Blogging Heroes on how to have a successful blog
I have just finished reading ‘Blogging heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World’s Top Bloggers’, and I must say that Michael A Banks is a GENIUS. I simply could not get enough of it.
Being relatively new to the blogging scene, naturally I was interested in picking the brains of the best of the best - how they started and made it big. Although the book mostly covers the major players in technology, news, politics and lifestyle – and my blog doesn’t have anything to do with any of it- it really is a must read for every new blogger who is dead serious about it.
At the end of each interview, Banks summarizes advice for newbies these veterans have churned out. Here I compile my own list of bits I especially loved from these world-class bloggers.
How to have a successful blog, for new bloggers
1. You don’t have to write everyday
Write when you are inspired and and set up extra material to post at later dates. That way your readers know when to expect your new posts. Dave taylor of The Intuitive Life Business Blog.
It does help to post regularly, this way people are likely to return. Frank Warren of PostSecret.
Readers expect fresh content every time they visit a blog.
2. Go to other blogs
.. and engage in discussions to bring readers to your blog.
Don’t write quickie comments as an excuse to leave your url, its annoying. Add your comment if you genuinely have something to say. Don’t spam other blogs with link to your blog.
Keep up with other blogs. Almost all bloggers admitted to subscribing to 200 or so blogs on average.
3. Find a niche
Chris Anderson of The Long Tail advises to focus on specific interests. You don’t have to appeal to an overly diverse audience. Focused blogs are self selecting…
‘A specific focus or mission is necessary to sustain a blog’. Ina Steiner, AuctionBytes.
4. Cultivate Good Writing
Don’t worry about reporting on new things, find a fresh and exciting perspective instead.
Write descriptive headlines to your posts, especially important for people who subscribe to your feeds. Mark Frauenfelder of Boingboing.net.
Don’t forget other blogs as sources of information and always credit by linking to them.
Use a relaxed and personable style rather than a news style. Ken Fisher of Arts Technica.
Take time away from your blog to get fresh ideas. Credentials are not necessarily indicative of quality of blog posts.
The final 3 tips on blogging are posted here. These also talk about how to build readership – the million dollar question.
[...] Comments « What I learnt from Blogging Heroes: Top Blogging Tips PART 1 [...]
What a great resource … as a newbie blogger, I’ve definitely been visiting my fair share, but I never thought to go to the *gasp* book store to pick up a book about blogging! ;)
…and btw, I can’t imagine 200 blog subscriptions. I have a hard enough time keeping up with my 15ish!
Great post… and congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
You have done well!!!
I think I follow those rules, I’m new at this and my passion is travel. It has me thinking tho, is my blog any good?
I thank you for these tips, especially for newbies like me.
Great ideas and good blog. Thanks!
http://www.ToriScott.net
This is a great post! I co-founded a blog with a friend just under a year ago and we have found great success by having a Facebook fan site linked with the blog. A large percentage of our readership comes from our Facebook site!
Thank you for posting about the book. I am going to make a point of reading it. I am new to blogging and am just playing by ear.
Very useful tips. Thanks for posting. :)
wow, thanks for summarizing it for the rest of us! Checking out your part 2 right now!
[...] the original post: What I learnt from Blogging Heroes: Top Blogging Tips PART 1 Posted on 2010 年 12 月 21 日 by lanshang1460. This entry was posted in 未分类 and tagged [...]
I disagree on having to find a niche. I would rather write about things I’m passionate about than limit myself fpr the sake of a higher number of visits by people with whom I’ll probably only engage about 20%. I see a lot of blots evolve from a collection of diverse thoughts and opinions on a variety of different topics that limit themselves to niches and subsequently have readership skyrocket, but I dislike the idea that if you want to be a “successful blogger”, you have to confine yourself to a handful of areas. Why keep your passions hidden for the sake of a comment count?
I like to think of my blog not as something I’m building to get the attention of as many people as possible, but as an all-encompassing chronicle of my thoughts and opinions, hopes and dreams, loves, loathes, fears and passions on top of the things that filter into my day-to-day existence. People can look at my words and see my journey, my story, my thoughts, wonderings, hopes and dreams. Individually, they may be haphazard, random, irregular and about as cohesive as Paris Hilton’s recounting of The Canterbury Tales, but in total, they make up me. All of me. Not one part of me put on show for the sake of “that’s what’ll make me popular”.
At any moment of any day, the best friend I haven’t met yet may come across my blog – do I really want my first impression to be one-dimensional? No. I want to be known as someone with real thoughts and feelings, whose heart, interests and passions aren’t caged into a cookie-cutter mould to please the masses. I want my blog to be genuine and real, because I want my relationships to be the same. I’m not going to limit myself to the things that’ll increase traffic. I don’t want it if it’s drawn by something that isn’t the real deal. In twenty years, these blog posts will be in the archives of history, the commenters will have moved on, and all that remains of this chapter of your life may be the words you wrote. Wouldn’t you rather know, from the bottom of your heart, that they reflected you?
Sorry for the rant :)
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Karen Pore, Cara Bristol. Cara Bristol said: Blogging tips from the top bloggers: http://tinyurl.com/28f5laa [...]
Hey Marya! Thank you for sharing these interesting blogging tips. It would surely help most of us here who are liking your post. =)
Good post. I like the idea of taking some time away from your blog to gain new ideas. That seems like it actually might help. I’m gonna give that a try soon.
As a new blogger..loved seeing this! Thanks for posting.
What I find harder than writing the actual blog is taking the time to visit ll of these other blogs. It is a good exercise because I am able to learn from others what is good, bad and how I want to make my blog work. Good post and congrats on being freshly pressed.
wow great tips! Thanks for sharing!
Blogging is certaintly a learning process. I started a couple months ago and learn something new every time I post. Thank you for sharing the tips. I’ll have to see if I can find that book.
Great Article.Thanks a lot for sharing those tips.they are precious.I will follow them.
Thnx for posting these tips, they’re awesome!!! I’m going to have to keep them in mind while I’m blogging – I used to write a private blog just for myself, but I started writing a public one last month, and it’s kind of scary when people view/comment, because I feel like everything has to be perfect. But I will prevail!!!
Happy holidays xD
what an awesome article, about another bit of blogging awesomeness!
also, be patient.
blogs don’t explode with followers and commenters overnight.
OK, some of them do, but if yours doesn’t it’s OK, be patient. gaining a following not only takes time, but it is a two way street.
Thank you for this. As a new blogger this is JUST what I was looking for.
even though i naturally recognized the tips in this blog, it’s good to refocus and streamline things – that helps with prioritization.
are you waiting to approve comments? i would expect tons on this topic, since it applies to everyone on wordpress!
I set up my blog, called idlethumb, only 2 weeks ago and I’ve read a few of these types of posts, which mostly blah blah about nonsense, but this one actually made a lot of sense and was very helpful. Esp in part two which says, in a clear concise manner, to link with other popular blogs – good advice and here I am… erm, on my quest to comment and link with other blogs… subtle, right?
Tom.
MARYA, i am new to blogging too but what you have said sounds most sensible and true. thanks for the priceless inforation
[...] I have just finished reading ‘Blogging heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World’s Top Bloggers’, and I must say that Michael A Banks is a GENIUS. I simply could not get enough of it. Being relatively new to the blogging scene, naturally I was interested in picking the brains of the best of the best - how they started a … Read More [...]
this is a pretty intresting and useful article.quiet an eye opener to us amateur bloggers from places where internet is not easily accessible
Saw your blog on Freshly Pressed and I like it! Especially your “300 words!” Keep up the good work – I look forward to seeing what else you have to say :-)
I’m one step behind newbies; meaning I haven’t even started a blog of my own. But somewhere in the back of my mind, I get this recurrent nudge saying, Why don’t you try? What’s there to lose? So do tell a would-be blogger, why it’s important to get countless hits? I don’t see the point right away.
200 blogs? i can barely keep up with my own…thats mind bottling. guess ill need to do even less with my day.
http://dearexgirlfriend.com/
I’m a relatively newish blogger, and you have really given me food for thought on this subject. Thank you for sharing this information.
All the best
The sneak peak into this book seems to streamline the idea of productive blogging. It’s very helpful indeed. I appreciate this fresh press, thank you.
JUDGMENT DAY
May 21, 2011
http://www.familyradio.com
In the interest of sending traffic to my blog via comments, here’s a link.
My blog is about books and writing!
http://tomcatintheredroom.wordpress.com/
This is awesome advice! I may have to stop by the bookstore and buy it.
I try to catch up on blog reading/commenting at least once a week. 200 subscriptions? A little too much for me!
Helpful :)
Thx.
[...] http://maryawrites.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/top-blogging-tips-by-best-bloggers/ [...]
