Calculus of Blogging: The Whys and Hows of Blogging Success:
Experience online has taught me many essential elements to being a better blogger. As my success grows online I become more excited about what I am doing and the potential awaiting me. My excitement often leads to discussions with friends and family where I get the question, “Why Blog?” Trying to explain why blogging is something I enjoy, I keep returning to their question. Why do I or anyone blog? I finally came up with an answer.
Blogging is about our desire to be successful doing it. Bloggers do not start by thinking “I hope no one ever reads this”. You might not be interested in monetization or a big audience but you want your message to be heard by someone. The idea then is bloggers start because they intend to be successful. One might ask then if all bloggers are fools because the probability for success is low given the immense amount of competition. Besides a relatively low probability of success blogging includes high costs as well. In relation to cost, I am talking about more than just money, but time as well. If we calculated this mathematically the equation would look something like this:
U=p(B) – C
To break down this equation for non-mathematicians (myself included) I will describe each element of the equation.
Mathematically this made sense, but the millions of bloggers online did not. I know we are not all irrationally spending hours online for nothing! I kept thinking about this equation and then realized I was missing the most important element “D”.
D is the difference you believe between your chances of success and everyone else. Difference comes from your conception of how you are different then other bloggers you compete with. These differences can come in the form of time, talent, discipline or a variety of factors. D is your reason for why you will be successful. For me, “D” is believing I have a unique perspective and innovative ideas. For you it may be your new blog design, great writing ability or determination to succeed.
The purpose of this article then is to focus on your “D”. There are many benefits for blogging, but something more has to keep you believing in your success. As you blog today, think about your D factor and capitalize on it. It is why you started blogging anyways. Remembering your unique D will keep you motivated and ahead of the game. Success has always been difficult but you started this process because you believed you provide something unique. No matter the costs you can find success blogging by capitalizing on your most important factor, the difference between you and everyone else.
U=p(B) – C + D
Experience online has taught me many essential elements to being a better blogger. As my success grows online I become more excited about what I am doing and the potential awaiting me. My excitement often leads to discussions with friends and family where I get the question, “Why Blog?” Trying to explain why blogging is something I enjoy, I keep returning to their question. Why do I or anyone blog? I finally came up with an answer.
Blogging is about our desire to be successful doing it. Bloggers do not start by thinking “I hope no one ever reads this”. You might not be interested in monetization or a big audience but you want your message to be heard by someone. The idea then is bloggers start because they intend to be successful. One might ask then if all bloggers are fools because the probability for success is low given the immense amount of competition. Besides a relatively low probability of success blogging includes high costs as well. In relation to cost, I am talking about more than just money, but time as well. If we calculated this mathematically the equation would look something like this:
U=p(B) – C
To break down this equation for non-mathematicians (myself included) I will describe each element of the equation.
- U is equal to the utility (in economics) or desired success in this example
- p is equal to the probability or likelihood of success
- B is equal to the benefits of success (money, traffic, authority)
- C is equal to the cost of blogging (time, energy, money)
Mathematically this made sense, but the millions of bloggers online did not. I know we are not all irrationally spending hours online for nothing! I kept thinking about this equation and then realized I was missing the most important element “D”.
D is the difference you believe between your chances of success and everyone else. Difference comes from your conception of how you are different then other bloggers you compete with. These differences can come in the form of time, talent, discipline or a variety of factors. D is your reason for why you will be successful. For me, “D” is believing I have a unique perspective and innovative ideas. For you it may be your new blog design, great writing ability or determination to succeed.
The purpose of this article then is to focus on your “D”. There are many benefits for blogging, but something more has to keep you believing in your success. As you blog today, think about your D factor and capitalize on it. It is why you started blogging anyways. Remembering your unique D will keep you motivated and ahead of the game. Success has always been difficult but you started this process because you believed you provide something unique. No matter the costs you can find success blogging by capitalizing on your most important factor, the difference between you and everyone else.
U=p(B) – C + D
Create a List of Posts That Need Your Attention on the Comments Section:
This tip is coming from a shortfall of mine. I have been releasing WordPress themes and plugins for a while, and often times people face problems while installing and using those. When they do, their first reaction is to visit the post that released the plugin or theme and leave a comment there reporting the problem that they are having.
Obviously whenever I came across those comments I try to answer them as quickly as possible. The problem is that lately I was forgetting to check those posts, and the support questions were piling up.
The solution I have found is simple: create a list of the posts that need your constant attention on the comments section. Put it in an excel file or in your favorite online tool (e.g. Google Docs), but remember to check it regularly so that comments that require your feedback don’t go unanswered.
There are several types of posts that might require constant monitoring. Posts releasing plugins, products, themes are one example. Complex how-tos and tutorials are another one. So make the list and keep an watch on them!
An alternative solution is to subscribe to your own comments RSS feed.
What do you do to make sure that comments that require your feedback will not get neglected?
5 Blogging Goals Worth Chasing After:
1. Building a Community Around Your Blog
You should definitely try your best in order to build a friendly community around your blog since, in the end, it’s a win-win situation for all parties involved. If your readers contribute with relevant information through the comments section, each post will end up becoming even more informative and, as a result, everyone has something to gain.
2. Having Content Written in Advance
As a blogger, it’s definitely recommended that you write articles and posts in advance in order to be prepared for situations when you will not be able to create content. You may not feel creative, you might decide to go on a well-deserved holiday or something else may come up. There are a lot of things which could make creating content at a certain point impossible. That’s why having a few great articles ready is always the way to go and you will definitely be congratulating yourself for your decision down the road.
