Enkay Blog

Going on a trip – A bad idea?

Well, heres an update as to what it up. Its currently 10:30pm and I have arrived in a new hotel room and figured that this was the perfect time to update my readers regarding my status. So here are a few updates followed by some other interesting stories.

Ms. Danielle Reviews Me
Well, late last week Ms. Danielle, the sweetheart of the blogging world, had challenged me to find an error on her website after I talked about “Spelling Mistakes: A Bloggers Nightmare” and after finding two very small mistakes I earned myself a review. I just wanted to thank her for taking the time out to do so and after all remembering to do so! I really appreciate it!

Orlando Trip – Bad Idea?
Well, I shouldn’t say this but I feel like I have neglected my blog in the past day or so because of the work I have to do here in Orlando. I haven’t had much time to do anything really and tonight is the first night that I should actually be getting a full nights sleep. I really enjoyed being here and working but overall I think that the trip has hurt my blog. Even though some of my ratings have gone up and such the traffic for the website has dropped significantly. Either way, I shall be evaluating tips dealing with being on vacation or work related trips.

Trip Pictures
I know all of you are dying to see the pictures that I have taken on the trip but I have to warn you, the only thing I had on me was a camera on my phone and I dont really know how well the pictures came out and thats because I dont have a data cable! So, I guess you guys will have to wait on the pictures until I return.

When Will I Be Back?
Okay, So I had a flight planned for tonight but that didn’t happen. More work has come my way and I will have to stick around in Orlando till around Monday Morning and thats not too much of a good sign for me because I really want to get back to my regular schedule – life, gym and blog! Well, I guess Monday is when you should see me at my best again.

Well thats it for now. I have to get myself some coffee and I should be back on the computer in a little bit so do expect another interesting post soon!

High Paying Jobs That Dont Require a B.A.

Hi guys, well I am here in Orlando and I figured I would get a post in since my arrival here last night at 11pm. As most of you know, today is when the iPhone is ready for purchase and thats part of every headline as I turn on the TV and switch the channels. I have to leave here in about 15 minutes but I saw a pretty interesting article that MSN had up that talked about professions that pay well and dont require a BA degree.

1. Air Traffic Controller — $105,820
The job: Organizing and controlling the flow of airplanes into and out of an airport.
How to get it: You may not need a college degree, but getting hired as an air traffic controller isn’t easy. Candidates need four years of college and/or three years of work experience before undergoing pre-employment testing. Once they make the cut, they must complete the FAA Academy and an additional training program before starting work.

2. Real Estate Broker — $76,930
The job: Helping clients sell their residential property.
How to get it: To obtain a broker’s license, candidates need 60 to 90 hours of formal classroom training, and one to three years of real estate sales experience.

3. Transportation Manager — $75,130
The job: Working out the logistics for transportation firms, including mapping out the best routes and estimating demand.
How to get it: Experience driving a truck or working in transportation sales is the most common route to this occupation. Just over half of transportation managers have some college experience, but less than one-quarter completed a bachelor’s degree.

4. Non-Retail Sales Supervisor — $73,670
The job: Hiring, training, supervising and scheduling the work of sales workers, including cashiers and customer service representatives.
How to get it: Many supervisors start out on the sales floor and work their way up the organization. Good conversational skills, problem-solving ability and computer literacy are crucial.

5. Nuclear Power Reactor Operator — $66,900
The job: Running the machinery at nuclear reactors.
How to get it: Operating a nuclear power reactor requires extensive training by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which includes a mix of classroom work and on-the-job instruction To obtain a license, candidates must pass an annual practical exam and may be subjected to drug screenings.

6. Gaming Manager — $65,920
The job: Creating game policies and managing the day-to-day responsibilities at a casino.
How to get it: Work experience is the primary requirement. Many gaming managers start out as dealers or other casino floor workers.

7. Power Distributor — $59,510
The job: Controlling the flow of electricity through lines to industrial plants or substations.
How to get it: A high school diploma is usually required, and candidates undergo extensive on-the-job training and classroom instruction.

8. Detective — $58,750
The job: Gathering facts and evidence to help solve crimes.
How to get it: Detectives usually begin as police officers and get promoted to detective after a probationary period that ranges from six months to three years.

9. Elevator Repairer — $58,500
The job: Installing, repairing and maintaining elevators and escalators.
How to get it: Most new repairers apply through the local chapter of the International Union of Elevator Constructors. To qualify for an apprenticeship, candidates must be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or GED, pass an aptitude test and be in good physical shape.

