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Dukeo Review and Your Chance to Win Contest
Dukeo Review
Dukeo Review is a review of a blog and a contest all in one. Have you seen Dukeo’s blog posts in your Triberr stream? I have and loved the idea he has come up with. You can review his blog Dukeo and have a chance to win $1000.00.
What is Dukeo all about?
Dukeo’s blog is written by Ste. He teaches SEO, traffic generation and marketing for others to make money online. He launched his website on his 30th birthday back in 2011. John Chow quoted “That kind of stuff works. I think Sté does a great job.” If John says that I think maybe we should read Ste’s blog. Ste offers 3 FREE guides on his website to to help guide you along the way to making money online. Just sign up for his updates and you can get the FREE guides.
The Dukeo Review
What I love about Dukeo’s website and blog:
- It’s easy to read. Very clean text and a great font size. No squinting needed.
- It’s very clean all over with not too much on the sidebars. There is nothing to keep you from reading the posts. No nasty pop-ups!
- The language is simple and easy to follow – love that!
- The blog posts often, both a great and not so great thing. I can’t always read if someone posts more than once a day. But the content is always FRESH. So I’d give it an overall plus for it.
- The About Page really rocks. Simple and easy to read about Ste. Ste doesn’t brag either. Some about pages are more of a brag page, not Ste’s.
What Could Be Better on Dukeo’s Blog?
- The comment system could be better with CommentLuv for the commenting system. Ste I cannot believe you don’t have CommentLuv on your blog. Curious as to why.
There could be more images in the posts to make them stand out. Right now he is using the image I have above for every post. Great way to promote the contest but there could be other images in the posts to seperate the paragraphs and give more eye appeal. I say let’s spruce it up! Add a little color along the way. (A side note: The FREE guides have nice artwork in them – it breaks up the awesome reading material.)
What Do You Think of a Blog Review Contest?
I think it’s a wonderful way to to get feedback on your blog or website. People may have fun entering the contest and give you an honest opinion of your blog or website. It’s a great way to draw traffic to your blog and gain organic links. Can you think of a reason not to do a blog review contest? (Besides not having $1,000 to give away.)
Will you do a Dukeo Review too with a chance to win money? The contest ends May 28th.
The Latest Craze: Giveaways!
Blog Giveaways and Contests are the latest craze.
I’ll tell you right up front, if you’re looking for blog traffic, HOST A GIVEAWAY! People come out of the woodwork to enter for a chance to Win something!
There are many ways you can host a giveaway but by far the most popular one I’ve seen is by using a FREE online assistant or app as some may call it. Do you remember Lisa’s post back in January, Online Contests – Which Contests Work Best?
The most popular in my opinion is Rafflecopter. I’m sure ya’ve seen it in your blog travels.
It’s fairly easy to create a giveaway in Rafflecopter. First thing you do is Register an Account; then Create your Giveaway tool.
Rafflecopter has this COOL infographic on their blog which, get this, they give you the code to share on your site!
FANTASTIC!
Courtesy of: Rafflecopter
Have you used Rafflecopter to host your own Giveaway? How about entering giveaways via Rafflecopter?
Up until recently, I thought Rafflecopter was the only tool around. A few months ago, I held my very first giveaway and indeed, used Rafflcopter. The contest went very well until the end of it. I assumed that Rafflecopter automatically added up all the points you assigned to each task and chose the Winner based on points along. Apparently, I didn’t read the fine print “Winners are chosen via Random.org”. This means, it doesn’t matter how many points one has, Rafflecopter will randomly choose the Winner if that’s the option you choose. Yikes!
Now up until about a month ago, I stumbled upon a NEW Giveaway Tool via a friend’s blog. I was intrigued at first because I was so used to seeing Rafflecopter! I just had to enter! And to my surprise, I liked it! A LOT! Enough so that when I decided to host a giveaway on my blog, I decided to use it instead of Rafflecopter!
So what’s this little goody called?
Giveaway Tools!
