New as well as established bloggers can add more value to their blogs by making use of certain websites that provide ideas, support, and resources to bloggers. Multiple resources can help to create an enriched blog that attracts a larger number of readers from different backgrounds.
iStockphoto.com or ThinkStockPhotos.com
Images are almost as important as the content on the blog, and sometimes they carry even more value than the content. No good blogger can afford to ignore the importance of images. It is not just about adding some color and style to your blog, the images can make the words spring to life and provide a clarification that your competition is not managing to do. Access to good images is necessary to make the blog posts more creative and visually enriched. iStock Photo is an excellent online resource that includes tons of images as is Think Stock Photos.
Both offer royalty-free stock photos and illustrations as well as premium quality paid images. Bloggers can find some of the finest stock image collections on these websites.
HelpAReporter.com
Help a Reporter Out (HARO) is a unique service for journalists, reporters and bloggers. It collects valuable information and feedback from a wide variety of sources, and provides it for free for the purpose of information dissemination. The site can be used effectively to promote an informative blog.
Bloggers can join this service for free, and receive three email messages a day in their Inbox with media queries on a broad range of subjects. If the bloggers have expert knowledge to answer any of the queries, they can respond with a “pitch” to subtly promote their own blog in the process. This can help to take out valuable content from the blog and obtain it a wider exposure on other media platforms.
FitBlogChats.com
FitBlog Chat on Twitter every Tuesday night is a popular online event in the world of social networking. However, FitBlogChats offers a lot more than just the weekly chat. Bloggers can benefit from a wealth of information that is contained in its chat archives available for free on their website. New bloggers can learn a great deal from the archived presentations that provide excellent information for bloggers. The presentations and webinars are a priceless resource to enhance a blog, and the best part is that it comes entirely free of cost.
CopyBlogger.com
CopyBlogger is an excellent online resource for both new and experienced bloggers. The site offers hundreds of brilliant articles and guides on blogging. It offers innovative tips on how to drive relevant traffic to your blog. Some bloggers are great writers but do not know how to optimize and promote their blog for search engines. CopyBlogger is a great site for such bloggers with its precious insights on SEO and marketing of a blog.
ProBlogger.net
ProBlogger is one of the popular sites for bloggers, which offers innovative information and resources on how to start blogging and how to make money off your blog. The site was founded by Darren Rowse who is a highly successful blogger, consultant, and speaker. It offers valuable and regularly updated information on jobs for bloggers, online business ideas for bloggers, and blogging tips for beginners.
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Making use of websites as a resource for the good contents is very important. By using bloggers can truly enrich their contents on blogs. And the sites which you have posted can be used as resources for making my articles interesting and more useful for the readers. I also like making my posts attractive by adding some images to it. iStockphoto.com site which you have posted for images is very good resource for the images I think.
CopyBlogger and ProBlogger are two sites I did not know much about before seeing it here. When I visited them, I got a lot of ideas and helpful tips to improve my posts as well as my productivity. At the end of the day I want many people to visit and read my blog and part of that plan is putting up content that people can feel strongly about and comment on. This was an eye-opener for me, hopefully I will be better with the exposure I have received from these. Thanks for the great posts.
Of those five, I just know 3. istockphoto, problogger and copyblogger. Now I’ll check out the other two. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Danny,
These are some excellent resources for services for a newbie like me. I’ve already checked out the istockphoto.com. You are so right, graphics and photos can either make or break a site. I know a friend of mine got into a problem with a photo he picked up on the internet and almost got sued for it. So a good site like this is great. Pro Blogger is terrific too, seems like the making money part on your blog is the hardest. So any help in that area is really appreciated. I definitely bookmarked this article. And, I am forwarding the link to my hapless friend!
Ann@Debt Advice´s last [type] ..Does Credit Counseling Hurt Your Credit
Great article!
For right now I’m experimenting with my personal blog and I also tested several blog sites to see what works for me. CopyBlogger and ProBlogger are already next on my list to look into.
Thanks!
~Anja~
That “Help a Reporter Out” site was something that I wasn’t aware about. I have a few informative blogs out there, so it may be of some interest to me. The photo website would probably be useful to some bloggers, but when I use an image for posts, I generally make sure it is a shared image file or one that isn’t under copyright. etc. At any rate, those were 5 sites that many bloggers out there will find good use for ‘em. There are also free sites out there that you can join, that allow you to post small excerpts of your posts while leaving a link to your main entry during the process. I’m assuming websites like that hope you’ll link back in return, so they may build up authority and eventually sell adverts, but who knows. Anyway, thanks for the resources; cheers!
ProBlogger.net is a great resource that I have been visiting for quite sometime now. I am interested in looking at what Copyblogger has to offer. I am always looking to expand my horizons so to speak. Thanks for the great resources here. I ‘ll be sure to check the other suggestions out too.
Jordan´s last [type] ..Grateful for What We Have
I think FitBlogChats.com is very helpful to get the ideas for writing the blogs on current affairs. I use this and it is very effective. I also come to know the likes and dislikes of the readers and also get to know their opinions on the topics. I choose accordingly the topics for my blog. It has proved beneficial for my blog. I also think the other options which you have posted are also very good resources for the topics. Bloggers can benefit from these sites a lot!
Images can make lot of differences in the posts. For a blogger like me, images a play a vital role in posts. I am very selective for the images for my post. I was not aware of the iStackphoto.com, it seems to be very useful for me. It is rare to find creative images for the blogs on net. I think images really add more value to the posts and also attract readers to the posts.
