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Keeping your Identity Safe as a Blogger

The blogging sphere or blogosphere has evolved into a world of its own. Now everyone, from a 9 year-old writing about her adventures to granny discussing her latest recipes, can have a blog and do. Blogging is like therapy for many people. It is an endless journal that is in the virtual world for anyone to see. This creates a potential security risk for those who are not careful. Keeping your identity safe as a blogger doesn’t have to be difficult. It really takes common sense and some really good anti-hacker software.

Is Blogging Safe

Blogging in a virtual reality is just as safe as it is to operate in the real world. You wouldn’t hand over your ATM card with your password to a stranger in the real world and the same should hold true in the blogging sphere. A certain level of common sense is required.

Never Post Sensitive Information

Just because you delete something doesn’t mean that it’s gone. A good rule of thumb is if you don’t want it to be around forever, don’t post it on the web.

Hackers are little evil characters that prey on the weak–the weak security link that is. He or she can wait patiently, collecting information on potential victims. A hacker will build a profile on each of his victims, at the right moment break into your computer system through the IP address, and have complete access to personal information. It can be a lucrative business being a hacker. To steal your identity is also stealing your net worth.

A hacker doesn’t have to be all about the money. A hacker could be someone who wants to do you harm. By disclosing personal information, a trail leads that person directly to you.

How Much is Too Much

Successful bloggers like to be transparent with their audience because it builds rapport. Building rapport is extremely important if you expect to have a successful blog. But, there is such a thing as disclosing too much. For example, you can use your name but you don’t have to disclose where you live.

Likewise, if you want your audience to know that you live in California, don’t put the address of your residence. Use a post office box address instead.

Never, ever post your social security number or phone number. Some bloggers allow phone calls and that is fine but chances are that number is to a private phone and not to his or her residence.

As a blogger who wants to appear as a real person to your audience, you must make it a point to protect your privacy.

Using a Pen Name

Using a pen name is acceptable and in many cases expected. However, if your name is part of your brand this may not be the best option. Nevertheless, you can use your first name and a pseudo last name to keep the hackers off your scent.

Stop Making it So Easy

There are so many tools, services and options out there to help you secure your information, but you have to take advantage of it.

  • Use two step verification.
  • Don’t use “admin to log into your WordPress site.
  • Did you know that software exists to help you hide your IP address, which is how many of the hackers get to your information when you are a blogger.
  • Be on the lookout for phishing schemes in your email inbox and your Facebook inbox.
  • A weak password makes it so easy for someone to hack your site. It can be frustrating memorizing different pass codes but consider the alternative.
  • Make the password for your blogging site something completely different from your Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook accounts.
  • Use special characters, caps, and numbers in your password.

In other words, stop making it so easy for the hackers to hack you.

It’s Okay to be Bogus*

If you are a professional blogger chances are you will also have a social media presence. Places like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are great places to build your audience. But, these places are a candy store for hackers. To prevent the hackers from getting into your candy, use bogus information when you sign up.

As previously mentioned, if your first and last name is part of your brand use it but make sure not to use your exact city and state. Fill in the nearest metropolitan area. And while you are at it make up a fictitious date of birth and mother’s maiden name. This is the type of information that hackers use to steal your identity. Basically, I’m suggesting that you create an alternative set of information that you can use to sign up for accounts.

*Make sure that you store your fictitious information somewhere safe in case you forget.

Time Management for Bloggers

Bloggers, like most professionals, need better ways to get more done in a short period of time–24 hours. The life of the blog depends on good quality content delivered on a regular basis. To get it all done, here are some time management tips for bloggers to consider.

Create a system

Set aside time to work on your blog. This means a time to write; a time to publish; a time to promote. Each task should have its own time and day for which it is to be completed. For example, you may set Tuesdays as your day to publish content to your blog and Wednesdays are your day to promote.

Tip: Set up your blog notifications to post a notice to your social media sites at the same time that you enter a new blog post. Your customer list will get this notice instantly and that is less promotion you have to do.

Find your Mojo

Finding the time that you are most productive is important for any blogger who expects to be successful. Sometimes you just don’t feel like writing but if you notice a pattern when this happens most, it will help you not to write at that time. For example, your mojo time may be when the house is quiet and the other family members are asleep. However, if you find that sleep kidnaps you after around 11pm, going to bed early and waking up fresh at 5 or 6 am may be the best time for you. There is no right or wrong time to write. It is as unique as you are.

Write Down Ideas as they come to you

Bloggers are always trying to come up with the next best blog post for his or her niche. These ideas however don’t always come to you when you expect them to. It is a good idea to keep a small notebook with you so you can jot down these ideas as they happen throughout the day. Your notebook becomes a valuable tool for which you can draw from when it is time to sit down and write.

Make a list

It is a scientific fact that writing things down helps them come into existence. Making a list the first thing before your work day will help you accomplish those tasks that are prioritized. Your list should consist of the most important task first. List the top three projects that need your attention for that day. Task 4, 5, and so on aren’t as pressing but would be great to complete them if you can. These items may become tomorrow’s top priority. Therefore, your list is a work in progress. Make sure as you complete the tasks on your list that you go back and check them off as it offers a wonderful feeling of accomplishment each day.

