Last week, Detroit was under water. I, mean literally. I watched in disbelief as our highways and freeways were submerged in 10 to 14 ft. of water. People were struggling to get through the water and many cars just stopped working right in the middle of the freeways. Some people had even brought out canoes to ride up and down their streets. Basements were flooded (including mine) were filled with at least 2 ft. of water. Who knew that the rain that we were getting and that I was thoroughly enjoying would turn out to leave such a mess? It rained for about 4 hours straight. Our street was flooded too.
When it was all said and done we had to throw out everything in our basement. Books, clothes, and a lot of memories all were ruined. Hardly, anything could be salvaged. Our basement is empty except for a few things that were on shelves and didn't get wet during the flood. This is something that I usually watch on t.v. but this time I was in the mist of the disaster. Detroit was major news all around the world. People were watching as people stood on top of their cars and couldn't get home for hours because of the flood that showed no mercy to anyone and few escaped it's raft.
Even though, all this was going on I still had to write my blog post and get somethings done on this blog that I had been procrastinating on. I didn't think that my city would be under water because of a flood. This came totally unexpectedly and without warning. Yes, we have been getting a lot of rain but nothing of this magnitude. Now, we had a big mess to cleanup. All the while praying, that we didn't get anymore rain until we did. Usually, I write my blog post in one setting but not that day I didn't. I was doing three things at once. I was writing my blog post, putting up my advertising resources page and finishing my tools and resources page that had been saying, "Coming Soon" for almost two years now. It seemed just when I had planned to really take care of things this calamity hit us.
However, I couldn't let this adversity stop me from doing what I said that I was going to do. I had to keep on keeping on. Yes, I had to stop working on my blog to help clean out the basement. Which, was really nerve racking because I'm the type of person that likes to get things done in one setting. Needless to say, I didn't get it done that day. I had to finish everything the next day instead. I also still had to help clean out the basement because the job was not yet finished. I guess, I could of taken a break but at this time it just wasn't a good time as I have lots of things that I need to get done. These are somethings that helped me stay focused in the face of adversity:
Not Getting Frustrated
The flood was beyond my control so it was of no use of getting frustrated. It wasn't going to help the situation any. Remaining, calm and cool and putting my trust in Allah (God) was the best thing for me to do. It also helped me not to worry. I also was surrounded by my family which I love very much and who really helped us in our time of need.
Downsizing
Even though we lost a lot of things it put a lot of things in perspective. I still had a lot though. It's great to have memories in physical form but some of the best memories I have are not in pictures they are in my mind. Those are where some of my best memories are. So, it doesn't matter if I have lost some pictures which are the physical. I can't see them physically but mentally I can and I can revisit them anytime. Also, I have what I need. In our case we had a lot of stuff and much we could do without. The flood just helped us get rid of some excess baggage and caused us to do it now instead of later.
Working Together
We really came together to clean up. It was a lot to do (and I mean a lot). My sister and her kids really helped us out. Young people can really do a lot if you let them. Plus, they really wanted to help and they did an awesome job. We really got done rather quickly considering the mess that we had on our hands.
Being Thankful
Yes, we lot some stuff but that's just what it was stuff. I am very thankful for what I do have. Things can always be worse. Focusing on what we still have and not on what we lost. Who knows? Maybe Allah (God) will replace it with better. I like to look to the future not stay in the past. It brought a lot of attention to what this city needs to get done too. So, hopefully some things that need to be replaced can now be in the works. I'm just thankful that it was only the basement that got flooded. Now, I really do know what other people go through when they have been hit by floods.
All in all you just have to keep going. You can't sit down and think about all the things you have to do because then you won't get them done. Yes, I could still blog even though we had this flood. In the first time in a long, long time. The internet did not go out during this storm. Can you believe that? I couldn't either but that's just one more thing to be grateful for.:)
Have you ever had an adversity? What did you do and how did you handle it? What were some things that you learned? What can advice can you give?
