Remembering 2013's best and worst phones

With 2014 approaching, we at Bloggergamer would like to take this time and reflect. Reflect on our family and friends, our personal accomplishments, and of course, the smartphone highs and lows of 2013 (this is a tech site after all, what were you expecting?).

Unsurprisingly, the top handsets of this year were dominated by much of the same key players we consistently see from year to year. That includes updated iterations of popular phones such as the fingerprint-scanning Apple iPhone 5S, the powerful Samsung Galaxy S4, and the ultra-juiced up Motorola Droid Maxx.

Others were flagships from familiar manufacturers, but some companies took measures to start afresh in order to elevate and differentiate their chief handsets for 2013.

This includes going back to minimalistic names like HTC's simplistic One and LG dropping the "Optimus" moniker from its G2 device, as well as opting for a novel design, with the former smartphone sporting a stylish all-aluminum construction, and the latter relocating its power buttons to the rear.

Then there were the curveballs. The ones that brought unique but well-executed new features to the market, like Nokia's Lumia 1020 that's equipped with a 41-megapixel camera, and the highly customizable Motorola Moto X.

Of course, not everything came up roses this year. There were a handful of devices that were less than stellar. Some were simple feature phones (like the LG Envoy II and the Huawei Pal) that got docked not because they were too basic, but because they couldn't even perform the simplest tasks reliably.

Tweet

First Xbox One indie games arriving early next year

The first wave of Xbox One games available through Microsoft's ID@Xbox self-publishing program will be available sometime in the first quarter of 2014, director Chris Charla told Bloggergamer in a new interview.

“I think it will be early in the New Year, in the first three months,” Charla said. “I would say closer to the third month. In terms of how many games there will be, it’s hard to say, because they’re still in development.”

Xbox One games to be published through the ID@Xbox program are at "all stages of development," Charla said. “Some developers started developing for Xbox One, others already had games in development and are working on Xbox One versions," he said.

None of these projects were named outright, though Microsoft previously released a list of 50 developers signed up to create Xbox One games through the ID@Xbox program.

Charla also dodged a question about the ID@Xbox's controversial clause that reportedly requires developers to launch their games at the same time as other platforms. This policy is not being discussed publicly, and he said developers should reach out to Microsoft if they have questions.

“Unfortunately we really don’t comment on our publishing policies,” Charla said. “Obviously we’ve heard the feedback from developers and we’re looking at all the way the ways we can to lower barriers for developers, but I really can’t comment on publishing policies. The reality is that developers should get in touch with us and talk."

Microsoft previously described independent games as "crucial" to the future of gaming overall.

Tweet

Xbox One: 20 things you need to know

Hello gamers i have some careful tips about your new purchase of Xbox one. S i hope you will be benefited by these things :-

1. Price and availability
The Xbox One will be released in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, the UK, and the US on November 22. It costs $499 in North America, £429 in the UK, AU$599 in Australia, and 499 euros in the EU countries listed above. The Kinect camera is included; you can't opt out of that peripheral.

2. You'll need an Xbox Live Gold membership ($60/year in the US) to do almost anything beyond play single-player games
Xbox Live Gold was pretty much a requirement for any online Xbox gamer before, but that's even more the case now. Any online services require Gold, from streaming Netflix to game DVR functionality (apps and game recordings are free on the PS4, with only online gaming requiring a PlayStation Plus membership).

3. It plays Blu-rays, DVDs, and (unlike PS4) CDs
The Xbox 360 only had DVD support, and -- briefly, via a peripheral -- HD-DVDs. Blu-ray playback is a pleasant addition. And sorry, lovers of 3D Blu-rays, whoever you are: the Xbox One isn't compatible with you. (There is no 3D Blu-ray compatibility on PS4 at present, either.)

4. It supports limited DLNA...in theory
Microsoft's pushing its SkyDrive account -- Microsoft's own cloud-storage service -- to play back cloud-stored photos and videos, but "Play To" DLNA-supported devices could theoretically work. We haven't tested this yet, but if you're a streaming-media-server type of person, prepare to be a bit disappointed versus what was capable on an Xbox 360.

