Contest - Help Missy to Revitalize G34 Media Blog and Win Cool Prizes
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Missy is the owner of G34 Media blog and looking for ideas, suggestions and tips to take her blog to the next level. Help fellow blogger and win cool prizes!
About G34 Media blog.
G34 blog started as a placeholder for Missy’s network of sites and blogs, but down the road focus was lost and G34 became a challenge for Missy. She did a great job with the blog that has PR4 rating now. Missy continues to publish content on variety of subjects, but feels like her efforts don’t bring enough money to push G34 blog further. Monetization is currently a primary goal. What would be your suggestion to Missy? Click here to go directly to G34 blog.
Contest Rules.
1. Contest will run until Dec 2nd, 2008. Please submit your entry (as a comment to this post) BEFORE Dec 2nd. That’s all what is needed to win. Make sure to give valid email with the comment as it’ll be used to notify winners.
2. Missy decision is final and she will choose 3 prize winners based on the best advice, idea or tip for G34 blog - so please be as specific as possible and address needs of G34 blog.
3. Prize winners will be announced on Dec 9th, 2008 and contacted by email how to claim prizes.
Prizes.
There are going to be 3 prizes for contest winners.
1st place. “Blogging In Action” package. Learn more about the product here.
2nd place. “Expert Wordpress” package. Learn more about the product here.
3rd place. $10 will be deposited into your Paypal account.
Feel free to post information about the contest on your blog, lets have a collective brain of blogosphere help Missy!
Good luck.
36 Comments
October 29th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Awesomesauce, Max! I need all the help i can get. LoL. I welcome any and all feedback on my blog and this contest.
I realize some changes need to take place and that i need to devote more time to my precious blog. I need to strategize and hunker down and make some moola.
I think the first step is to set some goals, as you have with your other “case”. This should help me.
Will write about this contest on my blog and see if we can get the ball rolling. Thanks!
Missy.
Missy (from G34 Media)s last blog post..AppLoop: Make An iPhone App From Your Blog
October 29th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
[...] visiting!A friendly blogger by the name of Max, who runs the Villiat Business Blog has created an awesomerific contest to help yours truly. Read on below for the juicy [...]
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The comment’s server IP (64.111.122.9) doesn’t match the comment’s URL host IP (208.113.154.119) and so is spam.
October 30th, 2008 at 3:06 am
Hey Max,
Glad to be part of the sponsors! Good luck to Missy and all contestants!
Cheers.
October 30th, 2008 at 3:46 am
[...] Contest, designed to help on blogger to revitalize her blog is organized by Max from Viliat blog, who is frequent commenter on this blog. I’m one of the happy sponsors with Expert WordPress [...]
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The comment’s server IP (208.79.207.132) doesn’t match the comment’s URL host IP (208.73.34.92) and so is spam.
October 30th, 2008 at 5:25 am
I’m not sure this is the kind of tip you’re looking for, but I thought I’d share it anyway
Make your static sidebar dynamic. Each page on your blog is unique, so why no make your sidebar unique to the content on the page?
An easy way to do it is by using the Widget-Logic plugin, which gives every widget an extra control field called “Widget logic” that lets you control when the widget appears.
October 30th, 2008 at 8:47 am
I think branding is crucial. Missy doesn’t have a unique blog logo or header which can differentiate her blog from the rest and imprint it in the minds of readers.
October 30th, 2008 at 10:01 am
Mieke:
Dynamic sidebar? I bought the OIO Publisher plugin which would allow me to rotate banners, but i must have deleted the link because i cant’ find it. Arggh.
Yes i agree rotating ads would make the blog look more appealing and also give it some variety as far as ads to look at. Will check out Widget Logic. Thanxs!
Kris:
Yep a logo is in order. Will look into this as well. Yikes! If anyone here is a cheap designer who cares to make me one, i’m game to it. Hit me up via my contact form.
Thanxs for joining in guys.