I have been writing basically spiritually-centered poetry for about twenty-five years as a hobby. In 2005 I self-published two poetry books, where all the profits go to serve the “homeless cause” in Texas. I have yet to break even. In two blogs, I have had on WordPress showcasing my poetry, I have had over twenty thousand hits, and respectfully, currently, over eight thousand on my current blog site. I do not ever recall seeing “Freshly Pressed” feature poetry, of any kind. It seems to me, in this current generation, poetry is a dying art, with little interest by readers of blogs.
Tip #1 – “You don’t have to write every day” – has been an important lesson for me. As a new blogger, I felt thought I had to post something new every day. But when I’m under that kind of pressure – even from myself – my creativity wanes and blogging begins to feel like a chore. It’s nice to hear other bloggers’ recommendations about this :D
Hi Mayra. Thanks for these posts about blogging. I’ve read them a few times over. I am new to blogging, new to WordPress and there is definitely so very much to learn. There’s lots of great pointers in what you have written. Sometimes I wonder what blogging is really all about, yet I am very drawn to it -drawn to the writing, the layout, the sharing with others – and I want to do it well. I intend to refer to what you have written to help keep me on a track I like. Thanks again.
I’ve always been intrigued by how people want to “make it big” on blogs. As far as I can remember (way before I started “blogging”), the idea behind blogs was to put down interesting facts, daily activities etc on a web page. More for yourself than for others. Now it seems like the idea has shifted. The “blogger” is not writing for themselves, but for the masses.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take my proverbial hat off to people that pulls millions to their blog/site/marketing-media, but I tend to not care about such things.
Hell, most of my stuff doesn’t make sense. On reading it a second time, I usually wonder who wrote the rubbish..then again, it could just be the voices in my head….I’m digressing.
By saying the above, not only have I managed to follow tips 1,2 and 3, but also managed to market, right?
I think I might give the book a skip. I might read it and find out that I’m doing a lot of things wrong, go into a depressive state, colour my hair black and start listening to rubbish music…
Following one of the tips said above…
I agree that we really wouldn’t have to write just in order to attract a diverse audience. I usually write when inspired or when I finally have something to write about.
Kudos to the post!
Good advice, fits right in with a question I was wondering about the other day… how often should someone blog ideally? Regularly, yes, but every 2 days? 3? I usually do a week…
being new to the blog scene as well this really helped out. thanks
Marya, thank you so much for sharing, especially for saving me all the time that I could’ve taken to read the book. :-) Many great tips and I’m glad to report that I may have done some and will get to the others. I especially like it when you don’t have to write everyday (see #1) and write in a fresh perspective of things that are routine (see #4).
Again, thank you for breaking this down to something swallowable and congratulations on being freshly pressed!
Hi. Got up and got the shock of my life. So crazy. But happy crazy. I am glad you found it useful, I had a blast writing it. Many thanks. :)
Many thanks. :)
Good share. Thanks so much for it.
-
Time to find my niche.
Thanks Elizabeth. I would love to have some traffic from facebook, however I have only 30 odd people on there. :)
I think I should get a cut on future sales of this book? ;) Thanks for your comment.
Thanks heaps. :)
Blogging Heros is a must read for new blogger.
Very informative, thanks for sharing with us
:-)
That was very well written. In my humble opinion, this is precisely why it is so important to figure out what one is blogging for. I also blog on a bunch of things that are important to me, however I would also like to have a professional blog along the way. Maybe keep personal and professional blogs separate? :)
thank you kindly for the great advice! I’ve been working on getting more people to my blog. Personally, I am trying to find a way to make niche blogs interconnected so each blog could benefit from their networking blog’s traffic. Good work :)
Hi Adrian, it was my pleasure. I adored the book and thought writing the post was the natural thing to do. Glad you enjoyed it. :)
heheheh. Best of luck Tom :)
I loved this blog! It really motivated me to build my readership list of people I follow and who follow me. Thanks for the blog….sometimes all it takes is a little inspiration to go a long way.
Hey, I am new at this myself. :)
Many thanks. Getting freshly pressed is awsome. Even better is to see people come back to read your other posts. Looking forward to your return. :)
I don’t think its important at all – if one wants to write only for friends and family- however most people write for an audience so they like to have people reading. I know I would like some. Cheers :)
Remember these bloggers do it professionally, they make full time incomes from it and have team of many working and writing for them. :) Thanks for your comment.
Those people are professional, full time boggers. They employ other people to write for them. Don’t compare. :)
I will check it out.
I am in Australia. The delay would be for the time difference. Had no idea when this got freshly pressed- can’t believe it still. :)
Excellent advice. Big congrats on being Freshly Pressed, Marya!
Thank you :)
Hi!
I’ve only started blogging 2 months ago. Thanks for sharing this!
Cheers,
Dyna :)
http://www.asiandyna.wordpress.com
Wow! Really useful post :) Thanks for sharing :)
Thanks so much. I am still in a daze. :)
Hi, thanks for the post. I have just started blogging, and find it really fun and interesting. This has inspired me to pursue blogging :)
Blogging tips are always useful, so thanks for the post. But what I’m really curious about is the Pakistani food, the best in the world, in my humble opinion. I’m off to sniff around this blog, drooling and wishing I were with my Pakistani friends in the UK.
Good tips, all. I’m especially glad to see an advocate of don’t write every day.
As for niche, I’ve been told I found mine. A sad, disgusting little niche.
Hi!
Thanks for sharing what you have learnt, Marya! Great advice on gaining readership, and building community. A great blog.
I’m subscribing.
Have a happy holiday season!
Hopefully Santa will bring me that book. After I was a good girl (for the most part)
Blessings,
Ava
xox
This is a recharging food-for-thought! It will replenish my writing orientation. Thanks for sharing this!
ive been blogging on and off for a couple of years now and i think this is the first time i browsed for blogging tips. i think this is so great!
on tip number 2, i shall subscribe. i have to start somewhere, right?
kudos.
Many thanks. Happy Holidays.:)
I would be posting more about Pakistani food soon. Keep checking. And thanks. :)
Very informative post.The same principles that apply to good blogging probably apply to many other endeavors in life.
I love a practical list of tips for blogging! I’m a new blogger and am trying to figure this all out.
I’m a new blogger And I think that is all what i need
Hi Marya,
I’m new here too. I went ahead and listed you on my blogroll. So…Keep up the good work, friend! : D
http://www.robertjbeck.wordpress.com
I agree about the writing everyday thing if you do that it feels like a chore, the visiting others blog thing is a good idea too. I’m looking for readers on my new blog about writing:
http://novelideaslifeofateenwriter.wordpress.com/
Also looking for friends who love writing! :D
really good post. for only 4 points i got a lot out of it. thanks for the good read! i plan on keeping these in mind whenever writing a new blog post.
http://enjoibeing.wordpress.com/
How can i purchase this book.
Admittedly I prefer to write for a limited range of niche areas or subjects: it channels my thoughts and creativity. I have 2 blogs (1 of them is a company blog). The 3rd blog is a tourism blog which I am a team writer.
Otherwise if I wrote just strictly to vent, from just my heart or to solve a problem, most certaintly my writing style most likely would degenerate. It would become boring and repetitive because writing becomes a mechanical catharsis for me.
Hopefully this doesn’t sound like I’m a heartless, cold fish of a writer. But it is possible to write in a lyrical, focused or impassioned piece that infuses a personal glow within the blog post.
Happy holidays and writing!
I have a full-time job now which does make it even more important for me to make my blog posts meaningful to a reader or two.
There’s a 4th blog I have to launch soon. Yes, guess where my weekend time will whittle away. :)
Your blog was on the front page of the sign in page when I went to log onto my own account. I have to tell you that yours was the 2nd time that I had actually clicked onto other peoples blogs on WordPress, mainly because I have a busy life and not a whole lot of time.
What a GREAT distillation of important information! I enjoyed your clear prose one the way you pointed out the positive steps to take to improve a blog, and ways to avoid being a “bloguisance” (my own word, just made it up in your honor) on WordPress and similar sites.
My blog is part “dear diary”, part exercise log, and part opinionated ramblings that deal with perceptions and misconceptions about Islam and Muslims. It is hard enough to try to teach most Americans, but it is a huge challenge when you are trying to teach Muslims about Islam.
One additional piece of advice to bloggers, RUN SPELL CHECK before posting. It won’t catch all errors, but it will make it less distracting when we read your missives. (This was NOT directed at you Marya)
Thank you again and thank God for Spell Check!
Definitely dig this. Very helpful!
I love the simplicity of your blog style coupled with your honest writing makes for a great blogger writer, excellent. I love your tips and will get the book and perhaps you can get an affiliate account with the author and other great books as this one.
I will follow your RSS Feeds.
