Turns out you can’t manufacture a viral video.

Well, I mean, you absolutely can make a viral video but you can’t make it a viral video.

The other day, I threw out a hypothesis that I could turn a simple video into a viral video by simply asking my readers and the video’s viewers to Digg, Stumble, Reddit, Tweet, Facebook, email, and blog the video. Seems simple enough, right?

Turns out, asking your readers and viewers to do this stuff does have an effect: the video ended up getting about 5 times as many views as most of my other videos. The problem was, that still ended up being only 150 views, far less than the 5,000 or whatever that I wanted.

(As a side note – yes, I realize 5,000 views does not constitute a viral video. However, for me, that would have blown my mind.)

So, what’s the moral of the story?

I think I proved my point that you get a lot further by telling your readers and viewers what you want from them as opposed to beating around the bush. However, as has been stated many times before, you can’t make a video become viral, it just sort of has to happen.

What are your thoughts? Post your comments below.

Over my time running The New Business Blog, I’ve given a lot of advice on how to make more money online. (While I’m no Yaro Starak or John Chow, I’d like to think I have been successful enough to be taken as a reputable source.)

Without a doubt, the single most important piece of advice I’ve given is to straight up TELL your visitors what you want from them. Don’t ask. Tell!

So, on that note, I’ve decided to do a little experiment. I want to see if I can make a simple, yet stupid video go viral, simply by me TELLING everyone that’s what I want them to help me do.

The video is nothing more than me TELLING everyone who views it that I want their help in making the video go viral. Now that you’ve viewed it, help me out by embedding the video in your blog, posting it on Twitter and Facebook, voting for it on Digg and Reddit, Stumbling it, and emailing it out to your friends and family.

Think if it as taking part in a 21st century social experiment. Look at you, you little groundbreaker!

Back to the moral of the story – the reason you tell as opposed to ask is simple – you can never assume that you have been clear enough with your potential customers. If you ask, you leave room for interpretation. If you tell, room for interpretation is gone.

Look at the following two examples:

• “Would you be interested in learning more about Blogging to the Bank 2010?”
• “Click the following link to learn more about and purchase Blogging to the Bank 2010.”

Of the two, which one do you think is more likely to get you a sale? The first one, where I’m asking if you’d like to learn more while not giving you clear direction on what to do next, or the one where I tell you exactly what to do and what’s going to happen after you do it?

Sure, the second one might come off as a little bit pushy, but since most buyers have to be coaxed and told what to do, you’re probably doing them (and your bank account) a favor by narrowing down their options.

Ok, so, again, go back up to that video, and share it with every person under the sun in every way you know how. I want to get the video up to 50,000 hits, so make sure you do your part!

(How awesome is it going to be if I don’t fall completely flat on my face and this actually works?!?)

What are your thoughts on this post? Do you agree? Think I’m a nut? Leave your comment below!

Blogging to the Bank Review

Blogging to the Bank 2010 is the latest in a series of “how to blog” ebooks written by successful and world famous blogger, Rob Benwell.

Over the years, many people have followed Rob’s Blogging to the Bank ebooks to set up extremely successful, lucrative, and cash generating online empires. I can attest to the fact that many of the ways I’ve learned to make money online have come from Rob’s Blogging to the Bank series.

However, because this is the fourth version, this begs the question: Is it worth buying Blogging to the Bank 2010?

I think the answer is a resounding yes, but obviously, ultimately, whether you purchase the ebook is for you to decide, especially if you’ve already purchased one of the prior versions of Blogging to the Bank.

However, if you’re looking to start making money online or are currently trying but struggling, here are some of the many benefits you will receive when you purchase Blogging to the Bank 2010:

• You will learn the secrets that created Rob’s online empire and helped him to earn over $1 million
• You will be taught how to create legitimate blogs with just a few clicks of the mouse, allowing you the free time to enjoy the fruits of your labor
• You will learn how to drive targeted, credit card in hand traffic to your blogs and websites, which will help you to earn more money
• You will get access to the simplest yet most effective step-by-step blue print for long-term success

Additionally, Rob is willing to give you $2,000 worth of bonus material for FREE if you’re willing to act now and buy.� Watch the Blogging to the Bank review that I’ve posted below.

That being said there is a downside to Blogging to the Bank 2010, especially for seasoned bloggers.� Some of the information will be stuff you likely already know and have had beaten into your heads.� However, if you can get past that, even seasoned bloggers will be pleased with this purchase.

And, considering all of these benefits, I think it’s worth the $37 investment.

