Still on the topic of domain names, have you ever wondered why domain names vary in price? Top level domains .com, .org. or .net’s are more expensive than .info, .biz, or country domains such as .us, .eu, or the newest .asia.

So why are some domain names more expensive than the others? One word : COMPETITION. People compete over the most common yet highly popular keywords like Sex, Business, or Diamond.

Truth to tell, there were domain names who were sold and bold as much as at $350 million!

Top 10 Most Expensive Domain Names :

10. Shop.com - sold for $3,500,000
9. Korea.com - $ 5,000,000 in January 2000
8. SEO.com - sold for $ 5,000,000 in June 2007
7. AsSeenOnTv.com - sold for $5,100,000 million in January 2000
6. Casino.com - sold for $5,500,000 million in 2003
5. Beer.com - sold for $7,000,000 million in 2004
4. Diamonds.com - sold for $7,500,000 million in 2006
3. Porn.com - sold for $9,500,000 million in 2007
2. Sex.com - sold for 14,000,000 million in January 2006
1. Business.com - sold for $350,000,000 million in 2007
(Source : Rhyan and Oylinki)

Domains tailing behind the list:AltaVista.com ($3,300,000) ; Vodka.com ($3,000,000) ; Loans.com ($3,000,000) ; Wine.com ($2,900,000), CreditCards.com ($2,750,000), Tom.com ($2,500,000), Autos.com ($2,200,000).

I’m not going to ask anymore why such and such were worth millions of dollars (enough to feed a small African country) because the reason is just obvious. Business is business—the more you spend, expect more in return.

Now, I wonder how much blogmarketingjournal.com is now worth?How much is your blog domain name worth? I guess it’s time for you to increase the market value of your blog. Or who knows, your domain is now worth a million dollars.

I was tempted to write “domaining” in the title but it doesn’t fully describe what I want to say. By domaining we mean. the process of selling or buying domain names. But issue here is choosing how to choose the right domain for a highly successful blog, so I called it domain-naming.

Now that you know domain names matter, it’s time to learn how to identify a good domain name when you see one. Daniel Scocco writes about the 7 Characterics of Good Names and here they are:

1. They are short. The shorter the domain name the better.

2. They are easy to remember.    People tend to just memorize domains.

3. They are easy to spell.  Do not give them reason to misspell your domain names.

4. They have a .com extension   .Go with the most popular extension

5. They are descriptive. Give your visitors idea what your website is about at a glance.

6. They are brandable .  People will associate your website with the brand and with the content, product, or service.

7. They don’t contain hyphens or numbers.  Such are cheaper for a reason.

Daniel said that “a good domain name will be the corner stone of your website’s success” and I agree. Why do you think Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, or Multiply made it big in the Web 2.0 era?

Blogging for some has become a hobby. They blog wherever and whenever they have access to the Internet. And for others like me, blogging has become a career that earns good money..and for some, really really good money.

While setting up a blog can be done in just a few minutes, what with free blogging platforms such as WordPress, Blogger, or TypePad, blogs found in their own domains have more impact.

Usual URL syntax can be www.blog.com or www.website.com/blog or as a sub-domain , www.blog.website.com . Your own domain is better than blogs on free servers because they make you look like you have authority and are seriously established.

Own domains give an impression that you are professional enough to pay for a hosting service. This means you are credible and can be trusted because you didn’t get some free sub-domains that you share with millions of people.

If you seriously want to make money with your website or blog, having your own domain is the first step to people trusting you. You can even assign different e-mail addresses to different people who matter to your website.

Domain names matter because they also help in having your website get indexed. Rumor has it that most search engines give emphasis on own domains rather than those free hosting services.

So in choosing a domain name, make sure that it’ll be something that is easy to remember. Your company name is the most obvious choice but others find it more effective if they use domains that reflect your product or service.

Other helpful tips in choosing a domain name include :
> avoid using hyphens because a person’s natural behavior is to type a phrase as is
> use plurals or add ‘my’ or ‘the’ to your domain name if website.com is already taken
> if you can’t get the .com , you may try the .org or .net , or your country domain
> you may opt to choose a popular keyword that represent your company for effective SEO

We’ve already heard of ways to get links to your blog. Now, you’ll read about simple effective tips to finding readers for your blogs. Sure you may have a million of backlinks already but you’re reader meter is still not improving. What’s the point of having lots of websites linking to you if people don’t patronize your blog?

