Creating Great Blog Content With Lists

Guest Post - Our host is Eric Nacul, In this post Eric lists the best list making services.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Santa isn't the only one who should be making a list and checking it twice. Bloggers interested in increasing traffic to their websites should, too.

There’s simply no denying the popularity of lists. They’re everywhere and on every topic imaginable. Readers like lists because they’re quick and easy to read and provide instant gratification. They’re easy to share as well, and can break complex information into its simplest form.

Of course, bloggers should like lists because readers like them and the increased traffic that comes with those readers. Lists are also easy to write, offer visual appeal, and can create interest and discussion on a blog.

While bloggers can snap up or link to countless lists on the web, collaborative lists, also called crowdsourced lists, tend to build the most interest and because they involve readers in their creation can help a blog create a sense of community.

A list of lists sharing apps

Click Here To View Full Post >>

Blog Marketing Lessons We Can Learn From Cake Wrecks

Guest Post - Our host is Courtenay Stevens, In this post Courtenay has some great blogging tips using the example of Cake Wrecks.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.
Disclaimer - The author of this post and Spice Up Your Blog are not connected to Cake Wrecks in any way, they are just a good example is all.

If you haven’t already started following CakeWrecks.com, you are seriously missing out on one of the greatest blogs on the internet today. Cake Wrecks has been featured on Time Magazine’s list of the Best Blogs of 2010 and The Reader’s Digest’s list of 5 Websites for a Quick Laugh. The site has also been featured on such prominent media outlets as CBS News’ Early Show, The Today Show, The Washington Post, and Wired Magazine.

So how did this blog achieve such fame and admiration? And what can we learn from Cake Wrecks about how to promote our own blogs?

Good Content

Anyone who has read even a single post on CakeWrecks.com knows that they’ve got good content. Actually, forget about “good” content; they’ve got great content! Jen, John, and their occasional guest posters write well and they write clearly. We know from Google’s recent Panda and Penguin updates that high-quality content is becoming more and more of an important factor in any site’s search engine rankings, so the fact that Cake Wrecks has content that is readable is a big deal. Plus, it’s hilarious! Once you read a Cake Wrecks post, you want to keep coming back for more. That’s essential in making sure that your blog can attract and then keep your readers! What’s more, Cake Wrecks posts on a regular basis (once a day and once during the weekend), meaning that they don’t lose readers by not providing regular updates.

So how do you get quality content? Jen Yates, the primary owner of Cake Wrecks offers this advice:

“Write about what you love, not what you think will be popular. It takes time to gain a readership, and if you don’t love your content you’ll get discouraged.”

It’s also important to set some standards and dedicate yourself to them. These standards may have to do with the quality of writing on your blog, the topics that are discussed, or the amount and type of advertising that you allow. Perhaps you’ll decide that all content must be 100% free of grammatical mistakes (a lofty goal—we’re all human); or maybe you’ll decide that while you’re free to bring up mature themes in your posts (as Cake Wrecks is sometimes known to do), you refuse to allow explicit content. Whatever standards you choose for your blog, make sure you stick to them. Having high, consistent standards will increase your authority and strengthen your online presence.

Networking

In regular business, it’s important to network. Having friends in high places is definitely important when it comes to blogging as well. Let’s take a look at Cake Wrecks. First, Cake Wrecks is part of the prestigious BlogHer Publishing Network. This network attracts over 40 million readers each month, and these readers rely on the network to hook them up with blogs that are relevant to them. That’s a lot of readers who could potentially be visiting your site! Granted, not every blog network is going to bring you that much traffic, but if you have a high-quality site, it’ll be much more likely that you’ll be accepted into a network like BlogHer. Of course, when you’re joining networks, the key is to join only networks that are directly related to your site.

