I don’t think the dust has settled yet on the whole paid advertising thing.  I’ve been reading many posts on some of my favorite blogs, ironically, which I had discovered through Entrecard.

Members have been dropping out left and right, basically because we now had to monitor and babysit our dashboards virtually 24 hours a day.

Initially I accepted a few paid ads, but primarily from my favorite droppers.  I’ve noticed that my favorite bloggers were dropping less frequently, and that the rates to advertise on my blogs had gone down.

At first, I put up a banner saying I was “Dropper Friendly” and would only accept advertising from those who paid by credits earned via dropping ECs.

The tweets I had read in Twitter using the hashtag #Entrecard leading to many blog posts are what finally persuaded me to leave.

Always a fair-minded person, I wanted to make sure that those who do advertise on my blog are getting 100% visibility, 100% of the time.

As an alternative, I now offer reasonable advertising for those who would like to display their banners on my blog, along with advertising options available from Project Wonderful, CMF ads, Adgitize Me, 123 Traffic Exchange and Moms Ad Exchange and CinnamonHollow.

I’ve been introduced to many wonderful blogs I wouldn’t have discovered otherwise, and have bookmarked many for further reading.

I hope that those readers who still use Entrecard will Bookmark my blogs, subscribe in a RSS reader and/or subscribe via Newsletter.

Recommended Reading:

Tips to Improve Your Blog Traffic: Change No Follow Attribute to Do Follow

3 Ways to Increase Comments and Traffic to Your Blog: Share the Luv

Increase Blog Traffic Through Traffic Exchanges

Entrecard Terms: My Blog – My Terms

Entrecard – Farewell But I’ve Found Another is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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2. Leaving Entrecard – More Than One Way To Get Traffic To Your Blog
3. Entrecard Terms: My Blog – My Terms

I will not be accepting paid Entrecard ads and have set my advert settings to “Reject.” I have found that the banner ads coming through often were not reflective of the material that was actually on the sites that they linked to.Entrecard Terms: My Blog – My Terms | Moomettesgram’s Musings, Apr 2009

You should read the whole article.

Entrecard – Farewell But I’ve Found Another is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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1. Entrecard – Farewell But I’ve Found Another | Moomettesgram’s Musings
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I must follow you

….Ricky Nelson/Little Peggy March

I used to have a Green banner in the right-hand corner of my blog. It said that I’ve become NoFollow Free!

Recently I’ve been doing quite a bit of research regarding the NoFollow/DoFollow attributes regarding comments and links pertaining to Word-Press.  As a WAHM, I’m always looking for a way to build a better widget and gain traffic to my blog.

Today I installed the Word Press plug-in called NoFollowFree

Since I upgraded and have the automatic plug-in installer, it was super easy.

As I belong to When I belonged to Entrecard, I’d been introduced to many wonderful, informative blogs.  Here’s a post by Inside My Head that summarizes the No-Follow/Do-Follow concept in an easy-to-understand manner.

Most blog platforms have a built in default for the ‘NoFollow’ code. Wherever there is a link in a comment, search engines will not follow the link as they are crawling the internet, thus not providing backlinks and trackbacks. Its intended purpose was to help stop comment spam, but it doesn’t work. What it does do is remove some of the incentive for readers to contribute to your site by commenting on your posts.

What’s equally great, is that Leigh has listed all the blogs that now have removed the NoFollow feature.

Like Leigh, I have imposed some restrictions before the NoFollow provision is removed.  However, what’s great is that the more you comment on these DoFollow blogs, once you hit the required minimum posts, the restriction is removed, and you will benefit by having more backlinks to your blogs!

To learn how to remove NoFollow tags from Blogger blogs, there’s an informative Squidoo lens HERE.

I’m hoping that since I’ve also installed  CommentLuv and changed these attributes on my blogs, that I’ll see my statistics increase.

Your thoughts?  Do you prefer No Follow or Do Follow?  And Why?

Related Reading:

Instantly Add Your “Do Follow” Blogs

Entrecard – Farewell But I’ve Found Another is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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If you’re a work-at-home mom, chances are you have a limited advertising budget.  Submitting your blog or ecommerce site to a Site Directory is a great way to gain exposure, traffic and readership.

I’ve submitted all of 3 of my blogs ~ this one, Moomette’s Magnificents Reviews and Mama Mentor to the newly launched Slogbite.com

What distinguishes Slogbite and makes it unique from the run-of-the-mill directory sites, is that Slogbite seeks to establish a “sense of community” among it’s participants ~ which is all part of the new Web 2.0 marketing trend.

To increase your site’s exposure, increase your sites traffic, increase your site’s readership, have fun and become part of a growing and influential community.

You have the ability to submit to multiple categories as well as add your banner.  Once entered, each banner will rotate on either of Slogbite’s sidebars.

