How many times have you said, “I can’t, because I ___” (fill in the blank with the reason for failure you use most often)?

What if the very reason you use to anticipate failure could be turned into your ticket to success?

Let’s take an example. Maybe you are shy, and are not a “people person”. You read a little about creating an online business and you hear that networking is important. You think, “Uh-oh, I can’t do that, because I’m shy and I’m not a people person”. Do you know what that really means? That means you are an expert on shyness and troubles associated with connecting with people.

What happens when you become an expert on something? You… Continue reading

Posted on December 31st, 2007 by DazzlinDonna
Filed under: Motivation | 4 Comments »

The new year is fast approaching, and I wanted to give you a quick idea of where this blog will be heading next year. We live in a sound bite world these days, and none of us have tons of time for lots of blog posts anymore. So, I may post a little less often, but I plan to make those posts as meaningful and useful as possible. I hope to be able to bring both inspiration and solid ideas for making your online career and life a little easier. If you have specific thoughts on what you’d like to see here, let me know in the comments. Together, you and I can travel through 2008 with a little more insight.

P.S. Want to know… Continue reading

Posted on December 27th, 2007 by DazzlinDonna
Filed under: Business Development | No Comments »

I have two questions for you this holiday/end-of-year season. But before I get to the questions, I wanted to tell you about a special little boy I know. His name is Cody. Ten or twelve years ago, he was born premature and with many physical/mental challenges. They said he wouldn’t live more than a month. Well, little miracle that he is, he proved them wrong. Sure, he has problems, but he’s still here, and he’s…well…special. I can’t really describe it more than that. You just know it when you meet him. There’s just something special there.

I don’t get to see Cody very often. He’s the grandson of a cousin-in-law, so I see him now and then at family gatherings… Continue reading

Posted on December 16th, 2007 by DazzlinDonna
Filed under: Life | 2 Comments »

How often do you backup your computer? Have you automated the process? Do you have a backup off-site, in case some tragic event wipes out everything in your home? Do you backup nothing, cross your fingers, and hope you never need a backup?

I used to be like most people who would answer those questions with the following answers: “Huh?”, “No”, “No”, “Yes!”

I also burned through several computers and even more hard drives in the last few years. Each time, I wished I’d had a backup, but I didn’t.

I am fairly certain all that is behind me now. I’m a stickler for backing up, but I don’t have to even think about it anymore. That’s a good thing, because my… Continue reading

Posted on December 12th, 2007 by DazzlinDonna
Filed under: Tech Advice | 8 Comments »

I’ve mentioned before that you should always take advantage of free information, especially when it comes from an expert. Yaro Starak has created a video case study where he goes through someone’s blog, and explains in detail how they can make changes to bring in more traffic and subscribers. It’s nicely done and very detailed, so be sure to check it out. He also released a sample lesson recently that I forgot to tell you about, so I’m telling you now to make up for that oversight on my part. That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!

UPDATE: Apparently the case study is no longer available. Guess you had to be quick to see it… Continue reading

Posted on December 7th, 2007 by DazzlinDonna
Filed under: Site Traffic Strategies | 2 Comments »

Ad blindness has long been a problem for anyone trying to monetize a site via ads. Site visitors are so accustomed to seeing ads that they no longer really “see” them. If you are hoping that your visitors will actually click those ads, it’s a lot less likely if they didn’t “see” the ad in the first place. So what should you do?

You should occasionally test new placements, new formats, new colors, etc., but you should also be on the lookout for monetization models that stand out from the crowd. In other words, use ads that don’t look like the typical ad. As I come across these types, I’ll share them with you, and today, I wanted to mention one I’ve recently started using -… Continue reading

Posted on December 5th, 2007 by DazzlinDonna
Filed under: Making Money Online | 1 Comment »

When is a blog not a blog? When it is a site that is managed like a blog, that’s when.

Want to know a little secret? My most profitable site is not a blog. It’s just a regular site. You know, the kind that has existed for years, long before the word blog was invented. I almost never update it. I hardly ever even think about it. I certainly don’t post daily or weekly like I would do with a blog. But if I had to do it all over again, I would build it as if it were a blog. I still wouldn’t update it very often or think about it very often. But when I needed to… Continue reading

Posted on December 3rd, 2007 by DazzlinDonna
Filed under: WordPress | 5 Comments »