I’ve mentioned several times before that a good web host is crucial for us bloggers. I’ve seen several forums where people asking for advice on choosing a reliable and affordable web host are pushed towards free web hosting options. Some have even gone so far as to recommend free web hosts as the “best” possible option for bloggers when asked about web host rating issues.
True, as a new blogger, I also sought out the free web hosting options available online. I didn’t know if my pro-blogging efforts …

The US dollar, despite the recent economic speed bumps, remains one of the most powerful currencies in the world.
You might remember that scene from “Eurotrip” where the protagonists live like kings in a god-forsaken country with nothing more than a few pennies. That’s an exaggeration, obviously, yet still quite true. In the Philippines where I live, a single dollar could get you approximately 44 pesos, which isn’t shabby at all. The British pound earns around 85 pesos.
But what am I doing discussing currency in a writing website?
The …

Ah, the freelance writer.
Most people assume that freelancing is one of the most laid-back and easiest career paths ever to happen to man. True: there’s no need to go suit-and-tie every morning, no rush hour commute, no boss to drive you up the wall every single day.
What most people don’t realize, however, is that freelancing means you’re on your own. Literally. There’s no company to handle your tax payments, bills, client invoices, HMO, etc. More importantly, you don’t get to have a legal pit bull that’ll …

I’ve been out of touch this past weekend thanks to a combination of back pain and the installation of the entire Sims 2 collection on my Mac. It took me weeks to finally get the installation done (thanks to a random list of things I’d rather not discuss), and back pain had rendered me completely immobile for days.
Anyway, I’ll leave you with this strip from xkcd.com to think about. I’ve said time and again that writing is not a science. There’s no point forcing it to conform …

Apart from choosing the domain name, one other dilemma that has bloggers rolling around in grief is the selection of the appropriate theme for the website.
The theme, after all, is the face of your website. It’s the first thing that greets your visitor’s eye, even before they get to read the content proper. The theme’s colors, layout and overall appeal is a representation of you and your blog. Whether you intend to or not, your choice of theme inevitably speaks volumes about you, your credibility and the …

So it’s been some time since I first talked about a paid-to-blog program here. As you know, I’m a total newbie when it comes to this pro-blogging thing, and a lot of the moneymaking opportunities I mention here are the products of hours upon hours of research work.
I check out forums, other websites, etc., just to find the best and most reliable companies to work for online.
Unfortunately, one problem I’ve had with most paid-to-blog programs is that they don’t give you a chance when you’re green. Understandable, because …

As a new blogger, my first instinct is to save rather than splurge. I’m afraid to invest too much in this new venture of mine, not without any guarantee of success. And so I purchased a cheap domain name, downloaded Wordpress and signed up with a free webhost.
The domain, you pretty much can’t help but pay. If you want your own stamp on the online world, you have to pay for it. I decided, however, that I would just pick out any free webhost (the most …

As you know, I’m pretty much a rookie when it comes to paid blogging. I’ve been a blogger for nearly three years, but my foray into the world of paid blogging began just a few weeks back, right after I signed up for PayPerPost. But since I’m a newbie, my steps have been quite wobbly, and I’m not always sure if I’m doing this right.
Enter IZEA’s latest brain child: SocialSpark. IZEA is the parent company behind the ever popular PayPerPost, and it’s different in the sense that …

I’d be a liar if I said I spent all my time working and writing just for the fun of it.
Writing is fun, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that money’s a pretty good motivator, too, and it’s the primary reason I’m up this early and getting ready for work (*cue theme: “She Works Hard for the Money” by Donna Summer*). Of course I love writing, and would probably keep writing even if it meant zero bucks. To be able to write and earn at the same …

As I mentioned here, I was initially apprehensive about the paid blogging business. Writing is my only talent, so to get paid to write about products/software/websites that I would normally not write about seemed a bit like selling out. To me, it seemed a little like quackery, and I’m rarely up for such a dubious challenge

It turns out, though, that most of my fears about the paid blogging business were based on misconceptions. I thought that paid blogging meant I would always have to write glowingly about …