**Google it and you will find my BLOGspot** (blogger.com)

Member Name: curious_tan

Product:	blogger.com
Date:	19/10/08 (307 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It is free, addictive and easy to maintain

Disadvantages: It requires patience to make it interesting

AS THE INTERNET DOMINATES our daily communication, blogging is also becoming an on-line mechanism to commune (virtually) with other people, consequently keeping in touch and constantly connected to any place around the globe with the rest of the internet users or with referred as 'bloggers'. It fascinates me from the time when I learned about it 4 years ago.

Being a blogger is a way of sharing my thoughts about every thing that affects my way of living - from travel experience to academic works or from what I have read from printed materials on current debates and do share my views. My blog is being powered by blogger.com (or Blogspot.com) which also enhances my entrepreneurship skills to gain extra cash by linking my membership with consumer sites (dooyoo, trivago or ciao) as an extra benefit of having one or more blog sites aside from on-line networking or socialising. It is becoming a part of my way of life. I could not imagine myself without it and being hopeless not to log-in and post my diary/journal, desperate to share it with anonymous readers.

There are few basic things that I want to share for becoming a successful Blogspot member and keeping in touch with friends and a worldwide network for possible e-commerce opportunities. As the term implies, blog is derived from two words, 'web' and 'log' which means that this is a website that requires registration. Logging-in requires user name and password to be able to have free access to the provider.

Aside from Blogspot (established in 1999), there are so much links and web providers for free blogging which I also maintain membership with them and being linked to my Blogspot account to increase my visibility to the search engines like Google, Yahoo, Technorati and MSN.

CAN YOU HAVE BLOGspot AFTER READING MY REVIEW?
Yes of course! At first glance, it is quite complicated to start a blog site. Frankly, for ordinary internet users, it is disappointing to have it ago, even myself which is quite knowledgeable in web building/construction. Patience is the key to explore the site and to be counted as a blogger! Before Google acquired it in 2003, opening an account is by having a legitimate email address (yahoo or hotmail), then decide for a password (at least 8 characters long) and accepting its terms and conditions as a member. To date, you can have an account by using an existing google email address with a new website address: Blogspot.com

There you go, naming the blog is the next stage and finally choosing the template is quite exciting - making it personalised thru the existing designs. Blogspots template is the main reason why I decided to maintain 7 blogs within one Blogspot account. Managing them is not a rocket science, but somehow Blogspot provides a dashboard to make navigation (posting, editing and lay-outing) easy, manageable and less time consuming.

Customizing a Blogspot account requires creativity - dividing the page with various elements and dragging them is to arrange them accordingly at your own liking. Please note that too much gadgets somehow affect navigation within the site or too much information annoys readers, consequently discourage them not to visit your site again. Gadgets serve as subsection of the page which contains links, images, videos, logos, feeds or third-party functionality that also influence the visibility of the blog in the internet search engines.

For example, I came out with unique but a common word that comprises my blog name: 'digitalenvironmentalist' - easy to remember and in my surprise, it is picked-up by Google search as one of the top links. All of postings in the site were tags with the same word directed to my site itself. I also used a template which is simple with catchy lay-out and colours (black and white). The templates only bear the things that interest me like photos, videos, reviews, travels, and other gadgets that record people visited my site or allowing readers to post comments or short messages.


WHAT MAKES MY BLOGspot DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS?
It really depends on the motivation for having one blog powered by Blogspot. If your main objective is just for having a site where you could record personal events, then it is likely shows something that you could include daily journals, some photos and maybe important links to emphasise your entries. If you love travelling, then you could use the blog as a travel diary coupled with images and videos. As an entrepreneur and you want to promote your business on-line, then maybe your site could have information about the product you want to sell or important market information for interest buyers or users. All of these things are being captured by my blog.

My site provides information on travels - locally and overseas. It contains images taken during my travels, and links to my membership to different review sites such as dooyoo, trivago and ciao. I called it my e-consumer sites which you can not find to other blogs. What you could find to others (as majority does) are adverts of Google searches which are annoying to see in a blog. Well, it is owned by Google so it is normal to have it advertise, however, you can avoid this and makes the blog as personal as you can without having ads appearing on screen. And it works for my blog!

I also maintained relevant links that have something to do with books, music, and films - something that connects to my interest and hobbies. There is a link that contains films that I watched and also a link that provides information on books that I have read. It is fascinating because I could link to my reviews posted in dooyoo. In addition, my images are also linked to membership to trivago which also influence my on-line earnings since last year.


WHAT BENEFITS I CAN GET FROM HAVING A BLOGspot?
Receiving comments and messages from readers, either nasty or positive ones are encouraging to maintain a blog. It makes me motivated to continue promoting it with my other blog sites powered by Wordpress, Yahoo, MSN Live, Friendster, Multiply, Travellerpoint, Travelpod, and Blogdrive. Aside from these inspiring comments, I have to say that there are other more reasons why I am a fan of Blogspot.

Quickly, there are 3 things I gained from my Blogspot account:

1. The site is an effective strategy to help my old friends to find me thru google or yahoo search engines. Three months ago, I received an email from a former high school classmate - not seeing him for more than 20 years and he found me because of my blog! How amazing it is to be connected again and to re-establish on-line networking. I also created networking that helps my travelling around the world easy.

2. The site enhances my e-commerce earnings. Blogspot allows links which I used it to promote Trivago (travel site) to other users. For example, Trivago gives additional incentives for its members to introduce or invite users to visit Trivago. For every first visit of a user to Trivago thru my Blogspot, I gain extra 20 points and be converted to pounds! In other words, I could create more traffic flow to Trivago using my Blogspot site, then more extra money coming without really working on-line. Thus, directing my readers to Trivago, not only giving me additional income but also promoting my images taken during my travels as posted in Trivago. Since I have 7 blogs within Blogspot server, I could generate 7 times more readers to Trivago.

I also created another account for my friend's business: catering/restaurant. The site also provides a venue to facilitate communication with the community, including free public ads.

3. The site promotes on-line global networking for a common cause. It is very interesting to take part in Blogspot Annual Action Day. It started last year, 15 October and last week I showed my participation by posting a journal on the theme: poverty. It is very inspiring to be part of this noble act of Blogspot which inspired members to do the same without expecting something in return.

To prove what Im saying here, find my BLOGspots by using the links listed below. Be inspired to have one now and explore the power of Blogspot or Blogger!

http://www.digitalnvironmentalist.blogspot.com/

http://www.etravelworld.blogspot.com/

http://www.reymosfilmsmovies.blogspot.com/

http://www.mgakuwentongbuhayatnobela.blogspot.com /


PLEASE REMEMBER, not only positive outcomes for having a Blogspot but there are also negative consequences for maintaining it. But being an optimistic person, I already emphasised the good points and the advantages of Blogspot and not dwelled on the shortcomings of the site itself. As a whole, blogging promotes positive outcomes which derive from what is your own motivation for having one. There were reports that individuals were legally penalised for having a blog due to the nature of information posted in the blog which might jeopardise others' business or reputation. Don't ignore to read the 'terms and conditions' of the provider, and write 'responsibly'. Enjoy your BLOGspot now!

Summary: Discover your BLOGspot now!