Darren Rowse of problogger.net wrote on the topic of finding readers for your blog. Since I’m in the mood for giving away blogging tips that have helped me further my blogging, here are another set of tips you can also find useful:

Tips to Finding Readers for Your Blog by Problogger Darren Rowse:

1. It takes time. Be patient. Every tree takes awhile to grow.
2. Quality Content and Good Design. Post timely and relevant content always.
3. Link to others . Be generous with your linklove.
4. Comment on others’ blogs. Show other bloggers that you are alive.
5. Interact with Readers. Be friendly. Don’t be a geek.
6. Update frequently. Four entries in 3 months will leave your few readers uninterested.
7. Search engines . Gotta love Google…and well okay, Yahoo, and MSN, and etc.
8. Add a signature to your outgoing email. This always works.
9. Web Rings . Join blog groups and networks that share the same interest as you.
10. Add an RSS feed to your blog . More and more people now trust their feed readers for updates. Why not join the bandwagon?
11. List your site on Portals . Think classified ads.
12. Blog Search Engines and Indexes . Same tip no. 7.
13. Get Involved in others Blog Projects. Volunteer your blog and talents for a cause.
14. Get involved in other web forums . Forums are another area of live discussion. Don’t ignore them. Make friends with the active members.
15. Take all advice with a grain of salt - Be yourself and have fun! . Enough said.

Christmas is just around the corner and yetand you are wondering why your website traffic is dropping. It’s either people are leaving and going away for early holiday vacation or they’re simply losing interest in reading your blog. But for the life of you who’s addicted to blogging even if you’re blogging for a very corporate and serious blog (think: anti-virus or microbiology) , you can always create a buzz and have people visiting your website over and over again via blog contests and giveaways.

Ahh, blog contests. Better, giveaways. Since it’s that time of the year, you might as well think of coming up with a contest. You can keep your loyal readers and you can have more people linking to you since blog contents are always hyped and talked about. Oftentimes, they become too successful that your readers clamor for more.

So instead of talking about PPC Marketing or some obscure type of bacteria on your scientific blog, launch a Christmas contest instead. Or if you’re generous or simply feeling generous, you may offer a new gadget as a prize, offer free versions of your service or product, codes, or whatever.

Point is, giving stuff through your blog for free will always excite. Not only your readers will benefit from this blog breather. Other bloggers will definitely give you more “link love” this holiday season.

Check out some ongoing blog contests so you’ll have an idea:
Prince John Blog Contest
Christmas Giveaway with NeverBlueAds
Freezing Hot’s Win an amazing SEO package for your blog
Not Entirely British’s Compact DVD Player
Nintendo Wii from Contest Beat
Spoiled Pretty’s Clarisonic Skin Care System Giveaway
Million Dollar Journey’s First Birthday Giveaway

Now that you’re getting to know more and more about blog marketing, I guess its time that you learn the value of backing up. Much like your PCs and laptops, it is important that you back up your blog database because you’ll never know what could happen. Your WordPress blog database for example contains all your entries, comments, and links that you have gathered throughout the years of blogging and you simply can’t afford to have them deleted just like that — kaput in an instant!

Backing up your blog must be done regularly, the same way you back up your important files. You know what could happen if you don’t—all your entries and photos sent to oblivion. You’ll never know when your web hosting server will crash or your blog gets hacked by some clever programmer whose only goal is to annoy you, so it’s good to be prepared.

Don’t wait until a series of unfortunate events happens to you blog. Get into the habit of backing up by following these simple and easy steps. No, you don’t need to be a geek to do this.

1. Use an FTP client to download all the site files (the Wordpress folder)
2. Log into phpMyAdmin and select your Wordpress database
3. Click on “Export” and make sure that all the Wordpress tables are there
4. On the “Structure” section tick “Add Drop Tables,” “Add AUTO_INCREMENT,” and “Enclose table and field names with backquotes”
5. On the “Data” section leave all the boxes unticked
6. Tick “Save as file” and download the database (you can use compression if your database is big (SOURCE: DailyBlogTips)

If you don’t have access to your WP’s phpMyAdmin, you may use the Database Backup plugin instead. And remember, backing up habits can save your online life. So save the blog, save yourself,save the world.

One useful plugin I’ve found for WordPress is the SRG Clean Archives plugin. Not all blogs need this plugin, but I’ve found it useful on some WordPress themes that don’t come with archives or on themes whose archives are broken. Most themes will come with an archives.php file but if yours doesn’t then the SRG Clean Archives plugin for WordPress could be your savior.

The file has two options. You can install it and have it appear in your sidebar as most archives for WordPress do or you can have it open in a separate page. Personally, I like the separate page options. All you do is activate the plugin and create a page with the plugin code provided in the Readme file. Save the page and the Archives page is activated. It’s that simple.

If you find yourself with a WordPress theme you can’t live without and your theme needs an archive, try the SRG Clean Archives.

Michael Stelzner recently came out with his list of 2007/2008’s Top 10 Blogs for Writers. I told you, lists as blog entries always work. I am not really sure how he ranked the blogs but I agree with some of his choice. Copyblogger for one, is a personal favorite because it presents timely writing tips in this age of Web 2.0 gearing to Web 3.0.

