DISQUS

Ricardo Bueno · 1 year ago

Re: "#39. Don't be afraid to fail. Be afraid of not being interesting enough." If you can focus on being yourself, you'll be interesting. It's too hard being someone you're not. And people take notice of that. Your passion doesn't show.

I think that if you can focus on being yourself, you'll gain far more success than you otherwise could have.

As always, thanks for the tips! Here's to being a Rockstar in 2009!

David Diaz · 1 year ago

Great post! I will definitely try out a lot of these suggestions and surprisingly I feel like I already do a few. Thanks again

Gaz4695 · 1 year ago

Chris - Sage words of advice. Everyone a gem, more so for the fact that the post itself adhered to so many of your own suggestions.

The one that jumped out at me though, was number 30 "Always know why you’re doing what you’re doing. Question yourself often. Look for ways to improve the game." I think there's far too little of that in the 'blogosphere' (hate that word!). The best blogs are those that question themselves often and know why they are doing what they are doing.

Those are the ones I seek out.

Thanks for the post, Chris. You can bet it's going to get re-tweeted often!

Debra Legg · 1 year ago

#41: Find another writer you trust -- and who gets your style -- and have him/her review a post once a week. Or, even better, read it beforehand.

It's easy sometimes to fall in love with your own voice, only to have your favorite giggle line fall flat with an audience. A peer review will save you from yourself, as well as catch other bad writing habits it's easy to fall into.

Kian Ann, Blogopreneur.com · 1 year ago

Chris,

Thanks for great tips! It will surely help especially when I get a writer's block!

On a sidenote Chris, that photo you have on the top right does have a resemblance to Terry Fator. Heh heh! Are you two related somehow? =P

Nicholas Bonsack · 1 year ago

Number 1 hits me the hardest. Still working on it after all these years...

Thanks for the list! It's always good to know from suggestion what I'm doing right as well as what I'm doing wrong.

Again, thank you, Chris!

Raj · 1 year ago

This is a great list. I particularly liked #19. I do feel guilty at times if I don't blog for a day. Isn't saying something better than saying nothing at all?

Clara · 1 year ago

Re: #9 Reduce...yes, the tough one, but sound journalism advice. I like the editorial calendar idea too. Another one that works is: write in advance. That's a tough one. And that takes scheduling, and a personal commitment to your schedule.

Monsieur J · 1 year ago

The n° 1 rule of all should be : write about something that grabs you !
My blog (in french) about management : www.managementetmoi.blogspot.com

Jan Schultink · 1 year ago

Interesting post. I stumbled on a list with suggestions for adjusting writing for dyslexic people the other day and I realized that these guidelines should be applied to all audiences. Pretty much what you've written in The Basics.

Chris Kenton · 1 year ago

There's a lot of good stuff here--but I find myself going back to your first point. Why 40 points when 10 or 12 would cover most of what's here? This is an honest question humbly offered--I see these lists proliferating everywhere. 60 points. 100 points. Many not really points at all, just bits. I get the fragmentation motif, but I find myself thinking you might have more value to add to, say #30, that gets left out in name of driving a list. Just asking. I do like the content.

Roseann Higgins · 1 year ago

Thank you, Chris, for the CONSTANT great content. You don't stop. This is valuable, BIG time. I like that you said don't push every single post. Saw a guru who only tweets blog posts. Where's the love?

Steve Woodruff · 1 year ago

I'm really really sorry that I haven't commented lately...

Caroline Chambers · 1 year ago

Chris - we have just started writing a blog for work (slow adapters here on the UK Coastal outposts!). You were referred to me by a friend as the guru of all things social networking wise, and this is a very timely post for me. Thank you.

Florian Komm · 1 year ago

Wow!! What a post! Like it very much and recommended it to my Twitter followers.

Paul Söderholm · 1 year ago

Great tips! As an illustrator I noticed many of your tips apply to drawing and illustrating as well, especially the "reduce, reduce, reduce" one (or in other words, simplify, simplify, simplify)

Dawn Baird · 1 year ago

I love number 10 in The Basics list.

