This document provides tips for starting a personal blog, including choosing a blogging platform, building relationships with readers and fellow bloggers, limiting re-blogging, using SEO best practices, monetizing with AdSense, addressing gray areas like link exchanges, scheduling posts, and maintaining quality. The overall focus is on creating engaging, original content while avoiding plagiarism and legal/ethical issues that could harm the blog.

1. Amit Agarwal
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2. Writing a Personal Blog ? Skip To Last Slide
Finding Fodder
Blogging Relationships
White SEO – Best Practices
Effective Monetization
Online Plagiarism, Fair Use
Gray Areas
What Works with Blogging
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3. Platform ‐ Blogger, WordPress or Tumblr
Think Ahead When Picking any URL
No Trademarks please
Blogging Toolset
Windows Live Writer / Firefox
TechSmith SnagIT + Picnik
CSS – Borders, Align, Margins
FeedBurner FAQ
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4. Build Relationships
With Blog Readers
▪ Respond to Comments
▪ Highlight, Compliment
With Fellow Bloggers
▪ Send Tips
▪ Leave Comments
Join Forums
Track Reactions & Online Reputation [ego‐surfing]
Meet Offline
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5. Limit Re‐blogging (or link‐blogging)
One Original Post Every Day
Avoid Echo Blogging
Ignore TechMeme, Digg, TechCrunch
Or add a very different perspective
Use Google Alerts, Twitter, GAS
Quickly Scan Google Groups, Forums
Credit Sources [social bookmarking ?]
The actual article, not the homepage
Do not link to the print‐only version
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6. SEO for Blogs Is Legal
Bad Titles Can Make You Extinct
Unique Number in URLs [Date ?]
Use dashes, not underscores
Meta Tags
Control Distribution of Google PageRank with NoFollow
Text, Text, Text – Never say “watch this”
Master Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Central
Never Ignore Flickr, Google Images [alt]
Picture Captions, Surrounding Text
Adobe PDFs ‐ Organic Traffic + Yahoo! Ads
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7. AdSense Is The King
Section Targeting
Split Testing
Channel Descriptions – Convince
No Banners, Only Large Formats
Do not feel shy of showcasing Ads.
Remember the letter “F”
Reward Regular Visitors with Ad‐Free Content
Avoid Ads on Homepage – Not targeted well
AdSense Sandbox
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8. Gray Areas
Text Link Ads
Link Exchanges
Paid Posts [can repel readers]
Cross Linking
Solution: REL=NOFOLLOW
Case A: <a href=quot;www.buy‐viagra.com/quot;>Cheap Viagra</a>
Case B: <a href=quot;www.free‐viagra.com/quot; rel=quot;nofollowquot;>Free Viagra</a>
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9. Why Remain Strict
Duplicate Content
Search Engines Are Generally Clueless
Finding Copy‐Paste Content
Typos, unique strings
Incoming links to external site
Dealing with Plagiarists
Polite email [with deadline]
DMCA notice to Domain Host + AdSense
When nothing works, forget it.
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10. Schedule – Don’t disappoint readers
Thick Skin – Cannot please everyone
Never Flame / Avoid Personal Attacks
Spelling / Typos
Formatting – Most People Will Scan, Not Read
Think and Write ‐ Avoid Embarrassment Later
Never Blog When Angry – It Reflects
Anything Posted Online is Undeletable
Wrote a killer post ? Tip But Don’t Spam
Avoid Blog Clutter
Offer RSS and Email subscriptions
Change that About Us Page ‐ Self Promotion Not Bad
Blog Design Matters
Readers are 100x Smarter Than You – Respect Their Time
Stop Obsessing about Stats and Income
The word “Sorry” can do wonders.
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Message Board
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India Blogs
http://tinyurl.com/2bvwac
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