How did you add the social bookmarking links to your site?
Drop by and see me some time:
http://www.Dwritewell.Wordpress.com
http://www.Dwritewell.com
[...] What I learnt from Blogging Heroes: Top Blogging Tips PART 1 (via Marya writes) Posted: December 22, 2010 by jhejhezt in myVariouzLife 0 I have just finished reading ‘Blogging heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World’s Top Bloggers’, and I must say that Michael A Banks is a GENIUS. I simply could not get enough of it. Being relatively new to the blogging scene, naturally I was interested in picking the brains of the best of the best - how they started a … Read More [...]
It is really useful for the new bloggers, they keep looking for new tips. Thanks for sharing…
Thank you so much for this! I literally took mental notes of the blogging pointers you shared here :)
[...] http://maryawrites.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/top-blogging-tips-by-best-bloggers/ [...]
These tips are a must have for any blogger. I had no idea this book was out but thanks to you pointing it out to me, I will definitely pick it up.
EXTREMELY informative. I’m in the middle of trying to get my own blog going again (through various means) and I definitely agree with point 1.
However, I don’t agree with point 3. I do agree that it’s important to have a niche, but saying you have to have one or a mission is misleading. I spent the better part of this year trying to decide what my blog is about, what my niche is. In that time, a whole lot of writing didn’t get done. I’ve decided to say “hang it” and write what I think is worth saying. I’m sure a niche is going to emerge out of that by itself, the way an author’s “voice” develops naturally over time. I don’t think Bradbury sat down and decided what the hallmarks of his fiction would be, they just kind of came out.
So, good list, but don’t get hung up on planning out your niche. It probably won’t even work out that way.
Great post, Thanks! I have had a blog for about 4 years now and I keep trying to come up with ways to get new readers. Not much so far. the advice is always the same: WRITE MORE! But I like the idea of writing and keeping it for another day. I might try that rather than posting 3 days in a row and then nothing. Anyway Thanks! http://alicia-prague-blog.com/
Interesting post.
I confess to not posting often enough but that is mainly because I have a full time job and spend every spare moment working on novels…the first of which is to be published next month!!
Congrats on being freshly pressed.
I agree with #2, which says that you shouldn’t just leave a link to your blog simply to increase readership. It just shows that you don’t have something to say and you just want your blog to get hits.
I always genuinely type a comment and if I don’t have something to say, then I don’t leave a comment. If people want to, they can click my username and come to my blog. It depends on their choice, and I don’t like to force anyone.
Ashley
I feel the same way. I also find that if comment as an excuse to leave your blog url, nobody clicks on it anyway. Thanks for commenting. :)
[...] What I learnt from Blogging Heroes: Top Blogging Tips PART 1 (via Marya writes) Posted on December 22, 2010 by jpana I have just finished reading ‘Blogging heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World’s Top Bloggers’, and I must say that Michael A Banks is a GENIUS. I simply could not get enough of it. Being relatively new to the blogging scene, naturally I was interested in picking the brains of the best of the best - how they started a … Read More [...]
Wow.. thats great. Good luck with your book. :)
I really liked the idea of scheduling the posts myself. So even if I just manage to post twice a week, if I do it every Monday and Thursday, then my readers know when to expect something new. Thats great.
Thanks for dropping by. :)
I am actually cooking an idea of something that I haven’t really found anywhere. Something to do with books and tips, will see how it goes.
Thanks for dropping by.
Wow, thats a huge compliment. I am happy I was able to help out. :)
I would definitely be checking out your blogs. Do you mean the social plugins? These can be done on the wordpress somewhere.. and I should get some money from the author eh?
Many thanks. :)
Thanks very much. Hope to see you again soon.
@maryawrites: This is really helpful. Where can I get a copy of this book?
Probaby check Amazon or book depository?
Thanks for sharing this. I myself am new to the blogging scene and this is really helpful! :)
u are doing a nice job,merry Xmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[...] you can follow the link here and read the whole post for detailed instructions on each tip. You will find it useful. There are [...]
Thanks for sharing what you are learning! It greatly helps! I started a new blog about my life in China a few months ago, and I am constantly looking for new ways to improve it! Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
Thank you for this! As a newly established blogger, I’ve always had a hard time trying to find the balance between trying to be creative without coming off as self-serving in my posts. You’ve reaffirmed my belief that good writing & creativity really do matter.
Writing a post at the end of the year summarizing all the past events through the year is a way to attract the others too. What I think would be best is to link all the related previous posts in the summary. This generates views not only to the current post but to all the posts throughout the year.
Merry Christmas guys! Enjoy blogging! =)
Hi Marya,
I enjoyed your blog reference to Michael Banks. Just wondering if you’d be interested in reposting it on my blog as a book review.
Noting your admonition not to post urls in comments, please email me if you are interested and I’ll send you the url to my wordpress blog so you can see what I’m asking for and where it will go.
It’s a writer’s forum so features lots of different authors. No payment but the aim is to give articles an airing and obtain feedback.
My email is waxings.blog@gmail.com
regards,
Carina
great tips!!!
bt i differe a bit…… well i too m new but i dont’ like to limit myself to any particular niche as my thouts run wild at times…. thoug i hate writing about tech…..:)\
anyways nice work done !!!
Thank you for posting this! I can really relate to the persona of a lost and clueless blogging newbie. I was worried about how much my blog would be read because its a little bit of a Seinfeld blog – its not really about anything in particular, so the target market was a bit blurry. So this information is definitely helpful to me. Thanks again!
R.
some interesting points there, thank you for sharing. that sounds like a book i might have to read as well :)
thank you for these tips, i’m just staring out so this was helpful!
Its simply true…
I so agree with you Emily, these tips are more helpful for people who are into blogging for the sake of blogging.
But then these pro bloggers make the blogging world so much diverse, entertaining, and informative.
Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon.
All great tips and useful advice. Love it!
Big up to ya’, from a fellow scribe.
Saffina Desforges
http://saffinadesforges.com
Hiya!
I think I’ll definitely have to go out and get this book now — I’ve been searching for a good resource on blogging tips and tricks. Thanks for posting these tips and introducing us all to this fantastic resource.
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed — looks like the advice from “Blogging Heroes” is working for you!
Drive on,
- M.
Awesome post – thanks for sharing the summary!
Great tips I certainly need them.I recently purchased a great book about everything to do with blogs it is a great read! Though part of the main factor why I think I don’t have a good blog is because I dont write much information. I think or guess on just to lazy but I enjoy writing about Harry potter most times I just can’t figure out how to get all I want to say on my posts. But I feel very determined now!
Wow. Thanks for this blog. It is very helpful, as I am new to blogging, just not to writing :) I really appreciate the tips and will def read this book. Happy Holidays!
This is a really neat article, and I would love to read the full book. I, too, have just started blogging (with the past month and a half) and I am becoming more and more serious about it. I will not stop until Oprah herself bows down to me and offers me the book deal of a lifetime! (Or Ellen Degeneres…she’ll do, too). In all seriousness, I am really enjoying the process, and would love to get better at it. Kudos on FP! Well deserved! And, happy holidays!
I think I’ve done pretty much everything except for the second one. I feel shy even online! I do read their blogs but can’t seem to find enough courage to comment. Mostly because they are way too high for me to reach. At least that’s how I see it.
You could build the Facebook Fan page over time by sending out invites. We write something every day and I think that helps build our “fan” base. It may be a short inspirational quote, a post from our blog, a good article, video, or a post from a different blog.
Here is a link to our Fansite if you want to check it out.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Plus-Size-Models-Unite/112097992153305#!/pages/Plus-Size-Models-Unite/112097992153305
Here is the blog, if you want to check that out.
http://www.plussizemodelsunite.com
Happy holidays!
I think that this blog information was helpful. I will do my best to follow it. I just started blogging and wanted to know more about it. Thanks.
“I’m nobody, who are you?
Are you nobody, too?”
Sorry, Emily Dickenson, can’t help it. I find myself thinking those words when I start thinking about things like “finding my niche” or “building an audience.”
I know that sharing the work is almost as important to the writer as doing the work. However, it’s not the main point, is it? I feel so often like I am casting bread out onto the waters of the small pond in my backyard when I write (though with blogging, it would be more appropriate to think of it as casting into the ocean). Most of my words won’t find a place in some one’s stomach but will more likely fall to the floor and eventually disappear, disintegrate, and be recycled. That’s o.k. with me.