BLOGitse · 1 year ago

This should be an article "must read before starting a blog".

Chris, thanks! :-)

Harshit Shah · 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing these useful tips

Adam Helweh · 1 year ago

Excellent points and very timely. My goal for January 1st 2009 is to have my blog launched and by December 31st 2009 have it chock full of "killer content". This is the second time this month you have read my mind and posted something timely for what I was doing at the time.

Regards,
Adam

Paul Sarcia · 1 year ago

"36. Find great Creative Commons photos and use them for your post (with attribution). "

That's what I've been looking for.

Also, THANKS! I'm a new blogger, and this info helps, a LOT...really.. thank you, I will try to incorporate these 40 ways from now on.....

lewro · 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your ideas. It is very useful list. I will try to implement as much as I can into my blogging work flow. Thanks

Sharon · 1 year ago

Well this was the kind of blog that I did print out and have now stuck on my office wall - thank you

Megan O'Neill · 1 year ago

Fantastic post-- this is one of the best list of blogging tips I've seen-- you really cover everything! I shall heed your wisdom :-)

Paul Roberts · 1 year ago

What can I say but, Wow! That's a lot of useful information. Do you sleep?

Several items I find myself using already, but I picked up three pointers on content and technique I did not think about. The rest? Well, I better get started.

Thank you.

Jennifer Smith · 1 year ago

Love this mornings post! The greenie in me that tries to not even hook up my printer may need to to print this one! For now going to hit my Yahoo groups and link to this!!
Jen
http://eco-officegals.com

Janine Adams · 1 year ago

Great post. I printed out the list of 40 and plan to refer to it frequently as I ramp up the quality of my blog posts in 2009. Off to RT. Thanks so much!

Rajeev Edmonds · 1 year ago

Very informative. Certainly connecting with readers is one of the most important thing. Picked up four points from this post. It's a gem...

Kathy Fuller · 1 year ago

Awesome post! Really great advice. Like everyone else I'm going to print the list out and keep it handy. Thanks!

gacconsultants · 1 year ago

Being completely new to this; all of these tips are very helpful - I appreciate you work very much.

Mark

Leslie Carothers · 1 year ago

Chris:

This is SUCH great advice. I write an online column(not really a blog) as we've already discussed and, in it, I always write with PASSION. This is what I hear back from my readers-they love the passion that comes through and the ...generosity. I ALWAYS try to be generous and help others who need help.

The other thing I do is to write a headline that hopefully entices people to read further. Headlines are so critical for me. If someone is going to email my column to someone else, the headline has to be compelling enough to get them to click through..

For instance, I recently wrote a column (and I write for the FURNITURE industry at www.furnituretoday.com "Retail Ideas") and titled it " Weight Loss." I am sure NO ONE was expecting to read a serious furniture industry column entitled WEIGHT LOSS. It worked... My readers wanted to know why in the world Ms.Serious Furniture Writer would write about THAT. And, the whole column used another piece of your advice-use analogies and stories. CRITICAL.

Thanks, Chris, for elucidating(I mean stating) so clearly what we need to consider. It is such great advice!

on twitter at tkpleslie

Michelle Samplin-Salgado · 1 year ago

This is a fantastic list, Chris, and the timing is perfect! But then, according to #30, the timing should always be perfect. You're such an inspiration.

p.s., Thanks for the World AIDS Day love!

Susan Murphy · 1 year ago

Nice!
I would add that not only should you write from your passion, but use your blog as a place to explore your passion(s) as well. Often times the best stuff happens in the comments. Write your posts in such a way that you encourage people to talk. In my opinion, conversation is king. :-)

Jess · 1 year ago

Looks like I know what I'll be doing this Christmas break. Thanks for the ideas and the push!

stevenmilstein · 1 year ago

Classic Chris, once again! Thanks for all of them but especially #27 & #35.

Diana Scimone · 1 year ago

Wow, that is a LOT of great content. Thanks, Chris, for an incredibly helpful list.