However, if you’re still a little iffy on whether or not you should take the plunge, please realize that Rob is allowing you to try out Blogging to the Bank 2010 risk free for a full 8 weeks. If at any point during those 8 weeks you realize Blogging to the Bank 2010 just isn’t for you, Rob will give you a FULL REFUND of your money, no questions asked.

So be sure to click here to head over to Rob’s website to purchase or find out more about Blogging to the Bank 2010 and why it’s a great resource for you.

Blogging to the Bank Review

Per the FTC, please note that the above links are affiliate links, and should you purchase Blogging to the Bank 2010 after clicking the above links, I will receive a commission.

I have purchased Rob’s Blogging to the Bank books before, and believe they are outstanding resources for anyone interested in blogging.

Ultimate Web Copywriting Desktop Review

Jo Han Mok has finally released his eagerly anticipated Ultimate Web Copywriting Desktop program, and I couldn’t be more excited!

For those of you who don’t know Jo Han, he is one of the world’s most successful internet marketers and web copy writers.

In his Ultimate Web Copywriting Desktop program, he seeks to automate the web copy process for you, which in turn should help to increase your sales, revenue and profitability!

Having advanced copy writing skills is one of the most critical ways for you to turn traffic to your websites into paying, credit card in hand customers.

Unfortunately, copy writing is something that doesn’t come easy for most of us, and is a big reason why so many of us fail to get beyond the two or three sales per month barrier.

Ultimate Web Copywriting Desktop blasts through this barrier, and helps to turn you into a copy writing and revenue generating machine.

Here are just a few of the many benefits you will receive when you purchase Ultimate Web Copywriting Desktop:

• Cut out loads frustration and trial and error, and improve your copy writing in mere seconds!
• Have the confidence of knowing your web marketing is as effective as possible, that it’s letting you run circles around your competition.
• Be able to get the better copy writing results with a couple clicks of the mouse than what used to take you hours of planning, writing and editing.
• Turn your website’s traffic into qualified buyers.

Additionally, not only has Jo Han slashed the price of Ultimate Web Copywriting Desktop, but you have 60 days to get a full refund if you are not satisfied with the product. Sounds like a win/win situation to me!

What are your thoughts on copy writing? Have you ever used any of Jo Han’s copy writing products before? Have you purchased Ultimate Web Copywriting Desktop? Leave your comments below!

Ultimate Web Copywriting Desktop Review

Per FTC regulations, the above links are affiliate links, and I will receive a commission if you purchase Ultimate Web Copywriting Desktop after clicking my affiliate links.

Mass Article Creator Review

One of the best ways you can improve your ranking in the search engines and drive targeted traffic to your websites is through article marketing.

Unfortunately, article marketing can be very time consuming, especially if you write brand new submissions for each site. After all, not only will you be writing and updating your blog, but you’ll be writing and submitting unique content to each article directory.

Mass Article Creator helps you to automate the article writing process, allowing you to essentially re-write articles with just a few clicks of the mouse.

On top of that, the Mass Article Submitter software allows you to submit your newly re-written articles to ten of the top article submission sites with – as you guessed it – just a few more clicks of the mouse.

Here are some additional benefits to using Mass Article Creator:

• In less than 30 seconds, create up to 1,000 articles from just one article you’ve already written, giving you tons of unique content while saving you hours of work.
• It has a huge in-built synonym database for ultra quick insertion and replacement processing.� This will allow your articles to come out so high quality that they’ll read like you spent hours putting them together!
• This truly is more than just your typical article spinning software!

I’m still new to the software, so I’m unable to quantify how much it has helped my SEO and traffic.

However, from experience I know how much article marketing can help your site improve SEO and gain traffic, so I’m sure this product will drastically reduce the amount of time I spend writing and submitting articles, and increase the amount of traffic and SEO benefit I get from the articles.

If you’re trying to build traffic, I highly recommend you give Mass Article Creator a shot. If it doesn’t work, you can get a refund within 60 days, so there’s really nothing to lose.

What are your thoughts on article marketing? Have you used Mass Article Creator? Leave your comments below!

Mass Article Creator Review

Per FTC regulations, please be aware that if you purchase Mass Article Creator after clicking the above links, I will receive a commission. I do own this product, paid for it with my own money, and have used it as I have stated in this article.

Now that you’ve picked your blog’s topic and chosen it’s CMS (hopefully WordPress), it’s time to talk about selecting a domain name and hosting account.

