10 Sites with Free Images for your Blog

notes on Blogs and Blogging by Renzie Baluyut.

This post was originally published in my other blog in December of last year. Since then, there had been changes with that site's general direction, prompting me to move much of the original content over to this blog right here.

Digital Photography and Blogging go hand-in-hand. It is not uncommon for bloggers to take their own pics and post them up on their own sites.

Still, there are a lot of bloggers out there who aren't that much into digital photography- I just got into it myself earlier this year with my trusty Canon. So where else can you possibly get photos to use on your blogs?

Here's a list of ten sites you can go through if you're looking for pics to use on your blog:

1. Flickr. Flickr is Yahoo's very own photo storage service. It's quite popular, and many Flickr users offer their photos for use to the public.

2. Stock.Xchang. I've been using Stock.Xchang for years, as far back in my days of radio sales and marketing, finding images for powerpoint presentations. Lots of royalty-free stock photos, and easy to navigate around.

3. Image After. Another collection of free stock photography.

4. Google Images. Google's own database of online photos. There's a whole lot of pictures here, but since they have different types of copyright, it means that not all would be available for free use.

5. Buzznet.

6. PD Photo.

7. Open Photo. An excellent stock photo community, with lots of categories to browse through. Creative Commons licenses apply to different photos.

8. Our Media.

9. Free Stock Photos. Great site for free stock photos, but rather limited in terms of its selection. Still, free is free, and you can't beat that.

10. MorgueFile.

In any case, it's always wise to review each site's Copyright policies- as it always is when you visit sites with pics you'd want to use for your blogging efforts.

Thanks to the guys over at AboutWeblogs for the tip.

This post, by the way, was originally published The Status is NOT Quo | RenzieBaluyut.com in December of last year. At the time, that blog of mine had a lot of articles on a whole lot of topics. It's been streamlined since then, and all posts on Marketing, New Media and Entrepreneurship were moved here to KeyboardMonkeys.com.

Cheers, everyone!

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20 US Towns With The Most Money

talking about money and places with money, with Renzie Baluyut.

CNNMoney.com just released an article on 6-Figure Towns in the United States, and while there are quite a number of these town on the list, we're featuring a quick look at the top twenty on that list.

Clicking on each individual town or city brings you to that town's page on the special report, which gives you an overview, a list of key industries and key occupations in that particular town, and links to an interactive map and even more town data if you're interested.

1. Holmdel, NJ
Population: 16,500
Median family income (per year): $159,633
Median home price: $600,000
image courtesy of the PNC Bank Arts Center

2. Southborough, MA
Population: 9,880
Median family income (per year): $148,297
Median home price: $455,000

3. North Potomac, MD
Population: 24,909
Median family income (per year): $147,594
Median home price: $550,000

4. Redding, CT
Population: 9,365
Median family income (per year): $141,609
Median home price: $625,000*.

5. Western Springs, IL
Population: 12,629
Median family income (per year): $139,758
Median home price: $513,500
image courtesy of the City of Western Springs.

6. Hockessin, DE
Population: 13,772
Median family income (per year): $137,998
Median home price: $408,000

7. Hermosa Beach, CA
Population: 19,414
Median family income (per year): $137,941
Median home price: $1,135,000

8. Lone Tree, CO
Population: 9,159
Median family income (per year): $137,310
Median home price: $435,000

9. Sammamish, WA
Population: 35,242
Median family income (per year): $137,137
Median home price: $610,000
image courtesy of the City of Sammamish.

10. Birmingham, MI
Population: 19,040
Median family income (per year): $135,426
Median home price: $256,869

11. Chantilly, VA
Population: 46,708
Median family income (per year): $132,603
Median home price: $360,425

12. Greenburgh, NY
Population: 90,178
Median family income (per year): $131,619
Median home price: $575,000

13. Franklin Park, PA
Population: 12,023
Median family income (per year): $123,139
Median home price: $273,000
image courtesy of Franklin Park Borough.