5. The hard drive is not user replaceable (unlike with the PS4)
The Xbox One comes with a 500GB hard drive, and you're going to have to live with it. Right now, there's no plan to how, exactly, you'll upgrade that storage. The Xbox 360 used to have a proprietary snap-on hard drive; on the One, it lives inside the console. (PS4 owners can self-upgrade with a standard laptop hard drive.)

6. It won't play your old Xbox 360, original Xbox, or Xbox Live Arcade titles (discs or digital)
Bad news for Xbox 360 owners with huge game libraries: the Xbox One won't play your discs. And any downloaded Xbox games that exist on your Xbox Live account won't transfer over, either. It's a fresh start with the Xbox One, whether you like it or not -- but user settings and account details are retained and carried over.

7. Downloaded games can be redownloaded and played anywhere, but disc games need the disc to play
Disc and disc-free games alike need installation on the Xbox One, but if you go the disc route, keep in mind that you'll always need that disc inserted to start the game.

8. The Xbox One doesn't have Bluetooth support
Go figure. Wi-Fi Direct and 802.11n Wi-Fi will help address some device-to-device connections, but for wireless accessories you'll have to use official Xbox options. The PlayStation 4 doesn't work with universal Bluetooth peripherals, either, even though it does have Bluetooth onboard.

9. The Kinect doubles as an IR blaster
For any universal remote control purposes, the Kinect, when set up, will be programmed to operate your TV and cable box. Controls like volume control and channel-changing can be executed using voice, but it can get a little challenging at times.

10. The Xbox One works with universal remotes
Unlike the PS4, which lacks an IR port, the Xbox One can be controlled with a compatible universal remote. That's nice for DVD or Blu-ray playback, for folks who don't want to use the Xbox controller or Kinect voice commands.

11. The Xbox One is bigger than the PlayStation 4
It's not even close. Not only is the One the bulkier console, but it has a very large power brick adapter attached to the power cable; the PlayStation 4 just has a regular thin plug.

12. Xbox SmartGlass is back, and runs on Windows 8, iOS, and Android devices
Microsoft's second-screen SmartGlass app works on a variety of phones, tablets, and PCs, and promises to add media playback controls, in-game second-screen functions, and pop-up information viewing throughout Xbox One. Many iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches, Android 4 devices 7 inches and larger, and Windows 8 phones, tablets, and PCs can connect.

13. Kinect is not required for use, but it certainly helps
A new Kinect comes packed in with every Xbox One, making it a required purchase. It's also meant to be plugged in most of the time. You don't need it plugged in, but any automatic logging in, voice control, and gesture recognition, which is a big part of how the Xbox One works, won't function.

14. It works with cable and satellite TV, but doesn't support DVR control
An HDMI input allows you to run your cable box directly into the Xbox One, feeding it all your TV feeds. The Xbox One has its own searchable menu for TV listings, too, and can change the channel on your cable box, acting on its behalf. But, while you can watch your DVR, you can't use the Xbox One to access your recordings or the menus; for that, you're going to have to use your remote, as usual.

15. Some TVs aren't supported for Kinect
We couldn't get the Xbox One to recognize the Sharp Elite PRO-60X5FD from Gamers Lab, which also meant the Kinect wouldn't learn commands for the set, either. Maybe additional software updates are needed, but this bears watching.

16. Game DVR only records the last five minutes of what you're playing, versus 15 minutes on the PlayStation 4
It's fun to share, but remember that the Xbox One only keeps a continuously recording backlog of the last five minutes, versus 15 minutes on the PS4. But it's easier to share a quick 30-second clip on the Xbox One.

17. Twitch exists as an app for Xbox One...but you can't broadcast using it yet
The PlayStation 4 has the ability to create your own live broadcast of your gameplay for the world to see via Twitch, or watch what others are streaming. The Xbox One has a Twitch app, but it's only for viewing streams: creating your own live stream won't be possible on Xbox until, most likely, early next year.

18. Snap is a multitasker's dream...but some apps don't work for it
Using Snap, you can create a side split-screen of live TV, NFL scores, or whatever else you can think of while playing a game...or, combine apps that involve no gaming whatsoever. Some apps don't support Snap yet, but discovering which do takes some trial and error.

