Blogger is not a website builder. Many people lump it in the same category as a website builder but it is not. Blogger only allows you to blog its services do not include building a website. Also, it only has a free option. It does not include any paid option. I think the reason it is because both Blogger and website builders allow you to use their services for free. However, with website builders they offer a free and a paid option. If you decide to upgrade to the paid option you will have the free website removed from your website and you can utilize more featured options. So, if you are tight on money you can start for free and upgrade later on. This way you can still get your website or blog up and running.
With a website builder everything is hosted. You do not have to go anywhere else to be hosted because they host your blog or website. Everything is all-in-one. This is good for people who don't have a lot of time to spend on getting a blog or website up and running. Everything is right there at your fingertips. They also have drag and drop features that make it easy for you to design your website or blog even if that is not your forte. They also have lots of different templates that you can use. You can really make it your own and not have to worry about your blog or website looking the same as everyone else's. Social media buttons are included in some of the templates but if not you can always add them yourself. It might differ for different kinds of website builders. Just check and see.
What I like about website builders is you can learn as you go. Maybe, in the beginning you might not know a whole lot about html but you can still build your website or blog. The drag and drop features make it so easy for you to do so. Maybe you do know how to work with html but just don't have the time as I mentioned before. Website builders can help you get up and running quickly, efficiently and professionally. Sometimes, I even get carried away with the different addons and plugins to use (in a good way of course). Because, they really do have lots of features that you can add to your website or blogs. They are always coming out with new and better ways for you to help make your blog or website better.
Website builders are just like anything else. Some are good and some are not so good. I recommend you use the ones where you can grow. Even, if you don't know any html in the beginning you will probably learn some because it is essential to know some when you are blogging or building a website. Bottom line you need to learn html. It just makes it a whole lot easier for you online when you know some html. I wouldn't recommend the ones that don't give you a lot of freedom when it comes to getting under the hood. In this blog post,"What Kind Of Blogging Platform Should I Use?" I mentioned some of the good ones and the not so good ones. I hope that it will be helpful in your search to find a website builder that is right for you. You can have a professional looking blog or website using a website builder.
Are you thinking about using a website builder? Why or why not? Are you already using a website builder? How do you like it? Let me know in the comments below.
|
This wasn't the first time this had happened to me but I didn't take any action. Reluctantly, I did end up using another picture but as I said before I really like to use the same picture because then people know it's me. This time I really didn't want to give up. I wanted to find out what was causing this problem. I did some research online and I was able to find Zamzar.com. It is really an easy site to use. It was a life-saver for me. You can convert your gif images to jpg images in 4 easy steps. Also, you can convert other files such as: jpeg, bmp,png and many more. Plus, you don't have to download anything.
Below is a screen shot of the site
Step 1. Select files or url to convert. Step 2.Choose the format to convert Step 3. Enter your email to receive the converted files Step 4. Convert by clicking you agree to their terms
Here is my image I converted
Nice, huh! I thought that you might find this as helpful as I did. It's fast, easy and free! Try this out and let me know how you like it! |
I have learned a lot in 2014. I am learning how to work with Canva more. The image in this blog post was made with it. I want to get better with using it. Who would of thought I would designing images? I still have a long way but at least I have started. I can only get better. Yeah, I'm bragging a little bit. Don't spoil my joy. (LOL) However, I still have a lot to conquer. So many things that I want to learn to do. I am still learning, because it never stops. Don't worry, whatever I learn I will be sharing it with you. In fact, I just learned something new. Look for it in an up and coming blog post.
I'm not making a new year's resolution because I carry the same mentality that I had last year and the year after that. I already know what I have to do and what I want to do. I just check what I have already achieved off the list as I go. Just in case you're wondering. It's all good. I have so much to do. My plate is so full it's not even funny. That's why I haven't been writing in my blog as of late but I will be getting back on track. I just want to apologize if you have been reading my blog and expecting a new blog post. I hope that you went and read some of my older blog posts if you are a newcomer to my blog.
I am really looking forward to this new year. Hopefully, it will be better than the last. Not that 2014 was bad for me, because it wasn't. I just want to accomplish more of my goals so that I can check more off of that list. I can honestly say that I have been more positive lately. Which is something that I am still working on. I go and re-read my favorite self-improvement book that I keep as a reference. It has been so helpful to me. Self-improvement is something that I work on everyday. It is an essential part of my life.
I really want to make this blog better. I had asked this question before but I didn't get a lot of answers. Can you do me a favor and go and take this survey by answering this question for me? Is this blog helpful? It will be a great help for me to provide content that you would like to read. Thanks in advance! I really appreciate it.
