Cloud Computing:A next big thing is in its way!!

"What's the cloud?" "Where is the cloud?" "Are we in the cloud now?!" These are all questions you've probably heard (and not just from Amy Poehler in Best Buy's Super Bowl ad) or even asked yourself. The term "cloud computing" is everywhere, and PCMag is here to explain it.

                                          

In the simplest terms, cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer's hard drive. The cloud is just a metaphor for the Internet. It goes back to the days of flowcharts and presentations that would represent the gigantic server-farm infrastructure of the Internet as nothing but a puffy, white cumulonimbus cloud, accepting connections and doling out information as it floats.

What cloud computing is not about is your hard drive. When you store data on--or run programs from the hard drive, that's called local storage and computing. Everything you need is physically close to you, which means accessing your data is fast and easy (for that one computer, or others on the local network). Working off your hard drive is how the computer industry functioned for decades and some argue it's still superior to cloud computing, for reasons I'll explain shortly.

The cloud is also not about having a dedicated hardware server in residence. Storing data on a home or office network does not count as utilizing the cloud.

For it to be considered "cloud computing," you need to access your data or your programs over the Internet, or at the very least, have that data synchronized with other information over the Net. In a big business, you may know all there is to know about what's on the other side of the connection; as an individual user, you may never have any idea what kind of massive data-processing is happening on the other end. The end result is the same: with an online connection, cloud computing can be done anywhere, anytime.

Consumer vs. Business
Let's be clear here. We're talking about cloud computing as it impacts individual consumers—those of us who sit back at home or in small-to-medium offices and use the Internet on a regular basis.

There is an entirely different "cloud" when it comes to business. Some businesses choose to implement Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), where the business subscribes to an application it accesses over the Internet. (Think Salesforce.com.) There's also Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), where a business can create its own custom applications for use by all in the company. And don't forget the mighty Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), where players like Amazon, Google, and Rackspace provide a backbone that can be "rented out" by other companies. (Think Netflix providing services to you because it's a customer of the cloud-services at Amazon.)

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how to make ad hoc network or create wifi network from laptop

Windows 8 isn’t just missing the Start Orb or the ability to easily restart/shut down the PC; there are certain other elements that Microsoft either decided to bury deep within the settings, or omit altogether, when compared with Windows 7 and earlier iterations of the operating system. Among them is also the ability to easily create ad-hoc wireless networksusing your current internet connection and wireless adapter. Essentially, an ad-hoc wireless connection turns your PC into a virtual Wi-Fi router, allowing other devices to connect to the internet through a shared internet connection, each with its own unique IP address. Until Windows 7,ad-hoc connections were a breeze, since there was an option to create one right in the network Management utility. With Windows 8, the ability does exist; it’s just a little hard to achieve. In this article, we’ll guide you how to create a wireless ad hoc connection under Windows 8.

The procedure outlined here makes use of Windows’ native Network Shell utility, deploying thewlan command within the utility to enable a hosted network that will, in turn, serve as your ad hoc connection. If all this sounds daunting, fret not, for the actual procedure is fairly easy. Follow the steps outlined below, and you should be good to go.

It should be noted that for this method to work, your network interface must be capable of supporting hosted networks. It’s always advisable to update your network adapter to the latest drivers before doing this.

Procedure

Step 1: Launch an elevated command prompt under Windows 8 (one with administrator privileges).

Step 2: Run the following command to verify that your network interface supports virtualization:

netsh wlan show drivers

If Hosted network supported says Yes, you’re all set. Otherwise, you need to upgrade your hardware, if the software update doesn’t fix it.

Step 3: Now, set up the ad hoc wireless network using this command. Replace the parts in markup tags with your own choices

netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=<enter_network_name_here> key=<enter_password_here> 

Step 4: Until now, your hosted network has been created. Now, you need to start it. Use the command below:

netsh wlan start hostednetwork

Step 5: You’re all set, with just one thing remaining. If it’s not already enabled, you need to allow Internet Connection Sharing(ICS) for your currently-active internet connection. Simply head over to Network & Sharing center, and in the properties for the current internet connection, enable ICS. Make sure to select the ad hoc connection underHome-networking connection .

