Sunday, March 11th, 2007...9:36 am

Blogging is harder than you think

I should qualify that statement. Successful blogging is harder than you think.

And not as fun either.

I could probably write over 50 posts a day if I had to, but the content would be hollow and unimaginative, and no one would want to read it. On the other hand I might be able to write one well thought out and researched post each day but if no one knows my blog exists it would just be a writing exercise.

If an article is posted on a blog and there’s no one there to read it, does it still make a point?

What I’m trying to get at is blogging is not simply about writing a few paragraphs and posting it on your site. It’s more of a commitment than most people realise, and that’s why so many blogs fail. Blogging requires patience, dedication, and a willingness to engage with the blogging community. Disregarding the quality and subject of content, the difference between a blog that gets read and one that doesn’t is the effort a person puts in outside of their blog.

There are over 50 million blogs on the web if you can believe that, and many of them have either been abandoned, or are updated infrequently.

The main reasons I see for this are:

  1. People find it difficult to write regularly.
  2. They don’t see any results for their efforts.
  3. They lose interest and motivation.
  4. They burnout.

Let me address each of these.

Writing regularly:
It’s not easy writing everyday, let alone writing something interesting and insightful, but you need to try. Even if it’s just a thought or an idea you had, or a comment on someone else’s blog. You want to get into the habit of writing, so that in time you can slowly build up your output. Even if you don’t end up posting what you write make sure to save it. I often go through my old notes and find ideas that are worth revisiting.

Lack of results:
It can be hard putting so much time and energy into something to not see a payoff. I’m constantly looking for affirmation just like everyone else and I’m easily discouraged when things don’t go the way I want or expect. Being an impatient person doesn’t help either.

But you can’t think in the short term like this. Blogs need time to grow and to find an audience. Hard work will pay off if you have the strength to stick with it.

Interest and motivation:
These are two things you need if you intend to blog seriously, and keep at it for the long term. How can you do that?

  • Write about subjects you have knowledge of and are passionate about. You won’t need to work as hard to get the words flowing.
  • While you’re working towards a big achievement celebrate the smaller ones, whether it be a new subscriber, a rise in your Technorati ranking, a positive comment from a reader, or that you’ve simply written a new article. Use those positives to stay motivated.

Burnout:
This is a major issue that I have to deal with for just about any project I take up. I’m the kind of person that gets so involved in what I’m doing that I have trouble sleeping and sometimes forget to eat. And when it all builds to a peak, I crash.

Burnout is really a result of the combined effects of all of the issues above. Each one slowly chips away at your resolve until there’s nothing left to keep you going.

The beauty of blogging though is that, unlike say writing a novel where it’s a solitary and lonely endeavor, you have access to a network of similarly minded people that will give you feedback and support, so long as you are actively part of the community.

If you can avoid all those pitfalls you’re doing well, but the challenges don’t end there.

Having been a reader for so many years and now suddenly finding myself on the other side of the fence, there are things I’ve noticed that I think are important to having successful blog.

  • Be yourself, write honestly and openly. You’ll be surprised how well you connect with people if you do.
  • Learn from successful bloggers, but try not to mimic them. I don’t want to read another John Chow or Darren Rowse clone. I want to hear what you have to say whether I agree or not. And for that matter don’t be afraid to disagree with people. I don’t see the point of having all these personal blogs around if everyone’s just going to nod their heads and walk in a straight line.
  • Don’t second guess yourself, or obsess over what you’re writing. For better or worse your blog is an extension of who you are. Just roll with it. For example this post started off as a couple of sentences on how hard I’m finding blogging to be. I didn’t really like how it was shaping up and I felt like ditching it, but as I continued writing, and more thoughts came into my head, it slowly started coming together and grew into something much larger than I’d originally planned, and now I’m happy with how it’s progressing.
  • If you write it, they will come? Not necessarily. To address something I touched upon earlier, the best writing in the world will get little or no attention if you aren’t proactive about attracting readers. Actually writing your blog is only half the job, and even though good writing works wonders, you still have to promote it, at least in the beginning. Join social sites, comment on other peoples blogs, start discussions on message boards, trade links, even look at using some paid advertising. Get Technorati tattooed across your forehead if you have to. Whatever methods you decide to use, you need to actively engage potential readers.
  • The best way to make yourself successful is to help others be successful. I’ve heard so many people say this and it’s true. One of the reasons for John Chow’s success as a blogger is he gives back a lot to the community around him. His reasons for doing it are far from altruistic but let’s be honest, the same is true of those he’s helping. Just remember, your relationship to your readers and other bloggers is a symbiotic one. If you help someone, they will be more inclined to help you.

This is such a complex topic and I think I’ve only really skimmed the surface here. What are your thoughts?

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100 Comments

  • I too find blogging difficult and at times frustrating. Sure my blog has been around since July of 2006 and I don’t get a lot of traffic or do I bring in the phat loot either but I keep at it because I like to do it.

    I look at my stats and it gets to me, but I keep at it because if I can find a niche or become better at writing I am sure one day the traffic will come in. I’m not really in it for the money, though if I can make a couple hundred per month that would help me put money towards debt etc but my primary reason for doing it is I like the programming part that I do.