October 31st, 2008 at 7:48 am
[...] presents Contest - Help Missy to Revitalize G34 Media Blog and Win Cool Prizes posted at Viliat Online [...]
November 1st, 2008 at 4:41 am
Hey Max,
That’s a good thing you are doing. Some of the suggestions here benefits not only Missy but others like me as well.
Missy, best of luck .. you are in good company
Sylvester
November 1st, 2008 at 7:43 am
[...] presents Contest - Help Missy to Revitalize G34 Media Blog and Win Cool Prizes posted at Viliat Online [...]
November 2nd, 2008 at 11:15 am
Yeah the branding thing is a great way, I would recommend adding some personal flavor to the design as well.
In case you want to get it to the next level pick a topic where you consider yourself an expert and just create 1-2 post each week and give them a catchy name. I have a hard time focusing on what I want to do, and I really suck with it on my personal blog, but that’s why I call it personal and not buisness blog. Decide what you are looking for. Fun? Money? A voice in a certain field?
Create a catch theme song for your blog, everyone needs one
Create a media related product (keywords are king here I guess) for your site that you either sell or give away for free to increase subscribers.
That’s pretty much what I came up with after checking your blog the first time.
November 2nd, 2008 at 11:31 am
Thanxs, Sylvester. I like the name of your blog, very cute. But you didn’t give a suggestion. LoL.
How about giving it a try?
Missy (from G34 Media)s last blog post..Hot NEW! Contest For Bloggers- Win Big! (and help me in the process)
November 2nd, 2008 at 1:02 pm
@Alex - thanks for stopping by and thanks for sponsoring this contest. Please feel free to share what you think about Missy’s blog… but, don’t expect to win prizes
- sponsors and organizers are excluded from prizes.
@Mieke, Kris, sven - thank you for participating and great suggestions, I believe Missy already working on them.
@Sylvester - thanks, the idea is that we all can learn from collective intelligence of other bloggers. Agree with Missy, why don’t you give it a try?
Keep it coming guys and gals, don’t be shy!
November 2nd, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Sven:
Those are some great suggestions. I especially like the “catchy theme song” idea, this is different and not many use it.
Thanxs!
By the way cool blog you have there.
November 2nd, 2008 at 8:17 pm
@Missy
@Max
Thanks guys & gal for encouraging me to venture a suggestion. I am new to IM and blogging is a new platform for me so I prefer to listen and learn. Look at the header on my site!
Anyway Missy, I personally think you got a great site with a wealth of useful info. Beside the RSS feed , why not have a newsletter? I always felt that newsletter helps to reinforced your personna,build trust and allows for for proactive action from you to your readers.
Just my 5cents worth guys.
Horray for me…. my first suggestion on blogging!
Sylvester
November 3rd, 2008 at 9:04 am
good job Sylvester! Thank you for coming out and leaving comment.
November 3rd, 2008 at 9:20 am
Feedback from newbies can be very valuable, as sometimes when you’re knee deep in something it is hard to see up above. You know.
Good ideas. Thank you. Missy.
Missy (from G34 Media)s last blog post..Hot NEW! Contest For Bloggers- Win Big! (and help me in the process)
November 4th, 2008 at 12:29 am
Another tip would be to install spam plugins and auto-approve your comments. There are ways to prevent it and it’s less work for you.
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
November 6th, 2008 at 12:12 am
I’m sorry guys for not being the first to comment. I’m yet putting all my thoughts into any constructive idea.
To be very frank, the first time I got to know Missy I had my first impression that this gal was very capable of managing multiple blogs but somehow I think down the road it takes its toll on her time and focus.
Max, you mentioned that “Missy continues to publish content on variety of subjects…” and that alone is the reason why I think she lost her focus.
I’m speaking (read:writing) from a reader’s perspective. I mean if I go to Viliat I know first hand what to expect from it. I learn a lot from you on the smartest way of affiliating without being too obtrusive. You have cleverly blended everything into your content, something I’m yet to perfect. Besides, you do practice what you preach and that’s the plus point.