Tick Tock Tick Tock

An effective time management tool for bloggers is a kitchen timer. There is something magical that happens when the mind knows that it is being timed. The sound of the tick tock creates focus and for that duration of time it wants to work rather than waste time. A kitchen timer is inexpensive and can be purchased at a Dollar store or there are free online timers that are usual also.

Stop Multitasking

If you are like many people who think that you can do more than one thing at a time, you are wrong. The human brain is meant to focus on one thing at a time albeit at a fast pace. That means that your brain shifts focus so fast that you think you are working on more than one thing at a time. This is called multitasking and it sabotages your success as a blogger–so stop.

Instead, focus on one task at a time until its completion. If the task is a large project, break it up into smaller tasks and focus on each task instead of more than one task. The quality of your work will improve and you will see that you will accomplish more during the day.

How to write a good “About Us” page for your blog

Although your “About Me” page is all about you, it really has to have your reader’s expectations in mind. The readers of your blog want to know who you are. Most importantly, he or she wants to know what you can do for them and how you qualify to write a blog anyway. With your reader in mind, it may be easiest to write your “About Us” or “About Me” by using the 5W’s.

Who

Tell your reader who you are. More importantly, it has to show your reader through your words, your personality. If your blog is about financial matters it is okay to let your hair down a bit to let your target audience know that yes you are a geek. The best part of your blog is you so don’t be afraid to be yourself.

Some people may have security concerns when it comes to using their full name. Some people use a pen name to protect their identity. You could also create a pseudonym where the first name is your real name but the last name isn’t.

What and When

In a few short and to the point sentences, let your readership know what he or she can expect from your blog. Here you can summarize your mission statement and make a promise to deliver great, up to date content on a regular schedule. For example, you can set the expectation that you will post something every Tuesday and Saturday. Whatever schedule you pledge to do make sure you keep to it. Your word is on the line. If you don’t have a set schedule, make a commitment to post something new each week at least.

Where

Let your readers know where they can find you other than your blog. Make active links to your social media profiles and any other blogs or websites that you may have.

Why

Write a paragraph about why you felt the need to start your blog. People love a good story. It is a great way to connect to your readers.

How

Let’s face it this is a world where appearance counts and people want to know how you look. Adding a photo to your “About Me” sends a message to your readers that “Yes, I am a real person.” This photo doesn’t have to be professional but make sure it isn’t unprofessional either.

The thought of ‘writing about yourself’ makes most bloggers a little nervous. But, truthfully, you would be making a big mistake if you didn’t take the time to complete your ‘about me’ or ‘about us’ page. Most readers go to the “About Me” page directly after landing on the first page of a site. That’s because this page is so important. Your target audience wants to know YOU and that they can form an opinion about whether or not they like you and can trust you.

How to legally write a diet review

Anyone can write a diet review but the best and legal way to do it is to have some experience with the diet that you are reviewing. First hand information has a much stronger impact. However, if you have not tried a diet firsthand, writing a solid review is still possible if you are willing to interview those who’ve tried the diet. The content of the diet review will be the same except that you would let your readers know if this review is based on your experience or the experience of others.

The problem with most reviews on the internet is they are one sided. They aren’t trustworthy because many reviews are written to sway the reader into a purchase. But, if you are sincere about giving solid, trustworthy, and honest information about a particular diet than make it clear in your review.

Decide before writing your review that you are going to write a diet review that will give truthful, accurate and no fluff information to help your audience make a decision.

What Criteria is the Review based on?

Good or bad, make a list of the criteria that you are making your judgment. For example, the results might be a good criteria for a diet review. Most people want to know what results he or she can expect if they tried a particular diet. Other criteria could be is the diet easy to follow. What are some of the downsides to the diet that a person can expect? For example, if the diet is too structured a person might not stay on it long and thus will be faced with gaining weight again or not losing the weight because the diet is too hard.

Make a Judgment

Once you’ve decided on the criteria it is time to make a judgment about the diet. If your review is based on your own experience, make a decision about the diet and convey it to your readers. Why you would or would not recommend it.

You would do the same for second hand information but you would word it a little differently. Your conclusion would be based on your research and interview. What is your impression based on the information you’ve gathered.

Backup Your Judgment

You’ve decided the criteria and made certain judgments to base your review and now it is time to gather support evidence. In your review make clear the evidence that supports your finding and state why you would or would recommend the diet. Essentially you are supporting your stance. If you say that the diet is a good one then say why you think so. This should be easy since you have established criteria for which to base your judgment. Likewise, if you don’t believe the diet is a good one, show why.

Closing Arguments

Every review should have an ending paragraph that sums up what you’ve said previously. It is a recap. Don’t rehash the evidence found but simply state one more time if you would or wouldn’t recommend the diet. In addition, stick to the point. This isn’t the time to introduce new evidence. This paragraph should be straight to the point and it should bring closure to your review.

