To follow up my recent post about Building A Bloggers Business Plan, I decided that today would be a great day for me to get started on my own goals. Now I’ve had a business plan for quite a while now, but to be honest, like most of us… I’ve let other things distract me and taking my own advice. It’s time to focus and monetizing my blog, was one of top things on my list of things to do. So instead of furniture shopping with Mrs. Piss, she let me off the hook to sit down and get to it. After all, I’ve got to start somewhere right?

Pin-Point an Item in Your Bottom Line.

Monetizing is likely one of the biggest reasons people take up blogging. It wasn’t mine, but as you know a business plan is meant to change. I’ve decided that my pin-pointed focus is on improving the monetization of Piss Biscuit. Not become rich, just help it create a little more income.

Considering the numbers of blogs started, to the ratio of them still written on, I’d also say my goal is the same as many others. It’s also the number one reason for failure. Granted, it’s not the only reason, but I’m almost positive that when people realize “it just ain’t all that easy“… they bail on their blogging dreams and return to flipping burgers or filling up vending machines. Reality is for many of us, is that at some point, on at least one of our blogs – We had no visitors, no comments, no money coming in and therefore of course, no motivation.

Let’s skip to the part where we’ve built a blog, earned a little traffic, have some great commentators, and we sort of “forget” all about our initial goals… yeh, bloggers tend to get caught up in the moment too, and even making money can become secondary… blogging has some very addictive qualities… good and bad. Regain control people!

… Now that I’ve got a pretty happening little community, I can sit back and develop my moving forward plan… which is effective monetiztion… at least a little bit! I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “If I got a dollar every time…”. Well that statement couldn’t be more true and there is a way to make that work for you as a new blogger. Offer advertising. Duhhh… I know it’s stating the obvious, but take a look at your blog’s monetization efforts and you’ll see that you could quite possibly be missing out on a few dollars. I know I am, and as a part of my new mantra to make everything I do earn at least a little something, I decided to go to war with PB and see if I can’t get it to earn just a little more. Now all I need is a little focused effort.

Less is More When Setting Goals

Truth be told, making money online is no easy task… not that I actually have to say that, but for the sake of writing a well rounded article, I did any way. LOL. No matter where you are in your blogging careers, I’m sure you’ve run across the likes of some A-list bloggers like John Chow, Shoemoney, ProBlogger, and yes, even my new best friend – Vic from Blogger Unleashed.. uhh yeh… In fact, to their credit, it’s success stories like these that probably account for a significant number of blog start ups. I am not them, and neither are you, so get it out of your head that you’ll be making 500.00 from some silly “What I ate for dinner” review.

Regardless of your blogging background, grasping the concept of less is more, can mean mean life or death for your dreams. New to blogging? Awesome. Start your monetization with something as simple as charging $1.00 a week for ad space… or $5.00… or $10.00… eventually, you’ll be charging what ever you want, and people will pay it! But the value of knowing you’re getting SOMETHING for your effort is worth more over the long run, than any $40.00 advertisement. Yes, even $5.00 a week, for ad space is worth one-hundred times that in motivational value. To me and my action plan, this is the next step in checking one more item off of my list.

We love goals… but only short term ones. Long term goals are the perfect short term excuse. Remember that when you come out of the starting blocks, you need obtainable, reachable goals. Don’t set the bar so high. It’s not worth it.

Figuring Out Your Blogging Market

I’ve always said that this blog’s personality is not one that promotes affiliate products, or does paid reviews. It’s a place to come without pressure to explore the the blog world and listen to the opinions of some pretty groovy people in what I’d like to think of as an unbiased atmosphere. That said, this blog attracts a wide variety of totally awesome readers with a wide variety of interesting backgrounds. Now I understand that I don’t have 10,000 subscribers and I know that I don’t get 150 comments on every post that I write. But I know one thing for sure, and that’s PB has a community. That community is worth something to someone, somewhere. I just need to utilize that awesome attribute, and focus some of my money making attention on putting this blog to productive, profitable use. I know my market… do you know yours?

Accepting Your Blog’s Condition

The last portion of your blogging action plan, is accepting who you are, and where you are today. Self acceptance is pretty darn important. Now keep in mind, that there is a difference between self acceptance, and simply being “satisfied” with where you are. I’ve accepted my blog presence on the web and within the community. I’m not happy with it… and I accept it. I also know that I’m not satisfied yet… maybe I never will be. But accepting the fact that I’m not the biggest dog in the yard, and that I’m not richest man in the sphere, and that I really would love to find the time to redo my blog’s theme… only means that I understand the challenge I’ve now given myself. From business plan to my action plan, I’m confident of my progress.

Alright class, let’s summarize.

