Wordpress Plugin for YouTube Adsense Video Units

If you added the Adsense Video Unit code to your Wordpress blog and saw something like this as a hyperlink:

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

then you need the Wordpress plugin to make it work correctly in Wordpress. Why you ask? Wordpress is not javascript friendly and the Adsense Video Units use javascript rather then the usual “embed” tag you usually see when pasting YouTube code.

Head over to Ottodestruct and grab the Wordpress plugin that will magically allow the Adsense Video Unit to work in your Wordpress blog. After you install the plugin, you should be able to see the Adsense Video Unit (like you hopefully see in this post.) as pictured above.

The plugin works great except that it interferes with other plugins in my blog! So I won’t be keeping it active for too long!  I removed the plugin because it interfered with another plugin!

So what is all the hoo-ha about Adsense Video Units anyway? In a nutshell, AdSense recently introduced the video units feature, that allows you to include relevant YouTube video on your blog, and make money from ads on it.

The video units are available to Adsense publishers. If you are already using Adsense, you can choose from five products in your Adsense Setup and Video units is one of those. If you are not using Adsense, you can sign up for an account.

Adsense (Google) claims “you can get great video content from YouTube for your site and earn extra revenue along the way.”

When you choose the Video units in your Adsense account, you are quickly whisked away to YouTube where you can create a “sort of” custom Adsense Video unit.

• Name: you can save it and grab or edit it later
• Theme: choose from nine color themes (I chose the blue)
• Layout: choose from Mini 400 x 415, Standard 500 x 510, or Full Size 780 x 560
• Content: Choose the type of videos that play:
  • Automated Content: Enter a set of keywords and YouTube will automatically populate the player with related videos.
  • Choose By Category / Provider: Choose content by Category or Provider.

The ads themselves are intented to be relevent and “non-intrusive.”

In addition to Adsense publishers getting a share of the revenue, YouTube content partners also share in that revenue.  Who are the YouTube content partners and how do you become one?

Good question. YouTube has an official revenue-sharing Partner Program. You can read more here about the qualifications for the YouTube Partner program. There are a few criteria you’ll need to have before applying - including regularly uploading videos that are viewed by thousands of YouTube users.

So, get your Wordpress plugin, grab some Adsense Video unit code, and make some money!

Build a Niche Store (BANS) Version 3 Announcement

Build a Niche Store, the fast growing Internet money making concept, is now in beta test mode for BANS version 3!

The beta testing will start between the 14th and 16th of January. Barring any major unforeseen problems, the creators of this worthwhile software are aiming to release Build a Niche Store (BANS) Version 3 in either the last week of January or the first week of February.

With Build a Niche Store, you now get four national markets and 60 million products under your control, the opportunities are literally endless.

When you purchase Build a Niche Store you receive one licensed copy of the script which entitles you to build as many niche stores as you want. You also receive a downloadable 72-page ebook that gives you detailed instructions on how to do it.

I am still working on my Niche Store 30-Day Challenge and will post the results after, well, the 30 days are up. Read more here. Upon completion, I’ll also provide a complete review of this amazing program.

If you have parked domains (like me - I’m addicted, what can I say?) don’t park your domains … build a niche store and make more money!

Can’t wait to see what other goodies these guys have in store for Build a Niche Store version 3!

Stay tune’d.

Nine Wordpress Plugins That You Need for Your Blog

Wordpress is the ultimate blogging software. There are hundreds of Wordpress Plugin tools available to make your Wordpress blogging experience smoother, better, and really cool. Head over to the Wordpress plugin respository and have a look around - so many plugins to choose from! If you are just getting started with blogging, and not sure which blog platform to use, read my article. “Get Your Own Domain Name and Host for Blogging“.Here are nine Wordpress plugins to drop-in and start using to maximize your blogging experience for both you and your readers:

Akismet - the ultimate spam killer
Akismet is a default, preinstalled Wordpress plugin. Akismet checks your comments against the Akismet web service to see if they look like spam or not. You can review the spam it catches under “Manage” and it automatically deletes old spam after 15 days.  Youll need an API key. Get a free one by heading over to Wordpress.com and signing up for an account. Have you ever been excited to see comments in your Moderation queue only to find they were all spam!

