9 Reasons to Use Google for All Your Blogging Needs

If you are thinking about starting a blog, it is very important to research and plan your product. There are many vendors and platforms out there that offer blog hosting, but none can match everything that Google is willing to offer. Keep reading for 9 reasons to use Google for all your blogging needs.

1.  Blogger: Google’s Blogger is very easy to set up for beginners. The step-by-step wizard makes the initial layout a snap. The best part is, it is also powerful and flexible enough for the advanced bloggers, which can save you future migration headaches. There are also many add-ins available to make your blog more unique and gain traffic.

2.  Adsense: If you have done any research on blogging for profit, you already know that Google’s Adsense is a must. Setting up Adsense to work with Blogger is easy by design to encourage new bloggers to use as many of Google’s features as possible.

3.  Google+: One of the easiest ways to gain traffic on your blog is to incorporate social media into your marketing and promotion plan. The good news – Google has that covered as well with Google+, which is constantly gaining popularity. Similarly to how Facebook was considered the “mature alternative to MySpace” at one time, Google+ is becoming the more mature and professional alternative to Facebook. Additionally, Googe+ already has many communities for research, discussion, and collaboration purposes.

4.  Gmail: Almost everyone already has a Gmail account. When used with other Google applications, Gmail gives you the ability to have an email account that is directly tied to your blog, advertisement platform, and social media outlet. It gives you the professional appearance of having a specific account for your blog as well.

5.  Hangouts: Google’s Hangouts is a new feature of Google+ that allows you to collaborate with other bloggers or even your readers through text, voice, and video chat. Just imagine having the capability to hold chat sessions with your audience to discuss issues, let them know more about you, or even make suggestions about your content. Google Hangouts is the ultimate way to stay connected to your fans.

6.  YouTube: If you are anything like me, you might also be interested in trying out a video blog (vlog). With YouTube, you can set up your own channel to talk about whatever you desire. If you are smart, you will also use YouTube (with Adsense) to promote your blog and use your blog to host links to your YouTube videos.

7.  Cross-Authentication: One of the biggest advantages to using Google applications is the cross-authentication. When you log into one Google product, your credentials pass on to the next application. This saves you time and effort associated with creating, maintaining, and remembering multiple user accounts.

8. Search Engine Optimization: Many bloggers and webmasters spend so much of their time trying to figure out creative ways to get their blog to the first page of Google. Luckily for you, your blog is already hosted by them! In other words, they already see your blog – something that can be difficult to initiate, otherwise.

9. Cost: What is the absolute best reason to use Google applications for your blogging endeavors? You probably guessed it already. Google applications are free. You can’t beat that with a stick.

As you can see, there are quite a few reasons to use Google for all your blogging needs. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about getting started or making the switch, please feel free to use the “comments” section below.

-BCS

Unlikely Heroes

Hey there Folks,

I should probably be working on homework right now since I have about 24 pages worth of papers to finish this week, but I just had something that I thought you would be interested in hearing about.

I just met a man who worked in the Pentagon during the time of September 11th, 2001. He told me he was walking around the outside ring when the plane hit and that if the crash had occurred just forty seconds earlier, he would have been hit directly by the burning, twisted metal that used to be American Airlines Flight 77. After speaking with him more about his experiences, I also learned that he is a cancer survivor and that he was in the military for twenty-three years. He listed off quite a few places where his country sent him around the world, most of which I have never even heard of.

I told him he was lucky and that he must have a great purpose in this life to have survived the events that have left such dark blemishes on the face of his own history. Instead of giving into my positive remark, he went on to tell me about all the people throughout his time that had left an impact on his character, yet lost their lives in one event or another.

These are the people that make our country what it is. I was so inspired by the life of this man that I thought I should share the little part of his story that passed between us during our brief encounter. I regret not even knowing his name.

I don't usually post inspirational thoughts or feelings, but I ask you all to take a look at your own lives and ask yourself what you have contributed to yourself, your family, your community, or your country. I know I will.