Now you can connect any device to the internet using the ad hoc wireless network with internet sharing center that you just created on your Windows 8 PC.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the only method to create an ad hoc connection. If you don’t want to play around with netsh command, or just need an easier solution, you may simply use a Virtual Router application for Windows, and that should do the trick for you. Google them out, you’ll find various good candidates there.

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Remove “Ads by Online Browser Advertising” virus (Removal Guide)

If you are seeing in-text advertisements and pop-up ads from “Ads by Online Browser Advertising” within Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome, then your computer is infected with an adware program.
Online Browser Advertising is an adware program that is commonly bundled with other free programs that you download off of the Internet. Unfortunately, some free downloads do not adequately disclose that other software will also be installed and you may find that you have installed Online Browser Advertising without your knowledge.Online Browser Advertising is advertised as a program that displays coupons for sites you are visiting and competitive prices when you are viewing product pages at sites like Amazon. Though this may sound like a useful service, the Online Browser Advertising program can be intrusive and will display ads whether you want them to or not.

The Online Browser Advertising adware infection is designed specifically to make money. It generates web traffic, collects sales leads for other dubious sites, and will display advertisements and sponsored links within your web browser.
“Ads by Online Browser Advertising” it’s technically not a virus, but it does exhibit plenty of malicious traits, such as rootkit capabilities to hook deep into the operating system, browser hijacking, and in general just interfering with the user experience. The industry generally refers to it as a “PUP,” or potentially unwanted program.

Online Browser Advertising is an ad-supported (users may see additional banner, search, pop-up, pop-under, interstitial and in-text link advertisements) cross web browser plugin for Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome, and distributed through various monetization platforms during installation. Online Browser Advertising is typically added when you install another free software (video recording/streaming, download-managers or PDF creators) that had bundled into their installation this adware program. When you install these free programs, they will also install Online Browser Advertising as well. Some of the programs that are known to bundle Online Browser Advertising program include “Youtube Downloader HD”, “Fast Free Converter”, “Video Media Player 1.1″ and “DVDX Player 3.2″.
When installed, Online Browser Advertising will display advertising banners on the webpages that you are visiting, stating that they are brought to you by “Ads by Online Browser Advertising”.
Online Browser Advertising infection may also display pop-up advertisements, in-text ads and and as you browse Internet, it will show coupons and other deals available on different websites.

The justification for the Online Browser Advertising Ads according to its author, is that it helps recover programming development cost and helps to hold down the cost for the user.

You should always pay attention when installing software because often, a software installer includes optional installs, such as this Online Browser Advertising adware. Be very careful what you agree to install.
Always opt for the custom installation and deselect anything that is not familiar, especially optional software that you never wanted to download and install in the first place. It goes without saying that you should not install software that you don’t trust.

How to remove”Ads by Online Browser Advertising”(Virus Removal Guide)

This page is a comprehensive guide, which will remove “Ads by Online Browser Advertising” virus from your computer, and any other adware program that may have been installed during the the setup process.
Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubt at any point,STOP and ask for our assistance.
STEP 1: Uninstall Online Browser Advertising program from your computer
STEP 2: Remove “Ads by Online Browser Advertising” virus from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome
STEP 3: Remove Online Browser Advertising Ads from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome with AdwCleaner
STEP 4: Remove “Ads by Online Browser Advertising” virus with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free
STEP 5: Double-check for the “Ads by Online Browser Advertising” infection with HitmanPro

STEP 1 : Uninstall Online Browser Advertising program from your computer

In this first step, we will try to identify and remove any malicious program that might be installed on your computer.

1. To uninstall the Online Browser Advertising program from Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7, click the “Start” button, then click on the “Control Panel” menu option.
   
   If you are using Windows 8, simply drag your mouse pointer to the right edge of the screen, select Search from the list and search for “control panel” .Or you can right-click on a bottom left hot corner (formerly known as the Start button) and select Control Panelfrom there.
   