Daiko’s YouTube Video Widget
This super cool YouTube Video plugin adds a sidebar widget to display random YouTube videos of your own choice. Make your own videolist in the widget-control-panel and  add your favorite tag(s), user(s). It’s easy to set up and gives your readers something to do in case they get bored. The YouTube video widget is also  great way to share your favorite YouTube videos with your readers. You can view in the sidebar.

Recent Comments
The Recent Comments plugin shows  excerpts of the most recent comments and / or trackbacks posted to the articles in your blog. This is a great way to increase readership and page views on your blog. It is part of Wordpress already, so use it!

Secure and Accessible PHP Contact Form
The Internet is all about community and communicating so it makes sense that you should provide a way for people in the blogosphere to contact you. The Secure & Accessible contact form is designed to make contacting you from your website easy, accessible, and secure. It will definitely deter spam emails from arriving in your mail box! It’s super easy to install too - a must have Wordpress plugin.

Digg This
The Digg This Wordpress plugin detects incoming links from Digg.com to your Wordpress post and automatically display a link back to the digg post. Then, people can easily digg your story. When a digg is first recognized an email is sent to the blog administrator. The detection is based on the referrer URL, which has to come from digg. Not sure what Digg is? Head over to my article, “Eleven Awesome Social Bookmarking Site” and start digging!

Google (XML) Sitemap Generator for Wordpress
This Google Sitemap plugin generates an XML-Sitemap compliant sitemap of your Wordpress blog. This format is supported by Ask.com, Google, YAHOO, and MSN Search. Wondering what a sitemap is and why you need it? Head over to Sitemaps.org. Be sure to check out Google Webmaster Tools as well. The Google Sitemap tools are great for knowing exactly where you stand with Google search.

Wasabi Related Posts
The Related Posts plugin will display a series of “related” entries (based on keyword matching) for an individual blog article. The Related Posts plugin is yet another great tool to keep readers on your site and gain even more exposure to more article. Increased pageviews for you! 

Wordpress Database Backup
Yes, you need to backup your Wordpress database! What would happen if some huge Web server crash destroyed your entire database and all known backups? With this plugin, you will still have a backup of your Wordpress blog! You can have the backup file emailed to you or download on the spot for convenience. The Database Backup plugin is preinstalled with Wordpress, so use it!

Adsense Deluxe
If you are a fan of Adsense then you need the Adsense Deluxe plugin for Wordpress. AdSense-Deluxe provides advanced options for managing the automatic insertion of Google AdSense or Yahoo Publisher Network (YPN) ads to your WordPress posts.

What’s your favorite plugin?

Eleven Awesome Social Bookmarking Sites

Web 2.0 is a term that has been thrown around a lot lately. What is Web 2.0? Simply put, it refers to this ongoing transition of the Internet, often characterized as the second generation of the Web. The Web is morphing into an “always on” environment, bursting at the seams with creativity, collaboration, and sharing between users. It includes a plethora of new technologies that enable you and me to commune in this place that we have come to know and love: the Internet.

With that in mind, here are eleven social bookmarking sites you should make a point of using. With social bookmarking sites, you can save your favorite bookmarks and then share them with others within a particular network. Tagging and categories allows other users of the same social bookmarking communities to find your bookmarks, visit those sites, and vote sites up or down!

You will, of course, need to register on each individual social bookmarking site in order to submit blog links and articles.

With social bookmarking, you have the potential to get a lot of traffic and attention!

Digg: get your site listed on Digg, and through sharing and voting, you may even make the homepage and get lots of attention!  Be prepared to pay for all that extra bandwidth from your Web service provider.
Alexa Rank = 135 

Technorati: Blog search engine that tracks over 112.8 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media (don’t get lost in the crowd!) Seriously, Technorati is an authority on what is happening on Web in real time. Always on, always updated! When I launched my blog, Technorati was on the case within 24 hours!
Alexa Rank = 383

del.icio.us: store your favorites of anything on the Web and share with the del.icio.us community.
Alexa Rank = 378