- BCS

Long time..

Hello there, readers!

This work related training that I am doing is keeping me extremely busy lately. I still have over a month to go, but things are starting to slow down and I should be able to post more. Sorry, still can't do videos.

There is good news though! I have a better camera and lapel microphone now, so when I do get back home and I am able to shoot, there should be a noticeable difference in the overall quality. I can't make too many promises about improved content.

Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to making videos again.

Stay tuned!

-BCS

Going on a Trip

Hello everyone,

I am doing some work related training during the months of March and April and I don't think I will be able to do any videos during that time. Luckily, I will still have my laptop and I should be able to shoot out some regular blog posts. That being said, I am still going to try to squeeze out a video this weekend before I leave. I know that I have been slacking on the videos lately, but I assure you that I have not lost interest in this endeavor.

Thank you all for listening to and reading my thoughts. Keep researching the news for yourself and never let the media tell you what to think!

Steve (BurntCoffeeSucks)

ShmooCon 2013, Last Carnival Update and Dorner's Death

Yesterday I told you guys that I was going to attempt to get into ShmooCon 2013 after work, even though I didn’t have a ticket. I am happy to report that it was a huge success. Not only was I able to buy one, but I was able to resell it at the end of the night to someone that planned to go for the whole weekend. I also had the opportunity to talk with some really great guys that I have followed on Twitter due to their expertise in the information security field. This was my first security convention, and I found it very entertaining to see fellow geeks come together and attempt to be socialites. Overall, it was a blast and I saw some neat vendors, great talks, and outstanding people. I want to thank everyone who organized and participated in the event. If you were not able to go and would like to watch the presentations live, visit http://www.shmoocon.org/news-shmoo_streaming.

We all know that the story about the Carnival cruise ship Triumph is over, but we all also know that the media is going to drag it on as long as they can to maximize their advertisement profit potential. When I came into work today, I noticed on the "tube" that a news anchor was interviewing a woman whose health was at risk during the episode because she needs dialysis multiple times per week. At first I felt sorry for her, but then I actually started thinking with my own mind, instead of feeling the way that the interview was supposed to make me feel. Why was she on a two-day cruise if she needs dialysis three times a week? I was so curious about this that I did a bit of research and found out that there are many cruise lines out there that run special “dialysis cruises” for those that require the procedure. Now I know that this woman was not a victim of bad luck or neglect, but rather a victim of poor choices and irresponsibility. I can’t even say that this is all Carnival’s fault, even though I have a deep bias against the company (no, I will not elaborate). Things happen. They reacted in a satisfactory way, in my opinion. The company had food delivered, distributed a means of dealing with human waste, and offered compensation for the inconvenience. I am tired of seeing people complain about the cucumber and onion sandwiches. Boo hoo, you didn’t die from starvation. The lines were long? It was a good thing you didn’t decide to go to Disney Land. To compare this story to a similar situation, do you think there would be this much “hoopla” over some people trapped in a hotel elevator for a few days? We certainly don’t see this type of coverage about trapped miners, even though the situation is far more serious. Am I being dramatic, or are you guys sick of the media dragging this one out as well? Let me know in the comments.

Many of you already know about the Christopher Dorner news, so I will keep this short. Investigators confirmed yesterday that the body found in the cabin was that of the manhunt subject and today the coroner said that he died from a single shot to the head. There were many witnesses that said they thought he took his own life, and it is certainly looking that way. As I said in my video, he got what he wanted with the reopened case that got him fired five years ago, so I have no doubt that he knew the story would eventually end in his own death. Witnesses who had contact with Dorner over the last few days of the manhunt stated that he assured them that he would not kill them and treated them fairly, given the situation. I am still in shock about the police scanner recordings, where you can clearly hear the police saying to “burn the gas” and “burn it down”. Obviously they intended to write their own ending to the drama. I can understand their intentions, even if I absolutely do not agree with them. On a side note, I noticed the media isn’t using all three of Dorner’s names anymore. Apparently they no longer consider him a serial killer, since they can get continued ratings from LAPD corruption drama by making him look “less scary”.