I like the way you even format your blog -- double spacing (or 1.5?), lots of lists, short paragraphs, lots of subheads. Very easy to read.

Thanks for always being willing to share info with the rest of us.

Diana Scimone
Born to Fly International, Inc.
www.born2fly.org
www.dianascimone.com (blog)

Danny Brown · 1 year ago

As usual, great advice Chris. I always look at blogging as telling a story - offering readers the occasional escape from lives that have everyday problems and issues to deal with.

If blogs can offer something that interests and entertains while remaining positive, then I consider that to be a success. So far, I haven't been too disappointed with the people I read, new and existing. :)

Paddy · 1 year ago

Fantastic tips here Chris!
Ok, working my way down the list now. Actually this may be one to print out and stick in front of me :)

@RyanKeeter · 1 year ago

Great article and fantastic tips! You said something that stuck with me, and that was that I needed to stay passionate and don't "mince words." This feels important to me because without passion we have nothing.

Richard Reeve · 1 year ago

You inspire folks to reach for the rock star status you so freely give away by bringing people into your practice, your posture, in this space. My mind goes back to your opening up your desktop at #NMS08 and giving us a glimpse at ten minutes of "being Chris Brogan."

The google trends thought new to me as a way to riff off the collective concerns and build community (once in awhile, like you say).

cube · 1 year ago

This is the best compilation of good blogging advice I've run across. Good job.

Joe Gauder · 1 year ago

Superb list. It's about the context of your post. I think in relation to killer content is the ability to be transparent in your post. Erasing the barrier between being a company and customer and giving your blog/posts some personality.

Lisa Hartjes · 1 year ago

Thanks so much for coming up with this list. A lot of these things are common sense, but sometimes you need to see it in someone else's words for it to sink in.

Steve Walker · 1 year ago

Great list - nice piece of work.

Is it only me ho finds it mildly amusing that eight points out of the first ten apply EXACTLY to writing of good old-fashioned press releases, no?

Steve Walker

Adam Singer · 1 year ago

I disagree with point 7.

"Keep paragraphs small, if possible. We balk at large blocks of text."

That's what most blogs do. Another opportunity is to be thorough. Look at what Maki does @ http://DoshDosh.com.

There is a good audience of quite intellectual people who read blogs that have no problems with lots of information. It's typical to have brevity in blogs. Sure, it works - but if you've got a lot to say I wouldn't hold back just because it creates a popular site. Potentially you can go the other route and be authoritative.

Globetrotting Bride · 1 year ago

This is a great list! Thanks for the pep talk!

ecc1977 · 1 year ago

Absolutely great list, Chris. I'm thinking of pinning *this* to my wall. I've got some time off from work coming up, and I'm really looking forward to organizing a gameplan for 2009 that takes much of what you've written here into account.

Thanks, so much!

Walking In My Sleep · 1 year ago

You reminded me of the writing principles I learned in J school - They are all so true. Thanks for this post. I'm sending it on to all my clients who are contemplating blogs in 2009!

Chris Rossi · 1 year ago

Great tips Chris! (love your name BTW-hee hee)
I just started my blog last month and I have much honing to do before it can be even close to being "killer"! These will help. Thanks for reminding me about the beauty of "brevity" - I'm a rambler :) Have a great day!!

Chris

Rob · 1 year ago

As I'm relatively new to blogging, I found your list to be really useful and informative. Now it's time to put some of these useful tips to practice. Thanks.

Rob Shore · 1 year ago

Thanks for the great list.
Re #39 - recent favorite quote:'I succeed because I fail'

Demian Farnworth · 1 year ago

Lovely.

LadyOTrout · 1 year ago

Yes Chris, I have printed this off. I am going to carry it around with me, so whenever I have to wait some where I have PAPER in my hands to READ this over and over. (When I print something I am more likely to commit and 'buy-in' to it- I know ME!!)

I am excited that you wrote this especially considering I just was discussing this VERY thing with people at our company (Sephone). I am in seclusion and in the planning of this very thing!! I LOVE YOU, Man!