I love the writing.
i think i’m breaking all the rules there. does that make me not good? :(
http://odeeblah.wordpress.com
Love how several commenters plugged their own blogs w/URLs. Maybe a star by hint #2? Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
I particularly like the comment about writing well. I visit a lot of blogs and stop reading when writing errors and/or lack of style turn me off. Thanks for posting this and adding your two-cents to the article.
http://theteachingwhore.wordpress.com/
I a newbie blogger as well and would love to earn a living blogging – planning on quitting my job soon (right after I win the lottery and am struck by lightning). Anyway, here are some interesting links I’ve found regarding successful blogging:
http://www.thedigeratilife.com/blog/index.php/2008/08/12/make-money-blogging-top-bloggers-and-how-much-they-earn/
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/05/how-to-make-money-from-your-blog/
http://christianpf.com/how-to-make-money-with-a-blog/
http://markpknowles.com/how-to-make-money-blogging/
Now a shameless plug for myself: http://pennilesstim.wordpress.com/
PS – if my writing is horrific, don’t tell me (it’s almost Christmas).
Marya,
You have inspired me with these posts! I am just starting out but I’m worried about being able to keep it flowing and interesting. I too would like to think of myself as a writer, that’s my dream. Thanks for the great tips. I will try to apply those to my blog!
I agree with you. Lots of great tips from this post. It had me thinking too! Newbies unite…YEAH ;-)
I blog my thoughts, how I feel, one day when I do have a kids, a family, or so, I want them to know what there father did or what was on his mind on a daily basis.
Plus, when my friends or future girlfriends wanna get to know me my blog state alot about me.
My blog is about my thoughts and I like it that way! Lol.
Good Post!
Thanks for posting this, and congrats on being Freshly Pressed! I just started my blog and it has been an amazing experience. I am slightly addicted, but that’s a good thing. I agree with another poster who said that facebook has been a huge help in drawing readership. I get most of my hits from my facebook site. I liked the tip about finding a niche, because that was my biggest concern in the beginning. I worried that I was too specific in my blogs and that it would limit my readers, but I find that being specific doesn’t mean you write about the same things over and over. It’s more about your target audience and writing about the things that interest you and them. There’s a lot of wiggle room in that, at least I hope so :)
Interesting story. I’m very new to blogging!
Thought i’d start trying to blog about travelling in Pakistan
You’re post was very useful and you’ve actually inspired me to read this book to :)
Definitely ur outlook on blogging would help freshers like me. I m beginning to start my own.
I’m with dearexgirlfriend. No way could I read 200 blogs (unless I didn’t have a 9-5 I suppose!). My friend handed me a copy of ‘The War of Art’ by Steven Pressfield. Maybe you could check it out. It’s all about procrastination and how to beat it. I think that accounts for a LOT of writers’ struggles.
I loved the tips. It can be a little hard going through 200 blogs, that means theres a possibility of having to go through 200 new posts in a day! That could certainly disallow you from efficiently reading their post and posting a productive comment.
In my previous blogs that I’ve ran, I got about 60+ spam comments every day, it’s as if the average person only reads the first 3 words of the post and leaves a 5 word comment and then adds their link to their blog.
Hated it so bad.
I gotta say that was intriguinging, and makes me want to buy the book. Well done.
I am brand new to blogging and tried googling blogging tips and I keep coming up with nothing of help to me, so this was refreshing.
I just wish I knew what to blog about :P. Its funny seeing that “finding a niche” was one of your tips because I barely have enough to write about as it is.
The way I see it is I write my blog for myself and even if I don’t have any followers I will continue to blog because its a way to express myself. So I’m not concerned with being specific because my life is full of so many things.
Thanks for the tips, and congratulations on being Freshly Pressed.
This is very good.
Very useful tips! Thanks for sharing.
Marya, you have a very good and well done blog here! I’m impressed. My own blog is very eclectic and reflects my various interest on varied subjects, mainly politics, technology and social issues and the occasional humorous observation of the seemingly mundane.
I like your style and focus. You offer much to us all.
Thanks for the post! I really think the most important part of blogging is the community. Getting out there to view and be involved with other people’s blogs is what it is all about. I have recently started my blog.. probably only 2 weeks in now.. and I’m already starting to see regulars in the wordpress community. It is really neat.
The writing every day is something i argue with myself on. I guess for me it is a challenge, can I possibly write something every day for an entire year? I don’t expect that, some days I will post pics and videos, but I do enjoy the challenge.
- Minka
P.S.: your blog is awesome.
Thanks for sharing! I had planned on attempting a photo a day blog and thought I’d give it a go before the new year came around. Much easier than writing long pieces, or so I thought! I think my trial run lasted about 4 days and then it got to be a chore. Rather than give it up completely, I think I’ll look at the project with new eyes and shoot for one great photo a week. Plus, that will give me time to still write for my other blog when the spirit moves me!
Hmmmm, I’m wondering if it’s too late to add Blogging Heroes to my Christmas list?
Congrats on being ‘pressed’. Happiest of holidays to you.
Marya
a question: what do you thing about writing a blog with more than one language, for example, english and spanish?
or maybe it is better to have two blogs: one in english and the other in spanish?
I have not seen a blog written in two languages but some friends have asked me to do that.
I think you’re doing a pretty good job, considering all the comments you got from this post. Very good way to get people to come visit you. I did. All the best, Julio
PS Love your WP design, I use a similar one on mine.
Thank you for your tips. I have just started blogging and have now subscribed to your site.
Wendy
This was a great post. I’m also new to blogging and could certainly take some of these tips to heart! I also love your blog. I will have to check back. I especially like your Book Shelf. I read a ridiculous amount of books myself, so it’s lovely to “meet” others who do as well. Book-fanatics unite!
If you need another blog to get up to your 200 (no way could I have 200! Crazy!) here’s mine:
http://thedesertdreamer.wordpress.com/
Happy Holidays.
How did you get to be pressed after only 3 months? Congratulations! Thanks for keeping it concise and make it only 4 points. :-) I think writers have different kind of brain compared to us civilians. I have always wanted to write in less than 500 words but can’t seem to “get any content in” with less than 800 words. Should I really make the outline for what I am about to write before I actually write it? So far I just type anything that crosses my mind, rather like thinking out loud and end up with an”all over the place” rant. :P (I like you btw)
Don’t forget to read part 2 as well. :)
Hi, nice to meet another bookworm. Hope to see you again soon. Cheers :)
The author owes me some! :)
You just made my day. All the best. :)
[...] I have just finished reading ‘Blogging heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World’s Top Bloggers’, and I must say that Michael A Banks is a GENIUS. I simply could not get enough of it. Being relatively new to the blogging scene, naturally I was interested in picking the brains of the best of the best - how they started a … Read More [...]
I agree. Its really important to network with other bloggers. I read somewhere its like you are the new kid in town. You have to go to other people’s parties before they come to yours. Makes sense doesn’t it? Many thanks. :)
Thanks very much for your kind words. Much appreciated. :)
Thank you. I am glad I helped out. Goon on you for knowing your reason for blogging. Cheers :)
I know exactly what you mean. So annoying.
Don’t worry about the 200 blogs thing. Only people who do this professionally can keep up with this number. Thanks
Thanks for your recommendation. Will do. :)
great article ! thank you so much :)
here is my blog : http://nicepetrichor.wordpress.com/
still new and i post anything in my blog :D
I SWEAR that I am not posting this just to get hits!!!! This is such a helpful list and goes along with similar principles that my “blogging mentor” explained to me in the beginning. Being focused seems to be a really big key. Being dedicated is ALSO a key it seems. While I make no $$ from my blog, I enjoy creating the humor more than I like almost anything else. I WISH I COULD GET PAID FOR IT.. but now, there seems to be soooo many bloggers that is more for therapy and expression than anything else.
While this comment post is COMPLETELY out of character from my blog, i wanted to tell you, Thank you for writing this and thank you for bringing this book to my attention. It is now on my Christmas list. Hopefully there is someone who still needs a gift idea from me.
To prove that this is not just about getting a link, I have signed up to subscribe to this blog!! have a good holiday.
Little Johnny (all grown up)
I felt I had to write at least once a week but then I would be nonsensical. Likewise, I thought I should appeal to everybody but I’m glad it doesn’t have to be that way. Good tips. It’s nice to have a reminder that I write because I want to and not because I must haha
Have you been to Pakistan? I am going for a visit this January. Will be posting from there when my parents will look after my kids. Can’t wait. :)
No worries at all. If somebody posts a genuine, interesting comment, I am interested to check out their blog anyway. They don’t even need to leave their URLs. Thanks for your comment.
You seem to be very good at it too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Hmm, I haven’t thought about building a facebook fan page – maybe because only a handful of people were reading it before? heheh. Thanks for that, I have made a note of that. Will be checking out your links soon. As soon as I can get my my life back on track. Cheers :)
Thank you for sharing that. It will get easier … hopefully. :)
Count me in too. Lets say it together .. WILL NOT REST WITHOUT A BOOK DEAL.. heheh :)
Can you share the name that book? I would love to read it.
