Miscellaneous Blogging for January 23, 2008
January 22, 2008
Photo credits: twoblueday.
There’s a lot that’s been going on here at Super Blogging lately (and still a lot more planned), as well as elsewhere around the blogosphere. So I thought I’d fill you in, just in case anything has been missed.
First off, there has recently been a Super Blogging group writing project underway where you can submit up to three of your articles that relate to blogging in some way. Then, I will take all of the quality articles and link to them in a resource that’ll be helpful for all bloggers - which also helps you by getting a free backlink and traffic. The group writing project’s deadline was yesterday, January 22, but if you’ve written an exceptional article that you think would help others that read the resource, you can still submit it to be considered until the resource itself is published.
The second thing going on here at this moment is actually quite an important question - what is your favorite social media site? I am quite interested in what sites other bloggers use to promote the content they write or enjoy, or how interesting content is found. After all, we all have different opinions. So share those well thought out opinions, because I will take my favorite comment and link to the author’s site.
There are also a couple other things I am planning for Super Blogging sometime in the near future, so if you don’t want to miss out please subscribe to the RSS feed via a reader or through email, so you’ll always be updated.
But there are even more exciting things going on in the blogosphere! If you haven’t heard of Caroline Middlebrook’s free eBook yet, titled How to Develop Money-Making Niche Sites with Wordpress, you’re definitely losing out on some great information. This eBook shows you how to use Wordpress, create your niche site, and how to make money online with it. Caroline is a popular blogger and has worked extremely hard making this eBook fit top quality standards, so if you don’t have your copy of this gem yet, I’d suggest you download it now.
Last but not least, check out MeAndMyDrum’s redesign. Mark’s blog is one of my favorites, and now he’s made it look spectacular using one of the Revolution Wordpress themes designed by Brian Gardner, with plenty of extra tweaking. I have to say that this theme makes me pretty jealous. Congratulations to you Mark for your redesign, it looks fantastic!
I hope you all have a fantastic day - if you need a bit more to read, check out Super Blogging’s top posts, or Caroline’s or Mark’s blogs that were mentioned above. :)
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Asking The Readers: What Is Your Favorite Social Media Site?
January 22, 2008
Welcome to the latest Asking The Readers! You are invited and encouraged to share your responses and opinions. Super Blogging has a great community full of friendly, intelligent readers - so don’t be afraid to read the post and the other comments, and then share your own thoughts and ideas. We love hearing what you have to say (that’s the purpose, after all)!
Social media is one of the best ways to create traffic for your blog. It isn’t the easiest method to convert visitors into regular and loyal readers, but the traffic is still great quality and gives your blog value. Since we all use social media here (and if you don’t, then please do read the comments and opinions because you’re missing out), I am wondering, What is YOUR favorite social media site?
Everyone has a preference, whether they like Digg, StumbleUpon, Sphinn, Reddit, Mixx, Propeller, Blogging Zoom, smaller niche social media sites, or others. Since social media is one of the most important aspects of blogging, it just can’t be ignored. I would like to know which is your favorite and why.
Please leave a comment and let us all know which social media is the one you use most often, and why it’s your favorite. Also, how do you promote your content through social media? Do you submit most of it, or only your best pieces? Do you submit your page and hope for the best, or contact friends and others to vote for it?
Depending on the responses received, I will include my favorite comments in either a new post or the next Asking The Readers post, giving a link back to your blog if your comment stands out to me or is valuable and well thought out. I will also share my own opinions then as well. I can’t wait to hear what everyone has to say!
(Also, today is the deadline for Super Blogging’s group writing project, where you can submit any three articles you’ve written that have to deal with blogging and get free backlinks and tons of exposure. Today is the last day you can submit, so don’t miss out on this great opportunity!)
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The Best of the Blogosphere: January 18, 2008
January 18, 2008
There have been so many great articles published within the past week, and I’d love to share them all with you. I actually think four of them have been written by Skellie - she guest blogs on many sites and is an excellent writer and one of my favorite bloggers. Check out her brand new blog, AnyWired.com.
Backlinks - The Root of All Evil by How To Make Money Online For Beginners.
How to Get 1,100 Subscribers in 5 Days by Skelliewag.
52 Post Ideas to Help You Stay Inspired Throughout The Year by NorthxEast.
31 Days to Becoming a Better Blogger by NorthxEast.
10 Simple Productivity Tips for Bloggers by DailyBlogTips.
7 Ways to Profit from a Blog by Blogtrepreneur.
Blog Design: What Should Be Above the Fold? by Vandelay Design.
How to Create Social Media’s Favorite Type of Blog Post by ProBlogger.
17 Ways You Can Use Twitter: A Guide for Beginners, Marketers and Business Owners by Dosh Dosh.
Little, Big Mistakes in Your Blog by Pro Blog Design.
Why Your Readers Read Your Blog? by Wayne Liew Dot Com.
Quick Tip: Long-Tail Your Way to Success by eMonetized.
Don’t forget about Super Blogging’s group writing project where you can submit up to three articles, and all of the articles will be linked to in the final product, which will turn out being a great resource for everyone. It’s a chance at free backlinks, traffic, and exposure, so why not? Here’s hoping that you have a happy Friday and a fantastic weekend! :)
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10 Ways To Be A Successful Long-Term Blogger
January 17, 2008
Photo credits: twoblueday.