19. Voice control is a mixed bag
Using the Kinect for voice commands shows how many more types of interactions you can do with the Xbox One versus the Xbox 360, but it's not perfect. More often than not you have to repeat yourself, and some TV channels and game titles require exact pronunciation, or are so hard to pronounce that the Xbox One simply won't process it easily.

20. It's always on, for better or worse
The Xbox One encourages you to run your TV and home theater through it, meaning you'll have your Xbox One on even when watching old DVR recordings or when watching a movie. The Xbox, and that Kinect. You might get pop-up Skype calls, or game notifications, right in the middle of a show. Of course, you can always disconnect it from your TV feed, too.

Tweet

PS4 Launches

Hello gamers that is great news that we all growing so fats so as are consoles. PS4 is here and we have some great news for you guys we cooperated with game-spot and they allowed us to use there videos so here are the videos that can explain every thing.

We'll be updating our PlayStation 4 coverage as the launch rolls on, so make sure to head to our PS4 page for more update for all of the latest information.

Tweet

New Look Of Google Chrome

Hello gamers and bloggers all we know that in world of famous browsers a name is GOOGLE CHROME is highlighted. It is the browser that is given by GOOGLE. And now it is upgraded. I give you the images of the upgrade looks very awesome.
 This is my desktop look imagine how your desktop will look.

This will appear on your desktop.

These are the new things.

Just upgrade your Google chrome now.....

Tweet

FIFA 14 Review

There's a change of pace about FIFA 14 that can be a little jarring at first. Those long-used run-and-gun attacks up the center of the pitch so beloved by FIFA players are met here with a steely wall of defence and a disheartening counterattack. This is a slower, more considered take on football that rewards careful buildup play and thoughtful strategy over brash tactics, and boy is it all the better for it. A slew of clever changes to the physics--some visible in the eerily realistic-looking animation and some working their magic behind the scenes--and clever control tweaks set this year's game apart from its predecessors. And in typical FIFA style, it's all wrapped up in some wonderfully compelling game modes and the glossiest of presentations.

There's no single new feature in FIFA 14 that screams "Buy me!" as perhaps the rag-doll collisions and 360-degree control did in FIFA 12, but it's how the game slickly combines several little tweaks to form a cohesive whole that makes matches sing. For instance, while you could previously manoeuvre the ball in all directions while a player was standing still, that ability now extends to when a player is running with the ball. It's an obvious tweak when you think about it, but it opens the game up to a multitude of runs that zigzag all over the pitch and to clever plays that outsmart defenders with more than a lucky through ball and a burst of speed.

This doesn't mean you can carve a mazelike path around the pitch without consequence, though. For every twist and turn you make, your players visibly shift their weight around and throw their arms out to keep balance. Overdo it, and the ball, which is no longer magically glued to a player's feet, drifts wide or too far out in front, giving defenders the perfect opportunity to swoop in and steal it. Naturally, some players are better at keeping control of the ball than others, depending on their stats. Figuring out who's the best man for the job and doling out the right strategy to the players is all part of the fun, and it's made easy thanks to a comprehensive and easy-to-use set of management tools that you can dive into before and during matches.

The best players are better equipped to perform showboating skill moves too, which are easier to pull off since you no longer have to hold down a modifier button. With just a few waggles of the right stick, you can indulge in all manner of body feints, stepovers, and sideways rolls, which--when combined with the looser dribbling and slick animation--look spectacular. The ability to actively shield the ball helps things along, giving you a little more time to plan an attack and giving your player those crucial seconds needed to line up a shot. It works well offensively too; some well-timed shielding lets you throw your player's weight around and turn on sixpence, and allows you to brute force defenders away from the ball.

What this all adds up to is a game that looks and feels more like a real game of football than ever before. AI performs more intelligently, boxing in players on the attack and performing runs in just the right places to create some real shooting chances, even if they're offside a little more often than you might like. And when you do get the chance to try to stick one in the back of the net, the ball dips, arcs, and moves with the kind of unpredictability you'd expect from a small round object being whipped through the air at pace. It's a wonderful thing to see in motion, and when you finally make your way to the box and score after a string of deft touches and considerate passing, it feels like you earned it. There's still an element of FIFA's heavy-handed automation at work here, but with FIFA 14 slowing down the pace and making you work harder for a goal, the automation is far less of an issue than in last year's game.