Nicole Melander · 1 year ago

Excellent and very timely. My students in a college course on Social Media & Business (http://sixdegrees.wikidot.com) just completed an assignment where they had to create a list of tips for blogging. We'll compare their lists with your list for a great discussion. Thanks, Chris!

Soultravelers3 · 1 year ago

I loved this! Better than a blog school & so easy to pass along to others just starting out. I just tweeted it to my followers. Thanks once again Chris!

Jim Gaudet · 1 year ago

Great info for new bloggers. Pieced together very well, I have read umteen articles like this, but this one is very

Joseph Martinez · 1 year ago

Excellent tips. You inspire me to keep on blogging and to improve every day. Thanks for sharing!

Fit Mom · 1 year ago

Thanks. Working on it all.

Joseph Martinez · 1 year ago

Great tips! You inspire me to keep blogging and to get better at it. Thanks for sharing.

Timothy Coote · 1 year ago

41. Traffic bait posts about how to blog still seem to work!

@toddlucier · 1 year ago

2 Ideas come to mind:

1. Be Bold!
Don't be afraid to disagree with the status quo.

2. Know your audience! Speak to them directly. You are not trying to appeal to everyone. Find your niche and stay home.

anyone have other ideas to add to this list?

keith · 1 year ago

Nice post - lots of sound advice - like the bit about not being afraid to fail and dont worry about not being interesting (two pretty big stumbling blocks for most people)

Ive got lots of work to do on mine - but that list will give some serious food for thought.

Angie Rice · 1 year ago

Great post...I will definitely use this.

Anna Goldsmith · 1 year ago

Great post and since we just started a blog, something I've been thinking (and reading about) quite a bit. Brian Clark from Copyblogger has a great, related article that's worth checking out: "5 Simple Ways to Open Your Blog Post With a Bang" -- he actually has a lot of helpful advice about writing content for blogs. Here's the link:
http://www.copyblogger.com/5-simple-ways-to-ope...

Cheers,
Anna

King Jerm · 1 year ago

these are some great tips to pass along to the other staff members on the website. this was an excellent post with some great advice.

we have been hanging in there for 2 years now, and we just keep learning more and more about managing a site.

thanks.

Russell Tripp · 1 year ago

Chris - Excellent advice as usual. I especially think number 32 is important - I've found lots of useful, interesting information/opinions online just by following links from comments on other blogs.

On #36 - there are a number of great tools online that let you search Flickr for CC licensed images. http://color.slightlyblue.com/ (no affiliation to me!) is one that lets you search based on colors, which is great for finding images that match your theme. And of course, Flickr's own advanced search at http://www.flickr.com/search/advanced/

Loren Petrowski · 1 year ago

Good post, thanks. I DID print it & put it on my wall! :)

Darrell · 1 year ago

Thanks for the wonderful ideas. For those of us who don't feel comfortable writing your post takes some of the fear out of it and provides a great starting point.

Gera · 1 year ago

Hi Chris!

#1 Extremely important and sometimes not easy to do it!

#7 How many times I see biggg paragraphs completely inedible and worst, without any type of formatting, colors or subheadings!
As a foodie the same must be utterly appealing to the eyes…like your favorite dish ;)

# I want to remark the social media aspects of blogging, engage in your specific communities and/or use social media sites like stumbleupon, digg, mixx, sphinn, twitter and the list can continue…depending of your niche :)

Congrats for this excellent article, bookmarked for future reference!

Gera .:. sweetsfoods

David Lingholm · 1 year ago

Great post. Especially about learning about SEO. There are a ton of great blogs out there that will allow you to learn about it slowly but completely. And writing a blog helps your SEO if you do things the right way.

loveurmindnsoul · 1 year ago

As always, very informative and helpful to the blogging community.

