The wait is finally over and the long awaited e-book is here. Yay!!

You can now download now this fantastic e-book Build a Superstar Blog

Build a superstar blog is a clever concept of introducing the business model in the music industry and re-applying it to blogging world.

Being a huge music lover, and knowledge of the industry, I simply brought the two worlds together this my e-book. The world of a music artists meeting the world of bloggers.

The same way a music artist goes through the hustle of getting discovered, signing a record deal, developing a fan base and aspiring for superstar status likewise a blogger builds credibility, exposure, a community and ends up being a leader or authority in his/her niche.

Whether you’re a blogging pro or a complete newbie, this e-book throws a fresh approach on blogging from a business standpoint.
I am very confident you will like it.

www.buildasuperstarblog.com

I also look forward to hearing your feedback.

Enjoy

(1) When you select “Save Draft” and the “Publish” button appears to be loading…

“what the deuce!!” – Stewie
This is sometimes uncomfortable to watch, especially if your content isn’t ready for public viewing. I’m getting used to it now, but I still watch it just to make sure.

(2) When presented with a white screen right upgrading WordPress

“errm, what do I do now??”
From experience, a simple page refresh normally brings things back to normal again.

(3) Dodgy WordPress plugins that breaks everything on your blog.

“arghh”
In some cases, it takes a while to identify the culprit plugin.
Before installing a plugin, I normal check its compatibility status . This can be found at wordpress.org/extend

Do you have any moments to share?

One of my clients plans to use social media to reach new customers as the current style of weekly tweets isn’t effective.

For this to happen, there needs to be a social media strategy in place with clear objectives.

A few things came to mind whilst having this discussion.

- Identify who your customers are.
- Identify where they are hanging out.
- Engage with them – participate.
- Find out how you can help them.
- Give it to them – (help them)
- Repeat and rinse.

Social media can beneficial to your business, it all depends on how you use them.

The style of writing for printed media is often inappropriate to the needs and habits of web users, so developing content for a website/blog usually means writing new material.

Listed below are a few pointers you should keep in mind

(1) Make it scannable

Users don’t read websites, but scan them for the information they want. Use headings, bulleted lists, and emphasis to draw attention to key points

(2) Be concise

Reading from a screen is much slower than reading from paper, and many users don’t like having to scroll down. Aim to write 50% less text than you would for a printed publication

(3) Start strongly

Summarise the main points of the page in the first paragraph. This could also be stats information relating to your topic.

(4) Be clear

Keep sentences simple, paragraphs short, and avoid jargons

(5) Be friendly

Address the user as ‘you’ and keep the tone warm, polite, and personable

(6) Make links meaningful

‘click here’ gives the user no idea of what to expect, and is of no help to a blind or partially sighted user viewing the site with a screen reader

(7) Write good headlines

This is normally the first thing readers see either via your blog or RSS reader.
- this gets them through the door.

Have I missed any? Over to you

Not the most exciting task in the world, but spending some time to document your blog’s business
procedures could save you a lot of time and hassle when it comes to outsourcing.

This procedure simply involves documenting basic back-end procedures that you would normally carry out on a regular basis.
Stuff that you can really hand over to someone to do in your absence.

I started this exercise a few months back, by gradually documenting frequent blog activities and system procedures.

Some of the procedures include;
- Blog Optimization – Memory cleanup process, Revision    cleanup,
- Database Backup procedures – Scheduled/Manual process
- Auto-response System – Email campaigns and reader updates
- Plugin updates – A full list of plugins
- Product and Services management on MediaStage
- Bill payments
- 3rd Party services
- Email/Blog post Templates
- System passwords

You are basically documenting an overall work flow of events and the products and services that holds your blog together.

Keep it safe

It’s very important to keep these information safe.

This information should be exclusive to you and perhaps other admin users that you approve.

I started with a local wiki page but then transferred everything on a secure wordpress blog using WishList Member as my firewall.

Having this information in a protected area within wordpress, provides the ease and flexibility you get from a blog platform and restricted access by allowing access areas for different users.

Please note, it’s not an overnight task but an ongoing one.

Do you have a documenting procedure in place?

Several months ago, I ran a poll on this blog asking readers how I could help them or what they would like to see more of.

It turns out a large majority of them had a business related blog and were interested in making money online – No surprises here.

Based on research and practical application, there isn’t much secret to it. It’s really down to applying business skills. The same principle you would apply to an offline business would apply to an online business.

So my plan here was to deliver a practical example from a offline business world and apply it to the blogging world.

Being a huge music lover, a former home studio music producer with knowledge of the music industry, I simply brought the worlds together in my e-book. The world of a music artists meeting the world of bloggers.

The same way a music artist goes through the hustle of getting discovered, signing a record deal, developing a fan base and aspiring for superstar status likewise a blogger builds credibility, exposure, a community and ends up being a leader or authority in his/her niche.

Hence the title. Build a Superstar Blog. I would like point out, the main objective of Build a Superstar Blog isn’t to turn you into a blogging superstar.
Rather it’s about
(1) Building the foundations and the right building blocks in place to propel your blog into a leader and authority. It takes you to superstar status then so be it.

(2) Having a clear understanding of your blog and it’s potential to be a perfect platform for developing a business.

The book covers practical examples which are very relevant to today’s blogging community.

It gives a fresh approach to your business blog.

I have also adopted a compare and contrast approach which gives a clear picture of how blogging works from a business prospective. It’s also a fun way to learn.

Who is it for?

