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Blogging is everywhere today. There are blogs on topics ranging from health, sports, haircuts, gerbils, international politics, marketing, poodles, rare cats, real estate, the weather and anything in between.

But are you blogging profitably?

If you're looking to blog for a living or earn some extra cash, it's rather simple... if you do it right.

What's the right way?

Well one of the better ways to blog profitably is to blog in a niche.

You see, most bloggers are all over the place with their posts. They'll write about many different topics depending on what's on their mind. And that's ok if profit isn't the goal.

But if profit is on your mind, then niche blogging is something to seriously consider.

To blog in a niche you select a narrow topic that gets traffic and build a blog around it. You'll want to select a topic that gets at least a few thousand views a month, anything less may not make sense to build. Use free online keyword tools to see which warrant building a site around.

For example, if you find that keywords related to 'dog grooming' get good traffic, build a blog around everything to do with dog grooming. Don't talk about dog training, feeding, breeding or anything not related to dog grooming. This makes the topic focused and the blog easier to find by those looking for information on dog grooming.

And how does this help monetize your blog?

Well, this strategy also makes it easier to market related products and services. Those interested in a particular topic are much more inclined to purchase from a site that specializes in that topic, and you'll give them high quality, targeted items they're looking for.

And that's a win-win, providing focused content to a market that's looking for it, and marketing related products and services to monetize your blog. You can't beat it!

Mark Idzik helps others earn extra revenue using common sense and tools that work. One of his favorite tools is blogging [ http://revenuetools.com/nicheblogging ] and he writes about ways to use blogs profitably.

Let's find out what Web 2.0 really is and how you can take advantage of it in your WordPress Blog.

Web 2.0 is about 25% marketing, and 25% hype. But, it's mainly a way of thinking. It's about simpler design and encouraging interaction with and among others.

By following these 7 tips, you will be well on your way to creating your Web 2.0 blog.

1. Social Bookmarking - Take you current blog to the next level with the Share This plug-in. It lets your readers do your social bookmarking chores for you. Get accounts at the sites included in the plug-in and above all - fill out your profile.

2. Video Blogging - To get started, incorporate YouTube videos on your blog.

3. Audio Blogging - Record your own audio using a free program called Audacity and upload the mp3 to your blog. In a blog post, blog about your audio and put the link in for people to listen.

4. FeedBurner - Burn your feed and let FeedBurner create the code that you can paste into a sidebar widget to let people be alerted when there are new posts.

5. Comments - Yes or No?

Turn them on but set them up correctly. Use the built in spam catcher, Akismet, to help catch spam comments. Make people give you their name and e-mail address before they can post a comment. Moderate each person's first comment and above all, have an e-mail sent to you whenever there is a new comment so you can go and look at it. Remember - it's YOUR blog and you decide what comments do and do not appear.

Send an e-mail when you have a new post. Tell people to go read it and comment on it.

6. Twitter - Get a Twitter account and use the plug-in TwitterTools. Set it up correctly and it will give you a lot of Tweeting power. And you don't even need to go to Twitter if you don't want to. It will put your posts on Twitter for you - automatically. But do spend some amount of time on Twitter. You need to interact with people you are following and people who are following you.

7. Facebook - Facebook is a community builder. For blogging, install the WordBook plug-in. This will post your blog posts to your FaceBook profile page - again automatically. As with Twitter, spend some amount of time on Facebook interacting with others. You might want to create your own FaceBook group - like the WordPress Mastermind Group.

Web 2.0 is all about interactivity and building a community.

Come in to the world of Web 2.0 blogging. I think you'll like it.

I'd like to invite you to join the announcement list for my next class, WordPress Blogging in a Web 2.0 World. When you put yourself on the list, you will be among the first to know when enrollment starts and you will get some gifts from me too. Head over to http://www.WordPress20.com so you can be notified when registration opens. Presented by The WordPressWizard, Cathy Perkins.

Will this years Beijing Olympics spark a betting frenzy never before seen at an olympic games? It is highly likely as the Chinese are not shy when it comes to gambling and Bookmakers in the UK may receive a huge upturn in business. There are over 300 events and something like 28 sports to select from giving punters a huge choice of where to place their money. The medals table might be the first and most attractive betting attraction. The Chinese might themselves head this table by the end of the games, they achieved 32 gold medals at Athens in 2004 and are surely going to increase that tally on home soil. They should be hot favourites to accomplish this feat.

One of their main candidates for gold will be for their 100m butterfly swimmer, Zhou Yafei. There has already been considerable money to back her gold medal bid after she won the Chinese Championship in a new national record time that hinted that she could go much faster.

Quite naturally the odds for every event in Beijing will be governed by form and rankings and those punters looking to make profit on the games should use their wits to gather as much information as possible for every event. There is a huge amount of information available online, with the most obvious pointer being the world rankings tables. Recent form should also give valuable clues but it should be remembered that athletes often use races and events as warm ups allowing them to peak when the games actually start. Obviously the odds will be shortest for those ranked at the top of their sport or event. Paula Radcliffe for instance, will be at short odds to win the womens marathon. Shortest odds will always be given in sports such as athletics, weightlifting, boxing and swimming.

The key for punters is to calculate the value of odds given to the individual competitors or teams. Rankings are usually based on the most recent form and do not take into account practice and training or even qualifying performances. It is well known that many athletes achieve personal bests when training but fail to reproduce that form in competition. The reverse can also be very true.

Track events are always the most popular type of bookmakers bets at the Olympics, with the marathons, sprints and 1500 metre races being the favourites. The 4x400 metre relays are also very popular and are used as the finale at any games. The sprints this year, particularly the mens 100 metres will be a big race to follow with the two Jamaicans, Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt battling it out for gold. Bolt is the current world record holder while Powel has ran the second fastest of all time. Britains Dwaine Chambers, assuming he runs, could also be a threat in this race. What a controversy a win by Chambers would create. In all there will be 47 Athletic gold medals to win, with qualifiers, heats, quarter finals, and semi finals to make bets on. A really good, exceptionally knowledgeable online betting punter could make a small fortune on the games this year and a few probably will.

Daniel Campbell is an independent sports writer who specialises in cricket, football and horse racing articles.