Giveaway Tools is another online giveaway assistant. It’s actually brand new with a copyright date of 2013! It works fairly similar to Rafflecopter and offers a Premium plan as well. I thought the best way to introduce you to Giveaway Tools is by using their very own video!
What do you think of that? Looks fairly easy as well, no? Have you used Giveaway Tools yet?
If I had to compare the two, there really aren’t too many differences. The one difference I found was, with Rafflecopter, you can add a Tab to your Facebook Page. Giveaway Tools does not have that option…..yet.
I found creating a new giveaway to be easier in Giveaway Tools but that might be because I’m biased. 
Rafflecopter, quite frankly, has left a bad taste in my mouth. Sometimes when I see the amount of “hoops” you must jump through, Page Likes, Twitter Follows, Pinterest Follows, etc., just turns me away instantly. But don’t get me wrong, you can do the same thing using Giveaway Tools, its just that I haven’t seen that yet.
If you’d like, you can check out my previous Giveaway Tool giveaway post, Gift Card Giveaway: Time to Get Your Sexy On and my previous Rafflecopter one, GIVEAWAY: Frosty Paws for Pibbles and Me Friends!
So there you have it. The most popular giveaway tool, Rafflecopter versus Giveaway Tools!
How opt are you to try Giveaway Tools for your next contest or better yet…… even another alternative to Rafflecopter?
p.s. I’d like to thank Lisa for asking me to talk about Rafflecopter and Giveaway Tools and for pushing me to get it done. Thanks Lisa!
5 Reasons To Write An Ebook Based On Your Niche Blog
Hello, Inspire To Thrive readers!
I am deeply grateful to Lisa for the privilege of discussing one of my favorite topics with you today: ebooks and their potential.
I’ve been a writer since I could form words into sentences. All through school, I read incessantly (books that would have made my mother’s hair go gray even sooner than it did), and fashioned my own stories and poems. After assisting another author to publish her debut novel, I finally published my first book – a young adult fiction novel, in ebook form – back in late December. I’m thisclose to completing my second book, a romantic comedy, which will be published very soon.
I am smitten with the ability to publish my own works with a good degree of ease, and also with the related possibilities.
Would you indulge me by answering a few questions?
Yes or No
- You’ve worked hard to develop a niche blog. Yes or no?
- You write about a subject for which you have a lot of passion and knowledge. Yes or no?
- You have posts rich with evergreen material hidden deep in your archives. Yes or no?
If you’re a subscriber – or you clicked through a link on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter – to Inspire To Thrive, chances are you answered “yes” to at least two, if not all three, of those questions. And if I was to hazard a guess, I suspect that if there was a “no” among your answers, it was for the third statement. Am I right? Well, forgive me, please, but I suspect you’re wrong. I suspect you’re three for three, and that’s a very good thing.
Ebooks Are Big Business, and Getting Bigger
Contrary to what traditionalists prefer to think, ebooks are here to stay.
At this moment (12:38pm on Tuesday, March 5, 2013), there are 1,909,868 ebooks available for sale on Amazon.com.
That’s just on Amazon. I didn’t even look at Kobo, Smashwords, iTunes, Google Play Books, or Barnes & Noble.
It’s predicted that 65% of all children in the United States will have access to a digital reading device by the end of 2013. It’s also predicted that ebook sales will reach at least 45% of the U.S. trade book market.
Readers don’t need to own a Kindle or a Nook to read an ebook. Just as is the case with email and blogs, ebooks can be read on iPods, smartphones, tablets, and computers. In some cases, devices will sync, so if you happened to start reading an ebook on your Kindle, you can continue reading it on your smartphone, and finish reading it on your laptop, if you want.
Ebooks are convenient. You can carry a library of books with you, everywhere you go, if you own a digital device.
Ebooks are affordable, too. They’re way more affordable than print books. Prices for ebooks start at free, and go up from there. $2.99 to $3.99 is considered the “sweet spot” when it comes to ebook pricing for a novella (25,000/30,000+ words) to a full-length novel (60,000+ words). Shorter works – novelettes, short stories, and even essays – in the 5,000- to 20,000-word range are being sold at the $.99 and $1.99 price points, or given away.