3. Publishing Posts on a Regular Basis
If you are serious about convincing your readers to drop by daily, limiting yourself to publishing one guest post per week isn’t going to cut it. If you only write one article per week, you only give your visitors a reason to drop by once per week, so that developing the habit of publishing blog posts on a regular basis is definitely a must.
4. Learning From Mistakes
Promising yourself that you will develop the habit of learning from your mistakes will definitely prove to be a decision you will not regret. After all, living in denial is simply not an option and, while there is nothing wrong with making mistakes, repeating them would be foolish.
5. Implementing Changes Based on The Feedback You Receive
It’s important to understand that visitors are the people you are writing for in the first place and that, based on what you have to say, you should always strive to improve your resource. If you develop the habit of implementing changes based on the feedback you receive, the results will certainly pay off.
1. Building a Community Around Your Blog
You should definitely try your best in order to build a friendly community around your blog since, in the end, it’s a win-win situation for all parties involved. If your readers contribute with relevant information through the comments section, each post will end up becoming even more informative and, as a result, everyone has something to gain.
2. Having Content Written in Advance
As a blogger, it’s definitely recommended that you write articles and posts in advance in order to be prepared for situations when you will not be able to create content. You may not feel creative, you might decide to go on a well-deserved holiday or something else may come up. There are a lot of things which could make creating content at a certain point impossible. That’s why having a few great articles ready is always the way to go and you will definitely be congratulating yourself for your decision down the road.
3. Publishing Posts on a Regular Basis
If you are serious about convincing your readers to drop by daily, limiting yourself to publishing one guest post per week isn’t going to cut it. If you only write one article per week, you only give your visitors a reason to drop by once per week, so that developing the habit of publishing blog posts on a regular basis is definitely a must.
4. Learning From Mistakes
Promising yourself that you will develop the habit of learning from your mistakes will definitely prove to be a decision you will not regret. After all, living in denial is simply not an option and, while there is nothing wrong with making mistakes, repeating them would be foolish.
5. Implementing Changes Based on The Feedback You Receive
It’s important to understand that visitors are the people you are writing for in the first place and that, based on what you have to say, you should always strive to improve your resource. If you develop the habit of implementing changes based on the feedback you receive, the results will certainly pay off.
3 Simple Secrets to Reducing Your Blogging Stress:
1. Outline, Outline, Outline
Writing was usually a chase for me. I would chase after the perfect sentences. A lot of times I would only have a flicker of a thought and begin writing – no planning, just bulldozing ahead, hoping it would all come out into something readable. Now I write a small outline to make sure I know where I’m going with the topic. The outline has reduced my tension because I can see the larger picture. When I get stuck, I check my outline and find myself getting back on track with minimal stress.
You may be a seasoned blogger that laughs at the idea of writing an outline, but if you are good at writing articles it’s because you lay out everything in your head. You may not physically write out an outline, but you probably do in your head. That’s what is important. You have a starting point, an argument that brings people to your side, and a conclusion that ties a neat bow on everything, leaving your audience wanting just a little more.
2. Watch How Your Body Reacts When Frustrated
The first thing I did when I couldn’t figure out how to flush out an idea was tense my stomach. I was building an internal wall instead of a bridge to my next thought. I would get upset because the process wasn’t smooth and I would tense my muscles in my neck and jaw, which caused tension headaches. When I would strain my stomach, my first reaction was to strain my neck and press my fingers on to my eyes. I’ve watched countless co-workers do this because they had stopped relaxing as they were working. My body was telling me I wasn’t acting with intelligence.
As one or any of these indications ping your consciousness you should instantly slow down and breathe into your stomach. Deep breathing usually helps me let go of my frustration. If that doesn’t work I take a break and come back to the article after I have cleared my head. This usually allows me to take a fresh perspective that helps me communicate my message with more clarity.
Your body reacts differently than your favorite bloggers or your friends. If these ideas don’t work for you then try a technique that may work for you. Maybe push-ups or a glass of herbal tea, but regardless of what techniques you use, you need to release your frustration quickly, so you can get back to writing that great post that your readers will love. A blogger that works happy can be felt by the reader.
3. Redirecting Your Thoughts
Sometimes we can let go of frustration, but we still can’t write. We try to push out ideas that just aren’t there. This tension needs to be replaced with a smarter habit. So I use the boomerang effect. When I hit a wall and the flow of thoughts are heading away from my goal of a cohesive piece I redirect my thoughts back to my subject. You can do this by asking yourself the simple question, “Where do I really want this to go?” If you are becoming confused and don’t know what you want to say then go back to your outline and your first paragraph and get a grasp or your original intent. Delete all the stuff that doesn’t fit in with your initial idea. Don’t try to make it fit, just delete it and get back to the core topic. By redirecting your thoughts toward your original idea you’ll create a more coherent piece of work.
Many times you’ll begin writing with just an idea and your keyboard, and hope for the best. If you do this your message is probably going to come out fractured. Always have a plan, and if you get frustrated just let the feelings go and come back to the reason you began the piece. Never be afraid to just scrap what you have and rewrite your game plan because you’ll end up with a better message than if you try to salvage a wreck of a blog.
This three step process will work with any writing project, so if you are writing a history paper or a magazine article then give it a try. You’ll notice that writing is much more enjoyable when you stop letting tension dictate how you operate during your creative process.
5 Blogging Traps You Need to Avoid:
As a blogger, there are more than a few mistakes which can and will make you waste valuable time and resources, so that identifying them in order to be able to take action is simply a must.
Let’s not waste another second and start with:
1. Neglecting the Comments Section
The opportunity to interact with your readers is one of the most important things which makes blogging special in the first place. Never make the mistake of neglecting the community you can build around your blog through the comments section, or you will definitely end up regretting your attitude down the road.
