Alaa Hassan

The Most Passionate eCommerce Coach & Advisor

Personal Life

September 2014 Blog Traffic Report

by

September 2014 Blog Traffic Report

Launching your own personal blog is a piece of cake.  What’s difficult is blogging consistently with interesting and valuable posts that will make readers come back for more and share your content with others.

But there’s one more thing you need: MOTIVATION

Here’s the reality:

When you initially start blogging, you’re excited.  You publish content regularly during your first and second week.  You actively share your content across social media networks.  You ask you friends and family to subscribe to your newsletter and much more.

Does that sound familiar?

That’s what I did with my 3 blog failures. But one thing I did was I never quit blogging.

When I launched passionTribe, my new blog, my goal was to inspire people to leverage the power of the Internet to do what they love.  I want them to discover their passion.  One tactic I recommend most of the time is to start a personal blog.

One thing most bloggers complain about is the fact that they get demotivated because they’re not seeing the results they expected – more traffic and income from their blogging efforts.

So here’s what I decided to do from now on.

Two of my favorite bloggers, Pat Flynn and Dale Partridge, both share their monthly blog earnings with their readers. They’re making some serious money blogging both online and offline.  When I see their results, it really inspires me to keep blogging because if they can achieve such success, so can I.

Every month, I decided to share with you a full breakdown of my traffic reports, what I’ve learned from my online efforts and some tips for those who are trying to achieve success with their online initiatives such as having a personal blog.

Highlight of The Month

I used to blog under my AlaaHassan.com and Tumblr but now, I decided to launch my personal blog under passionTribe.  I am moving over blog posts on a weekly basis to this one.

Something I Learned This Month

Instead of planning too much, I decided to focus on simply writing what’s on my mind.  I didn’t launch the blog with many categories.  This process really helped me focus on writing about any topic without limiting myself to specific ones.  Sometimes people plan so much that they end up not doing anything.  I decided to do the opposite.

I created a category called blog and started adding posts to it.  Each post has its own category but it’s not yet linked in the blog menu.

Traffic Details

Total visitors   194
Total pageviews   463
Pages per visit  2.39

Top posts

Top 3 Traffic Sources

  1. Direct
  2. Facebook
  3. Google Organic

Top 3 Social Network Sources

  1. Facebook
  2. Linkedin
  3. Google+

Tools I’ve Discovered & Love Using

Evernote.  I use it to manage all my notes and bookmarks.  I also use it to centralize my blog management where I keep ideas for upcoming posts and outlines.

Lastpass.  A good friend shared this amazing tool.  It allows me to store passwords for all sorts of websites I use online

Canva. An amazing tool I use every single day for my graphic needs.  Sometimes I wonder what would I do if I didn’t have Canva!  I create both blog and social media graphics using this tool.  It’s easy to use and free (unless you need photos which will cost you $1).

Online Communities or Blogs I’ve Discovered & You Should Follow

For years, I’ve been following Michael Hyatt by reading his blog and listening to his podcast called “This is your life”.  In September, I decided to join his Platform University.  My goal was to learn how to improve my personal brand by focusing more on my platform which includes this blog.  His Platform University allowed me to connect with great people and got access to valuable videos and resources to improve my brand. I think I remain a member for a while until I feel I don’t need it anymore.  I pay around $30/month.

A Podcast I Discovered & You Should Listen To

I discovered Seth Godin’s Startup School podcast perfect for anyone planning on launching a business whether it’s online or offline.  He covers lots of great topics and popular challenges faced by any entrepreneur. It’s only 15 episodes.  I listened to all of them while driving for a couple of days.

Let me know if you want me to share any other data that you feel will be useful for you.

I truly hope this inspires you to start or keep blogging!

21 Days of Gratitude: Day 3

by

Day 3 of 21 Days of Gratitude

3 new things I’m grateful for today

  1. I’m grateful to have friends I can simply call upon when I feel like going out for breakfast.
  2. I’m grateful to not have to work on the weekends and spend time with the family.
  3. I’m grateful for being able to sleep-in on weekends if I need to in order to catchup on my sleep.