I agree with Aaron. I loved your style and also the fact that you are answering every comment, not always happen!. I will follow your blog, Marya, I really liked it.
I am not a blogger yet, I am reading blogs and trying to figure out about this fantastic communication tool. Thank you for your good taste in all this !
I like the party analogy! It’s funny, I’m quite confident and talkative in real life but often am a ‘lurker’ on the internet. I read a lot but rarely comment – I feel like a caller on a talk back show…first time poster
Thanks very much. :)
I’m new to blogging and these tips are very useful! Thank you :)
gosh Marya, I like the comments here as well as the blog, first time I can truly say I read every comment, all interesting, some quite humorous, who did that one saying don’t tell me i write bad Christmas is coming ? cute!
I had posted to you before but wanted to come back and see your blog. (while rested) you know you intake more when you’ve had time to unwind from a busy day.
I like the comment have a theme but also it can be random, I think that’s how I would like to handle it, I’m not quite sure what is n RSS feed really and there’s a lot of buttons on WP I’m afraid to press because what do they do? After Christmas that’s a goal read the WP instructions. for now, some of those icons look scary and i’m not touching them yet. I do have one thing to share that helped me, when I write a story about a place I go for travel gosh it can be the size of war & peace, I didn’t like it being so long down the page, so I wrote WP asked about that and they were so good and wrote me back, told me that icon that looks like a box with a line thru, click that where you want the break (or a link to continue) I kinda love that icon, found it most useful so any newbies like me, if you have a question I wouldn’t hesitate about asking WP
great comments all, so useful………
ty
I always told myself to focus on quality instead of quantity, no matter how much you wrote, if it is rubbish, nobody will bother; but if it is great quality content, people will revisit your site for more~~ :D
And inspiration comes from everywhere around us, agree with you, for visiting other bloggers, as it explore our mind to new things and new idea to write. :D
http://www.journeytopeak.com
Wow!
Thanks for this, Marya. I had a lot of information from this, thanks a lot. Reading such post like this really helps me, I’m a newbie in here. Also a bookworm. I like you because you are answering every comments in here!
What an interesting blog! I too am pretty new to the blogging scene. I think I have found my particular niche, but my problem is that I am interested in so many things! I really like your idea of composing three hundred words on a daily basis. Its always good to do something for yourself each day. Keep blogging!
It’s interesting how there’s a real issue of balance between quantity and quality going on with blogs. For people writing blogs that they really intend to have others read purely to read the blog (as opposed to people who write updates for their family members and then alert them that there’s a blog post up, or just write because they want to write) there’s a pressure to post very regularly so that there’s always new content available. On the other hand, posting too much leaves you open to the possibility that you’ll just be posting pointless nonsense for the sake of having gotten a post up.
Perhaps part of the reason the big bloggers are subscribed to so many blogs is that people who aren’t heavily involved in reading other blogs will tend to have a very difficult time maintaining the constant stream of topics on which they can comment?
Thanks so much for this post. It helped a lot. Though most of the things said we already intuitively know, it was a real ‘eye opening’ to read them and remind ourselves again. It is really important for a blogger to stay active on the blogging scene. Something that is actually becoming really hard. Thanks
nice post marya. as a newbie here, it caught my attention. and i can see it all makes sense. i could use all of them. especially tip no. 2. hehe. i’ll check out your other posts too. well done sis.
I am doing the best I can. Thank you. :)
This is great actually. It would be nice if some more ppl visited my blog
Great post indeed. this will come handy and useful. thanks a lot.
Marya Z – you just motivated me into becoming a blogger!!!
Thanks for the tips.
I definitely need to read this… THANK U
i love these tips come check out my blog with a story just for christmas, the like is………….
https://randomstories4u.wordpress.com/
Delicous article! Thanks!
HEYY! Thanks alot for the tips… Mann, I need to check out that book.. And what you said abt the Going through other blogs… actually helped alot..
merandomlife.wordpress.com
to: Historic Walker:
Once again, this post is more serious, outside of the “persona’ of my blog…
re: as far as being interested in so many things
I have only been blogging for 6 months (as of this Friday) but I think I have been able to hone my character AND bring in topical issues as well as things that I find amusing and twist them into my “blog character.”
so hopefully I am successful at topics that I want to talk about but also keeping my character.
Good luck with blogging. I am sooooooooooo addicted to it that I dont mind staying up until 3am just to hone a blog post (I only post 2 times per week)to keep by “blog imposed deadline” of making a new post every Friday (as well as a mini-post on Tuesdays)
Marya – thank again for a really helpful post
[...] What I learnt from Blogging Heroes: Top Blogging Tips PART 1 (via Marya writes) Posted on December 23, 2010 by deachy I have just finished reading ‘Blogging heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World’s Top Bloggers’, and I must say that Michael A Banks is a GENIUS. I simply could not get enough of it. Being relatively new to the blogging scene, naturally I was interested in picking the brains of the best of the best - how they started a … Read More [...]
Hi Marya. Firstly, congratulations on being freshly pressed!
I am a first time visitor to your blog and could immediately relate to your tag line…the first half at least. I’m a mum too and like to think of myself as a writer:-)
Your tips on blogging are useful. I’ve just made my foray into blogging and this is more or less what I’ve read so far as well.
Keep going.
[...] I have just finished reading ‘Blogging heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World’s Top Bloggers’, and I must say that Michael A Banks is a GENIUS. I simply could not get enough of it. Being relatively new to the blogging scene, naturally I was interested in picking the brains of the best of the best - how they started a … Read More [...]
Thanks for this, very helpful and I have re-blogged it on my own WP blog as we have quite a few contributors to our blog, some quite new to it. I think they will find this very useful.
Heyyyyyyyyyyy … good to see you Taizoon. :)) How are you?
It IS a small world after all..
I seriously need to contact the author… I think major sales might be coming his way. heheheh
Thank you fellow writer. :) Tell me, are you comfortable calling yourself one? I still think of myself as emerging or inspiring writer. hmm…..
Many thanks. I will have a look as soon as I can. Cheers
Hi Bobbie, I really enjoyed your comments.
I think so too. The big bloggers definitely keep an eye on each other for breaking stories, plus this way they also stay current with whats happening in their community. We can’t compare ourselves with them, at least I know I can’t. I barely find time to keep up with 30 blogs and post twice a week. The last two days have been completely taken over by my blog too, but I know it won’t last so will enjoy it while I can.
Hope to see you soon. Cheers :)
I just stumbled across this, and I must say. This has helped a lot. Thanks for the post.
Hi, I am totally new to this whole blogging thing and wondered if you could advise how I put my home page as boxes with pictures in and a flash box please? Where do I go to change this? Really appreciate your help Thank you :)
It is nice to know that some of the thing I am do is correct. I think your blog was about the right lenght. I find blogs over 600 word I start to loose interest. With this in mind i try not to make mine to long.
Thank you for your tips (:
and i like your blog…congratulations and keep up the good work
Thanks for the information! When it comes to politics you DO need to rely on facts, information out there and double check-or triple check-because of the bias and misinformation.
The real challenge: KEEP UP! Keeping up with news is very hard with all the fast-forward information, coming from all directions. I still need to improve my grammar and punctuation, since I learned it in Spanish which is my first language. In English, punctuation is a new ball game to me.
My other challenge is to either make a bunch of quick posts, or to make a long one with my .02 in them. Add to that good writing skills. I am not there yet, and that I think is part of professional journalism out there combined with lil’ ol’ me. Paragraph’s structure to deliver the right message and not risk being misinterpreted.
I don’t know if that was covered in the book, but it seems like a good read. The one I have is “Teach Yourself VISUALLY WordPress” by Janet Majure.
ouch. that got me.
Geez….I think I broke all of the rules when it comes to having a successful blog. RATS! I have a lot to say on my daily blog, I do post my URL when visiting other blogs, and of course I DO comment when I visit another blog. As far as being successful, it really doesn’t matter to me if I am or not. It’s the creative process that encourages me to write each and every day…that, and the fact that I’m venting my outlook on how life is full of reallys stupid people….myself included. Except I’m not a politician or celebrity. So, I can get away, for the most part, with being stupid. I think. If you have a deep desire to write, do it! If you feel the urge to visit my site, you’ll grasp what blogging every day means to me. Perhaps then, you can find your inspiration and do it as well. It doesn’t have to be each and every day, but when your feel the need to let it all out. http://misfit120.wordpress.com
[...] What I learnt from Blogging Heroes: Top Blogging Tips PART 1 « Marya writes (tags: blogging, writing) LikeBe the first to like this post. [...]
Marya, you’ve got a gift with the flow of your words and your content is Great! Really enjoyed the way you express yourself, thanks for the info!
Thanks for the great advice. I will be sure to use it.
