Blog Update Announcement

Just want to post a brief update of some minor tweaks and additions I've made to this blog recently.

Regular visitors should have noticed by now the change in the header image. That will be the most noticeable change for this latest update. For the benefit of new readers, the previous header contained only the blog title and a long-winded tagline, all words and no image. I find the old header very boring and wanted a refreshing change. I've decided on a web 2.0 feel to the new header, with reflection to the blog title and had removed those long-winded taglines. To customize your header image and give it a personal touch, you can head over to http://blogsheaders.co.nr for some great selections.

In addition, I've removed the default Blogger profile page. For the longest time, I find that the standard profile page is unimaginative with lots of restrictions. I wasn't HTML savvy enough to hack it to custom-made into my preferred profile page format.

Using what limited knowledge I possessed, I've replaced the previous profile page with a new About Me page (link at top of left side bar) where I've written a more detailed profile about myself on Google Page creator. For new and regular readers alike, I welcome you to click on the new "About Me" link to have a glimpse of my background.

Warning! Some chest-beating coming up next. The following is an ego-boosting, chest-thumping and shameless promotion of this blog's latest technorati ranking.

I just noticed this morning that this blog had broken into the top 5k Technorati ranking, with an Authority of 605. This latest milestone came 3 weeks after I reported breaking into top 10k. This is getting more fun by the day and I'm starting to see some results of the hard work I've put into this blog over the last 4 months. This milestone will spur me to set my sight even higher and bring better content and better user experience for all of you. Without the continuous support of all my valuable readers, this blog is nothing.

If you enjoyed this post, do consider subscribing to my full RSS feed. If you do that, you may as well enter my Lucky 7s contest.

Make Money - Win a Contest

Last week something strange happened? An esteemed but unexpected visitor dropped by this humble blog and her avatar was captured by the recent readers widget. Upon seeing her avatar, I got a strange feeling, a good one though. I asked myself then, is it a sign? An omen that something big is gonna happen?

My curiosity was finally put to rest when I received an email from Kumiko (yes, that famous Agloco-bashing Kumiko) informing that I am the winner of her Cash Quests competition. I can't believe my luck! Wow!! That was totally out of the blue and absolutely awesome!

I've won $100 in cold hard cash (which I've received in my paypal account), a full review of this site (valued at $50, but priceless where this blog is concern), a one month link in her "Wealthy Sites" section (I've chosen anchor text Singapore Blogger), and a 2 weeks 480x60 banner ad(which I've chosen text link) at the top of her popular site!

I am on cloud 9 and feeling sky high but I am also ready to welcome Kumiko's readers to my humble blog, and I am bracing myself for the ton of traffic the text link ad and her full review will bring here and hit me like a speeding bullet train!

A big Thank You to Kumiko!

If you enjoyed this post, do consider subscribing to my full RSS feed. If you do that, then you may as well enter my Lucky 7s contest.

Lucky 7s Contest

This special day has finally arrived, a day that only comes by once in 100 years! What better way to celebrate this special day by kicking off my very first blog contest on such a special and auspicious occassion! So here it is people, my first ever blog contest(will not be my last) held on this very special day that only comes by once in a century! I want my first contest to take off with a bang, and I'm gonna need as much help from you, you and you to do that and I'll be making 7 people very happy!

Yes you heard right, it's not 1, not 2, but 7 winners! That's the reason I called this the Lucky 7s contest. The top prize is US$77 and another 6 consolation prizes of US$7 each, all paid via paypal and all coming out of my pocket!

Here are the rules:

• Post a review of my blog(min. 200 words) on your blog linking to my home page using anchor text "earn income online" or "earn online income", also link to this contest page and one other post on my site — pick any post you want and use the post title as anchor text. If you are unsure which other post to link to, let me suggest a few favourites here:
  

Back Up Your Blogs
Personalize Your Blog Posts
Top 5 Ways To Generate Traffic

• Subscribe to my full RSS feed, and take a screenshot of it and include it in your post. This applies to new and existing subscribers. See example here.
  

