The Entrecard Experiment Pt. 1

Posted 3/31/08 - Kellex

Entrecard seems to have taken the blog world by storm hasn’t it? Do you feel like you know what the benefit of it is? I sure as hell don’t.

The Sports Dollar is fairly new and from the beginning has been logged onto Entrecard. I’ve taken the time and dropped cards like crazy raising The Sports Dollar up into the top 5 of the sports blogs listed on the site. It did not take a ton of work but it did seem to take on a life of its own after a while. Almost every day I found myself trying to drop more and more cards hoping for a return in order to raise my blog’s advertising rate. Sure enough, it actually worked. (I posted an Entrecard tip you should check out.)

I figured that once my blog had entered into the top 5 of any list it had a chance to drive some extra traffic to my blog as viewers would see it at first glance when entering a site category. That was not really the case I came to find out. It has seen steady traffic, but that is solely due to the fact that I dropped hundreds of cards a day and other bloggers returned the favor.

With my first idea sort of failing, I decided to take on another experiment. What would happen if you purchased Entrecard ad space on the big time blogs such as John Chow, ProBlogger, or even John Cow?

The experiment is set and we’ll see the results within 2 weeks. So far I have purchased space on a few of the big dogs and we’ll see what kind of traffic they can generate for us. Isn’t the true idea of Entrecard to act as a free ad network rather than a drop machine?

Here is the schedule we have set so far:

Blog Entrepeneur: Ad running 4/5
Mom’s Cash blog: Ad running 4/5
ProBlogger: Ad running 4/6
Sports Business Digest: Ad running 4/8
The Social Millionaire: Ad running 4/9
Stephan Miller: Ad running 4/9
Chris Guthrie: Ad running 4/10
Epiblogger: Ad running 4/10
Ben Barden: Ad running 4/11
Adtoll: Ad running 4/11
Mr. Javo: Ad running 4/12
John Cow: Ad running 4/13
Tyler Cruz: Ad running 4/14

(Obviously not all of these are considered 'Big Dogs' but they do all see decent traffic to their sites so we thought we'd give it a shot.)

I’ll be working to get more of the big dogs taken care of, such as John Chow. These spots are obviously in high demand but I’ll keep you updated as I sneak in a purchase here or there.

On a side note, try to keep your other ad purchases to a minimum. If you are not buying space on a big time blog you will not see any traffic. You may be getting your little card out there, but unless the blog is relevant to yours, the EC’s may not be worth it.

Monday Quick Tip: Ask Someone to Guest Blog

Posted 3/31/08 - Kellex

Guest blogging is easily one of the greatest forms of traffic building you can utilize. Not only does it change up your normal routine, it also allows you to network with your favorite blogs and possibly develop some blogger friendships.

The process is pretty easy. Simply pick out one of your favorite blogs and ask its author or owner if they would be interested in writing a guest post for your site. If they say “no” you have nothing to worry about, but if they say “yes” you have just scored some significant traffic depending on the site.

Once they have posted their article they will likely link to it from their own blog which will send their traffic on over to yours and give you a nice boost. Of course if you ask another new blogger to guest blog, you may not see the optimal traffic results as they are struggling for traffic just as much as you are. The thing to remember is that you are still building relationships whether or not you get that immediate boost in traffic. Realize that you have just gained some respect with a peer.

Don’t be scared to ask!

We are also running a guest blogging program and are looking for any volunteers. Shoot us an email at thesportsdollar@gmail.com!

DollarBall: 3/29/08

Posted 3/29/07 - Kellex

We run a daily post over at Le Basketbawl called LINKBAWL which is your basic link post, except it is of course, dedicated to sports.

Since we are running a money making blog here, this is a version geared a little more towards the online money guru world.

• Viral videos seem to be all the rage right now and Tyler Cruz is on it.

• Love the post for Chris Guthrie on Stumble Upon. He's right, we really do judge things based on a 5 second first impression.

• Which type of blogger are you?
  

• Want to retire at the age of 21? Here is your ticket!

• The most attractive blog, money making mom on the internet.

• Surf the Mind on protecting your Google Adsense future.

• The Social Millionaire started out hot with a few paid reviews, but this is really looking like a bust to me.

• I just like the idea of Blog Engage.

• Looking for some SEO help? ExposedSEO.com has you.

• Adsense Addict is happy about being on this list, but is this really something big? I've been up 2 weeks and have found myself in the top 5 of the sports blogs on Entrecard.

• And to keep some sports love alive, here is the ongoing battle with Mark Cuban and his anti-blogger rule.

• Make sure to check out our Top 50 Sports Blog Rankings!

• Did you miss our 100 Tips or Fluffs to building that better sports blog?
  

Shoemoney...How on Earth?

Posted 3/29/08 - Kellex

Here is another amazing pro blogger (Shoemoney.com), but someone tell me what the hell this guy is thinking. No belt and his website's t-shirt tucked in? Look at the guys he is with and tell me what he is not understanding about this type of appearance?

And no one cares that you lost your bag as you should still never go out in public, especially in New York, looking like this.

John Chow Being Completely Obnoxious...

Posted 3/29/08 - Kellex

I understand that John Chow has done some ridiculous things in the past and has also made a ton of money blogging online, but this attempt at a viral video he threw up yesterday is completely worthless crap (no pun intended).

I guess he's doing it to make buzz and be "viral," but this is just pathetic. Have a look and shake your head like I just did.

Sorry, I should have apologized in advance for this.

Top 50 Sports Blogs: 1st Quarter 2008

Posted 3/27/08 - Kellex


Welcome to the first edition of our Top 50 Sports Blog Rankings!

The Sports Dollar's Top 50 Sports Blog Rankings are in and will be released on a quarterly basis with updates accordingly.

The ranking system was based on 4 factors: the blog's BallHype ranking converted into a scale from 1-10 (10 being the highest), the blog's Technorati ranking converted into a scale from 1-10 (10 being the highest), the blog's Google PageRank, and the blog's Alexa ranking converted into a scale from 1-10 (10 being the highest). If two blogs have equal scores, a tie-breaker was decided based on their Technorati authority.


