Win N500 Airtime at NairaRepublic Forum for Nigerians

NairaRepublic.com; a new forum site in Nigeria, is currently running a promo, giving members of the online community the opportunity to win 500 Naira recharge airtime.



All you just need to do is to post an interesting topic on the forum and promote it to get at least 20 Valid replies and 20 likes.

Interested? Follow the steps below:



1. Register on NairaRepublic Forum using a valid email address

2. Post an interesting topic on any category

3. Promote your post to get at least 20 Valid replies and 20 likes on the forum.



If you want to promote your topic, copy the URL of the topic (right click on the link and select copy link..), paste it on Facebook, Twitter etc and tell your friends to visit the topic, like and comment on it at the NairaRepublic website.



After your post has gotten 20 Valid replies and 20 likes, go to this thread and reply the thread with a link to your forum post.



The admin will request for your Phone Number and credit your phone with 500Naira MTN, ETISALAT, GLO OR AIRTEL Airtime.



That's all.



Signup and login is very straightforward at NairaRepublic and you can also register or login via facebook or twitter.



So, go to www.NairaRepublic.com to start posting now!!!  Hurry now and post while it last!!!

NOTE: Do not register multiple accounts to increase your post replies or likes. NairaRepublic moderators will detect this and ban you.



What's your take on this? Pls, let me hear from you via comments.



Pls, share this with friends.



Cheers!

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VictoryAkpomedaye.Com : Blog In Nigeria for Mobile/Internet Marketing and Entrepreneurship Tips

If you are looking for a Nigerian blog where you can discover online business opportunities and online business marketing ideas, you may want to stop and check out Victory Akpomedaye's blog.





Simply put, it is an informative business blog that offers you user-friendly advice and tips on how to make money from mobile marketing, as well as other opportunities to make money online. The blog also features web development tips for webmasters and Bloggers.

Victor, the owner of the blog, is a serial entrepreneur, Mobile Marketing Consultant, Internet Marketer, Web Developer and CEO (SupremeWEB Solutions Limited). His blog is where he shares his expertise as well as impact on the blog readers, powerful marketing knowledge that will take their Internet efforts to the next level.



Some of the posts you might find interesting on his blog include:



==> The Easiest Way To Make a Sale Online

==> The Single Online Service Nigerian Politicians Are Begging To Pay For

==> How To Leverage Online Directories To Achieve Targeted Mobile Marketing Success

==> How To Earn Big From The 117 Million Mobile Phone Users In Nigeria

==> 7 Powerful Headline Formulas Learnt From Eben Pagan



You will discover more interesting articles when you browse through the blog. The blog is well organized in a very simple blog theme which makes it easy to navigate.



Feel free to check out the blog at www.victoryakpomedaye.com



If you've got something to say about the blog, please let me hear from you via comments.



Please, tweet and share this post with your friends.



Cheers!

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Make Background Image Of Your Blog Clickable With This CSS Tweak

UPDATE:  

+Kanyi Okeke alerted me via comments that once you implement it on a Blogger blog, it automatically links anything on the page to the link in the code above.I will find a solution to this and update this post asap.





Earlier today, +Temi Baby  asked me how to make the background image of her blog clickable and probably link to an external website, while also ensuring that the link opens in a new tab/window. Initially, I thought such won't be possible on a Blogger blog but after making some research, I realized it's possible and can be achieved with css.



You can see a demo at www.wizkid-download.blogspot.com. Clicking on the background image on desktop and mobile view of the blog takes you to blogger.com + it opens in a new window/tab without taking you away from the blog page.



So, let me assume you've already added a background image to your blog.



==> Log in to www.blogger.com, go to your blog dashboard, click "Templates" > "Edit HTML"



==> Click inside the HTML editor, press CTRL F on your keyboard to find < body



==> Directly under < body, paste the code below:



<a href="http://www.nairaforsms.com" id="blogbackground-link" target="_blank"> </a>



==> Replace www.nairaforsms.com with the link you want the background to open when clicked.



==> Click "Save Template".



==> Click inside the HTML editor again and use CTRL F to find ]]></b:skin>



==> Paste the css code below, directly above ]]></b:skin>

#blogbackground-link {

    position: absolute;

    top: 0;

    left: 0;

    width: 100%;

    z-index: 1;

    height: 4000px;

}

==> Click "Save Template".