StumbleUpon: discover and share websites. StumbleUpon uses rating to form collaborative opinions on Website quality. If a popular “Stumbler” stumbles across your website and likes it, watch out! You’ll end up with hundreds, even thousands of visitors. This happened recently to a blogging buddy of mine, whose visitors increased to over 500 visitors per day - up from 20. All it takes is one Stumbler!
Alexa Rank = 294

Propeller: part of the AOL Network (Time-Warner company.) Submit stories and get votes from other members!
Alexa Rank = 1647

Reddit: Another source for what’s new and popular on the web. Vote submitted links up or down.
Alexa Rank = 1046

Slashdot: Slashdot is owned by SourceForge, Inc. Slashdot is for geeks. If you are one, head over to Slashdot and submit some good content.
Alexa Rank = 1041

Blinklist: I haven’t used this one. If you have, leave a comment. You can make lists and share, have them appear in your links on your blog.
Alexa Rank = 5431

Fark: An interesting news aggregator and collection of edited social networking news. Their slogan is, “It’s Not News, It’s Fark”. Head on over and join in the fun.
Alexa Rank = 2528

Newsvine: Now owned by MSNBC.com. Newsvine is a great place to read stories from established media organizations like the Associated Press and ESPN as well as individual contributors from all around the world. So the little people, like us, can publish our stories and get them read by the masses too!
Alexa Rank = 5854

Furl: Furl is part of the LookSmart family. Furl archives a personal copy of every page you save. When you want to recall it, you can find it instantly by searching the full text your archived items. Each member has a personal archive of 5 gigabytes (GB), large enough to store tens of thousands of searchable items.
Alexa Rank = 5662

Have you used social bookmarking to boost your Blog traffic?  What’s your glory story?

Build a Niche Store 30-Day Challenge

Build a Niche Store has become a fast growing money maker in the last year. I heard and read so much about it that I just couldn’t resist the temptation to try it out for myself. I have been a “traditional” affiliate marketer since 1998 - creating websites with content that I wrote about products I like and adding affililate links manually.

The more I read about “Creating Niche Stores“, the more intriguing the idea became to me. With the promise of a simple 5-step system, I decided to give it a try.

BANS (Build A Niche Store) is a website builder that enables you to create a network of traffic pulling, money making niche websites focused around the eBay affiliate opportunity.

The claim of Build a Niche Store is simple:

• Choose your niche
• Build and develop your site
• Promote
• Make money
• Repeat

So today, the first day of 2008, I purchased “Create a Niche Store“. For starters, I downloaded the necessary files and  printed the 70-page manual, which so far, clearly outlines How to Build a Niche Store.

I plan to follow the instructions to a “T” and see what happens within 30 days. Is Create a Niche Store everything it promises to be? More importantly, will I make money?

Until then, the Niche Store challenge is on. It could be the perfect answer for me since I have many domains just sitting around waiting to be filled with affiliate links. My first Niche Store test is with a UK domain that is not profitable anymore. I won’t be revealing the domain name during my self-imposed 30-day challenge because it wouldn’t be a fair test of how well the Niche Store idea works.

Stay TUNE’d for the next exciting episode of my Create a Niche Store 30-Day Challenge. AND, if anything spectacular happens before my 30-days is up, I will certainly let you know.

Ta-ta For Now!

How to Create a Blog in 10 Easy Steps

Step 1: Choose Your Passion

What does passion have to do with it? I just want to make money!

Well making money might be a good reason for starting a blog and money CAN be made, but in the end creating and maintaining a blog that is going to last is more about your passion or your driving force. Ask yourself this question:

“What would I do everyday, for the rest of my life, without ever being paid to do it?”

Whatever answer you come up with is your passion. That is what your blog should be about; YOUR PASSION. That is what you should be blogging about. Write for yourself before you right for someone else. Money and fame are just icing on the cake.

See, when you first start writing your blog, there most likely WILL NOT be any money returned from your time investment. Making money  is usually a result of long hours invested in gaining subscribers and avid readers and becoming known as an “expert”. You might decide to monetize your blog, but without people reading your blog, how are you going to make money?

Remember this: THERE ARE NO GET-RICH-QUICK SCHEMES RELATED TO BUILDING AN A+ BLOG!!! Sorry to dash your dreams but if you are looking for the “key” to riches beyond your wildest dreams, then please go somewhere else; you won’t find it here.