Top 50 Sports Blog Rankings: 1st Quarter 2008

#1	FanHouse	7	10	10	10	37
#2	With Leather	6	10	9	10	35
#3	The Big Lead	6	8	10	9	33
#4	SPORTSbyBROOKS	6	9	10	8	33
#5	Baseball Prospectus	6	8	9	9	32
#6	D.C. Sports Bog	6	10	9	7	32
#7	Kissing Suzy Kolber	6	8	8	9	31
#8	Awful Announcing	3	8	10	9	30
#9	MLB Trade Rumors	5	9	7	9	30
#10	FanIQ Blog	4	9	8	9	30
#11	Blog Maverick	6	8	5	10	29
#12	Fire Joe Morgan	5	7	8	8	28
#13	ProFootballTalk.com	5	10	7	6	28
#14	The Sporting Blog	5	10	9	4	28
#15	EDSBS	6	7	5	8	26
#16	The Hardball Times	3	8	8	7	26
#17	Deadspin	6	10	10	0	26
#18	ESPN.com - True Hoop	6	10	9	0	25
#19	The Offside	6	9	1	7	23
#20	38 Pitches	6	4	3	9	22
#21	MetsBlog.com	6	9	1	6	22
#22	Baseball Musings	4	5	7	6	22
#23	Mr. Irrelevant	6	4	6	6	22
#24	Larry Brown Sports	6	6	6	4	22
#25	LoHud Yankees Blog	5	6	4	5	20
#26	Slam Online	5	8	2	4	19
#27	Bugs & Cranks	5	2	8	4	19
#28	Home Run Derby	4	4	6	4	18
#29	Red Sox Monster	5	9	1	3	18
#30	Epic Carnival	5	4	3	5	17
#31	Football Outsiders	5	7	1	4	17
#32	You Been Blinded	3	6	5	3	17
#33	Minor League Ball	3	7	1	4	15
#34	The Wizard of Odds	4	4	3	4	15
#35	BBTF's Baseball Primer	3	7	1	4	15
#36	freedarko.com	6	4	1	4	15
#37	Dan Shanoff	6	4	1	4	15
#38	U.S.S. Mariner	5	6	1	3	15
#39	Deuce of Davenport	6	2	4	2	15
#40	Lion in Oil	5	3	4	3	15
#41	The700Level.com	4	5	6	0	15
#42	The Sports Hernia Blog	5	4	1	4	14
#43	Need4Sheed.com	3	7	1	3	14
#44	on 205th magazine	0	7	4	3	14
#45	Hardwood Paroxysm	4	2	6	2	14
#46	Reiss' Pieces	3	10	1	0	14
#47	Watchdog	3	10	1	0	14
#48	Draft Express	5	8	1	0	14
#49	ESPN.com - Hashmarks	0	10	4	0	14
#50	Baseball Analysts	5	3	1	4	13

*You may notice a few blogs dropping a little lower than you would have expected. The reason, a lack of a Technorati ranking. This may irritate some, but the fact is that this is a list of blogs and the number one blog ranking machine is Technorati. The Yahoo blogs have also been left off due to a lack of Google PageRank and Technorati ranking. ESPN sites were left on since most have Google PageRanks.

Thursday Quick Tip: Dominate Entrecard

Posted 3/27/08 - Kellex

I think we're all into this Entrecard thing and not really sure where it is going to take us right? We click and click and drop and drop and never really see much. It may get you some traffic, but is it really the kind of traffic anyone wants? Talk about screwing up your Google Analytics with an average pageview time of 2 seconds?

Either way, we are still obsessed at this point and think that raising the number of credits to advertise on our blog is going to mean something special! Maybe some day.

Until then, here is a quick tip to help you dominate Entrecard and not waste hours a day trying to build up your credits and stats.

First off, you need Mozilla Firefox to do this. IE7 could be considered the worst program on the face of the Earth.

The main trick here is to use Firefox's tab'd browsing with shortcuts to whip through the Entrecarding process. Start with a category that has 40-50 blogs in it total like 'Books.' Begin at the top with the first blog and right click "Open in new tab." Do this for the first 2 rows which should give you 11 total tabs open including your main Entrecard tab.

Now make sure you start with your second tab and it's time to fly through these!

Use CTRL+TAB to go from tab to tab and click on the link Entrecard provides you to their blog. Once all of the tabs load the individuals sites you use CTRL+TAB again to tab through each blog while dropping. Once you have dropped your card you can hit CTRL+W to close the tab to clear up space!

Your Entrecard List:

1. Open a small campaign
2. Right click and "Open in new tab" the first 2 rows of the campaign
3. CTRL+ TAB through each to click on the link to the blog's site
4. CTRL+TAB through again while dropping your cards
5. CTRL+W to close each tab after dropping

Once you get the hang of this, you can drop hundreds within minutes. Practice it up and let me know how it's working!

Personal Favs: The Big Dogs

Posted 3/26/08 - Kellex

The "Making Money Online" world is a crazy one, that's for sure. It is obvious that thousands of people create a blog every day that is simply dedicated to making money online. The market is completely saturated and it surprises me that anyone can actually pull any cash these days.

There are however, the original big dogs that seem to be growing stronger while the rest of us just try to keep up. Here is a list of blogs you should already know about:

• John Cow dot com: 1572 subscribers and my personal fav.
  

• John Chow dot com: 22291 subscribers and counting. Hate him or love him he's good.
  

• ShoeMoney: 15537 subscribers. Free t-shirt Friday is fantastic.
  

• Pro Blogger: 44626 subscribers and probably consider THE Pro Blogger.
  

• Mom's Cash Blog: OK not a big dog, but soooo nice to look at isn't she?
  

Please check these out if you have not already. As a blogger looking to make money, you should be all over these. Learn from the best people!

Wednesday Quick Tip: Blog Overhaul Time?

Posted 3/26/08 - Kellex

Pull up your site, roll back a few feet and gaze into its mysteriousness for a minute. Is it hurting your eyes? Is it too tough to read? Is there too much flashy crap? Does it look amateur? Is it pathetic?

If you just answered “yes” to all of these, it may be time for a website overhaul. Your website should be functional and still optimized for making money. It should not be scaring people away or burning out their retinas! It should look clean and you should be able to decide what your color scheme is within seconds. I shouldn’t be able to scroll down your page and see 15 different link colors and another 15 flashing 125x125 buttons. I also shouldn’t see a 100 link long blogroll. There truly is such thing as “overkill.”