Joining blog networks is one way to meet new people online. If you’re joining networks that are relevant to your site, you’ll be able to meet and network with people whose interests and tastes are similar to yours. Making friends online is crucial to getting more online attention for your blog. As you meet other bloggers and site owners, they’ll start checking out your blog. If they like what they see, and if your blog is relevant to their site, they’ll be more likely to share your blog with their readers. That’s another audience that you’re tapping into! Cake Wrecks does this really well. They’re listed on Blogrolls and Favorite Sites lists all over the internet. Their most valuable links, of course, are coming from cooking blogs, humorous blogs, and other sites that are relevant to their own site. Cake Wrecks gets these great links because they discuss a related topic, but also because their content is enjoyable to read.

Finally, if you check out the footer on CakeWrecks.com, you’ll find a link back to Jen Yates’ other blog, Epbot.com. Featuring your other sites is a great way to tap into any audiences that you have built there. Chances are that the people who follow your jewelry making site will also be interested in your custom painting site. Even if your sites aren’t directly related, loyal readers may still enjoy your writing style on a different subject. A little cross promotion certainly couldn’t hurt.

Social Media

Jen Yates is very good at maintaining her social media presence. She reads all of the comments on her blog posts (an impressive feat considering the massive number of comments on each of her posts), and she responds when appropriate. The Cake Wrecks Twitter account is also proof that Jen pays attention to the responses and shout-outs that her site receives there; Jen frequently responds to tweets from fans, keeps her readers updated on what’s going on with the site, and shares relevant news and thoughts. She also infuses her tweets with her humor and loads of personality.

Maintaining your social presence is important when it comes to promoting and enhancing the image of your blog. Readers like to feel that they are part of a community, where their thoughts are appreciated and valued. You can give your readers that sense of community and give them validation through your social media presence.

Cake Wrecks is one of many sites that demonstrate how important good content, online networking, and social media can be in promoting and expanding your blog’s readership. Of course, I neglected to mention that using your site’s keywords in your Title tags, alt image tags, site description, and H1 tags are important in getting more search engine traffic as well, as are other link building tactics. Cake Wrecks uses these tools very effectively as well, and it’s an important part of optimizing your site for online traffic.

CakeWrecks.com is an excellent example of how to succeed in the online world. If you follow their example, your blog can start seeing the kind of online attention and success that it deserves.

By Guest Author -Courtenay Stevens is the founder and current editor of Monday's Orchids, a site devoted to informative content on a variety of topics. She is an expert in local internet marketing, and her work has been featured on a number of prominent business websites.

SEO Checklist Before You Start A New Blog

Guest Post - Our host is Pablo, in this post he has some tips for people starting a new blog.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

To me it’s still amazing that a cms like Wordpress can build you a professional looking site in a few minutes, my first site was built in Microsoft Frontpage and involved many long nights and a few tears! However just because it’s now easier to build a website doesn’t mean it’s easier to create one that is ultimately successful and makes money, because the success of a site is often down to the competition it faces from similar sites in the marketplace. The problem is that many webmasters assume that just because they have an attractive site with quality content that they will automatically rank at the top of Google for their chosen keywords. I’m not saying that good content won’t rise to the top but it can take quite a while to happen on its own and if your competition is established and also providing the information people are looking for where does that leave you?
Click Here To View Full Post >>

How to Effectively Write for a Specific Audience

Guest Post - Our host is Stephen Burrell, Here Stephen has tips to tackle the challenge of writing to a specific niche.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

The primary goal of most blogs is to develop a loyal readership, and the best way to do that is to identify a specific audience that you want to reach and write specifically for them. You'll find that by better connecting with their needs and interests your blog is able to grow faster and your visitors are more engaged.

But how do you decide who to target? And what can you do to get them interested?

Who are your writing for ?

You want to be specific about what your blog will discuss. You don't want it to be too broad since you won't be speaking directly to anyone's needs, but you also don't want it to be so narrow that the number of people you can reach is too small.

For instance, there are hundreds of mom blogs out there and millions of potential moms to reach, so if you wanted to start your own mom blog, you need to find a way to differentiate yourself from the crowd. You could share experiences as a work-at-home mom or an African-American mom to hone in on a more specific group of moms.

