Okay, time for a little light-hearted fun. Caption Contest!

This morning on Twitter (follow me @Problogger) we were sharing our most embarrassing moments as bloggers and I shared the above picture which appeared in newspapers across Australia.

When the article came out five years ago, it was one of my first. I was excited about the mainstream media mention and looked forward to showing family and friends to legitimize this crazy blogging business I was running. But the photo became the focus of the piece, and generated quite a few laughs.

When I shared it earlier today on Twitter the captions for it started coming in thick and fast, so I thought perhaps it’d be fun to open it up. What would you caption that picture?

I’ll choose my favorite submitted caption in 48 hours’ time, and send the winner a copy of the three existing ProBlogger ebooks, plus a copy of our new one, which will be released next week.

Enter up to five times to increase your chances of winning! To enter simply leave your caption in comments below.

PS: There was another version of the article with a different picture, featuring the same chair here.

Update: I’ve just ended this discount and associated competition. Winners will be notified and the price has been returned to normal. Thanks to everyone for buying your copy and to those who missed out – it’s still available at the normal price!

It’s been a little over a week since we launched ProBlogger’s Guide to Your First Week of Blogging and its been fantastic to see so many positive reactions from readers come in.

Even in the last day I’ve had two emails from readers:

• one from a new blogger who has worked through it to launch their first blog
• another from a blogger who has taken the seven-day challenge to relaunch an older blog that had grown stagnant

Others still tell me that they’re using the ebook to launch their second, third and fourth blogs—projects that they’d had in the “one day” basket, but are now putting into action.

Whether you’re thinking about starting a blog or relaunching an old one, today is your last day to save 50% on this brand new ebook.

The price is just $9.99 USD, but it will double at midnight on 24th May, Eastern US time.

Also, remember that if you buy it before the deadline, you’ll also be put in the draw to win a WordPress theme package from Studio Press worth over $850—the perfect way to kick-start your new blog! Download Your Copy of ProBlogger’s Guide to Your First Week of Blogging today.

It has been around 2 years since 31 Days to Build a Better Blog workbook launched and in that time thousands of bloggers have taken the challenge to improve their blogs over a month.

Since launching the eBook the price has always been $19.95 USD but on 10th May on the continued feedback of those who’ve take the challenge I’ll be raising the price to $29.99 to be inline with the other ProBlogger eBook – the Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers.

The reason for the price rise is simple – the feedback I get from those who take the 31 day challenge is blunt – for a 31 day program the advice is worth a lot more than $19.95. At the present price of 64 cents per day it is almost laughable how cheap its been.

So today I want to give current readers notice that on Tuesday 10th May the price will rise. So if you’ve been meaning to pick up a copy this next few days is your last chance at the current price.

At just under $30 the eBook will still be affordable at under $1 a day – but this is your last chance to get it at the reduced price.

This isn’t a scarcity play – I simply wanted to let readers know of the imminent price rise to give everyone a fair chance at the savings.

If you’re not sure if the eBook is for you check out the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog page for further details of what it’s all about.

It’s been a couple of weeks since I returned home from my Tanzanian Blogging for Social Good trip.

I reflected to a friend this morning that the trip changed me on many levels – both personally but also as I reflect upon how blogging and social media can be used to make the world a better place.

Aussies: You Could be on the Next Trip!

I’m really excited today to be able to announce that together CBM Australia (the organization I traveled to Tanzania with), Telstra and ProBlogger are running a competition to identify another Australian Blogger to go on a similar trip in 2012.

If you’re an Aussie and blog (or want to start a blog in the next few months) you can be a part of this journey to identify the next blogger.

Terms and conditions are being finalized at the moment but the prize for the blogger selected will include:

• a week long trip with CBM to a country in Africa (to be determined)
• training from CBM for the trip (this was invaluable for me)
• return economy airfare, accommodation, meals etc on the trip
• we’ll also get to meet in the lead up to the trip as at the least I’ll be involved in your training/preparation (I’m trying to be able to come on it with you too)

In the lead up to the trip we’ll also be running some ‘blog for good’ coaching sessions (both in person and online) so that bloggers preparing their blogs to enter can have them in tip top shape before judging commences later in the year.

Free Melbourne Coaching Event Next Tuesday

The first of these coaching sessions is on in Melbourne next week on 29 March (next Tuesday). It’s a free event for all Melbourne bloggers – you can get details and reserve your spot here. For those of you not in Melbourne – there will be online events coming soon.

At this event on Tuesday we’ll be sharing more about the competition as well as reporting on the trip we just did. I’ll also be presenting a few tips on how to build a more successful blog – whether you’re going to enter the competition or not – and there will be plenty of time to interact with other Melbourne bloggers so should be a lot of fun.