Now I’m not saying to follow exactly what I’ve done with The Sports Dollar but I am saying that a cleaner approach with a little professionalism goes a long way. Isn’t the goal here to impress as many people as possible?

Go find yourself a new template if you’ve decided your blog just isn’t cutting it! We wrote a post last week on the Top 5 Blogger Template sites to help you out.

Tuesday Quick Tip: MyBlogLog Communities

Posted 3/25/08 - Kellex

You should have joined MyBlogLog by now after all the coverage we’ve given it! Today’s tip is about building your network. Yesterday we gave you the tip to go out and find 10 new blogs, comment on them and leave a trackback for the author to follow. Well today is not all that much different, but we want you to do it through MyBlogLog.

This works in completely different way and allows even less thought than yesterday’s tip. You should log into your account and go straight to the ‘Communities’ page. From here, you’ll notice the ‘Hot’ communities section listing not only new communities but also the communities that seem to be growing. At this point you simply need to start joining any that you can. MyBlogLog will limit you to 15 per day and you should set this limit as one of your goals to reach each day for the next week.

Are you starting to wonder why we are doing this? First of all, joining communities allows you to find some great material and become more active in the blogger community. However, the most important part is that your MyBlogLog or Yahoo profile picture is everywhere. By viewing or joining these communities your face pops up and gives you instant exposure! If you actually take the time to go all the way to the community’s website, your face will now appear on the MyBlogLog widget on their site as well. Now your face is in at least two places for the price of one community join. Pretty good deal ‘eh?

Now that you’ve taken the time to join communities, you are strengthening the chance of people wanting to join your community. If MyBlogLog allows you to entertain a community and users actually start to join it, you know you are well on your way to a successful blog.

Fantasyfootballblog.net For Sale!

Posted 3/25/08 - Kellex

It looks like a fabulous fantasy football blog is up for sale! Fantasyfootballblog.net is on sale "as is" to anyone willing to pay $2000. That actually doesn't seem like much money for the potential you have with a domain name like that.

Here is the message on the site:

The time has come that I can no longer bring news & info to the masses in regards to fantasy football. So instead of providing mediocre content and updates, I feel it is best to allow someone else to utilize our awesome web presence.

Fantasy Football Blog is officially on the market for purchase.

Most of you know we are #1 on Google for most fantasy football searches - most importantly (with the explosion of blogs on the net), fantasyfootballblog.net is #1 for the terms: "Fantasy Football Blog". We also can be found on the first pages of the big search engines for "Fantasy Football Blog" as well.

This is valuable to anyone that is willing to take that and run with it.

This past year, we have sold ads & blog posts for the first time and made money off our venture - but we are only scratching the surface. If someone could pour the time into it, the sky is the limit to how much money could be made.

When we started this blog years ago, we never expected it to be a money-making thing, however we see now that it is worth money. Our time & writing has built the site up and we have a modest fan base and a strong network of fellow bloggers.

I say that to say this. We will be entertaining offers as they come in. So "Or Best Offer" applies here. We would like at the minimum - $2000 for the domain and all its content as is. This does not include hosting, but if you want to keep the hosting as is - we can arrange it with our hosting company (they will give us pricing to pass on).

We wish everyone the best and feel free to email me (James Cross) @ the following address with inquiries: doublecross [at] gmail [dot] com

This sounds like it needs a little TLC and could be one of the top fantasy football blogs in no time. Contact me or James to get the ball rolling on your new fantasy football excursion.

Sports Blogger's Guide to BallHype Pt. 1

Posted 3/24/08 - Kellex

As a sports blogger, you should already know about BallHype. Wait, you don't? Then you better listen quick because you are missing out a huge opportunity to build traffic, make contacts and find some of the best written sports blogs on the planet!

BallHype takes some of the good pieces from the spam sensation known as Digg and turns them into a sports blogging hype machine. BallHype allows users to submit stories, link to others, make friends, and join sport or team specific communities while watching their own blogs gain ground through their fabulous ranking system. As a sports blogger, you have no other choice than to become a BallHype pro.


How does it Work?

Basically like Digg, but with a social atmosphere directed specifically at sports fans and bloggers. You submit stories the same as you would any other “hype” site and hope that the content is legit enough to grab the attention of someone. If someone loves it, they will ‘Hype’ it. The more ‘Hypes’ you have the better and your post may have a chance at making the main page of BallHype. The main page obviously means a ton more traffic to your blog right?

One thing to keep in mind is that each sport has its own main page as well as BallHype’s overall main page. Do not be too flustered if you are having problems initially breaking into that overall main page because you may still be showing well on your specific sport’s page.

BallHype also displays the number of times your story has been linked to, which is amazing! The number of times your blog has been linked will also help your story rise to the main page. Although BallHype does not claim this to be true, the more a story has been commented on must have some sort of weight as well. Play with this idea to find out for yourself.

Overall the idea is this: Submit great content to grab reader’s attention! Your story will be hyped, linked to, and commented on and will rise to the main page. From here, you will see tons of traffic not only from BallHype but from all of the other sites that just linked to you. Sound easy? Here is how to do it.


Some tips to Utilize its Power.

If your blog is just starting out, BallHype can be one of the greatest resources for growing instant traffic while gaining an authority amongst your sports blog peers. A ton of our basketball blog’s traffic could be solely attributed to our early success on BallHype.

There is definitely an algorithm to BallHype that if you were able to figure out would help you beyond measure, however without that information these tips should do just fine.

1. BallHype definitely shows love to new and upcoming sites, especially those that have great content. Once you have submitted your blog to them, your first few articles will likely jump to the head of the pack to get you some much needed exposure. So if you are just joining, make sure you have a great article to submit that people will want to read. There is nothing better than to have your first article receive 30+ hypes and 10+ linkbacks.

2. You need to submit articles like crazy! Of course they do not want you to spam up the site with duplicates but if you can find articles that have not been on there before, the site will love you.

Part of this theory stems from your rank as a contributor to BallHype. The site actually ranks its contributors based on how many articles they submit and how many of them are hyped. This is where you submit a ton of worthwhile articles that are not only your own but are from major sites as well. If you release the newest ESPN or Yahoo sports info, you are likely to have this information hyped and linked to. This will automatically raise your contributor status.