What will you miss about 2014? With the upcoming new year. What goals would you like to achieve? What are somethings that you didn't get to achieve in the past year and would like to? Do you think that your blog became better or worse? I would love to know what you think in the comments below.
|
Gift cards are the answer for these problems. You get them a gift card and let them go and buy what they like. This cuts down on you being upset about spending so much time shopping and it cuts down on them being disappointed. Even though we know that you should be grateful that someone took the time to think about you. It's the thought that counts. Even if you have to give it away because it didn't fit or you just flat out didn't like it.
What if you are busy and don't really have to time to shop? Who really loves last minute shopping? No one, but sometimes life gets busy and before you know it ; the event is here. Ever, been invited to a wedding and scrambled to find a gift? It's nothing like intending to buy a gift for someone but you didn't have time to get it. That's when gift cards come in handy. Also, gift cards are simple. If you have kids you are giving gifts to. It can cut down on the drama of someone liking their gift more than the other. Keep things equal. Just give gift cards.
As bloggers it's nice to use gift cards to reward your readers. You can use gift cards to reward people who comment the most or who participate in your community by helping others out by answering questions. This is only if you have a community on your blog. Don't worry if you don't. You can host a giveaway on your blog and give out gift cards. You can have contests on your blog and reward people who share your blog or a particular blog post the most. I know some bloggers have written ebooks or other products it's a great way to reward readers for helping you get the word out.
What kind of gift cards should you give?
If you don't know the person personally. It's best not to give gifts to restaurants or places that sell food. Some people have allergies to different foods. Also, people have diet restrictions. For religious reasons, they may not eat a certain kind of food. Also, for health reasons they may not be eating certain foods. Lastly, they could be vegans or vegetarians. If your blog is catered to a certain audience. Such as a mom blog then gift cards for Toys'rus a kids clothing store would be appropriate. However, just stick with a gift card from a store where they can purchase something that they can use.
Gift cards can fit anywhere
You can give a gift card anywhere. You don't have to worry about carrying a bunch of stuff around. Once you give someone a gift card you don't have to worry about them leaving it. Because it can fit in their purse or wallet. You can send it in the mail and it won't cost you a fortune to send it. They are so much easier! Gosh, it makes giving gifts a cinch! It truly is no worry shopping. Now, that's the kind of shopping I like to do!
Where To Buy These Discount Gift Cards?
It shouldn't cost you a fortune to buy these gift cards and it won't. You can get them from GiftcardRescue. They have excellent prices. Plus, they have a wide selection. Whatever, you choose there is one for you. You can also sell a gift card or even exchange one. As much as we try to avoid it sometimes we still get a gift card that we just can't use. If that happens to you, you can sell it or exchange it. To sell or exchange a gift card you must check the balance. You can do that at Giftcardbalancenow.com. Buy your gift cards at GiftcardRescue now.
No matter what the occasion is Gift cards make the perfect gifts. I just love getting gift cards. Don't you? What kind of gift card would you like to get? What merchandise store would you be happy about getting a gift card from?
|
Before joining any kind of business you can do an online search about it. Collaborate with people who are already working in it. If and when you decide to join read all of the fine print. Make sure that you will be able to put in the proper time. This is something that you will be investing your money in so you must make sure that you have the time and make the effort when you make the commitment to join. If you can't promise yourself that you will do these things then, it's in your best interest not to join any kind of business. It doesn't mean that you shouldn't never decide to join. It just means that it is not a good time for you right now.
Why would someone say a business is a scam when it is clearly not? Because they didn't do the above. As we all know people think it is easier to do business on the internet( I blame the false advertising that is being done on a consistent basis). If you are a newbie then it is easy for you to fall into these cracks. Why? Because, naturally people are looking for something that is easier. So, when they think that they have found it they mistakenly believe that easy means less work or basically no work. That is simply not true. There is no business that you will join and not do absolutely nothing. So, if you are one of those people, please stop believing those blatant lies. I'm telling you right now they are not true and they will never be true.
When a business is a scam it will not stay in business for long because the people who join it will not make any money. This is a clear indicator that a business is a scam. Also, a business that is a scam usually, has no way for you to contact them. They aren't interested in you being successful either. Why would they? They can't have you making money, because if they did it wouldn't be a scam. If it is a scam NO ONE will make money and people will not stay in the business. They will lose money not make money. That is the whole object of a scam.
You do not want to accuse a legitimate business of being a scam. For one, it will make you look bad. You are stating something that is not true. People will do their research. When they find out it's not a scam and that you purposely said it was that doesn't make you look good in the eyes of people. Many times when someone says something is a scam it is because they themselves didn't do something that they were supposed to do so, they try and discredit the business. If you are claiming scam after scam and these business are not scams people will start to look at you and rightfully, so. You are making yourself look unreliable. If you ever do find a business that you like it will be hard for people to trust you (I know I wouldn't join a business with someone who is always claiming that they got scammed).
