Blogging is my business, and when you’re trying to run a business it always helps when you can have every tool you need right at your fingertips.

It’s for this very reason, I sat down yesterday and created what I call “My Digital Dashboard”. It’s almost like having your own personal secretary to run and get things for you when you need it.

I tried using bookmarking websites, the bookmarks toolbar in firefox, and many other tools, but nothing offered the quick and easy (all tools on the table) approach I was looking for. So I created this, and I’m currently working on a version that you can use right out of the box.

Here’s a little video preview of “My Digital Dashboard”:

If this looks like something you’d be interested having for yourself, please let me know.

If you missed my latest post, click here to learn how I make $40-$50 per month with my SMS Blog Feed and only 3 subscribers.

With my passion for wanting to help others learn how to make money and be successful blogging, I’ve decided to write a book.

This book will take the reader from day 1 of deciding to create a blog all the way through successfully generating an income from their blog.

I’ve started writing already and have a general outline of the topics I want to cover.  And here’s where you come in.

Your Role In My Book

I’m not interested in writing a book that no one will be interested in reading.  No matter how important I may think a topic is, if no one is interested in reading that particular topic, then no one is benefiting from the book.

So I want to hear from you.  What topics and general myths, ideas, and facts would you like to see in this book in regards to blogging and making money doing it.  This could include things like affiliate marketing, social networking, etc.

Feel free to give me ideas, or even submit articles on particular topics you’re interested in with your views and experience on that topic.

I realize that I’m not an expert in every topic related to blogging and making money doing it (no one is).  Which is why I’m calling on those of you who are experts in your particular field, to help write this book.

A bo0k for the people, by the people. (Remind you of another very successful document?)

The Benefits For You

I will give props to everyone who submits an article that is used in the book, on a special “Contributors Page” with a short bio and a link to your blog/website address and Twitter account.

This is your chance to be published in a book and to reap the marketing rewards from it.

In addition to the “Contributors Page” for the authors of each article used, there will be an “Inspiration Page” that lists the name of anyone who gives me an idea/topic that gets used in the book.  First come first served, which means if you submit an idea that gets used, then someone else submits the same idea, your name will be on the “Inspiration Page”.

The Small Print

By submitting an article to me, you are giving me the rights to publish that article and/or the viewpoints of that article in paper and/or electronic format.

You can submit your articles to “thebook (at) steven-sanders.com”.  Please include a short bio, blog url, and twitter username as well as the name you want displayed as a contributor with your article.

Submit your ideas/topics to me via a comment, so everyone can see the topic ideas.  I’m interested in others seeing your idea and generating some conversation about it, so I can better evaluate the demand for the particular topic before deciding to use it.

You articles will be altered slightly so that they fit seamlessly with the rest of the book.

If you have any questions, please use my contact page.

The floor is yours, leave me a comment now.

Wordpress 2.7 has been officially released to the public since late last night or early this morning.

Just like with any other upgrade I was a bit hesitant in fear that it would mess something up with my theme or plugins.  Especially since there was a database upgrade.

But through gritted teeth and crossed fingers, I clicked upgrade using my Wordpress Automatic Upgrade plugin, and slowly stepped through the process.

Everything, just like usual, went smoothly, and the upgrade completed with no issues, minus my WP Sticky plugin not working now (which doesn’t bother me, I never used it anyway).

I could now breath a sigh of relief.

Some Slight Hesitation

I was only upgrading my Wordpress version because I knew it would benefit me in respects to security, but I was not looking forward to the new admin layouts, with page links and such on the left, and other crazy changes I’d seen in screenshots.

I’ve always used a plugin called Lighter Admin Menus, which put all my menus at the top of the screen with cool drop-downs to easily access everything without having to click an exorbitant amount of times.  I loved this plugin and I wasn’t ready to get rid of it for this change.

After upgrading, the plugin now no longer works, in fact, if you have the plugin activated during upgrade, you will not be able to see your menu items once the upgrade is complete.  So I suggest you deactivate it before upgrading.

