TenthOfMarch.com

MyBlogLog seems to be a double-edged sword to me. If it is properly utilized, it may help you generate traffic into your blog. However, it was also reported that MyBlogLog reduces your blog earnings. Therefore, to keep or to ditch the widget is entirely up to you. If you do plan to keep the widget, here is a simple tip for you to reduce traffic loss through the widget.

When you are creating your MyBlogLog widget, there is an option where you can either show or hide the screen names or your visitor. You should select “Yes” for this option. This enables your readers to open the link in a new window or tab. I always open new links in a new tab so that I do not have to click on the back button after I am done to return to the original blog. I believe there are others who do the same.

On the other hand, selecting not to show the screen names will force your readers to click on the image thus leaving your blog. When that happens, you will either need to be a popular blogger or have created enough enthusiasm in your readers to make them want to click on the back button to return to your blog.

There is another method a person can get the most out of MyBlogLog (ie. generating traffic to their blogs without losing traffic or earnings). Sign up and login to MyBlogLog but do not display the MyBlogLog widget in your blog. That way, you will still gain traffic from other blogs through their MyBlogLog widget while making sure none leaves yours.

I am not sure if there is a regulation in their ToS that states you have to place their widget in your blog if you are using their service though. So please read their fine prints before proceeding.

Note: If you find this post interesting or helpful (or you just want to be kind), please stumble this post. Thanks!

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To be a successful artist, you need to have a combination of two or more of the following — talent, determination and exposure. There are many who may have the talent but if they were not discovered or do not have the determination to excel, they can never be successful. The same concept applies when it comes to being successful in blogging. One needs to have a combination of the three factors mentioned above.

This post is aimed to help those who can produce great contents but have little luck in getting traffic to their blog. If you are already producing great contents, it shows that you have the talent to write. What you need is a little exposure to start generating more traffic. There are many ways to achieve this. Some of them include being ranked higher in search engines through SEO optimization, participating in forums, leaving smart comments in popular blogs, etc.

From my personal experience, one of the easiest ways to get traffic into your blog is through social networking / bookmarking websites. The popular ones include Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit and Del.icio.us. I have tried Digg and StumbleUpon in the past and am currently testing Del.icio.us. I do not have much luck with Digg. It could be due to my posts not being up to par yet. However, StumbleUpon worked quite well for me. In fact, my article on WordPress’s Douche Bag plugin has brought in over 1,000 page views in the first 24 hours.

Below are a few posts comparing Digg and StumbleUpon:

• Darren Rowse from Problogger.net shared his views on why StumbleUpon sends more traffic than Digg. From his findings, Digg generated more traffic in the first week compared to StumbleUpon. As time passes by, the amount of traffic coming in from Digg has reduced to almost zero. Meanwhile, StumbleUpon continues to generate traffic even after 6 weeks of the post being published. He concluded that StumbleUpon generated more traffic in the long run compared to Digg.
• Neil Patel from PronetAdvertising.com compared traffic from StumbleUpon, Digg and Del.icio.us and also found that StumbleUpon brings in more traffic. One thing he noticed is that even though it brought in more traffic, Digg visitors clicked on his RSS feed link more than the other two.

I am leaning more towards StumbleUpon because it works better for me. However, it is best to try out as many social bookmarking websites and find out which works for you. Some of them may not bring in as many traffic as you would like to have but any amount of traffic is still an exposure for your blog.

Try out StumbleUpon today and utilize it to gain some exposure for your blog. You can selectively stumble on your own posts. Apart from that, you can also install the StumbleUpon toolbar and use it to discover new websites others have stumbled upon. Don’t forget to give the website a “thumbs up” if you find it interesting. That way, you help the blogger gain more exposure on his blog. I believe “What goes around, comes around”.

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