SponsoredReviews is a popular blog advertising network that helps bloggers to earn cash by writing paid reviews about advertiser’s products or services. The good thing about SponsoredReviews is that they allows bloggers to set their own price of paid reviews. Even advertisers and publishers can negotiate on the price. Their payment is fast and charges 35% on all transactions.

Some features of SponsoredReviews:

• Connects advertisers with bloggers that are willing to write paid reviews.
• Low transaction fee. They charges 35% on all transactions.
• Automated Rating System gives ratings to all blogs.
• Bloggers are allowed to set their own price.
• Unique Bidding System allows advertisers and publishers to negotiate the price.
• Full Disclosure about the paid review.
• Bi-Weekly Payouts via PayPal.

Some rules for Bloggers:

• Your blog must be at least 3-months-old with at least 10 published posts.
• More then one blog on a domain is not permitted, except the free hosted blogging platforms.
• You blog must have at least a 2:1 ratio of non-paid to paid content.
• All reviews must be written in English.
• All Reviews must be honest, professional and unique. Don’t write false stories about proucts or services.
• All reviews must appear on the home page of your blog and must remain there for at least 24 hours.
• They allows post excerpts. Excerpts must contain at least 50 words and one link to the advertiser.
• No-follow tag on the links is not allowed.
• Reviews must not contain in-text advertising.
• Reviews must be archived permanently on your blog.

How much you can earn with SponsoredReviews?

The good thing about SponsoredReviews is that, they allows you to set your own price. Depending on the popularity of your blog, you can earn anything between $10 to $1000 per review. They also have a nice affiliate program, that you can use to earn some extra money.

What about the payouts?

SponsoredReviews will pay you two weeks after completion of your review. They keeps 35% as transaction fee and pays via PayPal.

So, how to start with SponsoredReviews?

• First, create an account with SponsoredReviews.
• Add your blog for their approval.
• Once is blog is approved, browse the available opportunities and offer your bid for the suitable ones.
• Then wait for approval of your bid, by the advertiser.
• When the advertiser approves your bid write a blog post as per the advertiser requirements.
• Then submit the completed review for the approval of SponsoredReviews staff.
• Once your blog post is approved, your account will be credited with the amount agreed.
• Every two weeks, they will pay you the outstanding balance via PayPal.

So, want to make money online by writing paid reviews? Join SponsoredReviews today!

Using Blogger platform for blogging? Need some cool templates for your blogs? Take a look at this list of 2 column Blogger templates. Some of these templates looks very professional. Choose the suitable template and use it on your own blog. All of them are free.

• Softlight: A 2 column Blogger template with beautiful color scheme. Looks professional. (Demo | Download)

• iWork: Beautifully designed template for Blogger blogs. It was originally designed as a wordpress theme by Nicola Di Trento. Header graphics gives it a professional look. (Demo | Download)

• Underground: A 2 column template for Blogger blogs. Black and red color scheme gives it a professional look. (Demo | Download)

• Salmon: Beautiful 2 column template with a professional look. The sidebar is on right and the footer section has three columns. It was originally a WordPress theme created by Justin Shattuck. (Demo | Download)

• Harves Thirious: Template for blogger with 2 columns, fixed width and left sidebar. (Demo | Download)

• Greenery: As the name says, this template has lots of green color. Looks beautiful with the header graphics. (Demo | Download)

• Andreas02: Beautiful 2 column template with clean color scheme. Tabs in the header section gives it a professional look. (Demo | Download)

• Agua: A clean template with right sidebar. (Demo | Download)

• Plain Office: Clean and simple template for Blogger. (Demo | Download)

• Integral: Beautiful template for Blogger with rounded header and green and sky-blue color scheme. (Demo | Download)

 

• Web 2.0: A black and white template for Blogger. Originally created by DezainerFolio for WordPress blogs. (Demo | Download)

• Red-White Web 2.0: Beautiful template for blogspot blogs with red and black color scheme. (Demo | Download)