Learn more about this group

Click Here To View Full Post >>

The Quick Yet Ultimate Guide for Guest Posting

Guest Post - Our host is Matt Powers, In this post Matt shares his Guest Posting experience with us.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

For all of us in the Internet Marketing world know by now, guest blogging is one of the few ‘white hat’ activities left we can do to gain high quality links and anchor text from sites that may not initially think to link to us. The reason webmasters are willing to link to our sites is because of the time and effort we put forth in order to produce an interesting, informative or entertaining piece of content for their site. How long this marketing strategy will be considered ‘white hat’ only time will tell. Google could easily change their algorithm to discount these links one day based on how many people decide to abuse the privilege of getting these ‘free’ links or the content becomes spammy enough like it did with article directories.

For now though, I believe as long as the person behind the computer is putting some thought into their writing and giving readers information they want to see, this is still a win-win situation for both parties involved. But now with the basic knowledge that guest posting works and the mass amount of marketers fighting for space on others’ blogs, it’s not as easy as it once was to get a post published. And while there are many posts out there with guides on how to guest post, many are lengthy and wordy to show off their college educations.

Here is the quick, yet ultimate, guide for guest posting.

Research

• It is important, imho, when researching to find blogs that are in your niche. I don’t find the value on posting your 12 favorite recipes on a cooking blog to get links back to your advertising agency.
• Twitter is a great way to find guest post opportunities and tools like Ethan Lyon’s Guest Post via Twitter make it that much easier!
• The ‘best of’ or ‘top 10’ lists in your niche are another great way to find opportunities.
• Follow the path of other guest authors by simply searching their name ‘+ guest’ or some other combination of keywords in Google.
• Find a blog you like but can’t figure out how to contact them…reach out to them on Twitter or their favorite form of social media.

The Pitch

• After compiling a list of potential blog matches, it’s key to take some time to get the overall feel of the site. Read some of the most recent posts, determine what they like to talk about and the tone they use.
• If guest post guidelines are posted, READ THEM. The easiest way to get rejected is to overlook the guidelines. The easiest way to get your post picked up is to READ THE GUIDELINES.
• If you are asked to contact someone, DO NOT just ask them if they accept guest posts. BE POLITE! Tell them how much you enjoying reading a specific piece or compliment them on the overall design of their blog. Give them a concrete idea of what you plan on writing about and why it would be beneficial to them and their audience.

Writing

• After your pitch has been approved, again, FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES! If no guidelines were provided, you should have a pretty good idea of how they like to write anyways based on reading prior posts.
• Don’t half ass it. This is a great opportunity to gain a couple free links and usually the one and only opportunity to pick the anchor text you would like to use. Write something you would be proud to post on your own blog.
• If possible, provide supporting links to other articles on their blog. It shows that you’ve made the effort to do a little research on your end and helps them with internal linking.
• Provide supporting pictures to go along with your post. Screenshots of actual data or examples of real websites do so much more for a reader than stock images.
• And please DO NOT get greedy with links in the byline. You should never put more than 3 links in the byline. Most webmasters won’t allow it and it’s bad for SEO anyway.

Follow Up

• After you’ve sent your initial draft to the editor, DO NOT assume that it will get posted. Assure them that if they need any other information, edits or revisions you’d be happy to provide them.
• When the article is posted, be active in the comments. People like to interact with the author and give the page more authority.
• SHARE, SHARE, SHARE! Yes, I know it’s not your blog, but you wrote it. Share your work with your audience. The webmaster will appreciate it and it will give your audience something to read until you get around to your next blog post.

Any other suggestions to help getting guest posts picked up? Please feel free to leave them in the comments

By Guest Author - Matt Powers does Internet marketing for Blue Soda Promo, an eCommerce promotional products website based in the Chicagoland area. BSP imprinted company logos onto items like promotional sunglasses. We make your brand POP!

