Blogging Beginner help

[technologyhelp101]

Hello Everyone,

I was wondering if anyone has ever experience the Empower Network? I have been hearing a lot of reviews on this system and not really sure if its worth a try. It seems like you can blog on there and make money with a $25 monthly fee but that's with every system out there...Does it work is the question???

I am new to the blogging/website world and am looking for as much help any of you can give me. I have some great idea's but am stuck where to begin. I am not sure if I should create a website which seems very inexpensive with (hostgator.com) only $3-$4 bucks a month. I have been doing some research and with anything only way to get better is to keep doing the research.

As any of us I do want to make money but another important thing is I want to do this because I will enjoy it. What's better than helping people and liking it at the same time. I know this will be a great journey and there will be bumps along the way but I believe this can be a great experience for me and my future.

Some of the idea's I have are dealing with technology. I have been in the working technology field for over 5 years but let's just say when I was younger, the parents were the ones depending on me to fix the computer or asking questions. I have notice a lot lately that the older generation or even mid age are usually afraid to even touch anything technology related. With the future and technologies coming and getting better by the day we shouldn't be afraid, we should be excited to experience this and get our hands on the unique features. That's just a little high light where I'm trying to go with this.

Any help is very appreciated and hope to hear from all of you with suggestions and recommendations to get me on the right road.

As my return any computer or technology questions please do not hesitate to ask. I'm here to help in any way.

Thanks!!!

Joe :cool:

[angienewton]

Hey Joe welcome! Never heard of Empower Network but you don't need to spend $25/mo. on a site. I would just buy a domain name, get a hosting account through Host Gator and start a wordpress blog.

You CAN make money blogging but you don't have to buy into a system like that to make it happen.

What sort of technology topic ideas were you thinking about for a site?

[technologyhelp101]

Hey Angie,

Thanks for reading my post and getting back to me!!!

The technology topic's I have been brainstorming are anywhere from discussing about where are the best sites to purchase such as computers, electronics, technology gadgets, etc. There are some sites online you can save a decent amount of money than going to your local retailers. Another topic would be if an audience out there which I'm sure is, not so computer Savoy.The topic would be describing the basic functions using a computer, maybe email, how to's etc. Helping others and getting in that comfort zone to try new things in general is the best feeling. I want to help people be able to use technology like their everyday tasks if they aren't doing so already. Reviews on technology gadgets would be another one with help from people out there inputting their opinions how they liked the product and experience it.

That's just some right off the list but with getting traffic to the blog\site and getting suggestions from the people viewing this I have a great feeling that this can be an amazing success.

Thanks for any help in advance!!

Joe

[Lynn Terry]

Welcome Joe :)

I've heard of empower network but I'm not personally familiar with it. What happens if they go down, or go out of business? That would be my concern - paying for access, but not owning your web property...

Setting up your own blog is cheap & easy. Cheaper, actually. Here is a step by step checklist:

http://www.clicknewz.com/1872/how-to-start-a-wordpress-blog/

Let us know if you have any other questions. :)

[technologyhelp101]

Thanks Lynn for the input. I am going to do more research on starting my own blog. Thanks for the help with the link you provided.

[cindybidar]

A agree with Lynn about setting up your own domain on your own hosting account. You want control over your business assets.

I don't know anything about Empower Network, but I came across a review that I found really interesting (read: misleading). It said, among other things, that the guys behind Empower Network pay out $17,000,000 annually to their 50,000+ members (or associates, or whatever they call them - I can't remember now what the term was).

That sounds pretty impressive until you do the math.

$17,000,000 / 50,000 = $340 a year, on average, per member. Or just over $28 per month.

Just my 2 cents. :)

[angienewton]

Hey Joe, sounds interesting. I like the idea of a computer/gadget site. You could probably do a lot with that.

[CBD]

Cindy I am with you number talk. I did read something about Empower Network, but not really interesting for me.

[RLeighTardif]

I've looked at the Empower Network. I'm on someone's list who got into it and seems to be doing well. However, she's been online for several years, probably has a huge list, and also owns several advertising sites.

They always make it sound so easy, but in the end, you have to convince other people to sign up in order to make any money, which isn't my cup of tea. And if you're just using it to host your blog, rather expensive as pointed out.

[technologyhelp101]

Thank you Cindy for the information regarding Empower Network. It doesn't really sound like something I would like to check out. After reading quite a few articles about it, it seems to be a pyramid scheme. The best option as what everyone is telling me here and other resources is to host your own site and blog that way. Any suggestions on hosting other than hostgator? I have also been looking at the word press platform and the themes they offer looks like it makes it very easy to start. I am very excited to start this new journey after doing research and hopefully one day I will be able to make a second income or be my main income. I know it won't happen over night for sure but that is my goal. Also can't forget about enjoying something that you love to do!! Thank you everyone for your input and you probably will see me more on the forums asking questions and getting more advice.

[angienewton]

I have used HostGator since 2001 so I'm not familiar with any other host. And yes you'll definitely want to use the Wordpress self hosted platform. So you'll need a domain name, hosting account and then you'll upload your Wordpress blog through your cpanel via your hosting account.

You don't want to use the Wordpress.com platform because you cannot monetize it so for business purposes it wouldn't work.

Looking forward to seeing what you decide to do.

[Katrina53]

Angie, I thought it was the exact opposite...WordPress.com because .org could not be monitized! Apparently I did not get that right...glad I saw this post.

[technologyhelp101]

Hello All,

I was over looking hostgator.com and was wondering which plan will be the best (Baby or Business)? Do you guys also suggest to purchase your domain name else where like godaddy.com or do everything at your hosting? It also seems bluehost is cheaper too. I did an example baby plan with hostgator and upfront costs was over $260.

Thanks for any help!!! :)

[ShawnT]

I switched to BlueHost last year to save money and have not had any problems. I think I read elsewhere on the forum that they are owned by the same parent company as HostGator. As for purchasing a domain, I think the consensus here is not to have your hosting and domain with the same company, so I use GoDaddy for domain purchases.

Hope that helps!

Shawn

[technologyhelp101]

Thanks Shawn for the quick response. That does help me out...


Joe

[nar321]

i agree with Shawn regarding not having your domain and hosting with the same company. But this is the 1st time I ever heard that BlueHost and HostGator are both owned by the same company. Even so due to better(in my opinion) customer support I would opt for HostGator, Lynn usually has a coupon code on the Clicknewz.com home page that gets you the 1st month either free or for a penny.

[slowstarter]

Hi Joe,

Agree with much of what's been said, buy your domains through GoDaddy and get your hosting through Hostgator. (Do you really have to pay all that up front or can you get a monthly deal? I pay monthly but I've been with them for years - so that may have changed.) Don't buy a ton of domains, try and pick one and see if you can take that into profit.

Ask a ton of questions on here - as you can see a lot of people who have been through what you are working on right now are amazingly willing to help.

Read the posts on Clicknewz - they are a goldmine of useful relevant information.

Remember though that this part of the forum is public. If you really want in depth (confidential) help - the private members forum is the way to go. (And worth every penny in my view.)

Good luck.

Martin

[angienewton]

As a newbie I am pretty happy learning with blogspot.com. Free everything and so far I haven't needed more capacity. I have even been able to monetise it with PayPal. As (if) I get more sophisticated, I may need more but for now I'm learning a lot inexpensively.

We don't recommend using Blogger since it's not your own (why work hard on something with the potential to have it taken away at any time?). It's best to have your own domain and a self hosted website. And it's so affordable to do so, it's a business investment.

Now if you are NOT going to monetize and it's just a hobby blog, Blogger is just fine.