• K2: A simple template for Blogger. Inspired by K2 WordPress theme. (Demo | Download)

• Midnight: Beautiful 2 column, dark template for Blogger. (Demo | Download)

• Erudite: A beautiful template with big header graphics. (Demo | Download)

• Andreas08: Another simple template for blogspot blogs.
  (Demo | Download)

• Emire: Simple template for blogspot blogs. Originally designed by if Design.
  (Demo | Download)

• Minyx: A beautifully designed Blogger template. (Demo | Download)

• iPhone: A blogger template, inspired by iPhone. Suitable for gadget related blogs. (Demo | Download)

• Blue Stripe: A blogger template with 2 columns and fixed width. Looks clean and professional. (Demo | Download)

• Glossy Blue: Originally a WordPress theme, converted to Blogger by JackBook. (Demo | Download)

• Earthling: Beautiful template for Blogger, with a green trees and blue skies in the header. (Demo | Download)

• Peaceful Rush: Beautifully designed brown or creamy brown colored template. (Demo | Download)

• Chocolate Candy: As the name says, this template uses chocolate color in color scheme. Originally it was a WordPress theme, created by web-kreation.com. (Demo | Download)

• iTheme: Another beautiful 2 column template for Blogger. (Demo | Download)

• Recipes: Two column blogger template with beautiful color scheme and header graphics. Suitable for food related blogs. (Demo | Download)

• Kids: As the name says, this template comes with a beautiful header featuring some cute kids. (Demo | Download)

• Dark Spark: A beautiful dark template for Blogger blogs. (Demo | Download)

• Wiremesh: Another 2 column, dark template for Blogger blogs. Sidebar is on left. (Demo | Download)

• Natural Beauties: Simple 2 column Blogger template with left sidebar. (Demo | Download)

• Mushblue: A 2 column dark template with right sidebar. (Demo | Download)

• Pink Stars: A pink colored blogger template with right sidebar. Suitable for girl blogs. (Demo | Download)

• Graydient: Two column Blogger template with right side bar. Menus on header. (Demo | Download)

• Flowers: Another beautiful template for Blogger. This great design was created by DezinerFolio. (Demo | Download)

• Celebrity: Beautiful pink template for blogspot blogs. The header image makes it suitable for celebrity blogs. (Demo | Download)

• NewZen: Simple two column template with AJAX sidebar menu. (Demo | Download)

• Christmas: It is a simple holiday template with a vivid red and green color scheme. The header image adds a charm to this 2 column template. (Demo | Download)

• Simplicity 2.0: Nicely designed blogger template with left sidebar. (Demo | Download)

• Missing Piece: Good color scheme gives this 2 column template a cool look. The sidebar is on right. (Demo | Download)

• Rounded Blue: Beautiful template with right sidebar. The background image gives it an elegant look. (Demo | Download)

Viral marketing has gained its popularity over the global network. Now, more and more businesses are adopting this marketing strategy to capture their share in the market. So, what is viral marketing in plain words? According to Wikipedia, Viral marketing and viral advertising refer to marketing techniques that use preexisting social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of pathological and computer viruses. It can be word-of-mouth delivered or enhanced by the network effects of the Internet.

photo credit: montuno

The approach developed by Hotmail in increasing its number of subscribers is one classic example of viral marketing. So, how Hotmail Did It? Hotmail is one of the first web-based email provider that gives away email addresses for free. Their marketing approach starts by giving free web-based email addresses and additional services. Each of the messages sent with a Hotmail address has an advertisement at the bottom that goes: “Get your private, free email at http://www.hotmail.com.”

Then, of course, Hotmail subscribers will use the service to send messages to their friends and colleagues. These friends and colleagues will get the message and read it, and then clicks on the link at the bottom. They will also sign up and be a subscriber like what the sender did. Then these new subscribers will also email their own set of friends. The cycle goes on and on.