First, you need to decide which company you would like to use for your domain registration and/or hosting account.

You don’t have to go with the same company for your domain registration and hosting needs, however, I’ve found it to be much easier to just go ahead use the same company for both.

While there are plenty of great companies out there, personally, I use GoDaddy.com. It’s cheap, easy to use, and whenever I’ve had a question, I’ve received very prompt customer support.

In fact, I frequently get calls from GoDaddy with offers that have ultimately helped me save hundreds of dollars on hosting.

Enough with my sales pitch; let’s get into how to select a domain name and the best hosting service for your needs.

Domain Name

You’ll want to pick a domain name that’s relevant to your blog’s topic and key words. Doing this will help to establish the legitimacy of your site, as well as help you when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO).

Unfortunately, because there are so many websites already up and running – not to mention domain squatters – finding an obvious domain name will be pretty tough, if not impossible, to do!

Assuming you have to be a little creative in coming up with your domain name, try your best to not make the name too long. You’d probably like to develop a loyal audience that comes back to your site frequently; it’s a lot easier for them to remember and type a short domain than a long one!

Finally, try your best to stick to a .com URL. It’s the most popular and search engines tend to give it the most weight. However, if you have to “drop” to a .net, it’s not the end of the world. I wouldn’t, however, purchase a .info name. If it gets to that point, you’ll need to revise the words you’re targeting for your domain.

Let’s take a real world example, and say you want to have a blog where you write about recently released CDs.

In order to get an idea of what’s available out there, you decide to check GoDaddy for MusicReview.com. As you suspected, that name is already taken.

However, since GoDaddy has a feature that shows you available alternatives, you might check that out and see what’s available. Maybe something like MusicReviewBlog.net, or TheMusicReviewBlog.com would be something you’d be interested in? Just play around with your keywords and you’ll come up with something.

Once you find your name, lock it in for at least two years – I recommend 5 or 10 – and you’re good to go.

Hosting

Assuming your blog will be text based and won’t have much streaming audio or video, you will likely be able to get by using an “economy” (read: cheap) hosting plan. However, make sure you choose a hosting provider that will allow you to grow over time and easily upgrade to faster, higher bandwidth servers.

Since (hopefully) you will be using WordPress, I recommend that you use GoDaddy’s economy Linux hosting. You can sign up for month-to-month service, but since you’re already locked in to your domain for at least two years, you might as well save some money and go for one of the longer term hosting plans.

Because this is your first time around, I recommend you sign up for a one-year plan. If after a year you’ve sold yourself on continuously updating your blog, it might be worth considering an even longer term plan, which will allow you to save even more money.

In order to maximize possible discounts, I recommend purchasing your hosting plan and your domain at the same time.

After you’ve purchased both, it will take a few hours to access your new hosting account, so relax and pat yourself on the back because you’re well on your way to starting your own blog!

Per the new FTC regulations, the above GoDaddy links are affiliate links, and should you purchase anything from GoDaddy after clicking these links, I will receive a small commission.

Now that you’ve decided on a topic for your blog, you need to decide on the platform/content management system (CMS) you’re going to use to get your writings out to the rest of the world.

Much like selecting a topic, there are two main schools of thought on choosing the CMS you should use to get your blog up and running:

• Use a free blog service like Blogger or WordPress.com that, in addition to allowing you to post your articles, also hosts your blog and has the capability to let you forward to your own unique domain
• Buy your own unique domain and economy hosting, and use a free CMS like WordPress.org or Drupal to post your articles

By using one of the free services, it’s possible for you to avoid spending any money while you start your blog. These sites are easy to use and allow you to get everything up and running relatively quickly.

Additionally, Blogger and WordPress.com have useful features already built in, and in most cases, will allow you to “forward” your posts to a domain you already own, which helps with search engine optimization (SEO).

Finally, Blogger and WordPress.com allow you to relatively painlessly transfer all of your information to your own domain, hosting, and CMS at some point in the future, should you choose to do so.

Unfortunately, there are two big problems with using these free services:

1. Very limited. In many instances, you have to choose between a few pre-selected themes and don’t have a lot of options when it comes to expanding the functionality of your site – i.e. adding polls, widgets, and/or advertising.
2. If they host it, they own it. If all of a sudden your free provider decides your site violates their terms of service they can pull the site and delete all of your work. Or, if at some point down the road, you’d like to sell your blog, you’re going to run into issues, and likely will not be able to sell.

