PART I: AN INTRODUCTION TO BLOGS AND BLOGGING...4
The New Media...4
What a Blog is (and is Not)...5
The Blog as a Business...8
The Components of a Blog Empire...8
PART II: BUILDING YOUR BLOG EMPIRE...11
Deciding What Type of Empire You’ll Build...11
The Makings of Empire: Choosing Content That Provides Value...12
Construction: No one Need Blog Alone...15
Well, What Do You Know?...16
Develop a Blog Theme...20
Branding – Developing a Name and Image That Will Stick With People...21
Need Brand Be Relevant to Content?...22
Branding Idea Generator...22
Earning and Protecting Your Reputation...24
Designing a Page That Complements Your Content...26
Artwork...28
Fonts and Colors...30
Using Your Links Wisely...30
Layout...31
Objects...32
Blog Entries...33
Insightful and Unique Content...34
Links and Commentary...34
Consistency...35
Copyright...38
Are Images Necessary?...39
Hosting Images...41
Archives...43
Becoming a Relevant Portal...45
Blog Hosts...46
Free vs. Subscription...46
Generating Traffic...50
Traffic Exchanges...50
Blog Directories...54
Blog Rings...55
Link Exchanges...56
Visiting Other Blogs – Meet the Competition...58
Traded Links – a Valuable Asset...59
Search Engines and News Engines...60
Steppin’ Out: Blogging on Multiple Sites...61
Developing Content for Other Sites...62
Letting Others Put Your Name Out There...64
Keeping Readers With Expertise...65
Writing Unique and Valuable Content...65
Writing Timely Content...66
Comments and Input...66
Banning Readers...69
What About Free Speech?...70
XML and RSS Feeds...71
PART III: PROFITING FROM YOUR BLOG EMPIRE...74
Generating Profits...74
Google AdSense and Pay-Per-Click Programs...76
Selling Banners by the Impression...79
Swag, or Getting Your Customers to Advertise for You...81
Donations – “Ask and ye shall receiveâ€...82
Subscriptions and Special “Insider†Reports...83
The First Entry – and Where it Leads...84
GLOSSARY 88