View your blog, click on the background image and it should open your link in a new tab/window.



That's all.



Don't know how to add background image to your blog?



Paste the css code below, directly above ]]></b:skin>

body {

    background-image: url('https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzrYFRT3Q5EN5iiH6dYI1r-QXKRmJgS5Nz0e3V9k1xHVj3aSECswVeD4BiLMIeDdej_UaobYdmXPkNaf0GjDI-NQpDyjncS3uR9CnJ25YSe9In5VLZf27n-PO4zn2k2ii0CYCUpyBPjY4/s1600/Nairaforsms-300x250AD_optim.jpg');   

    background-position: top center;

    z-index: 1;

    background-attachment: scroll;

    background-repeat: repeat-y;

    background-color: grey;

}

Carefully replace the highlighted link; https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzrYFRT3Q5EN5iiH6dYI1r-QXKRmJgS5Nz0e3V9k1xHVj3aSECswVeD4BiLMIeDdej_UaobYdmXPkNaf0GjDI-NQpDyjncS3uR9CnJ25YSe9In5VLZf27n-PO4zn2k2ii0CYCUpyBPjY4/s1600/Nairaforsms-300x250AD_optim.jpg with the link to your background image.



That's all.



NB: If you are a WordPress user,  copy and paste the code below, directly below the <body tag.



<a href='http://www.nairaforsms.com' id='blogbackground-link' target='_blank'> </a>



Thereafter, you can paste the css code in your custom css file.



==> Replace nairaforsms.com with the link you want to use



I hope it works for you. Let me know via comments, if there are challenges.

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Google Domains: New Domain Registration Service by Google

Google has announced the invitation of a small number of people to test Google Domains, a new domain registration service which will enable businesses to search, find, purchase and transfer the best domain for their business - whether it’s .com, .biz, .org, or any of the wide range of new domains that are being released to the Web.

When Google Domains launches to the public, you’ll be able to buy, register and transfer domain names through the service. Unlike some other domain registrars, Google won’t charge you extra for private registration i.e keeping your details private for free.



You’ll be able create up to 100 email aliases with your domain, such as help@your_company.com or sales@your_company.com, and have them forwarded to existing email accounts, like you@gmail.com.



Google Domains will allow you customize your domain with up to 100 sub-domains, such as blog.example.com and and also allow you point your domain name to an existing domain and website eg forwarding www.example.net to www.example.com.



According to the features of Google Domains, when you use the service to manage a domain, you get to use the same DNS servers as Google. This means your domain will connect quickly and reliably to your website. A full set of simple-to-use, robust domain management tools will also be at your disposal.



Google promises that customers will get phone and email support (M-F, 9am to 9pm EST).



Google Domains isn’t fully-featured yet, a small group of people are currently been allowed to buy and transfer domains through it and send feedback on their experience. If you want to try the service, head to Google Domains website, click on “Manage My Domains” and then follow the instructions to request an invite code.



No doubt, this will make it very easy to set up custom domains for Blogger blogs i.e to change from .blogspot to .com.



What's your take on this?

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How to Add or Invite Multiple Authors on Blogger

If you ever considered working on a blog with multiple authors and you'd like to add others to publish posts or moderate comments, you can invite multiple authors on your Blogger blog. These additional authors have blog posting rights and can be either a guest author or blog administrator.

1. An author can create and edit only his/her own posts and have restricted access to some of the blog' Settings. There, he or she will be able to access the Posting options and Add a mobile device, or remove themselves from the blog membership. 
2. An administrator, on the other hand, will have FULL access to the blog' settings and template. Users with this privilege can edit or delete posts made by other members of the blog, add/remove other members or transfer the ownership of a blog.

Related: Add Author's Profile Picture and Name in Multi Author Blog

How to Invite Authors on Blogger

To invite multiple authors on a Blogger blog is really easy. Just follow the steps below:

Step 1. Log into your blogger account at blogger.com and click the name of your blog

Step 2. Click "Settings" on the left side of the page and go to the "Basic" tab:

Invite multiple authors on Blogger

Step 3. Look for the Permissions/Blog authors section and click on the "Add authors" link. Enter the email address for each author you would like to invite, separating each address with a comma.

