10 things they didn’t tell you about blogging

10 things they didn’t tell you about blogging

By Rajesh Setty on Fri 06 Oct 2006, 10:58 PM – 16 Comments

1. It’s easy to start but hard to maintain.

In fact, it is VERY hard to maintain. Since most bloggers are not depending on blogging for their living, it is walking an extra mile almost everyday. Plus, how do you motivate yourself to do something that does not have a short-term return?

2. People expect consistently good content or quality readers walk away.

You can write something stupid and get away for a while. People may even link to it and you may see an upsurge in traffic but that traffic is not what you want. Quality readers don’t have time to hunt for stupidity. If you don’t post good content consistently for a LONG time, there is no loyalty from quality readers. While how many people read your blog is an important measure, what is also important is WHO reads your blog.

3. You can’t be famous just by blogging.

Of course, there are exceptions but we all know that exceptions are not the rule. Take a look at all the A-list bloggers you know. I can bet that 99% of them will be involved in cool jobs other than blogging.

4. You can’t get rich blogging.

Again, there are exceptions. Then, you don’t include Las Vegas and Lottery in your growth strategy. Do you?

5. You can extend your brand via the blog but you can’t build a brand by blogging.

Whenever I talk about it, they throw a few names at me and say that if they can do it, we can do it too. That logic is flawed and is akin to saying there are some people who climbed Mount Everest so we can do it too. I am not saying you can’t but it is hard.

6. Blogging is an addiction and sometimes it can be serious.

If you don’t believe it, ask the family members of reasonably successful bloggers (the A-listers are a gone case, of course) and you will know. Sorry I don’t know of a cure other than to continue blogging. Any other tips are welcome :)

7. If you want to succeed, you HAVE to start making others succeed.

You want to succeed in your blogging initiatives. Others want to do the same. If everyone thinks that ONLY they want to succeed, it will be hard work for everyone. Please spread the word about other blogs. You don’t have to promote other blogs blatantly. A little bit of “link love” will go a long way. Don’t worry. People will reciprocate if you write “linkworthy” content.

8. You don’t climb up by pulling down other people.

If your strategy is mud-slinging at other bloggers to generate traffic, remember that you won’t be getting quality visitors to your blog. The only people who have time to read those things probably don’t have time for anything productive anyway.

9.  It takes time to produce “Timeless Content.” But “timeless content” produces results (traffic included) in the long run

What percentage of your posts are “timeless”? If you stop blogging today, how long can your blog survive in the blogosphere? Most blogs will die within a few days or weeks as the content becomes irrelevant very quickly. How about on your blog? Would it last a few days? A few weeks? A few months or a few years? Creating timeless content is hard and that’s why most people don’t bother. You can distinguish yourself (one of my favorite topics) by putting in that hard work and stand out from the crowd. As a bonus, you can increase the longevity of the blog.

10. Traffic is important but “Quality” traffic is more important

Fine, you have a lot of traffic on your blog but who are these readers? If you are playing a “power” game, quality readership is more important. Remember that quality readers mostly don’t have a lot of time and that means you can’t NOT focus on providing high Return on Investment for an Interaction (ROII)

I know that this is a partial list but hopefully there is some food for thought.

If you are interested in a few other articles and tips on blogging, please visit my Squidoo lens on this topic.
Link – Blogging Starter Checklist

Have a great weekend.

PS: If you are still hungry to read more, here are “10 more things that they didn’t tell you about blogging”

 

Related Articles:

Posted in the Main Page category.

If you enjoyed this article, Get Life Beyond Code delivered by email or subscribe using your Feed Reader and original feed RSS
SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend   

«

»

16 Comments so far, Add Yours

Anonymous  on October 10th, 2006

For your Spanish readers audience:

I

Anonymous  on October 10th, 2006

That is very kind of you Enrique. Thanks a bunch.

Cheers,

Raj

Anonymous  on October 12th, 2006

Just wondering why my trackback was blocked, and how the regular hyperlink to your main blog page was prevented from loading from my blog. Obviously it’s your right not to feature a trackback, I’m just wondering.

Anonymous  on October 12th, 2006

Thank you for your comment. I am sorry if your trackback was accidentally blocked. There is so much trackback spam that sometimes the genuine ones get blocked :(

My software provider is working on solving this problem but I don’t know when or if it will be fully solved. Please post your link in the comments or send me a note and I will post it.

Once again, my apologies.

Best,

Raj

Anonymous  on October 13th, 2006

Not a problem. I get the spam, too. But I enjoy readiang your blog. If you haven’t already, feel free to remove my comment on your post inquiring about the trackback. My best to you.

Perfect Blogger  on October 14th, 2006

Speedlinking – 14/10/2006

Just thought it’s about time I start sharing some of the useful posts I come across during my week.

…

Anonymous  on October 16th, 2006

hey raj..just seen ur blog ..very nice articles…n yes informative too for people like me who r new to blogging…

http://brand.blogspot.com

Anonymous  on March 21st, 2007

Thank you very much for this information, as well as the Lens on Squidoo. I would appreciate you evaluation if you have the time. Thanks again.

RSS It All  on April 15th, 2007

10 things they didn’t tell you about blogging

I just came across this great post by Rajesh Setty via Squidoo. My favourite is the first one 1. It's

Anonymous  on April 16th, 2007

good and valid points. I always keep wondering, what will I blog about next. To keep getting new ideas to write about itself is a big challenge

Anonymous  on April 16th, 2007

It is good to know the pitfalls. If you can surpass these problems then you would probably be an A Class blogger.

Anonymous  on April 16th, 2007

Rajesh:

Your very sound advice works in the offline world as well — in fact, there is a direct correlation between being willing to do the work and research; learning continuously, and being a resource to others and success in life. After all, the most expansive definition of success (and integrity) is keeping your promises — it start with your self.

Keep up the good work and inspiring writing (read your Squidoo lens way before I event started a blog).

rkgblog  on April 16th, 2007

20 things they didn’t tell you about blogging

Rajesh Setty offers 20 “Things They Didn’t Tell You About Blogging.”

…

Life Beyond Code  on June 9th, 2007

What they didn’t tell you about blogging – A few more items

The links to the earlier posts in the same series are here1. What they didn’t tell you about blogging …

Life Beyond Code  on June 10th, 2007

What they didn’t tell you about blogging – #41 – #50

The links to the earlier posts in the same series are here1. What they didn’t tell you about blogging …

Life Beyond Code  on June 11th, 2007

My next book – What they didn’t tell you about blogging…; Request for inputs

You have seen the blog posts related to the above topic. Here are the links again for the five posts …

Leave a Comment