Free For Your Site

Every web site owner craves one thing: traffic. More visitors equals more money, fame, and self-satisfaction. One way to increase that traffic is thru advertising, but who has that much money to burn? For smaller blogs, you have a new alternative: BlogRush.

BlogRush is a blog syndication network. When you register for free, you will be given a JavaScript code for a widget that you must paste on your website. This widget will display five titles from blogs with similar subjects to yours. Conversely, your blog posts will also get displayed on sites which have this widget as well. You can customize the color of this widget to better fit the look of your blog.

The frequency of your posts’ appearance is determined by the number of times the widget loads on your site. So let’s say you got 100 page views for today, which is equivalent to 100 user credits. This means your post titles will get their share of the BlogRush limelight 100 times as well. Sounds neat? It doesn’t stop there. If you refer other people to the network, you’ll also get more user credits. This is also true for the people they refer, and so on until the 10th level of referral. So jump into the bandwagon early to maximize the returns.

Because of its tremendous potential, some people have tried to game the system and make their sites appear more frequently. BlogRush has since responded with stricter measures to make sure the honest blogs get fair promotion. If your blog host allows you to post JavaScript codes, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t get it now.

Go to BlogRush

Enabling visitors to post comments on your website is a great way to interact with your audience. However, unwanted advertising has polluted this feature in recent times. As a result, 93% of all comments nowadays are actually spam. Who has the time to sort through all that junk?

Fortunately, there’s Akismet, one of the most popular comment spam blockers. Its name was inspired by Kismet, the Hindu principle that means “the magnetic attractive force that actualizes the playing out of karma; often used in the positive sense.”

When a new comment, trackback, or pingback comes to your blog, it is submitted to the Akismet web service. It then tags it as either spam or not, based on tests performed on that comment. A spam is stored for 15 days to give you time to check it out manually, before Akismet automatically deletes it. In case something gets incorrectly identified as spam you can correct it and the plugin submits the feedback to Akismet for analysis and improvement. The same thing happens if a spam comment happens to get through and you mark it as spam within WordPress. Akismet becomes more effective the more you use it. No need to maintain a lengthy blacklist or check for upgrades. With Akismet, you’re always protected from spammers’ latest tricks.

Akismet has gained wide acceptance among WordPress users, however you can use it on virtually any application with submitted content, like forums, wikis, and contact forms. You must register for a WordPress account and get an API.

Go to Akismet

Unless you’re completely new to blogs, you probably know that WordPress is one of the most popular and customizable blogging platforms out there. Most bloggers use WordPress because of the available templates, useful plug-ins, and constant bug and security fixes. The latest major WordPress release is version 2.2 Getz, named after tenor saxophonist Stan Getz.

Included in this WordPress update are several new features for the average user and the developers who like to tinker with the program’s code. The former WordPress Widgets plug-in is now improved and included in the actual core code of the program. This feature lets users drag-and-drop elements of their blog without having to change a single line of code.

The Getz update also includes full support of Atom feeds, infinite comment stream, and several security and user interface improvements. You can now preview posts and pages before publishing them, which is a handy feature if you directly work on WordPress rather than typing up your content on a separate word processor. There’s also good news for Blogger users – you can now import your posts and comments via WordPress without fuss. All these features will prove to be useful and accessible for both novice and experienced bloggers.

Experienced web programmers will appreciate the backend improvements of WordPress, including inline documentation that makes code navigation easier. The config file can also be used to collate the database and character sets, as well as code the site and WordPress URL. A set of new XML-RPC APIs make it much easier for programmers to edit pages, set categories, and perform other functions.

Overall, the WordPress 2.2 Getz release is a must-have for current WordPress users and those who are looking for a blogging application. Using WordPress requires a web server with PHP 4.2 and MySQL 4.0 support. If you don’t have your own hosting plan, you can host your blog free at WordPress.com.

Go to WordPress

Your blog doesn’t have to just sit there and look pretty. Thousands of blog and web site owners have already discovered that you can make it work for you. It’s a fair trade – post about stuff that you like and get paid for it. Many bloggers do it using an adserver like DoubleClick, and that’s fine. Only, why pay when you can get the same functionality for free?

OpenAds is exactly that: a free downloadable program that manages the ads you place on your site. Installation on your web server is easy if you have Fantastico on your account, but if not, it might be best to consult someone more computer savvy. You should also do your homework regarding online marketing and how advertising works on the net, or you might get lost in all the jargon inside. However, if you have enough patience to complete this step, you’re well on your way to becoming an Internet advertising mogul.

The ad networks most commonly used with OpenAds are Google AdSense, Commission Junction, TradeDoubler, ValueClick Media, and Casale Media. The program will allow you to roll out these different ad networks at the same time, letting you try out which are the most effective for your audience. For best results, run them in rotation and designate the percentage at which they’re shown. OpenAds gives you almost complete control as to how they’ll appear on your site – and thanks to open source development, you can count on a whole community of programmers for support.

The OpenAds software will on web servers supporting PHP version 4.3.11.

Go to OpenAds

MyBlogLog has two important functions. It shows basic traffic statistics and lets your blog visitors interact with each other on a more personal level. The traffic statistics feature has a free 3-day trial per site, but the other MyBlogLog features are free to use

When you register for an account, you can create a profile that displays your contact info, interests, and web sites. You can control whether this information is private, public, or visible only to your contacts. MyBlogLog also features member communities for each blog. Using the MyBlogLog site and joining the many featured communities is easy for even novice bloggers.

Through MyBlogLog, you can download widgets that you can place on your site. These widgets are small programs that can track your visitors and let you communicate with them. The “Recent Readers” widget displays the list of MyBlogLog users that have recently viewed your blog. Most bloggers find this useful as a networking tool, since they can easily click on their readers’ names, communicate with them, and find out the other blogs they visit. The “Top 5 Links” widget, on the other hand, lets you know the top 5 outgoing links clicked by your users. Through these widgets, you can tell who has visited your blog and the sites they visited after yours. It’s a great way to see what types of sites interest your readers. However, pasting the widget code on your site requires a bit of HTML knowledge.

Since MyBlogLog bridges the gap between blog writer and reader, it’s much easier for bloggers to build a community with this application. Its popularity also makes it easier for bloggers to drive additional traffic to their sites.

MyBlogLog runs on most web browsers, and the code for the widgets is compatible with HTML and PHP coded blogs. This includes blogs made through WordPress, Yahoo 360, Typepad, and MySpace.

Go to MyBlogLog

If blogging were a disease, then we have on our hands a pandemic – and people are happy to be part of the statistics. Eleven years after the concept was first floated, it’s estimated that there is close to 100 million blogs on the Internet today. With that big a crowd, it becomes a challenge as to how to promote your site and get people to read what you have to say.

BlogCatalog is a web log directory which can assist you in reaching out to a wider audience. It lists sites available on the Internet so that people searching for blogs on various topics can find them easier. They are all arranged neatly according to categories and tags. There’s also a search box that is helpful for those looking for a very particular topic.

Site membership is free. Just make your account and you can start taking advantage of the BlogCatalog services. An added benefit of BlogCatalog is a discussion forum where you can promote your blog, ask fellow bloggers about tips and tricks of the trade, or anything else under the sun.

Blogs have evolved from being mere online diaries into alternative newspapers, photo galleries and even video blogs. There is also a growing number of people who now make a substantial amount of money through their blogs and advertising. This booming business is here to stay, and it will continue to be competitive. BlogCatalog is just one of those tools that help you stay ahead.

Go to BlogCatalog