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I just received an email from Nate Whitehill that they are launching a new theme store called Theme Wars. Theme Wars will feature a wide variety of WordPress themes available for purchase. You can visit the site at ThemeWars.com.

As you can probably tell by the name, Theme Wars is not just a theme store – there is a little bit of a twist.

Here is how it works:

1. Eack week, any blogger can submit into this weekly theme wars.
2. The theme war will then be a contest to design a particular type of theme (e.g. magazine, business, etc.) as voted on by the community (via poll) the week before.
3. The best two designs which the community votes for will be sold in the Theme Store. The winning designers will receive 25% and 10%, respectively, each time their winning design sells. Simply wonderful ideas.

This launch is one of the most anticipated theme store launches EVER and one that will surely generate a lot of buzz.

I must say that this is an opportunity for designers to earn money by submitting their designs into the Weekly War. They not only will be receiving a percentage of each sale, they will also earn a spot in the “Featured Designers” page, that actually gave them the exposure for their branding and also additional marketing.

Then for blogger like myself, it simply gave me access to a wide range of themes from a wide range of different designers.

Pricing wise, themes are be priced at $69 for a multi-use license to $149 for a developer license (includes Photoshop documents). Monthly membership is also available to get access to all of the themes available and this is a great package for blogger who wish to try out a variety of themes or for bloggers with multiple blogs and wish to give each one a unique look.

Standard pass to Theme Wars cost $20 per month plus a one-time payment of $147 which you could access to all past, present and future themes, as well as unlimited access to the support forum, documentation, video tutorials and theme updates, etc..

Developer pass cost $27 per month plus a one-time payment for $177 and this monthly membership gives you access to all past, present and future themes, as well as unlimited access to the support forum, documentation, video tutorials, theme updates and Photoshop files, etc..

The first war at Theme Wars features the war of the magazine themes.  Go to Theme Wars and cast your vote now!

Theme Wars – From The Maker Of Unique Blog Designs

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So you have just built your new website. It’s been indexed by all of the major search engines, but nobody is coming to see exactly what’s on your site. If you expect your site to do well without any effort on your part, then you are clearly mistaken.

Building a website is only half the work. Now you need to spend a lot of your time making sure that people know your site exists.

There are lots of ways to go about advertising for your site. You can pay for pay per click advertising with services like Google’s Adwords, you can enroll in a link exchange program with other websites that are in a similar niche, or you can do something like posting in forums to build up your traffic.

Forums are a valuable tool for many reasons.

First off, they provide the site they are hosted on with plenty of traffic because they heavily contribute to the search engine score of a site. Secondly, they can be used as a major asset for someone looking to get the word out about their brand new site.

In order to make sure that you receive valuable customers, you need to first find a forum to post on that has some similarity to your site’s niche. Are you selling fishing supplies? Find a fishing forum. Once you have found a forum that is suitable for your needs, sign up and start joining in the conversation. When you feel the time is right, place a link to your site in your signature. Doing so will make your link appear each and every time you make a post on that forum.

Now, you may be thinking that if one post is good, then spamming a forum must be better. Whatever you do, don’t spam any forums. You will just make the members there angry and there may be some backlash in the community against your website.

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Blogging is a concept that started in late 90s. It used to be a way to comment an existing webpage, an opportunity for visitors and readers to react or voice out one’s opinion on the said page. What started as a single-sentence commentary has evolved into pages of personal take on just about anything and everything under the sun. As it continues to move forward, online advertising has tapped into the blog’s potential. Here are 5 reasons why you should use blogging as an Internet marketing tool.

1.Blogging is simple.

The simplest way to get your piece on the net is through blogging. No skills are necessary… an average adult can read and type, or at least click a mouse. It’s like having a virtual piece of paper and you just write your ideas, experiences, new products, and hope that the truth behind your articles comes out and entice your reader to also try your product. If you have a PC and an Internet connection (who doesn’t?) then you can blog and advertise.

2. Blogging is authentic.

 In this day and age where advertising saturate our lives, we question the credibility of promoters’ claims. However, in blogs, real people share their real-life experiences, unscathed by paid advertising. Reading blogs about first-hand product use is like talking to people about their first-hand experience. You definitely want to buy a tried and tested product.

3. Blogging is free.

Because blogging is yet to be proven as a mainstream online advertising media, most sites see it as something to augment current marketing tools and thus offer it for free. Any opportunity for free webtime is definitely a bonus especially to businesses that are starting up. Needless to say, paid blog pages can generate more income for your seriously growing business.

4. Blogging builds credibility.

As you get more and more into writing your experiences on a particular product or industry, your readers come to realize that they can depend on your posts for their own information needs. As such, you become an expert on it; as a consequence, more readers visit your site and more bloggers link to your blogs. As companies and professional organizations notice the growth of your readership base, they may soon get in touch with you for advertising on your blog page, or make you an affiliate, which pays for every referral generated from your blog site.

