Game Development - Story Bible Example
by: Sebastian Gross
The bible deals exclusively with story and its elements. While the design document guides the creation of the entire gaming experience, the bible controls the game’s interactive screenplay.
Log Line
Let’s say we’re working on a game titled “Hangnail,” the latest game inspired by Quake. Hangnail’s bible would include a “treatment” or synopsis of the game’s story. That treatment should include one- or two-sentence reviews of the story’s beginning, middle, and end. In some cases, the treatment could go into greater detail, stretching from one page to 20 or more, if the designer or game writer chose to really flesh out the story in the design stage. If the game’s narrative is truly based on cinematic story construction, the story might include first, second, and third act reviews. Leave those bits to your writer—we waste hours worrying about that act-structure nonsense. At the very least, the synopsis should include a “log line,” or a brief review of the game’s story, like this:
Hangnail:
Synopsis: A big, tough guy with heaps of muscles and a heart of gold walks through mazes and kills lots of stuff to battle evil, find his boxed lunch, and save the future of humanity…at least until the sequel comes out.
Characters
The second portion of the bible would include character reviews. The most important component of any effective narrative, whether it’s in a game, a movie, a TV show, or a novel, is good characters. They should have well-rounded histories and solid motivations. Most importantly, they should be clearly drawn out so anyone who reads the bible or works on the game sees the same person in their minds. If a writer or designer creates a game revolving around a Schwarzenegger-type action hero and fail to describe his all-American, psychopathic personality, the artist or renderer could end up drawing Marv Albert. Here’s what our character bible would say about Hangnail’s protagonist:
Character Name: Dirk Squarejaw
Age: Late 20s
Appearance: Ruggedly handsome and in the kind of impossibly good shape that you’d need to spend 25 hours a day in a gym to achieve.
Equipment: Death Ray of Death, Grenade of Severe Owies, Swiss Army Knife of Animosity, Pulse Cannon of Mild Mood Swings.
Attributes: Wonderfully and relentlessly violent. With an overdeveloped sense of honor. Dedicated to saving all life on Earth, or at least all attractive women on Earth. He enjoys painting in splattered blood, rainy days, long walks on the beach, thermonuclear devices, and backgammon.
Background: Orphaned at birth and raised by wolves, Dirk was rescued by nuns at the age of 4. The nuns instilled in the young Dirk his sense of honor and his bizarre obsession with backgammon. When the evil villain, General Payne, destroyed the nuns’ village to hijack all their dice, Dirk set out on his lifelong quest to end evil around the world. He will never rest until Payne is defeated, peace and justice restored, and double sixes rolled everywhere.
All the information in the character description above could be distilled into one long paragraph entry, if the designer chooses to limit the length or the scope of the bible. However, every character in the game (even supporting players) should be presented in this same detail.
Such enriching character sketches can provide inspiration when planning game maps or missions (depending on the game’s genre). For example, in Hangnail’s case, given Dirk’s devotion to backgammon, the designer could construct a maze or a level in which the objective is to slaughter all of General’s Payne’s agents to recover their ill-gotten dice.
Character description and background is one area where a story bible can really enrich an interactive game. If the bible can draw out a game’s central character with convincing depth and detail, the production can present an interesting and exciting person around which you can build a game and story.
In some cases, the player becomes that character. In other games, the player merely guides an already existing character. In either case, the story bible can outline what the main characters wants! That’s the key. The entire game story should be built around what the main character or hero wants and needs. Once that is pinpointed (be it the damsel in distress, a magic amulet, or the enemy capital), a designer can build an entire game around that quest. Battles in the cold reaches of space. Races through monster-filled mazes. Puzzle-solving through a haunted library. Anything that makes the game more entertaining can stand between the hero and the goal. But, the goal must be clear, ever-present, and motivated. The story bible can help a design team do that.
In another example, if Dirk was scared of water because his wolf parents couldn’t swim, the designer might wish to create an underwater level and cause Dirk’s air supply to disappear quickly because he hyperventilates too easily.
Using a methodology like this, in which you define the background, attributes, age, appearance, and equipment of a character, can help ensure truly motivated and enjoyable characters and gives the design team ideas for gameplay. A game’s characters need to be compelling. If the player becomes a hero in the game, that hero must be attractive enough that the player wants to assume that persona. A game villain should be rotten enough that the player generates genuine passion and satisfaction from defeating him or her.
