Blogging Basics 101

How do I add an Amazon list to my sidebar?

Amazon.com wants to make adding their info to your blog page as easy as possible. To that end they have developed many widgets to help you. There is an entire page of Amazon.com widgets to choose from. When you choose which widget you want to use, Amazon will explain how to use it. For the most part, you'll want these widgets to appear in your sidebar. Choose your widget, then copy the code, and follow these instructions for adding the code to your sidebar.

Typepad has instructions for the following:

• Displaying your Amazon Wish List
• Using Amazon.com's Widgets with Typepad

Typepad also has a list of Amazon.com widgets that should install by themselves. Once you have installed the widgets, you'll want to customize where they appear in your sidebar. You can do this by going to Weblogs > Design > Current Design > Order Content.

For Blogger users:

1. Login to Dashboard.
2. Click Layout.
3. Click Page Elements.
4. Click Add Page Elements.
5. Choose HTML/Java Script (click on Add to Blog button).
6. Paste the code from Amazon in the Content area (it's not necessary to have a title here).
7. Click Save.

WordPress users can download plugins for Amazon at WordPress, WordPress Plugin Database, and  Widgetbox.

What are some ways you can tell whether an e-mail request asking a blogger to mention a product or a site where someone is selling something, etc., are legitimate?

So you've gotten an e-mail from Such-And-Such Company, offering to send you a product for review on your blog.  You can't beat free stuff, right?

Still, it's very important to use great discernment before giving out your home address (for shipping) to anyone you've only met online.  If you receive such an offer, here are a few things you can do:

1. Google is your friend.  Do a Google search of the person's name, the company's name, and any other information they send you. 
2. Ask the person (via e-mail) for a phone number so you can verify their offer.  Most likely, someone from a legitimate company would willingly give it to you.  A scammer would likely scram.
3. Ask them for a "reference"--have any other bloggers reviewed their product, and if so, what is the URL of that blogger? 
4. Especially if you plan to do a significant number of reviews, consider setting up a P.O. box or some other sort of non-identifying address for shipment of products.
5. MOST IMPORTANTLY, go with your gut.  In cyber-land, there's no way to be absolutely sure a person is who he/she claims.  If something feels wrong, just walk away.

What do you consider a "good volume" of traffic before considering placing ads on your site? 50's, hundred's, thousand's?

As far as I know, no "magic number" exists.  Obviously, the more traffic you have, the more interesting your site is to potential advertisers.  But, to quote the FAQ section at BlogAds:

Blogs without a laser-sharp focus on one topic or community AND an audience of 1000 readers a day usually do not attract advertisers. But some blogs with a sharp focus AND an audience of thousands a day still do not get advertisers. One test: have more than a handful of companies expressed an interest in advertising on your blog?

I know, clear as mud, isn't it?

My advice would be to get your feet wet using a simple ad service like Google AdSense or Amazon Associates.  Concentrate on writing well and growing a consistent readership.  If you get the opportunity to apply for membership in a network like BlogAds or something similar, go for it.  All they can say is "no", right? 

How can I make money on my blog?

Wouldn't it be nice if we could post our little hearts out, sit back, and watch the dollars roll in?  The truth is that there are very few people getting wealthy from blogging.  If you're doing it solely for the bucks, you're probably going to be disappointed. 

There are, however, a few ways to generate a bit of bloggy income. 

The most obvious way to earn income is by having ads in your sidebar, or elsewhere on your page.  You can try selling these yourself--a lot of work, but it works for some people.  Many bloggers have had success using an ad service that sells the ads for you, giving you a percentage of the income.  (They give you the code to insert on your blog, and your ads will appear in that spot.  Any ad service worth its salt will offer you pleny of editorial freedom to block certain types of ads from your blog.)  BlogHer Ad Network is an example of an ad service.  At the writing of this post, they are currently accepting applications for new bloggers. 

BlogAds is another favorite of many bloggers.  You have to be invited by an existing BlogAds member to participate (though not every BlogAds member is authorized to give out invitations).  BlogAds is attractive because it can be highly specialized.  A company can buy an ad on JUST YOUR BLOG, not on every member of the network.  Also, in BlogAds, you can group your blog into "hives" with other blogs--for example, Christian Blogs, Tech Blogs, Southern Blogs, Pet Blogs, etc. 

PayPerPost has been popping up around the blogosphere lately.  I'll confess to not knowing much about it--I've been a little turned off at the notion of being paid to "plug" a product or site actually in the content of my blog.  A sidebar ad is clearly an ad, but a post?  That's walking into some murky waters with your readers, who want to be able to trust you! 

GoogleAds is yet another ad service some bloggers are having success with.  It works by "reading" what kind of subject matter you're writing about and then posting links on a similar subject. 

Amazon Associates is a tool I'd highly recommend to anyone who blogs about books. Once you set up an account with them, they help you build links back to their specific products.  If anyone visits Amazon through one these links, you receive a referral fee from anything they bought in that session.  It's very easy to do--their web site will walk you right through it.

As you would expect, earning ad revenue is based entirely on blog traffic.  The more traffic you have, the more you can earn.  If you're a blogger with low traffic, but you'd like to generate some income, my best advice would be to focus first on building up your traffic before going after ads.  Write well, and consistenly.  Consider your audience.  Join webrings.  Once you're feeling more established in your traffic, then you will likely find adding in these ad features much easier.