in your chosen niche. It’s better to be brutally honest with yourself than to toil away and end up disappointed.”

Read more of this article entitled: Effective Ways to Get More Blog Subscribers by Brian Clark of CopyBlogger.com.

Are you having trouble deciding for the name of your blog?

“Try to create a long list of options. Play with ideas. Combining words and creating new words, checking a thesaurus, getting the help of friends and family can all help. Switch off your internal critic while you create. Jot down every name no matter how daft, at this point you are aiming for quantity, not quality!”

This is how Chris Garett educates us how to choose a domain name for a better blog branding.

Final Words

Making a habit of blogging is definitely not easy but it’s worth every effort at the end of the struggle. I hope you will find time to read the posts I linked above, because I guarantee you valuable information and tips into perfecting your blog

What do you struggle with the most when blogging?  Do you enjoy it or does it feel like a chore to you?  Do you see the power in blogging or do you feel like it is a waste of time?  Let me know your blogging opinions below!

Don’t forget to leave your message in the comments section.
All the best to you,
Louie Sison

Actually, my post for today is not really about frogs or eating something exotic. It’s about task management. Now how does that relate to my introduction?

I know you will agree with me that you will always have too much to do in so little time. And the fact is, you will never get caught up. What I found out is that, the only thing that can get your time under control is to the degree that you stop doing things.

Now what are the thing that you want to stop doing? Well, the easiest way to determine your top priorities is to use the 80-20 rule. Here’s how it works. If you make a list of top 10 things you need to do each day, two of those items will be worth more than all the other eight put together. The top 20% of your activities, account for the 80% of your results.

So, you need to ask yourself, what are the one or two things that are more important that anything else? And of all these things, if I could do only one thing before you can stop doing the remaining items, which one thing will I be sure to get done today? And that becomes your top priorities.

Task management comes down to only one thing. That is selecting your most important task, and starting on it right now, and disciplining yourself to stay on it until it gets done. If you made a mistake trying to clear up small tasks first, you’ll find out that the small things multiply and pretty soon spends you whole day trying to accomplish little things.

Just like in blogging or any task, do the most important thing, the ugliest task, the biggest thing, the hardest thing, but the one that has the greatest impact on your day and stay with it until it’s done!

How about time management?

The term “time management” is an oxymoron. Our time cannot be managed or controlled because there will always be 24 hours in a day, no more, no less.

We certainly don’t have the ability to stop, freeze, or stretch time. nor do we have the technology to go back or forward in time.

Based on the rationale stated above, people should refrain from using the term “time management”. Instead, use “task management” because in essence, what we’re really managing are our tasks / activities.

We can choose how to spend our time, and we need to spend it wisely. You should know what your priorities are and start from there. Like what the great Stephen Covey said, “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

What do you think?

Don’t forget to leave your message in the comments section
All the best to you,
Louie Sison

How many times did you post your frustrations in Facebook about having so little time and yet there’s still so many things to do? I did, quite some times. I believe no one is exempted from experiencing this at least once in their life.

So how do you deal with it?

• First, accept that you are indeed running out of time. This will bring you to your senses the importance of the output of your tasks.
• Then eliminate factors that can use your time, effort and attention away from your goal.
• Always keep your composure intact so you can concentrate more, this is called “grace under pressure”.
• Focus on one task at a time by listing your priorities. Manage your tasks.
• Seek help. If you think you can’t really make it, ask for an assistance.

Like I said, it maybe inevitable not to experience these circumstances that is why planning is important before even starting a project or task. They say, planning is half of the task achieved. Give yourself timeline and specific objectives each time you work.

If you have a partner or you work in a group, delegate the load accordingly. Do not accept further assignments if you think you cannot commit to fulfill it. “Don’t chew what you cannot swallow”, and learn to say no when needed.

I hope I was able to help you

Don’t forget to leave your message in the comments section.
All the best to you,
Louie Sison

Making money online is one of the most lucrative income generating ways to make a living. And in the Philippines, I am here to test and expose that there is money in blogging.

Unfortunately, for some security reason, I do not deliberately post my earnings in this site though my topic is about making money online. I can show you tips and trick how blogging and earning works. But not my earnings.