They are simple things yet could be priceless for those that don’t have them.

Take a moment and reflect on this.  Trust me, you will feel better & happier!

Here’s what I was grateful for on day 2

What are you grateful for today?

21 Days of Gratitude: Day 2

by

Day 2 of 21 Days of Gratitude

3 new things I’m grateful for today

  1. I’m grateful to have a healthy daughter who’s growing up day by day and who loves hanging out with me.
  2. I’m grateful for being able to pick up the phone and make an dentist appointment as soon as I feel pain in my tooth.
  3. I’m grateful for having a wife who makes my lunch every morning-and I make her breakfast 🙂

Take a moment and reflect on this.  Trust me, you will feel better & happier!

Here’s what I was grateful for on day 1.

What are you grateful for today?

21 Days of Gratitude: Day 1

by

Day 1 of 21 Days of Gratitude

3 new things I’m grateful for today

  1. Since this is my first day of gratitude, I must say that I am grateful to be alive and that God has given me a chance to make a difference in this world for others and myself.
  2. I’m grateful for the fact that I live close to work where I don’t have to wake up so early in the morning to avoid traffic.
  3. I’m grateful for the fact that we have electricity in the house in order to keep it warm all through the night while we sleep.

Take a moment and reflect on this.  Trust me, you will feel better & happier 🙂

What are you grateful for today?

How Can You Survive 21 Days Without Coffee? I Did.

by

How to quit coffee

On October 22nd 2014, I decided it was time for me to try quitting coffee for 21 days.

I felt it was the perfect time to try this experiment since I was on my way to an eCommerce conference where I had to speak.  Being away from the office truly helps.

21 days have now passed and I am proud to say I am no longer addicted to coffee (hope it stays this way).

So I decided to write about my experience and what helped me achieve this unbelievable milestone for myself.

Why Does Coffee Taste So Good

I’m not really sure why it tastes so good, but maybe it’s because most of us are addicted to it that we feel it tastes amazing.  I don’t consider myself as a coffee connoisseur.  I am a simple coffee drinker who appreciates a good cup whenever I felt like having one.

Why Do We Drink Coffee

There are many reasons why we love drinking it but I can only think of 5 main ones.

My Favorite Coffees

  • Macdonalds (large, 1 milk, 1 sugar)
  • Tim Hortons Dark Roast (medium, 1 milk, 1 sugar)
  • Starbucks (grande, bold, 1 milk, 1 sugar)

Why I Decided to Quit Coffee

Honestly, I felt I was getting addicted.  Somedays, I would even drink coffee instead of water.  I would end up with like 3-4 cups on my desk and that wasn’t something I enjoyed.  Here are the main reasons why it had to stop:

I was drinking too much.  It was going out of control. A morning cup, a mid morning cup, an afternoon cup, a late afternoon cup and sometimes in the evening.

I felt anxious.  Too much caffeine in my blood caused for higher anxiety.  I felt my heart beating too fast sometimes and stress was increasing.

Hard time sleeping.  My brain was all wired up and hard to disconnect.  I was sleeping but not enough.  Had a hard time sleeping early in the evening.

Digestive Issues.  Drinking coffee on an empty stomach is not a good idea.  Caffeine has effects on your digestive system and I noticed that it was happening more often to me.

8 Things I did To Survive Without Coffee for 21 Days

You have really have to 2 ways of quitting coffee.  Gradually or cold turkey.

