Easy to Start A Podcast: Text To Speech Blog Posts With Odiogo

Lynn Terry sent out an email this afternoon alerting her readers to a new utility that can make your blog posts more accessible to more people. In her post “New: The ClickNews Podcast“, she shared a new free service that changes your blog post text to speech.

If you look at the top of this post, you will see a little button that says, Listen Now. The service called Odiogo and it uses text to speech technology to make a blog post into a podcast. Once installed the post is changed to audio and a feed that can be followed through ITunes is made available by clicking on the Odiogo logo in the right hand column of my site. If you wish to subscribe, just click and you’ll be taken to a page where you can subscribe. The podcast can be downloaded to an MP3 player, IPod or IPhone.

The voice sounds very robotic but the owners of the site are working to make it sound more natural.

The main reason I decided to add the service was to allow those who print disabilities, e.g. poor vision, to have better access to the information I provide. As baby boomers we all know we’re starting to age and our eyesight is starting to change. I for one have noticed that my eyes aren’t what they used to be. Making my site more accessible to my readers is an important part of my marketing plan.

The other reason I added the Listen Now button is that now my blog is a podcast on ITunes and it didn’t cost me a thing, only about five minutes to set it up. Set-up is as easy as installing a plug-in to your blog.

If you’re interested in adding Odiogo to your blog, this article at Mashable will help you get set-up.

Ciao!

Reba

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Blog For Profit - A Really Great Site

With so many blogs and websites to choose from you’re bound to come across some bad ones and some goods ones, and then there are a few that are extraordinary. Well…I found one of the extraordinary ones. Blog For Profit at www.blogforprofit.com/blog is exceptionally well written and continuously relevant to topic. It’s informational and insightful. Well worth your time.

The owner of this premium work is Grant Griffiths and it was by accident that I even stumbled upon his site. A couple of weeks ago I posted information about how to use Google Reader. After I made the post I went to Twitter and gave a tweet about the post. Grant must have been following me, which I didn’t even realize, and saw my tweet. He liked the post and had trouble making a comment here on my site. We corresponded on Twitter and subsequently I followed him on Twitter.

I always look at the profile pages of the people I follow and since he was nice to me I decided to look at his website. It looked good so I added it to my feed reader and promptly forgot about it.

Yesterday I decided to get caught up on my blog reading and quickly saw just how good this site really is. Grant must be a writer at heart as he’s making 3-4 posts per day, all with really good information. His post about the 3 Major Components of Building A Successful Blog is just one article that is a must read, and that’s just Part 1, there will be more.

I wish I could do that.

Anyway, I make a lot of recommendations on this site but most are for products, this one’s a little different. But speaking from my experience, if you have a blog and want to learn more about the nuances of marketing that blog and having it help your business make money, add Grant’s site to your feed reader. And while you’re at it, sign-up to the Blog For Profit Newsletter, you’re sure to learn something.

And you know what? There are no affiliate links in this post, it’s that good.

Cheers!

Reba

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100 Day Challenge Registration

12/20/08 - HOT NEWS! Gary Ryan Blair’s new program, “Got Resolutions?” is now available. Click to go to the website:

“Got Resolutions?”

Our website has received a lot of traffic form people searching for Gary Ryan Blair’s, otherwise known as the “Goals Guy”, Start Fast Finish Strong 100 Day Challenge. If you’re one of those who searched and found our site but haven’t yet signed up for the 100 Day Challenge, I just wanted to pass along the email I received today…it seems our Goals Guy is throwing in some bonuses. And don’t worry, if you already purchased, you’ll get the bonuses as well. Here’s the email I received from Gary. And I have to add, the email says there’s just one more day to sign up but then it says Sept 29th is the last day to register, hmm…today is the 23rd, so I’m not sure if registration ends on the 29th or the 24th. If you’re interested, you might want to get on over there. See comment below in orange.

EDITED on 10/3/08 - I must have been wrong about the date this ended as I got an email today saying it ends at midnight tonight, sorry if this caused you any confusion.

I’m known for throwing out a few surprises…

And with the hugely successful launch of the 100-Day Finish Strong Challenge - I wanted to sweeten the pot a little for people who might still be sitting on the fence.

We have already surpassed our participant goal, and quite frankly I underestimated the amount of people who were really up to a good old-fashioned challenge.