But you need a proof, right? To see is to believe… Yeah, that’s what they say.  But sorry, like I said, it’s for security reasons so I hope you understand.

Luckily, I know somebody who publicly announces his income in blogging. Every month, he has this “end of month” report on his blog featuring most of his stats. Like: Page views, site updates and changes, ups and downs, and his earnings. It’s like a report card of his activities for the past month. Very cool, huh?

He’s name is Pat of Smart Passive Income. He lives in southern California and he considers himself the luckiest person on earth. I have been following his blog even before I launched this blog. I can say that he is one of the greatest influence why I am a believer in making money online. His blog is one of my top 10 sites I visit everyday without a fail.

On his last report card, April 2013, his gross total for the month is a whooping $58,412.33.  Here are the monthly links:

• April 2013
• February & March 2013
• January 2013
• More ?…

How about you? Would you like to make money using the Internet or blogging as well? You came to the right place because I’m here to tell you how. Start by clicking on this link: http://louiesison.com/how-to-start-a-blog-the-complete-guide/
I will tell you everything you need once you get there.

Don’t forget to leave your message in the comments section.
All the best to you,
Louie Sison

Do you trade hours for dollars?

Nowadays, there are many ways to earn a living and one of the most popular manner is trading hours for money, or simply called as a job.

I have been working as “an employee” now for more than six years. Although I don’t regret working with the company I am with today and I was with before, I don’t take away the idea of making money in a more efficient way and long termed benefit.

What do you really get after trading your hours for dollars?

Tax, tax and tax

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-government nor against on any tax campaign on our country. There is no way in escaping paying taxes because the company you work for withholds tax money from your salary. And the shocking truth is, the more you make money, the more they take out from your paycheck. Good job! You are the government’s biggest income source.

You earn dollars equivalent to the hours you trade

In trading hours for dollar, it’s “no work no pay”. You are paid in equivalent to the time you spent working. If you don’t work, you won’t get paid. So the way to earn more money in this mode is to trade more hours.

The problem in this mentality is that we loss the reason why we want to earn money, that is to spend it with our family and friends. But unfortunately, this is what we drop as well. Quality time with our special someone.

When you trade hours for dollars, you can’t have both. If you want more time with family, you have to trade less. If you want to make more money, you have to keep trading.

You only have 24 hours a day to do you thing

Just like anyone else, we all have 24 hours a day to do our job. And this limits us from untapping the maximum potential earning or income. Although it is possible to work 24 hours a day, I wouldn’t dare to try that. Would you?

In the event that you can’t trade your hours for dollar anymore because of becoming sick or an accident, the earning stops as well.

Bottom line, what will happen to you and your family if you can no longer trade hours for dollars? Most of us don’t carry enough life insurance. We all like to think we’re invincible but we’re not.

Don’t forget to leave your message in the comments section.
All the best to you,
Louie Sison

An effective back linking strategy is leaving valuable comments on blogs that you visit. I emphasized the word “valuable” because most of blogs are moderated and installed with automated anti-spam software to filter bot added links to their sites. In this blog, I use a plugin called Akismet which is very common to WordPress blog sites.

In all honesty, I don’t use blog commenting softwares or automated tools to bug websites with junk commentaries and annoying links. I do it personally, because for me it’s more than links that you build, it’s a relationship and a community. Bloggers and Admins will know you because of your sincere and value add remarks on their sites.

So as a way of saying “Thank you” to my readers who leaves comments on my site, I added a new page on my main menu entitled “Blogmates“. Because starting today, as soon as I publish this post, anyone who comments back on any of my posts will be automatically added on that page.

Of course, I have to moderate every inputs. But, you don’t need to be too fancy or impress me “deep dictionaried words” for your comments to be approve. I can also sense human touch :p…

So go a head and write to me know your thoughts, suggestions and criticisms. Promise, I won’t bite

Who wants to start the list?

Don’t forget to leave your message in the comments section
All the best to you,
Louie Sison

In this post, my goal is to teach you analyze a successful blog on your niche and replicate strategies that are applicable on your site. We do this by just hanging out some time on these sites not to promote your blog but to enable us by what we observe and learn how to shape up our blogging strategy.

