I personally know the excruciating pain and agony that you have to go through to promote your website. I have spent countless hours searching for social bookmarking sites and signing up for them and so and so on. It is very painful, it can really feel like getting your teeth pulled sometimes.
Well I want to let you in on a secret that you might not know about. It doesn't have to be that difficult! And even better, you don't have to spend any money! Well let me stop tiptoeing around and give you the link, it's called Socialmarker.com. You can submit your information by just entering it once and just visiting each site through the site and dragging the information into the corresponding boxes. It really saves a lot of time.
You will still have to sign up to all of these bookmarking sites, but after you do that from then on it's a breeze. One suggestion is that you try to use the same username and password for all of them. That makes it a little bit easier to log in every time, even better just have your browser remember them for you. This really is a time saving tool for those of us that have better things to do. (I don't know about you but I can think of a few).
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Installing Wordpress, Starting Your Own Website (part 4)
Okay so you are almost ready to start posting and setting up your website how you want it. There is only one step left for you to do, and that's getting publishing software. The easiest thing to do is go to Wordpress.org and download the latest version of Wordpress. This is free software so no worries about spending unnecessary money here.
Wordpress will be downloaded in .zip format so you will need a program to extract it, I use WinRAR. Now you will need to extract the file to a folder on your hardrive. My suggestion is that you put it somewhere that is easy to remember and is easily accessible for you.
Okay, next you are going to create a database for Wordpress. Go to your web hosting server, or C-panel. Now scroll down to databases and click on MySQL Databases. Now just create a new user, then create a new database. If this website is for your personal use just check all of the boxes under the priveleges options. Make sure you add a user to the database. Now just leave this window open so you can refer back to it in a minute.
Now go to the location of your wordpress. Open the folder and scroll down until you see a file called wp-config-sample, then open it in wordpad or notepad. Scroll down until you see // ** MySQL settings - You can get this info from your web host ** // Under this line you will have to fill in a few values so wordpress can connect to your SQL Database. Refer back to the MySQL Databases on your C-panel. This is pretty self explanatory, just fill in the values from the SQL Database you just set up, the database name, your database user name, and your database password. Your hostname can be found by asking your web host but I think it's usually localhost. You should be able to leave everything else default. When you are finished editing go to "save as" and save this file as wp-config.
The next step is to open your FTP program, that is Filezilla for example. Log in to your website on Filezilla then go to the public html folder on the right side. This is the location where you are going to install Wordpress. The public html folder is where you will store anything on your website that you want other people to be able to see. Everything on the left side of Filezilla is the files on your computer. Go to the location of the Wordpress file you just downloaded. Highlight everything in the file and drag it to the public html folder. After all of the files are finished transferring go to your website. When you type in your domain name you should go to a Worpress themed page asking you for a blog name. If this is what you see then you have successfully installed wordpress. If not then you should go back into your wp-config file and make sure all of your database information is correct.
Wordpress will be downloaded in .zip format so you will need a program to extract it, I use WinRAR. Now you will need to extract the file to a folder on your hardrive. My suggestion is that you put it somewhere that is easy to remember and is easily accessible for you.
Okay, next you are going to create a database for Wordpress. Go to your web hosting server, or C-panel. Now scroll down to databases and click on MySQL Databases. Now just create a new user, then create a new database. If this website is for your personal use just check all of the boxes under the priveleges options. Make sure you add a user to the database. Now just leave this window open so you can refer back to it in a minute.
Now go to the location of your wordpress. Open the folder and scroll down until you see a file called wp-config-sample, then open it in wordpad or notepad. Scroll down until you see // ** MySQL settings - You can get this info from your web host ** // Under this line you will have to fill in a few values so wordpress can connect to your SQL Database. Refer back to the MySQL Databases on your C-panel. This is pretty self explanatory, just fill in the values from the SQL Database you just set up, the database name, your database user name, and your database password. Your hostname can be found by asking your web host but I think it's usually localhost. You should be able to leave everything else default. When you are finished editing go to "save as" and save this file as wp-config.
The next step is to open your FTP program, that is Filezilla for example. Log in to your website on Filezilla then go to the public html folder on the right side. This is the location where you are going to install Wordpress. The public html folder is where you will store anything on your website that you want other people to be able to see. Everything on the left side of Filezilla is the files on your computer. Go to the location of the Wordpress file you just downloaded. Highlight everything in the file and drag it to the public html folder. After all of the files are finished transferring go to your website. When you type in your domain name you should go to a Worpress themed page asking you for a blog name. If this is what you see then you have successfully installed wordpress. If not then you should go back into your wp-config file and make sure all of your database information is correct.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Now You Need A FTP Program, Starting Your Own Website (part 3)
So you should now have a domain registered and you should have your hosting account set up and linked to the domain. Now you need a FTP program. So what does FTP mean? FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, it's a very common method of moving files between two Internet sites or two computers. You are going to need this to transfer files from your computer to your website. It can also be used to transfer files from your website to your computer to create backups (which I highly recommend).
