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About Mert Erkal

He left his full time job as of 1st August, 2008 to earn his living from blogging and freelance Internet projects. He also shares his 10 years of experience he gained in a giant multi-national company for Small Business companies and builds Corporate Identity. Read more about him!

Archive for the ‘Relaxation’ Category

Oct
9th

After Cebit Bilisim Eurasia Public Speech

By Mert Erkal in Blog, Making Money Online, Marketing PR, Relaxation, Search Engine Optimization, Small Business, Social Networking, WordPress, copyblogger | Comments (2)

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Cebit Bilisim Eurasia

Yesterday was one of the most exciting days in my life. I gave my first ever public speech on a blogging related topic at Cebit Bilisim Eurasia exhibition. It was titled “10 Ways of Making Money Online with Blogs” You can check the presentation at SlideShare. Unfortunately it is only in Turkish now. I will later translate it into English too.

I also make a very nice video interview with Sekit Can Gokalp,   Turkey country manager of Mixxt.You can watch the interview at OkumaSitesi.com

All in all it was a very exciting event for me. I am planning of joining more events like this in the future.

One side note; Bloghology social networking site for bloggers are growing. We requested from our current beta testers to invite their friends. If you want to become a member of this selective community, please sign up my weekly blog tips newsletter.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Sep
20th

Bloghology Blog World Expo Special Edition is Ready!

By Mert Erkal in Blog, Making Money Online, Marketing PR, Relaxation, Small Business, Social Networking, WordPress, copyblogger | Comments (0)

Bloghology

I have been quite busy with the preparation and promotion of Bloghology for the last couple of weeks. Therefore I could not post new articles to my blog since 3 days. Finally Bloghology Digital edition is launched at Blog World Expo conference this weekend!

If you are interested  click on Bloghology Magazine Digital Version to check our magazine. You will need to register to read the magazine. Registration is completely free for digital version.

Bloghology is not just a blogging magazine. Our aim is to make it all-in-one resource for both start-up and established bloggers. We will also make some big changes to Bloghology website soon. It will become one of the largest social networks in the blogosphere. And you can be part of this by joining us now!

In this special edition we take you on a journey into the blogosphere, with topics ranging from “podcasting” to “microblogging”. Plus we deliver unique access to exciting interviews with popular Pro-Bloggers and Internet Entrepreneurs like Yaro Starak, Guy Kawasaki, Chris Garret,  John Cow, Garry Conn, Mani Karthik, in the pursuit of - “What is Next in Blogging

Yaro Starak Recommends Bloghology

Yaro Starak, one of the most popular bloggers in the blogosphere with 40,000+ RSS readers, recommends. Read his post Bloghology Magazine Issue #1 Debuts At Blog World Expo

What is next in October issue?

You will find more interviews, plus in-depth analysis of affiliate programs, comparison of blog mentoring programs, reviews of blogging books, and many more in the October issue.

Subscribed to Bloghology?

There are three options to subscribe:

  • Print via Mail: 5 editions/year (Annual cost EUR 20 within Europe and EUR 30 for rest of the world)
  • Interactive Digital Edition accessible online, 12 editions, one edition each month, completely free
  • Both printed and Interactive edition

You may use this link to subscribe: http://tinyurl.com/66ta92

Become an Affiliate and get free 150 MB hosting space from ProDatabases.com

If you are interested, you may follow these simple steps to get your free 150 MB hosting space

We are looking forward to see your comments and suggestions on our Blog World Expo digital edition. Until the October issue, enjoy reading Bloghology!

Popularity: 13% [?]

Sep
9th

Bloghology Blog World Expo Special Edition Content

By Mert Erkal in Affiliate, Blog, Making Money Online, Marketing PR, Personal Development, RSS&Subscription, Relaxation, Search Engine Optimization, Small Business, Social Networking, WordPress, copyblogger | Comments (1)


Bloghology is almost ready. Do you want to check our Blog World Expo Special Edition Content?

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Introduction to Blogging:

  • This Article Will Teach You Nothing About Blogging by Stephan Miller
  • Introduction to Blogging by Miguel Wickert

Blogging Tools:

  • WordPress as a Home Business Storefront by Stephan Miller

Traffic Building Tips:

  • Blogs  Lift Up and Keep `Em by Louis Liem
  • Blogging in Color: Choosing Colors to Target Your Niche and Audience by Ann Smarty

Search Engine Optimization(SEO):

  • Keyword Research and Brainstorming Introduction by Ann Smarty

Business Blogging:

  • Five Reasons to Start a Small Business Blog by Mert Erkal

Make Money Online:

  • An Interview with Wendy Piersall, CEO and founder of Sparkplugging and Sparkplug by Anne Marie Nichols
  • The Internet Cold Call by Stephan Miller
  • Preparing Your Blog for Direct Advertising and Where to Find Advertisers by Louis Liem