That’s all I have for this post, so thank you for reading and feel free to utilize the comments section. I am usually pretty quick to reply to anything posted there.

Super Bowl, Commercials, Etc.

Well congratulations to all you Ravens fans. It was certainly a red-and-gold sort of day in BurntCoffeeSucks household for Super Bowl XLVII due to my in-laws' residence in Northern California. Although I initially wanted Baltimore to win since they seemed like the underdogs of the playoffs along with the Ray Lewis story, now I find myself feeling guilty for it. It was a surprisingly exciting game, power issues and conspiracy theories aside. I still have no idea what it would be like to wear the shoes of Jack and Jackie Harbaugh, especially when they know that one of their sons (John or Jim) had to come home without the Lombardi trophy. Do I think that the outcome could have been different if the officials called the last two holding penalties? To quote a French soldier from The Patriot, “Perhaps… We will never know.”

I suppose I should get all the commercial discussion out of the way now, since it is inevitable in either case. The first one that I want to talk about is the trailer for Fast and Furious 6. Now I will start this off by seriously admitting that I enjoyed the first four Fast and Furious movies. The last one completely sucked, in my opinion, and reminded me of a cheap Ocean's 11 knockoff. This newest one however, really seems to be stretching it. A seemingly secret military organization that combats crime by hiring wanted felons to race cars and play a high-tech version of Mario Cart? Wow.

Iron Man 3 looks like it could be pretty good, but we already knew that one was happening, so it wasn’t necessarily Super Bowl news. I really, really enjoyed the Doritos commercial with the goat. Someone told me that when the ferocious farm animal screamed when all the chips were taken away, their dog actually jumped up out of fear and ran around the house.

There was a pretty good one for Sketchers that had a cheetah chasing a gazelle and just before dinner, the cheetah was caught and tackled by a guy wearing some super-power running shoes. Finally, there was the fantastic Budweiser ad that highlighted the life of a Clydesdale and its relationship with its original owner. Again however, this one wasn't exactly new because it was leaked a few days ago. The Taco Bell ad was a work of art that made me actually wish I was older, just so I could pretend to be young again and eat horribly fake Mexican food, that will probably result in an extra-long trip to the porcelain throne (one way or the other).

One that I did not find particularly funny or entertaining was the Oreo cookie library fight thing. It is completely unrealistic and any library that was actually that strict should be converted to an online database, its employees fired, and the building burned to the ground to be converted into a landfill for radioactive waste.

I really did not want this post to be completely about the Super Bowl, but it appears that I have run out of time for today. Thanks again for reading and please leave any comments, input, suggestions, jokes, bashes, rants, whatever in the comments section of my blog or follow me on Twitter @BurntSucks.

PS. Changed up the blog template just a bit. Let me know what you think!

Harbaughs, North Korea, Anonymous, and more...

Well, I am bored today and I am not in a position to make a video, so let's see what is going on in the world. 

It looks like everyone is very excited about the Super Bowl and it appears as though the Ravens made it to New Orleans a day behind the 49ers. What that means, if anything, I don't know. Don't tell my wife (hardcore 49ers fan), but I think I would like to see the Ravens get the win. They are certainly the underdogs and "unlikely heroes" out of the teams that went to the playoffs this year and that coupled with the Ray Lewis story makes them a team to cheer for. Of course, everyone in their right mind thinks that San Francisco will win, but they would also be excited if Baltimore gave them a run for their money. 