What Next?

If you’re interested in entering the ‘Blog for Good’ competition the best thing you can do right now is start working on your blog.

We’ll release judging criteria as the year progresses but we’ll be looking for bloggers who have the ability to communicate, who are building engaged audiences and who have a heart for using blogging and social media for social good.

Entries will open for those who want to enter on December 1 2011 so you have plenty of time to get your blog firing. The winner will be announced in January 2012 and the trip will take place in Feb/March 2012.

We’ll publish more details as the year progresses but I wanted to get this out there today so that everyone knows what’s happening – particularly about the event in Melbourne next Tuesday night!

Also: Check out Telstra’s announcement of Blog for Good here.

Blogging has been very good to me.

Over almost nine years, it’s been a daily blessing in more ways that I can count:

• new friends
• new skills
• new knowledge
• the opportunity to travel
• the ability to pay off a mortgage
• business partnerships
• the chance to do what I love (communicate and build communities) all day, every day—and get paid for it!

Blogging has been very good to me.

Can blogging be used to help others?

However I’ve always wanted blogging to be more than just good to me. I want it to benefit others, too.

The most obvious people I want it to benefit are those who read the blogs I publish. This is why pretty much everything I do has a “how to” or “advice” spin on it.

One of the most exciting things that happens to me each day is being thanked for achieving that goal—helping people improve in some area of their life.

However, I’ve always wanted blogging to be even more than that. Over the last few years, I’ve often found myself wondering how it could be used to make the world a better place in some bigger way.

With the opportunity to communicate to over 4 million people a month, surely I can find a way to do that.

The Tanzanian experiment

Next Thursday I’m going to experiment with doing just that—and I’d love you to join me.

On 25 February, I’m jumping on a plane (well, a series of them) for Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, East Africa.

I’ll be in the country for one week, to spend time observing—and reporting back to my social network on—an amazing project called Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT). It’s a project of CBM, an international disability and development organization.

The trip is being organized by CBM Australia (you can read more about it here) with the goal of raising awareness of the issues that are faced every day by people with disabilities in developing countries.

The work that they do is amazing.

Last year alone, they performed over 10,530 surgeries and helped improve the lives of around 120,000 people with disabilities and their carers.

Their work focuses upon many areas, including working with sight-related disabilities, club foot, cleft lip/palate, and maternal health (among others).

Having spent time visiting a number of other projects in developing countries over the years, I know that this trip will be confronting. But I’m excited by the opportunity at hand to both be personally impacted by what I see, and to share the journey with you.

Throughout the week in Tanzania, I’ll be sharing what I see via blog posts, videos, and Tweets. We’ll be focusing mainly upon some the hospital’s work with maternal health issues (mainly fistula) and tracking some of the stories of the people that we meet.

This trip is not a money grab. The intent isn’t to create daily calls for you to donate. I’m sure CBM wouldn’t say no to donations (in fact, they’d go a long way to change lives), but my intent with this trip is to share stories, highlight needs, and show what an amazing organization and its people are doing to meet the needs around them.

My hope is that we’ll all come away from the experience with a better awareness of the issues, and the motivation to do something to make the world a better place (whether that be by supporting the work of CBM, or supporting another need you know of).

How can you join this trip?

The bulk of the blogging that I’ll be doing while away will be on CBM’s blog (there isn’t much there yet, but we’ll be adding to it and redoing to the template significantly in the coming days). I’ll be adding posts, videos, and images during the week that I’m on the ground, and in the weeks that follow.

I’ll probably do an update or two here on ProBlogger also, but I’m aware that this blog is about blogging and not Tanzania or issues facing Developing Countries, so we’ll keep it largely on CBM’s blog.

If you’d like to get those updates please subscribe to their blog here.

You can also follow the journey on Twitter by following CBM’s Twitter account. I’ll be making updates on that and also, from time to time, on the ProBlogger Twitter account.

Lastly – you can support this project by sharing news of it and the content we produce while in Tanzania. Please consider passing on the links to stories we share and helping word spread further about what we’re up to. Thanks!

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful year in 2010. Wishing you peace and happiness in this holiday season and looking forward to connecting with you in the new year!

If you’ve been putting off buying ProBlogger the Book (the ‘real’ paper one) that I wrote with Chris Garrett – today’s the day to pick one up at Amazon.

Normally retailing for $24.99 today they have it at 44% off – just $14.04. They often have had it at 30% off so this is the lowest I’ve seen it go.

I’ve no idea how long it’ll last at this price – so whether it’s for you to help you ramp up your blog in the new year or whether it’s a stocking stuffer or Kris Kringle gift for a friend or family member – grab your copy today.

PS: this is the 2nd edition of this book and it’s also available for Kindle as well as as an Audio version.