Performancing Themes

Reading links for Tuesday.

1. Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett have both just announced their book, ProBlogger – Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income. Darren says it’s the worst kept secret, but I’ve been trying to collaborate with Chris as well and I didn’t even know what he was up to. The book is published by Wiley – so it’s in print – and is available for pre-ordering through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. (By the way, Chris, if you didn’t know, is one of the original founders of Performancing.) Sounds very exciting, though I’m guessing they didn’t get $300,000 for their book.
2. Darren and Chris aren’t the only ones with a book deal. Hugh MacLeod, creator of the highly entertaining net comic strip Gaping Void has landed a deal for his How to be Creative series.
3. Loren Baker, editor and owner of Search Engine Journal, has just announced a guest blogging competition. There are over US$9,000 in prizes from a number of vendors. If you have an understanding of search marketing and related topics, go check out the rules asap, as the contest only runs for one week, starting today. [via DailyBlogTips]
4. Earlier I summarized the new features in WordPress 2.5. Not everyone wants to upgrade, and I don’t blame them. However, due to deliberate efforts to hack blogs, Technorati has announced that they won’t index hacked or vulnerable blogs. That means that if you don’t upgrade to some safe platform and version, you might lose any benefits of being indexed by Technorati. Even if you feel uncomfortable upgrading to WP 2.5 (I hate the new admin panel), at the very least, start changing your blog admin password regularly – even weekly. And check for any unusual outbound links on your site. Just because someone has hacked you doesn’t mean they’ve changed your password.
5. I wrote about what’s wrong with the blogosphere, and the health issues and deaths of some bloggers. My colleague David Peralty has a different take on the issue, which I only partly agree with. It is NOT as easy to make a living blogging as he seems to suggest, but that doesn’t mean some people aren’t doing it. Though I’m actually suprised that David said, “you don’t need to do a million posts a day to bring in a reasonable income,” because I know how hard he works. My point is that most bloggers are not making a living and for that reason might be spending more time in front of computer, gaining weight and burning the midnight oil.
6. One other problem with earning below your potential income is setting your rates too low. Neal Shaffer writes at Copyblogger about how to price freelance writing. (Though be warned that not every blogging client will negotiate. They don’t have to – not yet anyway.)

Some more weekend reading:

1. Andrew G.R. asks how far you’d go to thank a blog reader, pointing to Georgia Getz, blogger at I Am Bossy, and her plan to drive 10,000 miles in total, in order to meet and thank her blog’s commenters. She’s doing this in five weeks, and Saturn has provided her with a hybrid car. But she’ll be crashing each night at the homes of over 260 bloggers who have signed up to participate. Andrew asks the question: would you let your fave blogger crash on your couch? My answer is yes – one of my faves, who is a colleague, is tentatively scheduled to crash on my couch once I manage to find an apartment in Toronto and move back there. But he’s one of few who I’d allow to do that.
2. Do you blog for business or pleasure, asks Alan Johnson, at Copyblogger. That is, even if you are making money blogging for hire or on your own, is it in a niche that you enjoy? Or have you picked the niche because of the income potential? I have to agree with him that you have to write about topics that you enjoy, else the dislike will show in your writing – which ultimately harms your personal brand.
3. Mark Seall, a guest poster at Problogger, asks who cares how many subscribers you’ve got. He explains why he thinks we bloggers obsess over statistics, and offers a diagram of various ways we can measure our site’s success. This is a must-read article, but I have to disagree with one part of his diagram: “Things you can’t influence directly – don’t worry about.” The advice is sound, in general, but you CAN influence inbound links, search results, repeat visits, new visits, subscribers and comments. It’s just a harder than many of the other factors he diagrammed. Though he did say “can’t influence directly,” and I’ll have to concede that for most bloggers, this is probably true.
4. David Peralty asks, are you blogging naked. That is, are you just blogging, or do you have a sense of purpose and direction. I’m surprised to realize that, despite my extensive writing background, I started off blogging in 2005 with little purpose – something that continued up until about January 2008. I now have a blogging purpose, though I’m still not entirely sure I can make a living from it for a few years, without other regular blogging gigs. But unless I plan and try, I’ll never know – and trying is more important to me than not succeeding.
5. Ali, a guest at Daily Writing Tips, recommends keeping a writer’s notebook and writing in it every day. I couldn’t agree more. I know from long experience that I am more productive and creative if I sketch out ideas on pen and paper. Just don’t buy a fancy notebook or you might feel compelled to write only your best work – which will ruin your creative juices.
6. Running a forum has its pros and cons, but if it’s something you want to do, Kevin Muldoon discusses a number of ways that you can integrate a forum with your WordPress blog.
7. Darren Rowse points to a post by Suzie Cheel on her Abundance Highway blog, about how many topics a blog should cover. Darren left a detailed 6-point comment there of his own thoughts about the topic. Personally, I think that you have to decide what net result you want from your blog. If you want to be a generalist, fine – don’t expect it to be easy to monetize. If you want to be considered an expert on a topic, then write only about that topic. (And no matter how much you think it’s okay to do so, don’t stick in posts about your cat or a recipe you just had to share if neither really has anything to do you with your professional blog. On the other hand, if you can think up a way to make them relevant, great.)