This is why viral marketing has the power of reaching thousands, even millions, of people in such a short time and with little effort from the one who initiates it.

Some Elements of Viral Marketing:

Dr. Ralph Wilson, an e-commerce consultant, named six elements or basic principles of viral marketing. A viral marketing technique need not have all of these, but the more principles it follows, the more powerful the strategy will be.

1. Give away products or services. This is the first and most basic principle of viral marketing. When a person hears the word “free,” it elicits the interest in him and will avail of that free product or service, for sure. Having cheap or inexpensive products may also do the trick, but “free” will give much faster results.
2. Patience is important in viral marketing. Giving away products for free may not earn profit today but if the business gets to develop customer base by giving something for free, it will soon generate income for them.
3. Easy transfer to others. The medium used to carry the marketing message to other people should relatively be easy. Viral marketing has been powerful over the internet because of the ease of communication the technology offers. Email, web sites, software downloads are just some examples that can be used in viral marketing.
4. Also, it is better that the message be short for easy copying and transmission. Simple and short but straight to the point is best, just like Hotmail’s advertisement at the bottom of each email sent out.
5. Scalability from small to very large. When viral marketing is used as a marketing style, it is best that the business is prepared for rapid growth. In cases of increasing web traffic thru viral advertising, the web owner should make sure that the host server is prepared enough to handle the expected increase in traffic within a short period of time.
6. Exploit motivation and behaviors. A marketing strategy that builds on motivation and behaviors of people for its transmission is a definite plus. People love to be popular. This motivation will drive them to communicate to more and more people to be known.
7. Utilize existing networks. According to social scientists, an average person has about 8 to 12 members in their close network of family, friends and colleagues. Moreover, internet gives way to creating a bigger network circle. Learning to use these existing networks in viral marketing will yield better results.
8. Take advantage of other’s resources. Viral marketing need not consume all your resources away. Using other web sites in posting your articles, for example, will get them read by a large number of people without the need of creating your own web page.

It is best to learn these basic elements or principles of viral marketing first before actually doing it. Being too aggressive without doing your homework may just lead to damage instead of success. So, do your homework first! Try to adopt those that may be applicable to your product. Use all of the principles, if possible, for more positive results.

Need a beautiful WordPress theme? Take a look at the xSimplify theme. xSimplify is a beautifully designed, two coulmn WordPress theme with widgetized sidebar. It comes with a good-looking vector art at the bottom. Beautiful color scheme and the vector art gives it an elegant look. xSimplify has special styling for an unordered list, blockquote and comments. It works with WordPress 2.0 + versions including 2.5. Download this free theme today!

Some features of xSimplify theme:

• Two column WordPress theme with right sidebar.
• Completely widgetized sidebar.
• Search area and RSS button in the sidebar.
• Beautiful tabs for the pages.
• Nice color scheme. Uses blue and gray colors.
• Special styling for an unordered list and a blockquote.
• Cool vector art tree at the bottom right.
• Works with WordPress versions 2.0 and beyond.

Demo | Release Page | Download Link

The Internet has changed the man’s way of living. It has also affected how we do certain things including business tasks and management. Marketing has gone a long way and it is not being revolutionized by the Internet. So, what about the concept of Internet viral marketing? What you think about it?

Internet viral marketing is a cost effective way to be able to reach a targeted audience and efficiently convey one’s marketing message. Viral marketing outside the context of the Internet is usually connected with spreading a message through word-of-mouth. In the context of the Internet, the concept is the same, but the ways of doing it is diversified.

Internet viral marketing is similar to a virus. Viruses are notorious for being easily spread. This is the concept behind Internet viral marketing. Viruses, if not contained, can strike an epidemic. Internet viral marketing behaves like viruses, it aims at spreading a marketing message to people through other people.

The mere dynamism of the Internet makes it possible for viral marketing to do its job quite effectively. In the world of the Internet, viral marketing can be done in many ways. The whole structure of the Internet has been a tool which has been used by many to be able to make a statement or advertise a product.

