I have to give credit where credit is due. Today’s post was written after visiting Kathleen Gage and her post about Kindle.

Adding Your Blog to Kindle

Frankly, Kindle is a product (or service) I’ve been meaning to check into – but you know life – one thing leads to another. So today is the day I headed to Amazon and their information on publishing your blog using Kindle.

What I will cover here are aspects that Kathleen did not (for her insight, read her post). I’d like to tell you step by step how easy it was to enter both this blog, Strategies for Life, and my ezine advertising and resources blog into Amazon’s Kindle beta program for bloggers.

Using the link above, once you arrive at that web page, you’ll want to click on “Kindle Publishing for Blogs” (marked “beta”). Even if you have an Amazon account, you will still need to re-create one to be a Kindle publisher. Easy enough. Just enter your details and voila! they even log you in automatically.

Then, in this instance we are talking blogs, you’ll choose the Add a Blog in your Kindle back office. Have your RSS feed information handy, and just so you know ahead of time (because I did not), if you’re in the United States your “County Code” for the phone number is “1″ (without the quotes).

Self Publishing No Longer A Chore Using Kindle

You’ll also need a good description of your blog, along with keywords (tags). When you’re finished filling in your new Kindle blog account information, choose Preview. Amazon’s Kindle program automatically goes through a five (5) step process (in the background, you only see it happening) and then offers you a View of what your blog will look like on a Kindle reader.

I did need to go back and make a few adjustments to my RSS feed. For instance, I changed the number of posts to two (2) and made those full display (versus summary). This involved a bit of tweaking my reading settings on the blogs as well as a visit to Feedburner. To use Kindle to its full advantages, you’ll need to show your full post (all the words) so your blog makes sense.

Now I sit back and wait. The approval process says it will take 48-72 hours. Assuming that is correct, I should have available access for visitors to choose to read this blog and the MyWizardAds Blog on Kindle this week.

Kindle Not Just For Bloggers

Of course, even if you’re not a blogger, you should make full use of Kindle to publish everything from articles to ebooks to reports and more. By putting your blog on Kindle, you’re giving free access to Kindle users to your posts. However, when it comes to accessing your added ebooks, reports, articles, etc., you can make money. You make 70% of whatever it is you choose to charge for your material.

You may not get rich (who knows), but the authority of being a publisher combined with Kindle access is hard to ignore as a great reputation builder.

I’ve known Melanie Milletics for a while now (list building secrets), and I’ve been hanging onto a notice of hers called, “What is a Magic Blog Post?” for a few days.

Today is the day I made the time to go read (and you should, too).

There are certain vital points she makes that really impact your posts (or your website for that matter) that I won’t rehash, she’s stated them quite nicely. However, I did notice a glaring what I’ll call “mistake” within her post. A mistake I see way too many web site and blog owners make – not coding their click-able links to open in new windows!

Such a small thing, with such huge implications!

When you are reading, and someone mentions a resource or reference to even more information (and assuming you are really interested), ten to one you’re going to click that link (like above) – which is also what I (and anyone else with common sense) is praying that you will do – it’s there to be clicked for a reason.

Yet after you click on it, do you think I want you to disappear for good? Of course not! I want you back to either finish up reading and/or to take the time to look around (use the search bar on this blog), watch the videos (there are even more “how to’s” in the right hand sidebar on a wide range of topics, that’s just one example), and (of course) COMMENT about what you’re reading.

So that simple bit of code – your “target” to open in a new window or blank window is critical.

You work hard to get your visitor, don’t let them just slip through your fingers. The coding is:

target=”_blank”

To see it in action, just right click anywhere on this page outside the framework of the blog itself (in other words pick a “white area” even if it’s colored, but doesn’t have words) and View Source (in IE) or View Page Source (in Firefox).

o  Go up under EDIT on your browser (very top)

o  Choose FIND and type in Milletics (it’s unique and only mentioned once on this page – okay twice but this one doesn’t count there’s no link involved)

o  Now look closely at the coding just prior to her name.

See how the code is put together? See the “target” part?

You can hand code this yourself in HTML or if you are a WordPress blog user, from the what-you-see-is-what-you-get view, just highlight the words, click on the little chain to make the link, and then select TARGET (new window).

Website owners you really need to do this, too.

It’s actually very sad to me when I see someone just willingly giving up their visitor. Don’t make me hunt to get back to you!

* * * * * * * * * * *

Please COMMENT, we love feedback!