An essential rule of thumb states that every character, even the most incredibly butch of heroes, needs to have weaknesses or shortcomings. If a character seems too omnipotent and has every skill imaginable down pat, no player will believe he or she could possibly lose or die. You don’t have to make your hero or heroine a simpering wimp, but don’t make them invulnerable. Even Superman has his kryptonite.
In the final document, Dirk’s bible entry might include an artist’s sketch (if created early in the game development process) or a 3D rendering (if created farther along in the development process) which might also be the actual avatar used in the game if the product makes it that far along.
To digress for just a moment, I have approached the use of game bibles for story development solely from the perspective of the hero thus far. Lately, games such as Bullfrog’s Dungeon Keeper and LucasArts’ Dark Forces II have made it possible for players to assume the role of the villain. However, that doesn’t turn the narrative rule on its ear—the same guidelines still apply. A villain also has wants and needs. In the best possible scenario, the bad guy wants exactly the same thing as the hero. In drama and writing courses, that’s called the “Law of Conflicting Need.” A good story (and therefore a good game, if it has story components) has a protagonist and an antagonist wanting the same thing for perfectly opposite reasons. We usually want the hero to get to that goal before the villain. However, in games where we become the villain, we assume the motivations of the villain. The bible should outline the history, personality, and motivation of the bad guy as well as the hero. That way, if we become the antagonist in gameplay, it works just as well if we had chosen the hero’s role.
Resource:
http://www.computer-game-design.com
Sunday, 8 June 2008
Saturday, 31 May 2008
Internet And Business Online – The Act Of Interdependence
by: Scott Lindsay
The best role of business online is that of interdependency. We’ve all heard the old saying, “No man is an island.” When it comes to online business this is especially true.
If a business owner who takes their business into the online world determines they will be self reliant and never accept the help of anyone then that individual will not be in business long enough to change their minds.
It is accepted fact that the greatest tool for long-term exposure to your website is through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Without it potential customers can’t find you. It is unreasonable to expect that you can adequately develop a website without optimizing your website for the best possible search engine ranking.
Search engines also place a high value on sites that have links placed on existing sites. These ‘backlinks’ demonstrate to search engines that others trust your site. By placing your link on their website these other businesses indicate a trust and recommendation for your site.
In effect the two strategies listed above rely exclusively on what others can do for you when it comes to your online business.
Shirley Temple once proclaimed in her movie Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, “I’m very self-reliant.” American westerns are filled with lines dealing with pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and holding down the fort. Many of us have grown up to believe if we want something done right we have to do it ourselves.
This thinking is in opposition to the rules associated with an online business.
The online world can only exist because people share. Individuals share technology, but the also share links, reviews, blogs, forums and a wide range of other marketing strategies that find a commingling of interdependency.
In online business you are as dependent on others as they may be on you. Unlike the word ‘dependent’, the term interdependent indicates a mutual dependency. In other words you are depending on others to help provide links back to your site while they are equally dependent on you (or others) for the success of their business.
Have you really taken a proactive approach to networking? It’s possible you are reading this today and you’ve never considered asking someone else to place a link to your site on his or her online business site.
It can feel awkward depending on others to achieve online success especially if you’ve been lead to believe reliance on others is also a sign of imposing on their otherwise brilliant generosity.
I suppose it could be a deep-seated sense of pride that makes it hard to consider the need to ask others for help. However, the truth is depending on others is really what has made the Internet possible. The growth of this online world is comprised of a link of computers, networks and servers that are connected in a way that provides the maximum benefit for all.
Building an online business can feel a bit like trying to build a house of cards. Without the ability to rely on the other ‘cards’ around you it is virtually impossible to build.
Interdependence. This is the essence of online business.
by: Scott Lindsay
The best role of business online is that of interdependency. We’ve all heard the old saying, “No man is an island.” When it comes to online business this is especially true.
If a business owner who takes their business into the online world determines they will be self reliant and never accept the help of anyone then that individual will not be in business long enough to change their minds.
It is accepted fact that the greatest tool for long-term exposure to your website is through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Without it potential customers can’t find you. It is unreasonable to expect that you can adequately develop a website without optimizing your website for the best possible search engine ranking.
Search engines also place a high value on sites that have links placed on existing sites. These ‘backlinks’ demonstrate to search engines that others trust your site. By placing your link on their website these other businesses indicate a trust and recommendation for your site.
In effect the two strategies listed above rely exclusively on what others can do for you when it comes to your online business.
