This doesn’t mean it’s hard or impossible for you to do on a tight budget, however.  Most of it is just getting past the traditional “look in the want ads” mindset and thinking outside the box for freelance writing jobs.

Start locally to get on your feet and build a portfolio.  Small, local newspapers and other publications are often looking for good material, especially from local writers.  In many areas, weekly or bi-weekly newspapers are willing to pay a few dollars to have you act as a freelancer, covering local events or submitting commentary.  Other annual publications, such as coupon books or local business directories are often looking for “filler” writers to produce material to fill in the margins, extra pages, and other space in their publication.  Many times, just walking in the door with a couple of samples can land you a trial position.

Freelance-specific websites and directories are another source.  While most focus on technology (Web developers and so forth), there are many with writers in mind.  These sites generally come with a price, but are worth the percentage paid from your revenue to use, as they get near-instant connections and give you access to world-wide job opportunities.

Finally, the old standby of using a printed writer’s directory (purchased or from the library) to send material to editors is always an option.  It’s slow and you can expect a 99% rejection rate, but print outlets generally pay much better than websites do and once you’re in the door, you’ll find it easier to return for more.

There are a lot of options for the freelance writing enthusiast and there are plenty of freelance writing jobs out there if you just look for them.  Go ahead and try!

Font Picker allows you to type in a word or phrase and see how it looks in various fonts.  In fact, I bet that it has over 100 fonts.  Font Picker can also be installed on your desktop as a desktop application for both Windows and Mac operating systems.

I find that magazines are one of the best things for brainstorming niches.  The advertisements in the magazines show you immediately that there is a market for the products that are being advertised.  Advertising in magazines is very expensive and if the advertiser can make enough from its magazine advertisement, you know that people are buying the product.

Therefore, if you are having trouble finding niches to write about on your blog, check out your local bookstore’s magazine section.  You might find an awesome niche about 20 Saint Gaudens Gold coins.

When I sat down to write out my 2008 blogging goals for Newest on the Net, it hit me that one of my primary goals is to help new bloggers. Therefore, it is important to start at the beginning.

What is a blog?

Blog is short for weblog.  I think that the following factors highlight what makes a blog a blog.

• Articles arranged in chronological order with the most recent articles listed first
• Always changing content with the post of new articles
• The ability for readers to comment on articles and on other peoples’ comments

There might be a lot of other characteristics, but to me this is what sets a blog apart from other media.

Some people say that blogs are personal in nature.  At one point this might have been true, but now it is just a type of medium that publishers use to communicate.  Traditionally, blogs have always implied written communication, but that is changing now too.  More and more bloggers are incorporating audio and video into their blogs.

Here are have other bloggers defined a blog:

Daren Rowse from Problogger defines a blog as,

a blog is a type of website that is usually arranged in chronological order from the most recent ‘post’ (or entry) at the top of the main page to the older entries towards the bottom.

Michael Arrington from TechCrunch states,

I believe the term “blog” means more than an online journal. I believe a blog is a conversation. People go to blogs to read AND write, not just consume. We’ve allowed comments here on TechCrunch since it started.

In other words, Michael agrees that comments are a defining characteristic of blogs.

Meg from Dipping Into the Blogpond states,

Essentially, the word “blog” is short for “web log”. Entries (also called “posts”) are displayed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent entry being displayed first (at the top of the page).

How would you describe, what is a blog?

What is Knol?

Google’s Knol is that latest announced but unreleased project that google is working on.  Knol stands for “unit of knowledge.”  Google Knol will be a user content creation system similar to Wikipedia, Squidoo, and Mahalo.  People will be able to write Knol articles about any topic of interest and publish them on Google’s Knol.

Unlike Wikipedia, Knol is going to allow authors to promote themselves in these articles.  Additionally, Google will share the ad revenues that an author’s knol page generates.

How Can Blogger’s Use Knol To Make Money Blogging?

Well for starters I am sure that Google’s Knol will perform very well in Google’s search engine results pages.  This means that you can indirectly promote your blog by writing great pillar Knol articles.

Also, like Squidoo, the revenue sharing on Google’s knol could be a great way to make money blogging.  There are bloggers who are making very good money with Squidoo.  Getting in early with Google’s knol could be very lucrative.

Will we make money blogging with google Knol?  We will have to wait and see.  The proof is always in the pudding with any online revenue program.  But, I know that I will certainly be testing it.

Here are 10 steps to jump start your blog with bloggingzoom.

1. Join BloggingZoom.

2. Create a recognizable avatar that promotes your blog. Check mine out. I use a variation of my blog’s logo. I use this same avatar on every site that allows me to use an avatar. This helps me to build the Newest on the Net brand.

3. Create an interesting profile. Too often we forget to do this. Just as every blog giving blogging tips will tell you to focus on your blog’s about page, make sure that you focus on your social media profile pages. Tell people about yourself and your blog.

4. Place the BloggingZoom bookmarklet onto your browsers toolbar. This bookmarklet makes it very easy for your to submit blog articles to BloggingZoom.

5. Add me as a friend. I promise to add you as a friend back. Also, once you have added me as a friend, please send me a message saying hello. I love getting to know my readers and social media sites are a great way to get to know each other. I want to know what interests you. By seeing what blog articles you Zoom, I hope that I can create better articles for Newest on the Net.