Now going back to G34 Media, if I were to take ownership of the blog, the very first thing I’d do is to change the design. Secondly, I’d convert all the other sites within the group into auto-pilot niche sites and focus solely on G34 Media while keeping in mind that Missy needs to find the niche she is passionate about, her brand so to speak.
It’s all down to focus, passion and patience. Nothing can be achieved in a hurry, even if it’s possible it will burn you out without you knowing it. I hope that I’m not making any wrong presumption here but that’s what I see the problem is from a different angle.
I’ll be back for more when the idea crosses my mind but for the time being, that’s about all that I need to say. With her experience and determination, it doesn’t take too long for her to find what is capable of and refocus G34.
Good luck, Missy.
Yan
November 6th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Sven:
I am not crazy about auto approving comments. I already have good Spam plugins in place, and it still gets through everyday. But i hear ya on the comments thing. Will see what i can do.
Yan:
Hey, buddy thanxs for the awesome feedback. Fact is you are right i am totally burned out with my army of blogs. But i have since LEARNED to pace myself, work on one at a time, and to concentrate on the ones i am passionate about.
Also i plan to sell many of them off to have a clean slate and to focus on my core blogs.
G34 Media is not an MMO blog and was never meant to be, it was/is meant as a media site that discusses and showcases cool web 2.0 tools and sites.
I am going to re-brand it as a net media blog. Not net marketing but net media.
I so APPRECIATE your comments and feedback and plan to institute as many of the suggestions as i can.
Will also be writing a follow up post and thanking everyone who has (so far) commented above. Lots of good ideas.
Keep the suggestions coming.
Missy.
November 6th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
@Yan - long time no see, glad you came back with awesome feedback.
@Missy - looks like a future of G34 blog shaping up…
@everyone - lets not forget that blog monetization is an issue too, PR4 blog should have bring a decent income. Like to share what Missy have to do to bring her income up?
November 6th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
[...] feed. Thanks for visiting!As you have probably read Max (who runs an affiliate marketing blog) is sponsoring a contest in which readers and visitors get to provide feedback on the direction of this [...]
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The comment’s server IP (64.111.122.9) doesn’t match the comment’s URL host IP (208.113.154.119) and so is spam.
November 7th, 2008 at 12:13 am
@Max: Not too long, buddy. Lost my internet connection for 5 straight days and it really sucked big time.
@Missy:
Yes, the key is to rebrand G34 into something that deserves the professionalism of its name G34. I kinda like the name actually, it’s very pro if you ask me. So your blog design must live up to its name, so to speak.
One more thing to add: Probably a clear call-to-action for email subscription should be placed at strategic position, usually right before the comment is best.
That’s all for the day. Will be back once something pops up in my mind again….;)
I know monetization, right Max? You are in better position to advise Missy what to do with it but I’ll still give my opinion…soon.
Yan
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
November 7th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Yan, hope losing connection would not be an issue anymore, we miss you here…
Monetization is actually the hardest part of running profitable blog (I know it’s hard to believe, usually gurus divert blogger attention to the content). There are 100+ ways to monetize blog, and don’t forget about tracking and testing.
In Missy’s case, I’d start with getting rid of Adsense (right below menu bar) and replacing adsense block with rotating 468 banners. But then again, I don’t know may be she is comfortable with adsense income from G34 blog.
Next, I’d publish performancing ads 125 banners right below twitter widget. G34 is PR4 blog and Missy can easily get $20 a week (if not more) for a single banner from performancing. 4 banners will get her $80-100 a week.
Guys and gals, remember organizers and sponsors do NOT get prizes - so jump in and offer the craziest idea you can think of!
November 8th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Hey, Max:
I just finally figured out how to manipulate the OIO WP Plugin into the theme files.
