This is Day 6 of 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, a group project 60+ of us bloggers are doing together in an effort to help each other become better bloggers. You can read an overview here.
Today is a massive dose of medicine that should really taken over time, well that is what I thought when I looked over the list of posts that Darren mentioned. The internet is full of such articles; so it is great that we have a list filtered by someone trustworthy and influential. I have read many of these and seen a few video; recently that of Chris Brogan‘s Kitchen talks and those of Daren Rowse. The points that have stood out or me:
- It Takes Time
It is easy to say that when you have been blogging for a few years and your blog is successful, but it is true. Even Darren says something like two years.
- It Takes Effort
Not Luck, Chris Brogan says that. You can see that he advocates hard work. It you want to get a better blog then you gotta make some sacrifices like waking up early and not watching that lame movie.
- It Takes Thought
There is a purpose to everything; whether you like it or not. You want lot of page hits, lots of comments, an Alexa rank of under 100k, all you family to keep visiting your blog. Whatever it is there is strategy needed to obtain those goals. I read a great book by Donald Miller called a Million Miles in a Thousand Years; what story do you want to tell about your blog.
- It Takes Help
Seth Godin‘s post on first, ten is great. There is so much power in collaboration. He says that you need to try first with ten people then move on. However, I think that it does not matter where you are in your blog, get ten people now and stage a drive – it will put a little bit of extra momentum into you endeavors. This is something I have been trying to get right for a while, it has not worked because I have not had the right people, close by, with the same interests and intentions as me, but now with all of use here on the same project looking for the same outcome, hmm I think that this is an opportunity for us all.
- SEO, etc
One set of principles and technical aspects I have always had in the back of my mind is that of SEO. I am sure that a better understanding of the principles involved would be good – not just using plug-ins like the All in one SEO pack. There are so many articles, long articles, on the subject. I am sure that delving into them will help you achieve your blog objectives. Refer to the point about “It Takes Time”, lol.
Discussion
- What are your thoughts on the 5 points above?
- What tips have proven to be most effective in developing and improving your own blog?
- What tips stand out as things you want to implement or get better at?
- Did you find any other articles not listed that could/should be considered?
The Extra Mile
A few other things you can do to take your blog, other bloggers, and this project even further today…
- Reply & give other bloggers feedback on the little things they do.
- When other bloggers include a link to a new article they’ve posted today, click, read, and comment on it.
- Check previous posts in the series for new comments.
- Tweet, share, & bookmark this post.
Phillip Gibb; I am a Christian, a husband to a beautiful wife and father of two stunning children. It is my dream to make a Film one day and to Glorify God on my journey there. I blog at SynapticLight and twitter at phillipgibb.
Good morning! In response to today's lesson, I wrote 25 better blogging tips for the small blog.
http://j.mp/cJfEbv
very cool, I'll check them out
Read it. GREAT stuff.
This is great stuff, Erica! I think everyone should take note of how many of your tips have to do with authenticity, relationships, and community and how many have to do with thinking from the perspective of your readers.
I have taken all the links in the book for this chapter and created a Google Bookmark list for them athttp://bit.ly/blogging-ideas. This way they are always available online. I have tried to group them together under different categories.
Great! Thanks!!!!
thanks so much for doing this…made reading much easier for me
brilliant, thanks
This is great. Thanks.
Thanks William.
Thank you for taking the time to put together this bookmark list. I started reading through a few them and they are great. Thanks!
You are welcome Tijuana Becky!
This is very sound – well conceived advice. It is all about persistence – eventually it accumulates, reaches a tipping point and then takes off – but you gotta persist.
yes, patience is important, patience with a plan and a goal.
Thank you for your post. I and new to blogging and I found it super helpful. Encouraging others everyday to find truth in their lives, the only truth that comes from having a loving relationship with Godhttp://www.mytinytruths.com/
Using the picture of the hands forming a heart grabbed my attention. Thanks.
Today's tips brought to you by Shakespeare & Company 🙂
http://greeninventionscentral.blogspot.com/2010/0…
classic, that's using a bit of creativity 🙂
Phillip, very kind.