Fortunately you can download FTP software absolutely free from Filezilla.org. There is other FTP software out there also but I use Filezilla and it works great for me. So if you choose to use Filezilla, this is how you get set up.
Step 1- Go to Filezilla.org and click on the "Download Filezilla Client" button.
Step 2- Find the proper platform for your download and click on the download link. A box will pop up asking if you want to save the file, just click on the "save file" button.
Step 3- Now you should have downloaded Filezilla Client, double click on the file in your downloads box to start the installation.
Step 4- Read the licensing agreement and agree to it. Then decide what components you want installed and click next.
Step 5- Now it will ask you where you want the Filezilla Client installed. If you don't know or don't care just leave it default and click next. Then just click install.
Step 6- Click finish when it is done installing, leave the "start Filezilla Client" box checked because I'm going to show you how to use it to connect to your site.
Step 7- Okay so if you've opened Filezilla Client you should see a big box on the left, this shows your computers files. On your right is where the files for your website will be. First things first, you need connect to your website. Go to the top of the page where it says host and type in your domain name, ex. (pizza.com). Then go to where it says username and type in the username you use for your c panel or your web hosting control panel name. Then type in the password you use for the same thing. Then where it says port just put in the number 21. Click "quickconnect" and you should be connected to your website. There should be a lot of folders on the right side. Don't mess with these now I am going to show you how to start setting up your website in the next section.
Fortunately you can download FTP software absolutely free from Filezilla.org. There is other FTP software out there also but I use Filezilla and it works great for me. So if you choose to use Filezilla, this is how you get set up.
Step 1- Go to Filezilla.org and click on the "Download Filezilla Client" button.
Step 2- Find the proper platform for your download and click on the download link. A box will pop up asking if you want to save the file, just click on the "save file" button.
Step 3- Now you should have downloaded Filezilla Client, double click on the file in your downloads box to start the installation.
Step 4- Read the licensing agreement and agree to it. Then decide what components you want installed and click next.
Step 5- Now it will ask you where you want the Filezilla Client installed. If you don't know or don't care just leave it default and click next. Then just click install.
Step 6- Click finish when it is done installing, leave the "start Filezilla Client" box checked because I'm going to show you how to use it to connect to your site.
Step 7- Okay so if you've opened Filezilla Client you should see a big box on the left, this shows your computers files. On your right is where the files for your website will be. First things first, you need connect to your website. Go to the top of the page where it says host and type in your domain name, ex. (pizza.com). Then go to where it says username and type in the username you use for your c panel or your web hosting control panel name. Then type in the password you use for the same thing. Then where it says port just put in the number 21. Click "quickconnect" and you should be connected to your website. There should be a lot of folders on the right side. Don't mess with these now I am going to show you how to start setting up your website in the next section.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Setting Up Your Web Hosting Account, Starting Your Own Website (part 2)
Okay so onto step 2.....you are going to need to find someone to host your domain. Most domain registrars will have an option for you to host your domain with them. If you choose to do this, sites like GoDaddy.com will have your nameservers already set so you should be good to go on this step. However if you choose to host your website elsewhere, then you will need to do a few things to get set up.
Now as far as which web hosting company is the best, there are really a bunch of good ones out there. I personally use Hostgator, and I have been very happy with there service. My server has never been down and there C-panel is very easy to use. I've also heard good things about Hostmonster and Bluehost as well. There are many others out there so if you feel the need, do your own researching. I pay something like $7.95 a month for Hostgator's "Baby Plan" which includes unlimited bandwidth, unlimited disk space, and unlimited domains allowed. There are some out there that are cheaper but really it's all in what you are looking for.
So after you select your web hosting company and choose your plan you will need to transfer your nameservers to your domain registrar. This is very easy, if you are using Hostgator log into your cpanel and look on the left sidebar, scroll down until you see Nameservers. There should be at least 2 of them and they will look something like this....ns3423.hostgator.com and ns3424.hostgator.com.
Okay now that you have those, go to your domain registrar account. If you are using Godaddy log into your account and click where it says details next to your domain name. Next click on the nameservers icon then a box will pop up. This is where you will set your nameservers from your web hosting account. So click on the Custom Nameservers button and the plug in your nameservers exactly as they were given. You must plug in both nameservers for this to work, one in each of the boxes. You might need to give this 24 hours to take effect, but after that you should be ready to move on to the next step.