10. Ship Engineer — $57,290
The job: Operating and maintaining machinery on a ship, including propulsion engines, generators and pumps.
How to get it: Most water transportation occupations require a license from the U.S. Coast Guard. Applicants must accumulate a certain number of hours at sea and pass a written exam, physical exam, drug screening and National Driver Register Check to be considered.

Thats a pretty interesting list and maybe professional blogger should have been on the list too! But then again, I think these estimates are based on averages and if you consider average earnings for a blogger, then it may not be that high. But then again, we can only hope!

Update From Orlando
In the next few days, we will be seeing how well JohnChow is doing with his earnings report and I should point out that I had planned to do a Toyota Rav4 Review this week and because of the unexpected Orlando trip, I am going to have to delay that for the weekend once I am back because I have the details and information for that review on my home computer. Also in the next few days we will be surely seeing more detailed reviews of the iPhone which is something I am really looking forward to. Actually, this laptop isn’t even mine, its my uncles so I just wanted to clear that up. Thats why I dont have the imaging software to create a header image. Either way, there is a lot to look for in the next few days on my blog. I have a few more “make money online” tips. Well, I hear a knock on the door so If I get some more time later on today, I shall have more posts up. Thanks for reading guys!

How Linking With Other Bloggers Can Help

Well, its like how they say it, if you have a goal to accomplish and there are other people in the same boat as you, its very likely that the best way to get to your destination safely is to stick together. Thats how the situation is in the blogging world, except for the fact that its virtual. One of the things I have noticed about blogging is that there is a lot of community support and by community I do not mean my physical neighbors or friends, I mean my virtual neighbors and friends. Theres a lot of other people in the blogging world, who are on the same quest to success as you and the only way everyone can be successful is by helping each other. I am going to talk about how connecting with other members on websites such as MyBlogLog can help you and what some of the myths are. Please note, that this isn’t specific to MyBlogLot but I use it as an example due to its popularity in the blogging world.

Myth #1 – I cannot approach strangers
Truth - Thats really not true. Although, I have to agree that people on the internet are strangers, it is VERY rare to find someone who is not kind and courteous. I have come in contact with several hundred people through MyBlogLog and have yet to find somebody who was rude. Its probably your best bet to approach some of the members to start connecting with each other. You have to know that you cannot approach someone to have them click on your ads or anything, but you can definitely approach them to exchange ideas regarding post ideas or monetizing ideas.

Myth #2 – MyBlogLog is a social networking website like MySpace – Although MyBlogLog can be considered a social networking website, it really isn’t like MySpace. Yes, its true that if you aren’t looking in the right places that you may find an odd ball or so, but you will never really come across anyone who may be intrusive. MyBlogLog is basically a marketing strategy for most bloggers because it helps you get your website out there and by doing so, other members can visit your profile and actually browse to your blog and who knows, they might actually like it and subscribe to your feed!

Myth # 3 – Networking with others cant really help me – Well of course it can! Networking with other people who have similar interests or even not so similar interests could get you readers. If you network with similar people then its highly possibly that they might become frequent visitors to your blog and they may even talk about it in their posts if they can relate to your content. If you think about it, business is all about the people you know and that is the same way with blogging. Its about who you know and I am not saying that we should only restrict ourselves to meeting successful bloggers but we should meet everybody because you never know, Chuck who may be a novice blogger today may grow to be a blogger that earns over $10,000 a month. Anything is possible so start creating your networking web!

Tip # 1 – Easy to Find Guest Bloggers - MyBlogLog is actually a great place to find people who can help you by being Guest Bloggers on your website. Its easy to find other people who have blogs that have a similar focus in their blog when compared to yours. That way, when you need a good guest blogger, they can help you out and vice-versa. So, if you have to go on that weekend vacation with your family, then it may not be a problem spending more time with your family and less time on the computer.

Tip # 2 – Use your MyBlogLog Community to Your Advantage – I didn’t say, take advantage of them, I said use them to your advantage! Its true, you can use your community to publicize really good posts or add each other on Technorati. You can also promote special occasions such as blog contests through MyBlogLog to your community and they might help add traffic to your website by talking about it on their blog. You can even ask your community for help regarding issues while blogging, because like I said before, there are a lot of people that are in the same boat as you are, so they probably know what you are going through.