What This Means For You
You, on your niche blog, have established yourself as an expert. People read your posts because they trust you to impart accurate and helpful information about your niche.
Imagine how much more of an expert you would be considered if you were to author a book based on that information. You would compile a number of your evergreen posts, or type up a new work based on your hard-earned knowledge, and use that material to create a professional, easy-to-digest, go-anywhere ebook. The back matter of the ebook, and perhaps even the cover, would tie into the brand you’ve built.
You would post a linked image of it in the sidebar of your blog, which would take your readers either to a PayPal checkout screen, or to Amazon or Smashwords. Or, perhaps you would link to a PDF that can be read online or downloaded, as the reader prefers. You would add it to the publications section of your LinkedIn profile. You might mention it on Facebook and Twitter now and again (you don’t want to be a human spambot), with a link, of course, which renders it easily shareable. Your regular readers will be excited, and will share, too. The likelihood that more traffic will be driven to your niche site – to you – is, well, very likely.
5 (or 6) Reasons To Write An Ebook Based On Your Niche Blog
- To establish yourself as even more of an expert in your niche.
- To add another facet to your brand.
- To dust off the valuable posts languishing in your archives, and share them with new readers.
- To offer your readers a convenient way to digest the best information you have to offer.
- To drive more traffic to your site.
- To fund your Starbucks
addictionhabit.
It’s a win-win situation. Your time and knowledge to compile and/or write new material, combined with a professional-looking cover that illustrates your topic, can yield an inestimable ROI. What are you waiting for? The sky isn’t even the limit anymore. Lisa did it. You can, too.
By the way, as of 1:28pm on Wednesday, March 6, 2013, there are 1,912,373 ebooks available on Amazon.com.
What do you think? Is this something you would consider? Do you feel it would be a boost for your site?
———————————————–
~Ellen M. Gregg, Writer, Reiki master/Teacher, Ebook Creator
Can More Than One Blog Be One Too Many To Juggle?
Is One Blog Enough For You?
Before 2013 I started a file of all the blogs I write to get organized and didn’t realize how many blogs I had until I did put it in writing. It got me thinking: How many blogs make for one blog too many?
Do you also count blogs you guest post for? What about other writing you may do on the outside to promote your website?
Does there come a point when you should ditch some of your blogs to focus on just one or a couple? That’s my next decision.
The Advantages of Several Blogs:
- Linking – The obvious advantage is linking opportunities from one blog to another.
- Never Get Bored – Sometimes I would get bored always blogging on the same topic. By having a variety of blogs, one does not get bored. Never again will you be bored if you have more than one blog!
- More Connections – You can connect with more people when you blog in a different niche. I’ve met so many more people since I started this blog.
The Disadvantage of Several Blogs:
- Focus – You could lose focus on one of your niches. If you spend time on one niche more than another you could lose some of your focus.
- Commenting – It is harder to comment on each niche daily or weekly sometimes. It requires more reading.
- Maintenance – Maintaining one blog is a lot of work as many of you may know. Imagine doing that times 2 or 3 or more.
- Posts – You will post less on one blog if you have several blogs.
There are many bloggers who have more than just one blog that they manage. Some do it with great success and post reguarly on each of the blogs.
Bloggers who have more than just 1 blog:
- Ms Ilene – Basic Blog Tips is Ms Ileane main’s blog but she recently started another for podcasting Ms Ileane Speak. I have learned a lot reading Ms Ileane’s blogs over the past 2 years. I asked Ms. Ileane about her dual blogs and she admitted she is addicted to blogging! You can read more about her multiple blogs at her post on her new blogger blog. She also said “the 2 brands did not mesh together seamlessly.” Something to consider when deciding on a single blog or having multiple blogs.
- Mitch Mitchell – I’ve known Mitch from his I’m Just Sharing blog but he has several others including SEO Excellence and Top Finance Blog to name a few of Mitch’s.