Step 2: Write Down Your Goals

Most likely if you write down your goals those goals will happen. This is because making yourself actually think about what you want to accomplish is half of the battle already won. “Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail.” ~ English Proverb What do you want to accomplish? How are you going to deliver your message? When you are finished, what is it going to look like?

Step 3: Visit Some Other Blogs

Do some research and check out what other people are doing with their blogs. Learn what blogging is in general. Don’t just search for blogs in your niche, but also in general. There is alot to be learned from others that have already put up there own blogs. Posts some comments so that you can start to get a feel of what the whole blogging process is. While you are researching be sure to bookmark those blogs that you have visited and write down interesting ideas that pop into your head. You might not remember where you have been only a day or two earlier.

Step 4: Choose a Blogging Software

There a bunch of options when looking for your blogging software. I would start by doing a search on Google for Blogging Software. Don’t be intimidated by the 62,000,000 + results returned back to you.
For the scope of the article, I am going to talk about WordPress (http://www.wordpress.com). I chose WordPress for my blog not only because it is the most popular, but also because it is backed by a huge community, has some really useful plugins, gives you loads of control and is easy to use. You can either signup for at WordPress or find your own hosting provider to host the blog for you. If you are new to blogging then signing-up at WordPress might be your best bet. There are many of bulit-in extras like stats that track your visitors that are beneficial. Best of all it is FREE!!

Step 5: Buy a Domain Name

Buying a domain from a domain registry such as GoDaddy
will make your blog appear more professional. Choose a domain name that not only fits your blog’s purpose but also has keywords in it. For instance, if your blog is about gardening, then choose a domain such as “MyGardeningBlog.com” or “My-Gardening-Blog.com”. The .com, .net, .org, etc extension is not important although .com extensions are generally recognized as the default.

Step 6: Customize Your Blog

Customizing your blog is very easy with WordPress. If you choose to host your blog with WordPress then you can choose from dozens of pre-installed templates. You can also Search Google for additional templates that are either FREE or low cost for around $45 a template. If you find a template that is not provided by the hosted service then you can simply upload the new template to your account. The control panel that comes with the hosted service is very easy to use.

If you are daring enough to modify the template by hand you can do so. WordPress is built in a web site scripting language called PHP. If you are not familiar with PHP then this route is not for you. You can, however, find additional resources online either at the WordPress website or by doing a Google search.

Step 7: Install Helpful Plugins

WordPress is easily expandable by the use of “Plugins”. Plugins are little pieces of software that are created by a 3rd-Party developer that accomplish simple tasks such as helping you manage your Google Adsense(http://www.google.com/adsense) ads or backing up your WordPress installation. There are many plugins to choose from and you can search for them at WordPress.org.

Step 8: Write Your “About” Page

When you are ready, you can describe the blog and its purpose in an “About” page. Be as descriptive as you can about the target audience and what you will be providing in the blog.

Step 9: Start Posting to Your Blog

This is actually the hardest part. If you have done your homework on what your passion was and you did some research, then you most likely did some blog posts in your head. Don’t sweat coming up with great and astounding ideas or intricate essays. Remember the KISS method and Keep It Simple Stupid! (OK I had to break this rule for this article but you know what I mean…)

Need Help? Download Blogging to the Bank to learn how to give yourself the blogging advantage and profit from your blog.

You have to remember who your audience is in general. Most people read blogs rather than other forms of information because they are short and to-the-point snippets of information that can be easily digested. I think this is just normal human behavior in a conventional society. There is far too much information on the internet and too little time to try to consume it all. Blogs satisfy our normal curiosity like small little squares of chocolate would satisfy our sweet-tooth.

Step 10: Marketing (and maybe Monetizing) Your Blog

Since you have been blogging your little heart away, wouldn’t it be nice if people actually read it? Here are a few ways, among many, to go about marketing your blog.

Google Website Submittal (http://www.google.com/addurl/) - This allows you to easily add your new blog (or website) to Google. I also suggest you submit to Yahoo and AltaVista and any other search engine or directory you can find.