With a high contributor rank, your articles will always appear on the main page of your particular sport once they are submitted and likely will end up on the main overall page. This gives you instant exposure without having to generate hype after hype. Your contributor status should be your #1 goal.

3. Write a “Season Preview” article about your sport or favorite team. Most NBA blogs which submitted their team’s preview received 50+ hypes and 20+ linkbacks during this past season. That alone should have generated their blog thousands of pageviews while helping their Technorati authority and Google Pagerank. Make sure you prepare one of these for your next or upcoming season, but do not skimp on the depth.

4. Run a “Top 25 Blogs” list from your particular sport. BallHype runs its own ranking system of blogs but always shows love to fellow blogger ranking systems. Our Top 25 NBA Basketball Blogs jumped straight to the main page within minutes of being submitted. Of course this move helped tremendously with ‘hypes’ and links.

5. Get inside the mind of Jason and Erin! These are the creators of BallHype and have done a fantastic job releasing new features and always provide instant feedback if you have a question. I get the feeling that Jason can push a story straight to the top if he chooses to. Either that or there are certain key words that his algorithm likes a lot. Impress him or figure out his keyword preference and you should find yourself sitting pretty within minutes.


Part 2 coming soon!

Monday Quick Tip: Find 10 New Blogs

Posted 3/24/08 - Kellex

Seeing steady traffic and still not satisfied? Maybe you are forgetting to promote, promote, and promote. Your current audience may be satisfied with what you are doing but that doesn't mean they are continuing to refer new readers to your site.

Your tip of the day is to find 10 new blogs within your niche, read a current post of their's and comment on it. I'm not saying write "great blog!" while leaving your name and link! Make sure to respond with something insightful that would make the blog owner want to check out your blog in return.

The best traffic building happens when you comment and the blog owner responds via comment. Not only has he/she decided you have said something useful but they have also just told the rest of their readers the same thing.

This tip could easily be performed in 20 minutes.

The Options of Making Money with Your Sports Website

Posted 3/22/08 - Kellex

Although we've shortened this list down to 10 options, be mindful that you actually have many more that could be worth exploring as your blog grows. This gives you a solid list of websites that help you generate revenue while providing a brief description of each type to help you better understand the way online advertising and money making actually works.


1. Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising Networks

The basic rundown: PPC advertising pays you every time someone clicks on your advertisement. This is the most popular option with contextually relevant ads appearing on your site.

The list:

• Chitika
• Bidvertiser
• Adbrite
  
• Google Adsense
• Yahoo Publisher Network
  

2. Direct Banner Advertising

The basic rundown: The most profitable but most difficult. Selling your own banner ad space can be difficult initially, but once your blog is rolling will make you the real money.

The list:

• How to find advertisers for your website.
• Finding advertisers for your blog.
• Direct advertising sales for beginners.

3. Text Link Ads

The basic rundown: Be careful with this as Google may penalize your page rank for using them. This option works for bloggers looking to sell link space on their site. Use a third party listed below to ease the process.

The list:

• Text-Link-Ads
• Linkworth
• Text Link Brokers

4. Affiliate Marketing

The basic rundown: Free services that allow you to post ads while earning commission. There are many out there with some having better ads than others.

The list:

• PepperJam Network
• Amazon Associates
• Commission Junction
  

5. Monetization Widgets

The basic rundown: Widgets are loved by all bloggers and someone finally decided to make money off of them. Then run like a widget, but pay you when people click on them.

The list:

• WidgetBucks
• Scratchback
• Smart Links
  

6. In-Text Adverting

The basic rundown: These are free links placed in the middle of your blog that give you money every time someone clicks on them. They usually include a balloon feature revealing the ad.

The list:

• Kontera
• Vibrant Media
  

7. Donations

The basic rundown: Placing a PayPal donation button is free and simple. You may get see considerable results here, but why not give the reader the option to donate to their favorite blog?


8. Sponsored Reviews

The basic rundown: Sites will post ads of companies looking for bloggers to review or post about a product or service. The price is laid out in front of you and then you decide if you'd like to blog it. Pretty simple.

The list:

• ReviewMe
• PayPerPost
• BlogVertise
  

9. Paid Surveys and Polls

The basic rundown: Sites will pay you to run a poll or survey on your blog.

The list:

• Vizu Answers
  

10. Sponsors for Columns or Events

The basic rundown: Allowing sponsors to write posts on your blog. The catch? You charge them whatever you want. Check out TechMeme to see an example.


Let us know if you have any questions on any of these!

Need Traffic? Run an NCAA Tourney Sweet 16 Pool.

Posted 3/21/08 - Kellex

Think about this idea for a second with me. The NCAA tournament is one of the biggest sporting events each year that has people across the United States going crazy. The NCAA tourney ranks up there with the Super Bowl in the fact that your casual or non sports fan will still break away from their day to see what is happening. The cinderella story gets everyone excited doesn't it?

Can you think of a better way to grab these fans' attention than to run an NCAA tournament pick'em? I know what you are thinking with this one.

"Well everyone runs a tournament bracket pick'em, why would ours be any different?"

Hear me out now. If you decide to put on a bracket pick'em and rather than giving out cash prizes, you give away a free review, a free banner ad, 1000 Entrecard credits, or allow someone to guest blog. Wouldn't that be enough incentive to grab other blog users to jump into the competition?

If your blog is looking for traffic, you can drive traffic to it by starting the bracket and continue to keep people coming back to check out the standings, their pick sheets and to see if they are a potential winner.

You can generate prizes that cost nothing to you but mean a hell of a lot to someone else. Explore this option by running a "Sweet 16" pool this year. It is obviously too late to run a full field of 64 bracket but you can finish up with the final 16. Tons of brackets allow you to buy back in for the Sweet 16.

Give it a try!

Want to be a Successful Blogger? Make a Cartoon of Yourself.

Posted 3/21/08 - Kellex

It seems these days that everyone is out to make some cash over the internet doesn't it? In fact Entrecard already has 72 Marketing blogs, 241 Blogging Resource blogs, 126 Web Development blogs, 124 Self Improvement blogs, 475 Make Money Online blogs, and 249 Internet Marketing blogs. That comes out to almost 1300 blogs that are in some way dedicated to making money online. Think the market is a little saturated?