Mel has done a terrific job of offering technical support if you need help, and is quick to respond by e-mail with suggestions to help you out if you get stuck.  Not everyone is a techie-and Mel understands that!

Like any good Oscar celebrity party, there’s an “A” List and a “B” list of participants.

Do you belong to Entrecard?  There’s a whole check-off box for that so any Entrecard member can easily find your blog or site.

Slogbite is definitely worth checking out ~ let Mel know I sent you!

Visit: Slogbite

Further Reading: Increase Blog or Website Traffic

Entrecard – Farewell But I’ve Found Another is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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COPY THE BANNER AND BLOG ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE THIS WEEK.
—————————–

EntreCard Find of the Week is now a collaborative effort between Moomettesgram’s Musings and
The Mom With Brownies.

I luv participating in Entre-Find of the Week!’ What a cool way to share the newest blogs you’ve EC dropped in on!

NOT JUST A MAMA

I’m excited to tell you about this Saturday’s Entrecard Entre-Find of the Week, which is written by one incredibly talented young gal ~ Wife, Sister, Blogger, Writer ~ Friend.

On her About Me page, Not Just A Mama, Penny reveals some very personal facts to her readers, and immediately draws them into her world:

• I did not graduate from high school;
• I wish I had;
• I miss my Mom;
• my family means everything to me;
• I’ve written a book I hope to have published one day, hopefully before I die;
• I’m a twice published poet;
• I enjoy designing websites;

And that’s just for starters! Besides offering Free Blog Templates, you’ll find interesting articles about

• Being a Mom
• Family
• Holidays
• In my Defense
• Internet Land
• Me Me Me
• Nothin’ Really
• Relationship Stuff
• This Wicked World
• Work

Please take a moment to stop by and drop your Entrecard (which is above the fold ~ yeah~), read the articles, and leave your comments!  Please mention you found the site through Moomettesgram’s Musings Entre-Find of the Week!

Who was your favorite EntreFind this week? Click here to learn how to play. Don’t forget to come back after you blog about your weekly favorite to leave the link to your post below. We want to read your favorites too!

Entrecard – Farewell But I’ve Found Another is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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Continuing my little expose on how I’m doing in wally world as a WAHM, I’m going to further expound on my adventures in Twitterville.

First, I’m going to say this work-at-home Gram from Dysfunction Junction, CT is finding it’s a ton of fun ~ I enjoy getting the little pop-ups on Twitterfox, and getting to know the personalities of all my Tweeps.  While working late at night, I haven’t had the opportunity to watch the Olympics.  However, there’s one gal who updates regularly, every 10 minutes or so, on what exactly has been going on!  She’s so entertaining (besides being the author of a terrific blog, Send Chocolate, that I suggested last night that she bottle all the commentary on the Olympics into an eBook!

But I digress.  Seriously, Twitter is an excellent platform for micro-blogging and marketing your product, be it a blog, service, eBay store or mission.

If you find yourself in a position that you need to understand your target customer as well as keep up with various ways of marketing to those potential customers, Twitter is one of the most powerful and popular tools out there right now!  This new type of network communication has been taken up by companies and individuals alike in recent months and for good reason.

To get a better understanding of Twitter, let’s first take a look at the format.  Essentially, Twitter is a program that allows you to make very small, public posts.  Because these posts are so limited (they max out at 140 characters) they can easily be sent to a number of different locations all at once.  When you have written a Twitter, it can appear on the twitter website, on short message services, instant messaging sites or even on third-party applications like Facebook or Twitterific.  Folks can even add a script to their blog or website to show their most recent posts and the posts of others!   I have a blue widget box on my right sidebar.   Your Twitter messages, also known tweets, will appear to anyone who has chosen to follow your updates.

There are several advantages to this type of communication.  The first thing that you’ll discover is that it allows for a much more immediate relay of information.  The shortness of the message forces you to be very brief, and this alone can create interest in those reading.  Because tweets are so short, they often lead to frequent posting, which is excellent when you’re looking to communicate with people and to get to know them.  While Twitter is, by default, public, you can restrict the people who see your material with the ease of checking a box in your profile.

Actually, although I rarely have to do this, last night and so far tonight have been the exception.  I believe it’s a full-moon this week, and true to form, the crazies are coming out of the walls.  I, along with a few of  my fellow Tweeps, have had to block several people.  If these folks have a trillion people that they’re following, and only 1 or 2 followers of their own and no website listed – that’s a sure sign of a Spammer or bored teen, and an instant BLOCK.  But don’t let that discourage you.  It happens in e-mail programs too.

