All great advice, to which my site stats can attest! My blog experiences definite traffic spikes after I post, since I've added Twitter and when I comment on other blogs.
John
· 2 years ago
This info is most timely for our new blog, Strengths Finding, a blog about the strengths movement. This is our "Kick Off" week, a coming out of beta so to speak, and we need all the advice we can get.
"Making it Useful" is terrific, and much harder than it looks. Opinions are like, well, let's just say that everyone has one, which is great. But I love blogs where I can take something away with me. Often "useful" can be a great idea, not just practical how-to's and "6 steps to achieve whatever...." although as you have shown with this very post, those can be just the thing too.
Vergel Evans
· 2 years ago
Once again you're on the mark. It's also worth mentioning participating in online forums that are tied to the blog content you write.
But as always... you're on point!
Mister Boh
· 2 years ago
Nice cluster of ideas, Chris:
As a writer & content strategist, I thought your post was a tad elementary at first; then on a second read, I began to appreciate its distilled clarity quite a lot. Like the poet Charles Olson noted, "I had to learn the simplest things last, which made for difficulties."
MARCOS
· 2 years ago
ALL GOOD STUFF! NEW TO BLOGGING... BEEN DOIN IT FOR TWO WEEKS CHECK IT OUT AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK. I'M THE TYPE THAT LOVES CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. THANKS AGAIN
Mark
· 2 years ago
Chris, that was a spectacular post. I agree with you on all points. I was just discussing that in the last post on my blog. I need to implement a few of your ideas but am using some of them already. I'm going to get Twitter, Jaiku and MeeboMe.
I aim to be prolific and to be everywhere.
Thanks for a truly informative article. I subscribed to your blog. I'll be back.
Have an excellent day.
Wolfman-K
· 2 years ago
Good stuff Chris, most of it is common sense but, its a good reminder for those of us struggling to get out own sites off the ground.
mike mcallen
· 2 years ago
Excellent use of the English language to convey your extremely sweet ideas. You are the spinach to my Popeye dreams of sucess.
Mike
Lova Of BlogaDollar
· 2 years ago
This is a great post. You apply everything you say. Your post has an image, text is breaked up, your rss feed is prominently displayed... This is all about method and productivity, organisation and taking action. I've written on the same topic on my blog, "don't you hate that bad feeling of non productivity? And how to overcome it." Very good for bloggers just starting out. Your post is very good for bloggers that are just starting out too.
1389
· 2 years ago
Terrific post, and all true!
Let me contribute a few ideas of my own:
1. Join StumbleUpon, get the toolbar, and use it! Participate in the community on StumbleUpon. I've found it to be a great traffic-getter. And if the SU toolbar doesn't work with your present browser, then load Firefox, get the toolbar, and use it with that. You'll probably like Firefox much better anyway. Firefox ROCKS!
2. Even if you're writing for a highly educated audience, keep your language simple and clear. Go over your blog post before you publish it, and try to say the same things with fewer and simpler words.
3. Liven things up with photos, clip art, and videos. Even if you're blogging about serious topics, this will make people feel more comfortable with your blog.
4. Ask for help when you need it, and be ready to help other bloggers who need advice or assistance.
5. Chris is right about blogging every day! But if your other responsibilities sometimes get in the way, TEAM UP with one or more co-authors. Look for like-minded writers with good ethical standards who are capable of making quality blog posts that fit the theme of your blog. Give them permission to post to your blog, moderate comments, and so forth. And grant admin rights to a trustworthy person with enough tech savvy to address any blog glitches that may arise. That's what I've done with http://1389blog.com!
6. Think like a journalist! For instance, if you feel the need to address a certain topic, but you're not an authority on it, then find an expert and interview him or her for your blog or podcast.
