If you answered yes to either question above then you are going to totally dig the customized Twitter mug. No, this isn’t a lame mug with the Twitter logo on it, this is way cooler.

Essentially you enter in your @username on the product page of the Twitter mug and the special groovy software adds your followers on the mug. This is too cool for school.

See all your Twitter followers auto-magically appear on the mug. You can also specify the color and size of the mug. And it will set you back around $15.

This geek creation is brought to you by the cool geeks at Crowded Ink and i found it via a comment entry at the geeks gift guide published on Real Simple. Shout out to Matt Keller.

If you’re a blogger and want to know how to best use affiliate marketing on your blog, read what i’ve written below, then go practice it. If you disagree with me, feel free to comment after the article.

1. Find a good affiliate network – First you need to find a good affiliate network and not good as in popular or big, but one that suits you, your niche, and your site. You will need to spend some time doing research on this, i would point you in the direction of Shawn Collins and his affiliate tips blog for a good primer on general affiliate marketing. Then i would like you to visit the directory of affiliate programs, and find one (or two) that are in your niche. Don’t pick too many, as this will overwhelm you, like it did me. Stick with just a core few.

2. Use a relevant merchant - Once you have found a suitable affiliate network, now search for a suitable merchant within the network. Look at things like banners and links available, when do they pay, how do they pay, are they somewhat established, and don’t forget to see what sort of support system they have in place. Do they have a blog, phone number, email, forum, etc? Are they easy to reach if you have questions or problems? Find an affiliate network that works for you, then work on generating revenue.

3. Write killer (affiliate product) articles on your blog – One of the best methods to generate revenue in affiliate marketing from a blog, is to write good articles on the blog. Incorporate some affiliate products into the article, just make sure the products are RELEVANT to your readers and your niche.

4. Promote that article – After you’ve written your killer article with a few affiliate products incorporated, make sure to promote the article. Tell your blogger friends about it, submit to social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. Then submit the article to social bookmarking sites like Stumble Upon and Digg to garner some possible traffic and or backlinks. Also don’t underestimate the value of blog carnivals, these are fantastic for generating links back to your blog.

5. Rinse and repeat - Now do steps 1 through 4 about once a week or so. The frequency will be dictated by your posting schedule. If you post 3 times a day, then obviously you can do more. But if you post once a week, affiliate marketing articles should be less frequently. Keep a good balance, do not annoy your readers and visitors.

The most important thing to remember in affiliate marketing is that you need to have a foundation in place first. Since this article is directed at bloggers, the foundation in your case, would be your awesome blog. Establish yourself as knowledgeable in your niche. Not an expert, but knowledgeable and resourceful.

I’m not an expert by any means, but i relate my knowledge and my resources from experience. I’ve been blogging since April 2007 and have become quite savvy on the subject. i hope you have enjoyed this article and learned a thing or two.

Have Questions?

Do let me know any questions you have or general comments on the subject of affiliate marketing as it relates to bloggers.

11 Blogs You Should Be Reading If You’re A Blogger

1. Problogger

Some say this is the quintessential resource for blogging, and i would have to agree. The sheer volume of information on this blog makes for a worthy addition to your RSS feed. Here you will find information and tips on any and every aspect of blogging. If you’re looking for a blog job, this one has a job board as well. The blogger behind this blog (Darren Rowse) wrote the book on blogging literally.

2. Performancing

This is a multi-author blog and is loaded with industry information and guides on how to become a better blogger. Industry leading, a must read.

3. Daily Blog Tips

Daniel Scocco runs this blog and as the name implies it covers daily blog tips. He updates every day with about 2 to 3 posts and covers a wide gamut within the blogging field. Excellent tips can be found here.

4. About.com Weblogs

This blog is part of the About.com network and is also a fantastic resource. The site is part portal part blog, and contains lots of useful tips and information. This one is run by Susan and she does a fine job of keeping tabs on the industry. A good place to start if you’re a new blogger.

5. Blogging Tips

Another multi-author blog run by a neat guy named Kevin who dishes on all things that have to do with blogging. There is also a forum here that you might be interested in. Post a question, answer some, gain some tips. Get to know the community there, it’s a small but steady one.

6. Small Business SEM

What would a blog be without SEO? Yes, the blogs mentioned above do delve into the topic and cover search engine optimization tips, but this one focuses on it. Run by Matt McGee, this is a must add to your feed reader as well.

7. WordPress Hacks

All hail to WordPress. Woot Woot. Did you know that Wordress was founded by a 23 year old? Well now you know. That was just abit of trivia thrown in for the hack of it. WordPress is so robust and feature rich, thousands of blogs exist solely to cover this vast dimension of bloggery tech. Hack WordPress is a newer entry (having been around since 2007) in the blogosphere, but it contains a plethora of really useful tips on how to transform your basic WordPress install into so much more.