There is ONLY one more day to register as the window of opportunity slams shut at midnight on September 29th.

If you’re one of those people who have been thinking about participating but have yet to pull the trigger and say yes, I wanted to do everything I could to get you off the fence and into the challenge.

==> http://startfastfinishstrong.com/

The following highlights everything you receive for participating along with one very special bonus…

1. Massive Action Plan (MAP). This plan teaches you the core
philosophy of Massive Cause = Massive Effect.

2. MP3 training on goal setting and leveraging your MAP.

3. Start Fast - Finish Strong video seminar which teaches
you how to build and sustain momentum quickly. 50 minutes

4. Orientation Teleseminar which focuses on the value of BOLDNESS as the key to maximum gowth in the shortest period of time.

5. Accountability Teleseminar on October 20th. You will learn additional implementation strategies and methods of accountability.

6. Focus Teleseminar on November 17th. You will learn additional focusing techniques in order to ensure maximum performance.

7. Finish Strong Teleseminar on December 5th. This final call
of the year promises to be inspiring and will focus on closing
out the year strong and successful.

8. Commitment Pledge: You will learn that the person who wins in the long run is the person who is most committed to winning.

9. Special Report: 15 Strategies that Guarantee Immediate Results.

You get all of this for a grand total of just $97.00.

Yes, for only 97 cents per day you will be giving yourself a wonderful gift, along with an incredible opportunity to finish the year strong.

Just imagine how you are going to feel on New Years Eve when you are enjoying significantly higher levels of wealth, health, and happiness.

Isn’t THAT feeling alone worth such a small investment of 97 cents?

Isn’t your future worth an investment of 97 cents?

I urge you to say yes and give yourself the gift of success. Take the 100-Day Finish Strong Challenge and astound yourself with what you’re able to accomplish in such a short period of time.

==> http://startfastfinishstrong.com/

You have NOTHING to lose and EVERYTHING to gain as your small investment of 97 cents per day is 100% GUARANTEED.

So what are you waiting for? Say YES-I’m up to the challenge and participate with people from all corners of the world…

==> http://startfastfinishstrong.com/

I urge you to sign up now as there’s ONLY a few more days to register, and the window of opportunity slams shut at midnight on Monday, September 29th.

Everything Counts!

Gary Ryan Blair

Got Questions? ==> Info@GoalsGuy.com

P.S. If you’re still not convinced that your future is worth an investment of 97 cents per day, than here’s FOUR more very special Bonuses if you sign up before the 29th.

The Art of Self Discipline mp3
Peak Performance and Energy Management mp3 Saying YES to Saying No mp3 Follow Your North Start mp3

You’ll love this extra bonuses along with the specific strategies you need to engage in on order to live the life you’ve always dreamed of.

It’s the same exact material I use with my $10,000 coaching clients and it’s yours free for saying yes-I’m up to the challenge!

==> http://startfastfinishstrong.com/

(Don’t worry if you’re already enrolled in the challenge - you’ll receive a copy as well!)

Also, here’s the video, we’re getting ready to take it down from our homepage to make room for something new, so I thought I’d just add it to this post.

Start Fast Finish Strong!

Good luck with the challenge!

Brent

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Wordpress ~ Simply A Necessity

What more can I say? Wordpress is simply the only way to run a website. Even if you don’t want a blog, you still need Wordpress for content management. I’ve been using Wordpress for years and believe me, it’s changed a lot over those years…for THE BETTER! When it comes to a content management system (affectionately referred to as CMS) you won’t find a more simple or cheaper alternative (it’s free!).

I’ll definitely be writing more about Wordpress as I think I’m going to have to do some tutorials or something but for right now I just wanted to get a post in the “Build Your Website” section of the the site to let you know where I stand and what I’ll be teaching on this site.

Also, to add to the “use Wordpress” mantra, only use Wordpress in your own hosting account, that way you own and have control of the content. There is an option to use Wordpress on a hosted site where the content is hosted by wordpress.com, don’t do it. It’s just like using a Blogger account, don’t do it. You’re at the mercy of someone else, don’t do it.

Here’s the link where you can download the most current version of Wordpress ~ and IT’S FREE!!!

http://wordpress.org/

Notice the .ORG ~ NOT .COM.

In another post I’ll give you links to two Wordpress plug-ins that are must haves.

Reba

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