14. Chanhassen, MN
Population: 23,720
Median family income (per year): $122,609
Median home price: $288,830

15. Plano, TX
Population: 260,796
Median family income (per year): $121,988
Median home price: $201,842

16. Johnston, IA
Population: 15,261
Median family income (per year): $120,776
Median home price: $208,000

17. Lake Oswego, OR
Population: 36,698
Median family income (per year): $119,630
Median home price: $456,250
image courtesy of the City of Lake Oswego

18. Morrisville, NC
Population: 13,361
Median family income (per year): $118,545
Median home price: $263,000

19. Alpharetta, GA
Population: 49,662
Median family income (per year): $117,002
Median home price: $297,450

20. Montgomery, OH
Population: 10,210
Median family income (per year): $116,871
Median home price: $254,000*

Other towns in CNN's list of 6-Figure Towns: Ponte Vedra, FL, Whitefish Bay, WI, Hanover, NH, Kailua, HI, Granger, IN, Overland Park, KS, Holladay, UT and Edgewood, KY.

This has been a special report from the editors of Money Magazine, courtesy of the good people over at CNN.com.

Cheers, everyone.

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Scam Alert: The South African Banker Email Scam

phishing alert with Renzie Baluyut.

Here at KeyboardMonkeys.com, we take online business and entrepreneurial efforts seriously. Unfortunately for us digital business-folk, we still get the occasional phishing/email scam, no matter how careful we are.

So beware of this scammy piece of email, if ever it somehow makes it through into your filters.

Here it is:

Am a banker in South Africa requesting
to present you as a beneficiary to my deceased client
with a balance of about $17.4M with my bank.
Late DR.GEORGE BRUMLEY, an American who died in
2003 in an air crash with his family and others.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/07/20/kenya.crash/

If you can help you will receive 40% of the $17.4M.
If willing provide your full names,address,age,occupation,
phone & fax numbers to contact you for further proceedings.
Regards.

Mr.Andrew Modise.

I suppose if you're stupid enough to give out all those contact details they were asking for, you'll be stupid enough to give out other sensitive information (bank info, social security, etc.).

Do your part and tell your family and friends to be a lot more suspicious of phishing scams like these. Remember, not everyone is as tech-savvy and/or cautious as you are.

Cheers, everyone.

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Great Blogger Templates at Our Blogger Templates

blog-building tips and advice, with Renzie Baluyut.

There must be a lot of other bloggers out there like me- those who may have also spent a great deal of time trying on different blog templates for their Blogspot blogs.

It's both a good thing AND a bad thing: editing your blog template on Blogspot is fairly easy. Whether you make your own, or you choose one of many available free (or paid) blog templates already online, you can go right ahead and pick whatever design that suits your fancy.

Conversely, because it's so easy to customize a blog, you could just as easily lose yourself in selecting a template for your site. Or fall into the trap of changing every so often.

In any case, if you are looking around for a new blog template, you may consider these guys over at Our Blogger Templates. They got all kinds of free templates (and not just for Blogspot), so go right ahead and check them out.

In fact, I had gone right ahead picking one out for this blog, and a couple others. This one is for an old blog I plan to resurrect soon.

This one is for an entirely new blog. Generally, I'd say I'm pretty happy with how it all looks.

I almost always go for a 3-column design, with room for widgets on the side, and then put in some RSS feeds so I don't have to keep jumping from one site to another on a particular topic.

So go right ahead and check out Our Blogger Templates. They have so much going on that there's bound to be one you'd absolutely like for you blog.

Cheers, everyone.

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Time To Do Some Spring Cleaning On Your Blog

tips from bloggers and experts from all over, with Renzie Baluyut.

Guilty as charged. I am guilty for leaving parts of my blogs (even entire blogs altogether!) unmaintained and unmonitored for quite some time.

As Darren Rowse of Problogger.net so shared on a video he put up on YouTube, just like your sock drawers, you need to go through your blog and throw out widgets that don't work anymore, work on links that don't match, and basically just get rid of all the clutter that otherwise distracts potential readers from reading the rest of your blog.

I've only started doing some spring-cleaning myself, and while I know it's going to take a while, I know I'll have a much more functional, much more user-friendly blog once I'm done.

Don't you think it's about time you did some cleaning on your blog too?

Cheers, everyone.

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Reasons Why People Blog | Blogology 101

blogging basics, with Renzie Baluyut.

Getting into the blogging lifestyle today is easier than ever, with so many resources online and books on the topic. You probably have a number of friends or colleagues who already blog.

There are several reasons why you might decide to get into blogging.