2. Not Taking Feedback into Consideration
You will certainly receive your share of emails with suggestions on how to improve your blog, and not taking them into consideration would simply be a shame. After all, if a reader has taken the time to write you an email and share his or her two cents, listening to what that person has to say is the least you could do.
3. Taking Breaks From Blogging
You are obviously only human and will need to recharge your batteries every now and then, but that doesn’t mean that not publishing blog posts for several days in a row is the way to go. Take advantage of the timestamp feature, write a few blog posts before you leave and there you have it.
4. Seeing Blogging as a Chore
The “I’ll just write this post and get it over with” attitude is never recommended if you are serious about seeing long-term results. Pick a topic you are both passionate about and knowledgeable in, and make sure that your posts reflect the way you feel about blogging.
5. Not Respecting Your Readers
When interacting with readers, always be polite and helpful. Don’t look down upon a person simply because the question he or she has asked seems like something obvious. It may be obvious to you, but it may just represent something extremely important to a person who is just starting out. The same way, you should encourage the loyal members of your community to always be ready to help a fellow member out since, as I’ve previously stated, not taking advantage of the comments section would simply be a mistake.
Conclusion
I am convinced that it’s more than clear which blogging traps you need to avoid and, now that you have identified the problem, taking things to the next level is a must. Time is not exactly something you can afford to waste and, as a blogger, maximizing results is the way to go if you are serious about standing out.
What about you? Are you guilty of any of these and, also, which other blogging traps have you identified? What advice would you give to a blogger who is just starting out when it comes to the mistakes he or she should steer clear of?
As a blogger, there are more than a few mistakes which can and will make you waste valuable time and resources, so that identifying them in order to be able to take action is simply a must.
Let’s not waste another second and start with:
1. Neglecting the Comments Section
The opportunity to interact with your readers is one of the most important things which makes blogging special in the first place. Never make the mistake of neglecting the community you can build around your blog through the comments section, or you will definitely end up regretting your attitude down the road.
2. Not Taking Feedback into Consideration
You will certainly receive your share of emails with suggestions on how to improve your blog, and not taking them into consideration would simply be a shame. After all, if a reader has taken the time to write you an email and share his or her two cents, listening to what that person has to say is the least you could do.
3. Taking Breaks From Blogging
You are obviously only human and will need to recharge your batteries every now and then, but that doesn’t mean that not publishing blog posts for several days in a row is the way to go. Take advantage of the timestamp feature, write a few blog posts before you leave and there you have it.
4. Seeing Blogging as a Chore
The “I’ll just write this post and get it over with” attitude is never recommended if you are serious about seeing long-term results. Pick a topic you are both passionate about and knowledgeable in, and make sure that your posts reflect the way you feel about blogging.
5. Not Respecting Your Readers
When interacting with readers, always be polite and helpful. Don’t look down upon a person simply because the question he or she has asked seems like something obvious. It may be obvious to you, but it may just represent something extremely important to a person who is just starting out. The same way, you should encourage the loyal members of your community to always be ready to help a fellow member out since, as I’ve previously stated, not taking advantage of the comments section would simply be a mistake.
Conclusion
I am convinced that it’s more than clear which blogging traps you need to avoid and, now that you have identified the problem, taking things to the next level is a must. Time is not exactly something you can afford to waste and, as a blogger, maximizing results is the way to go if you are serious about standing out.
What about you? Are you guilty of any of these and, also, which other blogging traps have you identified? What advice would you give to a blogger who is just starting out when it comes to the mistakes he or she should steer clear of?
Do You Know Your Visitors? 5 Points to Consider:
Yes this is the question of the day for you. Do you know your visitors? Do you know what exactly they are looking for in your blog? Do you know if you are writing articles for an advanced user or for a beginner?
You will always encounter situations when the post which you consider good is not appreciated by your readers and simple posts which you never gave importance to, becomes popular among your readers. That is why it is important to understand the psyche of the majority of your visitors and write accordingly.
1. Analyze Comments
This could be the first step in this process. Once in a while, lets say once every two weeks or in a month, sit and analyze the comments made by readers on your different posts. Also check the comments on the popular and most commented posts. Try and understand that what exactly in the post, the readers are appreciating. This will give you a good idea about your regular visitors.
2. Analyze Popular Posts
You should also take time out and analyze the posts which have generated a high traffic. Take 5 popular posts at a time and check whether those were simple posts or those were the posts which were written for advanced users.
3. Check Stats Thoroughly
I am sure you check stats everyday, but once in a while you should devote 2-3 hours for a comprehensive analysis of the stats. If you are Google Analytics user like me, then you can actually check so many things about your blog that even 3 hours would seem insufficient. But it is important to check different posts and analyze the entry and the exit pages and the bounce rates on different pages. This will help you decide on the quality of your posts as perceived by your visitors. For more on this topic read Top 5 Google Analytics Reports for Bloggers.
4. Analyze Reader Emails
Although this may not be conclusive, but still it is good to analyze the emails which you get from your readers at least once a week, so that you can check if there is any particular issue or queries around any specific topic which you have failed to address properly in your blog.
5. Analyze Your Feed Count numbers (added by Daniel)
You probably have already noticed that Feedburner presents fluctuations for the feed count, depending on how many people actually consumed your feed on the previous day. Not all RSS readers will affect these fluctuations, but some like Firefox Bookmarks will. If that is the case, you could take these fluctuations to evaluate what topics catch the attention of your readers, and what topics turn them down.