You’ll find that not only can you post tweets, you can also receive them.  Once again, the immediate nature of this service lends greatly to its appeal.  Want to follow someone’s updates and see what they are up to with their business or life in general? Simply sign into your Twitter account, type in their Twitter address or username and click the “Follow” button.  That’s all there is to it!

The amount of time that’s spent reading the messages is very short, and you can be in contact with people a great deal more than you otherwise might be. In essence, you can get to know each other much more quickly than if you were just reading each others blogs or profiles.  The look and feel of an instant messaging service helps add to this ability.  Think about it for a minute, do you feel more connected to those on your messenger list than the blogs you read? Twitter is the same way.

I used Twitter extensively this week with my website designer for my Virtual Assistant website.  We both are on Twitter and when I sent her an e-mail either responding to her design questions, or making suggestions on the site design myself, I sent her a Tweet to let her know that ‘you’ve got e-mail.’  Simple!

Are you still a sceptic?  Read what Darren from Pro Blogger has to say about Twitter.

For many, whether they’re looking for friends, clients, or someone to help them out with a problem or workload, getting in touch with others is important.  With Twitter it’s never been easier!

Don’t forget to Follow Me!

Entrecard – Farewell But I’ve Found Another is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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Are you looking for more traffic to your Blog, online e-Store or eBay Store?  Have you jumped on the Twitter bandwagon yet? If not, read on!

I signed up just recently and I’m having so much fun! Not only have I met new friends, but I find that it’s the perfect medium to stay on top of things. It’s also really easy to communicate with my fellow bloggers that I’ve met through Entrecard.  Hey ~ even this Baby Boomer tries to stay ahead of the curve on all the latest technology!  Here’s why I think it’s great for WAHMs to use to promote your online businesses, blogs or eBay business.

Whether you are just getting started with an online business or you have been around for a while and looking for a new way to network, have a look at Twitter. Part chat program and part tiny blog, you will find that the Twitter interface is one that can change the way you interact with your current customers and potential customers worldwide.

Here’s 5 reasons why Twitter’s a powerful marketing tool for online WAHM business owners like you.

1. It’s Short, Sweet & To the Point
Have you ever heard the phrase, less is more? You’ll find that one of the best things about Twitter is that it keeps all messages very short and sweet. You’ll have to give your customers and clients the gist of what is going on in short tweets (messages similar to instant messages) that allow their interest to be piqued in such a way as to make them investigate further. You won’t bother them with long-winded messages that make them yawn and move on. Instead, you’ll be able to catch their attention quickly and make them want to know more.

2. Immediacy
Much like a blog or an RSS feed, you can get access to the people that use Twitter regularly. In some ways, this is like making sure that you can reach them no matter where they are, and you’ll find that this is very important when you want to make marketing one of your biggest priorities. You’re making sure that they have all of the latest updates to what you are doing and what’s going on by simply sending a tweet their way.

3. Everyone’s Doing It
In many ways, Twitter is a social program more than it is a marketing one, and you’ll find that using Twitter can help you feel a great deal closer to your client base and other’s in your online community. If you are looking to make sure that they see you as a person rather than as simply a company or service, you’ll find that Twitter encourages them to think of you as someone they can get to know. This can be very important when it comes to establishing a customer base and customer loyalty.

4. You Get to Hear a Lot
Remember that it goes both ways; you can put information out on Twitter and you can also learn a lot too. By following other’s Twitter accounts, especially if it looks like they have a lot to offer, you can keep in the know about various products, services, and other happenings online. This can be a great way to keep an eye on what is going on in order to keep yourself in the know of your industry.

5. Make Them Laugh
You can also use Twitter to tease people a little bit, in a fun way, of course! When you use Twitter, you have to keep your messages short, and in many ways, a little mysterious. Pique their interest, joke around, and you’ll find that you gain a lot more followers and hopefully website traffic and customers as a result.

Be warned, just as with any other social networking site, Twitter can quickly become addicting if you let it. Don’t go overboard and get so involved in all the tweeting that it takes away from your intended purpose. Used wisely Twitter can be a great and powerful marketing tool to help create online business success.

Sign up for my Newsletter for more updates about Twitter.

Want to know what I’m doing now?  Just read my Twitter Box on my right-hand sidebar!  Follow Me!

Entrecard – Farewell But I’ve Found Another is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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I’ve been Entrecard Dropping lately and requesting ads on many new blogs.

I check back frequently within a day or two to see whether my ads were approved.  What’s the purpose of putting an EC banner on your blog for people to drop in on, if you can’t bother to check back and approve/disapprove an ad request.  It just languishes there?

I cancel any ad requests I’ve made if it’s not approved within 1 or 2 days tops.  I’m not going to tie up my EC points.  It’s not fair to me, who obviously had taken an interest in your blog.  That’s a sure-fire turnoff to gain new readers/subscribers.

Oh, and one more thing ~ Newbies ~ put your banner above the fold.

