You Can Switch to Linux!

Hardcore-user mag Maximum PC shows you how to make the switch to Linux.

Specifically, Ubuntu Linux. This exhaustive article covers every step, from downloading and installing the OS to connecting to your network to actually using Linux. The author covers real-world topics like managing photos and music, configuring your e-mail and even setting up a printer. In short, it's as comprehensive a switch-to-Linux guide as you're likely to find anywhere

You Can Switch to Linux!

6 Questions You Need to Ask If Your Blog Isn’t Making Any Money

1. Is you blog belongs to the correct niche?

By that I mean, are you writing a blog where its content can be easily monetized with specific products or services.

If you write about your cat, or what you ate for breakfast this morning etc, you can’t expect to be make a lot of money from it, can you?

Personal blogs usually have no focus on any particular topic. If you are running AdSense, Google will show non-targeted ads which typical have low pay per click because of the eventual poor conversion rate.

Traffic is also hard to come by, unless you are some kind of celebrity or you know what you are talking about, it’s tough to build loyal followers to a personal blog.

The best niche to get involved in is one that has a lot of people searching for solution to their problems, but without many competitors. If the niche that you are interested in is already competitive, try to offer something that differentiates yourself from the rest.

2. Are you getting enough traffic?

Traffic is the lifeblood of your blog. If you do everything right except getting traffic to your blog then you are already destined for failure.

Having a blog with the best content in the world means nothing if no one knows you even exist. You can use AdWords, run a contest, exchange links fwith other blogs, use social bookmarking sites and so on to market your blog.

I would say you need at least 500 unique visitors per day to start making some decent money from your blog. While that’s not an exact number, it’s a good starting point before you get into the next level.

What if you still don’t make money even when your daily unique visitor reaches 500 or more? Read on…

3. Are you getting targeted traffic?

If your traffic comes from services such as InstantBuzz, Traffic Swarm, Hits2U.com, the chances for you to monetize these traffic sources successfully is slim. While they might get you a lot of free traffic, they are likely not targeted so in the end, they will convert poorly.

The best traffic source is one that has an interest in what you have to offer. Find out where your visitors are coming from and identify which ones that are making you the most money.

4. Do you have good content?

Unless your main source of income is from pay per post, I would say you will make more money by offering good content that’s beneficial to your readers.

Conduct a pool once in a while to find the type of topics your readers would like to read more often. Armed with this info, you can focus more on topics that make them stick around and bring them back for more.

5. Are you offering everything under the sun trying to make money?

So you have Amazon, Kontera ads, AdSense, pay per post, affiliate programs, banner ads, text link ads, auction ads, Chitika and the whole enchilada placed in your blog. If you have thousands of visitors, you’ll make money from these but if you are just starting out, avoid this billboard tendency.

If you have managed to gather an army of loyal readers even if you have a blog full of ads, they are either willing to tolerate you or they have developed some kind of banner blindness. But remember they come to your blog to read content, not to view ads. If you don’t make money from a program, ditch it. It distracts your visitors from your main income generator whatever it may be.

If you want to diversify your income sources, the trick is to integrate them in such a way that they do not detract from the overall site experience. If you are writing about pay per post – make it useful so that your readers can actually learn something and benefit from it.

6. Are you placing your ads in the right places?

One ad program performance could vary from the next when it comes to ad placement. Each performs differently relative to your page design and content. Some ads, such as affiliate program types work best if you write a post or two dedicated in pre-selling them as oppose to using banner ads placed on your pages.

Adsense ads work best when they are placed above the fold, near the content where most of the readers’ attention is focused on.

Text links ads works best if you have a blog with a good PageRank, and when they are place above the folds.

Like everything else, you need to experiment to find the best placement for your ads.

Learn Linux

The Linux Online web site presents a detailed, online tutorial for people who looking to switch from a commercial OS to the open source Linux.

Started with Linux[Linux Online]

Domain Name - How To Pick One

Picking a domain name should be easy, right? Why, Ill just use my business name. Not so fast, Sparky. A good bit of thought should be given to selecting a domain name.

A Cautionary Note

Picking a domain name is like getting married. You are going to have to stick with it till the bitter end. People that use your site will come to know it by the domain name. Repeat visitors will often simply type in the domain name to get to the site, better known as type in traffic. As an example, do you search for Amazon when you want to buy a book or do simply type in amazon.com? If Amazon were to change its domain name to Desert, there would be a lot of confusion. The same goes with your domain. Once you pick something, stick with it.

Your Choices

Well, the obvious choice is your business name, but it may not be the best. There are four significant issues to consider.

First, is there something about your business name that makes using it as a domain an unwise choice? This situation typically arises if you have a long business name or have plural words. Halstatts Ripn Marketing Campaigns, Inc. is going to be a horrible domain name. Clients are going to find it difficult to type in such a domain name.

Double letter problems are a second issue that is entirely unique to the Internet. What if Sams Salon wants to use its business name as a domain? The s at the end of first word and beginning of the second can cause confusion. Is the domain name Samssalon.com or Samsalon.com? Confusing your users is a bad way to run a site.