With or without SEO or linkbuilding in mind, blog writing is somewhat different from journalistic. Now thanks to these talented writers who share the same passion in blogging as I do.

Top 10 Blogs for Writers by Michael Stelzner:
1. Copyblogger, by Brian Clark: Holding the number-one spot for the second year running, this site excels at teaching the art of writing.
2. Freelance Writing Jobs, by Deborah Ng: For writers seeking new work, this site is your sole destination and maintains a top spot in our contest from last year.
3. The Renegade Writer, by Linda Formichelli and Dianna Burell: Are you a freelance journalist looking for inspiration? Look no further.
4. Web Content Writer Tips, by James Chartrand and Harrison McLeod: With a focus on making more money as a writer, this blog is full of helpful how-to articles.
5. Web Writing Info, by Courtney Ramirez: This excellent blog looks at social networking and emerging web-based opportunities for writers.
6. The Golden Pencil, by Anne Wayman: Wayman, a second-year winner, examines how to go for the gold as a freelance writer.
7. Catalystblogger, by Jennifer Williamson: Williamson writes about the pains and trials writers face.
8. Freelance Parent, by Lorna Doone Brewer and Tamara Berry: Two moms provide excellent perspective on writing with a dash of parenting.
9. Write from Home, by Amy Derby: Derby provides fresh commentary and advice on writing.
10. Copywriter Underground, by Tom Chandler: This site, a second-year winner, provides regular doses of inspiration for copywriters.

Now there, this for me is a comprehensive list already for those who wish to improve their writing and problogging career. Notice that 6 out of 10 are women? Does this mean that women are the greater bloggers? Hmmm…quite a good topic for discussion.

Anyway, congratulations to the winners! And here’s to hoping that someday, blogmarketingjournal.com will land somebody else’s Top 10s.

One of the biggest challenges of blogging AND maintaining a blog is perhaps thinking of what topic to blog about especially when you are expected to write every day. In the modern Internet times when bloggers and more Internet savvy people are hungry for news and new ideas, sometimes, you can just run out of things to say.

Ah, the writer’s block you say. Blogging, like traditional journalism or creative writing can sometimes be exhausting. You think of a topic, write about it, but sometimes your readers won’t react the way you want them to. Oftentimes, you’ll receive no comment at all.

Chris Garrett of chrisg.com, suggests 10 Killer Post Ideas for writers who are fast running out of topics to write on. The list has already been around for some 2 years now and I’d like to share to you the list that helped me further my problogging and writing career:

10 Killer Post Ideas:

1. How to. Posts as such bring information to your readers. Anything that can be helpful to them such as How to’s, guidelines, and tips would be a good start. Think of the benefits it would bring your readers. Especially if you are doing niche blogging, how to’s are usually common.

2. Lists. Top 10, Top 5, or even Top 130. My entry Top 130 Ways to Get Links to Your Blog is a perfect example. Lists always work because you give something to the reader.

3. Campaign. Blogs for a cause can be funny according to Chris because you’ll never know what your audience wants to rally around. You may think of a good cause but launching such campaign entails a lot of hard work. It’s either the outcome is good or bad. But usually, campaigns whether good or bad, can create a buzz and always leave other people blogging about it.

4. Interview. I did this awhile back for a start up blog and it has helped me big time. Their answers are already full of information and are worth posting on the blog as is. However, there is the right way to interview people. Whether through e-mail, IM, or over the phone, make sure that you do your research first and prepare questions beforehand. Give the impression that you know at least some about your interviewee. Don’t ask him about things you already know. Ask him about the things you and your readers would want to know.

5. Review. Reviews are usually done on products or services. Most professional bloggers are sent stuff they usually don’t know about. Make sure though that you don’t review a product that has already been reviewed by a gazillion of bloggers out there.

6. Case study. Case studies can be very powerful. However, such entails comprehensive research. You can’t just write about something serious you just read on other blogs. Do your research.

7. Research results. On to the more serious stuff, research results can bring you a lot of good publicity especially if you did the research on your own. Surveys are pretty popular but there are other research methods. Work like your working on a serious school paper.

8. What’s new, trends. Write on what’s new with your niche( or what’s new with you). Blog on the trends in the Internet world. Everyday brings a lot of “news” so you’re sure you’ll always have something to write about.

9. Attack! Risky but often effective. It can bring you a lot of traffic and if you’re not careful enough, a lawsuit. It can also be a smart linkbait technique because you expect other websites linking to the controversial post.

10. Ask the audience. You may ask your readers questions. Leave them thinking and get them to send their feedback One reply can be a blog post in its own but of course, you still have to filter and present it in a worthy blog manner.

I am sure there are more that can be added to the list but these are tried and tested killer ideas. Now go. Write that “How Not to Gain Extra Christmas Pounds” entry and expect more incoming links.