If you did not do well in a business just say you didn't do well. Maybe, it wasn't for you. That happens sometimes. We join something find out it wasn't the right fit for us. What do you do? You move on and find something that is. You don't go hollering scam just so you can get attention and people will feel sorry for you. If you think that. Trust me, they won't. It will be completely the opposite. You will be someone that people will not want to be bothered with. If you are trying to do business with people you can't afford to be that type of person. You will need to be someone that people trust. Not someone that looks petty and a whiner in the eyes of people.
When you falsely accuse a business it prevents people who would like to join that business from doing so. It's nothing like not joining something because you took someone's word on it and it wasn't true. They will be mad at you and they will have a good reason to be. It's not something that you want to make a habit out of. Becoming unlikeable online is not something that you want to do. Especially, if you are trying to make money online.
However, if you really do believe that a business is a scam you should go to the right sources. Which is to report to the BBB and Ripoffreport websites. This way it can be dealt with in a civilized manner and you won't look like some crazy person screaming scam all over the internet. Unfortunately, these things can and do happen sometimes. Before you do make sure that it is a scam. You don't want to accuse a legitimate business of being a scam. It's not fair to people who would like to join the business. |
That's why I wanted to tell you about the WordPress Essentials: 48 Training Video Tutorials. You are probably thinking to yourself why would I be offering this to you because I don't use Wordpress myself. Just because I don't use it doesn't mean that I can't help my readers who do use it or would like to use it. This blog is about helping people with blogging. Wordpress is a blogging platform that many people use. I have seen people who need help with Wordpress. I believe this will help them and get them going in the right direction. Plus, you can get this without breaking your bank account. How many times have you needed help but couldn't afford to get it? Don't want to think about it? Trust me, I understand. You can get this training for..... take a big guess. Just pick a price. I bet you didn't even come close. Okay, ready for the answer! For only $19! I bet you weren't expecting that, were you?
I was more shocked than you when I saw it. I, said,"I have to share this with my readers! Are you kidding me?" This deal is a steal! Have you been wanting help with Wordpress for like, forever now? This is something that you don't want to miss then. Your prayers have finally been answered. Seeing this will definitely put a smile on your face. Not smiling yet. Smile, because this is worth being happy about. I will list some of the things that you will be getting and how it can help you when you signup for this training:
WordPress Essentials Course Highlights:
Want to learn more? Signup today! Get your WordPress Essentials: 48 Training Video Tutorials - only $19! Please do me a favor. Do not keep this deal to yourself. Please pass it on to everyone you know by using the share buttons below. Someone could really use this. Sharing is caring!
|
Huge Following
1. They already have a huge following. I know many bloggers follow them because they want to get a piece of the pie. However, the problem with that is everyone else is to. What I mean by that is everyone wants to get seen by them. You are competing with a lot of people and the odds are not in your favor. You might be able to steal some of their followers but the chances are very slim.
Develop Your Own Voice
2. You want to develop your own unique voice. As much as you admire them it's important for you to be you. You don't want to copy every single thing they are doing. Because then your blog won't have unique qualities. People read your blog because they want to hear from you and they like what you are saying. It's nothing more disappointing then finding out that you are copying someone else's blogging style. It's being fake, phony and unprofessional.
Missing Out On Meeting Other Bloggers
3. You won't get a chance to meet other bloggers on your level. It's nice to talk with bloggers who are working to attain the same goals as you are and at the same moment you are. They can relate to what you are going through. Plus, you can meet new bloggers. They may not be famous yet but just like you they could be the next up and coming bloggers. Plus, it's nice to have a variety of blogs to read.
They Don't Have Time For You
4. Because they are so busy with their blogs they might not have time for you. They already have hectic schedules themselves. It's not that they don't want to but they have lots of things to do. If you really want them to have time for you, you might have to join them when they are doing free webinars and some charge for blogging courses. However, this will only be a good option for you if you have the money to do so.
They Don't Know Everything
5. This is not meant to be an insult. No one knows everything. Not me, you, or anyone for that matter. There are things that you may have learned through your blogging journey. Something that you learned to do or not to do. People want to hear about it. Don't ever assume that you don't know anything. Everyone knows something. It's through our experiences that we learn what to do and what we should do or even what we like to do. Yes, you can learn something from them but they could also learn something from you too.
How Do You Feel About This?
