Google wrongly labels Alphatrends.net and blocks author’s access.

Is your blog safe?

Alphatrends is the BlogSpot home for Brain Shannon’s financial videos.

His analysis of stock trading videos are some of the most subscribed financial videos on YouTube. He has over 600 videos and over 5000 YouTube subscribers. He posts a video on stock analysis daily at his blog. Here is an example:

Friday, I got a message through MyBlogLog that he was unable to update his blog because Google was blocking him as a spam blog.

My first reaction was "You’ve got to be kidding." One look at Brian’s videos will show you they are not spam. The is quality content. In fact, most of it is a bit over my head, but I want to learn about stocks and subscribe to his blog because, eventually, I’ll understand. His blog consists of his daily videos and an occasional post about something related.

Alphatrends is not a site you would think could be labeled as spam.

Brian has a PR from Google of 5. He has an Alexa rating of 159,700. This is a financial blog, not a blog that is going to attract lots of readers with an Alexa toolbar. In other words, Alphatrends has good links and decent traffic. I think it is from the content and not from Brian working hard promoting his blog.

Brian is back up on Alphatrends.

Usually, Google is quick to fix these situations. It still takes time. If your label as spam by Google, you get no warning. You are guilty until proven innocent. That can take a couple days. I noticed that while Brian was not able to update his blog, AdSense was still advertising. What happens if your AdSense account gets labeled as spam also? You would not be able to remove it from the blog as Google blocks your updates and still keeps the blog showing. You better hope they let you back in.

I think this is a good example of why any blogger should look into their own hosting.

Brian has a domain name already Alphatrends.net. All he would need is hosting and he would not have been cut off from his blog. With your own hosting, even with a bad host, you should at least have a warning before something like this would happen. In Brian’s case, I doubt if any host would have considered a complaint against him valid.

If you are using WordPress.com or Blogger/Blogspot you are adding an unnecessary risk with your business.

If you are looking into stock trading, Alphatrends is a blog you should look at.

Brian Shannon does not give investment advice. He teaches how to understand stocks and evaluate them technically.

For Alpahtrends.net maybe hosting might be a good investment at $10/month.

I still don’t really get the whole Twitter thing.

Twitter has been around a while but lately, it seems

to be mentioned by everyone. I’ve been hearing about it since it came out. OK, its instant messenger chat with only 140 characters. What is the appeal?

The last few weeks, everyone seems to be talking about it.

It seems like it has recently gained a lot of popularity. Everyone is pushing it.

I am still not sure how valuable it is.

I have wasted a lot of time over the past few days. Not making my own Tweets, but reading others and trying to figure it out.

Michael Kwan had a post recently about using Twitter to get traffic and Stumbles to your blog. Take a look at his post at:

Case Study: Twitter + StumbleUpon = Massive Traffic

Twitter seems a lot like some of the early Website chat rooms.

Twitter adds a user account, filtering, feeds and that phone update option. I am not sure I would want updates on my phone, but then again, I did not think I would join Twitter either and here I am.

I admit, I did learn something this week on Twitter.

A somewhat popular blogger and social networker had her father’s blog hacked. The host did not have any back up. Not something I would have expected from that host. Maybe not a host I would want use.

Have you found Twitter valuable?

Who do you follow? Have you found some Twitters that are interesting? Have you learned anything that you might have missed unless you had Twitter?

Want to follow me on Twitter? My Twitter URL is http://twitter.com/shokthx

The AdSense Program is Free!

This is almost unbelievable!

A few weeks ago the Inside AdSense blog had a post about people thinking they had paid to join the AdSense program.

The complaint they had is that they had been rejected after paying. In some cases, the purchase was for a CD.

I am not even sure this is a scam or just outright stupidity.

When I first read the post, the idea of one company charging someone to join a program run by another program seemed like an outright scam. It is. After reading some of the comments left on the post over the past weeks, I begin to wonder if these people (those who were scammed) really just paid money and never read what they were doing. I would like to see one of these sites.

Some of the comments on the Inside AdSense blog were jaw-dropping.

• One person did not even seem to read the post. He was still confused because he had read you needed to by a CD that came with a free Website.
• One person wanted to know how to blog and advertise.
• One person had gotten an AdSense account but still did not know how he was supposed to make money.

There was a point that some of the programs the post was referring to used AdWords to Advertise.

This commenter wondered if Google was partially responsible. Maybe just a bit, but I would hate to see Google trying to check all the AdSense ads under this kind of scrutiny. It would take forever for ads to be approved and we would not have as many advertisers using the AdSense program. Not because they are bad, just because of the extended hassle advertisers would face.

It does not cost anything to join the AdSense program.

You do not need to buy a CD. You do not go through another company. You only work with Google. You will need a Website that they will approve I believe, but that is all. If you do not have a Website, you have no way of using AdSense. You can make a free Blogger blog and get into the AdSense program with that, but you need to actually have created content first.

If you blog, create Websites, or do Internet Marketing the Inside AdSense blog is a must subscribe.

It is a good source of information on many topics you need to be familiar with, including AdSense. Even if you are not in the AdSense program. It is also good for entertainment as well. I find it amazing that John Chow has more subscribers than Inside AdSense.

