Blog It Out!

If you're reading this then you have entered the world of blogging. Many bloggers are looking for a forum to be heard, a platform to share their innermost thoughts, sell their wares, create a buzz or drive traffic to their websites. Still others are looking to up their page views at writing sites like Associated Content, Constant Content, mediabistro.com, Helium.com or any number of other sites that utilize content of bloggers just like you and me. If you are part of the new blog generation then now is the time to start. There are several different blog interfaces that are out there. Two of the most popular or Blogger and Wordpress, but there are many more. I've included some of AC's content producers' best info on blogs.

How to Get Targeted Traffic to Your Blogs by Brant McLaughlin
How do you get this targeted traffic to start streaming in to your blogs where you do your blogging? You aren't going to do it with SEO writing techniques at your blog sites.

Personal Finance Blogs that You Need to Read by Matthew Paulsen
When it comes to financial advice, there are several different conflicting view points. Be sure to take in multiple viewpoints and make your own decision. Here are four great personal finance blogs that you need to read to ingest varying paradigms of money.

Niche Blogs for Niche Marketing by Denise Nuttal
One of the easiest and cheapest ways to make money on the internet is with the use of niche blogs for niche marketing. Niche marketing is finding a narrow topic that people are searching for.

Steps for Getting Paid with Freelance Journalism & Blogs by Andrew Bess
Many of us are journalists at heart, some of us write for fun. But here are a few tips on how to get paid for expressing yourself in words. There are many websites out there that advertise that they buy blogs and pay freelance writers.

How to Earn More Page Views with Blogger Blogs by Sierra Koester
All content producers want to increase their page views, but many aren't sure how to do so. This article shows you how to increase your page views using Blogger blogs.

Blogging Tip: Use Blogs to Boost Search Engine Optimization by Zachary Lim
Blogging tip for today is on Search Engine Optimization using blogs. Blogs play an important role in establishing a strong connection between customers and your online business.

Are Blogs More Effective Than Ezines & Newsletters? by Deborah Dera
Each day the world of blogging becomes more popular. Internet moguls who frequently dismissed blogs as insignificant are now starting to take the potential of blogs and their owners more seriously.

4 Tips for Using Blogs to Increase Your Freelance & Small Business Income by Yuwanda Black
Blogging has been around since 1995 and the creative freelance community, perhaps more than any other sector, has used it to create business opportunities for themselves like no other group.

7 Free Ways to Get Traffic to Your Blogs by Alicia Bodine
With sites like Blogger even an individual with limited Internet knowledge can create and maintain their own blog. This article will give you 7 ways to get traffic to your blog for free.

How to Create a Popular Blogs, Part I by Michelle Devon
Do you have a blog but you don't have any or very many readers? Want to learn ways to increase your page views and readers? Part One of my blog series touches on how to get started creating a popular blog.

Read All About It - June Book Reviews

I am a book lover. I love reading them. I like the weight, the heft and even the smell of books. I hang out in book stores with coffee shops because there I can feed both of my vices at once. Since I can't possibly read all the books I'd like to I read a lot of book reviews. I'll try to list some of my favorites here.

Book Review: "Three Weeks with My Brother" by Nicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks by Genie Walker
A revealing glimspe into the real life of one of America's most prolific writer's and his brother.

Book Review: Echo Bay -- Richard Barre by Saul Relative
Richard Barre is a very talented author. His plots and characters are multi-layered and multifaceted, gripping, intelligent, and compelling. His latest, Echo Bay, is a case in point. It is a depart...

My Sergei: A Memoir by Ekaterina Gordeeva by Chun Valencia
Chun says this book rekindled her lost love for reading. Check out her review to find out why.

Book Review: Lewis Buzbee's "The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop" by Bruno Somerset
In "The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop," San Francisco author Lewis Buzbee does something few writers would be able to: he makes the history of the book and the bookstore something you just can't put down.

My Lobotomy: Author Details Life Before and After an Ice Pick Lobotomy by Cassandra Mae
"My Lobotomy" is a book about Howard Dully's life before, during and after an ice pick lobotomy. It's a fascinating book that takes you on Howard's quest to find out "why me?"

Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old like a Skank and Other Words of Delicate Southern Wisdom by Celia Rivenbark by Lori Borys
This really doesn't need a description. Take a look see and get ready to laugh.

"Female Brando: The Legend of Kim Stanley" by John Roberts
A review of a biography of acclaimed Broadway actress Kim Stanley who ruined her career and talent by her self destructive behavior.

Why Can't I -- a 31-Year-Old Male -- Stop Reading Stephenie Meyer? by Brian Terry
A book by Stephenie Meyer has once again infiltrated my life and taken it over ... and that's not even a pun.

Book Review: Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert by Pearl Grace
Elizabeth Gilbert set off on an odyssey to discover happiness, spiritual fulfillment, and her self. And what a journey it was: a hodge podge of destinations, characters, and emotions. Ms. Gilbert, thanks for taking us along.