Tip # 3 – Find Blogs with Similar Niches – this is very helpful because as I said with Guest Blogging, even if you don’t need a guest blogger, finding other blogs with similar niches can actually help because if you end up reviewing the other blog and if they review you, then you have just increased your readership. If your blogs have a similar niche then it has to be true that your readers are somewhat similar. Meaning, that your readers come to your blog to get particular types of information and so you can introduce new readers to each others blog. This can be helpful and detrimental (in the sense, that your readers go elsewhere now) but for the most part, its usually helpful.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this post regarding MyBlogLog and If you haven’t signed up for my community as yet, do join and send me a message! I would love to hear from you guys. Thanks again!

A Short Update – Orlando Trip

I just wanted to give you guys a little update. I am very very pleased with the results the blog has been seeing in the past few days. Ever since my post about my Technorati and Alexa rankings, they have both become even better than they were last week. Alexa dropped from 880k to around 720k and Technorati is now in the 400,000’s instead of the 570,000’s. I just wanted to give you an update regarding my schedule for the next two days. I have an exam tomorrow, as I had mentioned earlier and my exam ends at noon. Soon after (on Thursday itself), I will be taking a flight down to Orlando (FL) due to some work however, I will return on Friday back home and from then onwards everything should be back to normal again. I can’t say for certain how much computer time I will be able to get however, I will take every opportunity I had. The plan to go to Orlando came about suddenly and I didn’t plan on having a guest blogger so I will probably have my brother take on the duties, if need be. I am a very committed individual, so I will still try my very best to have content up. I do hope you guys understand! and I shall be back soon! Thanks again!

Pay-To-Blog Tips & Suggestions

Well, I have been a ReviewMe member a few days after I started my blog. I was surprised that they letting me take on campaign offers even though I am not approved for the rankings as yet. Basically, if you aren’t approved for rankings they will keep you in the system and email you once you are approved. Even if you aren’t approved you make decent money ranging anywhere from $10 to $25 out of which 50% is sent to ReviewMe so basically you get $5 to $12.50 per review. If you look at my blog for example, since I started on the 15th of the month, ReviewMe re-evaluates my blog after 30 days and that means that on my 1 month birthday, I was re-evaluated and I wasn’t accepted and thats because I didn’t have a great Technorati ranking nor was my Alexa even close to what it should be. But I am pretty positive that as July 15th rolls around that I should be in the ReviewMe database because I have improved by Technorati authority by 5 times as much already and my Alexa has gone down by a factor of 4! So, here are some tips for not only ReviewMe but also other pay-to-blog websites such as PayPerPost or SponsoredReviews.

Accept Reviews That Match Your Blog Content
I have a blog about technology, business and cars and so my readers come to my blog expecting to see just that. Now, I can’t go around accepting offers on ReviewMe for Birthday Cake Guides or something like the Dating Guide. I would like to for the money aspect, but it really isn’t about the money because you need to make sure that your blog is still able to maintain its focus. Think like you have seen the words “maintain its focus” before? Well, thats right, I had a post about it earlier which you can see here. But, getting back to the subject, you should realize that maybe at the early stages of your blog you may be able to pull of certain reviews but once you start to get established, doing such reviews may actually hurt your readership.

Writing Good Reviews
When someone is paying you to write a Review about their website or software or product then you should write a review that makes them feel as if they got their money’s worth. Yes, ReviewMe lets you get away with 200 words like most other pay-to-blog sites, but thats the minimum. If you accept a Review, make sure that you atleast cover all the bases and that you include the required links and features, etc. You should take your time to include screen shots or images that could better represent the product or service. Images are also helpful in providing your readers with a visual representation of the product and could help them relate to a picture aside from reading your post.

Being Honest
This is a big one. You have to be honest! Just because you are being paid, doesn’t mean that you have to provide lip service but that also doesn’t mean that you can be ruthless. You have to provide constructive criticism if there are things that you do not like. For example, if you don’t like the layout, then you may suggest ways of improving the portions of the layout that you did not like. You have to provide your honest opinion because your readers want to know what YOU thought about something and not how much traffic you can drive. Obviously, that doesn’t mean that if you don’t like a product or service, that you speak well about it, but you can’t totally degrade the product either. If its a website, then you may suggest improvements but you have to provide constructive feedback, otherwise you aren’t really helping them out.

Well, once again, I hope you liked my tips and I hope that you can incorporate some of them into your blog. I apologize for not being as frequent in my posts, however I do try to maintain at least 2 posts a day. I am actually currently at school studying for my final exam which is tomorrow, so wish me luck! Thanks for stopping by!