Shirley Temple once proclaimed in her movie Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, “I’m very self-reliant.” American westerns are filled with lines dealing with pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and holding down the fort. Many of us have grown up to believe if we want something done right we have to do it ourselves.
This thinking is in opposition to the rules associated with an online business.
The online world can only exist because people share. Individuals share technology, but the also share links, reviews, blogs, forums and a wide range of other marketing strategies that find a commingling of interdependency.
In online business you are as dependent on others as they may be on you. Unlike the word ‘dependent’, the term interdependent indicates a mutual dependency. In other words you are depending on others to help provide links back to your site while they are equally dependent on you (or others) for the success of their business.
Have you really taken a proactive approach to networking? It’s possible you are reading this today and you’ve never considered asking someone else to place a link to your site on his or her online business site.
It can feel awkward depending on others to achieve online success especially if you’ve been lead to believe reliance on others is also a sign of imposing on their otherwise brilliant generosity.
I suppose it could be a deep-seated sense of pride that makes it hard to consider the need to ask others for help. However, the truth is depending on others is really what has made the Internet possible. The growth of this online world is comprised of a link of computers, networks and servers that are connected in a way that provides the maximum benefit for all.
Building an online business can feel a bit like trying to build a house of cards. Without the ability to rely on the other ‘cards’ around you it is virtually impossible to build.
Interdependence. This is the essence of online business.
Thursday, 22 May 2008
USING MOBILE PHONE AS A MEANS OF CHEATING
As communication in technology has grown fast, it has made easier for us to communicate
each other, especially with our families and relatives who live far away from us.
One of the most popular device of communication technology is a mobile phone . It is not such
kind of luxurious thing anymore, since almost everyone can afford it. Its existence among the
modern societies is really significant .
The character of mobile phone which is portable, practical and relatively inexpensive
has made this device used by a lot of people included students.
But is it necessary for the students to bring their mobile phones to school? In fact there is an
indication of the misuse of the mobile phone among them. It can be seen obviously that while
they are doing their exam , they often send SMS to ask and give the key answers to each other.
They don’t care whether what they do is against the school rules or not.
The communication technology, especially mobile phone is actually intended to give easiness
in communicating . The mis -function of mobile phone used as a means of cheating during the
exam needs great intention and wisdom in using mobile phone especially in class.
As communication in technology has grown fast, it has made easier for us to communicate
each other, especially with our families and relatives who live far away from us.
One of the most popular device of communication technology is a mobile phone . It is not such
kind of luxurious thing anymore, since almost everyone can afford it. Its existence among the
modern societies is really significant .
The character of mobile phone which is portable, practical and relatively inexpensive
has made this device used by a lot of people included students.
But is it necessary for the students to bring their mobile phones to school? In fact there is an
indication of the misuse of the mobile phone among them. It can be seen obviously that while
they are doing their exam , they often send SMS to ask and give the key answers to each other.
They don’t care whether what they do is against the school rules or not.
The communication technology, especially mobile phone is actually intended to give easiness
in communicating . The mis -function of mobile phone used as a means of cheating during the
exam needs great intention and wisdom in using mobile phone especially in class.
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
DVD Repair, Scratched DVDs and Unfinalized DVDs recovery tips and tricks.
by: Lance Carr
Simple and (hopefully!) free procedures to handle unsuccessfully finalized DVDs, damaged DVDs or DVDs that have not been burned correctly by a video camcorder,recorder or burner and has some corrupt data.
It is a good idea for you to first consider other possible causes of what appear to be DVD errors such as a dirty disc surface, a dirty lens in the DVD reader or other software and hardware related problems. Prior to embarking on any of the following you need to eliminate all possible causes for having trouble with a DVD. Check to see your DVD burner has the latest firmware by going to the manufacturers website. Check to see if the media (brand and type) is compatible with your DVD burner/reader. Once you are certain that you have an unsuccessfully finalized DVD or a corrupt DVD you can get started.