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It can be easy to become frustrated blogging. After all, there is a lot of things to do when it comes to blogging. We all want to be successful at blogging. Just like anything success takes time and unfortunately, a lot of hard work. I think you know this deep down but sometimes you think that, you might be an exception. Also, society doesn't make it any easier. We live in a society where patience isn't a virtue and instant gratification is. Once, you understand that it takes time and you will get there, because you will. I believe that it will cut down on a lot of frustration that you might have.
When you set out to be a blogger there are so many things to learn. Although, writing is a big part of blogging it is not the only thing a blogger has to do. So, if you are looking to become a blogger do your research. Find out what it is to be a blogger and all the steps that you have to take to become successful at it. Most importantly, you need to know if this is something that you really want to do. Read,"Is Blogging For You?" it will help you make that decision. If you haven't thought about it thoroughly.
Blogging should be enjoyable. If you are stressed out every time you write a blog post. Then, obviously blogging is not fun for you. Yes, it is your business, but if you are worried about what to write about it will show in your writing. You can tell when someone is uptight and stressed. A tip I would suggest is to start writing your blog post, then just go read something online that you like. It could be another blogger's blog, reading social media comments, or going to your favorite stores website. Just take a minute break and then come back and finish your blog post. I have done this on many occasions and it really helped me with my writing.
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Pinpoint all the things that have been making you frustrated. Was it that you didn't get as many shares for a blog post that you thought was really good? You asked a question on social media and no one answered. You didn't figure out how to use a plugin correctly. You have been having a hard time learning html. It hasn't been easy for you promoting your blog posts. Whatever the reasons maybe make sure you get them out of your system. Once you get them out in the open you can start solving them. This will cut down on those frustrated feelings that you are having. You could even talk about these issues on your blog too. Your frustrations could become blog posts. There are many people who are also having the same problems too. It helps you get them off of your chest and find solutions for them.
Writing about another topic can also be helpful in combating frustration as a blogger. Sometimes, it can be easy to get burned out writing about the same topic all the time. Do you need to change your niche? That may or may not be the case. You can even get tired about writing about something that you love to do if you are doing it all the time. You, only need to change your niche if it has become just downright boring for you. Like, if it is becoming a complete chore every time you write a blog post. Then, you need to seriously consider changing your niche. If not, then you don't. You just might need to write about other things that you are interested in. Read,"How To Write Off Topic And Keep Your Blog Readers".
Why did you start blogging in the first place? This is something that you need to really think about. What did you want to achieve? This is something that you must keep at the forefront. Why? Because it will help keep you going. If you quit without achieving your goals then, what was the point of you starting anyway? It will also stop you from quitting. I know one of the best feelings in the world for me is when I achieve a goal that I have set and I get to check it off of my list. That is definitely a great feeling to have.
As you can see there are many things that can cause you to be a frustrated blogger. Anyone can get frustrated but there are also many things that we can do to help us with our frustration before it becomes a big problem. It can even cause you to quit if you are not careful. This is something that we want to avoid at all costs. Blogging is supposed to be fun! It's something that you love doing. Even if you don't know how to do something or something isn't going the way you want it to go. These problems will get solved. No problem lasts forever. Next time you get frustrated. Ask yourself, "Is this really worth getting frustrated over?" Then, take a deep breath.
Remember, worrying and frustration is never the answer and it won't make you feel any better. The best way to combat those feelings is just to keep going and not let them stop you.
Know a frustrated blogger? Share this blog post with them!
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Participating in communities is a great way to get help, share and learn. I am a member of several communities myself and not too much of that is going on lately. I, too have been guilty of not having the proper etiquettes of participating in communities. I admit I was all too thrilled that I was going to be able to share my blog posts because some communities have forbidden the sharing of any kind of links. However, I quickly noticed that I was not the only one and that everyone in the communities were doing the same thing. I can't say that my blog posts were getting any real visit time because before I looked up it would be at the bottom before I could count to three. So, this really wasn't bringing me any real visitors or traffic. I kept doing it for a minute but after a while I called it quits. This isn't what a community is supposed to be about. I had since started my own community and I knew that I didn't want my community to be used only as a haven for links. So, if I didn't want people to just drop and leave links in my community. I knew that I had to quit doing it in other communities whether they allowed it or not.