5. Blogging builds your market.

Unless you are a Hollywood star, chances are, only your Mom reads your posts. Mom has a lot of friends, so she lets her friends know how interesting your blog site is. But you need not depend on Mom to increase your readership base. Look into the following ways to build your market through blogging:

-By using your e-mail. Today, blogging is overcoming the e-mail’s popularity in quickly and effectively reaching and expanding a market. In this age of speed and quick access, logging in and downloading e-mail is simply taking longer than clicking into a blog site. Let them explore your site by using a short e-mail message as teaser to your blog site. If your e-mail is on an entirely different subject, use your e-mail signature to give a link to the site.

-By using subscription. An easy way to get your readers e-mail is to give them an opportunity to subscribe to your blogsite. Keep some exclusive information for your subscribers to entice readers to subscribe and give their e-mail address. Just be responsible in using their e-mail address, as the last thing you want is a comment on your blog that you are a spammer.

-By understanding your readers. Conduct a simple survey for your readers to understand their profile and advertising preferences. Ask consumers to give you feedback on a post, an ad link, or a trial that you shared. In this way, it is like interviewing your readers without the commitment and intrusion of a face-to-face interview.

-By joining a blog network –A network of blogs maybe a collection of blog sites that share the same industry, interest, readership base, payment mode, etc. Consumers find credibility and convenience in clicking one link to several real bloggers about a single subject. Clearly, more bloggers are better than one.

-By using RSS. RSS is the fastest growing technology on the Internet today. As such, having RSS feeds to your blog is definitely another means of generating awareness for your readership base. Having a variety of feeds can add interest to your blog site.

Give your business a boost by effectively using blogging as an Internet marketing tool.

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Videoblogging is the next generation of posting ideas and products over the internet. Everybody knows about textblogging. Now they use videos for a better way of expression. This form of communication may entail a lot of resources, but it is all worth it. If pictures say a thousand words, videoblogging exceeds that by far.

A videoblog requires larger disk spaces on websites, a faster server, and a whole new set of programs to support it. Videoblogs can be fed through RSS. This is technology of syndicating your website to other RSS aggregators.

Videoblogging works with people on the internet expressing their selves. Now if you put this on a business prospective, you are up to a lot of benefits. Think of it as a powerful tool in making showing your prospective customers your line of products or your services. It’s just like showing a commercial all for free. And if you videoblog through RSS, then most probably you are getting your target market.

People like to see what they are going to buy. Some would like to see proof and be sure that they are getting their money’s worth before shelving their dimes on it. All of us know the influence of a thirty second commercial. The effect of videoblogging is similar to that. You show your product, people watch it. If they like it, they buy it. If you present it good enough, they’ll buy the product even if they don’t need it.

Now on the web, things are pretty much static, unlike in television in which all are moving. If you post something that is mobile, it would most likely catch attention. Now imaging your product parading in all it’s royalty through videoblog. You’ll get phone call orders in no time.

If your business is just starting up, you can create a videoblog right at your own home. All you need is your web camera, microphone, video software, and lights. For as long as you know how to use your camera, then you can create a videoblog.

Invest in a good web camera. The higher its resolution is the better the output. And you like to present your goods in the optimum way so get the best one possible. Make a short story, or just capture your goods in one go. Just make sure you are getting the best profile for each. Get those creativity juices flowing.

Lights are important in a production. Make sure you illuminate entirely the area you are going to use to create videoblog. The brighter the area, the crispier the images will be. You can also use lighting effects for added appeal to the presentation.

Should you require sounds for your videoblog, you need a microphone. Record you voice as a voice over for promoting the product and its benefit to consumers. Sounds are as important as videos on a videoblog. It is advisable to make your sound effects as enticing as the video.

Your video editing software can be any program. You need this to finalize your work. You can add sounds, delete some bad angles, or insert some still pictures in there too. Some programs are user-friendly and can be used even with zero knowledge on video editing. Even simple video editing programs should do the trick. Select your background carefully too. The light affects the presentation so make sure that the background and the light complements each other.

Videoblogging is a great tool but it also has it downside. It may slow down the computer so other may steer clear of it. Download time may also be time consuming especially if customer is still on a dial- up connection.

But don’t let those stop you. Let videoblogging be an alternative for you, though it is best to still keep the text and pictures present in your presentation to accommodate all possible viewers of your site.

Nowadays, the more creative you are in presenting your product to the market, they more you are likely to succeed. Videoblogging offers an interactive way of selling. You involve the customers. You instill in them the advantage of your goods. And at times, those are enough to make a sale.

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A blog is basically an online journal wherein you can digitally pen down your thoughts, ideas, opinions and practically anything that you want people to read. Blogs come in different styles, formats, and settings, depending on the preference of the user. Many blogging sites, offer built in features such as hyperlink, straight texts, pictures etc. Some blogging sites, even allow you to put video and mp3′s on your blogs.