Hi Mary,
I love the first tip “You don’t have to write every day.” In the beginning I was feeling the pressure to write something every day. As others mentioned, it felt like work versus something I enjoy. Since I blog primarily about baking, not only am I blogging but I am baking to provide pictures for my blog. Needless to say my dear husband, son, neighbors, and co-workers have been enjoying all the treats to maintain my little space on the internet. Thank you for the great tips.
You might want to ask those blogging heroes about the difference between “learned” and “learnt”….
I read this post after seeing it on Freshly Pressed. I’m just starting blogging again after a long break so your tips act as a great refresher. I think along with your tip about leaving comments on other blogs it’s important to reply to comments as you have done many times here. It encourages the commenter because they see that you are reading their comments and engaging with them.
Very nice, comprehensive list that all bloggers should read, wether they are starting out, or are experienced bloggers.
One of the best things I read on the topic was a comment that talked about how “People dont follow blogs, they follow people”
I keep that in the back of my mind to be myself when I write. Remind myself not to “write to an audience” but to be as genuine as possible.
Thanks again for the list!
Thanks Marya, I was searching for a few tips and luckily stumbled on your post quickly. Much apprecaited.
Hi, thanks a lot for this, but was wondering, if you could do a bit about how to help build up interest and get readers initially. I have a blog about new or unknown hobbies, and I am really struggling to find readers, http://thenewhobbyist.wordpress.com
if anyone is interested?
Great tips Myra,
Good post and congratulations on being pressed.
The one thing that I do leave when I post a comment is my link so I do not consider that spam. Sometimes when I click on the icon of the person who may have left a comment on my blog it doesn’t take me to their blog but a profile page and I have to find where it says what their blog is so I do leave my link. I agree that you need to make a comment that is related to the post not use someones blog as a platform to promote your own blog.
http://www.bubblingwitheleganceandgrace.com
first of all, marya, you found idea #9 – write about a book about blogging! you have made your own blog an instant reference site! well done! and thank you for the public service!
TvZ – i know what you mean, but i will disagree on one thing. if we were all only interested in keeping information for our own use, then journaling (by hand) beats blogging hands-down! by putting our blogs on the internet, we are all secretly hoping that other people “validate” our rants, raves, digressions, interests, etc., by subscribing to our blogs. idk how old you are (i’m going to guess, younger than my 45) – i have found that people in the generation after mine (i was among the first off the assembly line for gen x), or even younger members of gen x, are more comfortable with the public sphere than i am. i was still raised writing in journals – which i didn’t do very well. talk about your rubbish! you would think my entire life revolved around men if you went only by what i deemed fit to print in a book! and it’s certainly not anything you would find me putting on the internet….
however, i do also think that we all have taken up blogging for similar reasons (not all of which apply to everyone, but each to some): 1) it is therapeutic – i don’t get to see my therapist every day, or even every month, but we can put things out here and have some audience, get some sympathy, or some kudos, missing in our private lives, 2) we feel swamped by the enormity of the world, and blogging can generally make the world feel like a smaller place once you have your own slice of cyberspace, 3) we have friends all over the place, and the internet is an easy way of connecting to them, 4) we want to broaden our circles of friends, meet like-minded people, and one way to feel more relevant is to have a public presence, and 5) we want to reveal our true selves to the world at large. i think these are parts of blogging for private reasons that make us less inclined to want the traffic championed in the book reviewed by marya, but still want traffic nonetheless.
good luck fellow bloggers!
I can’t help but feel rather odd replying to this post, considering one of the biggest suggestions is to post on other blogs…..
But it truly was a fantastic post, and provided valuable data to all of us fellow bloggers.
My one conflict is finding other bloggers with a similar style to my own. I have a passion for writing, but its rather challenging to find other who enjoy reading the passion i write down. Especially people i don’t know.
I assume i’ll probably be best of continuing the writing i love so dearly, while hoping that someday i’ll slowly gain the audience i desire so deeply.
If you have a desire for genuine and thought provoking writing, let me know so i can follow you as well as you me.
http://joshflom.wordpress.com/
Really useful.
I don’t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was pretty good. Cheers!
Although I’m published, I don’t feel comfortable calling myself an author. Writer was hard to roll of the tongue in the beginning, but oddly, professional writer seems to fit. So, you’re both writers, probably professional writers. The tricky part comes in when you say “Author.” That just sounds way to amazing to actually get to call myself one. :)
Yes, I can imagine. To be able to call yourself an author … totally out of this world. :)
After all this hype has gone down a bit, I will be checking all the blogs of the people who took the time out to post here. Especially the writing blogs. Will be posting there to let you know that I have been. Many thanks.
Hi. I agree with you that the premise behind blogging is that one is writing for an audience. This is different from journaling. Many people tend to confuse the too. Both are defnitely therapeutic . In my opinion, people tend to read blogs which offer them some value – be it entertainment, information or something else they identify with. If they don’t get that, they move on, They are not really interested in our life stories … unless we are big celebs.
Thanks very much for your thoughts, I loved reading them. :)
Have you researched for any similar blogs in your genre? There are bound to be some. Maybe follow them and comment on their posts. This should bring some people to your blog? Best of luck. :)
Yes. This.
I am so sick of people claiming that to have a sucsessfull blog you need to limit yourself to a niche. But there are more ways to measure sucsess than by number of readers.
Lovely comment. YES YES YES… people follow other people and not robotic entries on a nameless site. I actually would go as far to say that if you are not ‘likeable’, you might have some problems keeping readers. I like people when they are being themselves – honest & quirky and largely imperfect. I know I love all the PEOPLE I follow. Thanks again. :)
Oh I am reading every single comment. My whole family will (unhappily) vouch for that! :)
Learned is American English – Learnt is British. I checked already. Thanks
Happy to be of any help. Thank you.
Thanks so much. It means a lot. :)
:)
Thanks for that info. Will check it out.
By the way, English is my second language as well. But I guess, you knew that right?
Marya, thanks a lot for writing this article. It’s really helpful, coz I’m a new blogger. keep up sharing about books you’ve read. I love how you arrange book’s cover on ‘Reading pile’.
thumb up!
Thank you. Glad to know somebody else likes it too. :)
I just post about whatever I want to talk about. I hate going to a blog and they just post a video that they found on Youtube. I want someone talking about something and not about what I should buy from them. Congrats on being featured. That is wonderful. I will be back to read more. Have a great day.
Connie
Marya, thank you so much! I am new to blogging and it gave me some useful ideas. Well done!
Marya, Just stopping by to say congrats on getting Freshly Pressed. Great post & a great discussion!
Thanks very much Christi. You know I love your blog, its in my blogroll. Cheers :)
Funny how I am also reading this book right now. The recurring themes I pick up from the profiles are: 1) pick a niche that you are interested in and knowledgeable about and 2) leave comments in other blogs to start a conversation and drive traffic.
all the best.
This is awesome. I absolutely love finding tips about blogging, because then I can see all my flaws and start to understand where I am going wrong, why I am not nearly as successful as I should be.
Then I critique myself, and force myself to improve. Man, I love constructive criticism. Awesome post, keep them coming! I will be an awesome blogger one day!
Step by step. Little by little, one walks far.
These are really good tips, and I love that you can actually understand them! It’s horrible when people try to give advice, but they just make it sound so complicated!
Awesome post! Plus congrats on Freshly Pressed:)
Is “find your niche” and “stick to one subject” the same thing? ’cause it doesn’t work for me… :( i used to have separate blogs for my travels, photography, personal (diary) and love-life. i ended up having more blogs than i could maintain, and in the end i had to delete the others ’cause i couldn’t update them regularly. :( now i only have one blog with all the subject i’d like to write about there.
The other tips are really tried and tested. Thanks for sharing! :)
Awesome post! I am myself a starter blogger and had no clues how to get maximum traffic to my blog and obviously how to make it a successful one! I think i almost had all the answers to my questions and thanks a tonne for writing in a simple and informative post!! Cheers!! :)
Interesting reading. Blogging is just a great way to make friends from all over the world. It makes the world feel so much smaller and friendlier.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
merci
I agree with what your’re saying. But, it just depends on what your expectations are for your blog. I tend to be a bit controversial–at times–in my thinking. So, no matter how much I try to keep things mainstream, I end up having to be me, and putting a little radical vibe to my writing. I don’t get loads of traffic, but I am proud of my writing, and the fact that I write about things that matter to me. I’ll admit, it would be nice to have more comments. But, it wouldn’t be worth it if it meant changing my style.
Forgive me if this is posted twice…
Anyway, I agree with what you are saying. I just think it depends on the purpose of the blog and the expectations of the blogger–to be popular and get lots of comments or to just get your feelings out as if you were writing a diary.