The Problem
This has become a big problem for people who have communities. I mean, there is virtually no interaction going on and when I say none, I mean NONE. I don't agree that people shouldn't be able to share links because sometimes people write blog posts that answers a question that someone has asked. Plus, you might have read a good article that everyone can benefit from. So, I wouldn't ban links all together. I know some people have and I can certainly see why they did it. For me, a community is about helping and sharing. It's virtually no point in joining a community if you can't share what you know or learn. However, I do believe everything should be done in moderation. It certainly shouldn't be used as a place for link dumping. In many cases communities have turned into freeadvertising forums. Forums where people come and advertise for free and on a daily basis. Now, they have freeadvertising communities. These are communities that are set up for you to advertise in. You know these communities because they have names like "Free Ads" or "Free to Promote". Then they go on to say that you can post your ads for free. There is a big difference between a freeadvertising community and a regular community. In a regular community participation is expected. In a freeadvertising community it is not because people only come there to post ads.
The Solution
What can we do to make these communities better? I understand that everyone wants to get traffic to their websites or blogs but just dropping your links in communities is certainly not the answer. It really takes the fun out of being in a community. I have seen questions go unanswered because people are too busy posting their links. They probably didn't even see it because as I said before just in a matter of minutes because there are so many people posting their links it ends up at the bottom all too quickly. Find out what is expected of you when you join a community. Don't just do something because everyone else is doing it no matter how wrong it may be. Answer questions. If someone asks a question and you know the answer then, answer it. Share not only your blog posts but other bloggers content too. Have fun! You can also share inspirational quotes. Who doesn't need a positivity boost? A community is about sharing, learning and helping. These components make a great community.
The Discussion
Below is what people had to say about just posting links and no interaction in communities. If you would like to participate in the conversation please do so.
Everyone loves a great community. When done correctly it is enjoyable for everyone. You shouldn't feel discouraged if you want people to see your links. There are places that you can go to share your links and people will comment. No one is saying that you can't share your links but that is not the only thing that should be done when participating in communities. No one likes to visit communities where there is absolutely no interaction and only the posting of links. That's a fast track for a failure of a community. We don't join communities to help them fail we join so that people can have a place for support and to help them succeed.
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You probably noticed the Versatile Blog Award banner in my sidebar. Last month, I had the honor of being nominated for this award by one of my readers, Christen Wysocki Pyle. She is the author of Work At Home Wisdom a blog about helping people find real work at home jobs. It's very well written and when you visit it has such a nice atmosphere. It has something for everyone. If you would like to find out more information about working from home then, I suggest you check out her blog. I was pleasantly surprised and shocked that I had won this award. I was also very honored to receive it. Thank you! Christen for thinking about me and nominating me for this award!
I think this is a great way to show appreciation for the blogs that you like. It's nice to receive a reward from someone who enjoys reading your blog and finds it to be helpful. I know I have asked myself,"I wonder if my blog is helpful and what my readers think of it?" I had never heard of the Versatile blogging award before I was nominated. I didn't even know there was an award that could be given to us bloggers. So, I feel very happy, humbled and very much appreciated to receive it. If you're like me and have never heard of the Versatile Blog Award (until recently) and would like to learn more about it Click Here.
We are supposed to pay it forward to 15 blogs. However, I am listing the ones that I do follow on a regular basis. In nominating a blog the rules are as follows: quality of writing, uniqueness of the subjects covered, the level of love displayed in the words on the virtual page, and last but not least, the quality of the photographs and the level of love of displayed in the taking of them.
I will now nominate other blogs for this reward. Here are my nominees!
1. Lynn Terry her blog ClickNewz is about internet marketing, tips and reviews and affiliate marketing. She is my favorite blog author. Provides great information that will help you online.