2. When the “Control Panel” window opens click on the “Uninstall a program” option under “Programs” category. This option is shown by the arrow in the image below. If you are using the “Classic View” of the Control Panel, then you would double-click on the “Programs and Features” icon instead.
   
3. When the “Programs and Features” or the “Uninstall a Program” screen is displayed, scroll through the list of currently installed programs and uninstall Online Browser Advertising, RemoveThaeAdAopp, UTUobEAdaBlock, SafeSaver, SupTab,ValueApps, Lollipop, Software Updated Version, DP1815, Video Player, Convert Files for Free, Plus-HD 1.3, BetterSurf, Trusted Web, LyricsBuddy-1, YOnline Browser Advertising 1.2, Media Player 1.1, Savings Bull, Feven Pro 1.2,Websteroids, Savings Bull, HD-Plus 3.5, Re-markit and any other recently installed unknown program from your computer.
   To view the most recently installed programs, you can click on the “Installed On” column to sort your program by the installation date. Scroll though the list, and uninstall any unwanted or unknown programs.
   
   Depending on what program has installed the Online Browser Advertising adware infection, the above program may have a different name or not be installed on your computer. If you cannot find any unwanted or unknown programs on your machine, then you can proceed with the next step.

If you are having issues while trying to uninstall the Online Browser Advertising program, you can use Revo Uninstaller to completely remove this unwanted program from your machine.

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STEP 2: Remove “Ads by Online Browser Advertising” virus from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome

Remove “Ads by Online Browser Advertising” virus from Internet Explorer

You can reset Internet Explorer settings to return them to the state they were in when Internet Explorer was first installed on your PC.

1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the “gear icon”  in the upper right part of your browser, then click again on Internet Options.
   
2. In the “Internet Options” dialog box, click on the “Advanced” tab, then click on the “Reset” button.
   
3. In the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” section, select the “Delete personal settings” check box, then click on “Reset” button.
   
4. When Internet Explorer has completed its task, click on the “Close” button in the confirmation dialogue box. You will now  need to close your browser, and then you can open Internet Explorer again.
   

Remove “Ads by Online Browser Advertising” virus from Mozilla Firefox

If you’re having problems with Firefox, resetting it can help. The reset feature fixes many issues by restoring Firefox to its factory default state while saving your essential information like bookmarks, passwords, web form auto-fill information, browsing history and open tabs.

1. At the top of the Firefox window, click the Firefox button, go over to the “Help” sub-menu, then select “Troubleshooting Information“.
   
2. Click the “Reset Firefox” button in the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page.
   
3. To continue, click on the “Reset Firefox” button in the new confirmation window that opens.
   
4. Firefox will close itself and will revert to its default settings. When it’s done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click on the “Finish“.

Note: Your old Firefox profile will be placed on your desktop in a folder named “Old Firefox Data“. If the reset didn’t fix your problem you can restore some of the information not saved by copying files to the new profile that was created. If you don’t need this folder any longer, you should delete it as it contains sensitive information.

Remove “Ads by Online Browser Advertising” virus from Google Chrome

1. Click on the “Chrome menu button” ()  on the browser toolbar, select “Tools“, and then click on “Extensions“.
   
2. In the “Extensions” tab, remove the Online Browser Advertising, SafeSaver, DP1815,Video Player, Convert Files for Free, Plus-HD 1.3, BetterSurf, Media Player 1.1,Media Watch, LyricsBuddy-1, YOnline Browser Advertising 1.2, Media Player 1.1,Savings Bull, Feven Pro 1.1, Websteroids, Savings Bull, HD-Plus 3.5 any other unknown extensions by clicking the trash can  icon.
   Basically, if you have not installed an extensions then you should remove it from your web browser.
   If you cannot remove the Online Browser Advertising extension, and under the trash can you can see the “Installed by enterprise policy” text, then you will need to follow our “Remove Installed by enterprise policy extension from Chrome” guide.
   

