For bloggers, it's no longer enough to simply generate good content and hope for the best. The internet is now littered with many good bloggers with useful content and it's easy to get lost in the crowd. There are many ways to promote your blog and one of them is through email. The danger with email is, your message could be easily classified as spam then it becomes more of a detriment to your campaign than an advantage. The infographic below gives some very useful tips on how you can use email to your advantage. Here are the main points:

1. Optimize for Mobile - more and more people are now using mobile devices to browse the internet, check their emails and for social networking. As a blogger or website developer, you have to make sure that your website is visible and useable in any device.
2. Personalize and Interact - customize your emails so that readers will feel that you are talking directly to them and make them want to engage in a conversation with you. You don't always have to do a hard sell, sometimes getting them interested first is worth more in the long run.
3. Adapt, Change, and Test - Don't sent the same pitch over and over again. That is a sure way to get your email relegated to the spam folder. Try to vary your messages and monitor how people are responding to them.

See the infographic below for more details. Better yet, print it out and post it where you can refer to it while strategizing for your next email campaign.

 
Via: iContact

I just had to delete my Blogroll for this site at it was causing the site to be identified as 'dangerous'. If you were on my blogrolling list, I am now rebuilding that list based on what I have on Cooked From the Heart Foodies List. While I'm doing that, I will be cleaning out dead links and adding new food blog finds. Just give me some time to build it up again :)


Visit our other blogs:
Amoores.com
Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about

I've noticed that more and more bloggers are switching from free blogging platforms to one that is self hosted. They are slowly realizing the benefits of having your own domain and hosting, especially if they are really serious about blogging. It this is something that you are considering, getting your own domain and webhosting, then you should check out the Web Hosting Geeks.

Whether you know just a little or a lot about websites and domains, you will find useful information from the Web Hosting Geeks.

For instance, did you know that depending on the intended purpose of your website, there are also different hosting sites that would be best to provide you service? The Web Hosting Geeks have rated these sites according to your need: The Best Budget Hosting, The Best Forum Hosting, The Best Multiple Domain Hosting, The Best Blog Hosting, The Best PHP Hosting and many more.

I found the customer reviews most useful. I like hearing from people who have actually used the service rather than just the dry description from the company. Make sure to scroll to the bottom of the pages to see the reviews.

Most importantly, do your homework. Check out the Web Hosting Geeks then go get a second opinion too. I'm sure you've heard that advice before, right?

As a food blogger, we not only blog about what we cook and eat, we also need to feed our blogs. It's a great idea to be able to share your love for food, but if no one is reading your blog, then that kind of defeats your purpose to share, doesn't it? While food blogging is one of the easiest niches to get into, you still have to learn some blogging basics in order to attract people to your blog and keep them coming back for more.

If you're a new blogger and may be feeling lost and intimidated, put your fears aside and just get blogging. There are many places and people out there where you can get some help. One place to get help is Web Design for Idiots. Funny name right? But it's also easy to remember. That's blogging 101 for you. Think of a blog title that any idiot can remember :)

You can get your web design questions answered by web design for idiots just by browsing through the archives. The site is easy to navigate and just about everything you need to get started are right there on the sidebar where you can easily see them. When visiting a new site, I always like to read about the author and what their mission is for their blog. So make sure you read the About Web Design for Idiots section first.

There, you will learn that the author gained experience in web design by learning and setting up OsCommerce. That's a mighty first leap, if you ask me, but it worked for her. Visit the Web Design for Idiots website and you too can teach yourself oscommerce for newbies oscommerce file structure.

I for one like to start out slow and basic. If you're this type, then check out the
web design for idiots main page website tutorials. All the website design basics are also covered. The writing is straightforward and low tech, so you don't have to worry about translating too many geek speak and acronyms. It's all spelled out for you in easy to understand language.

BTW, you don't really have to be an idiot to take advantage of all the useful tips :) but it helps a lot when you keep an open mind and a sense of humor when you're delving into something new like web design.

One picture is worth a thousand words or so they say. There was a time when I searched for a recipe online, I was satisfied when I got one with a text of the ingredients and some instructions. Nowadays, I've gotten a bit spoiled. When I search for recipes I look for pictures. I want photos of how the dish looks and even better if step by step instructions with photos is included. A photo just enhances your blog post especially when it's relevant.

Now there is a consumer network where you can find suitable photos for your blog post and you don't have to worry about copyrights and licenses because AcoBox guarantees all the photos in their network are allowed to be published on blogs provided you abide by their Terms of Use. AcoBox is more than just a source for photos though, it is also a social networking site where users can share everything from photos to products they've tried, vacations they've taken and other interests they may have.

I just signed up for an account today and the photo included in this post is from the network. I like how easy it was to find a photo and paste the code here. I didn't have to upload it to another photo hosting site, I was allowed to hotlink directly from AcoBox. I think I'll be using this resource for my other blogs where I occasionally need a photo to enhance my post. Try them out and see how you like it.

When I first started this blog a few years ago, there weren't that many food bloggers yet. Now, we're all over the place! I'm not complaining though, I love it. I've never gotten into blogging to compete. I loved how bloggers shared information freely and generously, especially food bloggers. I never did understand cooks who are stingy with their recipes. The greatest joy of cooking, for me, is to be able to share with others. So I do welcome having more cooks who are blogging about food.