Great post

frankie monroe · 1 year ago

inspirational!
will pass it on!

michele rosenthal · 1 year ago

Hey, Chris -- Great post! So clearly laid out and broken down into manageable sections. I'm a baby-blogger (just stared a little over a month ago) and feel overwhelmed by all there is to learn. Thanks for making the process slightly easier! Michele

Apolinaras Sinkevicius · 1 year ago

I practice many of the points you have mentioned. One huge bullet point for me is showing drafts of my posts to a group of people in your circle who will give you very candid feedback. You are what you post on the web, so why not make sure you are showing your best side.
It is also very important to constantly question yourself about motivation for your articles. Are you writing to stroke your own ego or to share real knowledge with the world?

Apolinaras "Apollo" Sinkevicius

doughaslam · 1 year ago

Great tips Chris-- I would add, from my experience, if you feel you don;t have time to blog MAKE the time, and use tools that help you. that's why I post from mobile quite often, because I think of topics on morning walks/drives, then post via Utterli.com. It changes the form of the posts, but it often dislodges bigger ideas for longer posts as well. More importantly, it creates a bigger stream of content, and sparks conversations.

Karin Manske · 1 year ago

Hi Chris, thank you for this great list, it answers many of the questions I had for a while! I love your point about brevity and using simple words. One of my all time favorite writing teachers, William Zinsser "On Writing Well", makes this point over and over: be brief, keep it real. Not as easy as it sounds, sometimes.

jaybaer · 1 year ago

I'll be sending you an invoice for paper and toner, as I print and save YET ANOTHER Brogan post.

Ann · 1 year ago

Thanks for the tips. I'll pass this along.

Bob Gower · 1 year ago

Great stuff. I plan to print it out and put it on my wall. I've been blogging for about a month and a half now and the benefits are not just in having people find me for consulting work. What I really like about it is that it helps me move through my own ideas faster -- like being back in grad school where I had to defend every stray thought.

Blogging makes me smarter ...

Bob Gower · 1 year ago

One question I have though is what's the difference between categories and tags and is it really necessary to use both?

ShriNagesh · 1 year ago

Yet another amazing post and worth printing for constant reinforcement. thx for putting it together in easy to comprehend format.

Star Borner · 1 year ago

Hi Chris,

Just found you and added you to my blogroll. As a newbie to the world of blogging this post is really helpful. Thanks for all the well communicated tips! Happy holidays.

Todd Smith · 1 year ago

Awesome, Chris! You are so right on. Thank you.

Deb New · 1 year ago

"Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid of not being interesting enough."
Thanks for this reminder and many other great insights. It's easy to be interesting with so many fascinating people and conversations in the world today.

Jenn · 1 year ago

#3 Use small words. You don’t have to impress people. You have to be clear.

It's amazing what big complicated ideas can be communicated with small simple words. (I learned this living in China when people knew very little english but we were able to dialogue about big world issues)

If there were such thing as blog church, I'd nominate you as the teaching pastor.

Rachel · 1 year ago

Interesting points, that I will read again and see which ones fit. But I think it's also possible to have a blog as a hobby, and allow yourself not to spend all your time on it as if it was a job. I worry about the "not being interesting enough" - I worry about being too ecclectic. Since I sell jewelry, and have entries about Steampunk, Biblical exegesis, and sushi, am I really going to get an audience that wants to buy my jewelry? But I want to talk about everything that interests me. Hopefully the right people will come.

Toma Bonciu · 1 year ago

Hi,

Seeing how many people posted comments here I'm sure that you know what you are talking about. It's obvious that you know your staff and I'm sure you worked hard for this community.

The only thing I have to add is this :
- Repeat all these steps at least 3 times per week.

That's all for now. See you on Twitter.
PS : I'm WebOptimization :)

Karenne · 1 year ago

Chris
BRILLIANT!
So concise, so precisely what I needed this evening.
Thanks so much for sharing all of this with the rest of us!
I'll be adding you to my reader.
Take care,
Karenne

Marlies Cohen · 1 year ago

Thanks for this timely post. I like it when through synchronicity I read something I had just be thinking about. Will post a link to the article from my blog.

Mervyn · 1 year ago

Chris, thanks for the comprehensive list.