Step 4. Click "Invite authors" button at the bottom once you're done. And that's it!

Managing Authors

The invited Authors will be listed after the invitations have been sent. They will need to click the "Accept Invitation" button in the invitation email in order to get started. Authors which have yet to accept or decline the invite will be listed under 'open invitations'. To remove an author from the blog, simply click the Remove icon next to the author's email address:

Cancel the invitation

Once the invited member accept your invitation, they will be listed as an "Author" by default. To give a person full admin privileges, you can change the "Author" status in the "Permissions" section of the Settings > Basic tab to "Admin":

Changing an Author into an Admin in Blogger

Please proceed with caution! Administrators have as much power over your blog as you do, including the ability to permanently delete it!

So this is how you can invite multiple authors in blogger. With this feature, everyone on your team can help create different engaging content for your readers to enjoy.

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How to Delete a Blogger Blog Permanently

So you really messed something up and need to delete a Blogger blog permanently, but don't know how? You might have encountered an error message you can't get rid of, or it might be something wrong with the appearance. Blogger lets us to create up to 100 blogs without worrying about bandwidth, but sometimes we just want to reduce the number of junk blogs from list to keep it short and simple. In this case, we may have decided that it is time to delete it. So how do you delete a blog on Blogger permanently?

  Important: Removing or deleting your Blogger blog will also delete all of your blog data, including your existing blog posts. This means that your blog visitors won't be able to view your blog anymore, and that posts and pages associated with Blogger will be removed from your blog. 

1. If you are not already logged in, log into your Blogger account at http://blogger.com

2. From the Dashboard (that's the area you see right after logging in that lists all your blogs) select the blog you want to delete. Make sure that you click on the right blog if you have more than one.

3. Navigate to the Settings tab and just below it the Other option. Click on it.

5. On the right side is the Blog tools section. To proceed with the deletion then click on the Delete blog link.

If you think you may want to come back to your blog or you've got posts that you want to keep, you can use the Export blog tool to export your blog before you delete it. You can either download your blog posts to your desktop or export it in a format that can be imported into other popular blogging formats.

6. Confirm that you want to delete it and you're done.

Once you've pressed the Delete This Blog button, you will be redirected to the Dashboard. Notice that your blog is no longer displayed in the list of blogs. If you want to view your deleted blog you can click on the Deleted blogs link on the left side of your Blogger Dashboard to see your recently deleted blogs.

Here you'll be able to see your deleted blog including details of its deletion date. To restore your blog, click on the Undelete button. Please keep in mind that deleted blogs can be restored within 90 days.

In this tutorial, we have covered some basic reasons why we might want to delete a Blogger blog permanently and the steps involved in deleting a Blogger blog. Instead of deleting the blog, you also have the option of making your blog private. By making it private, the blog will be kept in your Blogger account but no one will be able to view the blog without your permission.

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How To Use GTB Naira Mastercard To Verify Paypal Account in Nigeria

It’s no longer news - Paypal now accepts Nigerians without having to change IP. Although, Paypal doesn't yet allow peer-to-peer transactions for Nigerian users, at least for now, you can pay for products and services on sites that accept Paypal.



I've opened a Paypal account and verified it by linking it with my GTB Naira Mastercard (the GTB ATM card). I've decided to share the steps with you in this post.

How To Verify Paypal Nigeria Account With GTB Naira MasterCard

==> Go to https://www.paypal.com/ng/ and click on "Sign Up"



==> Click "Open an Account" for Individual account type



==> Fill in your details including a valid email address you've never used on Paypal.com.



==> Click the "Agree and Create Account" button



==> You might see a security challenge, type the characters you see in the image and click "Continue".



==> You will then be prompted to enter your card details. Enter the card number, the expiry date and the 3 digits at the back of the card in the spaces provided. Ensure the billing address matches the address you used to open your bank account. The same address is associated with your card.



==> Click "Continue" to proceed to your account.



==> Sign in to your email account and click on the verification link in the mail sent to you by Paypal. This might prompt you to enter your password for you to sign in to your Paypal account.