Kozzi is an absolutely free alternative to iStockPhotos, I use it for images on my website and it has a good amount of images on its database for regular use.
I would also list MyBlogGuest as a site bloggers need to know about, its a forum for bloggers to exchange posts and find posters for their own blog.
Thanks for the list and I hope my comment is useful too.
Another great resource, that is also free, is the Stock Exchange. SXC.hu is a great site for people that cannot afford the premiums at istock. I use the stock exchange all the time to get textures, elements, etc. Of course, if you want to incorporate great photography then you should never skimp there. But subtle elements to your website or design work can be found for free at the exchange.
Mike @Los Angeles SEO´s last [type] ..Top 5 Places to Find a Freelancer
Love istockphoto.com. Completely agree that photos are so important when writing articles or blog posts. I have never heard of these other sites. Will definitely check them out though.
I don’t know about bloggers, but if you are looking for a revenue sharing site where you can integrate your adsense account and start earning, then there are a few of them. Webanswers is one of them and I see that you have reached the minimum number of posts required for you to link your account.
Lance´s last [type] ..PPI Claims
Haven’t check this sites yet. But I assure you i’ll try to visit it after i’m done with my articles. Have to finish this as soon as possible. Thanks for the list though.
Akishya´s last [type] ..Happy New Year To All Of You And Hope You Like The Aquarium Fish Photos Here …
Of the sites mentioned, I really like using iStockphoto.com. Pic’s can sure be expensive, but quality and uniqueness is more important.
Jane Whitener´s last [type] ..Bogner Ski Wear
Giving readers useful and interesting information is the reason why I started blogging. And for this I am always in search of good topics which would make my readers happy. I agree with you that one can add value to the blog by taking help of some of the websites. This will not just enrich the blog but I think bloggers will be able to understand the topics in which readers are interested and which events have occurred recently. To achieve this, HelpAReporter.com and FitBlogChats.com are useful. But one can also include images in their blogs which will help their readers get better understanding of the topic. Even I follow this and use iStockPhoto.com to get the appropriate images for my posts.
Good suggestions for the photo sites. I ‘m going to have to check them out. I have been using PhotoXpress for my images. Overall, it’s a pretty good site for images for your website, but I could definitely use some variety because at times, they do not have enough variety.
Love iStockphoto…..their collection of photos is pretty crazy. I’ve always had multiple options to choose from for a topic. IMHO, the cost for the images is quite reasonable.
Cliff@Calgary Realtors´s last [type] ..Why I Love Social Media – A Story About Jeremy Roenick
I appreciate the valuable information you provided here especially the one about HelpAReporter.com. I would like to know if anyone here tried it successfully. Thanks
There was a time in my life when I was after becoming a journalist. But things did not work out and I settled being a blogger. But this HelpAReporter.com is a great way for me to fulfill my dream at least to some degree. I think you have done a stellar job by sharing these exciting sites that has everything in it for everyone.
Marc Derikx@Used Cars Ontario´s last [type] ..Thinking About Resale Value
The photo resources you mentioned are going to come in handy. We’ve been trying to take our own neighborhood and homes photos but, there are other times other types of photos and visuals will do a better job in getting the message across or setting the right mood.
This is also the second time I’ve seen HARO mentioned as a resource — we’ll be checking them out!
John @Real Estate Vancouver WA´s last [type] ..Rural Clark County Home Finance Options – The USDA Rural Development Zero Down Loan
Thanks for the share. From all the mentioned ones i know only pro blogger. I will check out the rest of them as well.
EleonoraEOF´s last [type] ..Hydroxycut Hardcore Pro Series Capsules Review by MuscleTech
The five sites given here seem like they can prove to be very helpful. I am very happy that you have shared this with us here. Often people keep such things to themselves rather than sharing it with others. I liked icanstock as I am into stocks and the like I find it very useful, can help me in a great way. Thanks a lot.
Hi! great info! I’d like to advise one more resourse http://alltop.com/
for finding blogs for guestposting
Including images for the posts is a good way to make readers understand better. It highlights the post page and makes it more attractive. I use images for my blogs and I think this is very effective to give them clear representation of my thoughts. I surf lot of sites to get perfect images but I think iStockphoto.com has a very good collection of photos. Will surely check those promotional code coupons for discounts.
I liked the blogs that you have put up here, they seem to have everything that everyone needs. Seem very helpful and insightful. I also liked help a reporter and went ahead and helped one. I am thrilled that as a result my article featured in the Washington post and I have developed a great friendship with the journalist.
Jeo@cabinets calgary´s last [type] ..Big Renovation
Utilizing sites as a resource for the topic of the posts is a very good idea. I have been doing this for quite sometime now and have found this very effective. The topics which I use for my posts from these sites helps in maintaining the interest of my readers. And to make blog a hit among the readers, I think this is a very good idea. I use FitBlogChats.com form my twitter account. It has proved beneficial for my blog. Even I would recommend this for every blogger who are in search for good topics based on current issues or events.
Helping a journalist and the like seems like a very noble deed to do and I am very excited about it. Thank you for sharing these immensely helpful posts, I am sure that I will be benefiting from them majorly soon. I totally agree with you that these sites are five that people need to know about especially on the blogging front.
I know 1 of the 5 site, the pro blogger. And i never heard of this other sites. I will definitely check all this site to determine the importance of it. Thanks for the list.
karla´s last [type] ..Happy New Year To All Of You And Hope You Like The Aquarium Fish Photos Here …
I’ve read a lot of articles on Copy Blogger and it has helped me with my site. The photo sites are definitely interesting as I’m always worried when I “borrow” a photo off Google images.