One point about internal blogging at businesses, especially for those companies that are not active in social media. Introduce a blog about customers and what problems your products are solving. Everyone likes to hear about customers and their stories can be fascinating. It also becomes great content for an eventual external company blog.

g.dewald · 1 year ago

#36 with Zemanta and Firefox there is no reason not to have a picture in every post. Also great for finding other related articles and linking important concepts/people to wikipedia entries etc.

Dana Corey, Spicy Princess · 1 year ago

Thanks,, Chris! My blog just went live about a week ago, and I am posting this list on my wall to refer to!

Another really great help to me in my fledgling bloggery has been Havi Brooks series on Blogging Therapy, which she writes every Tuesday. You'll find her at FluentSelf.com.

I can use all the help I can get!

Ben Watson · 1 year ago

Going with the condiments! You could have said reduce one less time. Also could you give me an analogy to help me understand #4? ;-) Seriously, this was a good read/refresher - thanks.

Erik Giberti · 1 year ago

Thanks for the tips - some of it really fits right in with journalism 101.

suzy oge · 1 year ago

I'm in! I vow to make my blog suck less in the New Year.

Doug Firebaugh · 1 year ago

Rocking hot post as usual Chris. A TON of great ideas that I will use for sure. Love the one about complete sentences. We don't talk in complete sentences, so why write in complete sentences? amen! PREACH!

Eva Ulian · 1 year ago

If people wrote as you suggest, then even I would read their blogs! You have reassured my belief in what writing is about.

Evelyn · 1 year ago

Fabulous post! Thanks for the inspiration. I must admit that I am in awe of the number of comments that you receive. You must be doing something right.

LuluMom · 1 year ago

That. Says. It. All.

Jackie Bassett · 1 year ago

Last nite as I watched Chrysler ask for government help to build more internal combusiton cars -- I used a few of this tips to send out the news about Better Place's roll-out of real change in Hawaii - very effective

Will use all your other tips too.

Craig Klein · 1 year ago

This is one for the ages Chris. Wish I had waited until now to start my Blog ;-)

jimkastkeat · 1 year ago

Great list. Very concise and very helpful.

Thanks for sharing!

Natalie Caroline · 1 year ago

I have to admit, I've always thought I was God's gift to writing, but never really understood why no one seemed to react to any of my posts on my (numerous) blogs. Well, breaking the majority of your first 10 rules seems to explain why (namely that whole brevity thing...like the Bard said: Brevity is the soul of wit).

Thanks for a great post, I'll be sure to check back often for more great advice

Ryan Roylance · 1 year ago

Love the 40 ways to deliver a killer blog. Maybe it is just my affinity for lists! All great points. There is a tendency to feel like you have to be a Pulitzer caliber writer to gain interest, but in reality you have to connect with your audience while relating to them. Chances are, they don't have and writing awards either. Great stuff!

Sherelle · 1 year ago

I need this post in my life!!

Haha, I've been really busy and trying to build a blog on relationships.

Colin Clark · 1 year ago

Thanks so much Chris. I've been working on the indyawesome blog for a few months now, and it's definitely one of my new years resolutions to have a superstar blog by the end of next year. It can be so hard to get your readership going. Sometimes it feels like you've just hit a wall. Thanks so much for sharing the secrets to your success.

Sonia Simone | Remarkable Comm · 1 year ago

Dang, Brogan, you really rock immensely.

Mabel Lam · 1 year ago

Very helpful! I'm hoping to start my own blog soon!

Chris Hill · 1 year ago

I am always looking for advice. These tips about brevity are particularly helpful to a lawyer like myself.

Chris Hill · 1 year ago

I put the wrong website in the prior post

Kellye Crane · 1 year ago

You did it Chris -- printed and wall-posted. Thanks!

Dawn Abraham Business Coach · 1 year ago

Chris you made some really great points here that I often tell my business coaching and consulting clients. I think one of the biggest problems educated people have is using simple words in their. Somehow they feel their vocabulary represents who they are.