It's nothing wrong with learning from these types of bloggers but it's best to meet all kinds of bloggers on different levels. There are so many great bloggers that haven't been discovered yet. How will we find them if we only focus on the popular ones? Have you ever not commented on a blog because they didn't have a lot of comments? You can tell the truth ( I won't judge you). I like variety in my life. I always have. The blogosphere has not changed that. What do you think? Do you only follow big-time bloggers?
|
Another example would be if you are a seamstress and you have a sewing blog. You won't accept clients that don't want to pay for certain projects. You will tell them upfront on your blog that projects that require a lot of work have to be charged accordingly and if they don't want to pay then, they will have to find someone else for their sewing project. This cuts down on a lot of confusion and headaches. This way you are not wasting time and you have more time for the people who you want as clients instead of the people you don't. People can make a decision right then and there if they want to do business with you or if they want to stay and look around your site.
You don't have to say a whole lot. You can keep it simple and straight to the point. I highlighted the words in the example on my own site so you could see that it wasn't wordy or lengthy. However, it was very clear on what you will not be getting when you come to my site. The reason why I think this is so important is because you want the people who visit your site to know that they will be getting good content. Especially, more so because there is a whole lot of not good content online. This way, it makes it easier for the right people to find you. No one wants to waste their time. I think it's just as important for your site to say what it doesn't offer as much as it does.
Maybe you are not really sure on what your blog is not about. One way to find out is if you get repeated emails or questions on social media asking for certain things that your blog is not about. Another example would be if you offer services and people keep asking do you offer these particular services for free. You can tell them that these particular services are not free and you will let them know if and when you decide to offer something for free.
We want our visitors to be happy and to know what they will be getting but also know what they won't be getting.
|
Squidoo had locked many people's lenses. The reason being they said was because the lenses were overly promotional. I kind of felt that was hypocritical of Squidoo because they encouraged people to become giant squids. You were a giant squid if you had 100 lenses or more. I started writing for Squidoo because I liked to write about different topics that always didn't pertain to my blog. Plus, I could add my blog and other social networks to my Squidoo profile. I thought it was a great way to get more readers not only for my blog but other topics that I liked writing about. Squidoo was also a community and I was able to meet other people and read and comment on their lenses too.
The reason that I said it was kind of hypocritical of Squidoo to start locking people's lenses was because they encouraged people to write lots of lenses because once you did you earned the title of being a giant squid. There were also special benefits of being one too. We all know that once people start focusing on quantity many times quality goes out the window. Also, some people were making money with Squidoo because they were able to sell things from their Squidoo lenses. With people making money and Squidoo encouraging you to make as many lenses as possible and rewarding you for it that kind of set the tone for poor quality lenses being made. Now, Squidoo went on a locking lense rampage. Many people felt that their lenses were being targeted unfairly. It was like Squidoo was now punishing you for the very thing they encouraged you to do.
Squidoo claimed that because there were so many poor quality lenses being made that it hurt their search engine rankings. Because of the Google Penguin and Panda's updates they were also being targeted. So, in an effort to get back on track they decided they had to get rid of these poor quality lenses. So, that is what they had been doing. It was a big surprise to everyone to learn that Squidoo was being sold to Hubpages. For one, it seemed like Squidoo had made it through the dark period. They were getting a new design for the lenses. It really seemed like things were looking up for Squidoo. Now, people are being hit with this news.
I know people are going to say this is why you should have your own blog. I agree. However, if you're like me and you like to write about different topics from time to time sites like Squidoo, Hubpages and Wizzley are nice to have. It's kind of hard to have blogs in all the niches that you might like. Plus, it takes a lot of hard work just to maintain one or two blogs. So, it's nice to have sites like Squidoo, Hubpages and Wizzley. Another reason is some people don't want to maintain a blog they just want to have some place to write. Sometimes you do get writing ideas that don't necessarily pertain to the topic of your blog and this way you can still write and not annoy your readers. If you would like to signup for Wizzley Click Here.
Will I be writing at Hubpages? I might. I just think Wizzley has modules that are similar to Squidoo and I like the look and feel of the pages. I don't understand why Squidoo is shutting down. Whatever Hubpages is doing it seemed like they could of done too. The platforms are similar. I know that when I used to search online about certain topics there used to always be a Squidoo lens that would come up but that wasn't happening lately. I really don't believe it was because of poor quality lenses because as many poor quality lenses there were also some very good lenses. I could tell that people had put a lot of time and effort in making their lenses. Unfortunately, when you have writing platforms you get people who will make bad content. Some purposely and some not purposely (they just don't have any writing skills). That just comes with the territory.
Do you think that Google was really the reason Squidoo is shutting down? I would love to here what you think.
|