Create your blogging business plan

Pin-Point an item in your blogging bottom line

Focus on that item

Create an “Action Plan”

Set yourself achievable short term goals

Figuring out your market

Accepting who you are and what your blog is

Now that is a pretty kick ass list of things that any blogger, of any experience level, can do to improve their blogging agendas. In this article I’ve mixed in my own immediate goal of improving my montetization just so you can see how to apply this method to your own situations. Nothing is easy, so don’t be fooled, but with a little guided effort, even a new blogger can turn a blogging liability, into a blogging asset.

As a side note, achieving these little short term goals is a great way to get out of those blues and get your ass back into gear. It’s liberating I guess, and it’s the high of a lifetime. Without question, this article should give you a little confidence in why running your blog more like a business, is just the best thing to do on many levels. As always, I’d live to here your thoughts… so have at it and comment until your heart is content.

As bloggers we’ve got to have a bottom line right? Wrong… I think that not having a blogging bottom line is one of the major problems bloggers of today experience and something well worth a discussion. So here it is, PB’s take on developing your bottom line.

Setting Goals at the Onset

Rumors have it that 80,000 new blogs are built every day and that my friends is a pretty big number. Between the blogger that creates an account and never posts… to the blogger who puts their heart and soul into their new found dream… everyone has a different blogging bottom line. Or do they? As I’ve learned over the past week or so, everyone has a totally different idea of what it is to run an online business. Personally I’ve found it more enjoyable to build something strong and solid. Build it well. Build it with longevity in mind and reap the benefits for years to come. As a fan of genuine, white hat, organic blogging… I hardly see other options as plausible… but I’m wrong, and I know it.

The importance of setting goals at the onset of your new blogging adventure is rivaled by none. Just like a business plan is required by banks, Angel Funds, and Grant Programs, the SBA, and sometimes even friends and family… you should develop one for your online business too. Now unless you’re going after some VC (Venture Capital) or start up seed funding, it’s not necessary to have a 600 page digitized and bound business plan. I’m simply saying that you need a plan and understand what its purpose is.

Your Blogging Business Plan

Documenting your goals from the start allows you to look back and see where you were, look down and see where you are, and look up – to get where you’d like to be. What is a business plan? Sure, it can be a list of your goals. Yep, it can even be a list of things you’re going to do… but more importantly… you business plan is an ever evolving road-map to your success. In business college, you’re taught that business plans are the lifeblood of any start-up. It’s the walking, talking, living , breathing sales pitch that you’ll use to “sell” your ideas to people who have the ways and means to pay for it… I’d say if multi-million and billion dollar corporations use this model for success, we should too, just on a smaller more manageable scale.

Being flexible… is a requirement

The reality is that I don’t know any Angel Fund, or VC investor that wants to read or even approve an inflexible business plan. They all want a business plan that can move with the change in the market. These guys want a dynamic agenda. An ever changing plan that gives those who fund your venture confidence that you can handle the blows you’re going to be dealt. Now that I’m thinking of it, sounds right up the alley of almost every online entrepreneur doesn’t it?

Now what does that mean for a blogger? Glad you asked… What it means for people like us is that we are not only allowed, but encouraged to create flexible, malleable, wavy, business plans that jump around and account for not only market changes, but changes in your businesses primary asset… Yourself! Seriously people, the more and more I look at the idea of a real business plan, the more it makes sense. Seriously, how could it possibly hurt?

Do you have a business plan for your ventures? Why not?

Figuring out your Bottom line

Now that you’ve decided to take up the walking stick, and get on the road to organizing your plan… you’ve got another major hurdle to over come as a blogger. Determining your blogging bottom line. Simply put, this bottom line, should be one of only a few business plan items that shouldn’t ever change. Now this is much harder than you may think, and if you’ve been blogging for any amount of time you know that deep down in your chest somehwere, there is that little bug telling you to do something different. Hell it happens to me all the time, but I’ve GOT to stick to my guns… after all, it’s my bottom line.

As an example… and the sacrificial lamb, I’ll use this blog as an example. The bottom line here isn’t a simple one. It complex. It’s loaded with “what if’s” and “if so’s”. To keep it simple for this articles sake, I’ll say that this blog bottom line is ultimately to make me money. But only indirectly through learning through such a unique experience. I’ve been in business online for quite a few years, and I learn something new every day.

Piss Biscuit is my first blog… does that make me a newbie? Maybe… to things like Social Bookmarking, but hell I’ve bee making money online for a long time now, and I’ve always got a plan. Blogging newbie? Sure. Internet entrepreneur… No way.

I want to take the open communication and the freedom I gain from running PB and apply it to my business plans in other ventures. As many of you already know, and still others like myself learn everyday, keeping your “profitable” businesses close to your chest is an evil necessity that bloggers are forced into. Jealous rivals, spammers, competition, pusillanimous big mouths… you name it, they are after you. This blog allows me the freedom to not worry about my other ventures… what more could I ask for.

Have you thought about your bottom line?

