Regardless of the type of online business you operate (or want to start), there’s one “secret ingredient” that can make the difference between success and failure. Before I tell you what it is though, I’ll share a story from my past that helps illustrate the principle.
It was early 2006. I had just sold a blog called Small Business Branding, and I was moving on to a new business venture I’d named Solostream Global Media. Initially, Solostream was supposed to be a blog network focused on the needs of solo-entrepreneurs. I quickly realized, however, that operating a blog network was more than I could handle, so midway through 2006, I switched gears with Solostream.
I enjoyed web design and felt competent enough that I could do it professionally, so I decided to make Solostream a web design company. My problem, however, was there were hundreds of thousands of web designers out there, and I’d have a hard time making a name for myself with all the competition. So I knew I needed to be more specific about the type of web design services I would offer.
As fate would have it, blogs were just beginning to gain traction as a valuable business tool, and there were literally only a few people marketing themselves as blog designers. So I decided to position Solostream as a WordPress blog design company.
Because the need for blog design services was growing and the competition was low, I soon had more business coming in than I could handle. Within a couple of months, I was able to quit my job to operate Solostream full-time from my home office. I was finally free, and it was a great feeling.
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Hi there. I’m Michael Pollock, the new owner of Blog Strategies. David Henderson, the site’s original founder, had a few too many projects on his plate and was kind enough to transfer Blog Strategies to me. He will surely be missed around here, but I hope to more than adequately fill his shoes.
A Little About Me
I’ve been doing business online since 2004, when I launched Small Business Branding (SBB), a blog about how small businesses build a strong and enduring brand on and off the web. It was a fun project, and I learned a great deal about small business web marketing. During the two years that I owned Small Business Branding, my proudest moment came when Entrepreneur Magazine referred to it as one of the “cream of the crop” marketing blogs on the web. After two years, however, it was time for me to move on to something else, and I sold Small Business Branding to an Australian friend of mine named Yaro Starak.
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I know … I know. I write a lot about Solostream themes for Wordpress. Let me add that I don’t work for them, and they don’t pay me.
I write a lot about Solostream themes for Wordpress because their themes are versatile, easy to customize and stylish. Solostream also delivers the best after-market technical support in the field, in my opinion. It all makes for a first-class experience.
After market support, incidentally, is vital when buying any theme for Wordpress. Some of the more heavily promoted theme companies deliver little-if-any customer support … so when you buy, you are on you own.
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Understanding out how to configure the MySql database of a Wordpress blog was the most challenging piece to learn when I started blogging. It seems tricky but in reality, it’s just a step-by-step process that is necessary to get a Wordpress blog online. The process includes both the Web hosting company you have chosen and the Wordpress software that you can download for free from www.Wordpress.org. Here’s an overview:
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I’ve run into a first in the world of Web hosting companies – a company that not only has limited and poor technical service but offers no money back to new customers who sign up in good faith. Happened to me as I was seeking affordable virtual dedicated service (VDS) service as a backup alternative for some of my Wordpress blogs.
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Wordpress every so often has updates to its fabulous blog software engine. I generally find out about it when I sign-in to the Dashboard of a blog to see a notice at the top center. Most updates to Wordpress are easy – simply click Update Automatically, and the process works seamlessly.
It’s always good to update software for Wordpress and plugins because developers are always improving. Many Wordpress updates provide better blog security. When I started blogging, I neglected updates for a while only to receive a gentle reminder from my Web hosting service. Running the latest software helps them to provide the most secure service.
Plugins need updating when you notice a red flag beside the word, Plugins, on the Dashboard. Sometimes, there is a number to indicate how many plugins need updating. Again, select automatic update because it’s fast and easy.
As a lot of bloggers have found, many of the people who object and criticize blog postings the loudest do not use their own name or a valid email address. All during the evolution of the Internet, such people have been bottom-feeders who lurk in the shadows as cowards, misfits, deceptive failures, malcontents and liars (did I miss anyone?).
Long before the Internet, Mark Twain said: “You are a coward when you even seem to have backed down from a thing you openly set out to do.†Such is the case with people who anonymously post vile material and comments online. But, they often leave fingerprints …
Whenever anyone posts a comment on a Wordpress blog, their IP address is captured. It can look like this in the Wordpress dashboard comment screen next to the comment: 12.345.678.90. That is the individual identification of their network and reveals all kinds of information, including location, unless they have gone to the trouble of using a proxy server. In such case, they are a certified Internet criminal.
If the harassment and abuse continues, you can file a complaint with the person’s Internet service provider, providing the specific IP address.
Additionally, on incoming emails, you can reveal the “raw source” data of any email address which helps to triangulate the source of offensive comments which, in some cases, can be downright slanderous.
If you are being attacked on Twitter by an anonymous person who is using a false email and identification, Twitter responds quickly when you file a complaint by deleting the offensive account. The team at Twitter can block their IP address from further problems.
Wordpress, the world’s most popular blog platform, has released version 2.8.3. It comes on the heels of 2.8.2 and fixes some stability issues, according to Wordpress. The update is free.
Update is very easy – simply select the automatic update feature from within a Wordpress blog. As always, it is advisable to backup the database, first.
Hi there. I'm Michael Pollock, and I train coaches, consultants and other solo-professionals on how to use the web to impact more people, earn more money and live a bigger life ... 