Need More Social Media & Blogging Knowledge? Try Cube Classes!

Show Me the Blog Social Media and Blogging Conference founder Danyelle Little knows a lot when it comes to blogging and social media. After establishing a popular blog, TheCubicleChick.com, she has found a way to make a full-time income with blogging and social media. And now, Cube Classes, a branch of her brand, was created to teach others the virtues of blogging and all that comes with it.

Cube Classes will offer classes in person around St. Louis as well as virtual classes online.

Classes in:

• Blogging
• Social Media
• WordPress
• Monetization & creating blogging income
• Personal Development
• Niche blogging
• Business Development
• Social Media Basics

…and much more.

As Show Me the Blog supporters, we hope that you check out Cube Classes. And if you know someone who would like to learn about these subjects, we hope you point them to our direction!

Danyelle’s first two classes will be held in May. The first class, So I Have a Blog. Now What? (Learn Six Crucial Steps That You Need to Take to Create Traffic & Make Money on your Blog) will be held on Thursday, May 17th from 6 to 8pm. Click HERE for more details.

And the second class, Are You Afraid to Launch (Get That Business Off The Ground) will be held on Saturday, May 19th from 9 to 11am. Click HERE for details.

For more information about Cube Classes, visit CubeClasses.com.

10 + 1 Must Have Plug-Ins for your WordPress Blog

WordPress is my preferred blogging platform. The flexibility WordPress gives me is second to none, but I love it mostly because of the plug-ins. Plug-ins are essential to your blog and can make your blog run effectively and smoothly on its own with minimum work or effort on your part. Well heeled plug-ins can be a Godsend to your site and give you an advantage other sites that don’t have plug-ins.

Here are my picks for 10 + 1 Must Have Plug-Ins for your WordPress Blog:

Askimet: Askimet is a free WordPress plug-in that helps block spam comments and trackbacks before they appear in your comment cue. It does a pretty good job at filtering spam comments and I use this plug-in on all of the blogs that I manage and run. You can see the comments still in the spam folder, and once a week, I go through them because sometimes there may be a valid comment that was marked as spam.

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5 Ways To Make Money On Your Blog

Creating an income with your blog is now something that most bloggers can achieve with a little hard work and determination. Gone are the days where only a certain few bloggers could make money—it has become a platform that has created additional sources of income for the millions of people who blog professionally or for fun. Making money with your blog isn’t hard, but it does take a knowledge and a little time.

Here are 5 ways to make money on your blog:

1. Ad networks: The most obvious way to make money on your blog is to use an ad network for your site. This could be an ad network such as Google Ads which isn’t exclusive and allows anyone with a site to use the service. An ad network gives you a code (the code produces a visual ad) for you to put in select spaces on your blog, and money is earned by impressions (or page views) for the ads, or clicks for the ads. If you have a nice amount of traffic, you can make a pretty good income using ad networks, but if you are a new blog with a small audience, it may take time for you to rake in the dough. Using more than one ad of different sizes can also increase your cash. But be careful. Too many ads can cause your site to load slowly and may turn some people off.

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5 Mistakes You May Be Making On Your Blog

Blogging, although a pretty saturated term, is pretty much still a new frontier as a medium. Compared to its counterparts, blogging is the newest forefront that we use to share information and express ourselves. And while there are no rules for blogging per se, if you want to take your blog to the next level or become a professional blogger, there are things that you should be doing to achieve that goal.

There are power in your words and your voice as it pertains to your blog, but you could also be making major mistakes with your site—mistakes that may be costing you the opportunity to advance as not only a blogger, but a source people rely on for information.

Here are 5 mistakes you may be making on your blog:

1.Not having your own domain: We at Show Me the Blog are big on branding and setting your blog apart from the rest. Purchasing your domain is one of the most important things you can do to make a name for yourself with your blog. Years ago, domains used to cost upwards of $25-100 but now cost less than $10 with most providers. Invest in your blog by purchasing a domain and say goodbye to suchandsuch.blogspot.com, et al. It’s good for your branding, good for your blog, and will overall improve your traffic and your SEO. (Also, get on WordPress if you aren’t already! SEO loves WP blogs!)

2. Not being consistent: There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to how often you should blog, but being consistent goes a long way. Not only does consistency help maintain and acquire readers who are thirsty for your information, but it also helps your page rank. Google and other search engines show favor to sites who are updated regularly (at least once a week). Make it a habit to post on your blog weekly and watch your traffic grow.

3. Not engaging your readers: If you are not engaging your readers on social networks or in the comment section of your blog, then you are losing. Engaging your readers is a great way to thank those who read your blog and it creates a sense of community within your niche and site. If you only “broadcast” and not “engage”, then you need to shake it up a bit. Your readers will thank you and you may just make some new friends along the way.

4. Not having your contact information on your site: If you are a blogger who wants to work with brands or blog professionally, people need to be able to contact you. It shouldn’t be a chore to try to find contact information on your site. Have an ABOUT ME page on your blog with up-to-date information about you and your blog including your email address. Will you get spam? Probably. But you may also get the opportunity to work or cover some great stuff, all because you could be contacted.

