REBLOGGED FROM SHEY.NET:
Tumblr launched one of its first revenue-generating programs today, allowing a select group of blogs (not sure how they’re selected, but the three options it gave me happened to be my three most popular blogs) to feature themselves in the Tumblr directory for a nominal fee — categories range from about $9 to $19 to feature your blog for a week. Here’s the link.
The process is ridiculously easy and fun — I tried it out and featured shey.net in about ten minutes (including Photoshop time) while visiting the Tumblr gang at their office today. The results were almost instant — as soon as the feature went up, I saw new followers start popping up in my timeline (thanks, guys!).
Screen shots of the process below.
1. Enter your info:
2. Get thanked:
3. In your face, Gary and Dens!
HERE’S WHERE I CHIME IN:
This is a great assist for a money-making basket (follow the basketball metaphor please); however, you still have to shoot a three-pointer not a lay-up.
The traffic comes your way, but to pay the rent from your blog you must:
- Maintain their attention.
- Manipulate tumblr to facilitate ads.
Neither can be done by a rookie.
Tim Shey, who blogged this entry, is actually a headof the one of the web’s largest video content distributors, NextNewNetworks (that co-produced TMI and LifeExperiment). That didn’t happen over night. On a MUCH smaller scale, I came into the blogosphere with a built-in audience and guidance from other leaders in the industry.
Your Tumblr blog can be monetized, it’s just not as easy as a click. That’s all I’m saying.
UPDATE from Twitter: @Moth (TimShey) The lovely + intelligent @MaryRambin points out why my last post was titled “Make Me Famous” and not “Make Me Rich.” 
-By Mike Mulhall, The Entrepreneur
Fruit for the entrepreneurial mind…check out one of my favorite sites Springwise.com. Springwise is made up of a weekly compilation of good (and bad) ideas that entrepreneurs all over the world are pursuing.
I can’t tell you how many brainstorming sessions and eureka moments I’ve had from reading this site.
Raise your hand if you back up your files.
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
Now raise your hand if you think it’s big ole pain in the ass.
Exactly.
That box takes up space, requires an extra cord, and costs too much for what it is. Then there’s the action of plugging it in…ugh.
It’s super simple to back up files, but for some reason it’s a huge burden.
So when I heard about DropBox, I was THRILLED.
It’s a virtual box/cloud that you can drag your files to, drop them in, and then delete them from your computer’s hard drive and have tons of free memory. As you can see it does so much more.
And unlike an external hard drive, you can access your Box from anywhere and the files will look the same.
Of course there’s a catch.You can get a free 2GB account, but that’s only enough to store pictures from your last vacation, so you’ll need to purchase more space. There is monthly (above) or yearly charge ($99/50MB) that you must maintain if you plan on keeping those files until your grandkids want to see your digital albums from 2010.
The other aspect that is less than pleasant is that it can take DAYS to transfer the files. Fortunately it won’t slow down your computer like most uploads, but we’re all looking for instant gratification online, right?
Bottom line: I’m very pleased with my purchase (50GB for $99/year), which I realize is more than an external hard drive, but I have many of those that I now have no idea where they are. So I look forward to dumping all of my old shiii, uhem stuff, into one box I can access anytime.
-By Mike Mulhall, The Entrepreneur
People start blogs for a variety reasons. Some start out of personal passion; many businesses create blogs to engage their existing customers; some seek to generate revenue. Blogging is an integral part of any social media marketing strategy for a brick and mortar or virtual business.
However, you can’t simply start a blog and expect a translation to sales overnight. You have to first assess your goals and then compose a plan that entails more than a stream of thought post about the features of your company.
Personal bloggers will love the features of Tumblr or Posterous (a great mobile blogging platform). Simply sign up for an account and you will be blogging in less than two minutes. Seriously! Unfortunatley, if you’re looking to generate revenue, these sites won’t serve you well for several reasons. Due to their lack of flexibility they are difficult to monetize because they fail to:
- Optimize well with search engines
- Allow for design customization
- Feature add-on applications/plug-ins
If you’re serious about blogging as a business, I would suggest checking out Wordpress. Wordpress is a blogging platform that requires more work and effort, but offers a lot more flexibility and potential. Here’s a simple breakdown of what you need to do to create your own self hosted blog:
- Choose a hosting service. I use Godaddy, but there are a lot of these types of services out there. Mary uses BlueHost, for example. Both are reliable one-stop shops.
- Choose a domain name. I think people over emphasize choosing a name for their website sometimes. Create good content and people will find it no matter what. Food for thought: Myspace was actually a furniture website before becoming a social network and Google was supposed to be spelled “Googol.” They messed up the spelling when registering the domain. Oops!
- Install Wordpress. If you don’t use Godaddy, you’ll have to install Wordpress. Go here for simple installation instructions.