Conclusion
I do not say that you can get to know your visitors in a day or two. It will take time and whenever you do an analysis, make sure you consider a time interval of some weeks or a month. This will give you a better picture about your readers, thereby helping you to further improve upon your writing and becoming a better blogger.
Yes this is the question of the day for you. Do you know your visitors? Do you know what exactly they are looking for in your blog? Do you know if you are writing articles for an advanced user or for a beginner?
You will always encounter situations when the post which you consider good is not appreciated by your readers and simple posts which you never gave importance to, becomes popular among your readers. That is why it is important to understand the psyche of the majority of your visitors and write accordingly.
1. Analyze Comments
This could be the first step in this process. Once in a while, lets say once every two weeks or in a month, sit and analyze the comments made by readers on your different posts. Also check the comments on the popular and most commented posts. Try and understand that what exactly in the post, the readers are appreciating. This will give you a good idea about your regular visitors.
2. Analyze Popular Posts
You should also take time out and analyze the posts which have generated a high traffic. Take 5 popular posts at a time and check whether those were simple posts or those were the posts which were written for advanced users.
3. Check Stats Thoroughly
I am sure you check stats everyday, but once in a while you should devote 2-3 hours for a comprehensive analysis of the stats. If you are Google Analytics user like me, then you can actually check so many things about your blog that even 3 hours would seem insufficient. But it is important to check different posts and analyze the entry and the exit pages and the bounce rates on different pages. This will help you decide on the quality of your posts as perceived by your visitors. For more on this topic read Top 5 Google Analytics Reports for Bloggers.
4. Analyze Reader Emails
Although this may not be conclusive, but still it is good to analyze the emails which you get from your readers at least once a week, so that you can check if there is any particular issue or queries around any specific topic which you have failed to address properly in your blog.
5. Analyze Your Feed Count numbers (added by Daniel)
You probably have already noticed that Feedburner presents fluctuations for the feed count, depending on how many people actually consumed your feed on the previous day. Not all RSS readers will affect these fluctuations, but some like Firefox Bookmarks will. If that is the case, you could take these fluctuations to evaluate what topics catch the attention of your readers, and what topics turn them down.
Conclusion
I do not say that you can get to know your visitors in a day or two. It will take time and whenever you do an analysis, make sure you consider a time interval of some weeks or a month. This will give you a better picture about your readers, thereby helping you to further improve upon your writing and becoming a better blogger.
8 Bad Decisions When Starting a New Website:
Steven Snell recently wrote an interesting article on my other blog, DailyBits.com, titled “8 Bad Decisions When Starting a New Website.” It might appear intuitive, but many people actually step into these pitfalls. The eight decisions were:
Steven Snell recently wrote an interesting article on my other blog, DailyBits.com, titled “8 Bad Decisions When Starting a New Website.” It might appear intuitive, but many people actually step into these pitfalls. The eight decisions were:
- Free or Cheap Web Hosting
- Not Buying a Domain Name
- Not Getting the Right Domain Name
- Designing Exclusively for Search Engines
- Prioritizing the Look Over the Content
- Forgetting About the Target Market
- Poor Navigation
- Ineffective Keyword Targeting
10 Simple Productivity Tips for Bloggers:
Productivity itself is pretty unimportant. It’s what productivity allows us to do that matters. A productive blogging habit means more posts and more quality, and we all know what that means: more links and more traffic.
Productive blogging can also affect our day-to-day lives. It allows you to accomplish more in less time. That means: more time spent with the people that matter in your life.
Many bloggers, myself included, struggle to balance the needs of this hobby with the needs of our loved ones. Being productive can make that task a little bit easier.
Luckily for us, productivity isn’t complicated: it’s mainly based in common sense. The tough part is in being dedicated enough to change our bad habits and be productive, rather than simply reading about it. This post provides ten simple tips to help you start.
1. Write more than you publish. This seems counter-intuitive, but there’s a compelling reason to write, say, one post a week more than you publish. In a month, you should have enough posts saved up to run your blog on autopilot for a week, or to use on days when you’re feeling unproductive.
Productivity, like creativity, can be cyclical. It’s a good idea to write more than you need when you’re feeling particularly productive, to tide you over on days when you’re not. You might even save up enough posts to take a blogging holiday!
2. Turn off auto-notifiers. Whether it be Twitter, Email or Facebook your productivity will suffer if you’re frequently interrupted. When notified that you have a new message or email it’s hard to resist the temptation to read it as soon as you receive it. This will interrupt your frame of mind. Focus is something you develop over time, meaning frequent interruptions will hamper your ability to focus.
Let’s face it: you’ll never receive a message that can’t wait a few hours. Auto-notifiers are more trouble than they’re worth.
3. Check email less, deal with more. If you only check emails once or twice a day you’ll be able to respond to all emails within 12 or 24 hours, respectively. No-once could fault your for that. They key is to check emails less but process more. A good tip is to keep only emails that require action in your inbox. When you do check your email, take action on all the emails in your inbox until it’s empty. This isn’t a new idea. That’s because it works!
4. Write multiple posts when you’re feeling creative. You need to develop a writing schedule that works with your mental state. Are there certain times of the day or week when you’re most creative? Focus on writing during those times, even if it means writing multiple posts in one sitting. You’ll write better and faster.
If creativity is sporadic for you, make your writing schedule flexible. If you follow tip one and build a safety net of content, you won’t need to worry if, at times, the inspiration doesn’t come. You’ll always be more productive when you’re inspired.