All across the sphere debates are being started about the validity of another blogger business plan (I know I started a big one) and in truth, it’s really not fair. I’ll be the first to admit that when it comes to a comparison, it’s got to be apples to apples. Period. It’s a lesson learned for me, but how about you? Do you really comprehend the differences the business plans for other bloggers? Or are you just as wuick to jump down someone’s throat as I was to try and make a point? I think I’ve read on just about everyone’s some sort of dispute in the way things are manged over the past few weeks. We’ve all got our own opinions, but does that mean someone else is totally wrong. Not at all.

The point in this article isn’t admit guilt, or failure, but to simply explain that there is more to bloggin than writing posts and calling someone stupid. It’s all about building a business using the freedom of the interenet in ways that were once never possible. With freedom, comes a mass variety of views and methods and each of us should develop our own before critisizing another. In closing, the interenet is an amazing place. I can fall flat on my face, and tomorrow be up and running again with a whole new mojo. That’s pretty cool if you ask me. So have you made your actual plan? Do you know where your blog is going? Do you know what your end all purpose is? PB’s purpose is that of communication. Nothing more, and I’m proud of where it is today.

Well people it’s about that time of the month again. As TheAffiliatePost has dubbed it… PB Syndrome is in full effect, but this time, you’re convincing is not needed… there is light at the end of the tunnel! As many of you may have noticed, posting as well as commenting has been a bit slow for me over the last week and a half. I’ve had tons of things going on the outside of the internet world that have been finally cleared up and I’m ready to dig in yet again… PB writes again!

It’s Time to Make Money Online

This evil little phrase haunts almost every blogger at one point or another and sometimes more often that we care to admit… even those of us who say we’re bloggin’ just for the hell of it. Making money Online is the proverbial dangling carrot. The national treasure of sorts. We all want to make money and when we see folks around us pushing to get their share… it sends a little jealous streak down some of our spines. I know it does for me, and since I’m not the only one who enjoys making money, I know it does for some others too.

Maintaining our Focus

We’ve all got to maintain focus. Focus on our goals. If those goals are to simply blog for self gratification, great! If it’s to make money online, great! If it’s to create videos… or teach people how to become better at what they do at their jobs, or how to lose weight… the subject matters none. It’s all about setting and achieving our goals. I personally, have failed miserably at goal setting, and have become quite the master at goal breaking. Time for a change people and I’m the first in line to do all out do it.

Cleaning House

I own more domain names than I care to think about with some costing me as little a 5.00 and some costing as much as a few thousand dollars… I’ve built or helped build nearly 600 websites in my time as a designer, and I have yet to complete a project of my own. Is it natural? Is this constant flow of negative energy good for all that Zen? I don’t think so. That said, as part of my mide year resolution, and part of my new outlook on my online business ventures, I’ve got to clean house a little bit. I’ll be selling off some of my totally awesome domains, building up my existing online businesses, and settling in on a few well appointed attempts to get my online life in order.

What’s the point in all of this?

Good question. I’d like to know from each of you, what your goals are. No… I’m not looking for some generic answer like make money… or become rich… of course everyone wants that. I want a list people… the famous list post. I challenge each of you to set your goals… post them online and let the world help you stick to your guns. Here are a few of mine:

Sell off old domains I no longer use.

Finish Building Blogg Fluff or turn it over to someone who can work it like it should.

Complete a project in which has been long time coming.

Start my online T-Shirt Store

Re-Organize Piss Biscuit

Earn 2,500 dollars a month online

Finish and promote VGA (My Latest Venture)

Create an online portfolio of my work

Build a homebase site for my freelance design services

So what do you all think? Sounds like a pretty solid to do list, but everything on it has been buggin me FOREVER! DO you guys and gals see anythign that I may have missed? Ohhh wait…

Take PB to the next level in monetization

Anyway, this is just a start, so thanks for all the input. Thanks for all the help. And most importnatly, thanks for helping me stay on track. I’ve met some great people here and I have a great appreciation for each and every one of you.

This ain’t your average flip!

Investing your hard earned money into a business is something that should never be taken lightly. It’s a decision that takes cash, dedication, determination, and of course some good old fashioned guts. But today, there aren’t many online entrepreneurs all that willing to show you the process from start to finish on a real live online property they the intend to keep… This isn’t blog flipping, where we only care about it for a few weeks or even months. My goal is to build another online property that is as if not more profitable than my others. This my friends, is business building entrepreneurship at it’s best. So, grab a cup of coffee, your laptop, and a notebook… this is one lesson you won’t soon find again.

So PB, what did you buy?

As most of you all know by now my background is in design, development so these two diamonds in the rough are perfect for what I love to do. Keeping that in mind, and without further ado, let me introduce to you, “The Banner Queen” and the “Virtual Graphic Artist“! Go ahead AP… you’ve got 30 seconds for Banner “Queen” jokes…

Okay times up… Now both of these websites are obviously lacking a little PB flair and that’s okay. Remember that I bought them to build the business, not just to ride the wave. That said, I’ve got some thoughts on a redesign and I’ve already taken the steps I need to get whole new system going. (Let’s not lie… the new site is just about done) Now before I start getting e-mails privately asking how much I paid for these puppies… the full financial details of the purchases I made are under tight wraps. I can tell you that it was a sizable investment… sizable enough in fact to warrant plenty of time to think about my options as well as what I was buying. Remember, marketing master Rick Butts didn’t raise a fool!