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STEP 3: Remove Online Browser Advertising Ads from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google Chrome with AdwCleaner

The AdwCleaner utility will scan your computer and web browser for the Online Browser Advertising malicious files, browser extensions and registry keys, that may have been installed on your computer without your knowledge.

1. You can download AdwCleaner utility from the below link.
   ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will automatically download AdwCleaner on your computer)
2. Before starting AdwCleaner, close all open programs and internet browsers, thendouble-click on the AdwCleaner icon.
   
   If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.
3. When the AdwCleaner program will open, click on the “Scan” button as shown below.
   
   AdwCleaner will now start to search for the Online Browser Advertising malicious files that may be installed on your computer.
4. To remove the Online Browser Advertising malicious files that were detected in the previous step, please click on the “Clean” button.
   
5. AdwCleaner will now prompt you to save any open files or data as the program will need to reboot the computer. Please do so and then click on the OK button. AdwCleaner will now delete all detected adware from your computer. When it is done it will display an alert that explains what PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs) and Adware are.Please read through this information and then press the OK button. You will now be presented with an alert that statesAdwCleaner needs to reboot your computer.
   Please click on the OK button to allow AdwCleaner reboot your computer.

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STEP 4: Remove “Ads by Online Browser Advertising” virus with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free uses industry-leading technology to detect and remove all traces of malware, including worms, Trojans, rootkits, rogues, dialers, spyware, and more.
It is important to note that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware works well and should run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.

1. You can download download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from the below link.
   MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free)
2. Once downloaded, close all programs, then double-click on the icon on your desktop named “mbam-setup-consumer-2.00.xx” to start the installation of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
   
    You may be presented with a User Account Control dialog asking you if you want to run this file. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
3. When the installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Setup Wizard which will guide you through the installation process.
   
   To install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your machine, keep following the prompts by clicking the “Next” button.
   
4. Once installed, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will automatically start and you will see a message stating that you should update the program, and that a scan has never been run on your system. To start a system scan you can click on the “Fix Now” button.
   
   Alternatively, you can click on the “Scan” tab and select “Threat Scan“, then click on the “Scan Now” button.
   
5. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now check for updates, and if there are any, you will need to click on the “Update Now” button.
   
6. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for the Online Browser Advertising virus. When Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is scanning it will look like the image below.
   
7. When the scan has completed, you will now be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware has detected. To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes Anti-malware has found, click on the “Quarantine All” button, and then click on the “Apply Now” button.
   
   Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.
8. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now quarantine all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found. When removing the files, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware may require a reboot in order to remove some of them. If it displays a message stating that it needs to reboot your computer, please allow it to do so.
   
   After your computer will restart, you should open Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and perform another “Threat Scan” scan to verify that there are no remaining threats

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STEP 5: Double-check for the “Ads by Online Browser Advertising” adware infection with HitmanPro

HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner, designed to rescue your computer from malware (viruses, trojans, rootkits, etc.) that have infected your computer despite all the security measures you have taken (such as anti virus software, firewalls, etc.). HitmanPro is designed to work alongside existing security programs without any conflicts. It scans the computer quickly (less than 5 minutes) and does not slow down the computer.

1. You can download HitmanPro from the below link:
   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)
2. Double-click on the file named “HitmanPro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “HitmanPro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows). When the program starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below.
   
   Click on the “Next” button, to install HitmanPro on your computer.
   
3. HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for Online Browser Advertising malicious files.
   
4. When it has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found as shown in the image below. Click on the “Next” button, to remove Online Browser Advertising virus.
   
5. Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial, and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
   

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Your computer should now be free of the Online Browser Advertising adware infection. If your current anti-virus solution let this infection through, you may want to consider purchasing the Premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to protect against these types of threats in the future, and perform regular computer scans with HitmanPro.

