I’ve been doing a bit of research into blog carnivals lately. I’ve seen them on several blogs I frequent and realized there must be something to them if so many are using them and participating in them.

So with a little homework – here’s what I’ve found:

Yes, they are worth the time and energy go participate – they do attract traffic and it is a great way to meet other bloggers who have similar topics to your own.

You’ll be able to find a complete Blog Carnival listing here so you can easily click on new carnivals that are happening now or check to see what carnivals are coming up that you might be able to jump in on.

Confused?

Not a problem! Here are a few of the most often asked questions as listed on BlogCarnival.com

What’s a Blog Carnival?

A Blog Carnival is a particular kind of blog community. There are many kinds of blogs, and they contain articles on many kinds of topics. Blog Carnivals typically collect together links pointing to blog articles on a particular topic. A Blog Carnival is like a magazine. It has a title, a topic, editors, contributors, and an audience. Editions of the carnival typically come out on a regular basis (e.g. every Monday, or on the first of the month). Each edition is a special blog article that consists of links to all the contributions that have been submitted, often with the editors opinions or remarks.

There is so much stuff in the blog-o-sphere, just finding interesting stuff is hard. If there is a carnival for a topic you are interested in, following that carnival is a great way to learn what bloggers are saying about that topic. If you are blogging on that topic, the carnival is the place to share your work with like-minded bloggers.

Blog Carnival is the place to come to find carnivals you are interested in, to submit your blog articles to carnivals where they belong, and to organize and maintain carnivals.

Who Creates a Blog Carnival?

It takes a village, you might say. Although it is possible for one person to do everything it takes to make a Blog Carnival, the work is usually divided up like this:

• The Organizer starts the carnival, decides what it will be about, what the submission criteria are, and how often it will appear. They also coordinate who will host each edition of the carnival. As time passes, they find new volunteers to host. Organizers use Blog Carnival to manage the schedule of who is hosting what and when, so they can present it to their audience in a single, well-known place.
• The Host volunteers to host a carnival edition on their blog. They work with the organizer to pick a date that suits them (popular carnivals schedule their hosts for months in advance). In the period leading up their scheduled date, they collect submissions from bloggers, and organize them into a single article chalk-full of links, often with their own comments. This article is published on the scheduled date, and everyone leaves comments on their blog telling them what a great job they did (well, usually, anyway).
• Bloggers who have written an article on the carnival’s topic can submit the link for inclusion in the next edition of the carnival. Often, bloggers who contribute to carnivals are experts in their field (or at least, highly opinionated!). Blog Carnival has a carnival submission form for each carnival that bloggers can use to submit links to selected posts to a carnival host. All the blogger needs to know is the name of the carnival, and Blog Carnival takes care of getting it to the right person.
• The Audience consists of both bloggers and just-plain-interested readers. They come to Blog Carnival to find out if there is a carnival on a topic they are interested in, and to find out where the carnival editions have been, and where they’re going to be in the future.

If you have more questions on Blog Carnivals, I recommend you visit BlogCarnival.com and go from there.

This is a great, fun and FREE way to generate traffic, build your blog credibility and network.

I saw an interview with Donald Trump once and the host asked him what he would do if he lost everything today. Donald didn’t hesitate with his response when he said "I’d get out tomorrow and start meeting new people and developing my new network."

Donald Trump isn’t my favorite person, but he’s certainly got a point. Your success isn’t just about you and how much heart and soul you put into it, it’s about your network.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

My Comment Commitment: If you leave an approved comment on any of my posts, I will visit your blog and “share it” in some way whether on StumbleUpon, Twitter or Facebook depending on if I can find a nice fit.

Originally posted 2010-01-11 12:00:00.

YouSayToo is a great place for bloggers looking to gain more exposure. YouSayToo offers a simple means to increase your traffic and exposure through syndication as well as a technique to earn money from your blogs.

YouSayToo recently underwent a complete site overhaul that is visually appealing, easy to use and provides effective features that appeal to the busiest of bloggers.

The YouSayToo core component — “Add Your Blog.” enables you to centralize your blogs on the YouSayToo platform. Whether your blogs are on Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr, LiveJournal and other platforms, you can add them all. Consolidating your blogs on YouSayToo will deliver more hits than your blogs can on their own.

If you’re into gaming, YouSayToo has an “Upload Flash Game” feature that lets you upload free flash games. Flash games are great for building traffic through the millions of people who are searching for them every day. With YouSayToo, they’re super easy to upload! Share your games blog and watch your fan base skyrocket!

As an added bonus, YouSayToo provides you the option to earn ad revenue. YouSayToo splits Google AdSense, Infolinks and zapunited impressions with you 50/50.

By referring friends, you can earn bonus ad revenue when they blog on YouSayToo.

Sign up for YouSayToo and see what it does for you and your blog(s).