2. Harleena Singh her blog Aha-now is about self-improvement and she gives you great tips on how to improve yourself and your well-being. She also writes about blogging as well. I love reading her blog they are always very helpful, insightful and well written.
3. Evelyn Parham's blog is about eating healthy naturally. She gives you tips on how to stay healthy and shares some tasty recipes too! Her blog is very encouraging and keeps you motivated to stay healthy.
4. Barb Brady's Simplify Technology Blog is about technology. She gives you helpful tips that really make it easy for you to understand and implement what you have learned. I learned a lot about Mailchimp from her.
5. Wendy G. Ewvrum's blog Fabulosity Reads is about books and book reviews. If you love reading then you will love her blog. The reviews are always well written and you can enter to win giveaways.
6. Petula Lloyd's blog Petulaw is about her everyday life. This is one of the first blogs that I followed. She also writes about product reviews. It's something for everyone here.
7. Angela Mccall's blog a graphic designer she writes about blogging, social media and she has a lot of helpful tips.
8. Jenn Herman's blog Jenn's Trends is about social media. She has some very helpful tips that will help you with social media. If you are looking for help with social media this is the blog to read.
9. Kimberly Ben's blog Muslimahs Working At Home is about working from home. She helps you find ways you can make money from home. She offers some great tips on how you can get started.
10. Ileane's blog Basic Blog Tips explains her blog well. She gives some great tips on blogging, learning how to use Youtube and social media.
11. Sarupa Shah's blog The Soul Agent is about using affirmations to help you become successful in your business and everyday life. This blog is very insprirational and helps keep you motivated to stay positive. Also, she has some great affirmations you can use daily.
12. Pauline Cabrera's blog Twelve Skip is about internet marketing and blogging tips. I really like her blog very helpful and informative. She also has great tips on html.
13. Delia's blog Blog Formatting is a blog about helping women bloggers become better bloggers. She has some great tips that you can start using right away.
If you are looking for some great blogs to read check out these amazing blogs! Now go get your badge and read more about what this award means! :)
I am supposed to tell 7 things about myself they are:
- I love reading and is an avid reader.
- I am a natural health enthusiast.
- I love growing things. I have an orange plant named Sakha.
- I really like cats even though I don't have one.
- I love computers and really like working with them.
- I am taking an acupressure course.
- I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.
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I then preceded to contact Ucoz. Ucoz said that there were some Ucoz sites that had malware on them and because of that Twitter has blocked all domains from Ucoz because they consider all Ucoz websites as one. So, if you were trying to tweet my blog and you got an error message when you tweeted it and it would not go through this is the reason. Ucoz said they are trying to resolve the problem with Twitter.
Just in case you are wondering my blog doesn't have any malware problems. So, it's safe. You can still share my blog posts on Google+ and other social networks. I would really appreciate it.
Thanks in advance!
So, what am I doing since I can't use Twitter like I used to. However, I just figured out a way that I can tweet my blog post using Triberr. I login into Triberr. Click on your tribe mine is called,"Blogging For Success" grab the url and paste in into the compose area of Twitter. You have just tweeted your blog post. You can see my blog post is at the top. There are downsides to this method though. You must have a tribe at Triberr for this to work and it shows not only your blog post but other members of the tribe as well. Also, people can only retweet the tweet that you tweeted and they can't use any of Twitter's share buttons. You win some and you lose some.:) Join my tribe if you already aren't a member. I would love to have you.
I still always believe in diversifying. You never know what will happen. I am a firm believer of not putting all of your eggs in one basket. Well, I am using the social networks in this blog post that I wrote last year called, "5 Social Networks That You Might Not Know About And Now You Do So Start Using Them". I am also still using Bizsugar.com and I recently have started using Kinnged.com. So, all hope is not lost. You should also join the sites in the blog post. If you haven't already joined Kinnged.com go ahead and join them too.
I am so happy that I have diversified myself as I never thought this would happen. As I stated above diversification is key. For good reason too. I like Twitter but there are other people using other social sites as well and you will pick up some new friends and followers. Like my favorite blogger Lynn Terry says, "You have to go where your target market is". I admit I wasn't spending as much time at those other social media sites as I probably should have. Now, I have more time to.