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.NET vs Java: How to Choose Between these Two Technologies

The Microsoft .NET Framework is a software framework for developing and executing applications on Windows client and server operating systems. It provides features and functionality that are designed specifically for creating and running applications on the Windows platform, but also supports connectivity with non-Windows systems. The Microsoft .NET Platform consists of five main components: the Windows operating system, Windows Enterprise Servers, .NET Framework, .NET Building Block Services, and Visual Studio.NET toolset. The three major components of the .NET Framework are the Common Language Runtime (CLR), Framework Class Library, and ASP.NET.

Java

“Java” refers to a set of programs and standards originally created by Sun Microsystems, and now owned by Oracle Corporation. When people refer to “Java” they are generally speaking of one of the following:

• The Java platform, which includes the Java Development Kit (JDK) which includes the java compiler and other utilities, and Java Runtime Environment (JRE), which includes the Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
• The Java Class Libraries, a large body of reusable code containing most of the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and functions that would be provided by the operating system.
• The Java programming language, with which developers can write applications.
• A particular “edition” of the Java platform, Java Card,  Java Micro Edition (ME), Java Standard Edition (SE), or Java Enterprise Edition (EE)

Java Runtime

The Java compiler, part of the Java Development Kit (JDK) translates the code written by the developer into platform independent Java “bytecode”. The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) translates Java bytecode into instructions comprehensible to the underlying operating system (playing much the same role as the CLR in .Net). If the Java class libraries and a JVM are present on a computer, the machine is said to carry a Java Runtime Environment (JRE). Modern JRE's include more than just the JVM, such a Just-In-Time compilers and byte code verifiers.

Similarities Between .NET and Java

Microsoft .NET and Java both aim to simplify the development of applications by providing a set of standardized, modular components and services. By having standard components and services at their disposal, developers can concentrate on business needs ("business logic") rather than programming more fundamental services. Using visual tools that simplify application development is a type of programming that is often called Rapid Application Development (RAD)

Multi-tiered, similar computing technologies: Java and .NET each were created to enable programmers to build "tiered" web applications. A three-tiered application consists of a client tier, server tier, and database tier. .NET and Java both provide services to facilitate transactions in which business processes can be triggered and data recorded in databases.

Enterprise Level Development: Both offer different tools and ways to achieve the same goal of enterprise application development. C# (primary language of .NET) and Java both derive from C and C++. Both platforms are object-oriented, type safe, and have automatic garbage collection.

Both .NET and Java provide enhanced ability to develop and integrate web services, thus making the applications more extensible and interoperable. In addition, Java/JEE and .NET each have a set of components, services, and features that provide a standard way of performing tasks such as accessing databases, scripting Web pages, handling messages, and connecting to remote resources. A comparison of the key .NET and Java/JEE features and services are summarized in the table below:

Differences between .NET and Java

While they are similar in some ways, there are many differences in the internal workings of these frameworks and certain aspects of the languages that come with them. Let’s look at the core differences that enable us to make our pick. These are just differences and not necessarily advantages or a disadvantages for one platform over the other:

Windows vs. Multi-Platform: Though there are open source implementations of Microsoft’s .NET Framework, like mono to create cross platform applications, Microsoft .NET is primarily targeted for the windows operating system. Java, on the other hand, is based on the idea that the same software should run on many different kinds of computers, consumer gadgets, and other devices on a network. The big promise of Java is that it allows applications to run on different types of computers without having to be rewritten. Java applications run on "virtual machines" that were written for each platform.

Proprietary vs. Open source: The .NET Framework is a concrete and free product that is developed by Microsoft and integrated into the Windows operating system. It does not rely on third-party vendors to provide an implementation, although it is highly extensible and many third-party additions are available.

Although Java is provided by a number of vendors, most users will only ever encounter the Oracle JDK and JRE (The OpenJDK is an open source version found on some Linux distributions and other open source operating systems, and IBM and HP both supply their own implementations for their big iron Unix systems). One of Java’s strengths is that a wide variety of tools, products, and applications are available from numerous vendors. Competition among Java EE vendors drives innovation, while strict compatibility standards help maintain quality. Commercial, proprietary products co-exist with their Open Source counter parts. Because of the open nature, third party tools like JRebel have been developed that can help cut development time significantly. Microsoft users, on the other hand, must rely on Microsoft for all .NET innovation.