Book Review: Belong to Me, by Marisa De Los Santos by Skye McKenzie
When I pick up a book in the store and determine whether I want to buy it , I put it through the first-page test. What I mean by this is if a title interests me, I will flip open to the first page and read it as if I am going to read the rest of the book.

Media and Stereotypes: Archie, A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing? by Dr. Frank Czarny PhD
There is a social concern that children and young adolescents are presented with incorrect knowledge about sex in comics.

Paved with Good Intentions by C. S. Lewis Book Review by T.Schnieders
If you think C. S. Lewis only wrote books geared toward children you are mistaken!

Tips for Better Web and SEO Writing

Before I started blogging, I didn't really give a thought to keywords, tags or labels or what a search engine cared about. When I was just a regular writer, I cared if my prose was coherent, exciting, sensual or any of a thousand other adjectives. Whether google could find it or not was not my main concern. Then I entered the blogosphere. For the first few months, oh alright for the first year, I had no clue about Search Engine Optimization(SEO) and I figured those tags that everyone kept asking for was just a way to slow me down and to annoy the crap out of me. Little did I know that the quest for good SEO keywords that I could then weave into an article which I hope is still coherent, exciting and or sensual would all but consume me. For those of you who are still like, What!, Don't despair I have been there and if you really want to know the truth some days I still feel like I'm in the dark. This is why I turn to my learned colleagues on Associated content who have not only mastered the art of garnering page views but who have also proven that they are not greedy. They've each written articles that can help you navigate through the sometimes confusing world of keyword placement, page rank, google page placement, alexa rankings and SEO. Take some time too ead the following articles and they'll give you a leg up when it comes to taking a bite out the page view apple.

How to Achieve Your Financial Goals Writing for Associated Content
Hopefully these simple steps will help you to produce more webs content for Associated Content, increase your fan base, and keep the dreaded writer's block and dead space in your day from taking over.

Using Textalyser to Improve Your Keyword Density... - by Cary Stuart

How to Write SEO Articles in Four Easy Steps by Yuwanda Black
There is a specific way to write content so that you get found online. Here I will walk you through the steps of writing effective content (SEO articles) so that you drive more traffic to your website.

How to Make Money by Writing for Associated Content by Jennifer Claerr
It isn't difficult to make money writing for Associated Content. The trick to making money on the site is knowing which topics generate the most page views.

Improve Your Writing with the Textalyser Keyword Tool by Tsu Dho Nimh
Textalyser does more than calculate keyword density. It can do a reality check on your writing style.

Pre-Write or Be Doomed - Web Writing Success - Pam Gaulin
To truly be a successful writer or make money online with web writing, you need to be able to pre-write constantly.

The 7 Deadly Sins of Writing for the Web. 7 Quick Reasons Why No One Read Your Last Article by the Barefoot
Have you been wondering if people are reading your latest content? Are the lack of comments driving you crazy? You believe you write well, but still have no readers? Learn the 7 biggest reasons you are not being read.

Effective SEO to Optimize Your Website by Cheryl Carpenter
Search engine optimization (SEO), is one of the most popular ways to send traffic to your site.

Search Engine Optimization: Effective SEO Techniques for Great Natural Rankings! by

Sue Richardson
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an intimidating sounding term. But don't let it intimidate you; you can get your arms around it! The concept, including niches, spiders and keywords, isn't as difficult to understand as it sounds. Keep trying; the understanding will come.

Using Free SEO Link Back Sources to Increase the Earning Potential of Your Web Content by Eisla Sebastian
To make money only with web content you need to do more than just produce a ton of content. You also need to create lots of fingers that point to your contents' locations. Use the following free web resources to develop your SEO link backs for the coming year.

Keyword Articles, Webcopy, SEO Articles - What Are They, and How Do They Benefit You? by Michelle (Michy) Devon
We've all heard about keyword density, keyword saturation, SEO optimization, and the like. What do these words really mean? How does it affect you as an article writer? Read this article for a brief introduction into keyword articles.

Politically Speaking

The political scene these days is a hotbed and a minefield rolled into one. The fight to secure the Democratic nomination is all but over. Now we turn our attention to the run for the roses, as it were. Each of us has our ideals that we espouse, however in the coming years, I believe that in order to be effective we will have to put aside our party favorites and embrace bipartisanism. My feeling is that we can work together or perish apart. Looking toward November, AC Content Producers are weighing in from both sides of the aisle. As it turns out everything is not about the Presidential election, so I've tried to add some other political happenings.



White House Loses Boumediene Case: Supreme Court Sides Against Bush, Protects Habeas Corpus by Tina Molly Lang
The Supreme Court's ruling in favor of Boumediene is a victory for habeas corpus. Yet in the ongoing debate between national security and civil liberties, questions remain.

Supreme Court Rules Against Bush Administration, Resurrects Habeas Corpus by Saul Relative
In what might be the most important decision made by the Supreme Court of the United States during the Bush Administration, five justices ruled in Boumedienne v. Bush on Thursday.

