Or how can I get linked to social networking sites?

For a website or business this is how you can create viral growth. With each person who comments, recommends or likes your website on Facebook, there are several people who see that. Some will visit your site. Some will visit and recommend, and some will even recommend your site simply because someone else recommended it.

What should I do?

The key is to help your readers share your website. Add a social bookmarking plugin to your WordPress posts. Sociable and Sexy Bookmarks are quite popular. By visiting the Facebook developers site you can create a “like” button that you can add to your widgets to be ever present reminder for readers to “like” your website. Encourage readers to share by asking. Yes, it really is as simple as asking them to share the site. By the way, please click the like button on my website.

Why is this important?

With these tools, your readers can make a public statement about your website. These typically offer a link, to your website or post. When someone shares this information it becomes a post on their social networking site wall, it becomes an item that can be searched, and on Facebook it becomes part of their profile. Imagine your website flashed across several profiles. Each profile could bring you several people, viral advertising. Best of all this viral advertising is free.

Live Laugh Love

MJ Schrader

Tomorrow will cover how to add Facebook to your blog WITHOUT PLUGINS!!! (Yes, you can do it!)

I won’t say their names, because it really doesn’t matter. Unfortunately in a few months some other artists will be singing a similar song that says abuse is ok. This was the final straw in avoiding a calling I have had for years. I can no longer stand by and let the cycles of hate and abuse continue.

While that calling came almost 3 weeks ago, and I stated to myself that I would finish the Blog Challenge before leaving this blog behind. Although I nearly quit just 4 days before the challenge ended.

Each day, each post has become harder and harder to write. Some of you may know that I also write for 365 Online Tips. This is a daily success and motivational site. There is another motivational site in the works. I am actually looking for some women who are willing to make commitment to helping women.

But for those of you who are friends on my personal website, you probably have read that I am thinking of getting out of making websites and even out of WordPress. Well, the decisions were made as to what I was/am going to do as of almost 2 weeks ago.

Now it is time to confess….

Rockstar Guide to WordPress will soon no longer be available for sale as an ebook. I am working on getting it published. It will be sold on Amazon and hopefully on Kindle as well. It will be available at a much lower price and I am looking to get some other authors to add some chapters to help people with their websites. This is extremely important because half of the profits will be going towards special organizations and that new project mentioned earlier. It will need some funds for scholarships and such.

So…

• If you want to add a chapter to a WordPress book, please comment.
• If you are a woman and would like to participate in a special project to help others, please comment. (make certain that you use email box because it will be a private message)
• If you are a man, and would like to help get the project going, please comment.
• If you would like me to continue doing Freebie Fridays, please comment.

I still enjoy WordPress and very much enjoy tech stuff, I just won’t be able to do daily blogs or commit to WordPress projects.

If you have found your niche, congratulations!  Now that you have, do you know what the next steps are? Finding your niche is just the first step in the niche business success blueprint.

What are you going to offer?

Have you researched to find products that fit your niche? What problems do people have? If you are going to provide a service or a product, even a digital product, have you studied the market to see if you can fill that problem or problems?

Are they willing to pay?

For a niche business, earning money is essential. While you may have the very best solution to a problem, it will not matter if the people will not pay. Even if there are some buyers, you need enough to make your niche business work.

Your niche business blueprint

A business is as unique as you are. There are no rules that are guaranteed to work or not work, these are guidelines to help you succeed. You need to consider if your market is big enough to have buyers and small enough to have a target market. Finding buyers and something to sell is the goal that is an absolute must.

One way to practice is having a friend sit behind the camera and talk to them instead of the camera.  Oddly being silly in front of the camera may help you gain confidence.  Also just practicing in front of the camera can help you feel more comfortable in doing a video.

Below is one of my first recordings, done quite a while back.  This was a practice take to help me gain confidence and as you can see I was being silly.   Hope you enjoy.

Live  ♥ Laugh ♥ Love

MJ Schrader

Would you like to know the secrets to Facebook lists?

Slide shows: You can use a program to create a slide show from your pictures. Use your own voice or music to create your unique video.

Photo Albums: There are programs you can use to create a video recording of an album you make with program. (Similar to slide show but the programs are typically called photo albums.  SmileBox is a fun one that I use.)

Testimonials: Ask your customers and clients to create video testimonials.   Happy customers talking about your products is a great video to add to your website.

Record your screen: For instructional videos you can record your screen.  You may even find other ways to use videos from your screen.

Public domain: Look for videos on the public domain that you can alter, add your own words or make work for you.

Below is a slide show version for you to see how I made a video without my voice or video camera!

Live ♥ Laugh ♥ Love

MJ Schrader

Tomorrow is Freebie Friday and a video about free tools to help you get online.

Yes, Friday is  “Freebie Friday”  but my license is expiring thus  I need to research Anti-Virus program.  Since many people love when I research programs you get to share my adventure.   Also Professor Carol Dickson needs a new program as well.  She’s comparing them as well so we are having a Geek -Off  and comparing Anti-virus programs and then comparing results.

Tomorrow will be another post about ways to get more articles written, which should be a great post.   I will share some hints from Michelle Shaeffer!

One common argument with anti-viruses is slow upgrades and slow complete scans. So this is a fairly common complaint that I will skip.  Yes this is not a comprehensive list… this does not include the “big names” because they have again and again had problems.  These were recommended by various “computer” friends that I trust.

FREE Anti-Virus editions.

Avast ~ My dad uses this currently. Editors give it a 5, Users 4.5. Review says it is effective, and most complete on the market as it protects you with multiple guards. Users seemed to have higher complaints on complete scan times.

