If I had a dollar for every time someone I know had asked me, "What is a blog for, anyway?" I'd have a lot of dollars. Eric Giguere's answer to this question can be found in Make Easy Money with Google, a manual that purports to be about "Using the Adsense Advertising Program."
I think the title misses the major audience Giguere seems to be aiming for - as I read this book, it is less about how to sign up for Google's AdSense advertising program than it is about how (and why) to build a blog. The answer to the question, according to Eric, is that you can earn money by writing a blog, if you power up with the Adsense products, and follow the examples with which the book is generously illustrated.
Make Easy Money with Google is beautifully designed, and printed in full glossy color - you could get away with it on your coffee table - and sensibly organized into five sections: Starting, Content, Design, AdSense, and Traffic. Liberal marginal notes provide squibs of information, links to useful sites (many of them Giguere's), and tips on accomplishing the major goals of the section. Because the author speaks directly to the new, unfledged blogger, he carefully explains many topics that other guides skim over: hosting and domain ownership, pop-ups vs. new windows, even AdSense-specific items like click-fraud and AdSense for search.
Even though there is an entire section called "AdSense," each section spends some time with the Google advertising program. Illustrations are usually specific to the Google product, and "Content" and "Design" are discussed with reference to what works well with Google ads. If you have other manuals from which to learn general web-site or blog design, this will be an excellent supplement to them - but be aware that Make Easy Money with Google's focus on the money-making aspect of blogging informs every design and content choice the author recommends.
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