IsMyBlogWorking is a very simple service that does exactly what the name suggests. It crawls your blog and tells you what is working right and what is not. In addition to providing information about the server, the caching and search engine indexing, it also tells you about your blogging platform and any required updates. It also provides vital information about the generation time and fetch time for your blog pages and feeds.

Here are some reasons why I would prefer it over other website monitoring tools:

• Blog specific details (doesn’t treat your blog as just another website)
• Simple to use , just enter your URL and off you go.
• Easily readable, splits technical and not-so-technical information.
• Links to test your feeds, HTML and headers.

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There is a tool, however, which can make it easy for both the users and the webmasters. ConveyThis, adds a translation button to a website or blog, that allows visitors to translate that website into 40  different languages. The button is quite similar in function to the popular AddToAny button.

As soon as the visitor brings their mouse over the button, a window pops-up allowing the visitor to select their desired language. After they have chosen their language, they can choose from 3 or 4 different translation services including Google and Babel. A separate wordpress plugin is also available for easier installation.

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However thanks to Amit, we came across a extremely simple and robust recommendation engine that is powered by Google Friend Connect.

The recommendation engine provided by Google Friend Connect is fairly simple and easy to use, for both the website owners and readers themselves.

There are basically two components that make up the recommendation engine, one of which will allow your readers to recommend content, and another which will show a aggregated list of all the user recommended content, both of the components are customizable from your Friend Connect dashboard.

Recommendation Gadget

The Recommendation Gadget can be easily customized you can either use a compact button or a modular gadget.

Once you have created the gadget copy the Html code provided and paste it to your website, users can now start recommending content to others.

Recommended Stories List Gadget

The Recommended Stories List Gadget will allow you to show the top user recommended content on any part of your site, configure the recommendation list and copy paste the Html code to your webpage.

This gadget will list out the user recommended stories for other readers to read.

Note: The recommendation gadget and recommended stories list gadget will only work for the site that you created the gadget for, placing it on a different site will not work.

Summarizing

Over all this gadget works pretty nicely and would definitely increase user interaction and pageviews, give it a try at Google Friend Connect.

We have already started using the recommendations gadgets on the site, if you think any content is worth recommending, don’t forget to press that Recommend It button.

On another note we have also added a new gadget where we will interact with our readers by asking questions and answering those that you ask to us, do feel free to ask your questions & answer the one’s we have, we look forward to your support to build a better community.

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Bloggers, except handful of those who are beyond the scope of this post, face problems very often with their blog’s niche and producing great content on pre-chosen topics. This is primarily due to the fact that it’s either their inability to produce great content or the type of niche/topics they have chosen. Our sole focus, in this post, will be on the second part of the problem – selection of a wrong niche.

Before we show you the factors that will tell you if you have chosen a wrong niche to write about, let’s first understand what a wrong niche actually means. A wrong niche can be perceived in two ways. First – It’s either a niche or a topic that is not at all popular amongst people, or second, it’s a topic that’s very popular but you don’t see success blogging about it. Now, let’s move on to the factors.

You are unable to produce content

Ok, you can write a 2 page unique essay on effects of deadly gases on our environment, but cannot produce more than couple of paras on search engine optimization. If that’s the case, take a closer look at the topics you have decided to blog on. In my opinion, even if you are able to write good content on SEO but if it’s not unique or different from what those hundreds of bloggers write about everyday, it’s time to change your topics, or at least your writing style. [You should perhaps write about our planet and be more successful ]

You are not an expert in the niche you selected 

Not every blogger who writes about SEO is an expert in that field. But then, you are required to at least know the basics of any topic you want to write about. I recently came across a post while I was researching about a particular mobile phone and to my surprise the blogger was giving great importance to Bluetooth wire [actually wireless] technology and the posts went on suggesting its readers to consider buying the Bluetooth wires from eBay.com. Get your basics right if want to keep writing on a subject.

You have run out of topics

Alright, you started blogging on SEO and went on writing about different things about SEO for over months but finally today you find no topics in SEO to blog about and you can’t think of one. But on the other hand, Aaron Wall seems to continue writing great SEO related articles. How come? – He’s an expert in that field and may not run out of topics as long as he is a SEO specialist. It’s time to reconsider the topics you primarily blog about.

My suggestions to all bloggers out there who are facing the problems outlined above are:

1. Choose the niche that you have lot of knowledge about.
2. Write only on the topics that you some understanding about.
3. Spend some time reading what your fellow bloggers are writing about in similar niche and learn from it.
4. Have patience! Respond to your reader’s comments and interact with fellow bloggers.

I conclude this post here, hoping to have provided some useful information that will make you think and act accordingly. Goodluck!

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This is a guest post by Ramkarthik of Blogging Tune. He gives tips on blogging, and making money online. He is also a freelance writer for hire. If you want to guest post on this blog please contact me.

Everyday or at least once in two days we write in our blog with high expectations like getting linked from big blogs or getting popular in social websites like StumbleUpon and Digg. In the end, most the times we don’t achieve it. There are many reasons for not getting linked from big blogs. Maybe the following six tips might help you to get the A list bloggers to notice you (Though I cannot assure you):

List Posts Work

If you see the blog posts which are famous in StumbleUpon or Digg, most of them would be list posts. It is because List Posts work. This is because the reader gets a feeling that they can read the post in just few steps. Say, you write a post "10 Steps To Master A Language", then readers will feel that they can really master the language in 10 easy steps. List posts make it easy for readers and they would love it. But I won’t advice you to write only list posts in your blog.

Magnetic Headlines

"First Impression Is The Best Impression"
You can get your readers attention by using magnetic headlines . If the headline is impressive, 50% work is over. But when you have a magnetic headline, you should also give the headline’s worth. If I write a blog post "Warning: The information in the post will make you earn $1000/day" and if I don’t provide any valuable information, then the readers are not going to return the next time to your blog just by reading the headline. So fulfill the hype that you have created.

Give Quotes

Quotes will provide value to the post. Don’t create your own quotes but add the ones which people know. In my last paragraph I have given a quote which everyone knows. Quotes will give your post a professional look. You also make your point clear by using the quotes. Make sure you choose the right quote.

Link To Relevant Articles

When writing your blog posts, link to the most relevant articles. Link out to posts that add value to your post. The links should provide the necessary information to the readers. If I write a post about StumbleUpon, then I will link to the article which talks clearly about StumbleUpon.

Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

Pictures express your thoughts more than anything else. That’s why it is said,
"A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words"
Use pictures that are 100% relevant to your blog post. Use funny pictures at times. The picture you use should convey the message which you are telling in your post.

Tell Examples

People normally catch the message easily if you tell a story or give them an example and make them think. It maybe a real life story or an incident or it can also be a practical example. This is the main reason why we used to have practical classes during school time. We can understand anything when we think practically.

What things do you consider when writing a top notch article? Do you give examples? Do you use famous quotes? Share the factors which you would consider in your top notch article in the comments.

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