How To Use Video To Increase Your Website Revenue

Guest Post - Our host is Neil Davidson, Here using examples and studys Neil shows how video can benifit bloggers and webmasters.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

If your goal is to increase the revenue generated by your website or blog then video is a tool you should most definitely consider. Video is being used online more and more and we are reaching a stage where video is no longer a luxury; people expect it. Take the analogy of two candidates applying for the same job (in this case, your website and a competitors website are the two candidates). Both have exactly the same qualifications and experience... except one of them has a video explaining their benefits. Who is going to get the job? The answer is the one with the video.

Video has qualities that engage viewers far more effectively than static websites displaying lots of copy. Video is visual which is an immediately convenient factor; people prefer passively watching video to putting effort into reading large amounts of text. Also, video is emotional. If used intelligently it will set off emotional triggers in your audience which could be the difference between a sale and someone leaving your website.

Here I have looked at some long-term and some short-term ways that video can help to increase website revenue and offered some handy practical tips for harnessing these to your advantage.
Click Here To View Full Post >>

Top Apps And Tips For Blogging From Mobile Devices

Guest Post - Our host is Jane Johnson, Jane loves Blogging on the Go and in this post lists some tips and her favorite apps.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

I’m writing this blog post from a lovely little cabin on the lake. I know; I’m a lucky lady. Well I can thank my iPad for making it possible.

Today’s smart phones and mobile devices are making it possible to blog from anywhere, anytime. I take my iPad with me whenever I travel so that I can post a daily blog from the airport, train station, or aboard a bus whisking me to another state. I’ve even been known to take a coffee break during road trips so I can post a quick blog from the comforts of a padded booth with an apple fritter at my side.

However, it wasn’t always like this. It took me some time with my iPad figure out all the little tricks and shortcuts that I could take advantage of. Once I did, it became my favorite device, and now I use it far more than my laptop—and it’s much lighter to transport too.

Why I love blogging from mobile devices as opposed to desktop or laptop computers:

• Tablets and smart phones are extremely light weight and specially designed slide into any carry-on bag
• I personally find, that when I use my iPad, I’m less likely distracted because its software architecture is basic compared to my laptop—so fewer distractions
• Mobile devices have pretty good battery life—I find my laptop dies after about 4 hours while my iPad lasts up to 10 on a single charge

Now that you see the benefits of using your smart phone, I’d like to share my personal tips for using one to blog effectively using some easy downloadable tools:

For brainstorming ideas and capturing notes I use…

Must have blogging tools for publishing on the go!

1)  iThoughtsHD ($9.99 – for iPhone and iPad)

As a blogger, having a tool to generate ideas for my blog posts is important. The iThoughtsHD app is a mind mapping app that synchs up to Dropbox (a central storage app) so I can create a mind map to help me brainstorm blog topics, themes, drafts, and then save everything back to Dropbox, so I can take my drafts with me and access them whenever the mood to write strikes.

2) Evernote (Free – for Android & iPad, iPhone)

As far as free apps go, Evernote is the best note taking and storage app you will find! Simply take notes whenever you have a “eureka” moment and know that all will be saved and stored across all devices—your desktop, laptop, smart phone, and tablet device. Evernote provides peace of mind for bloggers like me who like to transport all of their work with them when they’re on the go.

3) Blogger (Free – for Android & iPhone & iPad)

The must-have publishing platform is available for your mobile device. The Blogger app makes it easily to publish quick blog posts, and even upload pictures, add hash tags, and location information. However, the thing I like the most about Blogger is the list view of posts that it offers—you can view all blogs across multiple accounts and easily switch between them with ease.

4) Dropbox (Free – for Android & iPhone, iPad)

When it comes to reliable storage, you can’t ask for more than Dropbox. This all provides storage and synchronization for all of your photos, documents, and videos for free. Any file you save to your Dropbox will be instantly accessible from all of your computers and mobile devices. You can even save items to your favorites for fast access and viewing.