5. Use your feed reader as an all-purpose inbox. A lot of time is wasted logging in to various web 2.0 services, checking statuses, updates and stats. Where possible, add these things to your feed reader. You can subscribe to your inbound links at Technorati, pages from your blog submitted to Digg (search your blog’s URL and subscribe to the feed) and a number of other services. Use your imagination! Then, when you go through your feed reader, you can perform a few different tasks in one go.
6. Process different tasks in batches. Most of us take hundreds of scattered actions throughout the day: check email, check Twitter, moderate a comment, read some feeds, check stats, and so on. This prevents us from becoming focused and tapping into any kind of flow state.
Think of your various actions like driving a car. You won’t drive very fast if you’re constantly shifting gears up and down at random. You want transitions between gears to be smooth and only occur when it’s necessary.
The same can be said for mental states. Processing different kinds of tasks in batches will allow you to focus on each type of task to the best of your abilities. You could read feeds, emails, comments and anything else you can think of in batches.
7. Develop a ‘To Post’ list. Sometimes we spend so much time trying to decide what we should do that nothing at all gets done. Luckily, it’s not too hard to change that habit.
Designate a day where you set out your posting schedule: what you’re going to post about and when. You’ll know what posts you have to write and how long you have to get them done.
8. Keep a reserve of post ideas. Blogger’s block is the arch nemesis of productivity. There are two key things you can do to cope with blogger’s block: accept it and fall back on content you’ve saved, or delve into your reserves of ideas.
It’s essential that every blogger have a healthy supply of post ideas saved up. It will minimize the amount of creative work you have to do when you sit down to write a post. Rather than having to innovate and be original (which can be hard sometimes), you simply have to write.
9. Spend less time reading feeds. You don’t want to spend more time reading other people’s content than you do creating your own. Cutting down your feed subscriptions seems like the obvious answer to this problem, but it could mean that you miss out on important lessons and ideas.
You need to become skilled at quickly deciding which posts will be worth your time and which posts will not. Scanning is another habit that will help you here. Do you want to know the secret to lightning-fast feed reading?
10. Sketch out your posts before filling in the detail. Another important place to save time is on how long you spend writing posts. A key mistake I see bloggers make is trying to write a publishable post the first time through. Trying to go from nothing to perfect is a sure-fire way to have you wringing your hands over every sentence.
One strategy I find works well for me is to divide each post into its key points and write them down. For example, when I started writing this post it only contained the sentences in bold. I fleshed out each point with the following paragraph, then wrote the introduction last.
Dividing each post into manageable chunks and tackling it one portion at a time can help structure your writing and make the whole process less intimidating.
Points to review
Productivity itself is pretty unimportant. It’s what productivity allows us to do that matters. A productive blogging habit means more posts and more quality, and we all know what that means: more links and more traffic.
Productive blogging can also affect our day-to-day lives. It allows you to accomplish more in less time. That means: more time spent with the people that matter in your life.
Many bloggers, myself included, struggle to balance the needs of this hobby with the needs of our loved ones. Being productive can make that task a little bit easier.
Luckily for us, productivity isn’t complicated: it’s mainly based in common sense. The tough part is in being dedicated enough to change our bad habits and be productive, rather than simply reading about it. This post provides ten simple tips to help you start.
1. Write more than you publish. This seems counter-intuitive, but there’s a compelling reason to write, say, one post a week more than you publish. In a month, you should have enough posts saved up to run your blog on autopilot for a week, or to use on days when you’re feeling unproductive.
Productivity, like creativity, can be cyclical. It’s a good idea to write more than you need when you’re feeling particularly productive, to tide you over on days when you’re not. You might even save up enough posts to take a blogging holiday!
2. Turn off auto-notifiers. Whether it be Twitter, Email or Facebook your productivity will suffer if you’re frequently interrupted. When notified that you have a new message or email it’s hard to resist the temptation to read it as soon as you receive it. This will interrupt your frame of mind. Focus is something you develop over time, meaning frequent interruptions will hamper your ability to focus.
Let’s face it: you’ll never receive a message that can’t wait a few hours. Auto-notifiers are more trouble than they’re worth.
3. Check email less, deal with more. If you only check emails once or twice a day you’ll be able to respond to all emails within 12 or 24 hours, respectively. No-once could fault your for that. They key is to check emails less but process more. A good tip is to keep only emails that require action in your inbox. When you do check your email, take action on all the emails in your inbox until it’s empty. This isn’t a new idea. That’s because it works!
4. Write multiple posts when you’re feeling creative. You need to develop a writing schedule that works with your mental state. Are there certain times of the day or week when you’re most creative? Focus on writing during those times, even if it means writing multiple posts in one sitting. You’ll write better and faster.
If creativity is sporadic for you, make your writing schedule flexible. If you follow tip one and build a safety net of content, you won’t need to worry if, at times, the inspiration doesn’t come. You’ll always be more productive when you’re inspired.
5. Use your feed reader as an all-purpose inbox. A lot of time is wasted logging in to various web 2.0 services, checking statuses, updates and stats. Where possible, add these things to your feed reader. You can subscribe to your inbound links at Technorati, pages from your blog submitted to Digg (search your blog’s URL and subscribe to the feed) and a number of other services. Use your imagination! Then, when you go through your feed reader, you can perform a few different tasks in one go.
6. Process different tasks in batches. Most of us take hundreds of scattered actions throughout the day: check email, check Twitter, moderate a comment, read some feeds, check stats, and so on. This prevents us from becoming focused and tapping into any kind of flow state.
Think of your various actions like driving a car. You won’t drive very fast if you’re constantly shifting gears up and down at random. You want transitions between gears to be smooth and only occur when it’s necessary.