Cry for a little launching help.

There is going to be pretty big release involving the all new VGA, but I don’t think it’s going to be big enough… at least not without your help. Now I’m not one to randomly e-mail you guys and gals asking for a plug… so I’ll do it publicly and hope that I have some takers as I’m sure I will. Leave me a comment that says something like “Hell Yes PB! Just tell me what to do!”… then when I begin setting up the official launch… I’ll provide you all with everything from banners, buttons, headers, screen shots and even official VGA press releases from Rick and I!

Monday is Launch Day… Maybe!

My goal is to launch the all new VGA on Monday August 4th, 2008! And even though it is an active operating business… it’s new WordPress theme will be ready for a little well deserved dog and pony show… and that my friends is what I aim to give it. So take a moment, clear your Monday post schedule and prepare yourselves.I want to share the experience with each of you just as you would if this were your own… minus the cash to get started of course. So you get all the benefits of learning how to build a successful profitable business without any risks… you can’t beat that can you?

So let’s launch this puppy the right way. You ready? I know I am… it’s going to be a rush! If you would prefer to remain a “secret” and don’t want to put your name up in the comments for all to see… just fill out this quick opt in form instead. I can hardly contain myself!

A day in the life of a designer…

I know it’s a bit glorified, but when I gripe about not getting things accomplished in a day or getting burned out over the most silly of things… maybe after watching this you’ll have a better understanding of why…. Enjoy!

Long term affects of abuse

Now don’t get me wrong, clients are the ones who pay the bills around this joint but boundaries need to be set and maybe now you can see why. Everyone from School teachers to hairdressers have unions to help regulate and remove any potential monopolization and abuse… so why not designers? We get trampled, abused, requested, blamed, and ripped off more often than you might think and usually by the SAME client!

The reason is because we are all trying to earn a living, build a reputation, and find loyal customers… it’s a hard task, but it’s the only way we survive. Much like an endangered species… we too will eventually become over hunted (abused) and die off.

Why are prices on the rise?

If any of you have ever needed a design for something, you’ll know that getting bids is scary. Scary only because you never know what body parts you’ll be asked to sell to pay us. The fact of the matter is that abuse like portrayed in this video, is the very reason prices are on the rise. But the good news is… you all actually have a chance to start making a difference by cutting us some slack and letting us do out job. If you need some mindless grunt to push buttons on a computer while you dictate the design… go hire a high school student.

You think our prices are going up for fun? LOL, not quite my friends… they are going up because our available time is going down. When our time goes down due to over bearing clients… our work load goes down. When our work load drops, so does our income. And of course when that happens… we pass that along to you… the overbearing client. Sounds fun right? Yeh, it hurts all of us.

The debate could go on.

I know starting a debate that I don’t have time to argue right now is not wise… so I’ll mark this full post as one to explore in coming weeks. In the meantime… take a look atthe video again and hoefully you’ll start to realize that we are people too you know. We don’t like to get abused and we don’t like feeling like we’ve let our clients down. Take a step back and realize that any good designer can deliver… all we ask is to be treated fairly.

So what do you think about the video? I know some of you still have jobs, so how does this scenerio fair out in your work environments?

After some serious back and forth debate amongst my peers, and a serious look at what I’m up against, I’ve decided to respond to Vic from Blogger Unleashed. I know through both comments and e-mail… this response is well anticipated. I’ve taken the time to not respond in an unpleasant manor, but in a manor that is deserved. So without further ado… here we go. I’ve linked dictionary.com to certain words I feel you may have a small deficiency in understanding so please, by all means feel free to click them for a more clear understanding of this letter.

The Official Reply

Vic,

I’m writing you today in response to the rude, crude, arrogant, self centered, pusillanimous e-mail you sent me the other day. I’d like to just take a moment to let you know that I harbor no ill feelings towards you as I am sure that you cannot help being so insecure. Your mental instabilities that were once questionable in my book are in deed now certifiable, so for that, I commend you. It takes courage to step out of the box, and show the world the inferior side of ourselves… and you my friend nailed it. 10 points an a sympathy vote earned.

You missed my point

In regards to my initial inquiry, I was simply being amenable to the possibility of a future challenge of sorts. However, you’ve haphazardly taken my offer, and turned it into a conquest. A Crusade of sorts… to rid the blogging community of useless amoeba like yourself who seek to do nothing more than destroy the very community that has made you the person you are today.

