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:
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
102 Comments
Blogging is now exposed from a deeper perspective. We have seen that sacrifices are required to make a good blog. Dedication and hard work can not be over emphasized. I am incorporating all these in my blog. http://www.christchosenambassadorsministry.com/ap…
Thanks to ourchurch.com for the exposure we have gained.
I agree with the 5 points. It akes a lot of works and time to have a succesful blog.
Today's post (not related to this topic) : http://lemondedenathalie.ca/2010/05/09/retour-sur…
These are five great points. For me the important thing is remembering that they all work together. No one area is going to get me to where I want to be. I am going to have to put in the work in all of these areas and more in order to be successful. Good Post.
As I think on this further, I relate to so many above that expressed being overwhelmed. Realizing that I am in this for the long haul helps to ease that tension.
Here is today's post. http://larrywestfall.com/six-thoughts-from-jim-co…
Guess my post didn't post.. weird.. Was at my in-laws very slow internet connection..
The lesson is a good one as to run a successful blog you need to run it as a normal website. With SEO in mind. Proper page titles, descrptions, keywords and etc.
I'm out of town visiting my dad so didn't do a post on this lesson. But did post about Mother's Day and my birthday yesterday. Was a tough day for me as the 15th will mark a year since she died.. I'd be honored if you gave it a read..
http://guardraildamageahead.com/mothers-daymy-35t…
Wow, lots to read today. Coupled with a work backlog, and I think I'm finally caught up. I really liked the link to the Creative Commons search page on Flickr . More on 'da blog:http://blog.beachdaze.com/?p=55
In light of the overwhelming information in today's lesson, I wrote the following post:
http://campfirecowboyministries.com/2010/05/life-…
I am one of these that tries to do everything all at once. I think Phil's five points are great. The first three especially. I pulled a first this weekend, I invited a guest blogger to do a post for me. I had already read the article and asked her if I could post it. She agreed and viciously promoted all of her friends to go by and see it. Here is the link: http://campfirecowboyministries.com/2010/05/whos-…
I think this falls into the needin' help category. She is a cowgirl and we have really zeroed in on who we are tryin' to reach. I know we are not going to be problogger or anything, but I think that eventually, we will become a top blog in the "Christian Cowboy Blog".
Why? Because I am going to put my heart and soul and most importantly God into it. I will also continue to improve little by little by goin' above and beyond with things like the 31DBBB.
Has anyone else had a guest blogger?
Kevin, that's an awesome step step you took, one that wasn't even in the assignments. As you can tell, we're huge proponents of guest blogging here at Christian Web Trends. It's almost always a win-win situation for your blog, the guest blogger, your readers, and any of the guest blogger's readers they may send to your blog.
Pingback: Collaboration Propels Christian Web Trends to #1 Church Blog « Christian Web Trends Blog
I definitely like the idea of collaboration and getting people to help. That is an area in which I need to improve. Though I've made my blog known, I have not actively asked people to visit it. I also fell trap to the build it and they will come mentality. I now realize that just doesn't happen without active help.
The other area for me is the time and investment. I have let it take a back burner status rather than using it to sharpen my writing skills. God has gifted me with an ability to write well, but I have too long neglected it. I am finally understanding that blogging can be a foray into developing that gift even further and therefore it is worth the time and effort necessary.
Tim, I agree that blogging can definitely help you sharpen your writing skills. The more you write, the more you see what seems to resonate with people and what doesn't based on the comments people leave.
1. It Takes Time – Especially when you really don't know what you are doing in the beginning and are concentrating on your product web site's success. Now that my web site is at the top of Google for my keywords, it is time to put more concentration into my blog!
2. It Takes Effort – Doesn't everything worth while?
3. It Takes Thought – This is very true. Especially on what to write and how often. Some "experts" say every day and others say 3-4 times a week. What do you think?
4. It Takes Help – I always want to "do it all on my own." I realize with a blog that just isn't possible. I need to become more blog social, if you know what I mean. I just sent an email to a Yahoo group I am a member of to find similar theme blogs to exchange comments with links in them with.
5. SEO, etc – It took many years of research and a combination of "experts" tips and theories on the subject to get my web site to the top of Google for my keywords. My theory on SEO is.. trial and error, trial and error, and never give up! Oh, I also took a great free online class fromhttp://www.gnc-web-creations.com/seo-optimization… And once you get to the top, don't think that's it. You need to monitor it and readjust to stay there. Other sites have pushed me down and I pushed myself right back up there!
* What tips have proven to be most effective in developing and improving your own blog? Not sure yet. * What tips stand out as things you want to implement or get better at? Blog commenting/socializuing * Did you find any other articles not listed that could/should be considered? I have really just started to put real effort into my blog, so no.
Today's assignment was a lot to digest! The points that I initially picked up on were:
1) Posting at high traffic time
2) Focus on the quality of the posts–depth of content
3) Organize archives
4) Emails should be personal and not mass mailing–I tried to cull the names down on the promo assignment last week
5) Find the "Ten People"
I intend to come back to this day frequently to get through all of it. And to pick out just the points I need at this time.
Today's post:
http:openmyearslord.blogspot.com/2010/05/giving-thanks-forever.html
Oops–Forgot my forward slashes on that post: http://openmyearslord.blogspot.com/2010/05/giving…
What was that about quality again?