Finding topics to blog about

Darren said: "There are two ways you can go: 1) Blog about things you like about and know 2) Blog about high-paying keywords Either way is potentially successful, but the second one requires more self-discipline, because it's so lacking in passion. What other ways can we think of to find content to blog about?"

Heather said: "You can blog about politics. If you care enough. Seems there would be alot of already established bloggers in that arena.. If you're a parent, you could blog about raising children.. If you run a business (home improvement, for example) you could give tips for DIY or new products that are being introduced.."

raven said: "Or you could write about the high cost of shipping toilets.... ;)"

Darren said: "Many great men have failed at the toilet-shipping business. Especially with gas prices at an all time high :)"

Heather said: "[QUOTE=raven]Or you could write about the high cost of shipping toilets.... ;)[/QUOTE] LOL. Drawbacks of shipping heavy items that could break in the shipping process."

chris3471 said: "[QUOTE=raven]Or you could write about the high cost of shipping toilets.... ;)[/QUOTE] Lol, I guess that's targeting me. :D I actually refunded the full $280 out of my pocket a couple of weeks ago because the post office insurance wouldn't cover it. I didn't really have to but it didn't seem right that the people should lose there money. Also I wan't to maintain a 100% positive feedback rating. It took me about a month to come up with enough for the refund but the people were very patient and left me positive feedback after the refund so it worked out ok."

Darren said: "99% of people will never be a problem as customers if you even attempt to treat them right."

chris3471 said: "The part that worried me the most was the thought of getting negative feedback, I had to stall for a month and was working 15 hour days to try and get a job done so I could send off the refund. I stalled by telling them I was waiting on my taxes because most people don't understand the concept of getting a down payment on a job then not getting any more money untill the job is finished."

Heather said: "You did the right thing, Chris.. If nothing else, the experience gave you some insight into selling on Ebay and some of the advantages and disadvantages.."

chris3471 said: "Back on topic now, I just realized that my idea is going to require a little more work than I expected, I'm reviewing blogs now to find some to write about and I just can't believe the stupid stuff people write about. take a look at this one [url]http://www.surlychicks.com/[/url]"

Darren said: "There's a blog for every occasion."

Heather said: "That was something else :) Getting writer's block stinks, so finding something that you can write about easily helps. Is there something you know a lot about and enjoy talking about? If you wanted to keep it on topic with your "off line" business, maybe you could discuss topics that appeal to homeowners? Stuff like replacement windows, unforseen problems when starting a home improvement project, tips for making a room look more spacious.. things of that nature.. Make it so "you" shine through.. if no other home contractors in your area have started a blog, it could help build awareness of your services in your local community.. if they have, maybe you could exchange links with them?"

chris3471 said: "That's kind of the direction I was thinking about with my blog on SMB, I hadn't thought about the local businesses part though, I like that idea. I will be adding that blog to this in a day or two I just didn't want to try to do too much at once and get overwelmed by it. I'm finishing my second post at bloggeries right now, may take me a few more minutes anyway. What it is is an explanation of the review process and what I will and won't review and what efforts I put into finding the right blogs to put the spotlight on. I'm also going to add a contact form to the sidebar and a link to the post I'm working on now so bloggers can request a review if their blog fits the bill and make my work easier. The main thing is I don't want to review blogs that haven't been updated in months or that use foul language."

Darren said: "It gets easier as time goes on. I'm starting to have no problem updating daily."

Heather said: "[QUOTE=chris3471]That's kind of the direction I was thinking about with my blog on SMB, I hadn't thought about the local businesses part though, I like that idea. I will be adding that blog to this in a day or two I just didn't want to try to do too much at once and get overwelmed by it. I'm finishing my second post at bloggeries right now, may take me a few more minutes anyway. What it is is an explanation of the review process and what I will and won't review and what efforts I put into finding the right blogs to put the spotlight on. I'm also going to add a contact form to the sidebar and a link to the post I'm working on now so bloggers can request a review if their blog fits the bill and make my work easier. The main thing is I don't want to review blogs that haven't been updated in months or that use foul language.[/QUOTE] I can't say that I blame you not wnating to review blogs that are crusty or filled with profanity. Sounds like your cooking now, Chris! I look forward to hearing what you decide to blog about. I say that one that compliments your already existing business would be most logical."

chris3471 said: "I just finished my second post, I deleted all the existing posts this morning and am starting with a clean slate, it seemed like the best way to go since most of the other posts were allready on other sites and I want to go with only my own content."

Darren said: "Looking good. The more information you give the readers, the better."

chris3471 said: "I'm already seeing a lot of our blogs showing up in the incoming links on the dashboard."

Heather said: "Blogs seem to update a lot differently than regular websites do, from my observations.. Sort of cool, huh?"

chris3471 said: "I'm having fun with this, also i just moderated your comment, thanks."

Darren said: "I'm getting a bug here: Chris [url]http://bloggeries.com/blog/category/bloggeries/[/url] It's 404, something to do with the mod_rewrite."

chris3471 said: "Thanks for the heads up. I figured out what the problem was, I had changed the default category from untitled to bloggeries, that still doesn't explain why it was doing this though. It was a caps problem, I changed your link to a capital B and it worked but I couldn't get it to work with wordpress without making a new category."

chris3471 said: "I stand corrected, it's not fixed. I'm not sure what's going on here. The other categories work fine."

edwin said: "i've seen that before. re-run the permalinks thingie and read any error messages"

chris3471 said: "This isn't making any sense, it works fine for all other categories but not if they're called bloggeries. I have deleted the category and remade it, I've redone the permalink thingy, still won't work."

Darren said: "I'm almost 100% sure this problem is from the .htaccess file not being writeable. That's why the rule isn't written yet, and doesn't work yet."

chris3471 said: "But all the other categories work though."

Darren said: "Oh, got it. Just delete it and re-create it then."

chris3471 said: "Did that 3 times already, even tried a few variations of the permalink thing while creating the new category still no luck. I just PMed Jamey to check the .htaccess for write permissions and to fix my ftp password which also quit working. He's quick to respond, usually within a few minutes so I will have this fixed soon."

chris3471 said: "Makes no sense at all, it's specifically the word bloggeries that won't work, if I change it to anything else it will work. *edit* it might be the permalink thing because if I change it back it all works fine."

Heather said: "**Back on topic** If you enjoy (and watch) a lot of movies you could do a review of movies. If you love to read books, (and can read fast enough to keep an active blog) you could do book reviews.. There really is no end to the amount of things you could blog about, if you looked hard enough.."

chris3471 said: "Just from looking for blogs to review I see that people will blog about anything and everything."

Darren said: "No doubt about it. I say pick a subject that is both lucrative and popular. - consumer electronics - forex and options trading - weddings Etc, etc. These subjects will get you paid the most."

chris3471 said: "Electronics I like, I've been thinking about that for my other blog."

Darren said: ""Gadgets" are the best, of course, but any consumer electronics product will be high paying. Product reviews are the best money you can make using Adsense. The reader is reading a review, and is more likely to buy so advertisers bid the prices up. A blog that is updated constantly about Gagdets is bound to be a good money earner, hence Planet Gadgets. Other big money makers: - health related - cell phones - legal - credit repair/credit cards/mortgages - eye surgery - certain internet marketing keywords"