Scratched DVD Disks
A simple visual inspection of the surface of the disc will tell you straight away whether your first problem is physical damage to the disc. If you can see a scratch or scratches on the surface then this may need to be addressed first. I say "may" because personally I use DVDFab to check to see if the disc will copy before I embark on any other course of action. DVDFab can read through a lot of surface errors because of its superior algorithms so I always take the lazy route and see if I can simply make a new copy. Now failing that you could go online and buy some expensive DVD scratch repair kit. Or you could do as I do and go to your local hardware store or even your own garage! All you will need is a bottle of any neutral colored (clear) car polishing product. Turtlewax happens to be the one I use. Take a VERY soft cloth (NOT paper towel), apply a little polish to the surface of the disc and GENTLY (remember, it's not a car!) rub the disc. Use straight strokes from the centre of the disc to the outer edge and continue to do this until you can see the scratch either disappear or reduce noticeably. Then using the same motion and fresh cloth buff the disc back to its original shine. Now try it with DVDFab. If you are still unsuccessful repeat the process until you can be certain, again by visual inspection, that the problem is now not coming from a damaged disc surface.
DVD Data Repair/Recovery
The software you can use for this are DVDFab, Nero 8 (trial) and Isobuster. In the case of Isobuster you can try the free features first but failing that the full featured version needs to be purchased. A straight search of Yahoo or Google will find you the relevant sites.
Put the problem disc in the DVD drive of your computer then:
1. DVDFab. Try to use DVDFab first, as it has the best algorithms for reading anything on a DVD including how it integrates with the DVD drive, honestly sometimes I think it would read a bagel if you put it in there!
Select "DVD to DVD." DVDFab will now try to read the contents of the disc and, if it can, write the contents to a folder on your hard drive. It is as simple as that. It is either going to work or not! If it does do it then the copy you now have on your hard drive will be fully repaired and you can then burn a new copy.
Failing that:
2. Isobuster. Using the free functions try to make a disc image file and burn to another DVD. Isobuster has three alternate methods of dealing with data corruption. It can replace the corrupted area with nothing, with fake data or with a series of zeros. It will give you the choice and just select them in order to try each until one works. Isobuster will not create the disc image file unless it knows it will be successful. If Isobuster has created the file (note where it was going to put it first!) you will have to re-name the extension to .iso. Use the disc image file to burn a new DVD disc. At this point, if you now have a new disc, you need to check that new one carefully. There is always the possibility that Isobuster has just made a perfect copy of your faulty disc! So now you have a brand new faulty disc!
Failing that: You will need to pay for the full version of Isobuster but ONLY buy it if you got this far. If Isobuster free couldn't even read the disc then don't bother.
>From this point forward the best you can hope for is the extraction of the MPEG video files or data files on the disc. You ARE going to lose the video menus and you may lose some of the video or data.
a. Start Isobuster then load the disc.
b. When Isobuster has detected the files on the disc run the "Find Missing Files and Folders" option under the "File" menu.
c. You will now have an entry on the left hand column of "files and folders found by their signature."
d. Select that, then go to "File," "Files found via their signature" then "Extract files found via their signature." Choose a location and let it run.
Now you will have all the files where you selected them to go. The ones with the extension .VOB are the MPEG files from your disc wrapped in the VOB container. They can then be imported into a video editing program using the "Import DVD/VR" function or can be read by most DVD burning software.
Unfinalized discs.
If at all possible try to get the original device used to create the disc to finalize it. If this is not possible or the original device is failing to successfully finalize the disc you may have to resort to the Isobuster routine above.
If you have been left with an otherwise perfectly good disc, but unfinalized, do the following.
This requires Nero 8 (Trial version).
Go to the Nero website, download and install Nero 8. Yes, it's big...sorry!
Place the unfinalized disc into the computer DVD tray. Open Nero 8 StartSmart.
Click "create and edit" at the top of the screen.
Click "author, edit and capture video." NeroVision 5 will start.
Click on the disk tools drop down menu then click "finalize disk."
In the option box that appears choose "no menus" and let it run.
Hopefully you now have a fully finalized disc that is readable.
Hope this helps!
by: Lance Carr
Simple and (hopefully!) free procedures to handle unsuccessfully finalized DVDs, damaged DVDs or DVDs that have not been burned correctly by a video camcorder,recorder or burner and has some corrupt data.
It is a good idea for you to first consider other possible causes of what appear to be DVD errors such as a dirty disc surface, a dirty lens in the DVD reader or other software and hardware related problems. Prior to embarking on any of the following you need to eliminate all possible causes for having trouble with a DVD. Check to see your DVD burner has the latest firmware by going to the manufacturers website. Check to see if the media (brand and type) is compatible with your DVD burner/reader. Once you are certain that you have an unsuccessfully finalized DVD or a corrupt DVD you can get started.