You abuse those who made you

Frankly Vic, it’s a bit pathetic. It’s pathetic, that people like myself… look at “self proclaimed business men”, like you and wonder what it would be like to be afforded the opportunity that you have been given. You no longer can be trusted to hold a valuable opinion after this awesome display of professionalism. You’re fake comments of gratitude towards your fans is a total joke… as you have now shown your community what you think of us… and yes… when you spoke to me… you spoke to everyone who is like me. It is obvious by your reply that you hold no regard for the people who put you on that podium you squat so proudly in front of.

Listening to you is suicide

You’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and I feel sorry for those who follow you with such passion and intent. They have no clue who you really are, but I sir, have gotten a taste… it is rancid. You my friend are a glutton. A greedy little man pissed at the world for not being cut out to live amongst the people, and survive in the real world. I Congratulate you for finding your curtain to hide behind… Ha ha, the best pat is that it’s behind the safety of a sandboxed XBox360 website. Wow.

I need to address “Son”…

Vic, I’m not sure if it’s a limitation in your vocabulary or simply a comprehension deficiency due to old age, but I am not your son… and I don’t appreciate being called such. In fact… it’s a bit demeaning, but I’m sure that was your intent. So, please correct that and address me as PB… got it “pops”?

In a league of your own

You made it quite clear that you feel as if your in the major leagues, while I’m still in line for a dizzy bat contest. Fair enough, but I find it interesting that you assume you know something about the work that I do… or that I have done. I also love how in all of your genius… you really think I’m dumb enough to let the cat out of this bag… LOL. Yeh!

Your “early judgment” is what the real world marketeers call a fatal flaw “pops”. You’ve sized up the enemy before you even know where the war is… ask Napoleon about that. But for a guy with 800 websites… having 8 worth mentioning is piddlings in my book so I’m really not impressed. In fact, if they are anything like your Xbox site… Wow, I see why you’d need 800… hedging your bets on a few would be to risky. the spamming of hundreds on the other hand… remarkable.

Your amazing 1% success rate

You made it clear that this is a topic on SEO not making money so personally, I’d rather have 10 sites with only 5 SEO worthy ones worth mentioning. That would be a 50% success rate. Sounds like your teaching some pretty good stuff over there at “Blogger on a Leash” if it’s okay for 1 in a 100 sites to be a winner… that my friend is 1% success rate… but wait… only 7 or 8 good ones in you “cluster”! There is something wrong with that picture for sure.

Playing by fair rules

Vic, I almost said it’s not worth fussing with… then I thought about taking your challenge, your pride, your ego, and your money… hell let’s up the anti… I’d want your blog too. None of this should be any problem at all considering you are so confident in your win.

In the end Vic, I’m more that willing to take the “pops” challenge… make it interesting and include Blogger Unleashed while your at it. If you want to play fair and show off those skills… I’m game. Hell I’ll even come to Vegas. From here… I’m open to discussion, but we are both very busy… so let’s not play games. You want my 20 grand? You’ll earn it fairly… if I want yours… I’ll earn it fairly.

Today I wanted to talk about traffic… no, no not the same old boring stuff where some self proclaimed pro wants to teach the world about improving their targeted hits. I’m talking about all natural baby! That’s right, good old fashioned traffic and what it means to the success of a blog. After designing and optimizing websites for years, I’ve come to love studying my stats and this article sets out to explain why. Grab a chair and a hot cup of coffee because we’re going back to the basics!

Any traffic is great for any blog… so use it dummy!

The big thing these days is targeted traffic optimization. You know… “make money online” or “make money blogging”… whatever! And that’s great and all, but how does a newcomer get started taking advantage of traffic in general? Afterall, traffic albeit un-targeted traffic, is like gold to a 49er when it comes to setting up your new blog or getting the blood pumping into an old one.

Organic natural traffic is the foundation of a successful blog and it’s way under used. I’ve assembled a hit list of great reasons to value these visitors in the hope that it might awaken your senses and maybe instill a little hope in those of us feeling a bit unwanted or discouraged.

Increased traffic increases your stats.

Stats are important to show advertisers and buyers that you’re in it to play hard ball. Even if your blog is one day old, and your loaded up with one tiny article, your still going to get some traffic! Newbies need to understand it and seasoned pros need to value it. It’s that simple.

Without getting remedial here, I’ll quickly state that stats are the single most important tool a new blogger has in his or her tool box. With 10 articles, and no comments… studying your basic site stats can be enough to motivate you to write post number 11.

Increased traffic increases the potential to gain loyal readers.

Loyal readers are pretty damn important to all of us. They are the people who check on your blog twice a day (or more) and faitfully visit to either stir a comotion or offer some great commentary. Your loyal readers will are great for keeping your stats pretty even keel even if you don’t post for a few days. Having an even keel flow of traffic means quite a bit.

Since stats are simply a numbers game, so is loyal readership. Obviously you’ll never hit the nail on the head with everyone that passes through, but it’s fair to say the more traffic, the better your odds in finding someone who does appreciate what you’ve got to say.

