Travel for Pennies

What makes a successful blog? Obviously, success is determined over time, so technically you don’t start a successful blog: You start a blog, and make it successful. But starting it with the right mindset for success can make a huge difference from right out of the gates.

The first thing is to pick a winning niche. It’s hard to start from scratch when there are already established blogs pulling in thousands or even millions of visitors per month, but part of the key is to pick a niche that will enable you to make your blog unique. For instance, instead of writing a general travel blog — which there are tons of already narrow the playing field a little by styling yourself as a budget travel blogger .

Another important factor is getting the feel for how to write a successful blog post. Blog readers tend to be scared away by long, dense blocks of text, so keep it short and snappy: short paragraphs, short sentences, and create bulleted lists whenever you can. Even if all your blog posts are timely — about what you are doing, for instance, or about current events — try to work some “evergreen” posts in there, which will continue pulling readers in from the search engines long after the post date has passed.

Don’t forget to utilize keywords in writing those blog posts. You can do a quick search using either Google’s or Yahoo’s keyword selector tool (for their advertising customers, but anyone can use it) and find out everything you need to know to create a list of keywords to hit on your blog: what keywords people use while searching for information, how frequently each term is searched for, and so on.

Once you have a good list of keywords, be sure you know how to use them! Keywords are best used in the title (preferably in the first 5 words), once or twice in the first paragraph, and occasionally throughout the rest of the text. If your blogging platform allows you to put them in the meta tags as well, do so! Don’t try to use the keyword too frequently in the body, though — doing so can actually hurt your blog, because it will look like you are keyword stuffing (a big no-no if you want to get picked up by the search engines).

Finally, when you are just starting out is a good time to establish things like your frequency of posts, how often you use pictures and video, linking to other sites and blogs, and immersing yourself in the blog community for your niche. For instance, posting three times a week is generally a good practice if you want to stay high up in the search engines, but you really need to do this from the very beginning. Pictures, video , and a strong presence in the blog community are also really beneficial to your blog, but again, the earlier you start with these things the stronger your blog will be, increasing its chances for success.

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Tags: video

Manhattan. This City needs no introduction, and neither do the housewives that live in it! The Real Housewives of New York City has had rave reviews from critics and fans. It has become its own phenomenon. The housewife in the midst of most of the controversy this season is Bethenny. Bethenny is a self made professional and business woman. With her strong entrepreneurial spirit, she has started her own successful business, Skinny Girl. She has also released a best seller titled: Naturally thin: Unleash Your Skinny Girl. She is currently in a feud with costar housewife Jill Zarin. Jill has accused her of using her for her connections and not taking their friendship seriously. In a now infamous voicemail, Bethany told Jill to get a hobby. In the opening line of the hit T.V. show, her line is “the city is my playground” and boy does she mean it! Bethany had a photo shoot done for the “I would rather go naked than wear fur” campaign with the Manhattan skyline in the background. She has made a name for herself in the city and has built a close network of friends. Going out to top Manhattan restaurants and posh lounges is a great way to play. Stay a night in manhattan hotels new york and play like Bethany. Bethany has been spotted all around Manhattan and here are just some of the events that she made it to, as well as a few that she respectfully missed.

The Mercedes Benz Fashion show. Manhattan would be nothing without fashion, and fashion would be nothing without Manhattan. In one episode when Alex invites the housewives to be a part of the Brooklyn fashion week, it was extremely evident that haute couture definitely has its place in Manhattan!

Sak’s Fifth Avenue , Jill Zarin event. Bethany was currently not on speaking terms with Jill and was not invited, nor did she care to attend. About thirty of Jill’s closest friends attended the event, including the Countess.

Time Square Billboard photo shoot. Frankel bared it all over her playground making the biggest fashion statement ever.

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Visitors to Anniston will no doubt be lured by the charms that can only be found in Missouri. And in rural Missouri, too, make no mistake about it, because this is the country, the real heartland, and the locals know it. It’s also fantastically positioned, because time here can be as far away from the metropolises as you wish to be, and very close to a pretty spectacular city. Kansas City, of course, has a big reputation for music, having seen and nurtured some of the most important moments in musical evolution in the US.

It’s still a pretty brilliant place, and there’s plenty to hear. If a night on the town is on order, there are plenty of options any time of the year. It’s a good idea to leave your hotel with a plan, but it’s also a good idea to be flexible enough that the plan can change. Some of the most amazing nights in the history of live music, which is as old as human civilization, happen spontaneously.

But there are places that are typically very good, and the Recordbar is one of these. They offer a steady supply of exceptional and exciting acts, and usually there are multiple listings on the bill for each night. You can hear blues, rock, hiphop, and pretty much anything else here.

Recordbar opened in 2005, and is a popular favorite among locals as well as guests. The atmosphere here is very funky, and very individual. There’s very little about it that resembles anything like the corporate clubs that were coming into the great music cities for awhile, and this a good thing. It means that the local traditions have a place to breathe, and touring acts can be free to try out new things.

The space is small, holding about 200 people, and offering an excellent intimate experience. There are also drinks and a full menu, just to put it all over the top.

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Tags: your hotel

Art walks are a great way to revitalize a neighborhood, as some of the new and upcoming cities are finding out. They’re learning from the cities that have a long tradition of community support and action. That builds a strong downtown, and it’s especially strong when it’s not just a place for arts and business, but where people live. One of the great cities with a great downtown is surely Pittsburgh. The neighborhoods are well-established, and there’s always a mix of cultures, languages, and walks of life, which are also magnificent signs that there’s something happening here.

The art walk here, Unblurred is one that is still in the process of growing, but it’s also part of a long tradition in town, and it’s already pretty extraordinary. Art walks are those events where galleries will agree to all open for certain hours on one particular night every month. It’s a chance to display the work in one evening, in a festival-like atmosphere. These usually help to bring people into the downtown areas on other nights, and generally help the city build an identity for itself. They certainly help the locals to meet each other, and also to introduce guests and visitors to the art scene of a city.

Pittsburgh’s takes place on the First Friday of every month, and if possible, it’s a good idea to plan a trip to include this event. It’s a great excuse to enjoy the local hospitality for a little longer than you may have planned. Unblurred just might convince anyone that it’s worth it to stay longer in Pittsburgh.

Local businesses stay open and have specials, there’s food, beer, coffee, and any number of other treats, live music, and activities for kids. It starts at 7pm and can last until 2 or even 3 in the morning, and it’s still pretty crowded, even in the wee hours. At the end of the night, when you get to see all the people mixing and enjoying each other’s company, and talking about art, then what the city is all about starts to become visible.

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Tags: unblurred