Travel Blog Advice » Reading

A Review Of Networking Awesomely By Colin Wright

Anil P. — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:00:48 +0000

The ebook Networking Awesomely by Colin Wright is a well written and entertaining read, designed to teach you how to leverage one of the most powerful blogging tools at your disposal, networking. At around 250 pages, the ebook covers many of the major topics related to networking and how you can tweak your approach to make the most out of many social situations. Networking Awesomely isn’t an ebook about travel blogging specifically, but many of the lessons and advice are easily transferable.

Depth Of Networking

For $20, Networking Awesomely is unlikely to give most travel bloggers any completely new insights or aspects of networking, yet in the pages of its wide reach, the ebook’s strength is in its depth. Networking Awesomely strives to drive home the point that like any other aspect of blogging, it requires planning, setting goals, and maintenance. I was actually surprised at the level of planning Colin, and many of the contributing authors, take their networking methodology.

Networking Awesomely also includes some tips from several other bloggers (I add a few lines as well), writers, and entrepreneurs giving insight into just how connected the travel blogging community is with many other online industries. You might not be aware of how close you are to some of these people online and many are looking to make new contacts – an unadvertised, but yet another advantage of picking up a copy.

Mostly A Fun Ride

Networking Awesomely starts strong and then tends to meander from its focus in the final quarter. Despite the slow ending, Colin takes you on a fun ride of networking in person, making connections online, and his methodology on organizing all of your social contacts. For those of you looking to learn more about the art or breadth of networking, you’ll find Networking Awesomely by Colin Wright an enlightening read.

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Is Nomadic Matt’s Making Money eBook Worth It?

Anil P. — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:00:23 +0000

That’s a question I hear on a regular basis, partially because I have the affiliate ads up on Travel Blog Advice and foXnoMad, have written two reviews, and interviewed Matt about it. People email me once or twice a month asking this question and having read and sold more than a few copies decided this would be a good forum to answer – is Nomadic Matt‘s eBook worth it?

The Short Answer

Do I think Nomadic Matt’s eBook is worth $17? Yes I do, assuming you use it correctly and depending on what you want to make out of your travel blog.

The Longer Answer

Nomadic Matt’s book, How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog has good information about monetizing your travel blog but is really about creating a network of sites to help fund your travels. The principles in the book are sound and can help you generate a decent income on the road, but it takes a lot of effort upfront, a level most people won’t or won’t be able to put it.

It’s difficult to say a dollar amount is worth something. Personally if I learn from a book and it help my travel blogs, generally it’s “worth” it for me. In terms of money, will you make back that $17 from travel blogging? Probably, but how long that takes depends on you.

I also don’t make a habit of reviewing products I don’t believe in or like. For the most part, if I don’t like something I don’t write about it. Products like the DIY SEO Guide and Travel Blog Success will improve your travel blog and it’s in your best interest to read as much as you can. It’s difficult to draw a direct correlation between purchasing one thing and seeing results on your blog.

For $17?

It’s important to invest in your travel blog if you want to seriously want to monetize. The book was originally $27, a bit on the expensive side, but I still thought it a worthwhile read. All businesses have operating expenses and I think it’s important to spend and get your hands on good information when you’re starting out and trying to grow your audience and revenue. The more you learn the more selective you can be down the road.

If you’re interested in monetizing your travel blog, I’d also recommend Business In A Backpack ($20).
For a more detailed explanation of SEO, how it works, and how to use it I recommend the DIY SEO Guide.
New travel bloggers should strongly consider Travel Blog Success, the advice in the forums are worth the price of admission.

How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog is straightforward, contains a lot of useful information, and may also give you access to advertisers (ask Matt) that can help you make more money with your existing blog and potentially a lot more money if you branch out. It has helped me a believe it can do the same for you. So yes, I do think How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog is worth “it”.

Have you purchased the eBook? What were your thoughts? Please share them in the comments below. Did you think it was worth the $17 (or $27) you spent on it?

Review Of Matt Kepnes’ Latest eBook: How To Build A Travel Blog

Anil P. — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:28 +0000

Matt Kepnes (Nomadic Matt) has released a second eBook to compliment the very successful How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog which I reviewed over the past summer. His latest eBook, How To Build A Travel Blog aims to answer the questions you may have about actually building a travel blog if you don’t already have one.

What’s Inside

The introduction opens with the disclaimer that this book merely lays down the very basics and isn’t close to a detailed resource on the topic of building blogs. It’s a very straightforward and reads like a manual. I couldn’t help but feel that the eBook made sense to me since I’m very familiar with setting up blogs, WordPress (the only blogging platform touched upon), and things like FTP. I’m not quite sure if a complete amateur would be able to take How To Build A Travel Blog and actually get a site running with it. It’s a better guide to take a long once you go through the motions a few times.

Covering The Basics

A little more detail would complete How To Build A Travel Blog and make it a very valuable resource. I’d also like to see a ‘best practices’ section which would cover important topics like database backups. Matt is available and mentions in the eBook that you can email him any time with specific questions you may have.

I did however learn a few things that I’ve been doing the hard way (WordPress gets easier to use with each version) and found Matt’s recommendations on plugins and SEO to be insightful and worth reading more about. If you’re new to blogging and have made your share of mistakes How To Build A Travel Blog is a good resource to see what you may have missed or if there’s an easier way to do something.

How To Build A Travel Blog comes free with Matt’s other book which I highly recommend, How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog. Stand alone How To Build A Travel Blog is $4 but you’ll really see its value by purchasing How To Make Money With Your Travel Blog and reading both together.