Instead of writing texts, some bloggers choose to make their blogs more audio friendly, by using spoken word entries. This is called audio blogging.

Basically a blog contains these features:

title- which allows you to label your post
body- this is the content of your post
trackback- other sites can be linked back to your blog
permanent link- every article that you write has a URL
comments- this allow readers to post comments on your blog.

One of the advantages of blogging, is that it is made of only a few templates. Unlike, other websites that is made up of numerous individual pages. This make it easier for blog users to create new pages, because it already has a fix setting that include: slots for title, body of the post, category, etc.

This is especially useful for first time users, since they can start blogging right away. They can chose from a number of templates that blogging websites provide.

Anyone who wants to start a blog can do so by becoming a member of a blogging website of their choice. Once they’ve become members, they automatically become a part of that particular blogging community. They can browse through other bloggers pages, and link them back to their own blogs. They can also make comments on other members’ blogs.

Blogging is not just limited to personal usage. There are a lot of blogs that follow a theme such as: sports, politics, philosophy, social commentary, etc. These blogs espouse on their specific themes. This way blogging becomes a medium in which people can share their knowledge and opinions about a variety of themes and topics.

Some bloggers even use their blogs as a means to advertise. Some authors advertise their books on their blogs. While other bloggers, use their blogs to shed light to currents issues, events, news and catastrophes.

Nowadays in education, blogs also play an important part. Professors use blogging to document the lessons that they have discussed and taught. This way, students who who have missed classes, can easily catch up with their assignments.

A lot of entrepreneurs benefit from blogging by promoting their businesses on their blogs, with millions and millions of people logging onto the net everyday, blogging has become a lucrative move. Some bloggers who run online businesses promote their merchandise online. While others profit through advertisement.

But by far, the most popular blog type is the one that takes the form of a personal journal. This is the kind that is usually used by first time bloggers. Individuals who want to document the daily struggle of their everyday lives, poems, rants, opinions, find that blogging offers them a medium in which to express themselves.

Bloggers usually communicate within themselves. This is one of the appeals of blogging. It creates a community of people sharing their ideas, thoughts, and comments with each other.

Blogs varying in topics, themes, and set-ups, can be found in blog directories. First time users who want to get an idea of what the blogging world is all about can browse through a number of blogs using these directories. This way they’d get an idea of what these blogging communities are like.

Blogging is popular all over the world. Blog is short for the term weblog. There are no rules when it comes to blogging. Bloggers have the freedom to express themselves how ever way they want, and the best thing about blogging, is that most blogging sites are free.

There are numerous blogging websites to choose from in the net. This give first time users the option of joining a blogging community that appeals to their interests.

Just search any blogging directory and you’d get a listing of a lot of blogging sites that are available on the net. It’s easy to search a blogging directory, because it is organized according to category. This way you would get exactly what you are after. Blogging is really for everyone. It is fun, simple and easy.

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Twitter ( www.twitter.com ) is a social networking tool that is attracting new members daily. Twitter is free, quick and necessary for your blogging success. Short messages (called “tweets”) are sent to your followers when you choose to send them.

I use Twitter to promote my blogs and to find other people who share my interests. I have used Twitter to revive dead blogs and to jumpstart new ones. You can’t beat Twitter when it comes to getting instant traffic to your blog (when you use it right).

Here are 6 tips to get your blog busy:

1. Connect and network with others that share your interests. This can help with link exchanges or getting traffic for your blog. Use the “search” feature and find others that are tweeting about things that interest you or are relevant to your blog topic. Follow them and they will most likely follow you back. (I spend about 20 minutes a day searching for and following people.)

2. Be unique and give value to the Twitter community. Let your personality show in what you say, and also let it show in your blog. You also need to be careful of what you tweet – one tweet rattled off in anger can truly damage your reputation and make you lose followers.

3. Promote your Twitter link. Many people use Twitter, so simply put your link in email signatures and in forum signatures – your list of followers will grow quickly. I have found that putting a Twitter link in your forum signature and then giving informative posts in a forum will guarantee people will follow you.

4. Be consistent with your tweets, but not too chatty. I make sure I send out tweets at least a few times a week – less on weekends, more during the week – and I don’t get too talkative. I want people to look forward to my tweets, not groan when they see I have said something new.

5. Ask good questions. Asking a thought-provoking or controversial question with a link to your blog is a great way to get people to participate. Make sure you suggest in your tweet that people answer the question by making a comment on your blog. If you have a poll, send a tweet announcing the results – along with another link to your blog.

6. Be generous when you tweet. Become an asset to the Twitter community. Along with promoting your blog, make sure you participate in the other activity going on by answering questions and commenting on other blogs. I always answer any replies I have to something I post. I also ask questions or congratulate people when their tweets warrant it. It helps me be a welcome addition to the Twitter community.

Twitter is a great tool that can produce fast results when used properly – so get started now!

You may want to follow me on twitter !

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