==> Once signed in, click the 'Get Verified" link or the "Link and confirm credit or debit card" link



==> You will be redirected to a new page to confirm your card for verification. The card type, the last four digits of the card to confirm and the billing address will be displayed. Click on "Continue" to proceed.



==> After clicking "Continue", Paypal will charge the card $1.95 (about N320) to make sure it's yours. Paypal will refund the money within 24 hours after you confirm your card.



==> Wait for the card statement (debit alert from your bank via sms or email) and you will see a 4-digit code associated with the Paypal charge.  Your SMS alert should include a line similar to:

The Naira equivalent of USD1.95 has been authorized for the transaction done on PP*0123CODE 0123456789FF

==> Once you have the 4-digit Paypal code (highlighted in yellow), log back in to your PayPal account and click "Confirm my debit or credit card".



==> Enter the 4-digit code from your card statement in the space provided and click "Confirm Card" button.

If successful, you will see the confirmation message.

And your Paypal account status should now be verified as seen in the screenshot below:

That's all.



You can now start using your Paypal account to make payments on sites that accept Paypal. No need worrying yourself about funding the Paypal account for now. When you use it to make payments, the credit or debit card linked to the Paypal account will be charged.



Have you been able to verify your Paypal account? Which bank card did you use? Please, let me hear from you via comments.



Please, tweet, +1 and share this with friends.



Cheers!



Recommended: Fund PayPal Account in Nigeria With Access Bank Visa Card

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PayPal Account Sign Up With Nigeria IP Now Possible!

I'm very delighted to inform you that Paypal now accepts Nigerians i.e Nigeria is now listed on Paypal website.  This simply means you no longer have to change or hide your IP for you to open a Paypal account in Nigeria. You can now sign up for a Paypal account with Nigerian IP address.

This is now possible because Paypal now allows users from Nigeria and other countries from sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America to use the online payment platform. This was announced in an interview on Monday by Rupert Keeley, the executive in charge of the EMEA region of PayPal, the payments unit of eBay Inc (EBAY.O).



As a the time of publishing this post, Paypal is only offering "send money" services for Nigerian users. This means you can only use your Nigeria Paypal account to pay for goods and services at Paypal-enabled merchant sites eg Addynamo.



For now, you can't receive payment directly with your Nigerian Paypal account because PayPal does not yet cover peer-to-peer transactions and has not yet enabled local merchants in the new markets to receive payments, nor is it offering other forms of banking services.



I created my new Nigerian Paypal account today and I've verified it with my GTB Naira Mastercard. I even used it to pay for advertising on Addynamo website after I successfully linked it to my card.



To get started, go to https://www.paypal.com/ng/



What's your take on this? Please, let me hear from you via comments.



Recommended:



How To use GTB Naira Mastercard To Verify Paypal Account 



How To Fund PayPal Account in Nigeria With Access Bank Visa Card

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Optimizing AdSense Online Course For Adsense Publishers

Do you want to know what works for other publishers on Adsense Network?



Are you looking for practical optimization tips from Adsense experts?



Then check out the first online Adsense course: Optimizing Adsense.



From  choosing ad sizes, to improving page speed, to setting up Adsense experiments, Google Adsense experts will show you how you can increase your Adsense revenue.



With videos, activities, assessments, you can build your Adsense expertise and put your knowledge to test.

To get started, you will have to register for free. You will provide your name, Adsense publisher id, site url and choose the reason for taking the course from the available options. You can also choose to receive certificate after the course.



Once you're successfully registered, you will be presented with a pre-course assessment. This pre-course assessment will help you identify what you already know and what you still have to learn from each of the lessons.



The score of the assessment will not affect your course certificate - so feel free to select "I don't know" if you're unsure of the answers to the questions. If you do not want to take the assessment after registration , you can always come back and take it later on.



After answering the questions, click on 'Submit Answers' to save your progress. Your lessons to focus on will be saved in your profile and for the incorrect answers, you will be referred to the lessons to take.



Register now to join fellow publishers in taking the optimizing Adsense course.



If you've taken the course, feel free to share your score below.