Everyone, Whether you’ve being blogging a while or a complete newbie, Build a Superstar Blog throws a fresh approach on blogging from a business standpoint.

It would cater to a newbie that has recently started a blog and doesn’t really understand how to fit it around a business or a blogging pro who is starting to run out of steam and doesn’t see the full picture.

The book is pretty much done, I’m about 90% in, and will be launching in the next couple of weeks.

Are you ready for it?

Just like you would engage with your friends in a comfortable relaxing mode is the same way you ought to find the same zone with your readers.

For most, time with friends is enjoyable and fulfilling, there’s no reason why that shouldn’t be the case with your audience whether you own a blog or a website.

Understand them

Treat your audiences/readers as friends, as a result of this you’ll be able to build a relationship with them.

By understanding them, in time, you are able to know what tone of voice to use and the language they would understand. Interact in a conversational manner, after all, its only a blog and not a government report.

An added benefit of building a rapport with your readers is being able to pre-empt their information needs. The more you relate with them, the more you understand where they are at and what they need to know. This feeds your research and helps you meet them where they are.

So for your next post, make friends with your readers.

Fellow Googlers!!

I may be the only person on the planet who isn’t aware of this – but Google gives you a history of web activities performed on their services.
You can track and manage activities such as, Google searches, visited web pages, images, videos, maps and more.
So far, I have activities dating back to two years ago – bizarre!

Simply visit www.google.com/history to access yours.
(You will need a google account to view this)

My apologies if you’re already aware of this, I just had to share my latest discovery
We sure are moving into the cloud computing age.

David Risley will be doing a Live FREE public webinar

on 25th January 2010, at 8PM EST

I would highly recommend that you attend.

You can really learn a lot from this guy.

RSVP For The Webinar Now

In today’s review, I will be looking at an exciting coaching program known as the Blog Masters Club, by ProBlogger David Risley.

David has been one of my blogging mentors and coach for a while now.
And am proud to have been part of his first group of students on his coaching club.

For the past 6 months, this cool guy from across the pond has been working hard on his Blog Masters Club project which he is about to re-open very soon for a limited time.

This exclusive club, focuses on building up passionate individuals into true Blog Masters. The coaching program isn’t only about blogging, but about running a full-time online business, using blogging as a platform.
In fact, the first two modules of the course gets you into a Pro blogging mode.
Every action you take on the blog has to be strategic and structured.
David is a able to achieve this by bringing the world blogging and internet marketing together in this course.
The blog masters club also teaches and demonstrates how can you potentially make a 6-figure income from your blog, and the rest is really down to you

What’s in the Club

The whole course is packed with 16 modules of in-depth stuff.
The ‘Dude’, as I’ve recently been calling him, over delivers EVERYTIME.
The course is a complete brain dump of how he’s currently making a 6-figure income from his blogs. (PCMech and Davidrisley.com)
You’ll be getting well over 30 hours of high quality training videos.
In fact, I have studied his videos so much, I think I may have picked up some of his American lingo
In addition to the 16 modules, the club consists of an active forum and wealth of basic and useful blogging information.

• [Module 1] ProBlogger Orientation
• [Module 2] Selecting The Right Market
• [Module 3] Setting Up And Optimizing Your Blog
• [Module 4] Becoming a Blogging Master (Creating Compelling Content)
• [Module 5] Social Media Strategy – Becoming the Guru
• [Module 6] Pure Traffic-Getting Tactics
• [Module 7] Search Engine Optimization for Bloggers
• [Module 8] Making Videos For the Web – How To
• [Module 9] Top Blog Monetization Strategies Explained
• [Module 10] Creating Your Product Line & Sales Funnel
• [Module 11] Building Your List, From Zero to Thousands
• [Module 12] Creating a Membership Site
• [Module 13] Persuasion Tactics Every ProBlogger Should Know
• [Module 14] Creating Your Storyline
• [Module 15] Using The Power of Your Blogging Empire To Build Massive Profits
• [Module 16] Creating Powerful (and profitable) business relationships
• [Bonus Module] Automation & Outsourcing

Teaching Style

Majority of the materials are delivered on video, although, David also takes into account different learning styles. So, expect to find:
- Audio MP3′s
- Transcripts
- Action guides check-list
- One to one coaching calls.

Course Prerequisite

Be prepared to put in some hardwork, as David would put it ‘Blood Sweat and Tears’
In a nushell, you need the following:

1. To be self-motivated
2. Passion
3. Enjoy writing
4. Enjoy interacting with people

Who is David Risley?

David Risley is Problogger who earns a full-time income online, and has been in this business for the past 6 years.
I really can’t really pinpoint how I bumped into this fella, but he has been a great discovery.
He’s a cool, easy going, down to earth guy whose work ethic is admirable.
You can learn more about him below.

Become a Blog Master

I would like to share with you three quick ways to get more eyeballs on your blog this weekend.

[1] Share your expertise

Run a quick Q&A session on Twitter and help someone who has a question.
You can do this by finding tweeted questions related to your market.
You’ll be surprised how much people would appreciate a helping hand.
So go ahead, jump on Twitter and search for typical questions such as :
- How do I…
- How can I… in wordpress

[2] Email your list

• Give them a quick update of you’ve been up to
• Find out how they are doing?

Also, Keep them informed of any latest news on your blog.

[3] Do a quick video post.

This doesn’t have to be anything fancy.
Just a quick hello along with quick tips.
Videos are very powerful, and bring you closer to your audience.

What are your 3 tips for this weekend?