Scratched DVD Disks
A simple visual inspection of the surface of the disc will tell you straight away whether your first problem is physical damage to the disc. If you can see a scratch or scratches on the surface then this may need to be addressed first. I say "may" because personally I use DVDFab to check to see if the disc will copy before I embark on any other course of action. DVDFab can read through a lot of surface errors because of its superior algorithms so I always take the lazy route and see if I can simply make a new copy. Now failing that you could go online and buy some expensive DVD scratch repair kit. Or you could do as I do and go to your local hardware store or even your own garage! All you will need is a bottle of any neutral colored (clear) car polishing product. Turtlewax happens to be the one I use. Take a VERY soft cloth (NOT paper towel), apply a little polish to the surface of the disc and GENTLY (remember, it's not a car!) rub the disc. Use straight strokes from the centre of the disc to the outer edge and continue to do this until you can see the scratch either disappear or reduce noticeably. Then using the same motion and fresh cloth buff the disc back to its original shine. Now try it with DVDFab. If you are still unsuccessful repeat the process until you can be certain, again by visual inspection, that the problem is now not coming from a damaged disc surface.
DVD Data Repair/Recovery
The software you can use for this are DVDFab, Nero 8 (trial) and Isobuster. In the case of Isobuster you can try the free features first but failing that the full featured version needs to be purchased. A straight search of Yahoo or Google will find you the relevant sites.
Put the problem disc in the DVD drive of your computer then:
1. DVDFab. Try to use DVDFab first, as it has the best algorithms for reading anything on a DVD including how it integrates with the DVD drive, honestly sometimes I think it would read a bagel if you put it in there!
Select "DVD to DVD." DVDFab will now try to read the contents of the disc and, if it can, write the contents to a folder on your hard drive. It is as simple as that. It is either going to work or not! If it does do it then the copy you now have on your hard drive will be fully repaired and you can then burn a new copy.
Failing that:
2. Isobuster. Using the free functions try to make a disc image file and burn to another DVD. Isobuster has three alternate methods of dealing with data corruption. It can replace the corrupted area with nothing, with fake data or with a series of zeros. It will give you the choice and just select them in order to try each until one works. Isobuster will not create the disc image file unless it knows it will be successful. If Isobuster has created the file (note where it was going to put it first!) you will have to re-name the extension to .iso. Use the disc image file to burn a new DVD disc. At this point, if you now have a new disc, you need to check that new one carefully. There is always the possibility that Isobuster has just made a perfect copy of your faulty disc! So now you have a brand new faulty disc!
Failing that: You will need to pay for the full version of Isobuster but ONLY buy it if you got this far. If Isobuster free couldn't even read the disc then don't bother.
>From this point forward the best you can hope for is the extraction of the MPEG video files or data files on the disc. You ARE going to lose the video menus and you may lose some of the video or data.
a. Start Isobuster then load the disc.
b. When Isobuster has detected the files on the disc run the "Find Missing Files and Folders" option under the "File" menu.
c. You will now have an entry on the left hand column of "files and folders found by their signature."
d. Select that, then go to "File," "Files found via their signature" then "Extract files found via their signature." Choose a location and let it run.
Now you will have all the files where you selected them to go. The ones with the extension .VOB are the MPEG files from your disc wrapped in the VOB container. They can then be imported into a video editing program using the "Import DVD/VR" function or can be read by most DVD burning software.
Unfinalized discs.
If at all possible try to get the original device used to create the disc to finalize it. If this is not possible or the original device is failing to successfully finalize the disc you may have to resort to the Isobuster routine above.
If you have been left with an otherwise perfectly good disc, but unfinalized, do the following.
This requires Nero 8 (Trial version).
Go to the Nero website, download and install Nero 8. Yes, it's big...sorry!
Place the unfinalized disc into the computer DVD tray. Open Nero 8 StartSmart.
Click "create and edit" at the top of the screen.
Click "author, edit and capture video." NeroVision 5 will start.
Click on the disk tools drop down menu then click "finalize disk."
In the option box that appears choose "no menus" and let it run.
Hopefully you now have a fully finalized disc that is readable.
Hope this helps!
Cashing in by Blogging
by: Len Hutton
Believe it or not, but it’s actually possible to make money from blogging. One teenager has, in fact, earned $5,000 a month just from making posts on his blog! Of course, not every blogger is this lucky. It does take some skill, and some luck to make money from blogging. What it also takes is some knowledge of how exactly to generate income just by posting blogs. In this newsletter, we will go over three specific methods of making money on your blog: Adsense, Pay Per Lead, and Affiliate Links.
