Bloggers: The blogosphere is coming to an end.

You have one last post. What is it going to be?

What is the final summary of your blog?

What is the one last gem that you want to leave with your readers?

Well actually the blogosphere is not ending. I think it’s just beginning. (At least I hope so, for I want to become a pro blogger.) But what does this have to do with anything? Read on.

Update: This meme has been closed, and the results are here.

$500 for charity AND link love, in two minutes!

When I was a kid I used to donate all the time. I used to give to beggars, charities, my friends, everyone. Until I got ripped off by a few fake beggars. So I stopped, years ago.

I want to get back into it now. I want to donate, and not feel guilty or poor.

(Plus, giving money away is a lot harder when it’s your own money, and not your parents.)

I want to get back into the spirit of giving. I’ve no right to ask for donations on my blog if I don’t give. So it’s charity time. And I want to give it in your names.

Update no.2 - Yes I will pay.

There’s been a lot of doubt whether or not I’ll actually donate. Let me assure you I’ve been in contact with the Salvation Army, and they’ve confirmed that there will be a receipt. The moment no new links come in for 2 weeks, I’ll donate as promised, and show you guys the receipt (maybe a picture if it’s physical and not digital). I’m around for the long haul, you guys can see that I’ve poured everything into my articles, my design, and the marketing, so I’m not risking my marketing for $500.

What YOU get!

So how do I combine those two unrelated topics?

I’m starting a blog meme and I want you to join in.

*update*

Your traffic will increase. Your earnings will increase (if you monetize your blog). Your Google and Technorati ratings will go up. So will mine. I know I get a lot more link love then you guys, so I’ll donate to charity for you if you do - that way it’s not so unfair. Everybody wins. I wish I could offer more, but I have no way of knowing how out-of-control this meme will get so I thought I’d play safe. If it goes beyond $500, I might extend it to $1,000. (I’ve only made like $30 from my blog so please understand that this is quite a big sum for me)

Here’s how it works:

STEP ONE

The blogosphere is ending. No more blogs. Blog apocalypse. The internet is still working, the world is fine. But you can’t write anymore. Write your last post. Make it a good one. What is the reason you blog? What is the last gem of knowledge you want to leave? What do you want to be remembered for? Who are you? What is the meaning of life? Haha…well not exactly but you get the point. Pour your heart into it.

You’ll gain far better direction with your blog once you have this. Look at the top bloggers - why are they so successful? They have a passion and direction. Same applies for everything in life - and hey this is good training.

Or you can make it one sentence. If you don’t feel like making a post, a sentence would do - “Goodbye cruel world!”

If you’re a tech blogger, for example, you can write about your favourite gadget, or maybe a final future-proofed tips list for selecting a good one.

If you’re a political blogger, what do you want to achieve? What is your ideal world? Who do you wish was shot and buried, and who do you support?

If it’s a religious blog, what’s the one teaching you wish everyone would take to heart? What is the core teaching of your religion?

If you are promoting your business, make it your final sell. Or simply state BUY FROM ME!!

I’m a personal development blogger, so I’ll leave a post on what made the most impact on my life.

STEP TWO

Tell your visitors what you are doing.

Please put a link back to this post, so they can read it and know what’s going on. Also I’ll track all link backs to this post so I know how much to donate.

OPTIONAL: Email me at albert(at)urbanmonk(dot)net to let me know you’ve participated.

For each link back I get, I’ll put a dollar aside. Once it reaches $500 I will write a cheque for a charity, probably the Salvation Army. (thanks for the idea, Mitch!)

I’m also happy to take suggestions if you don’t like the Salvos. Leave comments with your favorite charity, preferably one that provides receipts so I can show you guys!

If it fizzles out before it reaches $500 I’ll put round it up to the nearest hundred and donate that much (so 101 links will net $200).

This blog has been up for about 8 weeks, and I’ve only made like $30 so far from it, so this is seriously out of pocket.

STEP THREE

Next, please just tell all your other friends on the blogosphere. Make a list of links to them at the bottom of your post, and then email them so they know to join in. They will then hopefully join in.

The emails are very important…let them know the benefits of joining in (backlinks to them, traffic and charity), and that its an interesting subject to blog about!

This is where charity really gets it - the more you tag, the higher the chance they join in. So 1 post can get as much money to charity as you want - from $10 to $20 or more!

STEP FOUR

Also, put a link back to the person who inducted you into the Apocalypse, even if it isn’t me.

This way, everybody gets lots of links. The people you link to will link back to you and me. So we get link love. They will also link to their friends, just like in Step Three, and their friends will get link love.

WHY LINK?

Links are the lifeblood of a blog. They raise your Google rankings and your Technorati rankings and a lot of other stuff, which result in a lot more traffic and recognition, which helps you achieve your blogging goals, whether it be spreading your message or making money. But you probably know that already.

So take the time to post for charity!

STEP FIVE

I’ve also made some pictures for you to put up on your blog if you want.

You can right click and save them for your own use: