Go Daddy's Gator

When I decided to purchase my dot com for Indie Designz, I didn't put a whole lot of thought into where I'd get my web hosting from. Now a few months later I wish I'd known then what I know now. It's important to know what your specific needs are when choosing a web host. It's also important to know they'll throw a bunch of flashy things in front of you that you don't really need. Fortunately I had a friend help guide me when I purchased so I was able to purchase a plan specific to what I needed and didn't end up purchasing a bunch of things that really are more flash than necessity. Considering my limited budget it's important all of my purchases are absolute necessary.


There are many choices out there and the absolute best is to have your own dedicated server hosting. However that's also the most expensive and not really something many can afford to do. So whether you're needing an e-commerce site or simply wanting to promote your latest kitty,you have to make sure your site is Google friendly. While those free flash sites may look pretty, Google hates them and refuses to play with them. So make sure you choose a site and hosting that Google likes. Also make sure to bring cookies and chocolate to bribe with in case it becomes necessary.

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Bets Please

I know I shouldn't be surprised with all there is to do online these days, but still whenever I come across something new I can't help but "gasp" and think "really they can do that online?!" So why I was surprised when I realized there were actual to goodness online casinos I'll never know, but apparently gambling online has become very popular and easy to do. Which means it's becoming ever easier for people to gamble away their life savings before they finish their cup of tea. 

I'm not really sure how I feel about all of these online advances. While I love being able to email my friends across the globe and no longer have to wait for snail mail, there is something about sitting in the actual place and experiencing the sights, sounds, and smells that can't really be duplicated when it's done completely online in your pj's while DH is sound asleep upstairs and the kiddos are tucked in bed just down the hall. I mean seriously who is going to shout TWENTY-ONE or WINNER when you hit the jackpot while playing online blackjack or roulette or whichever it is you get 21 at.

I know businesses are in it for the bottom line, but businesses can only go as far as we the consumers allow them to go so while it's easy to shift the blame on some faceless corporation, the true responsibility lies with us, the consumers. So if you don't like it, then don't buy/play/use online, actually go into the store and make an honest to goodness purchase from some pimply faced teenager who's too busy to help you find the item because they're updating their Facebook status about the dork customer who just walked in. 

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Monetizing Your Blog

For the majority of bloggers, blogging is just about sharing the daily exploits of their little ones so that family and friends who live far away can keep up with first steps, lost teeth, and when the dog hides the remote. Every person who blogs does so for their own personal reasons and there really is no right or wrong reason. Even if you started blogging so Grammy and Gramps can view pics of little Bo-bo, you soon start to realize you can actually make money from blogging. There are a variety of different ways to do this. Some people use top affiliate networks to post links through out their blog. Then when someone clicks the link and purchases something they get a few pennies, and usually it is just a few pennies.

There are lots of affiliates out there who will allow you to put use their links such as Amazon, Blue Global Media, and if you google I'm sure you can find an endless number of sources that will allow you to use their link on your blog and pay you when someone uses that link to purchase something on their site. Basically the affiliate program works much like a referral system.

Within each affiliate program, there are a also a variety of subprograms for you to choose from such as Payday affiliate program, cash advance affiliate program, product linking program, etc. Each program has its own set of rules regarding how the links can be used and how you are paid when a person happens upon your blog and clicks the link. There are lots of other ways to monetize your blog, but affiliate links seems to be the most popular along with selling of ad space. But that is another blog post. If you're looking to monetize your blog, these are just a few of the ways you can. There are countless others but these are some of the easiest and simplest which would work well for the majority of bloggers.




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