The same can be said for mental states. Processing different kinds of tasks in batches will allow you to focus on each type of task to the best of your abilities. You could read feeds, emails, comments and anything else you can think of in batches.
7. Develop a ‘To Post’ list. Sometimes we spend so much time trying to decide what we should do that nothing at all gets done. Luckily, it’s not too hard to change that habit.
Designate a day where you set out your posting schedule: what you’re going to post about and when. You’ll know what posts you have to write and how long you have to get them done.
8. Keep a reserve of post ideas. Blogger’s block is the arch nemesis of productivity. There are two key things you can do to cope with blogger’s block: accept it and fall back on content you’ve saved, or delve into your reserves of ideas.
It’s essential that every blogger have a healthy supply of post ideas saved up. It will minimize the amount of creative work you have to do when you sit down to write a post. Rather than having to innovate and be original (which can be hard sometimes), you simply have to write.
9. Spend less time reading feeds. You don’t want to spend more time reading other people’s content than you do creating your own. Cutting down your feed subscriptions seems like the obvious answer to this problem, but it could mean that you miss out on important lessons and ideas.
You need to become skilled at quickly deciding which posts will be worth your time and which posts will not. Scanning is another habit that will help you here. Do you want to know the secret to lightning-fast feed reading?
10. Sketch out your posts before filling in the detail. Another important place to save time is on how long you spend writing posts. A key mistake I see bloggers make is trying to write a publishable post the first time through. Trying to go from nothing to perfect is a sure-fire way to have you wringing your hands over every sentence.
One strategy I find works well for me is to divide each post into its key points and write them down. For example, when I started writing this post it only contained the sentences in bold. I fleshed out each point with the following paragraph, then wrote the introduction last.
Dividing each post into manageable chunks and tackling it one portion at a time can help structure your writing and make the whole process less intimidating.
Points to review
- Write more than you publish.
- Turn off auto-notifiers.
- Check emails less often, but deal with more when you do.
- Write as much as possible when you’re feeling creative.
- Use your feed reader as an all-in-one inbox.
- Process different types of tasks in batches.
- Work out a ‘To Post’ list.
- Spend less time reading feeds.
- Sketch posts before filling in the detail.
10 Things That Bloggers Tend to Forget, But Shouldn’t!
I must admit that I tend to forget some of these myself, so hopefully this post will also serve as a checklist to go through once in a while. What about you, do you forget them?
1. Proofread. If you browse around the blogosphere you will notice that the vast majority of the bloggers do not proofread. Confusions with its and it’s, your and you’re, and their and they’re are very common. So the next time you finish writing a post or article, remember to proofread it. If it is a guest article or a linkbait piece, proofread it one more time. Check out the article 8 Proofreading Tips And Techniques for tips on this topic.
2. Backup. Over the past year I had around five friends coming to me on MSN and asking: “Hey Daniel, my blog crashed, and I had no backups, any tips on how to solve it?” Trust me, you really don’t want to find yourself in that position. Backup regularly if you do it manually. The best option, however, would be to get a script or your hosting provider to do automatic daily backups. Read Backup Your Blog Regularly to find more instructions on how to backup a WordPress blog.
3. Link to older posts. Linking to older posts can increase your traffic and search engine rankings. Additionally, it can also give more information for the readers that want to go deeper into certain subjects. If you have been blogging for months already you probably have a vast and rich archive, so use it. Read more about this on 10 Easy Ways to Improve Internal Linking on Your Blog.
4. Answer to comments. When you started blogging I am pretty sure that you got excited with the first few comments that arrived. You would even take the time to answer to each of them individually. That approach helps to create loyal readers and to build a community around them. Even if your blog is much more popular now, do not neglect the comments. At the very minimum you want to answer the people that post direct questions to you.
5. Answer to emails. Depending on the size of your audience it might become cumbersome to answer to all emails, but you should try nonetheless. Create a standard letter to common questions that you get asked. Answer to them in batches. Do whatever it takes, but try to be responsive to people that want to interact with you. It might be the difference between an upset visitor and a faithful reader. If you have a hard time dealing with your email, check these 10 tips to manage it more efficiently.
6. Approve comments. If you use comment moderation (and you should unless you get very low volumes of spam) you should approve pending comments on a regular basis. There is nothing worse than taking the time to leave a meaningful comment on a blog and not being able to see it published within a couple of hours. Not to mention when your comment doesn’t get published at all.
7. Check the spam folder. This point is valid both for your blog comments and for your emails. Some legitimate comments and emails might slip to the spam folder. This is not your fault, but it is not fault of the sender either, so check these folders once in a while to make sure people are not getting ignored.
8. Upgrade WordPress. Common sense, yet many bloggers are reluctant to upgrade their WordPress software. Some people deliberately choose to use older versions. That could be possible if you know what you are doing (i.e. if you know to patch the security holes). If that is not your case, though, just stick with the latest version. Here is a guide to update WordPress.
9. Update WordPress plugins. Not all plugins are compatible with all WordPress versions. Some require special functions or features that are found only on a particular version, and they might end up messing up your blog. Some of them also come with bugs and security problems, which get fixed by the author on consecutive versions.
10. Network. Ask ten bloggers what is the secret of their success, and I am sure that at least half of them will mention their network of contacts and friends. Sometimes who you know is more important than what you know. Keep that in mind and try to network with people as often as possible. As a blogger you have numerous way to do it.
I must admit that I tend to forget some of these myself, so hopefully this post will also serve as a checklist to go through once in a while. What about you, do you forget them?