Also, for .NET, a standard development IDE (integrated development environment) is available with Microsoft Visual Studio. This tool comprises all the things a developer needs to develop, debug, build and deploy any kind of application targeted for the .NET framework.

For Java, there are four main IDEs, Eclipse, IntelliJ Idea, Oracle NetBeans, and Oracle JDeveloper.  Instead of being tied to a single environment, on a single platform (Windows), you are free to choose the product that best suits your needs, at many different price points, and can choose to use Mac OS X, Linux, or pretty much any other platform for which a JDK exists to do your development work. However, there is no one standard tool that is available.

How to choose between .Net and Java

Both platforms provide technologies that enable a skilled developer to build quality enterprise applications. However, a technology is rarely picked based on performance alone. The following are some points that IT managers should consider when weighing the choice of .NET vs. Java:

• Assess the complexity of the applications you will be building

Microsoft tools have an edge over Java for building applications that require rich graphical user interfaces and that deliver content to web browsers. The perception is that Java servers are better for complex applications supporting higher volumes of users.

• Take stock of your existing developer skills and infrastructure

Take into account the existing technology landscape of your firm and the technical abilities of your workforce, because training developers and replacing existing infrastructure could be costly.

• Weigh the importance of application portability to your product, company

Java, with its multi-platform portability, gives you leverage to either negotiate with an existing vendor or pick the vendor of your choice.

• Investigate outside vendor support

As mentioned above, Java’s strength lies in libraries developed by various third-party vendors. Similarly there are a bunch of controls and libraries available for .NET as well.

• Consider the cost of the solution

Consider the total cost of building, deploying, and maintaining the application. Factor in productivity based on choice of tools, turnaround time, and hosting costs such as users per server, cost of application servers, etc.

In conclusion, the platform to pick depends on your situation and the needs of your application. You wouldn’t go wrong picking either of those. However, the pick should not be based on which has better architecture but should be based on the strengths and weaknesses of the technologies and which system has better solution for the task at hand. This is exactly how we recommend between the two with our clients here at Segue and the same should apply to your company’s unique situation as well.

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Reasons why you should blog

 7 Reasons why you should blog

Before we move any further, I would like you to make sure that you aren’t wasting your time reading this post. I would request you to honestly answer the following three questions I jotted down.

If you miss out on a single one, I would recommend you not to proceed with your idea of blogging, and thus dream of making money with it. These questions shall prove to be a litmus test for you, and will tell you whether you’ve got what it takes to become a blogger, and to earn a decent living in this field.

QUESTION#1 

Are you motivated enough to start a blog? Or have you just heard from a friend and ‘thought’ about doing so? If you’re NOT sure about it, please quit right here.

QUESTION #2 

Are you an impatient person? If yes, please quit. Blogging is NOT for you unfortunately. It requires tonnes of patience and determination.

QUESTION #3  

Can you devote at least 3 hours to your blog daily for 6 months? I recommend pre-planning 3 hours daily as different people have different levels of productivity, so for some people, it might take at least 3 hours daily to come up with creative and quality content. Hence, set 3 hours as your minimum threshold. And if you don’t think you will be able to give enough time to your blog, then maybe, all this effort is just not worth it.

I will give you 7 reasons why you should blog according to my perception

1.You’ll become a better writer. At its core, writing is communication. It is about recording thoughts on paper and compelling others to agree with them. To that end, writing (just like every other form of communication that has ever existed) improves with practice. Blogging will not force you to become a better writer, it’ll just happen as you do it. And becoming a better writer holds important benefits for the rest of your life—whether you are creating a book, a presentation, a résumé, or an anniversary card for your spouse.