5. Having all over the place content: Depending on your blog site or type, you probably fit into a niche. Having a niche is great because it gives you a subject to blog about and can make you an “expert” or “guru” in a particular area. But when you don’t have a defined niche or your content is all over the place, you could confuse your readers before they’ve had a chance to really get to know you. Sit down and think about what it is that you want to say; define your voice, then post your message. Doing so can improve the readership of your blog.

Blogging is an awesome thing—we love it! But with a few tweaks here and there, you can take your blog to never before seen heights. We hope posting these 5 mistakes you could be making on your blog help you and your quest for worldwide domination!

Written by: Danyelle Little, Founder and Organizer, Show Me the Blog Social Media and Blogging Conference; The Cubicle Chick.com

STL WordPress Blogging Boot Camp Recap

On Saturday, Show Me the Blog partnered with XD Web Solutions to offer a comprehensive WordPress Blogging Boot Camp for attendees interested in learning more about WordPress and taking their blogs to the next level. The workshop covered WordPress basics, SEO, plug-ins, shortcuts, and so much more. We also covered how to create content for your blog as well as money making potential and ideas bloggers use to make an income.

The event was held at Nebula Coworking in the historic and festive S. Jefferson and Cherokee area and it was a great time to not only learn but to also network.

Below are just a few pictures from the event. For more photos, click HERE to view our Flickr page.

We plan on partnering with XD Web Solutions on more boot camps and workshops in the future so stay tuned!

And remember, pre-sale tickets are on sale currently for the Show Me the Blog Social Media and Blogging Conference for $50.00 for both days. We have extended pre-sale ticket sales, but will only be doing so until June 30th. After that, the ticket price will be raised to $75.00 for both days.

Show Me the Blog Flickr Page

3 More Days Until Our Blogging Bootcamp: Limited Spaces Available

Have you wanted to start a blog and didn’t know where to start? Do you currently have a blog and you’d like to take it to another level? Or do would you like to convert your current blog to WordPress? If you’ve said yes to any of the above, then our Blogging Bootcamp happening this Saturday, June 18th from 9-3pm is something you should be attending. We will be breaking down WordPress and making it a snap for you to use, as well as give you some blogging tips, tools, and information to make your blog rock!

This workshop is great for those who have their own blog, want to start a blog, or administer a blog for their business or for their jobs. This is a valuable workshop that can increase your knowledge and give you the cache you need to administer your company blogs or other blogs for profit.

We have limited seating, and the class is filling up fast, so act now and sign up. For only $40, you get a full class of learning WordPress and how to blog, SEO, tools, tricks, and tips, and much more. Lunch will be served and each participant will receive a certificate of completion.

To sign up or to learn more about the class, click HERE.

Will we be seeing you on Saturday?

Recap: Monetizing 101 Event at Whiz Tech Cafe

One of the questions I get asked the most regarding my own blog was how I make an income with the site. So we thought it would be best to present a workshop in which some of St. Louis’ professional bloggers and social media gurus could present their tips and suggestions on how to make money.

The event ended up being a well-attended fete of bloggers in all sorts of niches and genres—some have been blogging for years while others haven’t begun blogging yet.

We had three speakers who gave presentations: @TheCubicleChick, @Blksportsonline and @CampingGearTV; our friend @RobynsWorld was supposed to also join us as speaker but wasn’t feeling well. We missed you Robyn!

Here are a few pictures from the event. You can see more on our Flickr page.

We want to thank Yasha, Ross, and the staff at Whiz Tech Cafe for the lovely accommodations and the great food!

Attendees of the workshop were:

@cupcakeproject

@newsjunke

@xdwebsolutions

@aieshadot

@derekbolden

@diggame

@sustainablog

@serabishop

@zakmorris

@kirkwilliams3

@irenegotitmade

@chrisrachael

@phemomenalagent

@soulnoir

@compostqueen

@STLVegGirl

@NaturalBeauty04

@amydtrapp

@HealthyLifeDeal

@FoodSnobSTL

Blogging With Purpose

What is the main purpose of your blog?

Is it to inform people on a certain topic or niche? Is it to make an additional income stream? Is it to help grow your business? Is it all of the above?

We all blog for different reasons. But we all should blog with purpose, especially if our blogs are being used to business or branding purposes. There are hundreds of blogs that are started every minute—yours should stand out from the rest by being unique, purposeful, and focused. When you blog with purpose, your voice is strong and it becomes more authentic.

When you blog with purpose, it sets the bar high for those around you who read your blog.

The next time you just throw up a blog post, think about it—is it a blog post with purpose? Does it resonate? Does it have a theme, a goal, a focus?

As bloggers, let’s focus on less filler and more meat when it comes to our blog sites. And let’s help one another by commenting, sharing, retweeting, and bringing others to sites that we love.