One way bloggers have found that could set themselves a part seems to be by registering a domain under their actual name such as John Chow has done and then creating a cartoon image of themselves such as John Cow has done.

The cartoon is playful, fun, yet still informative. It makes sense, but are there too many already?

Here is a list in case you were looking into the option of cartooning yourself!

• John Cow dot com: One of the more notorious cartoon bloggers. Could it be the domain name?

• Tyler Cruz dot com: Another of the more famous cartoonies. Could it be the sausages?

• The Blog Entrepreneur: Didn't go with the name for the domain but still very cartoonie.

• Buzz My Blog: A little Simpson-esque.

• Bukiki dot com: More Simpson-esque-ness.

• Brucecat dot com: A half man, half cat cartoonie.

• SEO Woman dot com: She just went all super hero on your $%#!

• Chris Guthrie dot net: Playful, young and inspired cartoonie.

• Mr. Javo dot com: Cartoonie running a birthday contest?

• Bud Calabrese dot com: An aspiring cartoonie.

• Zac Johnson dot com: A reviewed cartoonie.

As you can see from that partial list, there are a ton out there. It may not be a bad idea and as far as I can tell, these are all successful money making blogs. If you'd like to give it a try, check out this website: Be Funky dot com.

Types of Money Making Sports Blogs

Posted 3/20/08 - Kellex

There are essentially 2 types of sports blogs out there for you to take a crack at. You have the sports blog which is dedicated to a specific team and the you have the all around sports blog that is either dedicated to a specific sport or attempts to cover them all. Either type can make you money if you work at it the correct way.

Type 1: Team Specific Blog

The easiest way to get a sports blog off the ground is to start up a blog which is dedicated to a specific sports team. Many, of course, start a blog about their favorite sports team or a team located in the city they currently reside.

By allowing yourself to cover just one team, you immediately set yourself up with less work to do than if you decided to cover, lets say, the entire NFL. Covering the Seattle Seahawks allows you to focus your insight and coverage on one team. You are no longer fighting the rest of the blog world to try and unleash the next big story.

You also need to realize that you just took on a whole city's worth of fans! This is what makes this option a no brainer! Fans love their home town teams and they also love to read any little news bit they can find on them. Once you've discovered some great sources to feed your blog, you almost have to do no work.

One thing you may want to do is find some other team blogs and mimic some of their moves. Remember that you are just starting out and can use all of the help you can find!


Type 2: General Sports Blog

Running a general sports blog is probably the more difficult of the two but in the long run can be 10x more rewarding. Once you enter the realm of covering an entire sport, you now are in competition with the specific team blogs, the specific sports blogs and the general 'all' sports blogs.

You better understand from the get-go what your goals are with this blog and start pushing those concepts immediately. Starting a general sports blog will require much more work in order to build traffic, but once that traffic has started and you have some solid content, your traffic could potentially blow up.

A general sports blog may be competing with every other sports blog, but if you can create a better product you now start to pull traffic from all 3 types. This is where the long run pay off comes in. Are you starting to see it? Check out The Big Lead if you need the best reference in the business on a general sports blog.

Add Google Adsense to your Blogger Posts

Posted 3/19/08 - Kellex

The placement of Google Adsense ads will remain a topic of conversation for quite some time. Many recommend that you place them either at the beginning of your post or at the end, right before the footer. These two placements in theory will generate the most clicks as long as Google is updating them and matching your content with its advertisement database.

Our basketball blog utilizes the end of post theory and we have seen some dramatic results. Of course some will say that ads take a way from your blog’s content and in turn will cause you to lose viewers. I find that completely absurd and have seen no dip in traffic in my blog whether I included ads or not. Don’t believe everything you read!

You have 2 options when adding Adsense to your posts:


Built in Blogger Option:

The first is the easiest and is provided to you through your blogger “LAYOUT” section.

If you click “EDIT” on your “BLOG POSTS” section, there should be an option to “SHOW ADS BETWEEN POSTS.” If you check the box it will give you options for Adsense by allowing you to enter your Adsense account information and customize the ads so that they blend in well to your content.

Try this option and see how you like it. I personalize prefer option 2 as you have a little more control over the ads and can customize them to your liking.



Custom Adsense Ads Option:

Login to your Google Adsense account.

Go to AdSense Setup -> Products and choose “AdSense for Content”.

Next, select “Ad unit” and follow their instructions on picking the size of ad, color combination, and so on, right till the end when they automatically generate a HTML code for you. Copy this code and paste it into Microsoft Notepad. (If you are a WinXP user, click the Start button at the bottom left corner of your screen. Under All Programs -> Accessories, you should see the MS Notepad icon.)

You will now need to modify your Adsense code slightly for Blogger to accept it. (This is not against Google’s policies, do not worry.)

In Notepad, run a CTRL+H to pull up the REPLACE query. You will now want to replace:


< with &lt;
> with &gt;
“ with &quot;

Once you have replaced those characters, your code will look similar to this:


&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;&gt;&lt;!--
google_ad_client = &quot;pub-0000000000000000&quot;;
google_ad_width = 336;
google_ad_height = 280;
google_ad_format = &quot;336x280_as&amp;amp;quot;;
google_ad_type = &quot;text&quot;;
google_ad_channel = &quot;&quot;;
google_color_border = &quot;FFFFFF&quot;;
google_color_bg = &quot;FFFFFF&quot;;
google_color_link = &quot;000000&quot;;
google_color_text = &quot;000000&quot;;
google_color_url = &quot;000000&quot;;
//--&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot;
src=&quot;http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
&lt;/script&gt;


The next step is to insert this code into your template in your location choice. We will show you how to add it to the bottom of your post but you can easily move it to another location if you choose to.

Login to Blogger’s Dashboard and go to “LAYOUT”, then “EDIT HTML”, and check the box to “EXPAND WIDGET TEMPLATES.”

Now search for post.body through your browser's search function (Ctrl+F). You should see these lines:


<div class='post-body'>
<p><data:post.body/></p>
<div style='clear: both;'/> <!-- clear for photos floats -->
</div>


If you would like your Adsense ad to appear just below your post, add the following code below the blue lines.