Check out the Inside AdSense post below.

What do you think? Are some people just too stupid? Were they looking for instant money? Was this an outright scam? Was it totally misleading? Were these people purchasing a Website and thinking they were purchasing the right to the AdSense program? Do you think Google shares in the responsibility?

Inside AdSense: A word of caution A word of caution Of late, we’ve received a few emails from new AdSense applicants about not being accepted into the program despite paying a specific amount of money or buying a CD package. We’d like to take this opportunity to state that we’re not affiliated with any third-parties that solicit payment to join the AdSense program or that sell CDs with money-back guarantee offers. AdSense is a free product offered to publishers by Google Inc., and there’s no cost or obligation involved. As a result, we recommend that prospective publishers exercise caution when presented with such offers.

 Let me know what you think about the AdSense scam.

Should you have Ads on your blog?

If so, what should they be?

What are your opinions on ads? How do you feel about affiliate links where the blogger makes money recommending a product? What do you think is an appropriate ad or form of monetization for a blog. Do you feel a make money online blog should be treated the same as another niche? I’d like to know how you feel about these questions.

Courtney Tuttle asked the question in a recent post "Is selling ads evil?"

This is in response to some bloggers who do not have ads on their blogs and do not plan to. The comments on the post also go into not only having ads, but what is really appropriate for a blog, especially in the make money online blogging niche. I really suggest you read his post and the comments as the bloggers in question made comments also.

Is Selling Ads Evil? | Internet Marketing | Strategy & Services To me, in a perfect world, we would all only make money through affiliate offers of products and services we have tried and endorse ourselves on all of our sites. I would like to hope that people trust me even though I sell ads, I certainly would never point you guys in a post toward a product that I didn’t use

Do you think running ads on a blog is appropriate?

I would like to say that I agree with Court’s point that having ads is not evil. I also agree that I would much rather see ads than see a blog end because the owner loses interest. If you can make a good income from ads, I would think the interest would last more.

So many of us have been taught that "Money is the root of all evil."

That statement is actually a misquote of the Bible. The truthful term is "The love of money is the root of all evil." Misquoting God is another source of evil. It worked on Eve and seems have continued working on many people today. We pay heavily for listening to those misquotes.

I find that people without money seem to love it more than those who have what they need and want.

They are focused on what they do not have that others have. It can become an obsession. Where am I going to get the rent for next week? How am I going to pay that bill? I deserve that new car as much as he does. Or even worse, "The rich are not paying their fair share." It becomes covetousness. Beware when you start hearing the phrase "It’s not fair!"

So what ads should you have?

One problem with a blog is there is a given endorsement by you just for showing an ad. It can affect the respect people will give you. Take online dating services for example. There are a lot of  sleazy ads and services. I have seen some ads on blogs that make me wonder what kind of ethics the blogger has.

It is worse for the make money online blogging niche.

There are a lot of products out there that are overpriced and over-hyped. There are some outright scams. There are shady practices. This can really have an impact on your name or brand. I think there was a bit of embarrassment from those who promoted the $9.95 Joel Comm product that found their readers felt tricked. This can happen real easy and it may even be out of your control once you have promoted it. Even if it seem like a good product to you.

Should you promote something you have not tried?

This is really the sticky question. If you run AdSense, it would be difficult for you to even try the products (you would even get penalized clicking your links to see what the product was). Yet, for many niches, AdSense on of the best ways to monetize and no one thinks there is anything wrong with using it. There are lots of products that could be advertised that you might not be able to try for several reasons.

Sometimes, you’ll still have problems without making money from a product.

Some people want advice just so they can argue with your suggestions.

I saw this a lot in the photography business.

I hated when someone would ask for advice. It was almost always the same thing. I would be told someone at the counter wanted advice on what camera to buy. I was very busy. We did not sell cameras so there was no financial gain for me (other than being able to show them better pictures when they came in for processing).

I would give the advice asked for, and they would literally argue with me.

My advice was based on what I used. It was bases on seeing millions of photos and finding out what ones were taken with what cameras. Still, these idiots would tell me that this camera had such and such features and so and so said it was good. They wanted to by a camera make I knew was junk (most of those camera makers still make junk). Why, did they ask me then? They asked me, I did not come to them. I had work to do instead of stand there arguing.

I see this happen with bloggers.

They offer advice or help, much of it very good. You will see a comment on how this post was not up to the bloggers normal standards and they are going to unsubscribe, never return, or hack the blog. At least I have not had to face that here yet, I am no expert yet. I have seen it though. I bet a lot more of these types of comments are deleted before we see them.

You may face the same problem of your credibility if you have ads or not.

Anytime you give advice, you put yourself up to criticism. It does not matter if you make money from it or not. I think you might as well make money from your advise. I say put the ad or affiliate link up.

What about products you do not have experience with?

I am planning a post about hosting. While I can speak from experience about the hosts I use, what about hosts others I trust recommend? Should I not even mention or link to them? If I mention them, is it wrong to give an affiliate link and make money from it even though I do not have experience with them? They are going to pay the same if they choose the host from my link or not. What if things change at a host I do recommend from experience and things go bad?