By Guest Author -Jane Johnson is a writer for GoingCellular, a popular site that provides cell phone related news and commentary as well as reviews on popular providers and devices like the popular Samsung phones.

4 Things to Make Sure If You Plan to Sell Your Blog

Guest Post - Our host is Lee Ka Hoong, Here Lee looks at what he thinks are the important factors for those looking to sell a blog.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

For a blogger, there is nothing more important than their blog. They love it, care for it and make sure it gets the best treatment so that  success can be achieved. For them, the blog is like a baby whom you nurture so that it stands out of the crowd. But sometimes, things do not turn to be so easy.

Giving your time to a blog depends a lot on the personal issues and circumstances and for a part time blogger, it sometimes becomes difficult when there is excess work pressure or the family issues that need to be sorted out. And at that moment, you feel you need to part ways from your blog.

Well, in the long run; it may not be a bad decision. It is no good that you are clinging on to something just because you love it but you won’t be doing anything with it. It will ultimately die and lose its existence. It is important to be proactive in this case and you may plan to sell it.

Selling a blog is a tough decision for any blogger because it is something that you have cared for and tried to make sure it looks best. But then, what is the use of making those efforts if nobody is going to see it? Selling looks the only feasible option.

But selling a blog is not easy as it sounds. You have to make sure you have certain things clear in your head. Through this article, I will try to take your attention towards 4 of the most important issues that need to be taken care of as you plan to sell a blog.

1. Value
This is the most important thing. You want to make sure that you get more than what you have invested in the blog. So, make a rough but reasonable estimate of it. Think "If I was to buy this blog how much would I be willing to pay ?". And don’t be rigid. Be open to negotiations. Listen to other offers but do not just succumb to their demands. It is your blog and you have every right to sell it and you surely won’t sell it at any road-side price. So, a cool, sensible head is required while dealing with price negotiations of your blog.

2. Person
So, you want to be sure that the person who is going to buy it will care for it and keep the blog intact. Just don’t sell it to any random person for the sake of money. Try to get a brief background of the buyer and check out his credentials. After all you have to make sure that your blog is being passed through to the right hands, the responsible person. Although, after buying; he has every right to do whatever he wants; a bit of background won’t be a bad idea.

3. Updating
Do not expect to get a good value for your blog if you have not updated it for a month and now you suddenly decide to sell it. A blog’s most important USP is its activity. If the Google bots are not tracking it; you will lose a lot. So, if you are planning to sell it; announce the sale notice but keep writing so that the blog does not die down immediately. After all, the buyer will also find it easy to carry on your work rather than build on to the left alone stuff.

4. Accounts
It is important you use one email id for all the accounts that you with your blog. For services like Gravatar, CommentLuv, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other stuff; use a single id because if you have to pass on to the account details of the services associated with the blog; you do not pass on to him different email for every service. Also, keep the password of that id different from what you use for your personal emails. You will certainly not like others poking into your mailbox.

These are the 4 most important points for me. The list and the priority can change from person to person and it will be nice if you can share them below with us to benefit all.

Thanks for reading.

By Guest Author -Lee is a part time blogger and he writes about blogging tips, brand building, make money online, SEO , affiliate marketing, traffic building and etc. He shares his adventure and experience on how to make money blogging with a blog.

3 Things You Must Consider Before You Start Guest Blogging

Guest Post - Our host is Slavko Desik, Slavko has some great advice for Guest Bloggers.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Probably all of you by now know that if you truly want to succeed in blogging, you must understand, or start to understand promotion as an inevitable part of every blogging success. That being said, you should embrace the idea of guest blogging as one of the leading ways of promoting your new brand.

Why is guest blogging so important?
Click Here To View Full Post >>

Jump On This Bandwagon And Rock The Blogosphere !

Guest Post - Our host is Jane Smith, here Jane shows us the advantages of having a focus on local in your blog.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Act locally. Think globally.