2.You’ll become a better thinker. Because the process of writing includes recording thoughts on paper, the blogging process encourages you to stop and think deeper. You will delve deeper into the matters of your life and the worldview that shapes them. Unfortunately, at this point, many will choose not to blog (or write at all) based on the faulty reasoning that they “have nothing to say.” But to that line of thinking I always respond the same way, maybe you just haven’t discovered yet what you have to say.

3.  It’ll lead to healthier life habits. Blogging requires time, devotion, commitment, and discipline. And just to be clear, those are all good things to embrace – they will help you get the most out of your days and life. Since beginning to blog, I have become an early riser, a runner, and can now properly identify my favorite drink at Starbuck’s (Caramel Macchiato). And even if those three habits don’t personally appeal to you, blogging will provide opportunity for new life habits to emerge in yours.

4.You’ll meet new people. Whether it be through comments, e-mails, or social media, you may be surprised at how quickly you meet people on-line. And by meet people, I mean legitimately form relationships that seek to serve one another. The blogging community is friendly, encouraging, and genuinely cheering for you to succeed—the only thing missing is you.

5.You’ll make some money. You don’t need to make money to enjoy blogging. In fact, sometimes making money from your blog can actually start to distract you from the joy that you found in the first place. That being said, whether you make $20/year or $20,000/year, it’s still pretty nice to have a hobby that actually pays you back.

6.You’ll become more well-rounded in your mindset. After all, blogging is an exercise in give-and-take. One of the greatest differences between blogging and traditional publishing is the opportunity for readers to offer input. As the blog’s writer, you introduce a topic that you feel is significant and meaningful. You take time to lay out a subject in the minds of your readers and offer your thoughts on the topic. Then, the readers get to respond. And often times, their responses in the comment section challenge us to take a new, fresh look at the very topic we thought was so important in the first place.

  

7.It’s free. Your blog can begin today without spending a single penny now (or ever). I use blogger and highly recommend it. With an initial investment of $0, why not give it a shot? Or for just a few dollars/month, you can use your very own domain name. 

    Remember, you don’t need to blog as a means to get rich or as a means to gather a huge following. You don’t even need to blog as a means to change the Internet… the change that a blog will cause in your life is reason enough.

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how to make money with google adsense

How Much Can I Make With Google Adsense?

This is a question almost everybody asks before jumping on the Adsense wagon. There isn't a universal answer – some Web masters are making a fulltime income from a single Adsense site, while others with 5 or more sites can't even cover their hosting fees.

How much you will make with Google Adsense depends on many factors. Some of them are outside your control - i.e. the overall state of the economy or what advertisers Google has managed to attract. However, there are also many factors within your control. For instance, obviously, if you have one site with 10 pages only you will make thousands of times less than if you have 10 sites with thousands of pages. Basically, all equal, the more content you have, the more you will make.

1 Choose a Profitable Niche

However, in addition to sheer volume, there is one more very important consideration – what your site is about, or to put it more professionally, which niche your site is in. Different niches aren't equal – there are more and less profitable ones. There are niches, such as health or finance, where high value clicks are common and niches, such as culture or history, where you can make almost nothing with Adsense.

This is why you need to choose a niche where clicks pay well. It is true that good niches are very, very competitive but even in the most competitive niche, there is always place for one more good site. After you choose the niche, you need to find the high volume keywords in it and optimize your site for them. To search for keywords with high search volume, use the AdWords tool.

2 Place the Ads in Visible Places

Strategic placement of the ad units is vital for your profits. Quite logically, when you place ads where they are visible, this seriously increases the number of clicks you will get. The best places are above the fold (i.e. in the top half of the page) and in the text itself. Basically, the closer the ads to the text are, the better. You can have a look at these AdSense placement tips from Google to see which places are considered good, best, and worst for ad placement.

3 Optimize the Ads for Higher CTR

Strategic placement is important but there are other aspects you need to take into account when you optimize your pages for high CTR (Click Thru Rate). Here are some more tips how to fine-tune your ad units in order to attract more clicks:

Choose the right ad size

Adsense offers numerous sizes in the form of rectangles, squares, buttons, and bars but the truth is that only some of them convert well. Generally the sizes Google recommends are 300 x 250, 338 x 280, 728 x 90, 160 x 600, and 320 x 50 (for mobile banners). The first two are suitable for intext use, the third is suitable to put under the site header, and the 160 x 60 one works best under the menu, if you use left/right menu navigation. Of course, you can also experiment with the other available sizes and see if they work better for you.