What about generic text ads like AdSense?

Do you feel that there is endorsement by the site they are on? Besides the question of are they ugly or do they disturb the reader or site layout. Do you feel they are dishonest in any way. Do you think the average Internet surfer feels they are part of the site?

I think that there are some differences.

I think there can be a difference between endorsing a product and showing an ad for it. I also think that the blogger or Internet marketer also needs to look at each situation and make sure that he is not misleading readers into thinking an ad or link is an endorsement when it is not. I think an endorsement is something that takes even more care than an ad. It is a personal recommendation. It should be treated like advice to a friend.

What are your opinions?

No arguments please.:)

The single most important investment in your blog or website is your domain name.

While it will not be the first decision you make about your blog or Internet marketing business, it will be the basis for your business. Obviously, one of the decisions you need to make before the domain name is the subject or niche the blog or site will be in. That will affect your choice of domain name. Still, the domain name is the most important part of your internet business that you will have to invest money in, even though the money is extremely small.

Here are three reasons your domain name is important to your online income.

It can give your internet business equity, first of all.

Your domain name is your property. Just like a brick and mortar business that owns it’s own land and building. Even if the business closes or fails, the property can still be sold. Without the domain name, you really do not have any online business that is yours and yours alone to sell.

As you build on your domain, you will actually be improving its value, just like improving any property. Sometimes, just buying a domain name can increase its value. There are domain for sale that have not even been used but have value now that they have been discovered.

Location, location, location is the second reason.

Just as the right location can make or break a traditional business, a good domain can help your online business. Your domain is your address on the internet. It is how people will get to your blog or site. Without it your business is homeless.

Unlike a bad traditional business location, a bad domain name can be overcome with work. You still need to have the location in the first place.

Third, it gives your internet business or blog Independence.

If you are using a Blogger domain, you are at the mercy of Blogger. If for some reason they decide to close your account, your business is dead. You have nothing. Even if you have backups of all the content, no one has a place to find it anymore.

With your own domain, you are free from interference and problems with your host. If you have a dispute, you can move your content and business to another host and still have the address and URL that all the links point to. In effect, you are free from censorship. If you run a spam site, all you need is to find hosting that does not mind. You can always move if you discover they in fact, do. While most of us (myself included) have no plans on anything that would need to be censored, it is nice to know you can voice your own thought without losing your business.

Let’s face it, we do not always agree with Google.

Why would you also let them decide if what you want to do with your site should even be online? Post too regularly and resemble automatic content? Your blogger account could be suspended. Along with your income from it. I know, it has happened to me. No big deal, I asked for them to recheck it, and after looking at it, they agreed it was not spam. Still, had I relied on that site for income, I would have been out the income for the several days it took to go through the process. Avoid at least this risk with a domain that will allow you to move and keep your blog or site up.

The cost of a domain name is small.

As little as $10 can get you an online property that can increase in value. It is a small risk to pay for the advantages. Even if you want to keep Blogger for your hosting and blog platform, your own domain can increase the potential for your income. Yes, you can be successful without a domain name, but you can be more successful with one.

Coming soon, how to choose the right domain name.

Get it right the first time.

Do you know of any other advantages to your own domain name I haven’t given?

Comment and share it with others.

Blogs have advantages.

I recently made a post about switching one of my sites to WordPress from a static site.

If you are not sure if you want a blog or a static site, maybe some of these advantages might change your mind. While I am most familiar with WordPress, other platforms like TypePad and Blogger have many of the same advantages. Some of them can really help you succeed online.

5 advantages of WordPress over a static site.

First, easy addition of new content.

Adding a new article or page to a blog is about as fast and easy as it can get. Using built in features like WordPressIt or using software like Windows Live Writer also make adding a quote from a news site or other source as a base for a page easy.

Second, easy page and text styling.

No need to learn CSS or html when you are just starting. You can find plenty of free templates to use to change the look of your site. You can keep your text well highlighted and correctly marked with CSS just by using the <h1> <h2> <h3> and other CSS tags in the blog text editor. This keeps your content looking consistent and professional.

Third, it is easy to add extras to your site.

Want to take a poll? There is a plugin. Want to add music? There is a plugin. Plugins make adding features to your site fast and easy. Often, trying to do the same thing on a traditional web page takes a lot of hand coding and knowledge. With WordPress, it is fairly painless to find the plugin to do what you want at WordPress.org and simple upload it to your plugin folder. Click activate and it’s ready to go.

Fourth, easy internal SEO.

The use of categories for posts gives your site an easy to follow navigation. It also improves the SEO of your internal links. SEO plugins help even further. WordPress is amazingly effective at SEO right from the setup.

Fifth, RSS.

The recent RSS reader contest between John Chow and Shoemoney brought RSS to the forefront. What would happen to your traffic if you lost all your ranking with the search engines? Internet marketers are always talking about building a list. RSS is an easy way to get that list of your readers. Far more people will subscribe to an RSS feed than will ever give you their email address. RSS can make you Google-slap proof.

There are many other advantages to using a blog over a static site.

Do you have any other you would like to share.

Make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed too!