So I am glad you pointed that out here. Website writing is much different than writing a book. People's attention span is less then thirty seconds when it comes to the internet. If they have to stumble over words you lost them.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful tips.
Dawn

susan mckenna · 1 year ago

great post! i will definitely send my clients to this site. :)

KarenMW · 1 year ago

I just saw Adrianna Huffington pushing her new guide to blogging. You may have taken the wind from her sails!

Stu Opperman, APR · 1 year ago

Not only are your posts consistently great, they make me optimistic about the future of the PR industry. They bring together two admirable types of professionals -- those eager to learn and grow as communicators and those willing to show them how to get there.

MLDina · 1 year ago

Great suggestions Chris! I'm actually going to print this post out and put it on my office wall.

Jenn (The Green Parent) · 1 year ago

You nailed it. This is killer content and great advice. Thanks for the tips!

Teresa Wu · 1 year ago

I'm working on jumpstarting a new site/blog as soon as my academic quarter is over. These tips are the perfect motivation to get it going over winter break! Thanks for the great post! :)

Amanda · 1 year ago

Come back to this site often, yup, that'll help.

Claire Giordano · 1 year ago

This is a great post, Chris, and conveys your 40 tips with short words, too. Thx!

One tip to consider adding: Have a place to capture your blog topics, in real-time, as you think of them. As with all inspiration, if you don't capture it, you lose it! In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“Look sharply after your thoughts. They come unlooked for, like a new bird seen in your trees, and, if you turn to your usual task, disappear.”
--Emerson

Chris Norton · 1 year ago

Chris, this is a really useful and insightful post. There are some great tips in here, I particularly like the fact that people should make their point in the first paragraph rather than building up to it.

I also think, people should have a good point first and not just blog for the sake of it. I often find myself holding back rather than diluting what I write about.

Keep up the good work.

Tanya Chadwick · 1 year ago

I have had this post up on my computer for the last couple of days so that I would not forget to read it. First, I am so glad I did save it. Wow, definitely the kind of information I needed to read, hear and learn and then be able to re-read yet again. Thank you for putting it into a an easy to quick read format as well.
I used to say that I write to be read. I believe now it is I write to be heard and most certainly hope to be understood.
Keep on Sharing!
I like what you are doing!
Most Sincerely,
Tanya

Mr Javo · 1 year ago

Hey Chris, awesome post! Some of these 40 points can be obvious but sometimes people forget them... It's nice to have you here to remind us that kind of simple but killer strategies!

You have inspired me today! Keep up your great work :D

jennyonthespot · 1 year ago

#24... I don't know how bloggers miss this. It is quite irritating, really... to say the least.

MateoPuig · 1 year ago

Thanks for the tips. A friend of mine forwarded this post to me and it couldn't have come at a better time. I'm in need of the inspiration.

I really enjoy your posts by the way. I've been following along for a few months now and you always have great insight to share with the rest of us.

Thanks again and keep on keeping on!

Josiane Feigon · 1 year ago

Good stuff- especially well organized.

Josiane

Christine · 1 year ago

This is a great post! I learned a lot of great things and was reminded of a few that I knew, but somehow forgot. Thanks!

Hustler · 1 year ago

One of the best blog posts I have ever read.

Ryan · 1 year ago

I needed this! I'm printing this out and putting it in front of my face everywhere I can. You're gonna kill it in '09 and hopefully I will follow ya!

SRS · 1 year ago

40 tips, doens't that contradict the very first one: number 1?

Good points though...

deepikaur · 1 year ago

Great post! I'll definitely use this as my own guide in my startup blog.

Thanks, and Happy Holidays!

Ellie Behling · 1 year ago

Someone said something about journalism 101.

But I was thinking the opposite...

How does journalism 101 fit into it all?

[Loved your post. Will probably print it out and paste it on my wall and follow it like a religion.]

But what about the ethical concerns of blogging (the journalism 101); does that have anything to do with the convo? [I know a lot of bloggers aren't journalists, but I'm asking, what about "being good" -- what does that have to do with being a good blogger?]

Thanks!!!

Kelly McWilliams · 1 year ago

Printed and posted on the wall! Thank you!