So how exactly do I make money on my blog?
You do it by working with another company that wants to use your blog as a form of advertising. It sounds like selling out, right? Not exactly. The advertising can be as in your face or subtle as you want. And it can still make you money, provided you have enough visitors to your blog.
What is Adsense?
Adsense is a program offered by Google. The program, if installed, will display ads provided by Google.
How do I get Adsense?
You’ll need to go to Google.com, first. At the bottom of the screen is a link for “Advertising Programs”. Click on that. Then click on the link for “Adsense”. Scroll down on the page that comes up and click “Click Here To Apply!” You then fill out the form with information about yourself. After 12-48 hours, Google will notify you via email whether or not your site has been accepted. When you’ve been accepted, set up your ads by doing either of the following:
1. If your blog is hosted on Blogger.com, you can set up your AdSense ads by going to your profile, selecting settings>template>add an element. Then select AdSense and login with your account info. Next, you’ll configure your ads and save the template. That’s it.
2. If you are self-hosting your blog, you’ll have to set up AdSense in more of a manual way. You’ll create your ads(which can be as small or as tall as you want) and then copy the HTML/Javascript code Google gives you. Then you’ll paste it into your blog(on the left, right, or top of the screen).
For the first few days, the ads displayed by Google will be Public Service Announcements. After the ads have been up a few days, though, the ads will switch to ads that are relevant to your blog.
How does Adsense work?
Every time a visitor clicks an Adsense ad, you get a little bit of money(usually around 30-60 cents). The amount you get for each ad clicked depends on the number of unique visitors you receive on your blog. The more visitors, the more money that can be earned.
Google will then send a check or pay you through Paypal once you’ve made at least $100 from the ads.
It is important to remember that Google will penalize you if you click your own ads, or if you ask visitors specifically to click ads. So don’t do that!
Pay Per Click
Pay Per Click is basically just like AdSense, except you don’t just work with Google—you work with multiple companies. BidVertiser is one such company you can sign up with to do Pay Per Click advertising.
How do I get Pay Per Click
You sign up with a site like Bidvertiser and then follow their instructions to set up the Pay Per Click ads on your site.
How does Pay Per Click work?
It works by paying you money each time someone clicks an ad that you display. You won’t get paid for multiple clicks from the same user in the same visitor, nor will you get paid for someone simply visiting your site. You only get paid for legitimate clicks.
Affiliate Links
Affiliate links are basically links which people pay you for. Companies will actually pay owners of popular blogs to post links on their blog. You can do as much Affiliate linking as you want.
How do I get Affiliate Links?
You can get Affiliate links by searching for “Affiliate Link Programs” on the internet. Once you find an Affiliate link program that looks good to you, sign up for it. Then you can follow their instructions for putting the link(s) on your blog.
How do Affiliate Links work?
Like the other two methods mentioned above, Affiliate links work by paying you money each time they are clicked. You get paid for each click per unique visitor.
So that’s it. There’s three legitimate ways to make money from blogging. It is important to keep in mind that the amount of money you are able to make depends on how many visitors your blog draws. If you draw a lot, you’ll make a lot. If not, the money you earn will be modest. But it’s still extra money, so why not do it?
Making money using Adsense, Pay Per Click or Affiliate Link programs is easy and effective. Start monetizing your blog today!
by: Len Hutton
Believe it or not, but it’s actually possible to make money from blogging. One teenager has, in fact, earned $5,000 a month just from making posts on his blog! Of course, not every blogger is this lucky. It does take some skill, and some luck to make money from blogging. What it also takes is some knowledge of how exactly to generate income just by posting blogs. In this newsletter, we will go over three specific methods of making money on your blog: Adsense, Pay Per Lead, and Affiliate Links.
So how exactly do I make money on my blog?
You do it by working with another company that wants to use your blog as a form of advertising. It sounds like selling out, right? Not exactly. The advertising can be as in your face or subtle as you want. And it can still make you money, provided you have enough visitors to your blog.
What is Adsense?
Adsense is a program offered by Google. The program, if installed, will display ads provided by Google.
How do I get Adsense?