<div style='float:left;'>
AdSense Code
</div>


The “Adsense Code” will be the code you have formatted in that original notepad file. Click “Preview” to see if the location works for you.

You’ll notice the ‘float:left’ code which can be modified with ‘float:right’ if you would rather have the ad on the right side.

If this location works for you, go ahead and click save and your blog is ready to go!

Low on Football Blog ideas? Here you go!

Posted 3/19/08 - Kellex

1. Write a ‘Top 10’ list about anything!

It could be the ‘Top 10 Wide Receivers’ or the ‘Top 10 Toughest S.O.B.’s’ in the league, it really doesn’t matter. You could even do a ‘Top 10 Bob Sanders Hits’ post and it would probably get you a ton of traffic. People just love those Top 10 lists and the more creative you can get with one, the bigger chance of it turning into a traffic monster. Remember that you do not have to make it exactly 10; in fact I hardly ever do 10 of anything. Through Le Basketbawl, we run ‘Top’ lists all the time but hardly ever do the full 10, instead we’ll do the top 7 or top 9. Try to mix it up and set yourself apart.

2. Write something worth reading for once!

When was the last time you REALLY researched the hell out of something? By taking the time and effort to become an expert on a topic, your readers will reward you. Many bloggers are obsessed with breaking any news story they can. This may give you some short term results but in the long run if you want that steady traffic, you need to write something special. The news breaker may last a couple of days max, while a well thought, researched and written topic can last for years. This article was written at the onset of our basketball blog and has made its rounds through the internet and provided us with thousands of hits. Not only does it interest basketball fans, but it interests everyone else that is astounded by its facts.

3. Trade deadline recaps are where it’s at.

We wrote a simple trade deadline recap that listed out every single important NBA trade for 2008’s deadline and it blew up! I’d check Google Analytics or MyBlogLog and every day I’d get a ton of hits from people searching for “NBA trade recap” or “2008 trade recap.” And another thing to remember is this post will be pulled up again next year when people start writing their 2009 trade deadline or recap posts. This allows your post to be used as a reference for years to come.

4. Be personal.

This is a blog remember? The original blogs started out with people’s opinions and provided a public way for us to vent on anything. Take a stand! Do you hate that Bill Parcells is tearing apart the Dolphins? Do you want to smack Chad Johnson for complaining about the Bengals every time he gets on camera? Tell us!

5. When the Super Bowl comes around, write about it!

The Super Bowl is written about to death every year don’t you think? Well that’s because people actually read all the garbage that’s put out there on it. Find a quirky story and write something humorous about it. You may want to go back to last year’s Super Bowl and compare the two. This year’s was easy with the Manning brothers participating in back to back years. Remember though, that if you want this article to stand out, you better be the first one to do it!

6. Season preview anyone?

Go to BallHype some day and browse through some of the NFL or NBA team blogs. When you find their posts that had to do with a preview of their specific team at the beginning of the season, your jaw will drop. Most of these have 50+ hypes and 30+ linkbacks. What do you think that would do for the traffic to your blog? Not only does that drive your Technorati authority up but it creates a solid month’s worth of readers.

7. Start a damn contest!

Contests, if done right, can be huge for your blog. Try not to be completely cheesy but make sure your readers can still have some fun with it. Anything to get people mentally involved tends to be received well. Also, string your contest out for a few weeks to keep these people coming back. And don’t forget to give out some sort of prize at the end! You don’t have to spend money on a prize, you could also give someone a linkback if you have a noteworthy Page Rank.


Those should get you rolling for a while. There are millions of ideas out there, you just need to get off of your game recap horse and write something original. Remember this line, “Why would I read a game recap from your blog when I can get the professional recap from ESPN.com?”

Adding Digg to Blogger Posts

Posted 3/19/08 - Kellex

Utilizing Digg can be one of your greatest assets when promoting your sports blog. If a story makes the main page you could see thousands of page views within a matter of hours. Not only does this drive a ton of traffic, but it puts you into an elite category of Digg that will help drive continuous traffic to your blog for weeks and possibly months. Once you have submitted a front page worthy story, the chances of that happening again are likely. You see, Digg is dominated by a small percentage of its users; not just anyone can have 3000 Digg’s on a post.

To get you started with Digg, you need to have Digg buttons included with your blog posts. This is not necessary but it adds to your look and lets people know that you use Digg and have the option to Digg your story if they’d like. It’s better to have the option than not at all right?


Here are the steps:

The first step is to log into your Blogger account dashboard and click on “Layout.”

Under “Layout”, click the “Edit HTML” tab. Block copy the entire HTML code for your site and save it in a text file. You can also click the "Download Template" link. This is one of the two necessary steps whenever you want to change the template. The second step is of course to “Preview” the new changes, and save the changes only when you are satisfied. The backup you have saved in a text file will come in handy when you accidentally click to save the changes without previewing them. With a backup, you can easily restore the template to the prior state if need be.

Click the box next to “Expand Widget Templates”. Scroll about two-thirds down the template to look for the code that reads:-

<p><data:post.body/></p>

(You could also CTRL+F = post.body)

To have the Digg button appear at the top of the body of your post you can insert the code above this code:

<div style='float:right; margin-left:10px;'>
<script type='text/javascript'>
digg_url="<data:post.url/>";
</script>
<script src='http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js'type='text/javascript'/>
</div>
<p><data:post.body/></p>

By using the ‘float:right’ code you are telling the button to appear at the top right of your post. If you would like it on the left, simply replace ‘right’ with ‘left’.

If you would like to position the Digg button at the bottom of your post, you just drop the Digg code under ‘the post.body’ code. Like This:

<p><data:post.body/></p>
<div style='float:right; margin-left:10px;'>
<script type='text/javascript'>
digg_url="<data:post.url/>";
</script>
<script src='http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js' type='text/javascript'/>
</div>

If the big Digg button is driving you nuts, you can change the format to Digg’s compact style. Here is the code to use to make it a compact button:

<div style='float:right; margin-left:10px;'>
<script type='text/javascript'>
digg_url="<data:post.url/>";
digg_skin="compact";
</script>
<script src='http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js' type='text/javascript'/>
</div>

You can place this code above or below the post.body tags as well.