A Side Note

Within your review make it known that it is your opinion and based solely on your experience or the experiences of those few that you’ve interviewed. Others may find that a particular diet was helpful and some may find the experience horrible. Try to find evidence to support both sides so that the reader has enough information to make an informed decision.

How to inspire your readers to take action with their weight loss

Losing weight and workout is hard work and your readers need to know that you can relate to this. To inspire your readers to take action with their weight loss you have to show him or her that you can relate to their pain. More importantly, you must help your readers feel like a rock star even if he or she can only do one push up.

Set the Bar Low

Encourage your audience to set the bar low at first. There is always time to move the bar up but starting out it should be low. Starting is the hardest part and if that workout goal is too aggressive he or she will not achieve it. That will send them on a downward spiral of feeling like crap.

Make a Big Deal out of the Smallest Achievements

Encourage your readers to award themselves for the smallest achievement. Doing so will make them want to do more. For example, a person set the bar at walking after dinner two nights a week. He or she walked only one night that week. Write about how to feel good that he or she did something and something is better than nothing in the weight loss game.

Make Working Out Fun

Your readers should be encouraged to do fun activities to lose weight. If he or she likes dancing, then signing up for a dance class would be a fun way to lose weight. Within your blog posts, talk about alternative ways to do fun work out that are similar. For example, if funds are low, that same person could turn on the radio or Pandora and rock the house for 15 minutes after work each day. Not only will she or he burn calories, it will also be a stress buster from a long hard day.

Offer your readers fun ways to burn fat. For example, do a video of you learning to do the hula-hoop. Hula hooping is fun, inexpensive and it burns calories.

Be Transparent

If you are having a bad day and did not achieve your workout goal for the day, let your readers know. This will show him or her that you are human too–and that you have bad days too. Moreover, write about how you will do better next time and how you refuse to beat yourself up for not completing your goal for the day.

As you write each blog post, think about how your reader is doing. What might be holding him or her back from achieving their workout goals? Then come up with ways to show them how to overcome.

Create a Community

Consider having a forum to your blog where your readers can come to vent, and get inspiration from other readers. Read the comments to come up with other post ideas. This is a valuable resource because your readers are spilling their guts about what their challenges are. You in turn need to help them mount that challenge.

Using Facebook to promote your blog

With it being the number one social media site on the internet, it is no wonder that people are interested in ways to promote their blog on Facebook. With people plugging in from all corners of the world, it is an internet marketer’s heaven. Just having a Facebook page, you increase your rate of potential exposure for your blog. Promoting your business or blog with the least amount of effort is why Facebook is so remarkable. Nonetheless many members are not aware of the tools that Facebook has to promote a blog that you are about to learn here.

Business or Pleasure

Facebook is a fun place to connect with friends and family. It is a great way to meet new people and to expose your fun and crazy side. Nevertheless, it is also a great place to build rapport with potential customers and here is where business and pleasure don’t mix.

If you are serious about your blogging business, you need to have a separate account. People will come to your page to learn and interact with you the blogger. He or she will formulate an opinion based on what is on your page so be careful to keep it strictly business and relevant to your niche.

Reach Out and Meet People

Don’t expect or wait for people to find your blog page. Reach out to new people at every opportunity. Use the search tool to find potential clients. You don’t have to know a person’s name to find them. Do a search on Facebook by niche, interest, and networks.

Next, send a friend’s request to all the people that came up. The nice thing about sending a friend request is you don’t have to be friends before someone will accept. More so than not a person will accept your friend’s request and that means more traffic.

Create a Fan Page for Your Blog

Creating a fan page for your blog has many cool perks. For one, you can have an unlimited number of followers compared to a personal page, which has limits.

Install a Facebook like icon on your blog. When people like a post they will be able to see future posts on their RSS feed. Don’t be shy. Ask friends and family to click that like button too. Their followers will get a glimpse of your content too.

Upload content on your Facebook blog page at the same time that you upload a new post to your blog. Don’t assume that someone will always go to your blog. You want to give easy access to your content.

Comments

The key to promoting your blog on Facebook is building relationships. If you are antisocial, get over it. People love to read comments and if you aren’t commenting back, people will lose interest and move on to someone who has the time.

It is in your blog’s best interest when someone comments. When a person comments, it shows on their wall. That means that their friends can see and that means you get additional exposure without making any additional effort. Another awesome thing about Facebook comments is that you don’t have to be concerned about spammers. Facebook offers a plug-in that requires a person to be a member before he or she can leave a comment.

Be Human

Facebook is a casual atmosphere where a person can build relationships. Those relationships can turn into paying customers. However, there needs to be a balance. Your fan page is there to promote your blog but it is also there to show your followers that you are human. Don’t be afraid to post about your vacation, your hobbies, etc. Keep it professional and fun.

For instance, if your blog is about how to lose weight, showing other parts of your life and how you are developing personally is not only appropriate but also helps to engage readers.