6. Submit great articles. If you want to promote your blog using social media, you have to participate. The great thing about BloggingZoom is that you don’t have to feel guilty for submitting your own articles. That’s right, don’t shy. I want to read you work. Like most bloggers, I love blog articles. I think that you will find that most of the bloggingzoom users feel the same way.

7. Write catchy titles. A lot of social media users filter articles based on their titles. It is important for you to use this to your advantage. Make sure your title is interesting. Remember it does not have to be the exact title you use in your article.

8. Don’t forget about your article description. Unlike most social media sites, BloggingZoom requires that your description of your article contain at least 4 sentences and 350 characters. This is to help the search engines index your posts. Vic, one of the founders of BloggingZoom, has written a great article on how to increase search engine traffic to your blog by focusing on you article description.

9. Don’t forget your older posts. One nice thing about a new social media site coming onto the seen is that it gives you the ability to re-promote some of your older articles. Go back through your archives and submit some of your best articles. This will help you to start building your credibility with the community. However, make sure that you have completed steps 2 and 3 first. You want to be able to capitalize on the attention and traffic you will get.

10. Check out and zoom my bloggingzoom articles. It’s worth a try

• Mahalo Social
• Build Blog With StumbleUpon
• Use Social Media To Increase Blog Traffic
• Increase RSS Subscribers

On November 1, the launch of BloggingZoom gave bloggers the perfect social media site to promote their blogs and articles. Bloggers writing on every niche are gathering at BloggingZoom to share the best articles around the blogosphere. I am glad that I joined BloggingZoom right from the start.

Please add me as a friend on bloggingzoom.

BloggingZoom was created by Courtney and Vic to allow bloggers to promote their own works and gain the attention of other bloggers. This culture of open access is what makes BloggingZoom different from social voting sites like Digg, Reddit and Propeller.

This tolerance is a breathe of fresh air and has made BloggingZoom my favorite social media site to read quality original blog content.

Who should be using BloggingZoom?

EVERY blogger should be using BloggingZoom. That’s right. If you are not using it, you are missing out on getting your writing in front of thousands of bloggers.

While making the front page of BloggingZoom will not bring you the traffic that a Digg front page will bring you, gaining traffic is not my goal with BloggingZoom. Instead, I want other bloggers to know about my blog.

For a site like mine focused on blogging tips, BloggingZoom is a match made in heaven. This social media site allows me to attract bloggers looking for blogging help. Additionally, since this site’s core audience is bloggers who must be pretty savvy with computers, Newest on the Net’s focus on discussing the latest Internet news is a perfect fit.

Bloggers are great readers for you to attract. Bloggers like blogs. They write blogs, they read blogs and they like to participate by leaving comments. These readers will help you develop a community for your blog.

Since I started using BloggingZoom, I have networked with lots of great bloggers. I have also increased my RSS subscribers with many people who first learned about NOTN through BloggingZoom. I have also gained friends in other social media sites like StumbleUpon from people who have found me on BloggingZoom.

Blogging Zoom Spreads the Wealth

Getting an article on Digg can bring lots of benefits to your site; traffic, links and more traffic. However, the chances of getting on the frontpage of Digg are very slim. You need to tailor your articles to topics that are popular with Digg users and you need a strong network of supporters to help you along. This is not the case with BloggingZoom.

At the present time you only need 5 zooms (votes) to make it to BloggingZoom’s front page. Of the 34 articles that I have submitted to BloggingZoom, 27 have gone hot and made it to the front page.

I am happy to note that my article on how to increase RSS subscribers is on the top 10 list of zoomed articles.

Do you want to read more about BloggingZoom? Well, here are some other great articles about this new social media site,

• BloggingZoom Review By Jason Clark
• Do You Zoom? – BloggingZoom Review
• BloggingZoom Accelerates the Blogging Business

Are you using BloggingZoom? Please share your experience.

Explosive Blog Growth – Streven Snell from Vandelay Website Design has written an unbelievable article about why some blog take off in popularity so fast. Steven explains that you need to be able to write great content, network and use social media. However, Steven goes further to describe how you have to use these three things in concert with one another. Additionally, Steven explains how to use these three concepts no matter what stage your blog is at.

Paying Attention to Keywords is One of the Best Blogging Tips You’ll Get – BloggingNotes describe how important it is to use keywords in your articles in order to help gain search engine traffic.

Interview with Skellie -  If you aren’t reading skelliewag.org, then you’re really missing out on a great blog.  Ritu from WorkNPlay has done a great interview of Skellie.  You don’t want to miss this.

Ten Questions With Leo Babauta of Zen Habits – Mark for My Tropical Escape has interviewed Leo Babauta of Zen Habits.  Zen Habits is a great blog and you can learn a lot by reading this interview.

The Fastest Way to A Profitable Niche -  If you are still trying to find that niche that will start to make you money, Derek’s post should help you a lot.

If you put images into your blog articles, make sure that you are complete the ALT text field. Matt suggests that you should keep the text to around seven words.

Matt’s description is great because it clearly describes how you can help Google find your images. This is an excellent way to bring in more search engine traffic.

Enjoy the video.

1favicon is this other great favicon resource.  1favicon has many great resources for favicons.

I encourage you to check out these guides:

• What is a Favicon?
• How to create a favicon?
• How to install a favicon?

I encourage you to create your own favicon.  www.1favicon.com seems like a great tool to create a favicon.