Google Adsense and Adwords - Adwords allows you to advertise on Google and Adsense allows you display ads on your blog that match your content. If any visitors to your blog click on the advertisements you get paid for it. What a concept!! Be sure to check the other suggested affiliates and ad networks under the “Money Makers” section of this blog.

Google Sitemap - This is a FREE plugin for WordPress that you can install that will create a Google Sitemap of your blog that can be used to allow your blog to be better indexed by Google.

FeedBurner - Another plugin and service that is FREE that allows you to do some really neat things with your blog’s feed. The feed of your blog is what allows someone to subscribe to your blog. It is a file that contains all of your posts in a specific file format called RSS that an “aggregator” (or “feed reader”) such as Google Reader can read and keep track of. You would want to use an aggregator because it keeps track of the different blog feeds that you have subscribed to and allows you to read those blog feeds all in one place. Although you do not need FeedBurner to allow your blog to be subscribed to, it has some really great features that you need to check out.

Comments - Visit alot of blogs and subscribe to them. Try to be the first to leave a comment with a link back to your blog.

Forums - Forums are the same way. Just be careful that you are truly leaving a comment about the thread and not just trying to advertise your blog.

Signatures - When you leave a comment or send an email make sure you use a signature that has your blog address.

Write Articles - Turn you blog posts into an expanded article that you can put on a tutorial or eZine (Electronic or Online Magazine) website such as eZineArticles.com. Make sure to add a link back to your blog.

Word of Mouth - Don’t forget to tell the people you know about your new blog and keep them updated on what is going on. Ask them to become subscribers to your blog.

I hope you have enjoyed this introduction into the world of blogging and I hope that you find your passion. Please be sure to comment on this blog post and leave me some feedback. Also be sure to ask me any questions that you might have. I will be glad to help you in any way that I can.

Jason Cochran is an internet guru with over 10 years experience with website design and development, marketing and advertising. His blogging website is at http://blogging.jasonleecochran.com

Get Your Own Domain Name and Host for Blogging

Are you just starting out with your blog and wondering if you should get your own domain name or use a subdomain of free blog providers like blogspot.com, wordpress.com, or typepad?

Stop wondering! Get your own domain name. Why? If you decide to move to a different blog platform (it happens) you can lose your traffic, search engine rankings, and Oh my!, all those links you worked so hard to get.

These “subdomain” blog addresses are not portable. In other words, you can’t take it with you so don’t start out with one! Instead:

1. Get a real domain address.
2. Get some Web server space from a reliable host.
3. Install Wordpress on your Web server.
4. Start blogging.

Get a real domain address:

I highly recommend the following:

1) Register a new domain name with GoDaddy . They are inexpensive and easy to work with. If you do not want your personal information to be listed in the WHOIS directory, then choose private registration (cost extra). Later, when you get your Web server space, you will have to change the Domain Name Server (DNS) to that of your web hosting provider.

GoDaddy Promo Codes: (write down the code and use when you check out at GoDaddy)
OYH1 or hash1: Get 10% off any Godaddy order with this coupon. No maximum.
OYH2 or hash2: Get $5 off any Godaddy order of 30$ or more.
OYH3 or hash3: Get your .COM for $6.95 ($2 off)

2) Register a domain name with 1and1Internet. You can get private domain registration for FREE at 1and1Internet.

Get some Web server space from a reliable host: 

Once you complete your domain registration, get some Web server space to host your blog. According to Wordpress.org, BLUEHOST.COM provides a rich hosting environment for your blog. They also provide WordPress auto-install! You can host 6 + domains for as little $6.95 per month total! AND, if you sign up with BlueHost for your Web hosting services, you can register your domain name for FREE!

I am hosting with Bluehost. Another feature you might like about BLUEHOST is their customer service. I called on a Saturday night (I know, I need to get a life!) and someone answered on the first ring. He answered all my questions and was extremely nice.

Install Wordpress:

Once you have a domain name and Web host, install Wordpress, the very best blogging software. a state-of-the-art semantic personal publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability.  Wordpress will be available in your control panel when you log into your web hosting account.

You can choose from hundreds of Wordpress themes for the look and feel of your blog. Visit the Wordpress Theme Viewer for a real blog theme treat!