If you are a cook and would like to share your passion with others, I suggest getting your own blog. There are many free providers out there, like blogspot, where you can feel the waters, so to speak. If you want to jump right in full force, then I suggest getting your own webhosting and domain to save yourself a move later on. Check review and rating sites like the Web Hosting Geeks so that you can compare the different webhosting services available. You can save a lot of time by just going to one place to compare features and services of the major host providers. The Web Hosting Geeks also have a blog where you can read articles that pertain to or related to web hosting.

You've been blogging a while, you've learned the ropes and you've made some blogging friends. What's the next step?

If you are still blogging on a free platform like this blog on Blogger, then it's time to start thinking about getting your own domain and hosting provider. It's really not as hard or complicated as it sounds. Visit sites like The Web Hosting Report.

Blog Hosting will become a simpler concept when you read their reviews of the different blog hosting providers out there. The services they offer, the amount of storage they provide and the type of customer service they have are all explained in the reviews and you can compare between providers to see which best fits your needs.

Articles on varying subjects such as how to choose a web hosting company and the beginner's guide to web hosting are available for users to read and learn from.

Give yourself a gift this Christmas, get your own dedicated blog.

Do you love blogging? If you do, then don't wait too long to get your own domain and web hosting. There are so many things you can do with blogging aside from feeding your passion; be it for writing, eating or anything else. If you're not sure what you're doing yet, that's ok. We've all been there before, there's always a learning curve to everything we do.

The Web Hosting Geeks can help you decide on just the right web hosting solution for you . They compare features and services provided by different companies to save you time. They've compiled statistics such as which providers give free domain names with their service, they've rated the top ten web hosts, they have a list of the cheapest ones and the ones that you can use to host multiple domains on and more.

They also have reviews from customers and webmasters to help you decide. To learn more about what web hosting and other related topics, they have a long list of articles for your information. Some of the useful articles:

• How to choose a quality web host
• How to transfer your website from one host to another
• Free Web Hosting - Why it may be a bad idea
• Sell Web hosting for fun and profit

No, not a host for your party, I know you can do that yourself quite well. I'm talking about finding the best web hosting service for your food blog or website.

Almost everyone will tell you that if you are serious about blogging, you really should have your own domain and hosting. But what if, like me, you don't know much about hosting and domains, and all the other stuff that goes with setting up your own site? Your first move is to learn more about web hosting. Once you're familiar with the lingo and your needs, then start comparing hosting services. The WebHostingReport.com website can help you with that. They compare not just rates but the services offered by different hosting providers. You'll learn, browsing through the Hosting Reports, that not all providers are the same.

One of the things you should also keep in mind is how good their customer service is. Can you reach someone at three in the morning when you are most likely to be working on your website? Another thing is how much memory do you need? How about bandwidth? You can find the answers to these questions on the Web Hosting Report.

Maybe you've noticed my new food blog, Cooked From the Heart. It's right there on my side bar and in between posts. I now have a self-hosted blog. Then what I am doing here in Bloggerdom? Well this is where is started blogging. When I started, I knew nothing of CSS, HTML, PHP and all those acronyms. They were Greek to me. Well, some of them still are.

If you are a new blogger, just starting out and especially if your a non-techie like me, there is no better place to start than Blogger. But if you've been blogging a while or if you have more technical knowledge than I, then I suggest getting and paying for your own domain and hosting rather than settling for a free service. You have more control of what happens to your content and you'll have more flexibility with your websites. You can, for example meld a static website with a blog with more ease when you have your own hosting. Also having your own domain, means you are investing in the future success of your blog or website. Create your brand early, start building it up, establish it then reap the benefits (and there are many).

When you aren't a tech savvy, then the best thing to do is consult with the experts, the geeks. The Web Hosting Geeks can help you find your way around the maze of hosting solutions that are out there. Visit their web hosting blog and learn the ins and outs of what to look for in a host. Why a cheaper host is not always better, for instance.

The website provides a ton of information regarding hosting solutions. When I was looking for a host, I didn't compare host companies. Luckily, I received very good recommendations and ended up signing with one of the top rated companies on the site. However, it would have been good to have been armed with all the information found at the Web Hosting Geeks website.

Food Bloggers, if you want to start taking your blogs seriously, get a domain and self hosting. Guess what, you can get your domain for free if you sign up with certain web hosting companies. Check out the web hosting geeks for answers.

When we moved to North Carolina from California, we couldn't afford to hire a moving company so did the whole move ourselves including the driving cross country. A week after we arrived in Durham, I was in the hospital for dehydration and exhaustion. Moving yourself is definitely quite doable. People do it all the time. However, if you like having your sanity along with a healthy body, it might be worth it to hire someone to move your things for you.

There is a blog called “What Moves You” and it informs people about things that you encounter but may not think of yourself when moving. They have a relocation guide that will answer questions on packing, parking issues (yes, you'll have to consider this especially if you're moving to a big and dense city), storage and other issues you may not have even thought of. I certainly would have never thought of the parking issue. The blog has a "ask the experts" section where you can post your questions no matter how little or how big, they will give you moving advice that will be valuable to you even if you don't use their service.

Contact them for more details and a free quote.

Hey, I just noticed a new gadget on Blogger today. There is now a gadget for FOLLOWERS! Have you seen the cute little widgets for Blog Catalog, BlogLog and such? Well this is similar to that. If you have a Blogger account and blog, simply click on the FOLLOW link and your avatar will be added to the followers list. I just added the gadget so I don't have any followers yet :( So sad.... Won't you follow me? Look on the sidebar under FOLLOWERS.

You follow me, I'll follow you ;)



Visit our new blogs:
Amoores.com
Cooked from the Heart - our new food blog
Our New Backyard - garden & photo blog
Found Not Lost - about all the things we 'find' worth talking about