I find it fun to take things and turn them inside out and upside down. 🙂
Loved it! Glad to know we're all in such esteemed company! LOL 🙂
You guys made Shakespeare shine! 🙂
Creative, once again. Brilliant!
Thanks. I actually think fun is the key to better blogging. If we aren't having fun, it gets old and stale really fast.
Wow. Anyone else daunted by the amount of reading material? I'll be working through this all day, and probably into tomorrow or beyond.
Phillip, I have to agree with you on "First, Ten." It never occurred to me to go hand pick ten people While I think it's a great idea, I'd be hard put to it to find ten people who would actually be honest with me if they didn't like what I was doing. I work for a church, and we often solicit feedback on particular aspects of what we're doing. Just about all of the feedback we receive is positive, but then, inevitably, through the grapevine, we'll eventually hear not-so positive feedback. Like "the meeting after the meeting," "the feedback after the feedback" is often what people really think.
It is maybe something that can go together with a call to action. All that is required is 10 people will to help you get going. Lets say over a week, then observe the momentum. Hopefully.
I am daunted by all the reading as well! This is not a one day assignment for me!
I've read and re-read the first, 10 post and still don't get where it fits in with a blog.
Unless the aim is to find 10 folks who like your blog and get them to be overseers / sounding boards / backside kickers / etc …
But as you state – this won't work unless folks are brutally honest (with grace). My last post on "I am a criminal" was designed to play on the aspect that I'm a church person yet admitting I'm a criminal. Whilst I'm not concerned that I've signed my prison visit there are times (and this could have been one) where I might have worried if I should post or not.
I've always seen my blogging as a cathartic thing and there have been times I've written a post but only ever left it in draft but equally there are times perhaps I shouldn't have posted and having 10 (or even 3 or 4) overseers would have helped.
Otherwise I don't see how this might work with a blog.
I haven't read through it all yet but I started and have found lots of helpful resources.
This task is overwhelming for me today as my grandmother is in the hospital and we are admitting my mother-in-law into the same hospital in just one hour. I will again be burning the midnight oils to catch up on reading, but I did get a blog posted today. I am enjoying the series and will probably review all of the information again after the 31 days is up. Lots of material in a short time. Just wish I had an IPad with 3g so I could access everything at the hospital. No WiFi there. 🙁
http://ronniespoon.blogspot.com/
This task is overwhelming for me today as my grandmother is in the hospital and we are admitting my mother-in-law into the same hospital in just one hour. I will again be burning the midnight oils to catch up on reading, but I did get a blog posted today. I am enjoying the series and will probably review all of the information again after the 31 days is up. Lots of material in a short time. Just wish I had an IPad with 3g so I could access everything at the hospital. No WiFi there. 🙁
http://ronniespoon.blogspot.com/
Sorry to hear about ur G-mom and la suegra. I'll be praying for all of you.
me too, will be praying
what they said
Love your post today, it reminded me of the song "To the Ends of the Earth" by Hillsong. Thanks
that was one intense list. i find it to be a bit of an information overload. each piece is very valuable but like some of you have mentioned, it requires more than one day's reading.
the article i found to be most useful was why people do not comment. she gave some really insghtful information into blogger behaviour. something i struggle to do when i write is to not point out the obvious. i know that i enjoy writers who leave some questions without actually asking them,some space for my own thoughts to become part of the story. this is a weakness in my own writing that really needs practice. realising it again, from a commenting perspective was refreshing.
I'm in the same boat as you Claire! I deal with the same things, and found this stuff to provide some good insight that is quite refreshing…
Thanks, Phillip! That's a great post, and I completely agree with the five points you picked out. I think the one that resonates with me the most is "it takes time." Everyone wants things to happen quickly, but life doesn't work like that!
I really liked the article about building your personal brand, and all of the ones by Chris Brogan were great. I'm thinking about how I can gradually implement the tips that stood out to me the most.
I got a post up Friday and yesterday. I'll spend time today working on another one for tomorrow.http://jenniferjanes.wordpress.com
I agree with you that it does take time. Have to put in the time to make it good and be how you want it.
Anything worth doing in life is worth taking the time to do it well. I'm trying to remember that with my blog and my writing!
~Jennifer