Off the pitch, things are largely the same, with modes like Head to Head Seasons, Ultimate Team, Online Friendlies, Virtual Pro, and Manager to play through, but they remain the most comprehensive and compelling you'll find in a football game. Real-world statistics ensure that every team is kept up to date before the start of every match, while the excellent EA Sports Football Club keeps track of any points earned and ties them to a real-world team for a ranking on a global league table. A slick new interface that mimics that of the Xbox 360 dashboard not only looks far better than its predecessor, but also keeps the action flowing smoothly in Career mode thanks to a simpler layout and navigation that lets you access all the core functions with just a few flicks of the analogue stick.

Career mode has received some much-needed tweaks, including the option to disable the first summer transfer window, finally giving you the chance to maintain a real-world squad up until the January transfer window. A Global Transfer Network has been introduced too, which masks a player's overall rating (OVR), so you've absolutely got to use scouts to find the best youth players. A tile on the Career mode page keeps you up to date on scouting progress, letting you choose to move forward with in-depth scouting, after which the OVR is finally revealed and you can decide who to purchase. This is far more engaging than simply hitting up the search box and looking for players with the highest OVRs, and it means you've got to put a great deal more thought into your purchases.

Fun skill minigames, swift loading times, and some excellent commentary (complete with rambling pre-match banter) put the finishing touches on what is a fantastic football experience. And, like previous FIFA games, FIFA 14 is beautifully presented. Animations are smooth, and famous players, kits, and stadiums are faithfully re-created with great attention to detail. You could argue that perhaps it all looks a little too perfect, and a little bit of grit here and there, along with some players who don't look like they've lost all feeling in their upper bodies, would go a long way towards making the game look even better, though it's still leaps and bounds ahead of the competition.

Despite the lack of a defining new feature to attach itself to, FIFA 14 is far more than the sum of its parts. It's a fundamentally different experience to last year's game, and an entertaining one at that, moving the series ever closer to the realism it so proudly strives for. The only competition FIFA has this year is itself. With a next-gen version just on the horizon, complete with a brand-new engine, you may be thinking about sitting this one out until then. But to do so would mean missing out on what is a fabulous football game, one that feels fresh yet familiar and that pushes even FIFA veterans into new, exciting, and engrossing ways of playing.

Tweet

How To Decide Name of Your New Blog?

Naming anything is one of the biggest task, because once you name anything, that becomes the future of that person/thing.  When ever I have to start a new blog or a website, my first few days goes in deciding the name of the blog. Since, BloggerGamer is a brand name for me, I usually add a suffix along with Blogger to create a blog name. But, usually for a newbie person, who is starting his first blog, deciding a name comes out to be very tough, as there are many confusions, such as:

• Should I use my name as my blog name?
• Should I use common words like Tech, Fashion, movies in my blog name?
• I’m not sure about niche of my blog, and will this name look good in long run?

These are just few of many confusions which we usually have while deciding on the name of the blog. Here I will out line some of the simplest way which can help you to pick a name for your blog. Do remember, by the end, every name is good; what really matter is what quality you put in there, and how you brand it.

Pen and Paper or Google Docs:

Pick a pen and paper, and start writing the names which are coming in your mind. Don’t use your personal name as blog name, until it’s your personal journal blog. Because, if you use your name as a name of your blog, it loses the chance of creating a niche authority blog, and it becomes more of a personal branding blog. For example, the other day I along with a team-mate was brainstorming a domain name for my new blog which is about WordPress niche, and here are few names that we put down on paper:

• BloggerGamerWPHelp
• GamerWP
• BloggerWpNinjas
• GamerWPHub
• BloggerWPDaily
• GamerWPCode
• BloggerWPCoder
• GamerWPHacker

Now, after writing down these names, we started removing names one by one, and the process was quite easy, after we answered these questions:

• What is the goal of this blog?
• What kind of audience I’m targeting?
• Is name justifying the kind of content I’m going to put there?
• Is this name Good for long run?
• Is the name unique or my name is close to any existing brand?