Google released a detailed map of North Korea, something that hasn't been done up until this point. In fact, I think the only people who had anything close to an accurate map at their disposal were the government with their super-secret squirrel satellites. I wonder how North Korea is going to take it, since they have done a very good job keeping their country, culture, and development a secret up until now. Does this have something to do with the visit by Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt a few weeks ago? Who knows, but it could mean that there might be some global changes toward the cultural knowledge of the country. Will the new visibility expose Kim Jong-Un as a great leader who bridges the gap that has always existed between North Korea and the civilized nations of the world, or will it just put a larger spotlight on a tyrannical dictator and provide everyone with greater insight on how bad it really is over there? Only time will tell. 

Al Jazeera released an article titled "Will the US wage cyber war on its enemies?" Isn't it too late to ask that question? Someone should let them know about Stuxnet, Duqu, Flame, and whatever other cyber-attacks the US government has confessed to committing. It is no secret that other governments, namely one that starts with "C" and ends with "hina", control their nation's access to the internet by requiring that citizens and businesses use the state sponsored internet service provider. That ensures that their people do not fall victim to all that evil "Western propaganda", but also allows the government to control a nation-wide botnet that can be used as a massive cyber weapon whenever the situation is warranted. Should you be scared? I don't know. I am not any more afraid of cyber weapons than I am of nukes when it comes to state sponsored attacks. It is the millions of kids rebelling against their elders that you should be afraid of. This brings me to my next point and a new paragraph for good order. 

Anonymous is a group of seemingly random people around the world that have been known to be behind many good things that most of us can appreciate. They have hacked leaders of the Westboro Baptist Church and have blocked them from protesting many events. They have exposed sexual assault cases and have spoken out against censorship. The problem is, many (maybe most) of the members do not have any cause. They have no real leader, which they attribute to their being "anonymous", but it also causes them to have a complete lack of direction. Anyone can buy a Guy Fawkes mask on Amazon and claim to be a member, which results in the group having thousands of punk kids who want to stand for something, belong, feel cool, and express their rebellion over all things they don't think they agree with. Learning to "hack" and gaining access to common hacking tools is extremely easy today. Just Google Backtrack, download and burn the disk, and search YouTube for tutorials and you have everything you need to "anonymously" cause social unrest. The bottom line is this: if you have a cause and you understand that you should probably think before you act, have fun. Tell us how it went. If you want to join a fake cause just so you can act out fell like you belong to something bigger than yourself, grow up. To be completely honest, if there was a group like Anonymous when I was younger, I probably would have been all for it. I understand the appeal and excitement associated with the group, I just wish they would pick a cause (or 10) and stick to them. That, and think about their actions. I sound like a Dad. #EndRant 

For my last topic, I want to talk about something related to law or finances. I heard somewhere that they generate the highest paying ads, so I want to test it out. Aha! It looks like the chain bookstore Barnes and Noble is having financial difficulties and is planning on closing some of its stores. Internet sites like Amazon and the growing use and popularity of eBooks has caused B&N to have less-than-acceptable earnings for the past few years, and the problem seems to be getting worse. Why should we care, right? Books are cheaper online and the Kindle is better than the Nook. What many people don't know is that Barnes and Noble is also a great place to take kids. Imagine a library with stuffed animals, a train table (I have yet to see a B&N without one), crafts, and a Starbucks for Mom. They host "story time" sometimes multiple times a day and the design of the kids’ book section is like a small stage with tables and a wall of bookshelves that keep the kids in. In fact, responsible parents should take their kids to B&N anyway, because then they might learn how to read before entering the workforce. Imagine that. 

Well, that is all I have for today, folks. I planned to do a video on Anonymous sometime, and I still might if I find the time. Stay tuned for more videos and blog posts! Thank you for your time and attention. 

Steve (BurntCoffeeSucks)

Getting better

Greetings again, I am finally getting over my sickness and preparing for the next video so please bear with me and stay tuned!

Next video

Greetings guys and gals,
I had originally planned to put out another video today but it seems that I am more than a little under the weather. If it turns out that I am able to concentrate more as the day progresses, that could change. I won't make any promises though.