Now as far as which web hosting company is the best, there are really a bunch of good ones out there. I personally use Hostgator, and I have been very happy with there service. My server has never been down and there C-panel is very easy to use. I've also heard good things about Hostmonster and Bluehost as well. There are many others out there so if you feel the need, do your own researching. I pay something like $7.95 a month for Hostgator's "Baby Plan" which includes unlimited bandwidth, unlimited disk space, and unlimited domains allowed. There are some out there that are cheaper but really it's all in what you are looking for.
So after you select your web hosting company and choose your plan you will need to transfer your nameservers to your domain registrar. This is very easy, if you are using Hostgator log into your cpanel and look on the left sidebar, scroll down until you see Nameservers. There should be at least 2 of them and they will look something like this....ns3423.hostgator.com and ns3424.hostgator.com.
Okay now that you have those, go to your domain registrar account. If you are using Godaddy log into your account and click where it says details next to your domain name. Next click on the nameservers icon then a box will pop up. This is where you will set your nameservers from your web hosting account. So click on the Custom Nameservers button and the plug in your nameservers exactly as they were given. You must plug in both nameservers for this to work, one in each of the boxes. You might need to give this 24 hours to take effect, but after that you should be ready to move on to the next step.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Registering A Domain, Starting Your Own Website (part 1)
Well there is no need to go anywhere else but here because I am going to teach you the simplest way that I know how to get started other than just going to blogger.com and starting a blog. If you want a website for business purposes or whatever reason that you may want one you can follow these easy steps to get set up.
Your domain name is the web address that people will use to go to your site. For example yahoo's domain name is yahoo.com. Usually your domain name will have something to do with the products that you are selling or have something to do with the content of the website.
So where do you go to register a domain name? Well there are many places on the web but my favorites are GoDaddy.com
and Namecheap.com. You will simply go to one of these websites and pick your domain name. Now if you are trying to start a site showing different pizza recipes you might want the domain name pizzarecipes.com, but most likely this one is going to be taken. You're going to have to be creative with your domain name. If your name is Dave, maybe try davespizzarecipes.com or davespizza-recipes.net there are all sorts of options and both Godaddy and Namecheap will give you good ideas of what is available.
Now I personally like Namecheap.com the best because they give you Whoisguard free for one year just for registering your domain through them. Now why is this important? Well anyone can go into the Whois database and look up your website and see who owns it, your address, and your phone number. So if you like to make sure these things are kept private as I do Namecheap is definitely the way to go. Godaddy offers Whoisguard also but it isn't free. I'm not quite sure how much it is but I think I remember it being around $20 a year.
There will be many different options to choose from after you choose your domain name, but unless you are selling products directly from your website I don't think these are necessary.
So the bottom line is that you will probably be spending somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 to $20 dollars to register your domain name. That is the fee for one year but you can sign up for 2 years, 5 years, or whatever. I prefer to sign up for a year and just renew if I want to at the beginning of the year. You never know what might become obsolete and I don't want to pay for a domain name that I am not using.
Your domain name is the web address that people will use to go to your site. For example yahoo's domain name is yahoo.com. Usually your domain name will have something to do with the products that you are selling or have something to do with the content of the website.
So where do you go to register a domain name? Well there are many places on the web but my favorites are GoDaddy.com
and Namecheap.com. You will simply go to one of these websites and pick your domain name. Now if you are trying to start a site showing different pizza recipes you might want the domain name pizzarecipes.com, but most likely this one is going to be taken. You're going to have to be creative with your domain name. If your name is Dave, maybe try davespizzarecipes.com or davespizza-recipes.net there are all sorts of options and both Godaddy and Namecheap will give you good ideas of what is available.
Now I personally like Namecheap.com the best because they give you Whoisguard free for one year just for registering your domain through them. Now why is this important? Well anyone can go into the Whois database and look up your website and see who owns it, your address, and your phone number. So if you like to make sure these things are kept private as I do Namecheap is definitely the way to go. Godaddy offers Whoisguard also but it isn't free. I'm not quite sure how much it is but I think I remember it being around $20 a year.
There will be many different options to choose from after you choose your domain name, but unless you are selling products directly from your website I don't think these are necessary.