It took another 10 minutes to start removing names, and by the end we come down to following domains:

• GamerWPHub
• BloggerGamerWPDaily

Now, both the name actually suits the kind of blog we were thinking, as it was suppose to be about WordPress tips, news and regular stuff. Similarly, this is the first thing you should do when deciding a blog name.

Don’t use trademark name:

A major mistakes we unknowingly do is by picking up a Trademark name. For example, having a domain name with words like WordPress, Google, AdSense, Apple and so on. Using somebody trademark name can create legal issues, and if you wish to read more about it, you should check out this official wiki page on Trademark.

Check for Brand name availability on Social-media sites:

Another important thing to keep in mind when deciding for a blog name is; availability of name on Social-media sites. For example, if you have decided a blog name as BGHub, that name should also be available on at least Twitter and Facebook. If not, you should go for an alternate name or start with step 1. You can use a username check website like Knowem to search for name availability on various Social networking sites.

Keyword Rich or Keyword less:

Another important aspect of selecting a blog name is; should we use Keyword or should we not use Keyword. I’m not going in depth on this here.Few more tips to keep in mind:

• Don’t try to choose a long blog name.
• Make sure name of the blog is memorable and not hard to type.
• Ensure that blog name is easy to pronounce, and should not be confusing.
• Prefer .com domain name.
• Don’t use .net, .info or other not so famous TLD’s

Just follow these tips and let me know if this helped you or not. Once you have decided on the name of your new blog, book your domain from Godaddy or any other popular domain registrar. If you have any additional question or tip you would like to add, do let me know via comment. If you find this article useful, do consider sharing it on Facebook and Google plus.

Tweet

Update : New Apple Mac

Apple on Tuesday brought out a refresh of its iMac all-in-one desktop line.

Under the hood of the latest iMacs, available Tuesday, are Intel's fourth-generation quad-core Haswell processors, 802.11ac Wi-Fi capabilities, and faster PCIe flash storage options, Apple said.

Here's a breakdown of pricing and configurations: The 21.5-inch iMac is available with a 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.2GHz and Intel Iris Pro for a suggested retail price of $1,299. With a 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 and Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6 GHz and Nvidia GeForce GT 750M, the suggested retail price is $1,499.

The 27-inch iMac, meanwhile, comes with a 3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6GHz and Nvidia GeForce GTX 755M for a suggested retail price of $1,799. With a 3.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 and Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.8GHz and Nvidia GeForce GTX 775M, the suggested retail price is $1,999.

In announcing the refresh, Apple put an emphasis on speed. For instance, the new iMacs, when connected to an 802.11ac base station, can get up to three times faster wireless performance than did the previous desktop generation, according to Apple.

Standard with the latest iMacs is 8GB of memory and a 1TB hard drive, expandable to 32GB of memory and up to a 3TB hard drive. All-flash storage options are available in configurations up to 1TB, Apple said. The desktop computers also pack two Thunderbolt and four USB 3.0 ports.

The new iMacs come with Apple's Mac OS X Mountain Lion.

Tweet

A Complete Guide to Start Blogging for Money

Blogging is passion for me, and it’s something I enjoy doing. It’s not a work for me, because it’s something that makes me feel complete. This is one of the many reasons I have taken blogging as a full-time professional career, and even after 4 years of professional blogging, I never found it boring or felt like work.

With every passing day, I’m diving deeper into the world of blogging, and I keep sharing my experiences and learnings here at ShoutMeLoud. Now, for many blogging is not the same like me, because to live a regular life money plays a major role, and without money, blogging is just a part-time work, and can never be a top-most priority. This is kind of sacrifice many of you are making, to ensure you don’t miss out your present for your future. In this guide, I will share a complete guide on how to start blogging for making money. I will be referring to many selected articles from past, which will ensure that you don’t miss out anything.