So i plan to remove the Adsense from the Single.php post section and add in some RELEVANT aff banners instead. I’ve been meaning to do it, just didn’t know how to.
I knew how to add a banner, just not rotating banners. As i didn’t just want the same banner up all the time. Now i know how. Sweet!
As for Performancing ads. Not sure on this. Will have to look into the available advertisers for G34 Media niche. Whatever that is. LoL. (just kidding)
Hey, James:
Nice spam post. Congrats!
Missy (from G34 Media)s last blog post..Blog Contest Update!
November 8th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Hi Missy, to rotate banners you can use MaxBlogPress Banner plugin, it’s free and very easy to use.
As to Performancing, this is a beauty of G34 blog - no real niche, so you should be able to find quite a few banners to publish.
I thought James comment was spam too, approved it to get readers feedback. Now, the comment is gone and James IP for my blog is blocked.
November 8th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
@Max: That’s a good call on James…;)
My goodness, wp hashcash think that my last comment was a spam. how dare it made that assumption….LOL
Yan
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
November 8th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
@Yan - wp-hashcash still “marked” you
sorry about that. sometime this plugin behaves in weird ways. that’s why I gave James a shot…
November 8th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
@Max:
No problem. I’m still using it since the day you introduced it to me. It has done a wonderful job combating spams on my blog, though once in a while, it couldn’t differentiate between a legit comment from spam but I’m cool with it. No worry, buddy.
Yan
November 30th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Missy, here is a thought about G34. If you want to keep writing about variety of subjects - magazine style theme will fit nicely for G34.
November 30th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Hey, Max:
Yes i am getting a new logo and changing out the theme, am thinking of using Fresh News wp theme. As it is one i am quite familiar with and i can use it as either a CMS or a mag style theme.
I see the contest is set to be over on Dec 2nd, will shoot out a final blast email to my list and also to my Twitter peeps and let everyone know there are only 2 more days left to enter to win.
I so appreciate all the tips and feedback, it has helped me out a lot.
Will be picking a winner soon.
Cheers,
Missy.
Missy (from G34 Media)s last blog post..5 Twitter Tools You Should Be Using If You’re A Blogger
November 30th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Missy
Though I have known you for a while, you are still hiding behind your lovely avatar so why not bring your blog to next level by “vblogging”. We’d love to see you on camera at G34. At the very least, a voice over on one of your tutorial might not be a bad idea, is it not?
I could remember Joe from imwithjoe.com did very well with his videos. I was one of his early visitors. Then the discussion (aka commenting) was mainly between us and where is he now? Who doesn’t know Joe “the sammich man”?
I guess this might just be my last contribution. If the last comment by Max didn’t arrive at my email, I’d have forgotten about it all. I’m sorry…life has too many priorities with too little time.
In any case, all the best, gal. You’ll always have my support.
Cheers
Yan
The Smiling Bloggers last blog post..10 Tips for a Blog Design Makeover
December 1st, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Thanxs for the kind words as usual, Yan. Thanxs for participating and that goes for all the commenters above.
It seems this contest is just about over, and a winner will be announced tomorrow afternoon. I will consult with Max and we will notify the winner.
Thanxs again for helping me and providing your opinions. Good luck to all who entered. ~WeeHoo~
Missy.
Missy (from G34 Media)s last blog post..5 Twitter Tools You Should Be Using If You’re A Blogger
December 1st, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Oops i made a mistake in the above comment. The winner will be announced on Dec. 9th not tomorrow.
Sorry for the typo.
Missy (from G34 Media)s last blog post..5 Twitter Tools You Should Be Using If You’re A Blogger
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:40 am
Missy, please start selection process tomorrow and let me know anytime by Dec 9th who are 3 lucky winners. thanks.
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:24 am
Thank you everybody for participating in the contest and giving Missy great suggestions on how to improve G34 blog. I am closing comments on this post and will announce winners on new post by Dec 9th.