Every successful blog is unique in their own way. Each utilizes techniques different to each other. So I suggest if you will analyze more than one blog site, treat them individually.

If you’re not sure where to check top blogs in your niche, try Googling them on the blog search section or go to Technorati’s Top 100 Blogs.

After figuring out top blogs, take 15 to 30 minutes and analyze them in some of the following areas:

1. Content

• What topics do they cover as well as what they don’t.
• How do they write their posts? What is their style?
• What level of readers do they try to reach? Newbies or experts?
• How often do they post?

2. Design

• After landing on their site, what is your first impression?
• What do you think are the things poorly done? and well done…
• What are the options they provide for connectivity and subscription?

3. Engagement on Readers

• What posts are the most discussed in the site?
• Which topics generated the most conversion?
• What are the frequently asked questions on the comments section?
• Are there free and paid materials?

4. Search Engine Optimization

• Who is linking to this site?
• What are the keywords used on each posts and the whole site?
• What can you learn from their stats, source codes and incoming traffic?
• What pages are popular?
• How do they manage to get natural back links?

5. Monetization

• How do the site earn? Ads promotion, service delivery, consultation, etc…
• What type of ads visible on the site?
• What affiliate programs are they promoting?

These questions are just few to the limitless possible you can ask. I idea is to identify the strategies that worked well with them and  innovate them on your blog(s). Apply these strategies and processes that will fit your site and your own style.

A quick warning though, is to maintain the identity and focus to your blog. Do not be trapped on the mentality to replicate everything or every aspect of another blog.

Stay unique. This can make you stand out from the rest.

What do you think of this strategy?

Don’t forget to leave your message in the comments section
All the best to you,
Louie Sison

Earning a passive income from online business while having a 9 to 5 job is not impossible. As a matter of fact, having a supplementary salary aside from a regular paycheck is a smart thing to have in terms of financial security is concern.

This is what everyone who is trading hours for dollars aims for. To own an income generating business what will eventually cause them to leave their 9 to 5 job.

Is it actually possible to start an online business while having a full-time job?

I still recall how hard it was for me to find time and make myself effective in my hatchling online business. I even felt often times that I merely didn’t have enough time to finish what I have planned. And the worst is, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I felt like I was getting nowhere as my ideas kept failing and fading.

If you have the same experience right now, keep your motivation high that all will ultimately come to good in the end. Only if we attribute our success to the steps below:

1. Believe in yourself that you can do it.

Several people abandon their dreams for a number of reasons. It could be the deficiency of vacant time, not having enough courage to try, not having a good idea, and so forth and so on. But in reality, every one of us has no excuse. I am completely confident that there should be no reason why we cannot create an online business in your particular area of expertise.

I am confident to say as such because I believe all people are able of unexpected things.

However, please recognize that I do not intend to deride the challenges you’re in right now or make you feel depressed – it’s the other way around. My desire is for you to believe in yourself.

If you want to succeed in anything that you do, there needs to be a voice inside of you that screams to believe in yourself.

2. Set goals

While you believe in yourself that you can achieve success, you have to be specific in what you want to achieve. This is where setting of goals comes in. Not just vague goals, it has to be S.M.A.R.T.

S – Specific, significant, simple
M – Measurable, manageable, meaningful
A – Attainable, achievable, actionable
R – Relevant, results-based, results-oriented
T – Time-bound, time-specific, tangible

The bottom line, you just need to figure out three things,

• What you’re going to do
• Why you’re doing it
• How are you going to do it

3. Commitment is required

It’s easy to start something, but the commitment to continue doing until it is accomplished is the hardest.

Just remember that key accomplishments are simply sequence of little steps when segmented. However, in order for you to take those little steps, you must be committed to do it no matter what the cost.

Believe it or not, I made my first cent in Google AdSense after more than a year of trial and error. What kept me going? My attitude was – I will eventually hit a profitable opportunity. That I was following a process that will not fail if I carry on being persistent and committed.

4. Hold yourself accountable to any result on your decisions

Commit yourself to your goal and hold yourself accountable to the result of your choice along the way. No one will make a decision for your success except you.