Because it’s possible to get a domain and hosting for pretty cheaply, and very easy to install and set up your CMS – even if you’re not technically savvy – I recommend that you go ahead and do this from the very beginning and completely avoid the free blogging services.

(I use GoDaddy.com, pay $10.99 per year for my domains, and spend $3.99 per month for economy hosting. Like I said, we’re not talking about a lot of money, but, we’ll get more into this in the next post.)

As for the CMS, I highly recommend using the open source (read: free) program WordPress.

Now I know this might be a bit confusing because I’m referencing WordPress twice.  Just remember that WordPress.com is the free blogging SERVICE, meaning it hosts your blog as well, while WordPress.org is where you get the free blogging CMS.

WordPress is extremely easy to install and use, has amazing functionality, and is constantly being improved.  Because WordPress is an open source program, there are literally thousands of programmers working to make it better.

Additionally, there are thousands of free plug-ins and themes currently available for WordPress.  These plug-ins and themes allow you to make your blog unique, as well as help with SEO, social marketing, and monetization, among other things.

I highly recommend that you head over to WordPress.org and take a look around.  I’m sure once you do, you’ll be sold on the idea of using WordPress as your blog’s CMS.

What are your thoughts?  What do you think about WordPress?  Do you use something different for your blog?  Please leave your comments below!

Resources:

WordPress Download – WordPress.org, NOT WordPress.com
WordPress Installation Guide
GoDaddy.com – domain and hosting services

Per the new FTC regulations, the above GoDaddy links are affiliate links, and should you purchase anything after clicking the link, I will receive a small commission.

This is the first post in what I hope will be a very helpful series for anyone who is interested in starting their own blog, or, for that matter, improve an already existing blog.

I’ve been blogging for over four years now, and over that time I’ve learned a lot of things, had a lot of fun, and made some pretty good supplemental income. Hopefully my experience and advice can help get your blog off the ground faster, keep you from getting frustrated, and help you build up your rainy day fund.

On that note, here’s the first post: How to Select A Topic For Your Blog

Whether you just want a platform to express yourself or a way to make some extra money (or both), blogging is, without a doubt, the best place to start. It’s easy, cheap, and if you play your cards right, can be extremely profitable.

However, many people stop before they get started because the first decision you have to make for your blog is often the most difficult: what do you blog about?

There tend to be two schools of thought when it comes to this:

• Pick a topic based on what has the potential to be the most profitable
• Pick a topic based on your interests

Obviously, the best answer for you depends on what you’re trying to get out of your blog.

If your primary interest is to make money and you don’t particularly care about the topic of your blog, you will need to do some extensive research of sites like Clickbank.com and Commission Junction to see which niches have the most profit potential.

To save you a lot of time, I’ll do some of the research for you; the three most profitable niches are as follows:

1. Making money online
2. Dating
3. Weight loss

I’m of the belief you shouldn’t blog about something just because you think it’s going to be the most profitable niche. Instead, pick something that you enjoy and you are passionate about, and then you can figure out how to make money from it, if you are so inclined.

If you go based solely on money, you’ll probably get bored very quickly, and give up after a bad month or two. If you pick something you enjoy, you’re likely to stick with it and focus on the long-term.

You need to face the fact you’re going to be spending a lot of time creating the site, writing your content, and building a following. Why spend your time on something that bores you just because you think it might be a little more profitable than something you’d rather write about?

Besides, there are so many ways to monetize your site – whether you use Adsense, Clickbank, Amazon.com, Commission Junction… the list goes on – that even if you pick a seemingly obscure niche, you’ll likely still be able to make some (or in some cases, lots of) money.

Finally, don’t shy away from topics that you feel are already covered by other blogs. In fact, if you pick an area that’s already well covered, you might have a little bit of an advantage. You can look at popular blogs, see what works for them, and, for lack of a better word, copy what has made them successful.

Now that you know all about topic selection, here’s your assignment: write a list of the top five things that you’re passionate about, and, if possible, try to put the list in order, meaning the first thing on your list will be the topic or thing you’re most passionate about.

For example, here’s what mine would be:

1. Entrepreneurship
2. Personal Finance
3. Environment
4. Music
5. Sports

So, when I update The New Business Blog, The Personal Finance Program, or Daily Fuel Economy Tip, it doesn’t feel like work, because I’m writing about stuff that I genuinely enjoy. That’s the point you want to get to!

Up next: which platform/content management system to use for your blog.

What are your thoughts on topic selection? Which of the two schools of thought do you come from? What do you blog about? Be sure to leave your comments below!