Either get with the program, or drop out of it.  SOGOTP.

Entrecard – Farewell But I’ve Found Another is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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Click the Button to Keep Me On Top!

I luv participating in Entre-Find of the Week! What a cool way to share the newest blogs you’ve EC dropped in on!

Would you like to be added to the list of Moomette’s Best WAHM Blog ~ Site Award Winners!   Click to find out more!

My Entre Find of the week is Agi, from Grumpy Cow Original Blogger Designs.

In her profile, Agi says she offers “affordable pre-made xml blogger designs!” Agi also offers free Blogger templates, custom designs and Etsy Templates.

I originally was going to go with one of Agi’s free templates for my Mama Mentor Blog that’s on Blogger, and have her customize it.  However, I decided I really liked the one I had, although it was only 2 columns.  I really wanted to add a 3rd column to it.

Even though I had been thinking of trying to do it myself, Agi stepped right up to the plate, and re-did my Blogger template for me!  She even provided instructions on how to save and reinstall all my widgets!

It came out so cool!

Head on over to visit Agi at Grumpy Cow , and tell her I sent you!

Entrecard – Farewell But I’ve Found Another is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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Here’s an update on my Work-At-Home progress.  Since I started out blogging, I’ve learned so much about what an art-form it is from all the wonderful bloggers I’ve met!   Many Entrecard Droppers have become friends, as well as the mom bloggers I’ve met on sites such as the Mom Bloggers Club and BlogHer.

Here are some important blogging techniques I’d like to share with those of you who are fledglings and just launching your new blog off the ground~

The Spectacular Tricks of Pinging by Terry Detty

In this newsletter, we will explain what pinging is, how it helps your blog, and what the best pinging services are. After you’ve read this newsletter, you’ll know exactly how to use pinging to make your blog popular.

What is pinging?

When a blog is pinged, it essentially tells a web blog tracking system that the blog has been updated. Thus, pinging is the process of telling tracking services that a site has been updated.

So how does pinging work? Well, a ping service scans regularly blogs for updates. Whenever there is a new update for a particular blog, that is reported back to the pinging service’s site. You can almost think of ping services being just like search engine spiders—both scan sites looking for information, and both report that information back to their specific site. The difference is, a ping service only reports back new blog posts.

Why is pinging useful for my blog?

Pinging, in effect, tells people that there is a new blog posting available. Those who are loyal followers of your blog will see the ping and want to visit your blog. Those who haven’t read your blog before will see the ping and perhaps think “hey, there’s a new blog I haven’t been to before, I think I’ll check it out”. Pinging helps to increase your traffic because it tells people when your blog is updated. Those who visit sites with pinging services will see this information in the form of a scroll on the left or right side, or top of the page. The scroll is usually in XML format and typically includes the title and URL of your blog, as well as the date and time of the update.

OK, so now I know what pinging is. Who offers pinging?

The answer is, there are several pinging services available which you can use to have your blog pinged. We’ll go over some of them right now.

Weblogs.com

Weblogs.com is probably the most well-known pinging service. Weblogs.com monitors sites for updates and then pings whenever there is an update to report. Virtually every blog software is available to use Weblogs.

Yahoo’s Blogs

Another popular pinging service. This one is offered by Yahoo and has a built-in integration with movable type and other tools. One cool thing about this service is that it offers the ability to give out updates via Instant Messaging services like AOL and ICQ. It is a direct pinging service, so those who sign up for subscriptions to your blog will be sent an email anytime your blog is updated.

Blogrolling.com

Blogrolling allows its bloggers to manage their blogrolls(updates) through a web-based interface. Recently updated blogs are also highlighted on Blogrolling’s web site. Data is automatically retrieved from other sites like blogger.com and weblogs.com every 5 minutes. Often times your blog is already being pinged by Blogrolling, so you might not have to sign up for it. Search on the site first for your URL before signing it up.

Technorati

Available at http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping, Technorati is another service that pings blogs. It gets its data from a variety of places and is definitely a site you should go to for blog pinging.

These are just 4 of the many different blog pinging services available. A quick search on Yahoo or Google will reveal many other possible blog pinging services to use for your blog. It is best to sign up for as many as you possibly can to ensure that your blog is well-pinged. A well-pinged blog will definitely help your blog attract more visitors. So sign up for as many as possible and watch your blog traffic increase.

Pinging tells people when your blog is updated. It is an incredibly useful, and easy to sign up for service, so be sure to sign your blog up for pinging!

Terry Detty, 42, enjoys all aspects of internet marketing and getting out for a breath of fresh air occasionally. Online email marketing, time tracking software and repair my credit.

Article Source: The WAHM Shack Article Directory

Entrecard – Farewell But I’ve Found Another is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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