1. Proofread. If you browse around the blogosphere you will notice that the vast majority of the bloggers do not proofread. Confusions with its and it’s, your and you’re, and their and they’re are very common. So the next time you finish writing a post or article, remember to proofread it. If it is a guest article or a linkbait piece, proofread it one more time. Check out the article 8 Proofreading Tips And Techniques for tips on this topic.
2. Backup. Over the past year I had around five friends coming to me on MSN and asking: “Hey Daniel, my blog crashed, and I had no backups, any tips on how to solve it?” Trust me, you really don’t want to find yourself in that position. Backup regularly if you do it manually. The best option, however, would be to get a script or your hosting provider to do automatic daily backups. Read Backup Your Blog Regularly to find more instructions on how to backup a WordPress blog.
3. Link to older posts. Linking to older posts can increase your traffic and search engine rankings. Additionally, it can also give more information for the readers that want to go deeper into certain subjects. If you have been blogging for months already you probably have a vast and rich archive, so use it. Read more about this on 10 Easy Ways to Improve Internal Linking on Your Blog.
4. Answer to comments. When you started blogging I am pretty sure that you got excited with the first few comments that arrived. You would even take the time to answer to each of them individually. That approach helps to create loyal readers and to build a community around them. Even if your blog is much more popular now, do not neglect the comments. At the very minimum you want to answer the people that post direct questions to you.
5. Answer to emails. Depending on the size of your audience it might become cumbersome to answer to all emails, but you should try nonetheless. Create a standard letter to common questions that you get asked. Answer to them in batches. Do whatever it takes, but try to be responsive to people that want to interact with you. It might be the difference between an upset visitor and a faithful reader. If you have a hard time dealing with your email, check these 10 tips to manage it more efficiently.
6. Approve comments. If you use comment moderation (and you should unless you get very low volumes of spam) you should approve pending comments on a regular basis. There is nothing worse than taking the time to leave a meaningful comment on a blog and not being able to see it published within a couple of hours. Not to mention when your comment doesn’t get published at all.
7. Check the spam folder. This point is valid both for your blog comments and for your emails. Some legitimate comments and emails might slip to the spam folder. This is not your fault, but it is not fault of the sender either, so check these folders once in a while to make sure people are not getting ignored.
8. Upgrade WordPress. Common sense, yet many bloggers are reluctant to upgrade their WordPress software. Some people deliberately choose to use older versions. That could be possible if you know what you are doing (i.e. if you know to patch the security holes). If that is not your case, though, just stick with the latest version. Here is a guide to update WordPress.
9. Update WordPress plugins. Not all plugins are compatible with all WordPress versions. Some require special functions or features that are found only on a particular version, and they might end up messing up your blog. Some of them also come with bugs and security problems, which get fixed by the author on consecutive versions.
10. Network. Ask ten bloggers what is the secret of their success, and I am sure that at least half of them will mention their network of contacts and friends. Sometimes who you know is more important than what you know. Keep that in mind and try to network with people as often as possible. As a blogger you have numerous way to do it.
10 Signs That Your Blog Is On The Right Track:
tarting a new blog or growing an existing one can certainly be frustrating, as it may seem like you are not on pace to achieve your goals. Like anything worthwhile, building a solid and effective blog will take some time and hard work.
I see many bloggers completely give up or seriously slow down their activity because they feel like they are not getting anywhere, when in my opinion they are on the right track.
Hopefully if you are doing the right things and making progress you will recognize your growth and accomplishments, but not all do. Here are 10 signs that your blog is on the right track. If several of these items apply to you, don’t give up just because the achievements are not coming fast enough. I think if you give it some time and continue to work, you will reach your goals in time.
1. Growing Subscriber Count
If your blog’s subscriber base is growing, even slowly, you are making some progress. Gaining trust and subscribers is not easy, so try not to get your expectations unrealistically high. If you have realistic goals for subscriber growth you will more likely be able to feel good about your progress and stay consistent with your blogging.
2. Increasing Numbers of Inbound Links
Links are important for any blog. They help with click-through traffic, search engine rankings, and recognition. For bloggers, incoming links are also representative of how well you are known in your industry and your number of links will grow as you start to become recognized as an authority.
3. Increasing Numbers of Valuable Comments
If your blog is receiving a decent amount of thought-provoking comments, that is a good sign that people are reading and paying attention to you. Comments are the lifeblood of blogs, and those that have a lot of valuable comments from readers become even more useful for readers.
4. Increasing Visitors, Pageviews, and/or Pagviews Per Visit
Many bloggers are stats junkies. While growth in traffic isn’t always representative of meeting or surpassing your blogging goals, it certainly isn’t a bad thing. Hopefully, over time your blog stats will increase as more and more readers visit and subscribe to your blog.
5. Consistent Posting
If you are posting consistently on your blog, you’re already one step ahead of the vast majority of bloggers. It sounds pretty easy, but consistent posting is a huge challenge for many. If you’re able to keep posting consistently, good things are likely to happen.
6. Improving Quality of Articles
Quality is always going to be a somewhat subjective issue, but I think most bloggers can look back through their archives and get a pretty accurate idea of how the quality has trended over time. I know that when I look back at my first few months of blog posts I’m kind of embarrassed at the low level of quality, and I don’t think I’m alone. Growth in quality is natural as you will become more knowledgeable about your topics and as you learn about blogging and writing in general. Take a look back at how your quality of writing has improved and I think you will be encouraged to keep going and see what happens.
7. An Ability to Clearly Define Your Niche
One of the most overlooked items when starting a new blog is being able to accurately define the audience that you will be targeting. As time goes by, you’ll learn what types of content your readers appreciate (and what they don’t respond to) and you’ll most likely get a better idea of where you fit into your niche. Knowing your place is very important for branding and creating a blog that is appealing to the readers that you are targeting. If you know precisely where you fit into your niche, you’re on the right track.