Will I still be using Twitter? You bet! I can still tweet my fellow bloggers blogs which I was doing before and will continue to do so. I can still also share other content that I find interesting. It's not the end of the road for me. It's just now been re routed a little bit but the show must go on!
This could happen to anyone. Things happen and your plans get changed but their is always a way if their is a will. I will let you all know when the problem with Twitter gets resolved. I will send out a tweet and post it on my Google+ profile. I just wanted to let you all know what was going on.
If this happens to you which I hope it never does. I hope that this will be helpful for you.
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 "Seriously, dude,...Jack ZieglerBuy This at Allposters.comDo you visit blogs and never anything? Then, you are a blog lurker. A blog lurker is someone that visits blogs but the blogger doesn't know that they exist. They never get in on the conversation. There may be many reasons for this: They don't have a blog of their own. They don't know what to say. They don't know anything about the topic. They are in the process of learning. Or they are just observing. It's nothing wrong with being a blog lurker. I have been one myself.
Naturally, I am a quiet person so many times if I don't say anything I just don't have anything to say. But boy when I do (LOL)!It does make it easier to get in on the conversation if you are one of the first people to comment especially, if you are commenting on a popular blog. But you have to be moving extremely fast. Here you don't have to worry about that problem. At least not yet anyway. :)
Blog lurking can sometimes be fun. You can get to know people before they get to know you. Especially, if you have been reading a blog for a certain amount of time. You get to know the blogger and it's readers. Many times the blogger has what you call regular commenters. These are people who comment regularly. You can also take your time and read the blog posts. So, when you do decide to get in on the conversation you will actually have something to say.
However, there can also be a downside to blog lurking. People don't know you exist. You never participate or ask questions. You never voice your opinion. No one knows who you are. You are just an invisible person that reads blogs but no one knows you. It can be a very lonely world to live in.
I must admit once I stopped blog lurking and started participating it was a lot more fun! Also, I was able to get some of my questions answered. If you are a blog lurker here at Money To Be Made. I want to hear from you! I really enjoy hearing from my readers. I don't get a lot of comments but when I do I love reading them! If you would like to get in on the conversation. Join the Money To Be Made Community! I'm still in the process of growing it but I would love to see you there! Also, I would really appreciate you if you would take this survey asking, "What Kind Of Information Would You Like To See on the Money To Be Made Blog?" It would be extremely helpful to me. Thanks in advance!
I hope I was able to encourage you to get in on the conversation. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
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 I have noticed that some bloggers are removing the dates from their blogs. I don't think that is a good practice and I am going to tell you why. I, myself like to know when a blog post has been written. I know on my own blog it helps me find posts that I might want to re-share. Also, I want to know when I wrote that blog post. I just like the idea of remembering when I have wrote something. It's nothing like not knowing when you wrote something. It simply drives me crazy. I'm sure it drives you crazy too, when you can't remember when you wrote something as well.
This is also a question that I have seen many bloggers asking. So, I thought I would address it. When you don't post the dates on your blog it makes you look shady. It seems as if you are trying to hide something. We as bloggers don't want to give the impression that we are trying to hide something. It just doesn't make you us look good. I know one reason some bloggers give for not showing the dates on their blogs is they don't want people to feel like the information on their blogs is outdated. They figure if they don't show the dates their blog posts will be timeless. It's not true. Trust me. I can tell whether the information you have wrote is outdated even if you decide not to show the dates and other people can too. You're not hiding anything. The information online is always being updated and it doesn't take a second to find it. Besides, just because a blog post is old doesn't make it irrelevant. There are many things that never change and good advice is one of them.
Knowing the dates also gives the blogger credibility. You can see how long he or she has been blogging. It's nice to know, and it can even be encouraging for you to know especially, if you are a new blogger. You think to yourself. This blogger has been blogging for quite a while and he or she has been successful. I see no reason why I can't either. It gives you the motivation to keep going. Don't we all need that?
