If any of you remember my rambling about blogging, then you know how interesting blogging can be at times. Lately, I have been going nuts over product reviews. Product reviews can be great ways to try different products without necessarily paying for them.

BuzzAgent is one company that loves it when you give their products away and buzz all about it. Although this is a great company, I wondered how to get my blog to be one of the amazing blogs I have been reading as of lately. It was time for research. I found that there are some very important steps to follow when you want to get into doing product reviews on your blog.

You will want to start by securing a domain name. This is just the url for your website. Follow that up by setting up your blog on a hosting platform like Blogger, Wordpress, etc. I went into more detail on this in prior blogging posts so I will not repeat that information.

Next you want to start doing your own reviews. Find out what you want to review (toys, appliances, books, etc.) and begin writing your own reviews about products you already own. Follow that up by visiting HOT and popular blogs to see how they do it. Its also a great idea to leave comments so that you can get your name out there. I could go for taking my own advice in this area. I find so many blogs that I just love but one of the MAJOR rules in blogging is to leave comments.

Another area where I am dropping the ball is the social networking arena. When you are a blogger, you should join several social networking sites to help promote your blog. I have joined Myspace (which I don't use or promote from like I should), Twitter (which I use religiously), and LinkedIn (who could easily be referred to as LinkedWho? since I never use it). These are just a few sites that would help you promote your blog.

Another way to promote is by joining blog directories like BlogCatalog. Its a great way to appear on other people's blogs and gain some great attention. I am guilty of not doing enough in this area as well.

One thing I am NOT guilty of is not taking this next step. I have hosted several blog giveaways but I just do not have enough visitors to give stuff away. I host a contest and no one ever enters. Its sad but this is an AMAZING way to draw traffic to your site. Everyone loves a freebie.

If you have been successful in all of these steps, then your blog rating is probably growing tremendously. Once you have a great following, you may want to develop a press kit to give to PR Reps. Don't worry if that sounds Greek, I am going to elaborate later this week.

The work does not end there, you want to contact the PR group and beg for a product to review. No you are not really begging. You will want to send them your press kit and let them know what product you want to review and find out if there are some freebies they would like for you to offer on your blog. This could be coupons, certificates, gift cards, or even an additional product for your readers.

One blog that has truly inspired me lately is Cutie Booty Cakes. This lady has truly put the "R" in product reviews. In just the past few days, I have been blown away by the things she has reviewed. There was a range, the cutiest little potty seat, an external hard drive, air filters, clothes, etc. Looking at the things this lady has been blessed to experience is inspiration for all bloggers experienced or novice. Don't take my word for it, see for yourself. She is a testament that all things are possible.

Become a “FUNtern” for BUTTERFINGER and take back your summer!

Do you feel equally at home on Facebook as you do out on the town? Do you Tweet as much as you talk? Do you shoot mini videos as fast as you can post your pics? Has the line between your offline and online life started to blur to the point you’re in two dimensions at once? If so, then you’re the perfect FUNtern for the Butterfinger FUNternship that lets you earn bucks for your bytes.

With flexible hours (approx 10-15 per week) and creative freedom (show us something cool we haven’t seen), it’s the ultimate gig for a girl or guy on the go and in the social media know. Six weeks, one thousand bucks and a year’s supply of the crunchety, peanut-buttery candy bars known as Butterfinger will fuel four FUNterns. The Butterfinger FUNternship period runs from July 20 – August 28, with paid training the week of July 13.

Must-have skills:
• A love of Butterfinger!
• Personal accountability…be true to yourself, and to your love of Butterfinger!
• Self-starter mentality…be driven and innovative, having fun while you get the job done!
• Interpersonal skills…be as social as you are online, offline!
• Great verbal, written and “on-air” skills…we want punctuation and a clever, irreverent personality!
• Experience (and active life) on popular Web sites, such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, MySpace and Digg; and/or with mobile applications, such as SMS, mobile web and media, etc.
• Video editing application knowledge a major bonus!
• Legal age…and by that, we mean 18…and yeah, you gotta have proof of that and your U.S. citizenship and eligibility to work

Technology requirements:
• Personal cell phone with photo/video capabilities
• Personal laptop
• Personal camera or other equipment capable of creating videos in one of the following formats: .AVI, .MOV, and .MPG with a file size no larger than 100MB

What does “work” look like:
• Enjoy Butterfinger candy bars from a massive supply … and pass them out wherever you go all summer during your six-week FUNternship
• Engage your friends via postings and other social online activity on Facebook, MySpace, etc….get them to join the fun virtually
• Tweet and update Butterfinger Facebook throughout the day about you and your Butterfinger experiences
• Create and post original videos, photos and more about being Butterfinger’s “virtual brand ambassador” on online sites, thus serving as a representative of the brand’s marketing team
• Be cool with doing some radio, TV and print interviews, sharing your love of Butterfinger and the contest
• Report back on what you are doing to the Nestlé representative
• Up to two local trips to help get the word out about the video contest!

How much do Butterfinger FUNterns get paid for this?
• Each FUNtern will be paid $1,000.00 to compensate for 15 hours of work per week for six weeks (plus training)
• Nestlé will provide a per diem for travel (travel costs to be approved in advance and per diem is based on Nestlé’s travel policy) and cover travel costs (also approved in advance in the form of mileage, train, plane or bus ticket)
• Each FUNtern will also receive a year’s supply of Butterfinger bars
• AND, you will receive a written letter of recommendation at the conclusion of the program for use in your future endeavors (and of course, the option to include the FUNternship on your resume!)

If you are truly interested, find out how to apply @ The Schmooze! Oh and if you are hired, send me a Butterfinger, will ya!