8. An Increasing Network of Bloggers
Networking is probably the most crucial aspect of blogging outside of content creation, and in some cases it can be even more important. If you are continually meeting new bloggers and strengthening the relationships that you have made, you will drastically be in a better position for the future. Building a network will help you to learn from others, gain valuable and loyal readers, increase inbound links, increase votes at social media sites, and much more.
9. A Knowledge of at Least 1 Specific Way to Get Targeted Readers to Your Blog
As you continue to blog, you will learn more about traffic generation and getting people to read and recognize what you have written. If you have even one specific method that consistently helps you to reach your target audience, you are better off than most bloggers. Maybe you have spent some time writing guest posts for other blogs in your niche, maybe you’ve had success with leaving intelligent and relevant comments at other blogs, or maybe you’ve developed a strong profile at a niche-specific social media website. Whatever the source is, if it is something that you can continue to use in the future, you are one step closer to blogging success.
10. Achievement of Goals
Many bloggers have long-term goals, such as making a living with a blog, or getting 10,000 subscribers. But what many bloggers lack are short-term goals that will help them to take the necessary steps towards those long-term goals. If you are setting monthly goals for blogging revenue, subscribers, traffic, etc. and you are achieving those goals, don’t give up because you are not getting to the long-term goals fast enough. Take pleasure in meeting your short-term goals and keep challenging yourself.
tarting a new blog or growing an existing one can certainly be frustrating, as it may seem like you are not on pace to achieve your goals. Like anything worthwhile, building a solid and effective blog will take some time and hard work.
I see many bloggers completely give up or seriously slow down their activity because they feel like they are not getting anywhere, when in my opinion they are on the right track.
Hopefully if you are doing the right things and making progress you will recognize your growth and accomplishments, but not all do. Here are 10 signs that your blog is on the right track. If several of these items apply to you, don’t give up just because the achievements are not coming fast enough. I think if you give it some time and continue to work, you will reach your goals in time.
1. Growing Subscriber Count
If your blog’s subscriber base is growing, even slowly, you are making some progress. Gaining trust and subscribers is not easy, so try not to get your expectations unrealistically high. If you have realistic goals for subscriber growth you will more likely be able to feel good about your progress and stay consistent with your blogging.
2. Increasing Numbers of Inbound Links
Links are important for any blog. They help with click-through traffic, search engine rankings, and recognition. For bloggers, incoming links are also representative of how well you are known in your industry and your number of links will grow as you start to become recognized as an authority.
3. Increasing Numbers of Valuable Comments
If your blog is receiving a decent amount of thought-provoking comments, that is a good sign that people are reading and paying attention to you. Comments are the lifeblood of blogs, and those that have a lot of valuable comments from readers become even more useful for readers.
4. Increasing Visitors, Pageviews, and/or Pagviews Per Visit
Many bloggers are stats junkies. While growth in traffic isn’t always representative of meeting or surpassing your blogging goals, it certainly isn’t a bad thing. Hopefully, over time your blog stats will increase as more and more readers visit and subscribe to your blog.
5. Consistent Posting
If you are posting consistently on your blog, you’re already one step ahead of the vast majority of bloggers. It sounds pretty easy, but consistent posting is a huge challenge for many. If you’re able to keep posting consistently, good things are likely to happen.
6. Improving Quality of Articles
Quality is always going to be a somewhat subjective issue, but I think most bloggers can look back through their archives and get a pretty accurate idea of how the quality has trended over time. I know that when I look back at my first few months of blog posts I’m kind of embarrassed at the low level of quality, and I don’t think I’m alone. Growth in quality is natural as you will become more knowledgeable about your topics and as you learn about blogging and writing in general. Take a look back at how your quality of writing has improved and I think you will be encouraged to keep going and see what happens.
7. An Ability to Clearly Define Your Niche
One of the most overlooked items when starting a new blog is being able to accurately define the audience that you will be targeting. As time goes by, you’ll learn what types of content your readers appreciate (and what they don’t respond to) and you’ll most likely get a better idea of where you fit into your niche. Knowing your place is very important for branding and creating a blog that is appealing to the readers that you are targeting. If you know precisely where you fit into your niche, you’re on the right track.
8. An Increasing Network of Bloggers
Networking is probably the most crucial aspect of blogging outside of content creation, and in some cases it can be even more important. If you are continually meeting new bloggers and strengthening the relationships that you have made, you will drastically be in a better position for the future. Building a network will help you to learn from others, gain valuable and loyal readers, increase inbound links, increase votes at social media sites, and much more.
9. A Knowledge of at Least 1 Specific Way to Get Targeted Readers to Your Blog
As you continue to blog, you will learn more about traffic generation and getting people to read and recognize what you have written. If you have even one specific method that consistently helps you to reach your target audience, you are better off than most bloggers. Maybe you have spent some time writing guest posts for other blogs in your niche, maybe you’ve had success with leaving intelligent and relevant comments at other blogs, or maybe you’ve developed a strong profile at a niche-specific social media website. Whatever the source is, if it is something that you can continue to use in the future, you are one step closer to blogging success.
10. Achievement of Goals
Many bloggers have long-term goals, such as making a living with a blog, or getting 10,000 subscribers. But what many bloggers lack are short-term goals that will help them to take the necessary steps towards those long-term goals. If you are setting monthly goals for blogging revenue, subscribers, traffic, etc. and you are achieving those goals, don’t give up because you are not getting to the long-term goals fast enough. Take pleasure in meeting your short-term goals and keep challenging yourself.
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