If people can't see the dates on your blog. They don't know if your site is active or not. No dates means I don't know if you have written that blog post in 2014 are in 2009. Who wants their blog to look inactive? If people assume it is they won't keep coming back. Thus, losing readers. It's something that we as bloggers just don't want.
Even if you hide the dates on your blog they can still be discovered. How? The comments on your blogs are still dated. They can see the the month and the year. Maybe not the exact date but you still get a pretty good idea. :)
I hope that I have convinced you of the reasons why you should keep the dates on your blog.
Are you choosing to do this? If so, why? What do you think about this practice? Let me know in the comments below.
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I have put together a list of men bloggers. I was asked was there going to be one for the men:) and I said,"Sure, why not." These are some excellent men bloggers. Plus, I didn't want the men to feel left out.:) I enjoy reading their blogs too. You will really enjoy reading their blogs too. They are some very good writers as well. If you are looking to learn more about the blogging/internet marketing topic you will find these bloggers can help you with that. Some of them you may have heard of and some of them you may not.
Please visit their blogs and subscribe to their rss feeds so you don't miss any of their updates. Also, connect with them on the social networks. I am sure there are many more that I don't know. That's where you come into play. If you know someone please add them to the list. I would like their topics to be about blogging/internet marketing. They can have other topics but blogging and internet marketing must be included. I would like the blogs to abide by these guidelines:
- The blogs must be men bloggers.
- The topic of the blogs should be about blogging and internet marketing. However, if the blog has more than one topic blogging or internet marketing should be one of them.
- The blogs should be updated. No vacant blogs please.:)
- Share this list.
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I have put together a list of nine women who blog about internet marketing and blogging. As a blogger myself I put together this list because I wanted to read other women's blogs. These are some awesome women bloggers. I think you will really enjoy reading all of their blogs. I know I do. They are some very good writers as well too. I wanted to zero in on this topic because I know a lot of people are looking for help with blogging and internet marketing. A couple of these blogs do talk about other topics as well but that is okay because blogging is still one of the topics that they blog about. Sometimes as women we just want to read things from a woman's perspective. No offense to you men. :)
If you have not heard of any of these women bloggers. I encourage you to start reading their blogs and subscribe to their rss feeds and connect with them via the social networks so you don't miss out on the great information that they provide for their readers. I am always looking for more great women bloggers to read. You may add to the list but I would like for the blogs to abide by these guidelines:
- The blogs must be women bloggers.
- The topic of the blogs should be about blogging and internet marketing. However, if the blog has more than one topic blogging or internet marketing should be one of them.
- The blogs should be updated. No vacant blogs please.:)
- Share this list.
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 This is my 101 blog post. I was supposed to write this for my 100th blog post but my last blog post was my 100th blog post. Usually, when you reach your 100 blog post is when you celebrate. However, I didn't even notice it and had already written a blog post in that slot. Besides, it's never too late to celebrate an accomplishment. I decided to go ahead and write it anyway. It's just one number before that. I am just so happy to reach this point. It is worth acknowledging it. Time is moving so fast. With all that I have been through blogging.
With me starting this blog over twice. Both was out of necessity. I could have given up and I'm glad I didn't. It's just not in my nature to quit. I can say I have truly found my home. I can't say that I have achieved all of my blogging goals yet but I do feel that I will. This is definitely an accomplishment that should be celebrated. So, I thought I would share it with you (my readers). I hope that it is an inspiration to start blogging if you haven't already or keep blogging if you have already started.
All I can say is that I am extremely happy at this moment. I feel that I have made it over one hurdle, even though I have many more to jump over. I just jump over them one at a time. I will get there I know I will. Thank you for reading this blog post and for being a reader of my blog. If you feel that this will help a fellow blogger out please share this blog post. Again thank you for reading and celebrating this achievement with me. Happy blogging! I would like to give a toast (with sparkling grape juice). To achieving all of our goals no matter what they may be!
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