Hello all, I recently got a few e-mails asking me how I made my banner on Thinkblogger.

The program that was used was Adobe Photoshop CS2 and I was able to do so due to a number of different brushes that I downloaded.

Alot of these brushes are free, others have terms of use which you must follow.

On to the Brushes!

You can find these brushes anywhere really. but the main 2 websites that I got them from are Brusheezy and Deviantart (Brush Section). You would also be able to find some pretty good sites if you google “Photoshop CS2 Grunge Brushes.”

However, Brusheezy and Deviantart both have a great selection which was more than sufficient for myself.

Some of the brushes on Deviantart that I liked and toyed with (and might still use for the next design attempt of Thinkblogger):

1. Urban Designs Vector Brushes by RedHeadStock
2. Ripe Grunge Extreme Pack by RazorICE
3. Vector Pack Brush Set by Solenero.

Look around, see what you can find that you enjoy! You would be surprised on how many quality brushes are out there that you can use.

Any Final Notes?

If you have any brushes that you would like to add to this list that you think are good or that you used in your designs. Feel free to comment, I might just add them!

I know, I know. Its not quite over yet. We still have a bit to go in March, but I just couldn’t contain myself. With the new layout finally available and a growing community here at Thinkblogger, I just couldn’t wait.

I wanted to give all the upcoming readers a taste of what they missed over the last month that made a bit of a stir at Thinkblogger.

Some Promising Entries of March 2008.

1. Entrecard Experiment: Chaindropping. This was the first post of March and boy did i have a lot of fun with this one. Basically, I gave people a strategy on how to achieve an easy 300ec+ value over the course of a week. Mind you, this method does take a bit of time.
2. Removal of Blogrush (Again) - Find out why I decided to remove Blogrush, even after their announcement of “Trafficjam”. I experimented, and they brought me nothing.
3. Blogging Mistakes that could Hurt you - Find out a few basic mistakes that really grind my gears. With this, keep in mind, that this was a tactic in order to get a bit of buzz, and boy did it ever ;).
4. Opera Browser? What’s That? - This was my first real appreciation for Opera. Find out why I switched to Opera from Firefox for my day-to-day needs.
5. Be Unique. Be Yourself. This post gives you an idea of what you need to do in order to succeed at blogging (or at least, one take on it).

Some of you blog so they can blog. (like myself - I get a thrill from blogging). Others, get into blogging because they think they can get tons of money.

Though I cannot necessarily agree with this frame of mind, it is very possible to make money while blogging, even when just starting out.

However, you need to keep in mind that the more readers and visibility you have (as well as the niche you write about), the more you could potentially make. That aside, here are some neat ways.

Some Basic Ways:

• Google Adsense - Yep, who would have thought. One of the most well known advertising companies actually work well with blogs. (Well, not as well as with other types of sites, but still enough, depending on your niche and target audience). I might try this one again in the future for an experiment now that the new layout is in and kickin’ ;).

• CPM Advertisers - Have a lot of traffic? then try for some CPM ad networks. Places like Adbrite, BURSTmedia, ValueClick, Casale Media, among countless others, too. Some restrictions apply.

• Advertising Space - This is a big one. Have a PR5 blog with thousands of unique visitors a day (over-exaguration)? Then sell some advertising space on your sidebar or get a square box set up for people to advertise on. Look over at people like John Cow, who is selling a 125×125 box for $125/month, or others who don’t quite make as much I am selling it for only $15/month, but I have 4 boxes. That $60.

• Affiliate Products - Quite the dreaded one, but it works. If you have an internet marketing niche, try to get some products related to it. Have a “Make Money Blog”? Why not get people to sign up under your web hosts and get your ebooks.

• Blog Reviews - Have some back links already? then sign up to places like PayPerPost.com or SponsoredReviews.com. They have a pretty big advertiser base which can definitely help you get your foot in the door. However, you can also directly put a “Get Reviewed” Section or Page on your blog and advertise your prices directly.

• Other Platforms - There are other networks out there that can make you a bit of money like Adtoll or Project Wonderful. If you have a lot of traffic, Adtoll looks pretty promising. Project Wonderful, you get paid daily. (The amount is not as much, but still a pretty decent amount in the end if it adds up and you have a good blog - that is, if your having trouble advertising with other methods)

Is it True?!

Yes, it is true. You “can” make money online, but do not be fooled. You cannot just slap together a blog and expect to make $100’s a month. (well, unless your really lucky). It takes work and dedication, but once you get into your groove, things come naturally. It is not how most bloggers put it, in order to get a quick buck or two.

You need to build a name for yourself, a ‘brand’, and get a lot of traffic as well. However, it is possible, it just takes time. I think patience is one of the things people do not take too well when Blogging, as most bloggers quit before they reach their 3 month mark.

How do I get enough Traffic?

Build those back links, create more posts, submit some more articles, and comment on other blogs! You cannot just ‘wait around’ to get popular, you have to step forward, get your rear and gear, and make it happen for yourself.

Remember, ‘Seize your Blog, Make it your Own‘ (yay for my old slogan)

Here it is. The new layout of Thinkblogger.org. Perhaps the banner is not as flashy as the other one, but the code is much more up to date and lets me do a lot more with it.

You can see some similarities from the old one, but it also gives a change in color and a nice fresh feel.

I hope everyone likes it I also added some rating bars at the end of all posts to allow visitors to rate the posts on what they feel I deserve for them.

Edit: Sorry for all the problems within the last hour. I just added my own custom code of ‘highlight author’, even though I should have just used a plugin, lol.