The mantra made popular by the recently deceased 'Occupy Wall Street movement' is a super-hot consumer trend right now. And though some of us like to blog for fun, most of us would like to see some Benjamins thrown our way for our hard work. (Can I get an ‘Amen’!?)

Granted, there is a problem with working an exclusively local angle, and I’m sure you’ve already guessed it. Local and independent businesses generally don’t have the dough to advertise on multiple platforms, which means you can’t rely on local businesses to fund your blog.

Siiigh. Looks like you’ll be relying on Google AdSense and the other standard ways of revenue generation.

Ok, now that you’ve heard the downside, cheer up! By making your blog a local hub, you can expand your network, generate popularity and gain a real cultural presence.

Newbies can form blogs based on a single local angle and blogging vets can reshape a blog to include one.
Click Here To View Full Post >>

Benefits Of Joining A Blog Network

Guest Post - Our host is Charles Mburugu, Charles looks at how blog networks can help Bloggers.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

A blog network is simply a group of blogs which share a common theme. Some of the networks are primarily focused on promoting blogs, while others have a commercial aspect. Blog networks come in a variety of sizes and shapes, ranging from the small networks which focus on specific topics, to the large ones which cover a wide range of subjects.

Some of the most popular blog networks include b5media, Hubpages, Simply Good Media, Content Quake and 451 Press.

You can find many other networks by doing a simple Google search or finding out which networks other blogs in your niche have joined. Once you identify a network that suits you, get in touch with the network manager and explain clearly how your blog would add value to the blog network. Make sure your blog meets the requirements for being part of the network.

As a blogger, the following are some of the benefits you will enjoy by joining a blog network.
Click Here To View Full Post >>

Using Blogging As A Teaching And Training Tool

Guest Post - Our host is Katheryn Rivas, here Katheryn has some tips on how to use Blogs as training tools.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Most of us who blog do it for various reasons, the most common of which are for the pure joy of writing or to perhaps make some money from your blog. There are tons of different uses for blogging, and I'm here going to explore one that is all-too often overlooked—using blogging as a teaching tool. Of course, for those of you who are teachers, like I once was, teaching through blogging is especially important. But if you are any sort of professional, blogging can be helpful to train new employees you may manage, to teach others in a collaborative environment any sort of job skill, or to merely teach yourself something new. Here are some things to consider:

Tips To Use Blogging As A Teaching Tool

Click Here To View Full Post >>

The Four P’s To Blogging Success

Guest Post - Our host is Heather Smith, in this post Heather has four success tips for your blog.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Whether you are blogging personally or for a paycheck there are 4 p’s that you should not pass over. These 4 p’s are have the potential to be positively picture-perfect for your blogging. These aren’t meant to puzzle you but help you partake in perfecting your blogging. So pencil down these notes and prepare:
Click Here To View Full Post >>

4 Things You Need To Do (if you don't want your blog to suck)

Guest Post - Our host is Alyse Ainsworth, Alyse shows us how to Jumpstart Your New Blog in 4 Steps.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Starting a new blog is exciting and scary. On the one hand, you could be embarking on a new journey that will lead to increased exposure for your brand, on the other, you're about to crash and burn--unnoticed, no less--in some dark corner of the Internet. Realistically, you will probably do a fair amount of both. Blogging, like anything, is a process of experimentation. You are you going to try many new things, and some of them will give you runaway success. Others will not, but here are 4 things that you can do right out of the gate to ensure you have more successes than failures.
Click Here To View Full Post >>

The 5 C's of Successful Blogging

Guest Post - Our host is Samantha Peters, Samantha gives up some blog success tips you need to C.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

You may be familiar with the some of the success stories of online bloggers. What is it that makes one blog successful enough to generate substantial revenue, while another sits in a dark corner unread? Most likely, the author demonstrates these five characteristics:
Click Here To View Full Post >>