Increased traffic increases the possibility for new feed subscribers.

While sometimes e-mail subscribers don’t help out your stat counters… they are defiantly worth something. The resident blog flipping pro, Bryan Clark mentions that feed burner subscibers can be valued at somewhere around $18.00 each! That’s a hell of a lot of money if you ask me!

Again… the more traffic, the better your chance of finding a loyal reader. The more loyal readers, the more likely they are to join your feed. The more folks that join your feed, the more your blog is worth.

Increased traffic increases earning potential.

Let’s continue… with increased traffic comes increased potential for loyal readers. With an increased number of loyal readers comes new subscribers. Traffic, subscribers, and readers, all mean what? More page views. The more page views… the more motivation an advertiser will have to spend his or her money on your blog. It’s simple math!

To be quite honest… as a potential advertiser, I really don’t give a squat about how many feed burner subscriptions you’ve got… (unless it’s a review/ post). My main concern however, is how many times people will see my ad. This is a BIG factor in obtaining private advertisers. The industry rule of thumb says that the more frequent you brand is seen, the more it will be remembered. The more often it’s remembered, the more it becomes an authority brand. You don’t have to be a genius to understand the value of being an authority in a niche right?

Increased traffic increases your comment count.

The more people visit, the better your chance of finding new participants. For example… my blog sports a comment average of 18.7 comments per post. Yes, this does include my own, but the point is that comments inspire other comments. Active comments, shows that your blog is alive and kicking and that’s worth a ton to a new buyer. But why?

When your comments increase, so does user activity. With increased user activity comes increased page views. (same theory applies to “deep linking“) With the increase of page views, come an increase in your earning potential. Increased earning potential means the chances of becoming a full time blogger goes on up with it too!

Increased traffic increases your ability to become an authority figure!

Well it’s been a journey hasn’t it? But your finally there! You’ve slowly but surely become and authority figure by default! Not because you’ve optimized your blog for “I’m a professional blogger” but because you’ve taken what you were given… studied it… and then applied it. Not only have you earned you place in the blog world, but you’ve risen to become a guiding light of sorts… a leader… someone to look up to!

I read somewhere that around 80,000 new blogs are created every single day! And while some of these are pros creating BANS sites or Affiliate Marketing campaigns… a vast majority is the ever growing population of people getting online to communicate with the world. That said… your leadership role become more dominant and more profitable. What else could you ask for?

Falling prey to the targeted traffic mantra…

The point here is a simple one. Traffic in general is valuable. Very valuable. Once you have visitors, start narrowing the gap a little at a time, do it naturally. Narrow to much to early… and your blog won’t grow. Both newbies and the pros fall trap to the targeted traffic mantra. Yep… we all do it. We all think we’re never doing enough to make a name or take a stance so we try and “choose” a targeted audience to early on.

More important than your blog’s targeted traffic reach… is the growth of yourself as a blogger and online entrepreneur! It’s a tough world out there and staying motivated isn’t easy! Writing post after post… staying up till 4:15 in the morning all week long… forcing yourself to not check comments while at work… brainstorming again and again… talking aimlessly at your loved ones looking for inspiration… it all takes it’s toll on the best of us. Using, learning, and accepting your natural traffic is essential to creating a solid foundation for your blog’s future.

Take a deep breath, relax… go check your stats, and make it a routine… one day when you’re famous… you’ll thank me for it! I hope you enjoyed it.

Alright people it was about time that someone offered up another contest! When I saw the post go up on Bryan Clark’s Site Flipping University… I was THRILLED… and then… I was INTIMIDATED! Even though you guys should go read the full contest rules on your own… I’ve put the points system up just to show you guys how well thought out this contest is.

Contestants will be given points based on the following criteria.

• 10 Points for each Feedburner Subscriber
• 2 Points for each unique visitor
• 1 Point for each pageview
• 5 Points for each unique visitor from an ORGANIC source (i.e. Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.)
• 10 Points for listing the auction
• 100 Points for a successful sale (price doesn’t matter)
• 50 Points for having the MOST traffic
• 100 Points for having the most ORGANIC traffic
• 100 Points for having the most Feedburner Subscribers
• 50 points to anyone who opens a new Hostgator account under my (his) affiliate link. The proceeds will be split with the winner of the contest. Pretty good deal right? And it’s $10 a month for unlimited domains, and the best host on the market… (I’m actually the best host on the market)

I Need a Brand New Domain?

After you start reading… you start to understand that this isn’t your normal contest. No way… this sucker has got a twist in the pickle like none other! Holy smokes Bryan… I’ve got to register a brand new domain name? You’re really making this a toughie aren’t you? As if domain names aren’t already hard enough to find we’ve got to find a good one… that’s never been registered before… build a blog around it… and sell it in 30 days!

Who Needs Money When You’ve Got Traffic?