After your blog post has gone live, post a comment in this contest page that include the url of your post. In addition, please make sure you also email me the link to your blog post. You must receive my reply to confirm your participation.

This contest is open to everyone who has a blog, regardless of the language the blog is in. As long as the rules are followed, you are in! This contest will close at 11.59pm (my time zone is GMT +8) on 31st July, 2007. All 7 winners will be randomly draw out of the hat.

Now I know you want to win one of those prizes, so hit me with your best shot! Good luck and have fun!

Fine Print:
All my decisions are final
No porn, splogs and warez
Rules are all subject to changes as necessary
I am not responsible for any currency conversion losses or local bank charges you may incurred

The New 7 Wonders of The World

A Swiss-Canadian film maker and adventurer, Mr Bernad Weber, had founded project n7w, short for New 7 Wonders of the World project. It is the first global online ballot to update and select(the people's choice of) the new 7 Wonders of the World by popular vote.

The New7Wonders Foundation was created in 2001 with a mission to protect humankind's heritage across the globe. They are the body behind the New7Wonders campaign, and express the aim of documenting, maintaining, restoring and reconstructing world heritage under the motto:

"OUR HERITAGE IS OUR FUTURE."

To vote for your favourite wonders, you must register as a New7Woners member to get 7 free votes which you can cast online or via telephone. Even International calls can be accepted. After you've voted, share with us your 7 favorites and the reasons for your choices. My submitted votes and the reason(s) I chose them are:

The Colosseum
An ancient architure wonder that stood the test of time and which represents Joy & Suffering - joy for the spectators in the stands and suffering for the gladiators fighting for their lives.



The Taj Mahal
built out of white marble by an emperor in memory of his beloved wife.
It is a great symbol of Love & Passion!






The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall is the world's longest and largest human-made structure ever built. The construction of the Great wall spanned across different dynasties.




Statues of Easter Island

because they are a symbol of mystery & AWE!








Stonehenge
it is still unclear who built this monument, nor for what purpose.
It is truly an amazing engineering feat which represent Intrigue & Endurance!




Pyramids of Giza
for it represents a phenomenal achievement of Eygptian construction and engineering feat.





The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá

This famous remple city was the political and economic centre
of the Mayan civilisation. It symbolizes Worship & Knowledge.




The new 7 Wonders of the World will be announced during the official declaration ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday, July 7, 2007 - 07.07.07.

Be part of history in the making, vote for your new 7 Wonders of the World now! How to vote?

Disclaimers: This campaign was launched in 2001 as a private initiative by Mr Bernard Weber, and there is no link whatsoever between UNESCO’s World Heritage programme, which aims to protect world heritage, and the current campaign concerning “The New 7 Wonders of the World”.

The list of the “7 New Wonders of the World” will be the result of a private undertaking, reflecting only the opinions of those with access to the internet and not the entire world. This initiative cannot, in any significant and sustainable manner, contribute to the preservation of sites elected by this public.
UNESCO clarifies.

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Review of The Best Hotel Site For India

If you are planning to go to India for that well deserved holiday, then make sure you learn to say the word Asra, which means shelter in Hindi. Combine the two words Indian and Asra together and you get Inasra, which is a young and vibrant company set up to make traveling in India as easy and delightful as having an ice-cream!

What service exactly does Inasra provides? You can find the answer by visiting its homepage Inasra.com, they bring hotels in India closer to you, actually just 2 mouse clicks away! They help users search and book hotels in over 200 Indian cities online. With such a vast database of hotels, tourists will have no problem to book Indian hotels. The homepage is really no frills and no gimmickries, users are presented with a hotel search box where they have to enter information like their destination city, their check-in and check-out dates.

Once the relevant information are entered and search button clicked, users are presented with a list of hotels available in the particular city. The list consist of the hotel addresses and the price range of their rooms. Users can find more details about any hotel by clicking on the view button which will show an image of the hotel, the rates for different room type and from here, users can go on to complete the booking process.

Besides that, users can also refine or filter their search by checking on the amenities they want in the hotel, the type of cuisines they would like the hotel to serve, and the star rating of the hotel they want to book.