  1. Drink Tea. This really helped me. I started drinking more green tea & herbal teas such as Ginger & lemon, Jasmine tea and my favorite camomile.  First thing in the morning, I get a warm cup of ginger or camomile tea since both are great on an empty stomach.
  2. Drink decaf when craving kicks-in. I bought a jar of Nescafé decaf coffee and that really helped.  Whenever I really crave the taste, I make a quick cup in my office.  But I don’t have any at home.  This allows me to keep under control. (UPDATE: Here’s the reason why I don’t drink much decaf)
  3. Drink more water
    Water is amazing at removing the need for coffee or even food.  Sometimes, all you need is a cup and suddenly, you calm down.  You can also try adding lemon to it.
  4. Stay away from coffee drinkers
    Just like how they recommend to stay away from smokers if you want quit, you could do the same with coffee.  It will help you fight the urge.
  5. Chew some gum. A great way to keep your mouth busy and your mind away from having to drink a cup.
  6. Take quick naps. I noticed that I was getting tired early on in the day without drinking coffee.  My body is giving me a sign that I need to take a break and recharge.  A nap is perfect for that.  I feel energized after taking a quick 20 min nap anytime before 6pm.
  7. Take a 5 min walk. I started making it a habit of leaving my desk every hour for a 5 minute walk around the company offices.  Not only does it allow me to ignore the need for coffee, but it stretches my muscles while saying hi to all my employees.
  8. Exercise more. My wife and I started going more to the gym after I cut down the coffee.  We usually go right after work 3 times a week.  It gives me the energy needed to continue through the evening and have a good night sleep later on.  We also try to do 1 outdoor activity on weekends.  My new favorite sport is Hiking.

Need Help to Quit?

If you feel you need more information about ways you can quit coffee, I found this great article that talks about a caffeine detox.

Your Turn:

Have you tried quitting coffee recently? Did you succeed?

 

What Is The Meaning Of A True Friend?

by

Meaning of a True friend

A while back, I had asked my friends on Facebook a simple question:

What is the meaning of a true friend?

I was very happy with the responses I received.  It shows how the meaning of having friends is different for everyone.  I decided to gather all their responses for this post.

Most of us have met our friends through:

  • School (daycare, elementary, high school, college, university)
  • Neighbourhood
  • Community
  • Work
  • A friend or family

Nowadays, it seems that everyone has hundreds of them since social media made it so easy to connect with others.  You would visit someone’s profile on Facebook and notice that they have 600 friends.  You go to their Linkedin profile and they have 500+ connections.  You go to their Twitter profile and they have 1000’s of followers (most are fake).  You get the point.

If you really think about it, we usually have a handful of true friends, if not a only a couple.

Those are the types of genuine and authentic relationships that we need on a daily basis.

A True Friend is…

Someone who will do the same for you as you would for them, hard to come by. Most have different outlooks and you often find you are only putting yourself out for them and them only. – Nathan

Someone who keeps in touch without asking for favors. – Sam

No need to tell or ask anything, he will understand that what’s going on in your life by talking to you and looking at you. – Ujjaval

A friend in need is a friend indeed. – Lila

Someone you dont have to be fake around or try to ‘please’. Someone who will say It to your face and not behind your back. – Juman

A friend is when in need. – Nofel

Someone who keeps in touch at least once a month, and who is interested and involved in your life. – Catherine

True enough to tell me the Truth! – Oneil

Enough confidence with you that if they apply Selflessness to your relationship they can be assured to never be hurt. – Imad

The one that backs you up in your presence and absence. The one who makes you forget every problem you have and always stays like a shadow with you. – Neemo

Someone that got your back and won;t put a knife into. – John

Supportive, open & honest. – Jarrett

Someone who is there for you even if you’ve made a bad mistake, and still loves you regardless. Trust me, it’s when you’re at your lowest points in life that you find who your true friends are- and you’ll be shocked that they may not be who you expected. – Rob

All what I know a true friend when he sees you in trouble he won’t advise you to back off. He will join you and make sure that both of u are f*&*^^. – Hany

Someone who’s there for you in good times and especially in the bad. – Um Sadik

A Friend of true honesty and sincerity. – Hussein

After reading all those responses, I wondered who’s MY true friend.

I do have 2 best friends but my true one friend has to be me wife (the one in the picture).

Your Turn

What’s the meaning of a true friend for you?