Darren over at Problogger inspired me to take on this post. Actually, the truth is he simply asked for it in his recent post Habits of Effective Bloggers so if you like this one you can find a lot more of the type over there.
While I can’t say I’m a hugely effective six-figure blogger like Darren, I have had experience both with running a somewhat successful blog and having a couple blogs crash and burn completely. So first I’ll tell you what has worked on my more successful blogs and what caused the others to spontaneously combust. I’m only going to cover the major ideas that most effect my, uh…effectiveness, as I’ve noticed that the smaller troubles tend to go by the boards. Without further ado:
What keeps the blog machine running:
•Observation -
Okay so maybe this seems like an obvious one to start with, but I find it’s the most important. For me, if I just sort of drift through my day keeping to myself and don’t actually inject myself into anything, nothing happens upstairs. I have to actually look at things, whether it’s other blogs, news items or just things I see out on a walk. There’s inspiration everywhere but you do have to look and know that you’re looking and realize what it is you’re looking at.
•Discipline -
Blogging can be hard work. Sometimes it’s hard to think of something new and exciting to write on. But you know what, I’ve never actually NOT found something to write about when I tried. Perhaps it took a bit longer to actually come up with an idea, but I just don’t believe in “writer’s block” or “blogger’s block.” You just got to sit and write and that’s discipline part of it all. If you do have trouble with this point, read the next point.
•Keep a notebook -
Just get yourself a couple crappy little lined notepads, one for your car or pocket and one for where you tend to get hit with ideas. Then, if something strikes you as a good post, just write it down. Write it down even if you have enough posts planned to keep you writing for months. At some time in the future I can pretty much guarantee you’ll feel you are completely out of ideas. This is the time you dip into your handy notepads and behold hundreds of brilliant ideas from the past weeks or months. Now you have no excuses for writer’s block!
•Keep your eye on the prize -
I sometimes have to remind myself that I’m not going to hit the jackpot immediately. Blogging, as I said, is hard work. You’re going to see some lean periods. So, whatever your goal is for your blog whether it’s a great readership, money or what have you, you must keep your eye on the prize. Remember what inspired you to start in the first place and remind yourself of it whenever you need a boost.
•Do good work -
I try to remember that posting on the internet automatically and inherently gives me an audience. People are actually going to see my work and more likely than not judge it with a pretty keen eye. If they don’t like what they see, well, there are millions of other blogs and disappointed readers will most likely leave and never come back. Traffic will dwindle and that in itself is a great source of irritation for many bloggers. It really sucks to feel like you’re just NOT reaching anyone. So do good work. Do your best to hook your readers at the first opportunity as you may have no more chances. That done, you can go about getting traffic and not have to worry about people leaving because of lack of good content.
The Monkey in the Works:
•Don’t be too critical -
This is a bit of a double-edged sword. You do have to be somewhat critical, of course, as criticism is sort of your own personal “quality control division.” This goes with the “Do good work” portion above. That said, criticism can kill your production. Inspiration and communication come first for me. If there’s something I want to say, I determine before anything else whether or not it’s even a valid message that someone else would like to hear. If it is I roll with it, simple as that. I use criticism only to fix typos, write a bit better, make a sentence a little funnier, etc. I never ever let criticism keep me from writing altogether. For me it really is quality control and comes into play only when I’m editing.
•Don’t be a jerk -
If there’s one thing the internet has plenty of it’s bad attitude. If someone doesn’t like your work they can go elsewhere. I try to remember that when I feel like getting in a spitting match with someone who’s left a nasty comment. And remember the above point and do good work. That means good content, not good arguments. The internet is scattered with lousy content so keep your blog a step above the rest by keeping it clean, productive and valuable.
And treat the people who leave emails and valid comments nicely. It’s a communication, just like a stranger asking for directions is. All you have to do is acknowledge them and you’ll make them very happy. Remember that they’re on your site and part of your readership. Be polite and you’ll keep them there.
•Don’t be lazy -
Building your own blog empire is going to take work. I’ve read that we bloggers are looking at a good six months or so before we really see traffic ramping up, and even that may be an early estimate. So make the goal and keep your eye on it as we discussed, and then produce produce produce. One post a week probably isn’t going to cut it. Your human readers won’t be satisfied with that and nor will the search engines. Keep your shelves stocked and you’ll have many more shoppers!
That about covers the major points I try to observe on a daily basis and which seem to dictate how smooth the whole machine runs. I don’t know if these items will make any difference in your production, but I hope they will. If you have any questions, comments or additions I’d love to hear them.
Best of luck to you and thanks for stopping by!
5 Comments
[…] How to Keep the Blog Machine Running - by Charlie […]
This is very inspiring! Thanks for the great, informative read.
I especially liked Do good work and Don’t be a jerk. If someone doesn’t like what they see, the exit is only a click away. You have to be readable and interesting. And the lack of personal contact has led a lot of people to talk in ways they would never talk in face-to-face encounters.
Yes I do agree abt don’t be a jerk part. Thanks for the valueable info.
“Do good work” is particularly important for the reasons you give. When trying to post every day one can be tempted to dash off the first thing that pops into your head. Slow down, consider, think and then write. The quality of one’s post’s must improve if you do this simple thing. Writers have been given the advice to polish one’s work before submitting to publishers. Many blogs that I have read could do with a little polishing - not yours of course - and most blogs should be scrubbed so hard they disappear forever!
Spout it out!