Okay so we all know by know that Bryan’s no push over with his “rules and regs”… but he’s kicking up a notch by not giving ANY credit to the blog that sells for highest price. C’mon Bryan can’t ya give a guy a break! We only get points for organic traffic! When this thing is all done, I’ll never want to sell it after all that bloody work!

Get Over There and Register!

Well I must say that just reading Bryan’s post is bringing out the competitor in me, so I’m seriously thinking about getting on board and joining up even though I’ve now officially got NO extra time! All in all, I think that this is a sweet contest with some pretty sweet prizes that every blogger would want! Let me know if you guys and gals plan on joining… you never know… I might just beg Bryan to let me donate some sort of kick ass prize!

Now go check out the Blog Flipping Contest!

Here’s A Kick Ass Update for Ya!

I’ve just been notified that Bryan has now been persuaded to take me on as a contest sponsor! That’s right people… as if I’m not already giving you guys the world… here’s one more chance to get an awesome theme design worth about $900.00 bucks from yours truly! So get off your rumps and get registered!

Well it’s the moment you all have been waiting for… Okay, so maybe not… but after some serious debate and a whole lot of thinking back and forth, I’ve finally decided who will be getting the totally awesome theme tweak for week one. Drum roll please… and the winner is… “Robin” of NOAFilm.be

What makes Robin this week’s winner?

Contests are a tough thing to hold, especially ones like this, where I have to make a personal decision. Unlike my random winner contest like “PB’s Premium Theme Giveaway“, I’ve made this weeks decision based on what I feel is best for my business.

I feel that while Robin’s site is not in English and making it more difficult to complete, it will truly have an impact on the Premium Theme community. Because he’s already using MimboPro I this makes the buzz factor all that much greater. That said, I chose this site based on nothing more than the potential for future business, traffic, publicity, and a well thought out e-mail explaining what he was looking for… oh wait, he did what I asked for… moral of the story… effort prevails every time.

Robin’s Well Thought Out E-Mail

The thing with my site is that I feel everything looks a bit full on the front page, based on the reactions my clients give me I know that they often just look at the top 2/3 of the site. On the other hand all the info on the front page has to be there. What I was thinking is to remove the vertical boundaries, much like this site: http://www.raproject.com/ and maybe change the color combination as well though I really like combinations with brown and blue.

He also used Mimbo Pro as a base and by removing the side boundaries but keeping the content within boundaries it looks like the site has more breathing space (hope i express myself right)

I also want the header which now contains my company logo and some wedding pictures which I threw together in Photoshop to be redesigned,  f.i. I liked what http://www.queromedia.be/ did with their header, it also spreads itself horizontally over the site and their tree’s roots end were the tags begin, very simple yet elegant. Now i don’t want a tree on my site but something simple incorporating my Logo and some artsy fartsy video/photo related stuff.

Let the magic happen…

Robin has issued me complete design freedom on his site which I’ll take seriously. I’ve already got some mock up done and to be honest I’m pretty excited about it.As you can see in the picture above, he’s already made some tweaks on his own and I’m hoping take it to the next level for him.

I’ve take some design cues from the most popular styles of 2008 and mixed them in with a seductive, sensual, classic feel that is sure to lend a real focus to his business. Robin does some wonderful work in both photography and video so showcasing his awesome talent is something that this theme tweak will aim to do.

Robin mentioned in his e-mail that his readers tend to be interested in the top two-thirds of his site. In the deign world, regardless of the medium, is called “Above the Fold”. I reviewed a little bit about the importance of this area of a site in my article about “Building a Better Blog“.

The nuts and bolts…

I’ve already received the original theme file from Robin and so I guess you could say that the work has officially begun. I’ll make one brief mention though, that I’m not all that impressed as of yet with MimboPro’s image and thumb-nailing system. It’s very cumbersome to implement and even for a seasoned WordPress fanatic, it’s not user friendly in the setup.

Usage is pretty straight forward using “Custom Fields” but wow, I’ve fiddled with it for about four hours and just can’t manage to get the imaging system to work properly. Inevitably, I’ll be writing a review on the Mimbo Pro theme when this is all done so you can fully understand what to expect should you purchase this premium theme in the future so be on the look out for it.

In the meantime, I’ll be finishing up my mock ups and hopefully posting my progress tomorrow. with some totally awesome screen shots. if I can get the darn imaging system to act right, I might even have a live demo for you guys and galls too.

Three weeks to go!

Just remember that you all have three more weeks, with three more winners. I’m hoping that some of you will start to fully appreciate the time and energy involved in doing this stuff… so help me out and spread the word! Until tomorrow…

Well, rumor has it that some of the natives have been a bit restless around these parts because I had to take the weekend off from posting to clear my schedule, get caught up at work, and deal with a number of issues outside of my office, that required my full devoted attention. That said, I’ve had quite a bit of time to do some serious thinking about taking my business to a whole new level. At the suggestion of some I’ve decided to toss the idea around more seriously.