• Harsh Agrawal – My blogging journey
• How ShoutMeLoud makes money from blog

I will make this handy for any newbie, who have never started a blog, and still want to learn the art of blogging for money only. Do remember, blogging is not for everybody, and there are many other ways to earn money online. Since, I love blogging and find it to be most profitable way to make money, this post is targeted to those enthusiastic people, who are ready to learn something new and make money from it. I will try to cover all important aspect of blogging, and I will be sharing tons of links from the pasts which will ensure that this posts doesn’t feel like in-complete. If you really planning to start blogging for money, make sure you open all links mentioned in this post to ensure you are not missing out anything.

How to start a blog which will money for you:

To be honest, for blogging you don’t need to have any skills apart from writing. If you know how to express yourself with writing, which adds values for the people, you can become a blogger. Though, there are some technical requirement which you can always achieve by hiring people. There might be an initial investment, but it will be worth it for making a great future with the help of blogging.

Niche/Topic of your blog:

The very first thing you need to do is find the niche of your blog. By niche I meant finding the topic for your blog. You might be jack of all trades, and want to start a blog on multiple topic, but it will not be fruitful, as people like to subscribe to a blog, which is authority in particular topic.

Even from search engine point of view, a blog/website dedicated on single topic ranks higher. Now, the question is how you can find the topic of your blog? Here are few tips that will help you to get started:

• Find a topic that you know better than anyone else. It doesn’t have to be the job you are doing, and it could be anyone. Try to think about the topic that you mostly like to talked about, and you can comfortably talk about it for hours.
• A good idea is to pick a topic that you usually read about. The topic which you read about all the time, is something that interest you.
• Also make sure you have a keen interest on particular topic, and you can add values with your own insight.
• For newbies, I always recommend to take help of pen-paper and write down the topics in different columns that you like. For ex: Photography, Scientific research, Baby care, health care and so on. Now, try to write 20 post ideas for those different columns. When you are writing the post title, think about what you can write without taking reference. By the end of 20th article, it will help you to find the topic (Niche) that you like the most.

This is one important step before starting a blog, as it will help you to pick a topic that you are most passionate about. This will ensure that you will not burn out when your blog goes life. Most of the newbie blog dies in short span because of lack of passion and continuation. If you are picking a topic that you like to talk about and write about, it will ensure that your burn out period will never come. So, I assume you have selected the niche for your blog which can make some money for you.

• How to choose niche of your new blog?
• Why nicheless blog can’t compete with niche blog?

Blogging platform:

There are many blogging platform out there, and people have different opinion about it. Most of the top bloggers I know of have started blogging on BlogSpot.com. For any new blogger, I always suggest you to start blogging on BlogSpot platform for first 1 month on regular basis, and this will help you to learn the basics of blogging. Once your basics are cleared, you are ready to start blogging on serious platform.

Once you have crossed the testing period, you are ready to do something more meaningful. Get a WordPress blog, and don’t confuse yourself with WordPress.com and self hosted WordPress  blog. A self hosted WordPress blog (WordPress.org) is what you need. It means you will be installing WordPress on your own hosting and getting a domain, which I will explain further. I’m not getting in detail about pros and cons of different blogging platform, but if you are still interested to know about it, here are few articles to clear your basic doubts.

• Why WordPress is better than BlogSpot platform
• WordPress or BlogSpot: Which is better for SEO?

Domain Name:

Name of your blog is most important and most crucial part for the success. A domain name is the URL of blog which a visitor will use to open a blog. For example: www.ShoutMeLoud.com

When you start a blog on BlogSpot or WordPress.com platform, you get an address like name.blogspot.com and name.WordPress.com. A custom domain name is like www.ShoutMeLoud.com, for which we need to pay around $11. If you are following this blogging for money guide, you should start a blog on BlogSpot without any custom domain. When you learn the basic role of blogging, you are ready to invest a little on domain name, which I will cover in next topic “Webhosting”.

Now, there are few rules which will help you to pick the best name for your new blog, and here are some of the tips from my experience:

• Use only .com domain extension. Use .in or country based domain extension when you are targeting traffic from a particular country.
• Your domain name should be easy to pronounce and easy to type.
• Make sure your domain name should not confuse listener.