*Disclaimer – I have had four blogs syndicated on YouSayToo for several months and have seen considerable increase in my Google Adsense earnings. Signing up through the links provided may help me earn bonus revenue.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

My Comment Commitment: If you leave an approved comment on any of my posts, I will visit your blog and “share it” in some way whether on StumbleUpon, Twitter or Facebook depending on if I can find a nice fit.

Over the course of my blogging career, I’ve had more than a few friends tell me how much they would love to blog, but have a creatively, crippling fear of doing so. They all had their own excuses, all of which were real of course, but none of which were valid as far as I am concerned.

The three excuses that top most lists of excuses are: perfectionism, failure, and self-consciousness. These fears are difficult to overcome. I won’t pretend that they’re easy to overcome, but I can share a few tips I’ve learned when combating my own fears then you be the judge as to whether they’re helpful or not.

Keep a Catch-All Blog

Similar to the practice of keeping a notebook or scrap paper handy, a scratch blog can work wonders. Whether you’re just starting out, or simply need a place to write when the topic just isn’t quite right for your blog, write it someplace else. A Tumblr blog as a “catch-all” blog is perfect! You can also use Tumblr or Blogger as a place to write articles that aren’t fully formed. You don’t have to brand the site, and you certainly don’t have to make it visible to the public.

A catch-all blog can be your personal playground for writing, creating, keeping notes, practicing techniques, and cleaning up code.

Proper Grammar and Punctuation Help

When I began blogging, the grammar Nazi’s were out in full force. They still exist today, but with so many blogs being written by people who are not native English, the attacks are few and far between. I avoided blogging for months because I was so fearful of some stranger pointing out that I’d not used a semicolon in the right place. That was dumb! You’re a blogger, not a journalist for Forbes. When you make an honest effort to use the English language properly, and as long as you have a compelling story, proper grammar and punctuation are secondary concerns. Still, if you are overly concerned there are programs available that help minimize grammatical errors. My personal preference is Grammarly.

I use Grammarly often. I don’t exactly care for the ‘on-site’ check because of the page clutter and minimal space available for pasting my document, but the Office Add-In option that attaches right to Microsoft Word kills! Below are a couple of screen captures to show what the Grammarly Office Add In for Microsoft Word looks like inside an actual document. Very easy to use.

Say it Loud

Become more confident in your writing by reading out loud. Go over your article and read it as if speaking to a friend. A simple once over usually reveals errors, text that doesn’t have a nice flow and uncovers changes that need to be made. In fact, read your article out loud as many times as it takes for your article to sound as good as you possibly can.

Read Everything!

Read lots of things – blogs, magazines, books. Read to make yourself think; read to find inspiration; read to ignite your inner creativity. The more you read, the more you’ll understand what you read. Pay close attention to how other writers convey their message. This is where my Google Reader comes in handy. I subscribe to lots of blogs on varied topics of interest to me.

People often talk about not knowing how to do something, but they don’t do the basic exercises that remedy that lack of knowledge. If you read more, you’ll figure it out, and then move forward by practicing what you’ve learned.

Comment Elsewhere

A technique for developing your unique voice and ability to blog is by commenting on other blogs. Visit blogs you find intriguing, and contribute to what is written in the comments. You can easily engage by disagreeing, adding to the topic or simply add your own spin. The simple act of commenting provides a plethora of benefits. I set blocks of time each week just for this task.

Make a Commitment to Begin

Everyone can find reasons to procrastinate. Maybe taking baby steps is best for you. Consider using Twitter instead of your blog to begin creating content or sharing useful information. Perhaps place your initial focus on commenting on active blogs. Support others instead of doing your own thing. Another idea would be to read blogs and listen to podcasts then share your opinion on what they’re doing right and wrong, even if you don’t have anything new to add. Too many people are stifled by worrying they may say something wrong or offensive, but in reality, experienced bloggers are some of the most “open to constructive criticism people I’ve ever encountered.

Set a Start Date

Set a real date. Mark your calendar for a definitive date, sometime in the next few weeks to begin posting. In the overall scheme of things, keep in mind – there are literally millions of blogs out there. The reality is, starting a new blog is far less dramatic than one might think.

More You Can Do

Once you begin, make a commitment to writing. Be prepared to endure the occasional writers block. I keep notebooks around my house and car for jotting down ideas from everyday life that I might wish to write about later. When a case of writers block occurs, I review my list and go from there. When I first began, I battled writers blocks often.

The more I practiced, the more I wrote – the next thing I knew, I was writing ALL the time. I got into the habit of writing no matter what – whether it was current events, news items, celebrity news, answering a question I dug up on Yahoo Answers, contributing my opinion to the hottest topics on Technorati – I would write!

If I were new to blogging and just beginning today, I would consider topics that are trending on Google Trends and Twitter to find a topic I wished to participate in.

Share your thoughts! What are or have been your fears of blogging? How have you faced those fears ?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

My Comment Commitment: If you leave an approved comment on any of my posts, I will visit your blog and “share it” in some way whether on StumbleUpon, Twitter or Facebook depending on if I can find a nice fit.