Pro Business Tips

Making Money with Donations

Donations are good method for blogs starting up, especially if you can get some friends and family to chip in. One possible solution is to head over to Paypal and create a free "Donate" button which allows you to create the equivalent of a tip jar for your blog. It's free and easy to sign-up.

A counter-point to consider: A tip jar can also make you look like a beggar. This strategy tends to work better for a small-time blog with limited aspirations or a non-profit concern.

Widgets and Plug-ins for Your Blog

Widgets and plug-ins are self-contained little applications that add functionality to a Web site or blog. These include interactive polls, search, RSS, and tag clouds. Most of the major blogging platforms offer these for free. For example:

• Wordpress Plugins
• Typepad Widgets
• Blogger Widgets

If you want to see zillions of free widgets that can be used no matter what site software you use, head over to WidgetBox for the largest offering on the Web.

But don't get carried away adding widgets. They can clutter your page and make it slow to load. Also, make sure the widgets are consistent with your topic. It may take some testing and discarding before you find one that works with your niche.