I usually follow two rules when selecting a domain name for myself and for my clients. Here are two rules which I follow:

For long term venture:

If you are planning to create a blog for long term stuff, a good idea is to go for a branded domain name, which doesn’t have any meaning, but it’s easy to recall and easy to type. For ex: Shout Me Loud, Labnol and so on.

For SEO advantage:

Now, if you are planning to create a blog which sole purpose is to make money and you are unsure about long-term goals, you can pick a keyword rich domain name. a good idea is to have your main topic (Keyword) as first name, and followed by a suffix like Guide, resource and so on. Ex: Cydiaguide, Techguides and so on.

You can use tools like Bustaname to get suggestions for your domain name. My suggestion is to use you creativity and pick a name which make more sense, and easy to brand. Here are few things you should not do when selecting the domain name for your new blog:

• Don’t use your personal name as blog name. Because, it will not look professional when your blog will grow, and when you target audience shift from local to global.
• Don’t use too long domain name. Try to keep it lower down 12 character. Ex: ShoutMeLoud
• Don’t use domain extension like .info, .net and so on, because they tend to rank bad in Search engines. I always prefer and suggest to use a domain name extension like .com or .org.

Suggested read:

• How to select great domain name for your business
• How to find best domain name for your Website
• How to write blog business plan in 9 easy steps

Webhosting:

Now, I assume you have crossed the infant stage of blogging on a free blogging platform like BlogSpot or WordPress.com, and you should move to a self hosted platform. By self hosted platform, I generally meant to install your blog on your own server. This way you will have more control on your blog, and you are responsible for all your actions. I have already shared a complete guide on webhosting for beginners, which will help you to learn the basics of hosting servers. Just to make things simpler:

Grab a hosting package from Bluehost and use this guide to install WordPress on Bluehost hosting. Bluehost offers free domain along with hosting, and it will cost around $4.95/month which is a decent amount for a quality webhosting. If you are completely new to WordPress platform, here are WordPress video tutorials to train you. It will be little time-consuming, but if you are serious about making money from blogging, you have to spend dedicated time to understand and learn the basics. Here is a video to get you started:

Set up your blog:

To start setting up your blog for branding and make it perfect, below I have shared some guides which you can refer to get started:

• Learn how to set up WordPress blog for the first time.
• Places to submit your blog for the first timer.
• Must have subscription option for your blog.
• Set up domain Email address on Bluehost server.

Setting up a perfect blog might be little tricky, because with time you will learn about the many basic things, and you will learn it over the time.

Plan your content:

Before you start writing your first blog post, you should make a content strategy. For example, if you are picking a niche like “WordPress”, think of most basic questions a user will have, and you can create content title based on that. I will be talking about Keyword research and other stuff later in this article, but for now lets concentrate on content planning from a user point of view. So, lets assume your niche topic is “WordPress blog” and here are basic questions a newbie user will have:

• What is WordPress
• Why WordPress is better blogging platform
• Difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org blog
• How to create a WordPress blog.
• Must have plugins for your WordPress blogs and so on…..

A good idea is to create a spread sheet and note down all your idea. If you are little technical, you can take advantage of mind mapping tools to have a visual appearance of your ideas. Above titles are an example, and you should note down ideas based on the topic of your interest. Content planning will help you to stay focused with time, and you know what you have to write next. Planning is most crucial part of creating a perfect blog.

Design of your blog:

Blog design is most important aspect of your blog, because a good design will ensure that your visitors will love your blog. For WordPress, there are many free and Premium WordPress themes out there, and I always recommend to go for a premium theme, because you will get all the support and starter guide, and more over, you will have a quality design for your blog. Here are three premium theme clubs which I would recommend you to start with.

• Genesis : This is costliest option, but certainly one of the best theme framework out there. You should opt for pro-package, which will let you access all their skins and future updates for free.
• Swift: This is a theme for an Indian web-developer “Satish Gandham”, and he is known for priority support. If you are completely technically challenged, you should opt for Swift theme and ask Satish to set it up for you.
• Theme-junkie: This theme is perfect for people who want to design their theme themselves. There are many good themes out there, and with easy to control design panel, you can customize your WordPress theme without any issue.