• You might feel like having a diary, or a journal, where you can put in your thoughts, experiences or opinions about everything going on in your life.
• Or you might want to have a notebook filled with all kinds of things- recipes, wishlists, pictures, poems, short stories, pieces of art, etc.
• You just might decide one day to just share everything you know on a particular subject matter you're passionate about- a hobby, a profession, an industry, or a particular lifestyle.
• Sometimes, you might feel so strongly about a particular cause or issue, and use a blog to tell the world how you feel about things.
• It's also possible that you have a business going on, and you'd want to have a blog to talk about your trade, and what your company is all about, even promoting your goods, services and promotional activities.
• Others use blogs to market themselves and establish themselves as an authority figure, or at least to build credibility, for a particular profession or industry.
• There are also those who make a legitimate business out of blogging, whether blogging or maintaining a blog for another company or organization, or working out the nuances of blogging for money by themselves.
  

These are all valid reasons for your wanting to start your own blog. In fact, it can even be a combination of any of these.

The beauty of blogging is that you have absolute freedom with your own blog. You can write whatever you want, on whatever topic you feel like, even go ahead and include all kinds of pics, links and video if you so wish.

There's a difference, however, between a personal blog, and a blog meant for more commercial or professional purposes. And again, exactly what direction your blog will take is completely up to you.

Cheers, everyone.

Blogology 101 is a special section within Keyboard Monkeys dedicated to inspiring and empowering beginner bloggers to get into the blogging lifestyle by developing better blogging habits and to educate them on techniques to build better blogs.

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A Message To Those In Traditional Media: Evolve Or Die

lessons in marketing and media, with Renzie Baluyut.

a former colleague of mine in the FM radio industry in Metro Manila shared this video he found on YouTube (thanks Vince!). It's a video by Holland Cooke, and it serves as a wake-up call to anyone who's worked in radio.

I suppose I was fortunate to have left the radio industry early enough to make a transition elsewhere. The Philippine radio industry has been in decline for quite some time now (let's not mince words here), and for many reasons. Sure a few stations are still able to turn out a profit, but the vast majority have been performing poorly for years.

And it just isn't radio. Print media has also been hard hit (do you remember the last time you actually bought a newspaper or magazine?). TV is even more cutthroat than ever. Heck, people hardly even use their TV anymore for the purpose of JUST watching TV (think downloaded content, DVDs, live streaming, DVRs, XBox, etc).

The Situation, For Real.

Times have changed. More than ever, advertising budgets are going towards internet spending. Everyone has the latest in portable music players, or at least wants to get that shiny new iPhone. Social media usage is off-the-charts. The shift has gone from radio-controlled content, to content users decide to put together.

And let's talk about user-generated content more a bit: with so many resources and tools readily available online, anyone with a little imagination and a great desire to share can have a podcast, a blog, or a video channel, and all kinds of people from all over the world can have access to it.

Anyone can be a DJ, announcer or commentator, from anywhere, anytime. Now that's on-demand, user-generated content for you.

The business of traditional media is in the toilet right now. Of course, traditional media companies will streamline, and some will even embrace the whole new media approach, but things will definitely get worse before they get better.

So when Holland Cooke says "Prepare to get fired."? He's actually right.

The Good News Is...

If any user anywhere has the power to get in on blogging, podcasting or viral video production, then that means you, as a media professional, can get into it as well.

In fact, while others are struggling to put out a piece of work online, you already have the skillsets to come up with something so much better. After all, you are a professional.

• Radio folk are not only great at public speaking, they can also write for an audience, and put digital editing skills to use as well. This can easily translate into podcasts, or blogs filled with lots of interesting content.
• Newspaper and magazine folk are even better at coming up with all kinds of stories and articles, and usually have access to information or personalities regular people can't get to. This definitely makes for even better content.
• TV folk look great in front of a camera, or can at least handle a camera so much better than most people. Add to that great storyboarding and editing, and you can easily make top-notch videos than anyone else can.
  

If you want a tip from me, I'd say look for opportunities to synergize and collaborate with others. You're probably kickass all by yourself, but think of how much more ass you'll all be kicking if you work together?

In Closing...

This is a new and exciting time, particularly for us traditional media folk. Holland Cooke has already pointed out how radio people can carve out a niche for themselves in this brave new world of new media and Web 2.0. And this pretty much applies to all our other colleagues in print and TV.

Take time to look for opportunites to learn and collaborate. Holland has even gone so far as to recommend some books to read, even gear you can plug into your PC/laptop to get you started.