Personally, I can be a bit passionate, controversial, and/or very opinionated about the topics that I write about. So, my blog posts aren’t always warm and fuzzy or mainstream.
I admit that I would like to receive more comments. But, if the comments come, they come; if they don’t, they don’t. I simply like to write. I do, however, like to share my writing. So, I share with my mother and a few friends, occasionally.
But, at the end of the day, I know that I blog about various topics that mean a lot to me. And, that’s okay…
I think I’m going to combine my blogs…It may not be popular, but it’ll be best for me.
Nice tips… but if you don’t blog everyday, won’t that reduce your google blog ranking coz there’s less fresh content?
A very interesting post. I only started blogging a few months ago and i must confess that it’s become something of an addiction. I just have to check it every day to see how many hit i’ve had and whether anyone’s made a comment on anything posted.
I must confess that i’ve always felt a little guilty about publicising my blog. (It’s about my Millennium Falcon collection. Boring? Yes. Niche? Yes, but i love doing it? :) )
This is excellent advice. I shall bookmark this, and re-read frequently. As a new blogger, I can definitely use all the advice I can get! Many thanks. And congrats on being freshly pressed!
Thanks for the tips!
[...] What I learnt from Blogging Heroes: Top Blogging Tips PART 1 (via Marya writes) Posted on December 24, 2010 by inislamicworld I have just finished reading ‘Blogging heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World’s Top Bloggers’, and I must say that Michael A Banks is a GENIUS. I simply could not get enough of it. Being relatively new to the blogging scene, naturally I was interested in picking the brains of the best of the best - how they started a … Read More [...]
Thank you so much for this. I just started out blogging and I honestly do not know what I am doing. Now reading this I think I kind of had a handle on things and I didn’t even know it.
-HBD
great list, it’s really helpful! i also think a good thing to do is to reply to anyone who comments on your blog even if it is just “thanks’. congrats on FP! :) i think i’ll suscribe to your blog!
-Tia
http://www.tiallarising.wordpress.com
[...] I have just finished reading ‘Blogging heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World’s Top Bloggers’, and I must say that Michael A Banks is a GENIUS. I simply could not get enough of it. Being relatively new to the blogging scene, naturally I was interested in picking the brains of the best of the best - how they started a … Read More [...]
Thanks very much. Have a good day! :)
Thats why I need to follow my own advice and learn more about SEO. :)
Hi Marya,
I was surfing awhile ago and saw your writing on the landing page of the wordpress site. Wow, that must’ve been great to land on the page of this great blog platform.
Your words carry content and value both for the new and old. I’m new myself to blogging and have been writing from time to time especially on the ones that tickle my reflective nerve, as I call it.
Your take of the important items spoken of in the book is very informative. My heartfelt thanks! I love writing myself ever since I was still a kid. And your article is a big push to me to really love blogging and make it one for life which adds to my looking forward to a great new year ahead of blogging.
Thanks, Marya.
I like your philosophy and personally I pretty much beleive in doing the same. However the question arises whether one wants to blog professionally or on a personal basis. I would have separate blogs … I could be totally myself on my personal one, and it wouldn’t matter one bit if people came or not. However its entirely different if I want to become a professional one, generating income to live on. Its like I don’t behave the same way at work, like I do at a party, or with family and friends. That doesn’t mean I am not being myself – at work, but knowing to behave appropriately in different settings.
Thanks for your comments. I enjoyed reading them. :)
Thanks very much for your kind words. Its a great feeling to have put something together that so many people have found useful. I am primarily a teacher – and a lifelong learner, and so it is extra special. There are so many things I have learnt about blogging and writing that I have a huge journal overflowing with ideas. I hope some of the people return to read my future posts. I am so pumped… Hope to see you again. Cheers :)
[...] I have just finished reading ‘Blogging heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World’s Top Bloggers’, and I must say that Michael A Banks is a GENIUS. I simply could not get enough of it. Being relatively new to the blogging scene, naturally I was interested in picking the brains of the best of the best - how they started a … Read More [...]
Hi, Marya.
I too stumbled across your blog by accident. Thanks for the blogging tips. I agree, one must write from one’s heart.
I too, am a wanna be writer and a mom. Two sons, but mine are out of the house. But once a mom, always a mom, yes? I have a blog on wordpress for singles called “Single Sense” and one on blogspot called “Journey to Faith”. My goal is to encourage others in life’s challenges. Nice to meet you and I subscribed to my first “Feed” on your blog:)
so we’ll see how that goes.
Take care,
Pattie
thank you for the advices!
yeah… i think that’s the best for me too, until i learn to juggle 4 blogs, i’d stick with my all-in-one blog. :)
Thanks very much. Have a nice day! :)
Thanks, there are so many great blogs out there so subscribing certainly is a great way to keep track of all the faves!
Thanks for that, there are so many great blogs out there so subscribing certainly is a great way to keep track of all the faves!
Thank you, Marya, for the pieces on successful blogging. I find those tips so useful.
I’m new to serious blogging – indeed, I’m new to the Cyber World. I grew up at at time when we had dip-in pens and proper blotting-paper (bet you’re too young to remember those things!), and all this modern technology is often beyond me.
I found your blog via the WordPress Homepage, by the way.
I hope my blog becomes as good as yours.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I haven’t thought about that at all, I was always so busy with finding the next topic.
God bless you!
I just created my blog a couple of hours ago. This is very helpful. I wrote one post and I’m still trying to familiarize myself with this site.
Thanks… Mery christmas.
I just finished reading your post on blogging. You made some points I hadn’t thought of as a newbie blogger.
I have a tough time staying on one point, but have split my blogs in two. One is for a specific topic; the other is my personal cornucopia of mixed writings.
This is very helpful information and some great food for thought!
Congrats on being chosen for ‘Freshly Pressed!’ Good job!
You just made my day! I blog because I want to pour out my heart into the cyberspace. It thrills me when people stumble on my blog and discover that there’s another world out there. It’s like a someone had found a gold mine under his feet. You nail it down. Every word I wrote is a reflection me.
nice post! but i need extra spirit.. :D
thank you !!!
I am very new to the whole idea of Blogging. Your article helped me get started, so thank you!
And Merry Christmas!
I am so happy I found this blog! Thank you, Marya.
Great post with very useful information, which I will utilize immediately. Thank you. And congrats on being “Freshly Pressed.”
I just found your blog via a rare look at Freshly Pressed and good heavens, you’ve had a lot of replies! I’m usually put off posts that attract this number but I see that you’re actually responding to (some of your) commenters which I find refreshing!
:)
I’ve been into this subject before now with other bloggers who have advice for novice bloggers (which I am definitely not as I’ve been blogging on and off since 2004) and my own advice is just: be yourself. Really, it’s as simple as that, because if you’ve something to say, and you write the way you would normally write, providing you have people visiting your blog to read (which means visiting other blogs and commenting on them), you won’t go wrong. And a blog with regular readers will shape your writing and content (and often yourself) as the months or years pass… as it’s impossible for anyone with any sensitivity to other people (aka empathy) to avoid being influenced by readers’ likes and dislikes. And this is no bad thing, it makes for good connections with others.
I agree. Thank you.
Thanks very much. I am glad I was of some help. :)
Wow.. thanks very much for your kind words.. much appreciated. :)
[...] Top blogging tips with some impressive ideas. [...]
in this blogging environment of endless change its always good to hear some perspective!
Well, I’m a communications professional, and writing’s been a big part of my professional life.
Yet, it’s only after I started writing my personal blog (www.ilovegifting.wordpress.com) that I’ve started using the pure term – writer:-)
Calling myself that inspires me to raise my own benchmark every time I write!
I enjoy blogging because I can express what I feel at the time of writing. As a sometime professional writer, I’ve put a couple of my more serious pieces – not published elsewhere – on my blog. And, out of the blue, someone has offered to help me get a small, fictional work for kiddies published.
Now then, a lot of what’s happening with my blogging has happened since I stumbled on your “Blogging Heroes” posts, Marya – so thank you. (Do any of your contacts know anything about online book publishing for profit? I am far too old to understand that sort of thing . . .)
Very helpful advice, thanks for taking the time to outline the most important tidbits you learned for us other “newbies.”
Thanks for sharing! I’ll heave to look into that book. Also problogger.net is an excellent resource. A gift that keeps on giving!
Pretty good article. I just came across your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your opinions. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon.
This is great advice! I am very new to this form of writing, and I am glad I found this post. It serves as a sort of ‘GPS System’ for my lost mind and lack of knowledge regarding blogging! Thanks for the directions.
T.S. Wilkins
I’m quite new to blogging. I’ve just started blogging six months ago, and i hope that i could get some ideas from this blog..Anyways, very nice post!