- Choose a theme. This is the fun part. Wordpress is incredibly flexible. Check out Themeforest, Rockettheme or Wordpress Themes. You can choose any theme you want for your blog and it requires no programming and little design work on your part.
- Get some plug-ins. Wordpress has thousands of free, easy-to-install add-ons that range from creating a chatroom on your blog to adding a shopping cart to automatically optimizing your site’s SEO.
- Start writing! - And that’s it. Check out Mary’s post, Blogging 101, for great tips on how to successfully engage your readers.
For a great comparison of different blogging platforms, check out this article as well. It’s clear and concise.
Now get out there and start sharing. And if you need any help, don’t forget I’m always just a click away.
-By Mike Mulhall, The Entrepreneur
Here are some cool apps I’ve used which will help any entrepreneur. Enjoy!
I just started using this app a few weeks ago and I love it! I use it to organize my thoughts, ideas, notes and even my blog posts. I especially like it because it’s based on their servers, meaning you can access your notes from any device connected to the web.
This is one of my favorite online apps for small business owners and independent contractors. It allows for invoice creation, tracking and collection. It’s done completely online and its simple to use. Because of its professional look and streamlined operation, this tool will help improve the perception your clients have of you.
If you’re not already using Gmail or Google Calendar…start. It’s simple in that Google way and very powerful. Cool features include: Users can share their calendars with others and post events on other’s calendars, and it runs on Google’s servers which means it can be accessed from any device or desktop.
Campfire is like instant messaging, but designed exclusively for groups. There’s a few sites out there like this. Google Wave is another that just came out, but Campfire has been around a while. There’s nothing to install and it’s very secure. You can share text, files, and code in real time. You can also conduct business negotiations with a group.
An very simple app that has saved my butt many times. It basically an online calendar on steroids. Setup it up to remind you about tasks or events via sms, email, instant messenger, skype etc.
I love this app! I’m all about sticky notes, so this is a dream for me. It allows you to place sticky notes on actual webpages. Then you can go back any time and look at the notes you left. If you do a lot of online research (bloggers, etc.), this may prove to be an invaluable app.
This is a fascinating concept that seems to be working very well. You essentially upload all of your bank-account and credit-card information, and the site maintains a running list of every transaction. Other Wesabe users can observe your spending habits and offer advice on what you should do or change. Scary but effective!
Another great tool for the independent contractor or someone who does a little work on the side. This site will hand your tracking, invoicing and reporting. It takes a very tedious task and makes it simple.
A great app for anyone that doesn’t have their TI-82 anymore. It is a highly intuitive online calculator that can actually be quite fun to use.
The Skype iPhone App is the best thing that could ever happen to a gypsy blogger traveler. (Also available on some Nokias and Windows Mobile)
Or if you refuse to get a land line in your house even though you don’t get cell service – gotta love AT&T.
(I qualify for both.)
It has been such a lifesaver while in Mexico because friends and family can text me for free and I can either call, SMS, or skype them back via Skype for pennies. If they call your cell , there is a minimal charge so you might as well pick up the phone and tell them you’re going to call them back from a number that looks like it’s a transmission from the moon.
The only catch is that you need access to decent wifi, which isn’t always readily available, but gypsies enjoying a the landscapes of the world can’t be choosers.
It’s funny, most of my tech savvy friends don’t use skype, but you know who does…mid-western families. Want to know why they are in the know? One word: Oprah.
The App is free so I suggest you just download it and buy the minimum $10 credit. I guarantee it will come in handy.
And btw, if you don’t have Skype on your computer, you’re a way behind. That’s ok, just jump on the freight train now so you can sit with the connected kids (and mommies).
Planning a trip to a place you’ve never been isn’t easy. So here are a few websites that will lighten your load in terms of research and scheduling.
Zicasso.com allows you to enter in your destination and budget and then generates a list of things you might like to do.
Once you’ve booked all of your reservations, forward the confirmation emails to TripIt.com which will generate your itinerary that you can share with friends via Google Calendar, G-Mail, LinkedIn, and a few others.
Neither site is very pretty, but they do a great job as you’ll see in their user reviews.
Safe travels!
(Photo via)
Link: Buckle Up and Browse
Ford is putting wifi in the car so passengers can surf the web on their laptops.
My first thought – SWEET!
But then again, is it a dream come true or a WRECK-less driving nightmare? You know people are going to type and drive.
Thoughts?
Formspring.me
This is all the rage on my tumblr dashboard this morning. Both Alishan and Jaclyn have answered and blogged their answers to anonymous questions.
I think this is a great idea. Possibly you will get a taste of what I experience on a daily basis via my comments section and emails. You’ll see it can make you smile or bring you to tears. But, the questions will always allow you to learn something about yourself.
My only issue with this system is that I think people should be accountable for their opinion, positive and negative. But alas, the Internet is a child of anonymity, so go forth, question, and enjoy.
If you would like to ask me anything, you’re always welcome to do so via email. Many of my posts are inspired by your questions.
