Most people want to make money from their blogs. With WordPress, it is easy to monetize (turn into money) your blog!

Here are 11 tried and true methods to monetize your blog, according to research and personal experience.

Some bloggers have had success with selling links on their blogs - however, be aware the the Great Google does not condone selling links that pass PageRank.

Top sites for getting listed and selling your links or linking to products for sale include:

1. Kontera ContentLink
2. Text Link Ads
3. BlogAds
4. Ad Brite
5. ReviewMe (offers an option to buy or sell reviews of websites with link text of your choice)
   
6. Bidvertise
7. AuctionAds

There are quite a few plugins that can help you with direct ad sales and sponsorships - but again, you want to be sure that you do not pass PageRank. Some of my favorite plugins include OIOpublisher Direct and AdRotator. You could also sign up for Google Adsense, which has a variety of methods for ad publishing on your site - and they are customizable, too! There are also quite a few Adsense related WordPress Plugins available - check out some of them at the WordPress Plugins website.

The benefit in using a plugin versus manually selling ads is that clients can order and pay for the service without contacting you - and you can even have the code set up to automatically update images and links - so you have more time to write and enjoy life!

My most successful method of making money online is Affiliate Sales. This is a very passive method of making money. However, it is not dependable, stable income. Unless you have a lot of traffic and tons of people who want to buy the product or service you are offering, you will not be making $1000/month just from affiliate sales. But, it can be good extra income to spend on a night out, a day trip or pay extra on a bill!

And last, but definitely not least, think about monetizing your RSS feed! Some of your readers only read via RSS, so adding ads from the FeedBurner Ad Network and Text Link Ads can be a great way to add affiliate links or sell text links. Also consider using a WordPress plugin such as RSS Footer, which allows you to add a line (or more) of HTML or plain text content to the end of your RSS feed articles.

Do you have any methods of monetization that haven’t been mentioned here? If so, let’s hear it in the comments!

This post covers steps 71-81of 101 Steps to Becoming a Better Blogger.

I am a self-proclaimed “Geek Girl” but even I have come to accept that some computer repairs or technical jobs just aren’t in my skill set or in my pay grade.

There are quite a few times when you should just get some professional help - no matter what the project is, because ultimately, time is money and time cannot be earned back if you lose it. It is just gone!

Perhaps the best time to get professional help is when you are installing any sort of hardware that you haven’t installed before - whether it is a flat screen TV or a hard drive in your computer.

Yeah, the directions sound REALLY easy, but do you want to face your landlord or spouse when they discover a huge hole in the wall or realize that you lost all 10,000 family photos?

Didn’t think so.

Are you like me and feel like 2 or 3 days hit you at one time - or you wake up on Tuesday and wish it were Friday already?

Professional help can help soothe some of the feelings of Things-to-Do-List-is-too-long-itis, by giving you the opportunity to do something else on your To Do list while a professional takes care of a task that you either don’t like or don’t have the time to learn how to do.

Occasionally, I hire a maid service to come and clean my apartment. Yeah, it costs $100 per visit, but it is money well spent when I consider that I can catch up on homework or even go see a movie with my friends. I also hire professional to design graphics for me, code HTML, and create letterhead. These are all things I know how to do, but I admit - I don’t like them or don’t have the time or patience to invest in it.

If it is a project of utmost importance, outsourcing the work may not be a smart option - but for minor tasks or things I just don’t like to do, it fits the bill. Of course, you cannot hire professionals to do your homework or go on dates for you.

And probably the only other reason to hire a professional to help you with any work or projects you may have on your To Do list is if you know of some entrepreneurs who need a little help getting their business off of the ground.

Newer, less established professionals sometimes charge a little less for services and products - and they aren’t so busy that they forget that personal touch that we all like when we conduct business.

And as their business grows, they may reward you with discounts, special deals or perks just for you - for being there when they first got their business started!

Really, most of us would say anytime is a good time to get professional help when trying to accomplish some tasks in our daily lives, but really if we aren’t sure about the quality of our job, we have too much on our list, or if we want to help someone else are the three big reasons for choosing professional help to assist us in accomplishing our personal goals!

You’ve got a few bucks and want to travel to somewhere that isn’t where you currently are. But you’re a college student (or otherwise broke person) and thus your few bucks are definitely not enough to fly, especially on short notice. What do you do? There are plenty of trains and buses to grab and if you get your tickets early enough (usually a week to three days), they are much cheaper than if you bought them at the counter. If you have a student advantage card, even better!

Buses

Greyhound is an option….if you don’t really need to be anywhere in a hurry and don’t mind backwards systems that may leave you stranded for a few hours (or days). They are cheap, which is a definite plus, but that’s where the benefit stops. Other options are Megabus (they tout $1 fares) or similar systems and in the northeast anyway some merchants (usually Chinatown merchants) have really cheap buses going places like New York City ($30 bucks to get to NYC any day of the week? Awesome). Buses are an easy thing if you want more stops than a train and don’t mind smaller seats. Your luggage is usually your responsibility so don’t transfer buses and forget your bag! Note: if cars aren’t moving on the roadways, buses won’t be either.

Trains

Amtrak is slower than driving, but cushy. Big seats, lots of place to put your luggage and huge windows to look out of. Some trains have electrical outlets at the seats, while others make you use outlets in the club car or pay for a room to get a space with outlets. For the most part, the only stretching your legs will be between major stops. Trains stay relatively on time so even 30 seconds late may make you miss that train. Some train cars are older, but they are all still pretty nice as long as you don’t get stuck next to Andre the Giant or psycho woman (I’ve had both experiences). Your bags will be transferred to the next train for you so only worry about your carry ons. Amtrak doesn’t go everywhere, but oftentimes even the remote places can be reached through combinations of Amtrak and Greyhound or other bus service.

Food

What do you eat when traveling for the cheap cheap price? If you want to continue to save money, you’ll pack your own soft sided cooler with drinks and sandwiches or something else you like to eat (and plenty of cool packs or ice to keep it cool). Otherwise, expect typical quick food fare that will cost you about 5-10 dollars a meal including drinks, but only if it’s a major stop on either line (smaller stations have no food, maybe a vending machine). Amtrak has a club car with food and drinks, but all food on a Greyhound you gotta bring on yourself. If you’re not a fan of fatty foods or greasy foods, you really might want to bring your own food either way.

What’s your favorite way to travel??