Making my talents profitable!

It’s been suggested on more that one occasion that I take my talents, write a little bit about them, put up a portfolio of sorts, and start offering some design services to people like you. Yep… premium WordPress theme design! It is after all, part of what I do for a living so it wouldn’t be hard would it?… Okay, so “I think I’m ready to start selling myself”… but, I’m not totally sold on it being a good idea. You all know by now that this blog is a no hold barred look at life on the web, so I have no problem writing from the heart and voicing my concerns (Thanks Zania!). to see what my online friends think.

Sometimes I wonder about things like “Fear of Rejection”, “Emotional Attachments”, “Dumb Questions”, and “Time”.

The Fear of Rejection.

I fear rejection! I’m completely afraid that my themes won’t be needed or wanted, and that adding a “product” to my blog is only negating what it is that I promise to do here… Keep it real! I’m afraid that I’ll be opening doors to critiques and criticisms even though it may not be asked for. I’m afraid of being stuck playing 100 questions everyday from inexperienced people who shouldn’t even be blogging yet, much less buying a premium theme. I fear the unknown and I’m not quite sure why I’m so skiddish to pull the trigger. Hell, back in the day, I’d be all over this like white on rice sow what’s my problem?

I hate dumb questions

No matter the number of FAQs or knowledge base material I could possibly put together, can make up for the fact that hundreds of people will be asking the same time draining questions over and over again. I’ve read on a handful of blogs by premium theme designers, how draining and even aggravating their customer can be. Haha… Nick can attest to this one! He can be found on one site in particular where the same dumb questions are asked over and over again and he’s always trying to help newbies learn. It’s hard on readers, and it’s hard on the theme designers… I know it’s profitable but is it all worth it?

The Emotional Stuff

I’ve personally designed a few hundred websites, blogs, and logos over the years and each one is something that I’m very proud of in their own right. I did it as a freelance designer, and now I do it as a professional. The problem is that as a professional designer, your relationship somewhat ends once the final product is delivered. In fact, many times, it’s like going to a funeral, or reading my post about having the “Blogger’s Blues“. After weeks of daily interaction, you’re left with a feeling of relief that it’s finally over, and a bit of despair that you’re no longer needed. Funny how that works huh! Regardless, it’s the nature of the beast and just a part of the business that as designers we’ve all got to deal with. I think my “idea” takes the emotional roller-coaster out of the equation. I think it’s sort of like having attachment anxiety. One day you’re hot, the next day you’re not.

Time

Time is really really valuable, and as bloggers I know that you know exactly what I mean. Zania, for example, just to a little sabbatical to get caught up on more “profitable” chores. I myself just spent the past few days busting hump to get caught up… and I’m still not at 100% yet! Adii, one of the best WordPress designers out there, has some of the same troubles too. So how do I do something I love, make a little extra, and not get fired or need to take up dinking full time to ease the pain and kill the stress? Simple… don’t design premium WordPress themes!

Okay dude! What’s the “great” idea then?

Within the current position that I’m in with my employer, nothing forbids me from doing “side” work… or being a “hired gun”. However, I appreciate my job, and respect my boss, so aside from my dedication to my daily work, I think it would be a conflict of interest to go for the gusto all on my own. Sort of biting the hand that feeds me in a way.

That said I think that I’ve found the solution. I won’t design new themes… I’ll tweak ‘em! That’s right, after two minutes and thirty-seven seconds of reading, you’re finally going to see what the hell I’m talking about. See, building and maintaining a premium theme resource is serious business. It’s serious enough for some folks, that they spend all day every day working on their business and NOTHING else… that means other things will inevitably start to suffer… like my job, and my time with you guys on your blogs. Not good for my mental health if all this went by the way side. But, what if I spent four hours a night working on theme tweaks for awesome people like you?

Four hours a day, for 5 days a week is about 20 hours of work (A Part time job by US standards)… not bad I don’t think! Doing these “Tweaks” would keep me from having to jump into an already hot market, deal with the silly FAQs all day long, and I can still do a little something that I love all while earning a little extra cash to add more and more goodies to The Piss Biscuit.

Here’s where you come in…

So now that you know I’ll be taking the premium themes designed by others, and tweaking them, what do YOU think I should do? Since almost everyone of you own at least one website, how do you think this type of product would fair out? Do you think that it would open doors for theme designers to sell more themes? but when I really think about it, there are some questions that I’d like you to answer for me above the ones I just mentioned.

• Do you think there is a market need for theme customization?
• What is the number one reason you don’t already use a premium theme?
• If you think premium themes are priced to high… what price point SHOULD they be at?
• If you could, would you have your current theme customized to make it your own?

Well there you go. Four questions I’d like each of you to spend 2 minutes answering for me. Remember, this isn’t a sales pitch, this is a way for me to decide if it’s time to start doing something for myself again, or just sit back and do a whole lot of nothing!