Many of you have probably noticed that I’ve not been blogging much at Performancing over the last few months. The fact of the matter is that a few events have conspired together to bring me to a point where I need to step down.

First, and most importantly, I’m about to become a dad. My wife and I actually made a trip to the hospital the other day (false alarm). Because I’m becoming a dad, the second reason gets compounded. I really don’t have the energy, even now, to put in 16 hour work days. So I’ve decided to start eliminating responsibilities.

James Mowery and Raj Dash will continue to make Performancing a great resource (they will do a much better job than I was able, with much more class and tact -> I’ve pissed a few too many people off).

I hope to stay in touch with everyone that I’ve met through Performancing and will continue to be a member of Hive (though now I will be a paying member).

Thanks for the great year everyone. I personally know that Performancing has many great things up its sleeve for the future.

I leave you all with this new video that I’m having produced over at RideLust (funny stuff):

A lot of the links in this roundup are aimed at freelancers, bloggers for hire, network bloggers.

1. Deb Ng and Jennifer Chait have recently launched a great resource, Network Blogging Tips. The focus here is on blogging for networks, and there’s some juicy advice there. They also define what a blogger for hire is, and what “network blogging” is all about. Recommended reading for aspiring freelancers.
2. Over at FreelanceSwitch, Muhammad Saleem offers part 1 and part 2 of his Social Media and Simplicity series. These articles are his advice on how to effectively use social media sites to build your business. (In case you didn’t know, Muhammad is the #2 Digg user.)
3. Warren Greeley has a guest post at Anywired on getting local clients while working pretty much anywhere.
4. Darren Rowse has an interview with Victor Agreda Jr., who is a blog producer. Victor “produces” blogs for Weblogs Inc. While you’re there, also visit Should I Change My Website into a Blog. (This might be good advice for you freelance writers that I know who are not sure whether you should create your blog or not.)
5. Steven Snell asks, Is There a Career in Blogging, and offers some sage advice on becoming a pro blogger or alternately a freelance blogger. Personally, I think that once online publishing revenues stabilize and publishers offer livable rates, there is a career in this, just as with any writing career.
6. David Peralty at Xfep is looking for weekly columnists. Please read his description carefully, as he needs specific qualifications.
7. WordPress 2.5 has been released, and Matt Mullenweg writes about all the incredible new features it has at the WordPress blog. There’s also a 4-minute screencast of the new interface.

It’s a new year and Performancing is excited to get things kickstarted with another free WordPress Theme. Developed by our friends at Design Disease, and available for free download, the College Theme is a two-column theme with sleek, rounded corners and a stylish 7+ color palette.

The College Theme for WordPress would work well for about any blogging application. I can see it being used for a range of projects including music, health, web 2.0, and a whole host of other topics.

This is one of our best themes yet, and we hope you enjoy it!

Click here to download a Zipped version of the College Theme.
Click here for a live preview of the College Theme.
Click here for WordPress theme support.

Performancing, a leading authority on blogging and SEO, is currently searching for a new lead blogger to write daily articles on Blogging, SEO, Social Media, Monetization, etc.

Requirements:

• Strong, confident, conversational blogging voice
• Proven success in the blogosphere or other online Internet communities
• Ability to write both conversational pieces and linkbait resources

Expectations:

• Daily, in-depth article on topics related to blogging, monetization, social media, etc.
• Development of one monthly quality linkbait resource
• Behind the scenes planning and development of Performancing
• Networking and marketing of the Performancing brand and Performancing services

Compensation:

• $1000 / month

To apply for the position please contact Ryan via PM.

Yes, YOU get to vote for your favorite blogs!

The Reader’s Choice portion of our 2007 Performancing Awards are now officially open for voting.

Here’s how it works. For each category, we’ve narrowed the field down to 6 candidates. Now it’s your job to select the winner for each category. If you or your blog has been selected, make sure your blog readers get voting!

If your blog hasn’t been selected, don’t worry! For each category, there is a “write-in” option on the ballot. Just have your readers stuff the ballet box with your blog’s name (legal stuffing only!). To get maximum response from your blog community, consider blogging about it and also offering reminders throughout the voting period.

Voting is open from January 3rd through January 10th.

We will announce the winners of both the Reader’s Choice and Judges’ Choice Performancing 2007 Awards on Friday January 11th.

So without further ado, let the voting begin!