How to find the perfect blog for your guest post

Guest Post - Our host is Pete Kontakos, In this post he points you in the right direction when looking to submit guest posts.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Bloggers and web site owners often struggle to drive targeted traffic to their sites, part of the problem comes from having low search engine rankings and the other part of the problem is not posting on sites with value. The difference between success and failure is likely going to be the properties you choose to put your work on. The following tips will help you on your way to finding the perfect blog for your guest article.
Click Here To View Full Post >>

How To Add Authors To Blogger Blogs Using The New Blogger Design

Many blogs have multiple blog authors and would be classed as community blogs.If you have a community blog or would just like to invite friends and family to your blog and give them access to publish posts on Blogger it couldn't be easier.On Blogger you can add up to 100 authors to a blog and you also have two levels of access you can give to authors.Firstly you can give author access, this will give the invited author access to write and publish posts only.Secondly you can give Admin access, this gives the invited author complete access to your blog.

In the video below I will walk you through the steps involved in Inviting authors to your blog, Granting different levels of access and Removing authors or revoking access.

How To Invite Authors To Blogger Blogs Video Tutorial

Click Here To View Full Post >>

Should You Use A Pseudonym For Your Blog ?

Guest Post - Today's host is Dana Vicktor, who looks at the pros and cons for using a pen name on your blog.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Many famous authors have used pseudonyms to write books. Samuel Clemens became Mark Twain, Stephen King became Richard Bachman and so on.

Writers have chosen to publish under pen names for a variety of reasons, from protecting their brand (such as when changing genre) to fighting discrimination (such as the many women authors who published under men’s names).

Blogging has become the medium of choice for many modern-day writers, with some blogs eventually becoming books themselves. While blogging, social networking, and other online activity have encouraged many of us to share our personal information more freely, some bloggers are starting to pull back and withhold some of that information – even their own names.

The choice to blog under your own name or a pseudonym is a personal one. However, there are many reasons why using a pseudonym for your blog might be a good idea. Here are a few:
Click Here To View Full Post >>

iOS Blogging Apps That Will Make Your Blog Popular !

Guest Post - Today's host is John Page, who talks about the best choices for IOS Blogging Apps.See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

Do you remember those good old days when blogging was just for fun? I can hardly find a decent blog nowadays because even the best of them turn to be the part of the “industry” where practically every blogger is obsessed with earning more money from his blog instead of publishing some interesting blogs just to stimulate people for talking. Making money by means of blogging is not bad for sure. I just appeal to all bloggers to make update their blogs not just for the higher search engine ranks but for posting really interesting ideas that may be helpful for their readers. For instance, in this particular post I’m going to share my own top 4 of nifty blogging iOS applications that were designed by bloggers for bloggers, so to speak. In the picture you see my favorite WordPress for iOS application.

Personally before I bought my first iPhone I was quite irritated by the fact that I cannot update my blog with few new pics or notes whenever I want even if there is no a laptop or PC at fingertips. Luckily, with the development of iOS apps such problem is easily solved since there are so many good blogging programs are offered via the iTunes service. It is quite a challenge to find the best blogging iOS apps because there are few very good and plenty of decent. Plus all blogging can be divided into subcategories – for analytics, SEO, microblogging, social networking sharing or editing content. That is why I decided to create my own list of the best blogging applications that can be used by every blogger despite his preferences and purposes.

Top 4 IOS Blogging Apps

Click Here To View Full Post >>

6 Reasons Working From Home Improves Your Life

Guest Post - Today's host is David Crawford ,Many chase the dream of becoming a professional Blogger and working full time from home David looks at how this can improve your life.Want to get involved ? See How To Become a guest author on Spice Up Your Blog.

When I started working from home, I had many friends ask me why I was doing so. After all, we are so accustomed to heading to work each morning that for many people it seems strange that I roll out of bed, head to my little corner room, and start working. Because I am eager to tell people about my personal experience and love to share what I have learned, I want to present you with the reasons I work from home and how I benefit.
Click Here To View Full Post >>