Social Media & Social Networking:

  • Don`t Gripe About PR Pitches by Anne Marie Nichols
  • Eight Social Networking Reminders by Louis Liem
  • I Scratch Your Post, You Scratch Mine by Stephan Miller

Microblogging:

  • The Next Big: Lifestreaming with Microblogging by Mert Erkal

Video & Podcasting:

  • The Complete Idiots Guide to Podcasting by Mert Erkal

Fitness for Bloggers:

  • Fitness for Bloggers:Your Success Depends On It by Miguel Wickert

Entertainment:

  • Redbelt by Prem Shashi
  • Tom Cruise to Be A Serial Killer by Prem Shashi
  • Transsiberian(2008) by Prem Shashi

Interviews with Top Bloggers:

  • Yaro Starak
  • Chris Garret
  • Sam Clark
  • Guy Kawasaki
  • John Cow
  • Mani Karthik
  • Garry Conn

Subscribed to Bloghology?

There are three option to subscribe Bloghology:

  • Print via Mail 5 editions/year (Annually EUR 20 within Europe and EUR 30 for USA and rest of the world)
  • Interactive Digital Edition accessible online (completely free)
  • Both print and Interactive edition

If you are interested in Bloghology, you may subscribe through this link: http://tinyurl.com/66ta92

book Bloghology Blog World Expo Special Edition Content

Popularity: 16% [?]

Sep
4th

New Blog Design for Celebrating One Year Blog Anniversary

By Mert Erkal in Affiliate, Blog, Blogroll, Making Money Online, Marketing PR, Personal Development, RSS&Subscription, Relaxation, Small Business, Social Networking, WordPress, copyblogger | Comments (12)

It’s been one year since I launched SearchForBlogging. I have decided to have a custom blog design with the money I made online to celebrate one year anniversary. I was so lucky that I found Sahil Lavingia, the owner of Pixel Jig, as designer (Read my previous post on him Pixel Jig - Creativity That Inspires) Sahil has done a great job and delivered a great design. The good thing is Sahil is only 16 years old. I can not imagine him at my age. I will work with him on TechSuave’s custom blog design soon. Special thanks goes to Ilker Yoldas who has designed a very remarkable logo(and favicon for me). If you are looking for a logo/favicon for your blog, there is no need to look for another alternative than Ilker.

Yesterday I thought about the things I accomplished during my blog’s first year:

  • 250 posts are delivered. If we assume 3 hours spent in average per post, it makes 750 hours for one year. In other words, 31 days spent only for writing posts and promoting them! What a dedication!
  • I finished Blog Mastermind Blog Mentoring program by Yaro Starak
  • I invented the term Bloghology.Similar to an anthology, Bloghology was a collection of bloggers, their profiles, photos, and links to their best posts. It was a PDF e-book which can be easily circulated throughout the blogosphere for personal branding and marketing of start-up bloggers. It was evolved and became a magazine when I met Vasilis Pasparas, the owner of IGM Interactive. Have you joined our contest by the way? Spread the Word Bloghology, Win an iPhone 3G!
  • My blog’s Alexa hit 69,168. RSS readers are almost 300, and up!
  • In average 400$ per month was generated through my blog which encouraged me to leave my full time job by the end of July 2008.
  • I signed a contract with a media company in USA to let them use my RSS feeds for the magazine they are building for mobile phone users mainly in USA. I will tell you more about this as soon as I get the media kit from them.

All in all, it was a very fruitful year for me. Next year will be a lot better than this year. This new blog design will help me get more attention, thanks to Sahil Lavingia!

How do you find my new custom blog design? I am looking forward to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

Popularity: 28% [?]

Aug
4th

Splandoo - Download Streaming Videos From Popular Media Sites

By Mert Erkal in Blog, Marketing PR, Personal Development, Relaxation, Small Business, Social Networking | Comments (6)

Download videos from YouTube

Sometimes you watch a video online and you want to save it to watch again in the future. I bet you have been told before that you can not download movies from YouTube, MSN video, or Google videos. Right? Actually you can. Splandoo downloads your favorite videos and converts them into Flash movie format.

The site is very easy to use. Find the video you want to download, check the drop-down menu next to the URL box to see the supported sites, and then paste the URL into the box provided. That is all!

Click download you’ll be offered your usual ‘Save’ dialogue. All you need is to change the name of the file to whatever you want to call it with .flv at the end. Splandoo will save the file as a Flash movie. You will then need a Flash movie player installed on your computer to watch it from your hard disk. If you don’t have, Splandoo also provides a link to download a free Flash player.