All you have to do, really, is take a more active role in your evolution as a media professional.

On a personal note, consider this as an invitation to all of you, my colleagues in radio, print and TV. If for some reason you need my help or advice in anything related to blogging, podcasting, social media or internet marketing, I'll make myself readily available. If I can't help you, at least I'm sure I know people who can.

So are you ready to evolve for your own good?

Cheers, everyone!

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Keyboard Monkeys, with Renzie Baluyut

about this blog, and the blog author- Renzie Baluyut.

Hello, and welcome to my latest project, Keyboard Monkeys: Tips, Tricks and Advice for the digital entrepreneur.

The concept for Keyboard Monkeys first came about almost two years ago, when I was working as a copy writer/ researcher and SEO peon for an Australian-based e-commerce company.

I was part of the content development team (that's the rest of them, shown above). Search Engine Optimization was (at the time) a brand new concept for us all, and all these new and exciting concepts in Search Marketing and Social Media were definitely on the rise.

I had just left the local FM radio scene at the time (after seeing some 14 years of action), and I felt like I stumbled upon a completely new passion. Blogging, since then, has been my life.

I was a casual blogger at first- wrote about pretty much whatever I felt like and posted them all online without any system or regularity. Then after putting together a blogging workshop, I realized that blogging can be a legitimate money-making opportunity. Meeting several other local professional bloggers later on only made a bigger impact on me later on.

It was then that I found out that being a professional blogger also meant several things.

• You have to be exceptional at developing content, no matter what your blog is all about. Copy writing and editing, podcasting, even the production of viral videos all make for great content if executed well.
  
• You have to know how to market your blog, which means you need to know at the very least, some search engine optimization, how to use all kinds of social networks, etc.
• A knowledge of digital photography and blogging goes hand-in-hand.
  
• Even better: you add more market value to yourself if you actually know some programming.

• Serious bloggers are also knowledgeable about technology: at the very least, laptops, PCs and mobile devices, as well as removable storage media, peripherals and accessories- whatever helps with their blogging pursuits.
  
• A professional blogger actually knows how to make money online, or at least use his skills to make money off the internet, balancing their blogging efforts with work, or even working from home.

• Even more serious bloggers synergize their blogging and internet marketing savvy with other entrepreneurial endeavors- online or otherwise.
• Being an entrepreneur, in turn, entails a familiarity in running your own business, and so small business management and personal finance comes into play as well.
  

With those realizations came this blog. What I actually did at first was compile most of my entrepreneurial-related content from all my other earlier (read: amateurish) blogs, and put them all here.

While I would need to re-tag and re-categorize most of these earlier posts, new content will definitely be the priority. I have figured out that topics for KeyboardMonkeys.com will play around the following subject matters:

• Building a Better Blog.
  
• Buzz Marketing.
  
• Copy Writing.
  
• Digital Photography.
• Freelancing.
• Guerilla Marketing.
• Guides and How-To's.
• Internet Marketing.
• Making Money Online.
• Online Entrepreneurship.
• Personal Finance.
• Small Business Management.
• Social Media.
• Tech for Entrepreneurs and Small Business.
• The Business of Blogging.
• Working from Home.
• Writing Guides and Tips.

With that, I bid you all welcome to KeyboardMonkeys.com. I hope you find something useful within these pages, and I urge you to share what you can and even drop a comment, or join a discussion or two.

Cheers, everyone.

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Renzie Builds a Better Blog in 31 Days

blog-building techniques with Renzie Baluyut.

I have recently set out to get a few references to help me out with my blogging. I already have the books from The Huffington Post and the first Problogger book- which are both great, by the way, but I thought I needed a more structured, step-by-step approach on how to get things done with my blogs.

I decided to take Problogger.net's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge. I've been a fan of Darren Rowse ever since I started blogging a few years back. You can read more about him, as well as all his great advice on all things blogging on the very popular Problogger.net.

You can get your very own copy of Darren Rowse's 31 Days To Build a Better Blog by checking it out right on Problogger.net. At the time I got it, it set me back roughly USD 40 (plus S+H), as it was bundled with Online Marketing Inside Out (by Brandon Eley and Shayne Tilley).

By itself though, the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog workbook costs USD 19.95 (and can be purchased via PayPal). Darren's got a few bonuses tied in with the book, so go check out Problogger.net now.

Cheers, everyone.

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