If you are new to the internet and wondering what on earth this blogging craze is all about, or if you already have your own website and you''re wondering why everyone keeps advising you to start your own blog, read on. I''m going to explain to you what a blog is, why you need one, how to set it up, promote it and of course, make money from it.

Blog is short for "web log" and is similar to an online diary or journal. The craze of blogging began in the very late 1990s and has started to become more and more popular over the last couple of years. Almost everyone seems to have a blog these days, from CEOs of large companies to webmasters, from world travelers to teenagers.A blog allows you to communicate informally with people via an online journal, but it''s more personal and unstructured than a website and easier and cheaper to set up than a website.

If you have your own website, but haven''t yet started a blog you can easily start one using a free service such as Blogger or WordPress. Try to post to your blog at least once or twice a week on topics related to your website. Blogging will help your search engine rankings and open up the communication channels between you and your visitors or customers, encouraging them to interact with you and give them a reason to return to your site in future.

If you don''t have your own website and are looking to set up a blog quickly and easily I recommend opening a free account with Blogger. You can blog about anything you like, for example a hobby, a vacation, your home town, something political, a sport or your business. Just be sure to pick something that you are interested in and knowledgeable about. You can host your blog for free on Blogspot all you need to do is pick a name that is relevant to the topic of your blog. Once you have set up your profile and chosen a template, blogging is as simple as sending an email to a friend.

There are many ways to make money from your blog, but here are a few ideas to get you started:

- Google Adsense - This is free to join and easy to set up. The ads will match the content of your blog and you will get paid every time a visitor clicks on an ad.

- Affiliate Programs - Sign up for affiliate programs related to the topic of your blog and display links to related products on your blog. Clickbank, Trade Doubler and Commission Junction are good places to start, or do a Google search for "affiliate program" + the topic of your blog to find more affiliate programs. Whenever someone clicks through your affiliate link and buys a product, you will receive a commission. If you are knowledgeable about your topic you could also write product reviews to help increase your affiliate sales.

- Sell Advertising Space - If you have a popular blog you can charge people to advertise on your blog. This could be in the form of a text link, a banner or a graphic.

You are not going to make money with a blog unless people can find it. As soon as you have started to post to your blog it''s time to start promoting it. You can get your blog noticed by

- Submitting your blog to blog directories - just search for "blog directories" in Google

- Asking other bloggers to exchange links with you - you put a link on your blog in exchange for a link from their blog.

- Writing an article related to the topic of your blog and posting it to article directories. Remember to include an author''s resource box with a link to your blog.

- Pinging blog ping services every time you make a new post - pingomatic.com and pingoat.com are two sites ydo this.

- Participating in forums related to the topic of your blog. Put a link to your blog in your forum signature.

Finally, once you have your blog monetized and you have started promoting it don''t forget to post regularly. The most important aspect of every successful blog is frequent posting, so be sure not to let the virtual dust gather over your blog

When you start seeking relationship online in an Internet dating site things appear bright and easy. Well they are. Internet dating has become a marvelous platform for dating online for people subscribing to all lifestyles. The reason is it is fast, economical and has much greater options and a vast database of active members that is impossible in a traditional brick and mortar service.
Another advantage that Internet dating sites offer is anonymity that is crucial in initial stages of matchmaking.
When you go online with an aim to find love or romance then you should note these points.
Always seek profiles in online personals of singles dating sites or sites that proclaim to offer love or romance. Since it is here that you will find maximum personals ads seeking love and romance like you are.
There are many thousands of sites on Internet for dating but they cater to various category or lifestyle. You would not like to enroll in an adult dating site or a swingers site or an alternative dating site-if you are straight-to find love? Many would in most likely hood make this mistake and realize that adult personals in these sites seek sex partner, couple sex, or gay lesbian sex. This is not your cup of tea if you are seeking long term relationship based on love and romance.
Register in sites that offer free registration. This would help you to explore the site and find out whether it is the one for you. Such dating services allow you to browse some profiles, which should give you an idea that whether there are free personals that conform to your criteria for finding a perfect match.
While exploring the site as a registered member you will also discover the technology and tools that they use like the basic search. Use the basic search and find if the results fetch what you seek and a good number of them. Use advance search and find out how accurate the results are there when you set finer criteria.
You may not be allowed to use messaging or make a meaningful contact with a single whose profile matches yours until unless you upgrade your free membership to a paid membership. Do so if you are satisfied with the sites performance. There is nothing wrong for a service to be charged, for online dating sites cost money in terms of maintenance and regular up gradation of new technologies. That is possible when the service provider earns money. In fact paid service providers are a better bet as they are financially more stable.
The personals in a love dating site or site for online romance will be in most likely hood what you are seeking. Here greater importance is given to profession, age, locality, physical attributes, interests, ethnicity, religion, and habits, which are the main criteria for log term relationship match or even for a matrimonial alliance. Where as in adult dating or in an adult swinger site and gay lesbian dating more emphasis is on sexual and physical orientation of the persons rather then the criteria mentioned above