1. Choose a topic you enjoy and know a lot about. Think about it. Blogging takes plenty of effort and writing about the niche you have chosen. To keep this up and not lose interest, you’re going to need to write about something you like. And to be able to continuously produce content, you need a topic where you won’t run out things to write about.
2. Think about where you’ll be in the future. Some people start blogs and never think about what’s going to happen in three months, in six months, or even in a year or more. Do you see yourself losing hope at any point, or getting bored? If you do, it’s time to rearrange your priorities or choose a different niche.
3. Set goals for yourself. Blogging goals are very important to encourage you to move on and to help you get where you need to be. Set goals with deadlines, and try your hardest to meet them. Make sure those resolutions aren’t too easy so there is a challenge, but be realistic as well. Take a look at some other blogs you like, and see how long it would take you to accomplish what they have accomplished. Set your goals accordingly, and work hard.
4. Celebrate when you reach a new milestone. Getting discouraged is one of the biggest reasons why people give up. Blogging is not, and I repeat NOT, a get rich quick scheme. It does take a lot of work. To stay encouraged, celebrate or treat yourself whenever you accomplish a goal or a new milestone. If you’re putting in a lot of effort, you deserve to be proud of your successes!
5. Create a schedule for posting. Another big problem new bloggers have is posting erratically. One week there might be twelve posts, and the next week there might be one. You’ll never get loyal readers if you can’t be a loyal writer. Think about how much time you’re able and willing to spend blogging, and set up a realistic post schedule. Will you post three times a week, or even once or twice a day? Make sure you pick a schedule and stick to it!
6. Work hard. Work on creating exposure for your blog and increasing your blog’s traffic. Those two things, apart from writing excellent content, are very important. If all you do is read other blogs, check your statistics ten times an hour, and play games when you’re online, you’re not going to get anywhere. Building up a blog and your brand takes work and time, which you’re going to have to be willing to commit to.
7. Network and interact with other bloggers. If you’d like to be successful and avoid losing hope, you need to develop relationships with other bloggers. If you have blogging friends, that means you have loyal readers, people who will link to you, and people who will help you out when you need it. If you don’t have a single other blogger you can turn to, you’re going to lose hope pretty quickly.
8. Don’t disappoint yourself. Blogging isn’t easy, and you can’t make money online unless you spend plenty of time working and know what you’re doing. Quit checking your statistics and earnings every hour, because that’s not what matters yet and you’re only going to disappoint yourself. Don’t compare yourself to other bloggers and don’t just sit back and hope for the best. Write new content all the time and promote your blog!
9. Figure out what inspires you. If you can’t be inspired, you’re going to lose motivation quickly. In order to be successful in the long-term, you need to know what inspires you and learn how to constantly think up new ideas and find things that keep you going.
10. Sometimes, you just need to take a break. If you’re going through a blogging burnout where you feel like you’ve lost all hope or can’t think of any ideas for new posts, sometimes all you need is a break and a getaway from all that stress. Whether it be one day away from the computer and doing the things that relax you the most, or a week’s vacation to one of your favorite places, sometimes it just helps. Getting away for a little while doesn’t mean your blog is going to be doomed to failure - you can write articles and timestamp them to post in advance, or get a trusted friend to write for you in the meantime. And when you get back from your absence, you’ll feel very refreshed and probably already have dozens of new ideas.
Like mentioned before, everyone suffers from an intense lack of hope or severe writer’s block at one point in time, sometimes even more than once. But to be successful you need to have a long-term focus and never give up. The longer you blog, the more you learn, and the easier it gets. What tactics do you use to be a successful long-term blogger?
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Group Writing Project: Articles About Blogging
January 15, 2008
So I would now like to compose another list that links out to the best blogging articles. Blogging is a very broad topic, so your article can be about many things. Some suggestions are: starting a blog, creating a design or theme, generating traffic to a blog, creating exposure or backlinks, search engine optimization, increasing productivity, improving your writing skills, earning money with a blog, social media, networking, and bookmarking use, increasing RSS subscribers, selling a blog, analyzing blog statistics, or whatever you can think of that applies.
Since I want to create a helpful resource that will be beneficial to all of us, there are a few rules.
- You can submit up to 3 articles, but no more than that.
- The articles can be new or written in the past, as long as they are still relevant.
- The articles must be related somehow to blogging (just ask me if you’re not sure).
- The deadline for all submissions is January 22. Articles submitted after that usually won’t be accepted (but you can always wait and submit again in the next group writing project).
To submit your articles, use this contact form. Please make sure you send me the URL to your articles, and if you like, tell me what they are about. Since I might not be able to include all the article submissions I receive, please send me your best quality work to make this resource as good as possible!
I’ll be composing this list shortly after January 22, the deadline - so please make sure you send me your articles on time. If your article is included in the list, it will be linked to and your name/site will be shown along with it. To see an example, check out November’s group writing project!
I can’t wait to read all of your articles, so please go ahead and submit yours. Up to three per person, and your best work please! :)
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