If you don’t like the color, that can be changed also! The code looks like this:

<div style='float:right; margin-left:10px;'>
<script type='text/javascript'>
digg_url="<data:post.url/>";
digg_bgcolor="#BDEDFF";
digg_skin="compact";
</script>
<script src='http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js' type='text/javascript'/>
</div>
<p><data:post.body/></p>

Play around with it, it is pretty damn simple to do. Once this button is in your code, it will show up for every post and you do not need to repeat these steps again. Good luck!

Top 5 Blogger Template Sites

Posted 3/18/08 - Kellex

Many of you probably want a fresh new template and have realized that using one of Blogger's is not the way to go. How many clueless fools out there are still using the Minima template? I'm sure you've seen at least 10 in your search for new and exciting blogging tips.

Well we thought we'd make this easy on you and give you a list of the top template sites out there since most are complete spam and have nothing worth checking out. The last thing we want you doing is wasting your time while your blog could be bringing in cash.

1. eBlog Templates

This site has by far the most sleek and sexy templates of all, for a massive template site. They use some you may have seen before but when you upload one of their templates it has everything already laid out for your ease of use. You couldn't ask for anything more could you?


2. Our Blog Templates

This site ranks pretty close with eBlog Skins but lacks in the fact that one of the templates would not work with IE 6. I loaded it up, set it to my liking and then pulled up someone else's IE 6 machine and the thing was all jumbled. Be careful here!


3. Blogger Templates

This site contains a ton of templates but not enough advertisement specific versions. If you are looking for a solid 3 column template, you will only find a few. However if you are looking for one of the biggest directories of templates, this site will work just fine.


4. Pyzam

Pyzam will probably give you the most choices but you never know what they will actually turn out to look like. They are not necessarily the highest quality and their lists include a ton of cheap looking spam-plates, but you do have a variety here.


5. Mashable

Mashable gives you some very creative and artsy templates to choose from. If you are looking for a very unique template to impress your users, this is your site. Just remember, there are thousands out there with blogs and the chances of them having one similar to you are very high.


Hope you enjoyed the list! Now get your blog set up so we can get some cash flowing into those pockets.

Monday Deep Basketball Thoughts

Posted 3/17/08 - Kellex

Post pulled from our affiliate: le basketbawl: The NBA Basketball Blog


David Stern Making College Basketball Better?

There has been chatter that David Stern may look to extend the stay of high school graduates to two years in college and really piss off those youngsters looking to make millions by their 19th birthday. I definitely have some mixed feelings on this idea which would not go into effect until at least 2011.

My biggest issue is the fact that by taking away 2 years from these kids, you are also potentially taking away a lot of money that may not be available 2 years from now. Injuries and poor performance in a system that may not fit the player’s style could have a negative effect. Most college programs are not built with an NBA offense and many of the top college basketball players do not translate into good pros. If a kid coming out of high school has a ton of hype around his potential, he may risk losing that hype by sticking around the college ranks for 2 years.

Of course if a player DOES stay in college, they tend to turn into a more mature player which could, in the long run, help out an NBA career. The college game also sees a return with the fact that the game is so much more entertaining to watch with older, more mature players. Tyler Hansbrough may not become an NBA All-Star, but he should has made college basketball fun to watch again hasn’t he?

The 1 year program was a great idea from the NBA, but I’m just not so sure that taking away another year’s worth of earnings from someone is a logical step. Maybe it’s about time we pay college athletes?


Are the Houston Rockets Legit?

“No.”

Tracy McGrady and his loveable Houston Rockets have been quite the story and I have enjoyed watching their miraculous run as much as the next fan. I’m just not so sure this will continue on come playoff time.

It’s like a “feel” test with the Rockets. When you sit back objectively, do you really feel like they are a championship contender? No Yao Ming and a leader who has never been out of the first round of the playoffs do not say much to me.

They have some nice role players, but do they have role players like Derek Fisher or Bruce Bowen who have been there and done that and won championships? Has Rick Adelman really proven himself as an elite coach over the last 10 years? Are we positive Rafer Alston won’t be “skipping” into jail anytime soon? Is Luis Scola’s hair really prettier than Mike Miller’s? I keep answering “no” to all of these questions.


The NCAA Tourney is Life?

“Yes.”

I’m actually PTO’ing Thursday and Friday to pounce onto a bar stool with 10+ HD TV’s blasting in every ear on my bubbly little head! Oh the tourney! It will be one long weekend that’s for sure. I’m even skipping St. Patty’s tonight to prepare for the long haul that is awaiting.

Thursday’s Itinerary:

• Bus to local Portland State bar to join buddy and act as a loyal fan. (Look at me being responsible in 2 ways!)
• Bloody Mary & chicken-fried steak for breakfast to lather up Mr. Gut.
• Pitchers of Mirror Pond Pale Ale until lunch.
• Streetcar to local “yuppie bar” for lunch to escape “college drunk guy bar.”
• Enjoy rest of day with pitchers of something Belgian or possibly gin and tonics. (We’ll see how Mr. Gut is holding up)
• Girlfriend leaves work and joins the fun.
• We order her a late afternoon Bloody Mary (her fav) and catch her up on the upsets and ridiculous buzzer beaters of the day. (We’ll probably be talking REALLY LOUD TOO at this point)
• I attempt to eat dinner. (Burger! Ok, probably salad so I don’t pass out in the booth)
• Ride home with GF and think about blogging. (Can you imagine what might come out of me?)
• Sleep. (Thanks IKEA!)
  

Friday’s Itinerary:

• (See Thursday)
  

  
  

  
  

Winning your Work NCAA Bracket Pool

Stop picking upsets! The bracketologists have done the work for you by seeding every single team. They know a lot more than you do remember? If you pick high seeds in almost every game, you’ll dominate. I’m sure all week you will hear the guy in the office next door bragging about Coppin State or Drake, but once the first weekend is over, he’ll already be out of the money. Sucker.

100 Fluffs to Building a Better Sports Blog

Posted 3/17/08 - Kellex

A list of 100 tips to building a better money making sports blog! These can all be applied somehow to your specific niche whether you are a new or seasoned blogger.

