My Blog

Inspiration for Writers and Artists

Chad — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:06:22 GMT

I love writing. I started writing to share my acting and theater expertise via the Internet... later, it became my job. As a writer -- particularly, as a writer for the web -- I gain lots of inspiration by reading ideas and tips from other writers and artists. For example, I've been enjoying tips from a professional artist who is just getting started with her tipzine: http://creativeinspirations.tipzu.com She says: The creative process needs input. We must make something out of nothing. We have an empty page, an empty space, and we must take something of ourselves to birth a new entity. That takes a lot of ego-strength. We need someone to cheer us on when we run out of steam. Here's the link for that article, if you want to read more: http://creativeinspirations.tipzu.com/creative-process-carol-ann-howell Everyone has a different creative process and I don't expect we'll all go about things in the same way. However, it is always useful to share ideas. If you have any tips, send 'em my way. Til next time, Chad

Cool Tipzines

Chad — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:14:20 GMT

As the founder of Tipzu (and an active tip-writer myself), I see the Internet as a multifaceted place, where people can give and get information, do business, build community, and, of course, have fun. In our first year in operation, we've worked with some very talented and interesting folks who have written great tipzines. Some of them are on their way to a full-time business. Thinking about starting a tipzine yourself? Or just like reading advice? (Or wondering what tipzu.com is?) Check out our tipzters: Meditation Tips http://meditation.tipzu.com "Everything you are seeking is within" A smart and savvy collection of meditation tips and blog by Los Angeles spiritual guru. Old Time Music http://oldtimemusic.tipzu.com News and information about classic country and bluegrass music from the President of the National Traditional Country Music Association. Envision the Best You http://envisionthebestyou.tipzu.com A friendly, accessible, and optimistic site about self-transformation. Curls of Sunshine http://curlsofsunshine.tipzu.com Folks who relax through crochet and knitting will find free patterns and great links on this crochet tipzine. Creative Inspirations for the Inner Artist http://creativeinspirations.tipzu.com "Spark that creative fuse!" A South Carolina based artist and teacher shares creativity tips on her blog! Drink Recipes http://drinkrecipes.tipzu.com Want to impress your friends with professional style cocktails? Cocktail lovers will find lots of recipes, presented by a professional New York bartender.

How to Choose Keywords for a Blog or Tipzine, part two

Chad — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 23:40:18 GMT

The trick to finding a great keyword is to identify a phrase that LOTS of people are using in their searches, where there are FEW websites with this information. If you take the number of searchers and divide it by the number of pages that it brings up, you'll get a handy number that tells you how good the keyword is: a Keyword Efficiency Index, or KEI. Good KEI's are over 10. You’ll want to get familiar using the keyword analysis tools on the web, such as Wordtracker. This system will tell you the KEI of your chosen keywords (as well as help you find better ones). You can sign up for a free trial (as many times as you want) and they will help you find a keyword that has a high KEI: http://www.wordtracker.com/free-trial.html Here are some more resources about choosing great keywords: http://onlinebusiness.volusion.com/articles/find-keywords-finding-the-ri... http://counsellingresource.com/practice/keywords/metadata-part1.html http://www.avangate.com/articles/keyword-research_40.htm It's important to put good thought into your keyword choice now, because the future of your site depends on it. (Of course, there is nothing to stop you from you making new pages in the future with different keywords.) Even more information is available at the Tipzu website, http://tipzu.com/

Choosing Keywords for your Website, Blog, or Tipzine (part one)

Chad — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:01:58 GMT

A "keyword" is a word or phrase that people type into search engines when looking for information. Keywords are usually phrases, like "france budget student travel." Let's assume Joe Strummer decides that he wants to play guitar. One of the first things he does is go to the web and type in "guitars." Of course, he gets millions of sites and they aren't much help. So next time he gets a little more savvy, and types "buying guitar free tips." He wants a guitar, he wants to know how to go about buying one, and he doesn't want to pay for this information. There are ways to discover if this phrase - "buying guitar free tips" - is the best (see below), but for now, let's assume that it is. If you want to sell guitars to people like Mr. Strummer, you need to create a page at your site that responds to this need. In other words, it needs to contain these words: "buying guitar free tips." If it does, it will come up higher in search results. (If you're not in Google's first page or two of links, you may as well not exist at all.) Google (and the other search engines) uses a secret system for punishing and rewarding pages based upon their keyword usages (for instance, if you use "free guitar" too many times in a paragraph, you could be punished). How do they punish you? By listing your page as #1,232,311. How do they reward you? By giving you good placement on the search page. Go to google.com and type "free acting tips", "free marketing tips", "free organizing tips", or even "free knife throwing tips" - you'll see that in every case a one of the Gracia websites comes up near the top (#1 in all cases as of this writing). We can help you achieve that, too. Read more on www.tipzu.com, or wait for my next blog entry...

Choosing a Topic for your Tipzine or Blog!

Chad — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:26:48 GMT

As an entrepreneur, I believe that passion is at the heart of every great business venture. As the founder of Tipzu, I've gotten to meet at lot of talented writers and hobbyists who have been able to create money-earning businesses by talking about their passion (If you haven't heard of Tipzu, please check it out! http://www.tipzu.com)! The first question to ask yourself is, "What am I passionate about?" Make a list of everything that comes to mind. Next, narrow it down to topics you feel comfortable writing about. Finally, you need to choose the one with the largest potential market. If your idea is snail collecting, you can have a slightly profitable enterprise but there is a limited amount you can make because there just aren't that many snail-collectors. The best Tipzines have potential readers of many millions, and while you can make do with fewer, remember that the larger the audience the more profit you'll earn. Here are some great tips ideas, because they could be read by millions: Babies Dogs Running France-Travel Diet Chinese-Cooking Coin-Collecting On the other hand, poor ideas are those that don't have a sizable audience: Camel-Riding Coconut-Collecting Latvia-Travel Tribeca-Real-Estate The rule of thumb - aim for something with at least 1 million potential worldwide readers. Another key to success is whether you can sell a product to your subscribers. This is discussed at length in Chapter 9, but for now, keep in mind that good site ideas are those for which there are many related products. Your products will come either from Tipzu partners or from boutique manufacturers you have contacted. (It's unlikely that Proctor and Gamble or IBM will give you the 40-50% discount that you will need.) Ideal products are consumables (things that you buy more than once -- perfume, soap, jam, oft-updated e-books, wine, etc.). Here are some examples of things you could sell: Babies: custom cribs, handmade toys, unique clothes. Dogs: organic dog food, sweaters, jewelry. Running: pedometers, packs, books. France-Travel: maps, guides, travel accessories. Diet: energy bars, e-books, recipes. Chinese-Cooking: woks, accessories, rare ingredients. Coin-Collecting: coin holders, coins, display cases.

What does it take to start an online business?

Chad — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:01:35 GMT

Hi Tribe members! I recently founded a company called Tipzu, which is a free web platform that helps bloggers and hobbyists turn their passion into an online business. What do you need to start an online business? At Tipzu, we think inspiration is the most important ingredient in any successful venture. However, you also need to consider if an online business fits your lifestyle. If you are thinking about starting a "Tipzine," here are four questions to consider: 1. Do I have an idea, hobby or expertise I am passionate about sharing with the world? 2. Do I enjoy writing and can I write short weekly tips/articles about my topic? 3. Do I have several hours each week to devote to promoting my Tipzine? 4. Do I want extra income from an online business that can be run from a laptop? If you answered "yes" to those four questions, you might be a good candidate to run a "tipzine." Check out our website, where you'll find loads of detailed information about getting your online business started. http://www.tipzu.com/