AVG ~ A geek friend recommended. Free on Cnet. Editors give 5, Users 4. Scans can be scheduled. Oddly while the editors gave it a 5, they say it’s not the fastest or most effective free option. It does offer an Identity Theft Recovery (??) for users in the United States. The users complain quite heavily on False positives while missing true problems.

Microsoft Security ~A Computer Repair Friend/Geek  recommended Editors 4.5 Users 4. Good full scan but slower than average complete scan. It has a small RAM usage which means you can continue working. Currently on my laptop seems stable, and can work while doing a complete scan. It’s light enough I worry about protection.

Bitdefender ~ No Editor Review. Users 3.5 Several users say to use with other programs (thus defeating the free program bit) Hard to uninstall. But it is fast, highly configurable. And good detection.

PAID

Personally If I am going to pay, then I will get “Internet Security” with a firewall, anti-virus and forms of computer protection, than just an Anti-virus.

ESET ~ Various prices CNET Editors 5 Users 4 ~ This is on my desktop and expiring. Price is the largest complaint. ESET is recommended by computer repair shops and users rave over it being light. Updates are quick, easy and painless.

Avast ~ BEST DEAL: 3 computers, 2 years $59.95 Cnet Editors 5 Users 4. (Same results as Free Anti-virus)

AVG ~ Cnet editors 4 Users 3 Results were similar to the free, but the Firewall had blocked some well known sites. Price is a con because it is more expensive than ESET.

What will I do?  Load Microsoft Security on my desktop.  In a month I will either get ESET or Avast.  Hopefully there will be a discount or a sale running.  I will probably get 3 computers for 2 years. In case I upgrade or add another computer to my lineup.

Live ♥ Laugh ♥ Love

MJ Schrader

PROBLEM 1 I had not actually started a daily writing routine, so my goal of writing at least 25 articles a week for 100 in the first month resulted in 60 articles.  250-60=190

PROBLEM 2 One month into HAHD my grandmother had a stroke.  For 2 weeks we had to plan for the unexpected, a sudden leaving.  Then we had 10 days of taking care of things for the family.  So in the 30 days of June, I wrote maybe 15 articles.  190-15=175

PROBLEM 3 This left just over 40 days to write 175 articles ACK.  This resulted in basically what happens when your car is in mud and you decide to use speed to get out…  I bogged down. 

Now the count down is coming to the line… can I do it?  Who knows.

But this is supposed to be writing for internet success.  I learned lessons. 

Solution 1: Make plans to write every day, or a regular once a week session.  Set it up at a regular time.  If you can not write a post for your work blog, create another blog to share ramblings and thoughts but do what you can to write regularly.

Solution 2: Plan ahead.  Do more at the beginning when you have time when things are ok.  When things go south, you are ok.

Solution 3.  FOCUS ON THE NEXT STEP.  See the mountain in the distance, but focus on your next step not the path up ahead, not the hills, rocks and other things in the middle.  Focus one post, one article at a time. And then look up to check the mountain top and realize you are there. 

What solutions do you have?  Add some good ones in the comments and I may add them to another post with a link to your site.

Live ♥ Laugh ♥ Love

MJ Schrader

Following the topic of passion, you may be curious how you can turn your passions into an online business. There are actually a number of ways you could. It just takes some thought. Here are some questions to help you think of ways to turn your passion into a business.

Do people need help learning how?

Are products for it easy to find?

What are the best products?

Do people want help doing the hobby?

Would people rather buy it complete?

What do people want?

What do they need?

What advice do people seek?

Look for forums and see what people are asking for, wanting or needing.

Ask your friends and family if they would buy something from you related to your hobby.

Is there a way you can work with someone else to turn it into something profitable? ~ Many business partnerships have been created because the individuals wanted to live their passion and by combining formed powerful businesses.

Life is short and while money may pay bills if you are not living life full of joy and hope then you are not really alive. When you live life full of passion, creating a business to share that with others then you help the world live better.

~ MJ Schrader

Tomorrow’s Post: My Passion Revealed

What did you enjoy as a child?

Remember what made you happy when you were young. Then think about the things you love to do now. There may just be a correlation between the two.

What would you do if every job paid the same?

You were probably told as a child that this job pays and that job does not. Your passion is in what you want to do.

What makes you feel alive?

This is actually based on a powerful quote by Harold Whitman. “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

What fascinates you?

If you are regularly learning about something it is probably a passion of yours and a hint of your future business success.

What do people ask you?

The topic they ask about is very likely something that you are passionate about and they hear it in your voice and feel your enthusiasm. They are coming to you because you are who they consider an expert.

What would you do if failure was impossible?

This is probably the biggest test of all. You may have something pop into your head that you have been wanting to do. You fear failure. Do not worry, everyone does. The difference is what people do, do they push through the fear, or allow it to stop them. Your passion, your future, your business success all depend on what you do with that fear.

Passion and You

Following your passion in business helps you reach for greater heights. You will have more incentive and tenacity to grow and learn more. It also motivates and encourages you and makes you feel enjoy life better.

Passion and Your Online Business Success

Going into business requires that you are able to push yourself. If your business is something that makes you feel alive then you will have a greater desire to persist when things are hard. You will be more likely to work the longer hours that starting a business normally takes.

The biggest advantage of being passionate about what you do in your online business is that it makes you a better person. You feel more confident which pulls people to you and they feel your passion and it makes them want some of that for themselves. They want your products and your services because they can sense your joy and almost everyone wants more joy in their lives.

~ MJ Schrader

Tomorrow: Finding your passion … (tell me your passion in the comments today and tomorrow and I will share a story about my passions!!!)