moderndaypeasants.com

Watch Out for Web 2.0

I’m guessing a lot of you have seen the term Web 2.0 here and there when you’re surfing the Internet. Keep your eyes open because I’ve got a crazy feeling this is going to be huge. I’ve been putting off learning much about it simply because I’m human. I sometimes get overwhelmed by all the information.

Wilkepedia describes the term Web 2.0 as being commonly associated with web applications which facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design and collaboration on the World Wide Web.

Basically it’s social media. Web 2.0 allows the users to interact with other users or to change website content. The Internet has become so widely used by bloggers and other enthusiasts that surfers have really become massively interested in participating.

The bottom line is that surfers are really digging being able to interact with the site owner as well as the other members on the site! You want to talk about building a website for music fans? This is it if I’ve ever seen it! I could also see this as being awesome for somebody interested in starting their own social networking site such as Facebook and Twitter or something of that nature.

Guess who just recently saw this firestorm coming? No it wasn’t me…..bummer! It was Ken Envoy and his extremely ever popular visionary crew over at SiteBuildIt. I can not put into words how much I have learned from this company.

I know I talk about him a lot on this blog but that’s only because of the amount of experience and forethought this man and his people have. They never cease to amaze me!

I don’t currently own a SiteBuildIt site but that’s only because I am the type of person that has to finish one job before I start another. I feel like I have to devote all my time to this site until I am satisfied with what I have accomplished here. I know it may be silly but that’s just me. Anyway you can bet your rear end that when I do feel a complete sense of accomplishment with Modern Day Peasants that I will be building a new site with SiteBuildIt 2.0.

Ken is so on top of this kind of stuff. Even if you’re not ready for Web 2.0 yet you can still sample some of the SiteBuildIt modules here for free.

Best Wishes

Social Media for Brand Networking

Are you using social media for brand networking? If not then maybe it’s something you should seriously consider. I am guilty myself of not taking it seriously until recently. Social media platforms such as Twitter, Digg, MySpace, Facebook, Delicious and a few others can have a huge impact on the marketing of your business. All of the above sites have millions of dedicated users who may be interested in what your site has to offer. The key is learning how to properly use these tools to your advantage.

Let’s take Twitter for example. Twitter is what I would call a micro blogging platform that allows it’s users to send short instant messages known as tweets. The message can not be more than 140 characters at length. When I first learned how long the message could be I thought, well that seems kind of useless, why bother? I couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. I guess it never dawned on me that in that 140 character message you could send a link to a website or a blog or possibly even an advertisers link that you can make money with. Twitter is an excellent social media source to help your business build it’s brand. Just keep in mind that you can’t sign in and instantly start selling to your followers. Like any other business you have to build solid relationships and trust before you begin to try and sell them anything. You can follow Modern Day Peasants on Twitter here.

Other social media outlets like Facebook, MySpace, Digg, Stumble Upon and Delicious should not be overlooked as well. You should know that these sites have outstanding Google PageRank. Just by signing up and entering your site you are building a high PageRank backlink. In addition, if some of your readers Digg your blog articles or maybe give them a thumbs up on Stumble it could feasibly send your website or blog traffic into a whole new stratosphere. Generally speaking a new website start-up is not going to have the PageRank Power to get to the first page of Google, Bing, Yahoo and Aol. The above social media sites do have that kind of power. Use them to your advantage!

I am still learning new ideas about the world of social media and I am no longer naive enough to think that they won’t help. Build your website or business by networking in as many ways that will help you to be noticed. If necessary build your followers one at a time. Be helpful, be friendly and be genuine and in the end the world will know who you are.

Best Wishes!

Revolutionary New Tool Will Eliminate Business Cards

by: Dan Waggoner

A blogging friend of mine recently sent me some information on a revolutionary new tool called the MingleStick which will most certainly eliminate the business cards that we all have used for years. Some of my social and business minded friends out there are going to go ape over this one and you all know who you are. The MingleStick is a small inexpensive ($19.95) electronic keychain device that allows people to exchange identity information with the click of a button. I’m sure it will be heavily used by business professionals, college students, organizers and such because it’s supported by both Windows and Mac and will hold up to 500 mingles.

The MingleStick exchanges only ID #s but when you log into your account you get all the information the other user has programmed into his or her accounts public profile such as:

• Name
• Photo
• Email Address
• Business Address
• Home Address
• Cell Phone #
• Business Phone #
• Home Phone #
• Social Networking Profiles such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn

All this can be exchanged with the simple press of a button. Below you can see two people connecting their MingleSticks.

Basically, two users point their MingSticks at each other and press the button. When the red flashing light turns solid green it means the connections has been made. It happens within a split second. Then later on when you’re ready you plug your MingleStick into your USB port on your computer where it connects to the MingleStick website and uploads the information. You just login with a secure username and password.

I’m very excited about this product because of what it means to the business and social networking world as we know it. I personally can’t ever find somebody’s business card when I need it anyway so this is a real winner for me. In my opinion it is definitely a revolutionary tool and it will without a doubt eliminate the hassle of purchasing, carrying and exchanging business cards.

Check it out and see what you think!

Best Wishes

Blogging for Success!

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” ……..Herman Cain.

For those of you who have read my articles and previous posts you know and understand I am big on using the words “multiple streams of income”. The reason is because I personally believe that to be very successful online you need to set up multiple ways to get paid. If you are going to make alot of money then you should be experimenting with many different online ideas and concepts. I have listed multiple ways to do that on this website and blog and will continue to list more in the future. Today I want to discuss what I call the “central bank” for your online career. If you really want to make a living from home and earn enough money to make a difference in your life there are 2 main factors that will help you succeed in your quest. First you must create your website and then follow it up and drive traffic by building and promoting your blog.