Start blogging:

OK. Once you set up everything - well, start blabbing, I mean blogging! If you are not sure what to blog about or what your next steps should be, I suggest you read the Blog Profits Blueprint - its FREE! Find a quiet place to read it. It is packed with great information about blogging.

Stop back and let me know your blog address and how you are doing!

Super Affiliate Handbook with Rosalind Gardner

Did you know that an entire industry has grown around online affiliate marketing since the mid-1990’s and it is getting bigger all the time? That’s probably why you are here. Looking for information about how you can either get started with affiliate marketing, or improve your current affiliate marketing efforts.

I won’t get into what affiliate marketing is, I will tell you about a great ebook that help you either get started, or get back on track.

I’ve been an affiliater marketer since 1998! Those were the days…Fast forward to 2007 - 2008. The affiliate business is a serious game with serious competition. Now, every type of successful professional needs, or has a mentor of some sort. Either a real coach, CDs, classes, or books from experts in their field. It’s no different for affiliate marketing.

I’ve read loads of ebooks on the topics, watched endless videos online, and received more than my share of emails promising me riches for doing nothing! Friends, affiliate marketing takes work and skill. You wouldn’t take a job as a lawyer if you knew nothing about the law now would you?

The Super Affiliate Handbook is a no-nonsense book packed full of information by Rosalind Gardner. Rosalind is an affiliate from way back that has made an enourmous amount of money from affiliate marketing. She is a leading expert in this field and knows her topic well.  Rosalind Gardner is also well respected.

Using a step-by-step plan to business-building, the ‘Super Affiliate Handbook’ answers all of the questions you will have and many, many more.  The Super Affiliate Handbook shows you how to deal with the problems that affiliates encounter and how to avoid the mistakes that many affiliates make - something other trainers just don’t tell you about.

Frequently revised and updated to reflect industry changes, the Super Affiliate Handbook now consists of 235 pages and 116 screenshots that will show you step-by-step how to become a Super Affiliate.

You’ll learn how to install a blog, pick the most lucrative programs, negotiate a commission raise and save time, money and effort on everything from affiliate software to web hosting.

You’ve got plenty to gain and nothing to lose with Rosalind’s 56-day Risk Free Money Back Guarantee.

Get the Super Affiliate Handbook Today - you owe it to yourself to learn from the expert in the field of affiliate marketing.

To learn exactly how she does it, Click Here.

Blogging to the Bank

Get This Behind The Scenes Blogging Blueprint And Finally Give Yourself An Unfair Advantage Over The Competition!

 Have you thought about blogging for money? Not sure where to start? Are you currently a blogger who is not making any money? Then Blogging to the Bank is for you!

Find out how you can create a blog that earns money for you!

If you’re absolutely sick of all the get rich quick hype, getting your ass kicked by Adwords and finding it hard to make a single dollar in profit online? Maybe you’ve spent days optimizing your website for the search engines, only for them to ignore your site totally.

You Can Follow Along Step-By-Step And Legally Steal the Most Secret Blueprint For Making Up To $34,244 Every Month From Long Term Blogs!

Make Money with Typos and Misspellings - Typo Gold

 Update: 18 Jan 08 - Typo Gold is no longer available.

Did you know that you can get targeted Internet traffic - for free or near nothing - using proven strategies that most online marketers ignore?

Let me introduce you to Typo Gold, where you will learn about how to profit with typos and misspellings. People just like you and me type the wrong phrase in search boxes all the time. In fact, over 17% of searches are typed incorrectly.

Do you know how many people type a domain name incorrectly?

Do some quick math. If all the keywords for your Web site come to 200,000 searches per month across all search engines, and 17%  of 200,000 is 34,000, then you can see that Typo Gold strategies can give you access to 34,000 potential extra visitors to your Web site.

Typo Gold reveals to you a 100% scientific method that shows you exactly which variation will get you the most traffic.

I highly recommend Typo Gold. I used it recently to breathe new life into a nearly dead Web site. It really works!

Update: I started using Typo Gold domain strategies along with Clickbank. This is a winning combination! This is the best ebook I have read on a great long-term strategy to gain a steady stream of traffic.

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