So the bottom line is that you will probably be spending somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 to $20 dollars to register your domain name. That is the fee for one year but you can sign up for 2 years, 5 years, or whatever. I prefer to sign up for a year and just renew if I want to at the beginning of the year. You never know what might become obsolete and I don't want to pay for a domain name that I am not using.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Project Payday: A different option to help make a couple extra bucks
I enjoy making money as I'm sure everyone reading this post does. I've spent a lot of time searching for the best way to make money online without having to be an "expert" or without doing tons of work. I've ran into all sorts of get rich quick ideas, crappy ebooks, and scams that just basically make you spend your money for something that you are not getting anything back for at all. Well I finally found something that is not a scam but it won't necessarily make you rich either.
Project Payday is a free (last time I checked anyway) way to make money. Let me give you a quick rundown of how this system works. Now I'm sure that everyone has run into those advertising banners that tell you that you can receive a free ipod or digital camera if you click on the link. Well most people think that this is too good to be true so they don't click on the link. But there is a way this works and it is legit. For example, if you sign up for a certain credit card you will receive a "free" digital camera. Now the website referring you to the credit card will get a certain amount of money for every person that signs up through them. The catch to get the digital camera is that you have to get 5 people to sign up for the credit card to receive this camera. Basically if you refer 5 people and the website makes $25 per sign up they just made $150. Minus the digital camera that probably cost $50 if that. So everybody wins in the end. You get your camera, the referring website makes around $100, and the credit card company just got 6 new sign ups.
So now that you see how it works let me talk about how Project Payday can help you turn this situation into cash money. There are forums out there that are specifically designed to help people find referrals. For example, you go into the forum and there is someone offering that if you sign up on there page for a few offers they will give you $30. Now the person that is referring you to the site needs a certain number of referrals to get paid. Usually it would be 10 referrals to make $600. If you are paying $30 to each person signing up then you are reeling in $300 of not so hard earned cash. That is the long and the short of how it works.
Now this is definitely a very legit and easy way to make money but it is very time consuming. You also want to make sure that you read the fine print for every promotional offer to make sure that you are not buying into something that you can't get out of. The best way to do it is to fill out offers that you are actually interested in or that you planned on purchasing anyway. That way you can purchase something that you needed or wanted and get paid for doing it. To get to making the bigger bucks by referring people, first you need to sign up for some offers yourself, and unless you have a little money to blow, this probably isn't for you. Some offers are free and some include just a little money for shipping handling, but then there are also a good bit that require you to purchase something. The way around this is that most of these sites have a money back guarantee and return policy. So you just have to go through the hassle of sending the product back to get your money back.
I recommend Project Payday to anyone who has some time on there hands and just feels like earning a little cash without using a whole lot of brainpower to do it. Project Payday won't make you rich but it sure could help you take a nice vacation.
Project Payday is a free (last time I checked anyway) way to make money. Let me give you a quick rundown of how this system works. Now I'm sure that everyone has run into those advertising banners that tell you that you can receive a free ipod or digital camera if you click on the link. Well most people think that this is too good to be true so they don't click on the link. But there is a way this works and it is legit. For example, if you sign up for a certain credit card you will receive a "free" digital camera. Now the website referring you to the credit card will get a certain amount of money for every person that signs up through them. The catch to get the digital camera is that you have to get 5 people to sign up for the credit card to receive this camera. Basically if you refer 5 people and the website makes $25 per sign up they just made $150. Minus the digital camera that probably cost $50 if that. So everybody wins in the end. You get your camera, the referring website makes around $100, and the credit card company just got 6 new sign ups.
So now that you see how it works let me talk about how Project Payday can help you turn this situation into cash money. There are forums out there that are specifically designed to help people find referrals. For example, you go into the forum and there is someone offering that if you sign up on there page for a few offers they will give you $30. Now the person that is referring you to the site needs a certain number of referrals to get paid. Usually it would be 10 referrals to make $600. If you are paying $30 to each person signing up then you are reeling in $300 of not so hard earned cash. That is the long and the short of how it works.
Now this is definitely a very legit and easy way to make money but it is very time consuming. You also want to make sure that you read the fine print for every promotional offer to make sure that you are not buying into something that you can't get out of. The best way to do it is to fill out offers that you are actually interested in or that you planned on purchasing anyway. That way you can purchase something that you needed or wanted and get paid for doing it. To get to making the bigger bucks by referring people, first you need to sign up for some offers yourself, and unless you have a little money to blow, this probably isn't for you. Some offers are free and some include just a little money for shipping handling, but then there are also a good bit that require you to purchase something. The way around this is that most of these sites have a money back guarantee and return policy. So you just have to go through the hassle of sending the product back to get your money back.
I recommend Project Payday to anyone who has some time on there hands and just feels like earning a little cash without using a whole lot of brainpower to do it. Project Payday won't make you rich but it sure could help you take a nice vacation.
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