If one of your options fails, stand for it and make it better next time. On the other hand, celebrate success even the smallest form of achievement.

5. Find time (Important!)

In my current employment, I am required to work 9 hours per shift at night. And sometimes, I am relocated to different sites. But that does not stop me working from my online business. A lot people ask me how I do it without compromising my work, family, faith, social responsibility and self. How do I still manage to find time to earn extra income using the internet?

How do I Find Extra Time for My Online Business?

• I take note of my free schedules. Believe me, I encounter long and stressful days from my work. But if I have free time, I use it for my advantage. Also, when I do my business online, I am relieved from tension. Perfect approach to release stress from work.
• I plan my activities. Two of the most utilized application of my smartphone is the calendar and the Gtask. This tip is plain and straightforward – plan your activities and stick with it!
• I watch less television. Of course, I still watch television and movies but only those if feel beneficial. I tried to trim down the hours I spend in front of the T.V. But if it’s my time to rest, I view just a few favorite shows and movies. Resting is essential but it shouldn’t stop you from being productive.

Conclusion

As a conclusion, you don’t need to quit your job if you want to make money online. As a matter of fact, I do not suggest doing this (yet). What I can advice you is to start easy, unhurried and keep the securities & benefits of your current job. If you feel like making money online is not for you, you can simply discontinue and head back to the regular job with little or less disappointment.

What I’m saying is, maybe not everyone shall reach achievement in pursuing success in making money online. At least you tried, right?

Don’t forget to leave your message in the comments section.
All the best to you,
Louie Sison

Know your objectives

Above all else, the first and most important thing you need to think is your motivation. What are your reasons, your objectives? Without a strong conviction to answer your deepest why, you will not be able to pass or continue the day in – day out responsibilities of blogging.

Think of yourself before your audience. You need to answer first why you are writing your post. Are giving away tips? Is it to provide a news or practical guidance? An opinion perhaps? Are you trying to sell a product or improve search engine ranking? What is your particular reason?

Whatever your answer maybe, always remember that without targeting your ultimate goal, you have no clear cut of your aimed incentive and your blog won’t last long.

Know your own style

Determining your style is another key role to your approach in blogging. This is your brand. Think carefully of your style, because everything you write reflects on it. Whether yours is a business or personal style, you have to consider it before you blog.

Know your audience

Now that you know own style and the reason behind your goal, it’s time to spend some time to consider your targeted audience. Who are or will be the readers of your blog? How well are they knowledgeable about your topic? What are their age groups? How is your post going to be beneficial to them? What do you want from them to do after reading your posts?

Plan for your targeted keyword

What words are your readers Google when they want to search for a particular information that your provide in your blog? These are the keywords you want to be on top of search engine results page. You can use free keyword tool services like Google Adwords to check your targeted keyword’s competition and monthly searches. Make sure that you place your keywords in the right way and right places on your blog.

Don’t forget to leave your message in the comments section.
All the best to you,
Louie Sison

With this, you need to prioritize according to your objective. I recommend that you list down your priorities and then apply these elements to your blog. According to Make Money Blogging of Daniel Scocco, “The fewer things you ask your visitors to do, the higher the chances that they will actually do them”.

So here are my list of 25 Things You Want Your Visitors to do on You Web Site. 

1. Read at least one post,
2. Read another post or as many as possible,
3. Read about us or contact us page,
4. Subscribe to the RSS feed,
5. Follow on Twitter,
6. Connect to your Facebook account or fan page,
7. Subscribe to the email newsletter,
8. Leave a comment,
9. Suggest an improvement or appreciate your work,
10. Exchange links,
11. Bookmark your page on a browser,
12. Share your post on a bookmarking site,
13. Email your post to a friend,
14. Recommend you to other bloggers,
15. Contribute your post to a forum or group,
16. Blog about your site,
17. Propose to guest post,
18. Download your eBook,
19. Visit the sites on your blogroll,
20. Answer your surveys,
21. Click on ads,
22. Click on affiliate links and purchase a product,
23. Advertise on your site,
24. Make a donation,
25. Purchase your product

Do you have anything to add on my list?

Don’t forget to leave your message in the comments section.
All the best to you,
Louie Sison