The third issue concerns the nature of your site and search engine optimization. If you are shooting for a particular keyword phrase, you may be better off using that keyword phrase in your domain name. Google, for instance, looks at the domain name when evaluating a site. If the words in your domain name are spaced with dashes, many believe it will help in the ranking process. This is why you see so many xxx-xxxx-xxx.com domain names on the net. If your business focuses on a very specific area, strong consideration should be given to using relevant keywords in your domain name.

Finally, your domain name should end in .com and I dont want to hear any argument or see any rolling of the eyes. The simple fact is that when people think of sites, they always type in .com. Yes, there are other extensions and .us, .net, .biz, etc., may seem unique, but it kills your traffic. Pavlov and his dog experiments had it right. People have been mentally conditioned to type in .com, so dont select any other ending. If you do, a smart competitor will register the .com version of your name to get some free traffic. If you are really lucky, a porn site will do it!

Take a breath before you select a domain name. Like a spouse, it can be either a good or bad choice.

Halstatt Pires is with MarketingTitan.com - a firm providing internet marketing services.

Article Source:EzineArticles.com

AdSense Money Maker through Blog Niche Marketing

You too can build a money making site from home, that will earn you extra money for that vacation you want to take, for that car you need to purchase or those inflating credit card bills.

First step: you need to pick a Niche market. What is a Niche market you may ask? It is a topic that is more focused, and does not take the general aspect of a topic. You want to pick something that is out there, but is focused so you can get up there in search engines and build traffic to your site.

Want an example of a Blog with Niche Marketing?

Mesothelioma Info and Updates at http://mesotheliomainfoupdates.blogspot.com. This site taylors to Mesothelioma, a rare disease caused by Asbestos, and the site goes in depth about the Niche Market of "Peritoneal Mesothelioma". Asbestos would be more of a General Blog without Niche marketing, while drilling down to "Peritoneal Mesothelioma" is a niche market.

Another example of a blog that is not Niche Marketing is the Domain Names and Web Design Info blog at http://domainnamesatretail.blogspot.com. This blog is maintained in a general sense that it discusses topics from Web Design, Web Hosting and Domain Names to Money Making strategies. It is not focused to one single topic.

Once you have picked your Niche market, you have to find out if it pays well through advertising, and has actual advertisers willing to pay you to advertise the site!

The Overture bidding tool will tell you just that! Go to: http://uv.bidtool.overture.com/d/search/tools/bidtool/

Type in your niche market term, and it will tell you how much people on overture are willing to pay for each term. If it pays well, and is worth your while, then that will be your niche market you want to pursue.

Now you need to find the keywords you want to target and rank high for in Google. The suggestion tool located at will help you find just that: http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/suggestion/

Type in a keyword and it will show you what people search for and how many times per day. Pick a keyword that has a good daily search, but does not have too high of a number. This will allow you to have a fighting chance to cracking the top position for this search term. For example you may want something with about 100 searches per day.

Once you pick one, go to http://www.google.com, and search for that term and see how many results show up. If you have less than 1 million results, then that is ideal. Now take a look at the current #1 spot. See their page rank and how many links they have. If you think you can outrank them, then you are good to go. Target that keyword with your Niche market, and your site research is done.

Once you have the research complete, you set up a blog or web site.

To Set up a blog, go to one that I use Blogger at http://www.blogger.com. Set up your blog and begin posting in no time. This is a good and quick setup for getting your site started and getting searched by Google. However, your own site with its own domain name and hosting, tends to come up higher in search rankings. Also, having your own unique Blog Design as opposed to using a Blogger template, will help your site stand out from the rest. Emenki Web Solutions can provide you with such a custom template.

To set up your web site, purchase a domain name and web hosting. Download the Web Site Startup Handbook Ebook to learn more at http://www.domainsatretail.com/DomainsAtRetail.pdf. Then get free Blogging software and begin to run your site. Search on http://www.hotscripts.com to find Blogging software that you can use for Free.

Run your said Blog for about two weeks with at least 1-2 posts per day to develop enough content for search engines to consider placing you site in its rankings and for you to build traffic.

Once you have done this, set your site up for Google Adsense (http://adsense.google.com). Remember to follow the Google Adsense Terms of Service.

Once your site is approved for Google Adsense, place the AdSense code and begin to market your site through SEO software like Traffic Blazer and One way Link Building Strategies!

Read up on SEO techniques to get your site to the top! Once you are there, you will generate traffic and if you have enough click through on your ads, you will make money!

Thanks for coming out and learning how to become an AdSense money maker!

Purchase your Blog Domain Name and Web Hosting at Domains at Retail (http://www.domainsatretail.com).

Learn what else you may need to start up your Adsense Money Making Web Site in the Web Site Startup Handbook (http://www.domainsatretail.com/DomainsAtRetail.pdf)

Need a custom Blog Template for your Money Making Site? Contact the professionals at Emenki Web Solutions (http://www.emenki.com)

Article Source:EzineArticles