Nevada Polls: John McCain with Slight Lead over Barack Obama by Michelle McDonough
The competition to gain the five electoral votes of Nevada has been very tight during the past four presidential elections, and the current race appears to be shaping up the same way.

Presidential Polls in Arizona by Jen
Now that Hillary Clinton has conceded the Democratic primary race to Barack Obama, attention on the campaign trail shifts to trying to predict the outcome of the presidential election between the junior senator from Illinois and John McCain.

California Polls: Barack Obama Over John McCain by Nneka Onu
Although he lost the California Primary Election in February, Barack Obama is heavily favored to win California in November.

African American Conservatives Admit to Being Conflicted when it Comes to Barack Obama by Demetria Dixon
As many African American conservative take into account the historical significance of Barack Obama's nomination, more and more are experiencing divided loyalties

Freaky Weather

Whether you're a proponent of the we're all going to hell in a handbasket theory or you don't have a thought about what the weather says about our immortal souls, you've still got to admit there's some strange stuff going on. While I don't think earthquakes qualify as weather phenomena, we've had enough this year for them to qualify as phenomena. Add to that flooding in divere places and other and we have ourselves a full scale weather freakshow. Al Gore said there'd be days like this. If ever there was a time to look on the bright side of gas costing more than a cup of Starbuck's coffee, it looks like now is the time. Hopefully with people driving less we will lessen our greenhouse emissions and give the earth a chance to catch her breath without choking from the noxious CO2 fumes. While we're driving less, perhaps we could finally get serious about finding alternative fuel sources. Me thinks the governments drags it's feet on this because they have not worked out how they can effectively monetize. I add this as a theory based on the people who are in trouble for not paying taxes on there usage of biodiesel. Let me add this is biodiesel they made themselves. Caesar will have his pund of flesh. I may be mixing my metaphors there just a tad, but you get my meaning. The cool thing about the environment is that we have an opportunity to make it right. While you ponder ways in which you can lessen your carbon footprint so there is an earth on which to leave a legacy for your future generations, take a read of some of AC's weather related articles.

First Person Perspectives: Cedar Rapids Hit by 500-Year Flood; Iowa City Threatened

North Carolina Wildfire Threatens Air Quality

EconomicFallout from the Midwest Storms

Earthquakes Continue to Rock Reno, Nevada

Ultimate Call for Content Winner - Rodney Southern

Rodney Southern claimed the $5000 Ultimate Call For Content prize with his humorous look at a serious subject. The dissappearance of the upper middle class. Rodney offers the formerly wealthy some tips about dealing with life with less money. Check out Rodney's entry.

Survival Skills for the American Upper Middle Class - Welcome to the Poor Club

The upper middle class is finding the road difficult in America these days due to rising gas prices, poor health care options, and a slumping economy. Can the poor actually give them a hand?

Recession Proofing

Money is tight and we are all looking for ways to stretch our dollars. Whether you're writer, a business owner, a parent or just trying to hang in there until this thing blows over, Associated Content's content producers offer some inventive tips to recession proof whatever you're into. Take a read and let them know you appreciate their tips.

Recession Article-Writing Topics: What to Write When Cash is Tight by Mechele Pellebon

Use these five cash-sensitive writing topics to keep your article writing career afloat when times are hard, money is tight and concentration is bleak.

6 Surefire Ways to Recession Proof Your Job by BullsEyeResumes

With rising gas prices, plummeting house values and an unpredictably shaky stock market, many employees are already feeling queasy about their employment situation and where their employers might be headed.

Recession Looms: What Would Warren Buffett Do? by Bill Field

The Oracle of Omaha looks at recession differently than most investors. Perhaps that's why he's got the money he's got, and the rest of us don't have the money we don't have. Huh?

Ultimate Call for Content Entry

Hi Everyone,

I entered the Associated Content Ultimate Call for Content. Please take a look at my entry and please leave some comments and let me know what you think.

The Internet Peace Movement Takes Shape

The Political Scene

Living Green

With the rising cost of energy everyone is looking for more ways to live green and make sound environmental choices. Here are some AC content producers with some great ideas on reducing our corbon footprints.

How to Use the Internet to Reclaim Consumer Power and Create a Greener Future by Dr. Jamie Marable
Reclaiming our power as consumers is a goal that will rise to the forefront of consumer consciousness in 2009. The was also Dr. Jamie's entry in the Ultimate Call Contest.

GreenDimes Promotes Green Living by Tori Close
GreenDimes is a company who is taking a bite out of junk mail waste, in an effort to help the earth and promote green living. You don't have to be a fanatic in order to help promote a beautiful earth.


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Barack Obama Effectively Secures the Democratic Nomination

Welcome to my Associated Content Blog. I will be sharing with you what I find interesting and new at Associated Content or as we like to call it AC. As a start I'll share a great article that I had the pleasure of writing. Click over and let me know what you think, whether you're an Obama fan or not, I'm also looking for some feedback on the writing.

The View from the Mountaintop as Barack Obama Effectively Secures the Democratic Nomination