Here is Mitch’s take on multiple blogs: “Blogging is a good way to keep in touch with people, get your views out, and show your proficiency. But there is one thing I’d caution against, which is not to start one if you don’t think you can sustain it. Nothing worse than going to someone’s blog and seeing that they haven’t written anything in a year.” Excellent point Mitch!
- Samantha Gluck – Samantha has 2 blogs MedTopicWriter and FreeLanceWritingDreams. I asked Samantha how she does it with her 2 blogs:
“To manage 2 properly, you’ve got to hone your time management skills. I do it w/a editorial calendar, mind mapping, & prayer.”
- Brenda Pace – I met Brenda early on blogging with PibblesnMe about her adventures with her dog Titan and a whole lot more. Brenda now has MyGirlyParts, “real talk for real women. ” Ladies, a must read blog! Brenda admitted to me “It’s a lot of work!” She is right.
- Sharon Greenthal – Empty House Full Mind and she blogs for the Huffington Post. A blog I just found after seeing her on the Huffington Post recently.
- Holly Jahangiri - Holly is everywhere! Her personal blog is Jahan Giri.us I met Holly on the Blog Engage platform. She has been a professional writer for 20 years and man can she write! She also writes for Race to the Hugo Award.
Do you have more than one blog? If you do how do you manage the multiple blogs at once?
Can you think of more advantages or disadvantages of multiple blogs?
13 Up and Coming New Blogs To Read In The New Year
13 of the Finest Up and Coming New Blogs to Read in 2013
New blogs are an inspiration to read. They have different perspectives and ideas. New bloggers need readers and a running start so they can continue to blog. Did you know only 20% of all bloggers continue to blog for 6 years or more? I have come across some great new blogs recently and wanted to share them with you for your 2013 up and coming new blogs to read. Enjoy the reading!
The 13 New Blogs for 2013 to Read:
- Hi4HiTech - A new and upcoming blog by Sapna – A great guide on knowledge sharing for naive programmers to experts. She has been writing other blogs around the globe for companies. This blog was just started in October of 2012.
- Captured Blogging Tips – Another new blog I just discovered with a lot of SEO tips and tricks. This blog has been around only over a month.
- Attraction Marketing Consulting - Margarita is from Bulgaria and is a network marketer with a blog on tidbits of marketing and more.
- Squirrel Social - A local social media company in the littlest state in the union. I really liked their new social media tips for 2013 in their new blog. Something about their name too is catchy. Would you agree?
- Quick Blog Tips – By Ben Barden. I love the quick blog tips that Ben provides in a thought provoking manner and short posts (usually).
- Pauline Bennett.com - Pauline Bennett writes about list building with tips and tricks on how to grow your list and start a newsletter.
- Neamatproblog.com – A very new blog by Neamat Tawadrous on cutting edge attraction marketing tips geared towards entrepreneurs. She learned the ropes working from home and is teaching others how. I just came across this informative and very well done blog as I was preparing this post. Her blog was started in mid-November.
- Mr Ryan Connors Blog - I came across this very clean looking blog on tech, social, business and marketing. A very new refreshing blog.
- SarkeMedia – Sarah Arrow is a brit with a fresh blog on internet marketing. I found her on bloggers and enjoyed several of her posts.
- Life Reset Coaching – This blog by Ciara was created to give you the tools, the mindset, and the confidence to create a new experience of your life. If you are looking to make changes in your life, check out her blog today.
- 1singularsensation.com - Helping you manage your social media strategies. A nice and clean looking blog that has not been around for too long by D Dixon.
- Eager Existence - A travel blog that begs the question “Are you really living or merely existing?” A clean looking blog with travel topics and more by Ian Cartwright. I fond this one in Google communities.
- Jibarry - The Library Of Jibber Jabber – a different type of blog about anything. I ran across this a couple times in my search for new blogs and liked several of the posts and I think you will enjoy them too.
A special thanks goes out to Mayura from Mayura4Ever on submitting a few for my review. This was a very time consuming process of going through at least a hundred of blogs to find 13 that met the criteria. If you know more feel feel to leave them in your comments too.
How often do you read new blogs? And have you read many of these blogs yet?