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Adsense Introduces 970x250 and 300x1050 Ad Sizes

Google Adsense has announced the introduction of two new ad sizes - 970 x 250 Billboard and the 300 x 1050 Portrait, which Google believes will help Adsense publishers to reach more advertisers while also enhancing user experience and engagement on their sites.


The new, larger ad formats are meant to provide a great canvas for rich creatives. As with most of Adsense ad sizes, both of these ad units can accommodate standard text ads in addition to image ads.

Additionally, they can show similar-sized image ads. In this case, you may occasionally see a 300 x 250 ad served in the 970 x 250 ad unit and a 160 x 600 served in the 300 x 1050 ad unit when those units are opted in to showing image ads.

Hence, 300x250 and 970x250 image ads will both compete for your 970x250 ad unit while 160x600 and 300x1050 image ads will both compete for your 300x1050 ad unit with the most competitive ad served thus maximizing the earnings on your ad units. When a 160x600 image is served it will be centered in the 300x1050 ad unit.

As both of these new sizes are large ad units, publishers can place a maximum of one of these units per page.

Which of these new ad sizes will you add to your blog?

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Tracking Adsense Earnings of Responsive Adsense Ad Units

The Performance reports tab at www.google.com/adsense is designed to provide more insight into not just how much you're earning, but what impacts those earnings.



If your blog is responsive and you've placed responsive adsense ad codes on it, you can track the performance of your responsive ad units by viewing the Ad units report on the Performance reports tab.



To access the "Ad Units" report,



==> Sign in to www.google.com/adsense

==> Click on "Performance reports" tab

==> On the left sidebar, click "Ad Units"





Right there, you will see the earnings, number of clicks, number of page views etc of each responsive ad unit on your blog. Each responsive ad unit will be identified by the name you used when you created them.



The performance of all responsive ad units on your blog is shown under the “Responsive” label in the "Ad sizes" report. This is where you will see the total number of clicks, ad request CTR, CPC and estimated earnings of all the responsive ad units on the blog.

Clicking on the "Responsive" label will break down the performance further, day by day.



If you want to track the sizes of the ads that have been served from your responsive ad units, you can view the Creative sizes report.



Cheers

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Adsense Respsonsive Ad Code Modification Using CSS Media Queries

When I published how to create and add responsive Adsense ad unit, I recommended the implementation of the "Smart sizing" mode which doesn’t require you to make any changes to your ad code. This mode lets Adsense to dynamically calculate the ad unit size that will adapt to your page layout based on the width of the ad unit’s parent container, then determine what's the best standard height to go with that width.





For example, if you have a <div> with a width of 30% and you place our ad code within the<div>, then depending on the width of the user's screen, Adsense will automatically serve different ad sizes. If your page is viewed on a tablet with a width of 1024px, we'll serve a 307x250 ad, and if it's view on a 21" desktop PC with a 1680px width, we'll serve a 504x60 ad.



If you would want to specify either an exact size via CSS or a general shape (horizontal, vertical, and/or rectangle) that your ad unit should conform to, you will have to select the "Advanced" mode instead of the "Smart Sizing" mode when you generate your responsive ad code. The Advanced mode lets you modify the ad code as desired using css media queries.

I implemented the responsive 728 x90 leatherboard ad banner under the navigation of this blog using the "Advanced" mode. I modified the ad code in a way that it will serve a 300 x 250 ad unit on screens whose width are less than 500px. If the width of the screen is greater than 500px but less than 800px, a 468 x 60 ad unit will be displayed and on screens whose width are greater than 800px, a 728 x 90 ad unit will be displayed.



To get this done on my blog, I generated the responsive ad code, ensuring I select the "Advanced" mode. Below is what the generated ad code looks like:





<style>

.oblog-responsive-728-adunit { width: 320px; height: 50px; }

@media(min-width: 500px) { .oblog-responsive-728-adunit { width: 468px; height: 60px; } }

@media(min-width: 800px) { .oblog-responsive-728-adunit { width: 728px; height: 90px; } }

</style>

<script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- OBlog_responsive_728_AdUnit -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle oblog-responsive-728-adunit"
     style="display:inline-block"
     data-ad-client="ca-pub-1234"
     data-ad-slot="5678"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>



I deleted the style part of the code (in yellow) , then placed the other part of the adsense code on my blog using the HTML/Javascript gadget. Thereafter, I added the media queries below to the css section of my blog's html.