Hotels are just the first step in what Inasra consider their journey to bring all the Travel/Shelter related segments (Flights, Tours, Service Apartments...) 2-3 clicks away from you. And judging by the ease of use of the hotel search and booking system, they will be a great asset to India's tourism industry.

(This is a sponsored post)

Contest, Contests and More Contests!

June was a record month in terms of blog contest entered. And June ended on a good note as I was notified that I've won a book, Secrets of Successful Blogging - What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging And Podcasting, from Matt Huggings' Free Business Book Giveaway contest. I hope more good news awaits me in the coming days as many of the contests will be drawn and winners declared.

As more and more bloggers begin to realize the benefits holding contest can bring to their blogs, I'm sure more contests are in the pipeline waiting to be discovered, and entered. I'm actually planning to host the first contest on this blog. I do not have big budget to hold elaborate contest with fabulous prizes, nor do I have product sponsors offering tantalizing products for my contest. But I do hope my first contest can get off with a bang! It will roll out in the coming days, so stay tune and don't miss out.

Having said that, and until I've finalized my contest details, here is another contest entry I would like to post.

Live Learn Invest is giving away a brand new Ipod Shuffle of your color choice, in the easiest contest in the world. All you need to do to enter is to write a sentence in your post, linking to its homepage and also mentioning "Printed Circuit Board Quotes".

After that, send Kendrick an email including a link to your post and tell him what color Ipod Shuffle you’d like. This contest will run until 4th July, so hurry, don't miss you chance to enter this easiest contest in the world!

Essentially Yours!

To celebrate her blog's one year old birthday on 22 June, Charlene over at Essential Keystrokes is holding a one week long birthday bash where readers can expect a full week of spectacular posts and prizes galore to be won! Yes, you heard it right, you do not have to bring presents, instead prepare to win one! How fun is that!! The prizes just keep getting more and more as more sponsors donated generously for the blog's birthday bash! Charlene is indeed a very popular blogger.

I must admit, albeit embarassingly, I'm a new reader of Essential Keystrokes, and I'm already gate-crashing the birthday bash! The least I could do is to wish the blog a big

Happy Blogging Birthday!

One of her post I enjoyed tremendously is "How Do You Explain Blogging To Your Mom?" In the post, Char wrote about her brilliant analogy of the whole concept of blogging which she created and used to explain to her mom. Do check out this and many other interesting posts on Essential Keystrokes.

To enter the contest, just link to any of her posts and leave her a comment to tell her which prize(s) you would like to win. The contest closes at midnight EDT on Friday, June 29, 2007.

Win A USB TV Tuner from Beyond The Rhetoric

Beyond the Rhetoric is the official blog of Michael Kwan, who is a professional freelance writer based out of Vancouver, BC Canada. His freelance writing services can be procured on his website MichaelKwan.com. The purpose of his blog is to serve as an outlet for his creative juices to flow without inhibition.

With Beyond the Rhetoric, Michael writes in a more casual tone than is allow on his professional freelance writing site. It certainly brings a personal touch to his writing, and reveals some insights into the man behind the keyboard. From the categories section, some of the topics that Michael blogs about are automobiles, food and drink, technology, video games, and many other random stuff which he come across in the process of researching for his freelance writing projects.

Those blog posts are fun, interesting, and easy to digest(definitely not heavy subjects like SEO, or how to make that million bucks from your blog) and will appeal to casual reader who's looking for interesting read online.

Michael is currently holding a contest where he is giving away a USB TV Tuner with PVR and time-shifting capabilities, worth $80. Michael has provided 3 different ways for bloggers to enter the contest and you can earn up to 5 entries by combining all 3 routes. Reviewing his blog had earned me 1 entry, and adding Beyond The Rhetoric to my Technorati Favourite blog earned me another entry.

By subscribing to his full RSS feed, and posting the screenshot in this post, I've earned a bonus entry, making a total of 3 entries earned.

To earn the maximum 5 entries, you got to be the Top commentator for the month of June.