7. Help your readers stay focused by organizing your information with bulleted or numbered lists.
8. I have TWO blogs - my second one offers links and notes that other bloggers are welcome to use as material for their own blogs! It's very informal and covers a variety of topics. Look for it at http://1389moblog.blogspot.com. Like my other blog, it's set up with FeedBurner, so you can have it delivered via RSS or email.
vaspers aka steven e. streight
· 2 years ago
When I first started blogging, I sent out a Blog Pro Survey to A Listers and interesting niche bloggers, asking them what makes a blog successful.
Matt Mullenweg said to interact with other bloggers, post relevant, intelligent comments at their blogs.
This remains, in my experience, a most effective, a truly powerful strategy.
Reciprocal commenting is a mandatory policy: always post comments at blogs of those who have posted comments at your blog.
When you post comments at a blog, but the blogger never returns the favor, dump that blog, move on to a more friendly blog.
No single blog is totally unique or of extraordinary, unequalled value. You can always find a better blogger, with better content, if you must dump somebody.
All Comments
All great advice, to which my site stats can attest! My blog experiences definite traffic spikes after I post, since I've added Twitter and when I comment on other blogs.
"Making it Useful" is terrific, and much harder than it looks. Opinions are like, well, let's just say that everyone has one, which is great. But I love blogs where I can take something away with me. Often "useful" can be a great idea, not just practical how-to's and "6 steps to achieve whatever...." although as you have shown with this very post, those can be just the thing too.
But as always... you're on point!
As a writer & content strategist, I thought your post was a tad elementary at first; then on a second read, I began to appreciate its distilled clarity quite a lot. Like the poet Charles Olson noted, "I had to learn the simplest things last, which made for difficulties."
I aim to be prolific and to be everywhere.
Thanks for a truly informative article. I subscribed to your blog. I'll be back.
Have an excellent day.
Mike
This is all about method and productivity, organisation and taking action. I've written on the same topic on my blog, "don't you hate that bad feeling of non productivity? And how to overcome it." Very good for bloggers just starting out. Your post is very good for bloggers that are just starting out too.
Let me contribute a few ideas of my own:
1. Join StumbleUpon, get the toolbar, and use it! Participate in the community on StumbleUpon. I've found it to be a great traffic-getter. And if the SU toolbar doesn't work with your present browser, then load Firefox, get the toolbar, and use it with that. You'll probably like Firefox much better anyway. Firefox ROCKS!
2. Even if you're writing for a highly educated audience, keep your language simple and clear. Go over your blog post before you publish it, and try to say the same things with fewer and simpler words.
3. Liven things up with photos, clip art, and videos. Even if you're blogging about serious topics, this will make people feel more comfortable with your blog.
4. Ask for help when you need it, and be ready to help other bloggers who need advice or assistance.
5. Chris is right about blogging every day! But if your other responsibilities sometimes get in the way, TEAM UP with one or more co-authors. Look for like-minded writers with good ethical standards who are capable of making quality blog posts that fit the theme of your blog. Give them permission to post to your blog, moderate comments, and so forth. And grant admin rights to a trustworthy person with enough tech savvy to address any blog glitches that may arise. That's what I've done with http://1389blog.com!
6. Think like a journalist! For instance, if you feel the need to address a certain topic, but you're not an authority on it, then find an expert and interview him or her for your blog or podcast.
7. Help your readers stay focused by organizing your information with bulleted or numbered lists.
8. I have TWO blogs - my second one offers links and notes that other bloggers are welcome to use as material for their own blogs! It's very informal and covers a variety of topics. Look for it at http://1389moblog.blogspot.com. Like my other blog, it's set up with FeedBurner, so you can have it delivered via RSS or email.
Matt Mullenweg said to interact with other bloggers, post relevant, intelligent comments at their blogs.
This remains, in my experience, a most effective, a truly powerful strategy.
Reciprocal commenting is a mandatory policy: always post comments at blogs of those who have posted comments at your blog.
When you post comments at a blog, but the blogger never returns the favor, dump that blog, move on to a more friendly blog.
No single blog is totally unique or of extraordinary, unequalled value. You can always find a better blogger, with better content, if you must dump somebody.