Some Unexpected Satisfaction

After upgrading, I spent about an hour this morning playing with all the new features, getting used to the new layout, and familiarizing myself with how to access everything.

That’s when I realized, my bias and resentment towards the new version of Wordpress (had I decided not to upgrade) would have been my killing point.

This new version of Wordpress and all its fancy back-end changes makes it so much easier to manage my blog.

I love Wordpress 2.7!

If you’ve upgraded to Wordpress 2.7, what are your opinions of it?

A big part of a blogger’s life is attending at least one of the hundreds of blog conferences and social networking events put on every year by the big names in the online industry.

Some of you have been going to these conferences for many years now, some of you may be going to your first conference in 2009, and some of you may not be planning on attending a conference at all.

For those of you not ever planning on attending a blog event, I’ve got a future post with your name all over it.

For those of you who have been going to blog events for years, you already know alot of the tricks of the trade. But for those of you who are going for your first time, here are 5 tips to help you survive your first blog, social media, or internet marketing conference.

Attend Panels and Keynote Speeches

Some of these blog conferences can have so many different speaker panels and keynote speeches that it can be overwhelming when deciding on which to attend.

The easiest way to decide is to get the agenda as far in advance of actually attending as possible.

Make sure you look real close at the list of who is speaking and what they are speaking about. Try to attend the most important ones to you. The ones that deal with what you’re doing with your blog.

If you’re interested in everything, then do some research online. Find out who is attending what panels and keynotes. Find out what the most talked about and anticipated ones are. Then go to those.

Attend After-Parties & Gatherings

The point of attending a blog conference or social media conference isn’t to rush back to your hotel room as soon as it’s over, lock the door, and play on the internet the rest of the night.  You can do that when you get back home.

The biggest part of these conferences is the networking.  Schmooze with others.  Build relationships with people that could benefit you down the road.

Just like with the plethora of panels and keynotes, there are just as many after-party events to attend.

The easiest way to choose which to attend is to ask around, both before and at the conference.

With any get-together there is gonna be the elite crew that go to all of the greatest parties.  Find out who they are, and find out where they’ll be going.  I guarantee these will be the biggest most talked about parties years later.  Placing yourself in the same crowd as the who’s who of the internet will put you in a place for success.

Arrive Early & Stay Late

There will be literally hundreds of different people at any given conference.  Sometimes thousands.  Chances are that any big-shot you’re interested in meeting face-to-face, is going to be swamped with others wanting to do the same thing.  The chances of getting more than 5 minutes with them is probably really slim, especially when you attend a conferences with large numbers of attendees.

So how do you get their attention for any long length of time and still have them remember who you are a couple of months or even a year from now?

Show up a day or two early for the conference, and stay a day or two after it ends.

The big names on the internet will most likely arrive early and stay late as well.  They’ll be looking for other bloggers to get something to eat with or just hang out.

This is your chance to really sit down and get to know them, and have them get to know you.

Stay As Close As Possible

Many new attendees of blog conferences or social media conferences don’t always pick the best hotels.  I’m not necessarily talking about luxury as I am about commuting distance.  You’re probably not gonna spend much time in your hotel room anyway.  At least you shouldn’t.

If you don’t feel like treking 100 miles before the conference is over, I suggest you find a hotel that is within a short walking distance from the conference location as well as the big after-party events.

If you don’t find a hotel close, your legs will hate you by day two.

A Few Short Suggestions

There are so many different tips and tricks for each individual person that I cannot possibly list them all.  What works for some may not work for others.

A couple of other important things to keep in mind though, are to:

• Talk to others - Don’t sit in the corner being shy.  If you’re going to do that, then don’t even pay the money to go to a conference.
• Ask questions - You don’t know everything and neither does anyone else. The only stupid question is the one not asked.  Don’t go home regretting that you didn’t get an answer you came looking for.
• Be nice - Don’t make rude comments to anyone, even if you’re not fond of them.  If you don’t like someone in particular, simply do not talk to them.  They won’t feel bad that you didn’t.  They’ll be too overwhelmed with everyone else who does want to talk to them, that they won’t notice.

What tips and tricks do you have for making the most out of attending conferences?