You’ll need to go to Google.com, first. At the bottom of the screen is a link for “Advertising Programs”. Click on that. Then click on the link for “Adsense”. Scroll down on the page that comes up and click “Click Here To Apply!” You then fill out the form with information about yourself. After 12-48 hours, Google will notify you via email whether or not your site has been accepted. When you’ve been accepted, set up your ads by doing either of the following:
1. If your blog is hosted on Blogger.com, you can set up your AdSense ads by going to your profile, selecting settings>template>add an element. Then select AdSense and login with your account info. Next, you’ll configure your ads and save the template. That’s it.
2. If you are self-hosting your blog, you’ll have to set up AdSense in more of a manual way. You’ll create your ads(which can be as small or as tall as you want) and then copy the HTML/Javascript code Google gives you. Then you’ll paste it into your blog(on the left, right, or top of the screen).
For the first few days, the ads displayed by Google will be Public Service Announcements. After the ads have been up a few days, though, the ads will switch to ads that are relevant to your blog.
How does Adsense work?
Every time a visitor clicks an Adsense ad, you get a little bit of money(usually around 30-60 cents). The amount you get for each ad clicked depends on the number of unique visitors you receive on your blog. The more visitors, the more money that can be earned.
Google will then send a check or pay you through Paypal once you’ve made at least $100 from the ads.
It is important to remember that Google will penalize you if you click your own ads, or if you ask visitors specifically to click ads. So don’t do that!
Pay Per Click
Pay Per Click is basically just like AdSense, except you don’t just work with Google—you work with multiple companies. BidVertiser is one such company you can sign up with to do Pay Per Click advertising.
How do I get Pay Per Click
You sign up with a site like Bidvertiser and then follow their instructions to set up the Pay Per Click ads on your site.
How does Pay Per Click work?
It works by paying you money each time someone clicks an ad that you display. You won’t get paid for multiple clicks from the same user in the same visitor, nor will you get paid for someone simply visiting your site. You only get paid for legitimate clicks.
Affiliate Links
Affiliate links are basically links which people pay you for. Companies will actually pay owners of popular blogs to post links on their blog. You can do as much Affiliate linking as you want.
How do I get Affiliate Links?
You can get Affiliate links by searching for “Affiliate Link Programs” on the internet. Once you find an Affiliate link program that looks good to you, sign up for it. Then you can follow their instructions for putting the link(s) on your blog.
How do Affiliate Links work?
Like the other two methods mentioned above, Affiliate links work by paying you money each time they are clicked. You get paid for each click per unique visitor.
So that’s it. There’s three legitimate ways to make money from blogging. It is important to keep in mind that the amount of money you are able to make depends on how many visitors your blog draws. If you draw a lot, you’ll make a lot. If not, the money you earn will be modest. But it’s still extra money, so why not do it?
Making money using Adsense, Pay Per Click or Affiliate Link programs is easy and effective. Start monetizing your blog today!
Stop Blog Spammers
by: Len Hutton
Blogs are now an extremely popular and important part of the internet. Millions of people blog every day. As blogs have evolved over the years, so has the commenting system. Now anyone can make comments on a particular blog posting. As blog commenting has grown more popular, so has spam commenting. In this newsletter, we’ll go over why comments are a great form of feedback for your blog, how they help the credibility of your content, what spam comments are and how to prevent them from happening.
Comments – A great form of feedback
When blogs first came around, they were simply online journals. No one could post comments on a blog posting. That all changed in 1998 with OpenDiary, a site which allowed people to comment on blog postings. Now every blog, whether it is remotely or self-hosted, includes this option to comment.
Commenting is great because it allows real people to tell you what they think about your form. It gives you feedback on what you are doing right and what you may need to improve. Comments can be encouraging to you and motivate you to post more quality blog messages. Or they can be constructive criticism to make you work harder to get better at writing content.
Whatever the style of comment is, it is still very useful to your blog. High numbers of comments have the ability to make a blog look credible because they show that the blog is being read by a lot of people. That’s something that every blog owner wants, and comments help to let them know just how many people enjoy their content.
Bad comments
Unfortunately, spammers have now started to use comments as a way to spam. How do you know what a spam comment is? Well, a spam comment is a comment that only advertises another site or product. If the comment seems bland/generic with a cheap link thrown in, then it’s definitely a spam comment.
Here is an example of a typical spam comment:
“Hey, this site is really cool. Check out my really cool site at spamsite.com.”
Of course not all spam comments will be this blatant, but you get the point.
Fortunately for bloggers, as spam comments have grown, so has the ways to prevent it. Here are a couple ways that you can prevent spam comments from even being posted on your blog.