.oblog-responsive-728-adunit { width: 300px; height: 250px; }



@media(min-width: 800px) { .oblog-responsive-728-adunit { width: 728px; height: 90px; } }

@media(min-width: 500px) { .oblog-responsive-728-adunit { width: 468px; height: 60px; } }

@media screen and (max-width: 499px) { .oblog-responsive-728-adunit { width: 300px; height: 250px; } }



That's all.



The .oblog-responsive-728-adunit { width: 300px; height: 250px; } specifies the default size. This will ensure that an ad renders even when media queries aren’t supported especially when your blog is viewed by old browsers.



If you understand how to use css media queries, you can use styles different from mine.



You can use the responsive design testing sites to see what your responsive ad unit will look like on different devices and screens to make sure that the responsive behaviour is working fine.



To test with your desktop browser, you must resize your browser to a certain width before you access your web page for you to see the responsive ad that is served on screen with such width.



UPDATE:



 ==> If your ad name (eg oblog-responsive-728-adunit) is not added beside adsbygoogle as seen in the ad code above, add it yourself and ensure you use it for the styling too. 

==> Also ensure data-ad-format="auto" is deleted if present in your code.





NB: This css media queries will not work for you if your blog is not responsive. You can check if your blog is responsive here.

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How To Create and Add Responsive Adsense Ad Unit to Blogger Blogs

Responsive web design is the trend these days as more and more people are browsing the internet through their smartphones and tablets. If your Blogger blog is responsive, you can consider adding responsive ad units to the blog to maximize your Adsense earnings.



Adsense responsive ad code automatically serves different ad sizes based on the space available and also has support for ad size changes after a screen orientation change  (e.g., when a tablet or phone goes from portrait to landscape).



By using a responsive ad unit, you can control the size of the ads on
your page, in line with how you control the layout of the rest of your
page across devices. 





If your blog design is responsive, all you need to do is to generate responsive ad code and add it to your blog's html.

How To Generate Code for Responsive Adsense Ad Unit  

==> Log in to www.google.com/adsense

==> Click the My ads tab and click +New ad unit

==> Provide a unique name that will help you find this ad unit later

==> Select “Responsive ad unit (BETA)” from the Ad size drop-down

==> Click Save and get code.

==> In the “Ad code” box that appears, select the recommended "Smart Sizing" mode from the Mode drop-down.

==> Place the ad code on your site.

How To Place Adsense Code On Blogger Blog

==> Log in to www.blogger.com

==> Go to "Layout"

==> Click on "Add a gadget"

==> Select "HTML/Javascript" from the options

==> Paste the ad code in it and Save.



That's all.



Once you’ve placed your ad code,I recommend that you test your ads on different devices and screens to make sure that the responsive behavior is working correctly. You can also use the free online Responsive Web Design Testing Tools for the test.

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Responsinator.com : Site to Preview Responsive Design

Sites crafted with a responsive design simply adapt to the user's viewing environment (mobile, tablet, laptop etc). Such sites are designed in a way that all of the content, images and structure of the site remains the same on any device. Users that visit such sites don't have to fool around with zooming while surfing the sites.





If you own a site and would love to provide easy reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing and scrolling—across a wide range of devices, you should consider Responsive Web Design. The practice consists of a mix of flexible grids and layouts, images and an intelligent use of CSS media queries.



With responsive design, your site will have just one URL and the same HTML across all devices. It makes your site to be mobile friendly without the need of creating another site specifically developed for mobile users. You won't also have to worry about using the likes of mobstac, mobilepress to create mobile version of your site.

You can check if your website or blog is responsive or not at : www.responsinator.com



The site helps you quickly get an indication of how your responsive site will look on the most popular devices. All you just need to do is to enter your site URL and click "GO".



Whenever I redesign a Blogger blog to be responsive, I use the site to check the responsiveness of the blog. You can check what OgbongeBlog looks like on different devices here.



Use Responsinator to test your blog and let me know if your site is responsive or not. If you know other Responsive web design testing tools, kindly share via comments.



NB: You can also preview your site responsive design at : http://mattkersley.com/responsive/



Cheers!

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