There are many more premium WordPress theme clubs out there, but I recommend anyone of above three for instant and professional start.

WordPress plugins:

There are thousands of WordPress plugins out there, and here I will mention few of those plugins which are must-have for any new WordPress blog. If you have never installed a plugin before, here is my guide on installing WordPress plugin. Here are plugins which you should have on your newly created WordPress blog:

• WordPress SEO by Yoast
• Akismet
• Smush.it
• W3 total cache
• Jetpack by WordPress.com
• Google XML sitemap
• SEO friendly images
• EasyWPSEO (Paid plugin)
• No self pings
• PushPress

There are many more plugins, but above plugins will ensure that you have all basics plugin installed on your blog.

Add important pages on your blog:

Here are some of the important pages, which you should have on your blog from day one.

• About page: Contains detail about your blog, and you.
• Contact page: A page with contact form. You can use Contact form 7 to create a contact form on WordPress.
• Privacy policy: Add privacy details for your blog.
• Comment policy: Add a comment policy for your blog.

Branding of your blog:

It’s very important for any blogger to brand their blog from day one, as people like to associate themselves with a brand. Branding a blog is quite easy, and you have already done 50% of branding by picking up a good looking design from my above steps. Here are few additional steps to help you:

• Create a logo for your blog. If you are not a designer, you can always find logo makers on fiverr which will cost you not more than $5. Make sure you ask the designer to give your the .psd file, which you will be needing for future use.
• Create a favico for your blog, which will again not take a lot of time.
• Create a Facebook page, Google plus page, and Twitter page for your blog.

Writing your first content:

Now, this is where the real-challenge begins, as you need to write content which are not only useful but written in excellent quality. I will share some of the articles link below to get you started, but here are few tips which will ensure you don’t make mistakes a newbie usually makes:

• When you are writing your content, imagine there is a person sitting next to you, and he doesn’t have any knowledge about the topic you are writing. Now, your content should cover all the aspect of basics to advanced to explain your topic to the guy. You don’t have to go crazy with details, but it should have enough details.
• Above tip will ensure that your content length is up-to the mark.
• Write in first-person tone, because there is only single person who is reading your blog. For example, you are reading this blog post alone. So, use you instead of we.
• Try to take your own screenshots using software’s like Snagit (that’s what I use). Don’t use images from Google image search directly. If your still need images for your post without taking screenshots, here are two guides to help you. Find images for your blog using Google advanced image search, and find free to use images using Flickr.

Here are few articles that will ensure when you write your first blog post, you will definitely end up creating great content.

Now, Make money from blogging in easy steps:

The best and easiest way to make money from blogging is AdSense, and I will not get into details, as below guide will ensure that you end up making money from your blog.

• How to monetize self-hosted WordPress blog.
• How to make money from your blog without advertisement

When you starting a new blog, ensure that you use minimum ads. Too many ads on a new blog is a big turn-off, and you will failed to turn your first time visitors into loyal readers. Here are some additional tips that you should keep in mind to make money from your blog:

• Why you can’t make money blogging like the pro-bloggers

Here are some advance topics to learn basics of money making via affiliate marketing:

• What is affiliate marketing and FAQ
• How to make money with Amazon affiliate program
• Become a Dreamhost affiliate to earn up to $97/sales

Search engine optimization of your blog and learning basics of SEO:

SEO is an advanced topic and it’s hard to complete it in single article. Many newbies try now to concentrate on search engine optimization, and it’s a big mistake. Search engine optimization helps you to drive targeted traffic from organic search, which in-turn makes more money for you. There are three core part of SEO:

• On page SEO: Your content quality, Keyword placement and other factors.
• On Site SEO: Crawling, indexing of your website.
• Off Site SEO: Backlinks from other sites.

With the evolution of SEO, I would also like to add two more here:

• Social signals: Social media plays a great role in improving your blog ranking. Specially, Google plus is proven to be the best social networking site to improve ranking.
• User experience: New Search engine optimization is all about giving a great user experience. Some of the key aspect of good user experience: Navigation, site loading, website design, readability and so on.

Here are couple of articles, which you should definitely read to learn about SEO:

Tweet