Conclusion:

Whether you’re a blogger who is trying to learn new blogging concepts through videos, or a businessman who wants to improve his professional skills with personal development videos, you can use Splando completely for free.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Jun
23rd

5 Reasons To Join Social Events As A Blogger

By Mert Erkal in Blog, Marketing PR, Relaxation, Small Business, Social Networking | Comments (5)

LikeMind Istanbul

Last Friday I joined LikeMind Istanbul event. The main purpose of LikeMind events is to come together with the people like you, and enjoy coffee and conversation. Mostly Internet entrepreneurs and Marketing oriented people join LikeMind events all around the globe. You can find the locations where LikeMind events are held through the link.

The meeting was very useful for me as a blogger who wants to earn his living from blogging. I met like minded people, and introduce them my blog and tell them about my Internet projects. I met some really smart people during the meeting, and started exchanging ideas with them from day one. You can easily understand how difficult it is to talk with someone with similar mindset as a blogger. I sometimes feel like even my close friends are looking at me like I am completely out of this world. During the LikeMind event I understood that I am not lonely. Now I am sure there are quite a few Aliens living in Istanbul.

5 Reasons To Join Social Events As A Blogger

The event was so fruitful for me that I thought I should also motivate other bloggers to join such events regularly. I have listed the 5 reasons to join social events as a blogger:

  1. Having chance to promote yourself and your blog, using viral marketing techniques to spread the word
  2. Meeting Like-Minded people in your field and developing good relationships with them
  3. Having chance to invite these people to your blogging and Internet related projects
  4. Learn new stuff from Like-Minded and more experienced people
  5. Get socialized, enjoy your coffee, and relax for two hours. In the end you will find lots of things to blog about!

Have you ever joined such events before ? If not, I strongly suggest you to refresh your mind and take a breath with coffee and Like-Minded people.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Jun
6th

Picnik Review - Photo Editing Made Fun

By Mert Erkal in Blog, Relaxation | Comments (7)

Picnik

Are you looking for a free wonderful online application to help you create masterpieces from your digital photographs? If so, then my answer is definitely Picnik.

Redeye, bad exposure, color problems…these little application will not only fix these basic issues, but is also very easy to use.

After you sign up, simply click upload photo or open your photos from the photo sharing websites they support. Currently Picnik supports these websites:

  • Flickr
  • Facebook
  • Picasa web albums
  • Photobucket
  • Myspace
  • Webshots
  • Freewebs

How To Edit Photos

You can edit photos with the edit tab. It allows you to make basic changes, and then add special effects, shapes or text. The good thing is you can play around your photos for free without registering. You can save your final work to your hard drive or the websites they support.

They also have premium service if you want a wider selection of tools & fonts to use only for $24.95 a year.

See Picnik In Action

I applied Picnik’s autofix function on one of my photos at Facebook. It took 10-15 secs to get the photo from Facebook. I resized it, fix the color problems, and add a border within a couple of minutes. Picnik could serve as a nice photo editing tool for your blogging needs.

Before

Fb1

After

Fb2

Conclusion

As you can see from the above photos, you should not expect Picnik to create miracles for you. Yet it is incredibly easy to use that still works well for editing your blog images. Also easy connection with the most common photo sharing websites is huge advantage. I haven’t checked the Premium services yet, yet the free option looks very promising.

Popularity: 19% [?]

May
25th

Imagine Yourself Blogging While Cruising To Mars

By Mert Erkal in Blog, Relaxation | Comments (2)

Phoenix Mars Mission

Launched in August 2007, Phoenix is designed to study the history of water and habitability potential in Mars. Hopefully Phoenix is going to land on Mars safely today.

Turkish NTVMSNBC TV channel is going to broadcast these moments live from MARS with the video feeds provided by NASA. Even though it is going to land at 3 a.m local Turkish time, I will be watching. I feel really excited about that.

The first signal from Phoenix is expected at 7:53 p.m EDT (23:53 GMT) on Sunday. Because of the 275 million km between Earth and Mars during Phoenix’s Mars arrival, it will take signals about 15 to 20 minutes to reach NASA’s control center at JPL once they’re sent.

For more details about the mission please check Phoenix Mars Mission

Imagine Yourself Blogging While Cruising to Mars

Since early childhood, I have great interest to space. I was lucky to meet Carl Sagan and his book Cosmos: A Personal Voyage when I was 14. It was an eye-opening experience for me. I read so many books about space and Cosmos since then. I regularly follow space issues, MARS missions etc.

According to NASA scientists, we will be capable of sending astronauts to MARS by 2015. Imagine how exiting would it be to update people on earth with your blog posts as an astronaut cruising to MARS.

When I heard about Phoenix project, I always dream about being a blogger astronaut inside it. I would capture videos, and send them to You-Tube for sharing with the people on earth. I would tell them how it feels like living in an non-gravity environment with my podcasts. If I am lucky, I would also introduce them some Aliens!

Can you imagine yourself blogging while cruising to Mars? What would you do? What would you say to the people on earth?

Popularity: 12% [?]

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