1. Don’t use Blogger’s Minima Template.
2. Write more content.
3. Write GREAT content.
4. Create a Top 10 Sports Blogs list.
5. Your blog name should be short but catchy.
6. Create a blog schedule.
7. Read The Big Lead.
8. Read Deadspin.
9. Continue to play sports.
10. Have a daily blog list to read.
11. Submit to every search engine known to man.
12. Start pinging.
13. Break up long posts into part 1 and part 2.
14. Start a contest.
15. Create a widget.
16. Create a blog tool.
17. Join Google Adsense.
18. Join an affiliate network.
19. Join MyBlogLog.
20. Track your stats with Google Analytics.
21. Love Digg.
22. Love BallHype.
23. Submit to a Blog Carnival.
24. Start a Blog Carnival.
25. Tell your friends.
26. Join top blog lists.
27. Run “link posts”.
28. Create a solid blogroll.
29. Ask big name blogs to link you back.
30. Get your own domain.
31. Have a separate email address for your blog.
32. Create a Zimbio page.
33. Run a poll.
34. Use Feedburner.
35. Comment, comment, comment.
36. Tell your honest opinion.
37. Break news.
38. Do not be a robot, show some personality.
39. Do not obsessively check your stats .
40. Make a t-shirt for your blog.
41. Wear it to the grocery store or gym.
42. Run a bulletin announcing your blog on Myspace.
43. Join a blog community.
44. Create a blog community.
45. Guest blog for another.
46. Ask someone to guest blog for you.
47. Review products or blogs.
48. Run a day long blog-a-thon on a topic.
49. Use pictures.
50. Add social bookmarking buttons.
51. Write about a controversy.
52. Hate SEO, but know some of it.
53. Be humorous.
54. Make videos.
55. Utilize Google Alerts.
56. Submit your sitemap to Google.
57. Quicken your page load time.
58. Know your Alexa rank.
59. Know your Google page rank.
60. Join Technorati.
61. Tag everything.
62. Join Entrecard.
63. Blog about making money blogging.
64. Submit to SI: Extra Mustard.
65. Stop drooling over John Chow.
66. Read the Digital Point forums.
67. Write posts that link to your other posts.
68. Re-use successful material of yours.
69. Proofread more.
70. Write a “Worst Hair” post.
71. Interview someone.
72. Become a forum whore.
73. Link to your blog in your signature.
74. Post about upcoming events.
75. Attend that event and blog it.
76. Yahoo! Answers is your friend.
77. Have a “Hot Articles” list.
78. Have a “Recent Articles” list.
79. Have a legit “About Me” page.
80. Make stickers for your blog.
81. Submit blogs to your local independent newspaper.
82. Start podcasting.
83. Answer comments.
84. Become your sport’s expert.
85. Love what you write about.
86. Encourage readers to subscribe.
87. Customize your template.
88. Use Google News.
89. Know the best blogs and imitate them.
90. Blog from random places, not just at home.
91. Add ticketing to your site.
92. Ask your readers what they want.
93. Challenge a big dog’s opinion.
94. Blog about foreign sports.
95. Hold an online 1 on 1 contest.
96. Sell blog merchandise.
97. Write a “Trade Deadline Recap” post.
98. Linkbait.
99. Read, read, read.
100. Write a top 100 list!

Do you really want to make money blogging or not?

Posted 3/17/08 - Kellex

Many bloggers have a money making identity crisis on their hands. What I mean by this, is they want to make money with a blog but are too scared or worried to actually go all the way with it. You really need to ask yourself the question, “Do you really want to make money blogging or not?”

By throwing up a couple of Google Adsense ads in the bottom right corner of one of your sidebars and maybe having an Amazon widget above that doesn’t mean you are seriously trying to make any money. You need to decide to be either all in or all out! When I first entered the blogging world I was just like that. I was too afraid that my readers would be offended or annoyed by my ads and would eventually leave me blog alone in the vast blog-o-sphere. And at the same time I kept questioning as to why no one was ever clicking on my advertisements.

The answer was simple: I was in mid-blogger crisis! I finally decided to take the plunge and just see what could happen if I threw up a couple more ads, adjusted my layout and promoted more. Within days my NBA basketball blog took off and the Google dollars started to soar. And the most important thing was, my blog wasn’t losing hits or traffic. In fact, once my mindset switched to uber-promotional mode, the traffic started to increase and I haven’t had one reader complain yet.

The ads on my basketball blog are in no way offensive but you definitely know they are there. You can overkill a blog with ads and it will be up to you to decide where your happy medium lies.

Out of the Box Tips to Drive Traffic

Posted 3/17/08 - Kellex

Make a Shirt and Wear it!

It sounds a little goofy and most people won’t have the guts to do it but this is a no brainer. You can make a shirt for as little as $16 that could display your logo and URL to the world!

I’m not saying throw on your blog t-shirt and run out to the clubs for the night, but I am saying wear it to the grocery store or wear it to the gym. How many people do you think you pass each day while picking up your snacks for the week? And how many people do see at the gym with those wandering eyes? You are always looking for new and unique visitors to your site and this is a great way to get some.


Make Stickers!

Stickers are even cheaper than t-shirts and will make most of you feel a little less comfortable than rockin’ that blog shirt I’m sure. Make 10-15 stickers and put a decent sized one on the back window of your car. Think about the number of cars that follow you within a day or an hour?

How about placing a sticker on your bookbag or laptop bag? You are sitting at the local coffee shop blogging away and the coffee guru next to you probably checked out the stylish bag you have and BAM, he sees your sticker. Get create with stickers!


Print Flyers!

An even cheaper option that stickers or t-shirts! Throw your logo on a document, run to Kinko’s and whip out 100 copies with your logo, blog name and URL blasted on it. You can post a flyer just about anywhere can’t you? Drop a stack off in one of those free local newspaper or car trader bins. Even a guy on the street who picks up your flyer as it’s blowing down the street to write down a note on could give you a new reader.


Abuse your Myspace Friends List!

Myspace allows you to create this incredible list of friends and contacts, why not use them? Sending out weekly bulletins with your blog's updates should be a normal activity for you. Not only are you reaching long lost friends, but they have friends who have friends who have more friends. Word of mouth or email through your close friends is the best way to build instant traffic.