Sunday, December 21, 2008

101 Things I Learned about Blogging in my First 12 Days of Blogging

1. Set yourself up to succeed. It starts with your attitude that you will succeed.

2. Writing a blog post can trigger a new post! So start writing!

3. You have to be more than just excited about what you're writing - it has to be like - "If I can't write about this then I wouldn't know what to do with myself"

4. Approach blogging like you would a new job which you have no previous training in. When you start a job you don't start off trying to get the "partners" to make you a partner right off the back. You earn the recognition by performing well - in blogging this means you write the best you can and you do it often.

5. You don't need any special training to become a blogger.

6. Learn the Rules then Break Them!

7. Blogger.com makes it very easy for anyone to create and effectively use their blog almost instantaneously!

8. Blogging takes a lot of time. (Hence why #3 is so important)

9. Getting people to your blog takes a lot of work.

10. Tips on blogging are really scattered - it's hard to find an all-in-one blog tip website for the information you need.

11. Finding Your Niche is not just an abstract concept or piece of useless advice.

12. Being yourself matters.

13. One of the number one concerns of bloggers is how to get readers to their blog.

14. If there's money in blogging it's like how there's money in modeling. Most of us fit into the category of advertisement models for weekly circulars as opposed to Top Supermodels.

15. Blogging is an intimate experience.

16. Blogging is the new form of a personal website.

17. Blogging takes very little technical know how.

18. Blogging is more interactive than social networking sites.

19. If you have any background in HTML code your blogging life is going to be a sweet experience.

20. Many Bloggers are very protective of their "ideas." They don't want you stealing them!

21. It's hard to contact many bloggers because they simply forgot to put an email address on their blog!

22. The majority of blogs out there are individually run as opposed to group blogs.

23. Bloggers have a tendency to think what they write is always prime rib.

24. If one of your blog posts ever disappears and you didn't back it up you're going to pee your pants.

25. Blogger.com doesn't put the word: permalink next to the permalinks for your posts!

26. Some bloggers will actually personally respond to you if you contact them.

27. Writing into the night is very productive (no interruptions).

28. Obsessive personalities will excel at blogging.

29. Perfectionists will be frustrated with blogging.

30. Your list of blog chores never seems to get any shorter.

31. If you have no social life then blogging will fit into your lifestyle very easily.

32. Readers who don't comment are like ghosts in the rain.

33. The attitude of self-interests seems to consume a lot of bloggers.

34. Finding a site that creates a sitemap that works on Google is really hard to find!

35. Google's blog search engine often gives an error and doesn't work!

36. Linking has somehow gotten way outta hand! I think the original intention of linking somehow got lost!

37. Bloggers have personalities (just like people in the "real" world!) Just remember people are not their behavior.

38. Getting linked by someone has become almost like a rite of passage.

39. The whole drama encircling blogging is like standing in the middle of a cafeteria filled with different cliques deciding which table won't reject you if you try and sit down.

40. Any research you want to do to improve your writing, your blog, or any aspect of your life can be found for free online. (Beware of people trying to sell you information!)

41. You don't need to sell anything on your blog to be successful.

42. There's a rise in "Professional blogging"

43. If you bring up the word "blogging" in your everyday conversations you'd be surprised how recognizable it has become.

44. Google promises much....I'm not sure it delivers it all though.

45. Everyone wishes they could make money from their blog!

46. There's a lot of advice out there that sounds like cliches but are really practical advice. (i.e. Know your audience, Be passionate about what you write, Content is King, etc.)

47. Authoritative Advice is a rare find.

48. The number of hours you need to churn out a high quality blog is more than you could ever get good paid for! (Don't quit your day job)

49. You can't just sign up for a forum and begin sharing your blog link right away! (That one shocked me - when did people make it so hard to let people know about their blogs?)

50. Don't let "statistics" discourage you.

51. Many blogs comment areas require approval from a moderator before your comment gets a chance to be heard.

52. You can really get trapped in the muddy waters surrounding blogs and forget your blog in the mess of trying to figure out what keywords you should use to get people to notice your blog.

53. Once you get into the groove of creating thoughtful clear blog postings it isn't that hard to repeat.

54. Blogging is like life - you never stop learning.

55. You're going to make errors. It's ok. Just go back and fix them.

56. If you don't know how to hyperlink you're going to want to learn that ASAP.

57. Blogging is supposed to be fun. Remember that!

58. If you wake up and think "oh man I have to write a blog posting today" - then it's time to stop blogging. Or join a group blog so you don't have to blog as much.

59. Traffic Exchanges take a lot of dedication - that means you've got to do it a lot! And doing it doesn't guarantee you targeted traffic

60. You should never feel an obligation to reciprocate a link.

61. Writing for an audience is important, but so is writing for yourself.

62. It's okay to pat yourself on the back when you write a really good blog posting. In fact if you ever say something really interesting you may want to consider submitting your quote to: CB Blogger Quotes - which exhibits quotes made by bloggers

63. Ads can be detrimental to your blog.

64. People can spot insincerity - so keep it real at all times.

65. No one knows about your blog? Don't worry you're in good company! lol Have patience and always keep your reason for blogging at the front of your mind - and if your desire to blog fades then it's okay - just because you began a blog doesn't mean you're chained
to it for life! lol

66. If you center your blog around trying to please everyone else you're never going to be satisfied - I guess the same goes for life as well!