Choose multiple ad units

You are allowed to run up to 3 ad units, 3 link units, and 2 search boxes per page. This means for ad units and link units you need to choose multiple units, preferably in different sizes. For instance, you can choose one 728 x 90 or 160 x 600 unit for under the header/the side menu and two more, i.e. 300 x 250 and 338 x 280 for inside the text. As for the type of ads, the choice is between text, text and image, and image only ads. Usually plain text ads work better because images are too obtrusive to attract clicks but you should try for yourself and see what makes you more clicks.

Use link units

A common mistake many people make is not to use link units. Link units can outperform normal ads because they are less obtrusive and if you blend them with your menu, people will click there. You can put one 728 x 15 link unit under the header and one 160 x 90 under the side menu. You can make the link color the same as the color of the items in menu but don't use the same font type and font size because this could be considered a form of format mimicking and could get you penalized.

Choose the right color

Link units aren't the only ones that can benefit from the right color. However, with them it is easier – just use the same colors as you do in the menu and you are done. With normal ad units, this isn't that straightforward. Basically, the options here are to blend the unit (i.e. make the links and text in the same color and size as your text), use a contrast scheme (i.e. if your site is in green, use red for the ads) so that the ads stand out from the rest, or stick with Google default. Which one is best? Nobody knows! What works for one site (i.e. blending) will not work for another. So the only thing you can do here is to use the trial and error approach and see which of the three works for you. Or, if you want a more scientific approach, try AB tests.

AB test multiple sizes and color themes

AB tests sound very complex but in reality their concept is brilliantly simple. The idea is that you test which of two similar units performs better. For the purpose, you test 2 similar units (i.e. two 338 x 280 ads) that have one differing feature (i.e. font color). Both units must be placed on the same spot. On every even page visit you serve unit number 1 and on every odd page visit you serve unit number 2. Go to your Adsense account, create the two units, create a separate channel for each of them (don't forget this because if you do, you won't be able to perform the test), and put the following code:
<script type="text/javascript">
var random = Math.random();
if (random < 0.5) {
<!-- put Adsense Block A here --> }
else
{
<!-- put Adsense Block B here --> }
</script>
<script type="text/javascript"
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script>Run the test for a month or so and track which unit attracts more clicks. Of course, you can never be sure the difference in clicks is due solely to the difference between the two units because random factors always kick in but if it is quite a difference, then you know which way to go.

4 Drive Traffic to Your Site

Finally, one really important prerequisite for making money with Adsense is traffic. You might have an incredibly high CTR but if you don't manage to drive traffic to your site, you won't be making money.

The most important free traffic source are search engines. Traffic from search engines is targeted and as a rule it converts well. Our site offers quite a lot of resources about how to make your site rank well with search engines, so take the time to browse it and get familiar with SEO. If you have absolutely no idea about SEO, you might want to start with the 15 Minute SEO guide, or read the SEO tutorial.

Traffic from search engines converts best but you should never allow yourself to be dependent on it. Google Panda update was one of the most bitter lessons for many webmasters, when their sites dropped in rankings and their traffic hit bottom. You shouldn't neglect traffic from other sources, such as social bookmarking sites, Twitter, Facebook, and any other free traffic.

5 Google Adsense Alternatives

If you do everything properly but you don't see much in your Adsense account, don't get desperate. The reasons for poor Adsense income can be numerous. Try to find them and correct the issues (i.e. wrong niche, bad placement of ads, inadequate ad sizes, types, and colors, etc.) If this doesn't help, consider the numerousGoogle Adsense alternatives. In general, they bring less revenue than Adsense but who knows, for your site it might be just the opposite. Just keep on trying and sooner or later you will make it!

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