To blog, or not to blog? 'Tis be the question...

[Emmanuel Betinis]

So you can approach affiliate marketing 2 different ways in this scenario:


a.) Use a blog as your MAIN website (mydomain.com IS the blog)

or

b.) Not use a blog as your MAIN website and just upload HTML pages as you wish to your site (then maybe perhaps have a blog pointing to it).


The video below elaborates on a bit on this curiosity...

[Emmanuel Betinis]

YouTube - To blog, or not to blog? 'Tis be the...

[SuiteJ]

You're sparking up some great threads man!

First, I'm not sure what you mean by the "difference of having 100% control over html pages" compared to a blog? I still have complete control over my site, even though it's built using "Wordpress".

I use a blog as a "home base" to send people to when I am networking with other bloggers and like-minded Internet marketers. I don't really try to monetize it, except for the occasional affiliate link, and use it strictly as a place where you can read a little about me or what I'm up to. It's been a great benefit to me as far as being able to share ideas with people, as well as get help and advice in return, without an "uncomfortable sales pitch getting in the way". lol

I definitely think it's a great platform to use in order to gain a loyal group of friends and followers. As with any list building you do, your subscribers and regular readers will likely be there for you to help you increase the success of other ventures in return for giving them solid, helpful content in your blog posts.

That's the way I look at it anyway

Cheers!
Jay

[Emmanuel Betinis]

Originally Posted by SuiteJ

First, I'm not sure what you mean by the "difference of having 100% control over html pages" compared to a blog? I still have complete control over my site, even though it's built using "Wordpress".

That's cool. I guess what I mean to say is:

When I think of a "blog" I think of a network of strategically linked pages that have some sort of structured backbone VS. just opening up notepad (if you're oldschool) or a WYSIWYG editor, creating a page to your liking (hence my 100% control bit), and throwing it up to your account via FTP.

Not having a blog has the potential for an 'unorganized' and/or 'inconsistent' looking site overall...at least, that's the impression I have of a blog. PLEASE correct me if I'm way off here.

Now, I realize the INITIAL purpose of having a blog when they first came out (when most folks hadn't even heard of the word 'BLOG') was more of a 'personal' diary online...at least, again, that's the impression I was given in the traditional sense of the word 'blog'.

However, I've now noticed that "the blog" has evolved into having many other uses since it's introduction in December of 1997 to the web OTHER just merely an "online diary - here's how my hemroids are doing/whatever". I now see folks using blogs for selling products, doing product reviews, etc. and wonder if perhaps it would be more 'efficient' VS. having a traditional website due to it's simplicity AND apparent 'favoritism' search engines tend to have for it's content & structure for myself (and others) as an affiliate marketer.

Thanks for your input, Jay.

Keep 'em coming, guys!

[Andrei Rotariu]

Im still to make a full time wage online however. I have made trickles of money with both. And it seems to me naturally easier to do it via a blog because i have a natural ability to write. Where as coding and designing are somethings i dont have a talent for.

Im a little different to yourself where as i never really see things so black and white as in Blog or No Blog.

And i can almost guarantee a resounding 50/50 by the end of this blog. The reason is that all people are different hence the reason the planet still operates. You will find there are people who can barely string 2 sentences together so they wouldnt be too keen on blogging yet they may be more visualy adapt. Whereas others can babble on all day yet get the shakes when they here those four letter H T M L.

And again you will get all the other colors of the rainbow in between.

[Emmanuel Betinis]

...and that's what I LOVE about this forum...the variety of opinions.

This way, one can step back, look at the entire picture, and consider the pieces of the puzzle that make sense to him/her. That's what I hope to do with this post (along with the others that myself and others have made in the past & will continue to do so into the future).

I appreciate your input as well, BTW. Newbie or not.

[Jon Alexander]

Blogging software is getting so good nowadays it can almost be regarded as a 'content management system', so the advantages of 'hand coding' it yourself are rapidly declining.

[Ofthemix]

I love to write, but I'm personally not fond of blogging for IM. There's just something unnatural feeling and not exciting about copying articles I wrote for Ezinearticles and then pasting them on my Wordpress blog for the sake of giving it new content every few days. I haven't tried to use it to monitize yet, but I will be doing it by the end of this month. Though I greatly believe in giving away free valuable content, I feel like I'm ripping myself off, or causing myself extra work, by putting in my blog what I could be putting in my autoresponder to send to my list instead. Either way, they'll get the information. What can I say, I'm lazy. I much prefer the old days of using a blog as a personal diary for all to see.

On the other hand, I love building websites. I'm not very good at it, but it's still fun to do. It seems like less work than blogging. Spend 3 hours making a website and then spend an hour or two a month updating it.

Two cents from a newbie. I'm testing both methods out right now and will probably switch over and stick to whatever one makes the most money. I'm hoping it won't be the blog though.

[mcloud0729]

I just started getting into IM and as a newbie I just set up a blogger blog as my main website, although I plan on buying a domain name and hosting in the near future, the blogger website has already made me $62.11. Do you think a .com domain name would generate more traffic and results than just a free blogger site?

Thanks for everything you guys, this forum is awesome

[theteach]

Interesting...I don't particularly enjoy writing in my blog as I'd rather be building up my site in other ways. Personally, I enjoy surfing the net on a daily basis, but to tell you the truth, I don't read blogs. I just look for the information I want or need and go to the sites I am familiar with.

I'm maintaining my blog because I've had positive feedback and it helps me with ranking.

I seem to only be able to create a product and service which I myself would use. Yet I do understand that many people read blogs, so...

My answer to this oringinal thread, from an IM perspective, is,

Blog

[Stefan Vee]

I learned html from Elizabeth Castro.
I was introduced into Wordpress by Miles Baker.

The first person is an html-authority
That second person is a marketer I met at another forum and who stupefied me with his brand new Wordpress site at that time (that's a couple of years ago)

Today, I realize that blogs can do pretty much everything.
I even have blogs with html extensions, just like a normal static site.

If you want some good advise: learn Wordpress.
It's an amazing platform that spits out perfect html.
Thousands of folks are working on it to make it even better.
And most of the time, when you need something special, it usually is already there (for free) in the form of a plugin.

[TLTheLiberator]

Let's not forget about using a blog as an traffic generator to funnel targeted visitors to our offers.

A newbie may review this thread and not understand that a blog can be used as another FREE traffic generator for our offers.

If you don't want to pay for visitors, blogging and pinging is an excellent free traffic method.

Hope This Helps!!

TL