67. Not every blog has to be "informative."

68. You can't forget to attend to your physical needs when blogging (showering, sleeping, eating, drinking enough water, taking breaks from staring at a computer screen for hours, going outside - there's an outside?)

69. There's a weird imbalance in the relationship between bloggers and their commentators. The need for validation and the emotional aspect of feeling appreciated vs. the need for finding an in to getting the ever so unreachable backlink!

70. Pretty much any value or principal you have in "real" life is applicable in the world of blogging. Don't abandon your principles out of desperation.

71. If you can't find your blog on Google neither can anyone else!

72. No one will ever really remember the URL for your blog off the top of their heads.

73. What matters to you matters to you. Don't expect it to matter to someone else.

74. If you think blogging is easy think again. It takes a lot of effort on your part. Yes that's right I said on your part.

75. You don't have to assimilate every little aspect of blogging from the onset - thinking you can will drive you crazy! And trying to will skip the driving part of that equation.

76. If you're a person who needs constant reassurance then blogging isn't for you - cause you're going to have to rely on your instincts and your intuition.

77. Confidence isn't just a state of mind - it's a state of action. In this case the actual act of blogging is in itself an act of bravery! You're telling the world watch out here I come whether you like what I have to say or not. Don't apologize for what you have to say. Speak your mind.

78. Blogging isn't about reaching an end goal - it is the process.

79. Blogging can be whatever you want it to be! Find out what you want then make it that!

80. If you use labels and make a list of those labels appear on your blog, people can readily find blog posts they're interested in by clicking on a topic rather than feeling overwhelmed by having to weed through a multitude of varying posts to find what they're looking for.

81. You may start off thinking you're going to stick to one topic but then find yourself writing posts that are "off-topic." That's okay no one ever said you had to lock yourself into one box. Branch out - heck even create another blog if your interest in another topic is that great! Or create labels so people can easily locate those different topics in your blog.

82. Writing well is important.

83. You can link your related blog postings to each other - it's okay. And it's good.

84. What You Write is Not Written in Stone!

85. You can become a successful blogger overnight.

86. With blogging you can reach for the stars but you'll never reach perfection.

87. If you make going back through your posts a habit you'll be able to improve your posts.

88. You can write long posts, just don't expect anyone to read them unless you make it worth their time.

89. Your readers will appreciate it if you find related links for them and place them within the context of your blog posts.

90. You can make changes to your blog template!

91. Check your hyperlinks. No one wants to stick around a blog that's "broken"

92. Give your readers more than what they asked for!

93. Most 101 lists only give a handful or really good tips. Why? Because people whip them out just trying to get linkbait. instead of trying to create 101 useful tips.

94. If you can, make your site an authority in its subject matter.

95. You don't have to go at blogging alone! You can create a group blog and invite people to join!

96. If you really immerse yourself in blogging you'll be able to write 101 tips on it in no-time flat!

97. Don't push yourself or you won't be able to move forward.

98. Don't forget to tell your readers why your blog is different! How many blogs do you think are out there on the exact same topic as your blog? Well let's not think about that we do want to keep our spirits up afterall! lol

99. Whenever you ask someone to link to one of your posts make sure you give them the permalink to the post not just the URL for your blog.

100. Be courteous to your fellow bloggers.

101. If I was able to write over 80 high quality blog posts in 12 days anything is possible!

102. If you type google with a lowercase g your internet spell check will underline it, but when you type it with a capital G then it recognizes it as a word. Freaky!

103. Blogger.com allows you to write your blog in different languages! Soon they're updating their available languages to 40 different languages!

104. People have different writing habits. Find out what works for you and then do that.

105. With media the way it is now you don't even have to know how to type to start a blog! You can create a video blog (vblog) or an audio blog called a podcast.

106. Become introspective. That's how I'm able to write my posts for CB Blog Success and that's how I came up with this list of 101 Tips for Blogging.

107. When you see your page appear in Google for the first time you may actually tear up!

108. Proofreading is a step you cannot delete - trust me I graduated college with a degree in writing and even I proofread my work.

109. You gain a new vocabulary as a blogger - SEO (Search Engine Optimization!), permalink (a permanent link), blogosphere (the world of blogging), linkbait (something that entices people to read your blog), ping (a computer action that allows sites to take into account new blog posts), Rss (Real Simple Syndication aka a Feed - a digest of a blog's posts which readers subscribe to).

110. You can find blog material for life as long as you follow a process which takes your idea from its inception to its completion.

111. Hey why is this list 111? I thought you said it was 101 Tips? Like I say always give people more than what they expect and you can't go wrong!

-CB Webmaster

P.S. I almost forgot one very important tip! Use a tape recorder to capture your ideas and to do lists. Once you start blogging you'll have plenty of both!

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