#1: Close off commenting on older blog posts
There are options for you to stop comments from being posted on any particular blog post. Lots of times, spammers will post comments in weeks or months old posts. So take away this opportunity from them to keep it from happening. Most blog hosters now offer this as a standard option in the tool panel. If one of your posts has been up for a couple weeks, close it up.
#2: Take advantage of software offered to prevent comment spam
If you host your own blog using WordPress, you can use an option in that software to prevent spam. Even if you aren’t using WordPress, you can still use other Spam comment blocking software like Spam Karma, Akismet, and Bad Behavior. While these aren’t 100% effective, they have proven to be quite effective in preventing spam from happening.
#3: Take a look at your settings and see what can be tweaked to toughen your protection
Lots of blogs now have settings to help prevent spam. If you already have a spam blocker on in your blog and are still experiencing spam, take a closer look at the settings to see if there’s anything that can be tweaked to make your protection stronger. However, if you do this, you should closely monitor your posts to make sure legit comments aren’t being blocked out. If they are, you might have to lighten up a bit.
#4: Regularly read your blog comments
Be sure to keep an eye on your comments. Even the best software or setting can’t prevent everything, so you will have to occasionally manually remove comments on your own.
By applying the above principles, you can ensure that your blog is full of only good, quality comments, which will help your credibility tremendously.
Comments are a great form of communication between yourself and your readers. They help the credibility of your blog!
by: Len Hutton
Blogs are now an extremely popular and important part of the internet. Millions of people blog every day. As blogs have evolved over the years, so has the commenting system. Now anyone can make comments on a particular blog posting. As blog commenting has grown more popular, so has spam commenting. In this newsletter, we’ll go over why comments are a great form of feedback for your blog, how they help the credibility of your content, what spam comments are and how to prevent them from happening.
Comments – A great form of feedback
When blogs first came around, they were simply online journals. No one could post comments on a blog posting. That all changed in 1998 with OpenDiary, a site which allowed people to comment on blog postings. Now every blog, whether it is remotely or self-hosted, includes this option to comment.
Commenting is great because it allows real people to tell you what they think about your form. It gives you feedback on what you are doing right and what you may need to improve. Comments can be encouraging to you and motivate you to post more quality blog messages. Or they can be constructive criticism to make you work harder to get better at writing content.
Whatever the style of comment is, it is still very useful to your blog. High numbers of comments have the ability to make a blog look credible because they show that the blog is being read by a lot of people. That’s something that every blog owner wants, and comments help to let them know just how many people enjoy their content.
Bad comments
Unfortunately, spammers have now started to use comments as a way to spam. How do you know what a spam comment is? Well, a spam comment is a comment that only advertises another site or product. If the comment seems bland/generic with a cheap link thrown in, then it’s definitely a spam comment.
Here is an example of a typical spam comment:
“Hey, this site is really cool. Check out my really cool site at spamsite.com.”
Of course not all spam comments will be this blatant, but you get the point.
Fortunately for bloggers, as spam comments have grown, so has the ways to prevent it. Here are a couple ways that you can prevent spam comments from even being posted on your blog.
#1: Close off commenting on older blog posts
There are options for you to stop comments from being posted on any particular blog post. Lots of times, spammers will post comments in weeks or months old posts. So take away this opportunity from them to keep it from happening. Most blog hosters now offer this as a standard option in the tool panel. If one of your posts has been up for a couple weeks, close it up.
#2: Take advantage of software offered to prevent comment spam
If you host your own blog using WordPress, you can use an option in that software to prevent spam. Even if you aren’t using WordPress, you can still use other Spam comment blocking software like Spam Karma, Akismet, and Bad Behavior. While these aren’t 100% effective, they have proven to be quite effective in preventing spam from happening.
#3: Take a look at your settings and see what can be tweaked to toughen your protection
Lots of blogs now have settings to help prevent spam. If you already have a spam blocker on in your blog and are still experiencing spam, take a closer look at the settings to see if there’s anything that can be tweaked to make your protection stronger. However, if you do this, you should closely monitor your posts to make sure legit comments aren’t being blocked out. If they are, you might have to lighten up a bit.
#4: Regularly read your blog comments
Be sure to keep an eye on your comments. Even the best software or setting can’t prevent everything, so you will have to occasionally manually remove comments on your own.
By applying the above principles, you can ensure that your blog is full of only good, quality comments, which will help your credibility tremendously.
Comments are a great form of communication between yourself and your readers. They help the credibility of your blog!
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