We say that using Internet viral marketing, or viral marketing in general is one of the best, if not the best way of marketing a certain product or service. This article tries to lay down the reasons for the claim above.

Here are some reasons why viral marketing is the best way to market certain products and services:

Viral Marketing is Free:

This is probably the best reason why viral marketing is the best way to market. There are many ways to market a product or a service. One can utilize some of the old-school techniques such as the use of print media (banners, posters, flyers) or audio-visual tools. There is not much argument about the effectiveness of these methods, given the assumption that they are done with careful preparation and planning. However, these things cost money, a lot of money.

An actual example of the cost of these other marketing techniques can be seen in the pharmaceutical industry. Studies say that more than half of the cost that people are incurring for buying branded medicines is used to cover the expenses of marketing the products. This is a reality that reflects how marketing costs can take their toll on the product itself.

Viral marketing is a free way of spreading a marketing message. One can argue that it is not totally free (as claimed). However, the only costs for Internet viral marketing are the costs associated with Internet connection and some minor tools for getting on track. One can also do an economic valuation of the time spent for viral marketing, but every other marketing technique consumes time.

Availability of Different Techniques:

There are many ways of doing viral marketing, especially through the Internet. Literally, there are hundred different ways of spreading a marketing message through the web. The most popular way is to use affiliate programs.

Affiliate programs gives incentives for webmasters to put up one’s banner. The webmasters earn some profit whenever the banner is clicked by the visitors. One can also look into the option of giving away free stuff to other people to get their attention and be agents of the viral marketing endeavor. One can give away free web space, free articles, free newsletters, free software, free graphics, free screensavers, etc. This is the concept which was employed the developers of hotmail. If one can remember, hotmail became a craze when it was launched. People who signed up for the free email literally became marketing agents for hotmail. They carried the marketing message which was simply embedded into their email addresses.

Impact of viral marketing:

Viral marketing, if done properly, will not only convey a marketing message, it will let the message stick to people’s minds. Creativeness comes into play when using viral marketing as a strategy. Everything starts with a bright idea and this idea is then put into operation with careful planning and execution.

Viral marketing is the way to go in this era of Internet. It is a very cost effective and efficient way of conveying a marketing message towards a target audience. So, if you are serious about your business, you must go for viral marketing using the the power of Internet.

 

LightBreaker is 3 column WordPress theme, created by Moses Francis of WPThemesPlugin.com. It comes with an widgetized footer, custom styling and space for 125×125 ads. LightBreaker is an AdSense ready WordPress theme. All you have to do is change your publisher ID in the theme!

Some features of LightBreaker theme:

• Three column WordPress theme.
• AdSense ready theme. Just change your publisher ID.
• Spots for 125×125 button ads on the sidebar.
• Includes special page templates such as Archives, Sitemap and Links.
• Widgetized footer with four columns.
• Comes with some cool styling like image caption, pullquotes, download, warning etc.
• Beautiful color scheme.
• Released under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.

Demo | Release Page | Download Link

Moses Francis is a good designer and has already released many good quality WordPress themes for free download. On this blog, I am using the Forte theme designed by Moses. It is really a great theme. So, I am sure that from his portfolio, you will definitely find a suitable theme for your blog.

Want to efficiently manage your WordPress plugins? Try Plugin Central, a new WordPress plugin management add-on that automatically installs and updates WordPress plugins. Well, Plugin Central works with WordPress 2.5+ only. So, in order to use this plugin, you need to upgrade your WordPress installation.

Some features of Plugin Central:

• Ability to install plugins directly by typing the name of plugin or URL to the plugin zip file.
• Multiple-plugin install feature. This feature allows you to move your plugins from one blog to another.
• Displays status of out-dated plugins on the WordPress Dashboard.
• Option to update all out-dated plugins with a single click.

Release Page | Download Link