• Vote For The Best Overall Blog
• Vote For The Most Influential Blogger
• Vote For The Best Blog Design
• Vote For The Best Blog Typography
• Vote For The Best Blog Name
• Vote For The Best New Blog of 2007
• Vote For The Best Blog Community of 2007
• Vote For The Most Improved Blog of 2007
• Vote For The Best Blogs You’ve Never Heard Of
• Vote For The Best Use of a Corporate Blog
• Vote For The Best Blog Podcast
• Vote For The Best Video Blog
• Vote For The Best Writing/Blogging Blog
• Vote For The Best Science/Technology Blog
• Vote For The Most Controversial Blog
• Vote For The Best SEO Blog
• Vote For The Best Celeb/Style Blog
• Vote For The Best Business/Money Blogs
• Vote For The Best Photo Blog
• Vote For The Best Sports Blog
• Vote For The Best Blog WebHost
• Vote For The Best Family and Parenting Blog
• Vote For The Best Political Blog
• Vote For The Best Food/Health Blog
• Vote For The Funniest Blog
• Vote For The Best Travel Blog
• Vote For The Best Education Blog
• Vote For The Best Entertainment Blog

Niche blogging is an artform. And usually, the successful niche bloggers are the ones who love their topic. In fact, I have a friend from Performancing who ranks on the front page of Google for the word “candy” because he loves candy and he’s networked with others who do too. People who love a topic know what other people who love the same topic want to talk about.

I’ve never been successful at niche blogging myself. Instead, I’ve been inclined to go after broad high-competition topics (mostly because I’m lazy and don’t have the patience of niching). There’s a little bit of envy here. I’d like to be good at niche blogging…I really would.

Well, recently, I was fortunate enough to interview Jesse Nachtigal the guy behind Cigar Jack, one of my favorite niche blogs. It wasn’t until after the interview that Jesse and I became Twitter friends. Goes to show you the dynamics of networking… it just happens…make yourself available, and your network will grow.

Here’s the interview. Enjoy.

1. How long have you been a cigar smoker? What motivated you to start blogging about cigars?

I’ve been smoking cigars for five years. I started blogging as a way to keep track of what cigars I smoked and what I liked about them. After awhile I noticed that other people were actually reading my site and commenting on my reviews. That is when I started to look at monetizing the site. The current version of my site only dates back to March of this year, but I’ve been blogging there since 2005.

2. There are quite a few cigar blogs. What sets yours apart? What do your visitors seem to like about your site?

I try and set myself apart by having new content on a daily basis along with featuring cigars that the typical cigar smoker might not know about. There are quite a few small cigar manufacturers out there that don’t get the press or name recognition the big boys do. I have gotten quite a few comments on my weekly review of manufacturer’s websites, taking them to the ropes for lack of information and out of date sites.

3. What’s your primary form of monetization? Affiliate, CTR, CPM?

Direct Sponsorship is probably the largest, followed by PPC and TLA.

4. As a Performancing reader, how have we helped you? Is there any specific article at Perf that makes a day-to-day difference to your blog?

I’ve got a couple articles that I liked recently. One was the Link-out like a Loose Lemon , I was getting a bit stingy with throwing out links and sometimes can be still, but I’m trying to get in a better habit of linking out to other sites, especially those that might border my niche instead of just inside my niche. I also liked the idea of an Editorial Calendar it has already helped me be more productive, by planning out some of my regular spots in advance. I find that by laying out ideas on the Calendar I have less of those ‘throw up something quick at 1 AM’ moments.

5. Do you see yourself still blogging in 3 years, 15 years?

I’m hoping to add another blog or two in other niches over the next 3 years. In 15 years I hope to have used my cigar blog to help me move into a career in the cigar industry, eventually even creating my own cigar brand.

6. How much time do you spend blogging (and on blogging-related activities) every day?

I typically spend about 2 hours a day working on blogging activities. I’ve got wifi access in my cigar lounge (aka the garage), so while I’m smoking a cigar to review I catch up on the other cigar sites and blogging sites.

7. Do you blog more for the money or for the passion?

75% Passion, and 25% Money, although seeing a steady increase in revenue helps fuel the passion.

8. If there was one niche besides cigars that you could successfully blog in, what would it be?

Technology and Gadgets! I’m a geek at heart and will always be, but those niches are too saturated.

9. What do your family and friends think of you blogging? Do they even know?

The wife is jealous that my hobby pays for itself, but is very supportive and actually started to write some for my site. My parents don’t even have a computer, so explaining how I make money by not actually selling anything was an interesting talk.

10. If you could meet any blogger who would it be and why?

Just one? I’ve got a whole list of bloggers I want to meet! I’d have to say Chris Garrett or Darren Rowse are my first choices. Chris I want to meet because after he interviewed me on my site I had some of highest traffic days ever and want to buy him a cigar and a pint. Darren I want to meet since his blog is the first one that I read on blogging to earn a living and inspired me to do more with my site.

11. Is the USA crap economy and lousy dollar value causing you financial headaches?

Not really, the cigar industry is actually starting to take off again and is looking like it is in another boom. Since I live in the USA the weak dollar has less of an impact since I’m not changing currencies.