Foreign medics (Bulgarians) were convicted for deliberately injecting 438 children with HIV-tainted blood. Fifty-six of the children have since died. The medics were to be hanged, but after series of appeals, the death sentence was converted to life imprisonment. Further appeals and a deal reached, allowed for the medics to be released to Bulgarian government on the condition that they continue the life sentence there. The medics were 'pardoned' right at the airport by the Bulgarian president and treated like 'the victims'

The deal reached with the EU includes: to normalize trade and political ties with Libya, European market could now be opened to Libyan farm and fishery produce, and there could be co-operation in archeology, education, Bulgaria could write off Libya's debts of $54m (£27m) owed to Sofia as a "humanitarian gesture", health care for the Libyan children infected with HIV and a compensation deal worth $1m (£500,000) per child to the families of the 438 infected children , channeled through Gaddafi Foundation, a charity run by Seif al-Islam, the Libyan leader's son. This sounds more like a 'popularity' enhancement programme by Gadaffi's son.

"$1m per child", is that what the life of a Libyan is worth? I feel utterly disgusted when issues are politicized. I wonder what the judgment would have been if the scenario were turned around, just imagine the story' headline: 'African medics inject EU (Bulgarian) children with HIV'.What !!! they would have long been forgotten in jail.I still wonder what prompted such a deal. Its very sad, considering they never showed any remorse or pleaded for pardon. Would the AU ever unify for such a deal.Be it an act of negligence or a premeditated act of murder, the fact still remains that over 400 children have been infected with the deadly virus,not 10 0r a 100 or even 200,but over 400.To let the people convicted of this heinous crime go free is to make a mockery of justice.

A similar fate also befell Nigeria (Kano) when anti-meningitis drugs were tested on children illegally under the disguise of finding solutions to the ailment. The case is in court and a similar resolution is expected. I wonder when African leaders will understand the long term implication of having African children maimed, killed or even being used as guinea pigs in European and American laboratories and not just the short-term/ immediate political gains.

The Commsissioner of Police,Mr Muhammed Abubakar in Lagos issued a statement last week , stating that religious preachers who preach in Lagos transport buses and its environs would be arrested.

This measure according to Police chief is to curtail criminals who devise various means and acts to rob unsuspecting victims.

So the preaching of God's gospel is caught short to an extent in the busy Lagos roads.
Everyday we meet one preacher or the other inside a bus, preaching about the kingdom of God, repentance and salvation.

I think churches should come out and defend the evengelistic ministries of some its missions in the propagation of the gospel.

What do yuou think about this development?

The Police in Lagos have constituted themselves to be a nuisance.
Because i don't know why police will always stop you and check you form your pockets to your wallets to find something they themselves do not know.

The police are just using every means to extort money from people on the Lagos island.At CMS Bus stop yesterday, i saw For policement ranscaking a bag from a young man, they found International Passport and other travel documents.They eventually arrested the man , but hewas pleading that the documents are his.

The wort scenario was the Handcuffing of this man, he was slapped severally for protesting.
Another case happened last week in Obalende area of ikoyi near Dodan barracks, Police men from Lion building stormed into Daniel's Compund and molested and humiliated operators of business cerntres in the compound.A police warrant of arrest was shown but it showed the address of some where else.

The men of the Nigerian Police arrested over ten customers and owners of the business centres.They were hndcuffed and thoroughly beaten.
There offense could not be ascertained as that then.
The disgrace and shame has had its first casualty , as one of the owners of a buiness centre has stopped operations.
The police i gathered took a bribe of 40,000 thousand Naira.

Efforts shopuld be made to make the Poice force a career ,The police in Lagos are dangerous, they are capable of inrlicting harm in the face of of protests.

I love the police but there are many illiterates and criminals in their fold. please purge the police so they can defend and protect us.