I guarantee if you visit this blog, you will fall in love with it. 100% guaranteed. (no i dont know the owner)

8. Zedomax Biz Blog

I am abit biased here on this, as the genius behind this blog is also technically my boss. But if the blog wasn’t valuable to bloggers, i would not include it in this round up. Max specializes in Adsense tips and Adsense optimization, and he delivers the goods. If you use Google Adsense on your blog, this one is a must read for you.

9. Weblog Tools Collection

WBT has been around for some time now, and it focuses on tools for bloggers. You will particularly enjoy the fantastic (and ongoing) collection of wordpress theme and wordpress plugin reviews. Plus it provides detailed information on what’s new with the latest versions of WordPress. This blog is always an interesting read. Great addition to your feed reader.

10. Blogger For Dummies

WordPress isn’t the only game in town? There is also the Google owned Blogger and the many who choose to go this route, have their top resources as well. I found this one which is shock full of hacks, tweaks, and tips for those on blogger. Lots of good stuff here.

11. Gear Fuse

Let’s face it. If you’re a blogger you’re most likely a geek too. I am the exception. LoL. Just kidding, i am a geek, and if not, i so want to be. The mavericks behind this blog are Steve, Vincent, and Ryan. Wow, did i really just say mavericks? Anyway, the talented nerdherd behind this blog is always fun to read. Ryan (along with the other authors) feature lots of tech goodness for us bloggers. Everything from eco friendly laptops to the latest cell phones and accessories. A fun blog.

Which Do You Read?

There are tons of blogs that i did not mention, as i plan to write a follow up post and include smaller blogs. But do share your personal faves below.

P.S. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter. And please do link to this article if you think it is awesomely awesome.

The contest is basically a (feedback initiative) to get YOU to help ME and WIN some cool prizes in the process. As some of you may know i started this blog back in 2007 as a hub for my growing network of web properties. But it’s been a challenge for me to monetize, not to mention maintaining focus as to what the heck the blog is about.

I wanted the blog to be a catch all, a blog i could write anything on. But this makes it hard to monetize and also to develop any sort of following.

So to make a long story short, pitch me your ideas, opinions, and feedback on what i should do with this PR4 blog. If YOUR IDEA is electrifyingly good, then you might,

WIN THE FOLLOWING SPECTACULAR PRIZES:

1st place. “Blogging In Action” package. Learn more about the product here.
2nd place. “Expert WordPress” package. Learn more about the product here.
3rd place. $10 will be deposited into your Paypal account.

The contest ends on December 8th, and you enter by leaving comments on Max’s blog. Tell your friends, and be sure to link to the contest. (pretty please, with a cherry on top)

Remember to enter you must leave a comment on Max’s blog. Good Luck!

photo credit: Yodel Anecdotal

Several of my fellow blogger friends, wrote a post on their blog, with their comments and thoughts on the infamous pagerank update. There was the fat cupcake eater or is it the kid who eats fat cupcakes, who wrote on his rise to PR 3 in 7 weeks. Then there was the British bloke who has an affiliate blog, but rarely writes on affiliate marketing, who got his cherry popped with a PR 2.

Then there is the crazy American who can sell ice (and ebooks) to (blind) eskimos, who came in with a respectable PR 2. And how can i forget the site flipper cum laude, SuiteJ, who flipped his first blog in record time, and made an impressive profit. Well done, Jay.

As for me (with my army of blogs), some went down from a PR 2 to PR 1. One shot up to a PR 3, and two others stayed at PR 2. So quite a mixed bag. Oh! and this one, my network blog, stayed at PR 3. Final shout out goes to the most prolific blogger i know, no, not Darren Rowse, but Max from Zedomax.

The guy is a blogging machine. Take a look here, here, here, and here.

Why did G34 Media Stay At PR 3?

It is my belief that G34 Media stayed at PR 3, because i didn’t actively seek out backlinks. Plus this past quarter i didn’t write much on it, so in turn not many link opportunities were availed of. As you know pagerank is all about (quantity and quality) of backlinks.

Anyways, that is my theory.

What Are Your Goals For The October 2008 PR Update?

My goals for the next rank update include:

• writing more valuable articles
• having bi-weekly contests
• actively seek out backlink opportunities via various methods
• and basically just step it up a notch.

My overall (short and long term goals) revolve around making and sustaining an online income of around $3000 a month.

Currently my MMO projects include:

Blogging

Freelance Writing

Domains

Site Flipping

Via the 4 MMO projects mentioned above, i will take stock in December 2008, and see where im at. Am i meeting, exceeding, or not making my goals? We will see, and as usual i will provide regular updates here, so you can follow along.

Reader Question

How did you do with this last rank update? Did you learn anything on this PR update? And what are some of your overall goals for years end? Share below.