The contest is open to all residents of the world, provided that you have reasonable access to some sort of postal service. You don't expect Michael to mail the TV tuner to Antarctica right? The deadline for entering the contest is 12:01AM PST on July 1, 2007.

Post Comments and Make Money at Pure Blogging

Over at PureBlogging.com, David Culpepper is holding a contest which can potentially make you up to $200 of cold hard cash! Although you must be a really really lucky 'son of a blog' to win the $200.

This unique contest is broken into 2 parts. Part 1 of the contest is designed to increase comments that contributes to meaningful discussion in his blog posts. The blogger who post the 1000th comment will win $100 (paid via PayPal). This part of the contest is totally dependent on luck as all comments will be strictly moderated by David and short irrelevant comments will be deleted. (Comments made by David and his guest bloggers will not make the count towards 1000th)

Part 2 of the contest is base on the usual run of the mill 'link bait' strategy. To enter, just blog about the contest, linking to PureBlogging.com homepage and the contest page, then email David the url of your blog post. You will be entered in a random drawing for another $100 CASH prize.

This contest is open to everyone, anywhere in the world. As long as you have a blog, no matter what language your blog is in. You can choose to enter one or both part of the contest. This contest has no fix closing date but will be closed once the 1000th comment is received, which is likely to be sometime in the next two weeks, by David's estimation.

Review of Productivity501

Mark W. Shead is a consultant who use technologies to help business solve problems. He authors a blog called Productivity501 which is dedicated to bringing you regular tips and tricks to help increase your personal productivity. Mark focuses on publishing original content and share useful ideas which has helped him be more productive in his practice.

This blog is hosted on Wordpress with a 2 column layout. The header image of a jigsaw puzzle missing its last piece goes well with its tagline "Pieces of the productivity puzzle". It formed an image in my mind that Productivity501 hopes to be the missing piece of puzzle(yellow piece which stands out) to complete the whole set, which translate to being the missing link in the readers' life. Productivity501 is completely ad-free and without those flashing banners which try their darn best to shout out to readers to click them or to purchase the advertised products, the blog is uncluttered and gives a very clean feel. I admire Mark for not waivering under the huge temptation of blog monetization.

The furtherest dated post on archive goes way back to Sept 2005, so I'm assuming this blog got started then, some 21 months ago. During this time, Mark had published a total of 195 posts (till Jun 2007) which are confined in 11 categories. That average out to about 9 useful posts every month, not a lot for his readers to read in one month. But if you dig deeper, most of his posts are lengthy, very detailed and well thought out, containing very useful tips. I do have a slight problem with his categories though. Only 13 out of the current total 195 posts were spread among 10 categories, with the other 182 posts tagged as 'Uncategorized'. This sort of tells me the redundancy of too many different categories which were not properly utilized.

I particularly enjoyed reading and can relate to his post '4 Reasons You Should Use a Credit Card' as I subscribed to all those 4 beliefs myself. Another post I find very useful to most of our technologies-laden life is "10 Tips for Creating Secure Password". I'm sure most of us at one point or another had difficulty remembering or generating easy-to-remember yet secured passwords for so many of our online accounts. The tips offered in this post may be able to help us solve this problem.

Mark is currently holding a contest where interested bloggers can participate in 4 different ways to win an iPod Shuffle.

1. Full Review of his site - 10 chances to win
2. Link to Site & blog about the contest - 5 chances to win
3. Subscribe to RSS - 1 chance win
4. Subscribe to Email - 1 chance to win

Be sure to submit your entry to this iPod Shuffle contest before all the chances are taken up.

In conclusion
This is the first time I come across Productivity501 and I'm not going to pretend I know Mark, his blog and his writing style well. In fact, base on my first impression, I'm going to offer a humble suggestion that maybe Mark can do something to improve on the shortcoming of the categorization of his posts which I've pointed out earlier. I've also pointed out that his blog gives a very clean feel, sometimes to the point of being too clinical - hospital-kind-of-clinical. My humble suggestion to tackle this would be creating a personal touch to his blog posts, and one way he may want to consider doing would be to add and sign off his blog posts with his signature.

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