Liz · 1 year ago

I think it depends on the purpose of your blog. I can see following these rules (or some of them) if your blog is part of your business and it is important to build an audience but they run counter to the creativity and spontaneity of a personal blog.

Blogs can be creative outlets where one expresses ideas with words, images, videos, colors, movement, & design. It's great to share this but sometimes the creation is satisfying in itself. I think it is more important to be authentically yourself than calculate through managing content how to attract the greatest number of people. The quality and originality of the content, not the packaging of it, should be the primary concern, IMO.

I guess what I'm arguing is that there is no one set of rules of what a blog should be. They are more like books (which can be works of art in themselves) than newspapers (which have a clear objective...to deliver news). A blog is whatever it's creator wants it to be and sometimes rules don't apply.

BeBizzy · 1 year ago

Excellent list!

SECRET AGENT MAMA · 1 year ago

I absolutely, wholeheartedly, totally agree on all the points!!

lydia · 1 year ago

Great advice, especially the part about editing yourself - or not. Thanks for sharing.

David Benjamin · 1 year ago

Awesome content. I doubt I can add anything new that someone else hasn't already said but I really appreciate you sharing. As someone who is in the midst of career transistion into the social media world, I really value learning from those that have been there and are making a difference.

Look forward to reading and learning more from you. I will be referencing this many times as I finish writing my next KILLER post.

Carlos Rivera · 1 year ago

Thanks for the great tips.

stevepohlit · 1 year ago

Great list of tips and wonderful comments. I suggest don't hesitate writing information that is part of a product or service you market. Offering value on your blog does not diminish the opportunity to market that in exchange for money.

Steve Pohlit
The Profit Expert

Adam Covati · 1 year ago

Great stuff. I need to get better at lists. So much great content in once place.

I think I'm always too busy trying to organize thoughts into large, all-inclusive blog posts. Getting information out there quickly is better than polishing it off completely. It's better to start the discussion than to own it.

Luigi Cappel · 1 year ago

Great post, thanks for the tips. It's nice to know that I'm doing most things right. Also thanks to gerd Leonhard for sending me a link to your blog:)

Mary Cave · 1 year ago

Really helpful ideas. Practical and creative at the same time. Will be using them fro now on.

Amrita · 1 year ago

Hi Chris,
That was a very inspiring post. I love #39. I've been planning a blog for ages. Finally going to get going with it.

Thank you.

Steve · 1 year ago

I just started a new blog a few weeks ago using many similar ideas. But you have just confirmed that I headed down the right path.
Thanks
Steve

Kris · 1 year ago

Excellent article, one I will definitely print out and take a more in-depth look at!

Malcolm Bastien · 1 year ago

Awesome. Every blogger needs to read posts like these, if only to shore up their confidence and to put them back on the right track. It's easy to get off track while trying to keep everything in check.

romanohenry · 5 months ago

bookmarked and content copied for my personal reference.
This is one of kind.

thanks for sharing it. :)

Paid Survey Sites · 5 months ago

Great point about making your writing clear and concise, don't write to impress people. Also about keeping paragraphs small. Everyone hates reading large blocks of texts, it just turns the reader off immediately. Very helpful post.

JosephRatliff · 3 months ago

I like the theme you're illustrating here Chris. I'm reading Trust Agents right now, and this is the first time I've visited your blog. Great book, great post, now it's time to follow #38 on my blog again. :)

Thanks for the great content and book Chris!

NeuronOutlaw · 2 months ago

Chris,

I am writing a post about hand writing and keyboard writing and remembered a post you wrote a while ago about writing by hand first and then doing a second draft on the keyboard. I wanted to quote you but couldn't find it. Any Help?
Mike

marythewritersblock · 2 months ago

This is so helpful and inspirational! Thank you for the great tips.

karenpurves · 2 months ago

It's got to be #13 - think strategically particularly when you're blogging for business.
Take time to think through these questions:
1. What do you want to achieve by doing a blog?
2. How will the blog do this?
3. How does it fit with the rest of your marketing?

Then prepare your content to fit