Thanks very much.. :)
Hi. I think if you google online publishing, you should come across many sites that will hopefully answer all your queries. I have not ventured in this direction – as yet – but as soon as I learn anything useful, I will post soon. Thanks for your comment. :)
Thanks, Marya. Your advice is always welcome. As we say here in Wales “Diolch yn fawr iawn, cariad!”
This is a great article on BLOGGING . Thanks for sharing
Scott D.
http://www.jumju.com
Hi Marya. Thanks for making the time to write this post (and the second piece of it too).
I am not a writer, but find blogging is a great creative outlet after spending time all day in a Corporate environment, taking care of kids, chores, and squeezing in time for martial arts. Always feels like ‘the brain needs a place to talk’.
Keep up the blogging and Congrats on being freshly pressed.
(hi to my friend Ollin in the comments above!)
http://workingtechmom.wordpress.com
workingtechmom is quite right about blogging being a great creative outlet. Before I drifted into professional writing as a side-line, I wrote lots of bits and pieces simply to let out that which was buzzing around in my mind.
I still do that – even we who are ancient should remember what you say, wtm: that ” the brain needs a place to talk”. I put a few of my articles/pieces on my blog and – at the behest of my grand-daughter – hope to publish some of them.
So, all you bloggers, just get on and enjoy what you do – ‘cos there are folks who will stray onto you blogs and feel better for the experience.
Thanks again, Marya, for your excellent blog.
http://keith7090.wordpress.com/
Greetings from California! I’m bored to tears at work so I decided to browse your blog on my iphone during lunch break. I love the knowledge you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m surprised at how fast your blog loaded on my cell phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyways, awesome blog!
Hi Keith. Your post reminded me today why I write … because I need to put my thoughts on paper (screen) before my mind can move on. Its almost like I don’t choose to write, writing chooses me – at all funny and odd hours too.
Please come again. I would love to hear more from you. Thank you.
Thanks for this post, I found it really helpful as a first time blogger. I always considered myself as a writer but never knew how to get into blogging, because it seemed so hard to just start it. With a couple of posts in line, it’s getting more interesting each time I write, and with greater ease to put my writing to use.
I think the first point that you don’t have to write every day is probably one of the most important I’ve found – because as like you, I tried to write something every day. But with the advice you’ve given, it makes more sense to write when you’re feeling inspired.
So bravo :)
Thanks for a concise and constructive post. I’ve read a lot of ‘How to Blog’ posts that list endless reams of tips, that can be very daunting to a new comer, I’m thinking of Badlanguage.net here. Though I love that blog it is a bit advanced. One day i’ll get the hand of wordpress.org and my own domain but for now I’ll settle for this little neck of the woods.
You use the word “need”, Marya. That’s exactly right – most of us who write do so because we want to commit our thoughts to paper (well, to electronic gubbins these days!). I carry a little notebook in which to jot ideas before they float away; then I write the full piece when I have a quiet moment or two.
I keep a personal (and private) Journal, as well as my blog: there are some things which are too personal – or too daft – to share with the world!
At school, I had a rotten time. There was only one master who treated pupils as human beings. The two subjects he taught were History and English. Guess what my two great interests are?!
Which is why I drifted into getting my writing published. You may have visited my blog (which I keep plugging here – manipulative stinker that I am . . . ): there, you’ll see examples of my work – some of which I think is worth publishing in book form.
Your blog, young lady, is an excellent way of new bloggers learning tips. You DON’T have to spell perfectly or know where the punctuation marks go to enjoy blogging!
(Coo-er – don’t I ramble on???!!!)
[...] I have just finished reading ‘Blogging heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World’s Top Bloggers’, and I must say that Michael A Banks is a GENIUS. I simply could not get enough of it. Being relatively new to the blogging scene, naturally I was interested in picking the brains of the best of the best - how they started a … Read More [...]
Hi Marya,
Interesting read and lots to learn. Thanks for compilation.
Equally interesting is the view points in the comments. Insightful. More or less, I feel comments reflect the content of your post and its quality to attract readers of its own. You being a teacher, would have been a great help as to you would know how to cater to your students subjects or contents they might not understand in a whole. This gets reflected from your writing.
Thanks again for the great post.
Happy New Year.
rajiv
http://rrajiv.wordpress.com
[...] What I learnt from Blogging Heroes: Top Blogging Tips PART 1 (maryawrites.wordpress.com) [...]
Interesting! I’ll probably get my blog going again
I think, Marya, that you have become a Blogging Hero yourself! Lots of people recognise the value of your blog, I believe.
What I read on your blog constantly reminds me of why I write. Mostly, the stuff on my own blog is for my Family, but there is, in all of us, a creative gene and blogging can give us an outlet for that creativity.
Just reading a Christmas present: the first of Stephen Fry’s autobiographies. He quotes Henrik Ibsen: “To live is to war with trolls in heart and soul. To write is to sit in judgement on oneself.” I think that’s good to remember.
Thanks for the advise but how do I find shared interests with other bloggers?
Hi, you could try searching through tags, or simply search for blogs based on your interest via google etc. Hope that helps. :)
Hi Keith, oh thanks so much for that compliment. *blush*. I haven’t read much of Stephen Fry but hopefully I will pick one up soon, he seems very fascinating. Thanks for dropping by. :)
Good to hear that. Thank you.
Hi Rajiv, its so interesting that you said, you get that I am a teacher through my posts. I think it was unevitable that my posts would take on that quality and I am so glad somebody noticed. YAY! :)
I love the tips, very useful especially because I am so new at this! Does anyone know how to add a Reading section? I would love to put one on my blog.
Kelkyd
Really enjoyed reading your post. This book sounds interesting. I may have to invest in a copy for myself.
HM
Hey, I’m super brand new to this blogging world too. Only got one post so far. Some great tips there am looking forward to spending some serious time in this place.
so is blogging too saturated at this point? Seems like everyone has a blog. What will be the next phase of communication? If we can figure THAT out, then WE can write the book!
Thank you, much appreciated. :)
Valid point. I guess you can say that blogging is saturated, but one can make the same argument for most markets. And so only the best blogs will prevail – fingers crossed. :) Thanks for dropping by. :)
I wonder if Little Johnny is right about “communication”. A lot of blogs seem to be simple extensions of Facebook comments: “I just made myself a cup of tea”, “It’s only 2pm and I’m in bed”, etcetera.
There are many good, well-written, well-thought-out blogs available, though – yours, Marya, being one of them.
So, fellow bloggers, should we not write about things we know? And should we not use blogging to improve our mastery of writing? Good punctuation and grammar distinguish those who have something to say from those who are still “making themselves a cup of tea” – and if we ramble on too much (fifty word sentences are common!) we lose our reader’s attention.
Or am I being a pseudo-intellectual snob??!!
You are right, most people write their blogs as extension of their random ramblings, rants and general outrage about things. A lot of them are quite lazy actually. I think all blogs should provide some value to the readers, be it information, education or entertainment. Most blogs fail to do that. Thanks very much for saying mine is not one of them. Cheers :)
Mary A – I think “the reading market” will tell a person whether they are writing for the masses/providing value – if they subscribe or read the blog.
Keith re: your comments of being an extension of FB, I agree. Probem is BLOGS are just like the TV news going to a town and interviewing the dumbest looking person with no teeth and a t-shirt on about a current event. They know EVERYONE wants to be heard. Bloggin no different – everyone wants to be heard, that’s what makes FB so popular.
The “famous for fifteen minutes” syndrome is certainly prevalent now that the Interweb is so accessible, Little Johnny.
My own blog was started mainly for my Family and to let out some of the odd ideas which float through my mind. It seems to have gone beyond those bounds and I’m always chuffed when I get a new reader who passes comment. (I am NOT blatantly plugging my blog when I say that, honest!)
Again, I would suggest to fellow bloggers that each of us needs to know where our niche lies, or where we want it to lie. And we should/must write about things we know.
I do not expect everyone who visits my blog to be a regular reader – but I CAN entertain those who are on the same wavelength as I. (That’s why I enjoy Marya’s blog.)
I am a newbie, reading these tips really motivated me and made me believe in myself, all over again that I can do it..
Thanks for posting this :)
Keep on keeping on, Sahar! Just enjoy what you do.
Some great tips on blogging here. Agreed with blogging too often. You’ll overcrowd the blog itself and it can get tedious to update it everyday of the week. I usually write 2-3 times per week. The other days I use to gather quality ideas to write blog posts about. It’s mainly news and my take on what’s happening in the world. Another great tips for you guys. If you prefer WordPress as a blogging platform, make sure you get the best wordpress hosting you can find out there. Save yourself the trouble of installing and managing wordpress code and problems that arise. These guys will do it for you for free and most hosting deals come with wordpress pre-installed so you can start blogging instantly.