Build Your Website

• First you need to set up your own website. I have recommended a few methods to use in previous blogs. Look into HostGator Web Hosting and also check out Ken Envoy’s newsletter and his company Site Build It! Both HostGator and Site Build It are miles ahead of their competition in terms of usability and customer service. Try HostGator first to keep the cost down and if you can afford them both then absolutely go for it.  You are only increasing your chances of stronger profits. These are both outstanding companies and the best part is they will both pay you very well along the way if you choose.
• Take your time and think of a great domain name. Preferably using a keyword related to your business.
• Think in terms of Business Branding. You want your site and it’s name to be known well!
• Learn as much as possible about and try to find niche products.
• Add great content that is helpful to your visitors and easy on the search engines. (Mostly all typing and copy and paste)
• Make your website “Sticky” – (Great stuff that people keep coming back for….useful…helpful)
• Add secure and safe check out procedures if you have a web store  or plan on selling your own product.
• Do not publish too soon!!!!
• Learn about and apply proper use of meta keywords and descriptions for each page on your site.
• Make your website easy to understand and follow.
• Make your site easy to access by all browsers.
• Learn all there is to know about Search Engine Optimization. (Lots of  SEO info. on this blog)
• Always test your site before publishing as well as an ongoing basis for broken links and errors.
• Use “Keywords” in your titles on each page.
• Add alternative text to your site’s images so the search engines can read them. Remember search engines only read text.
• Monetize your site by adding Google Adsense. Let Google pay you for your advertising space.
• Add affiliate links if you wish. I actually recommend it even if you are selling your own product on the site. Do not be embarrased to offer affiliate links. Just make sure the ads are related to your site’s content and also make sure they are products that can benefit your visitors. There is nothing wrong with a company charging a fee for a great product. People don’t expect great things to be free. The company should be paid and so should you for allowing them to advertise on your site.
• Write a good “about us” page so your visitors understand and know who you are and what you do.
• Add a privacy policy
• Test some more and when you’re absolutely ready go ahead and publish it to the world.
• Sumit your new website address to all the major Search Engines, Directories…ie…Google, Yahoo, Alta Vista, Bing, Aol, All The Web…etc….etc.
• Start building one way back links to your site. (Very important in gaining new traffic)
• Sign up with Google Analytics to track your progress and your visitors to see what works and what doesn’t.
• Stay on top of it.
• Enjoy what you do.
• Keep success in your mind.

Now Build and Publish Your Blog

• Most good web hosting companies will offer you a blogging platform at no additional charge. I will discuss WordPress.org because it is offered free with the HostGator Baby Croc Package and because WordPress.org in my opinion is the best blogging platform offered today in regards to Usability and Design.
• Sign up for the WordPress.org account.
• Take a day or two to read about WordPress and understand the different functions, plugins, themes, tools, links, profiles, etc which are now at your disposal.
• Choose a usable blog theme. Make it a custom theme if you can afford it.
• Click plugins on the left side of your WordPress control panel and then click add new plugin.  In the “add plugin” search box type “All in One SEO” or “Platinum SEO” . Download and activate one of these two plugins. I personally prefer Platinum SEO because it has a few more helpful tools at your disposal in the settings. Take the time to learn how these plug-ins work.
• Decide on a title for your first blog post. Use keywords in your titles and don’t take the title process lightly. A good title can make the difference on small amounts of visitors and huge amounts of visitors.
• Keep the body text between 250 and 650 words.
• Write great content related to your website and useful to your audience.
• Be careful to not write too many sales ads.
• Sprinkle keywords carefully into your article like an hourglass. Maybe one in your title. A few in the opening statement. A few less in the body. A Few more in your closing or summary. Don’t over do it.
• Keep your readers first in your mind. SEO tactics should be second.
• Use Post tags on each article.
• Create links to your website.
• Keep up with all the great plugins to make your life easier
• Learn about and add an Rss Feed.
• Have an opt in email form to build a customer database.
• Add Google Adsense to your blog to gain more money from Google for allowing them to advertise on your site.
• Add affiliate links and advertisement to your blog but make them helpful and useful to your readers and visitors. Think again in terms of niche products.
• Always publish your post only after testing and making sure everything is in place and working order and to your satisfaction. Never hurry!
• Add your blog to social marketing and bookmarking sites…ie…Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Blogger.com, Blogged.com, Technorati..Delicious, Stumble Upon,..etc…etc. Use social book marking  and marketing to your advantage website and blogs advantage. There are millions of interested readers out there.
• Like your website the success of your blog requires creating quality one way back links to it as well. Add more back links. Make sure the links are websites which are related to your site’s content with higher Google Page Ranking if possible. This will secure even more traffic and visitors.
• Get a rhythm down. Don’t write too little and don’t write too much. Once a week or so should be sufficient.
• Be aware of Google Page Ranking but don’t get too tied up in it too soon. Good Page ranking also comes with good content unless your niche is very competive in which case it will take longer to rank high and will require more quality back links than other niches.
• Be sincere!
• Be friendly!
• Partner and Network with as many people and businesses you can. Hopefully related to your website and blog content.
• Enjoy yourself! Have a blast. Interact with your visitors!

And the list goes on and on! If I missed a few due to time restraints feel free to add your ideas in the comments. Feel free to link to this page or bookmark it and use it as a reference while you’re working. Remember you will never stop learning. The day you do is the day it’s over with! Perform all the steps listed here and you will be well on your way to a rock solid income to be proud of. You will be blogging for your own success.

Best Wishes!