    My blog isn’t WordPress or any other script and I enjoy adding new features and talking about what it is I’ve done and how I did it.

    I find that for me, blogging will be difficult all the time, but I like the challenge!

  • I find it somewhat liberating that no one is reading my blog right now - I can write about pretty much anything and not have to worry about what people might think :)

  • Dan,

    You have a good site and will get traffic, no doubt. Re: the challenge of writing for an audience, Hrafn (that’s really his name…) who I found through MyBlogLog had a post about it that links to an interesting essay:

    http://hthth.typepad.com/weblog/2007/02/pavlovs_blogs_b.html

    It looks like you’ve already gone a good way toward optimizing your site for SEO. Since you’re using WP, you might find these links useful:

    http://seo.blorc.com/seo/wordpress-seo-first-steps/

    http://www.tubetorial.com/7-essential-wordpress-hacks/

    I’m still, after a year, tweaking in the SEO department. Also, if you can spend some dough, BlogAds help build awareness of your blog fast. And, if you’re not already using them, Ref-Karma and Spam-Karma work well together at defeating the referrer and comment spam that will, eventually, drive you crazy:

    http://unknowngenius.com/blog/wordpress/ref-karma/

    http://unknowngenius.com/blog/wordpress/spam-karma/

    Good Luck!

  • I wish days lasted 25 hours ! For me time is a problem. Sometimes when i work at the computer i completely lose track of time and yeah i guess it’s a common problem !

  • The image you used on this post is pretty symbolic. Good choice.

  • Wow this is a great article. More like this! We should exchange links…we’re both about frequent quality posts and promote our sites well.

    Let me know.

  • I totaly agree with what you have said above.
    The funny thing is that I was also thinking about how many people tend to think that blogging is easy, and written 2 articles about this last week. It is difficult not to be tempted to think like this when you see (or hear) how much money some people are making from this kind of activity, but once you get started you realise the hard way that it’s pretty darn hard.

    Regards,
    WMA

  • Sometimes, you just have to rant with your fingers. I usually just post art and some of my poetry, but sometimes I get so aggravated and I just let it out.

    Good luck on your blog and thanks for visiting mine.

    Johnna

  • Nice post man , blogging needs a lot of patience .

  • i totally understand everything your saying, i used to have a blog that i wrote in religiously. one time at LEAST every day, and i never really realized how much it impacted people until my life got hectic and i abandoned it. then suddenly i found that wow surprise surprise people actually looked FOWARD to reading what i had to say and when i stopped it dissapointed them. i know this was really wordy haha but i just wanted to tell you props on an amazing blog, and some great insight into the world o’ blogging :)

  • Wow, how true your words are.
    I’m always wodering whether a post a day is enough or too much. If you do too much, then people who only visit once a wek or so may miss older posts as they scroll down!
    I may be adding this site to my blogroll under “Blogging interest”

  • Excellent post - thanks for letting the rest of us know that we are not alone!

    I absolutely agree that it’s important to be oneself - but it’s easier said than done, and takes time. I am now on the third version of my blog, and am happy with it because I have worked out why I am doing it. (It certainly isn’t to make money!)

    Question: do you think SEO is really necessary? I have been slowly building up a readership though people I’ve met on MyBlogLog and Explode. I reckon that a handful of visits from people sharing an interest is more important than fly-by visits from people who never return.

    What do you think?

  • So many great comments here, and from the sounds of it you all find blogging difficult too. But we persist.

    I’ve never enjoyed the process of writing. Some of the authors that I admire are the same, but the fact that they do write in spite of how they feel, is the very thing that makes them successful.

    Tyler: Keep writing. Build up a body of work and the traffic will come. I know it’s hard to be patient but in a years time when you have a large body of writing under your belt, and the experience to go with it you’ll thank yourself.

    Sprague: Thanks for the links, I’ll definetly have a read through those.

    Joe: I agree. When you find yourself with a purpose and motivation you run out of time so quickly.

    WMA: Yeh I don’t think people realise how much effort some of the prominent bloggers actually put into there blogs.

    Mallory: I hope you got back into blogging. It’s never to late.

    St Crispin: I think it depends on your blog. The blogs I check daily are often updated more than twice a day. I can’t speak for anyone else but I pretty much expect serious blogs to at least be updated once daily.

    Donald: For search engine traffic SEO is important. While a lot of that traffic may be one off’s don’t forget that the more people you get to visit your site you increase the chances of reaching one that will become a regular visitor.

  • [...] very good article about avoiding pit fall to become a good Blogger. This article is well written by The Wrong Advices and it covers about 4 potential pit fall common to a new [...]

  • I have to pretty much agree with everything that you have said here! Good and solid info… People tend to forget that EVERDAY 100,00 bloggers join the ranks, and, that there are over a billion bloggers worldwide. The best thing to do is to just do what you do, forget about the #’s, they will come. If you are writing what you know best, you will get read, and, more people are reading than you will ever know about… keep the chin up and blog for the hell of it… without expectation, there comes a freedom to indulge which, ultimatley can lead to unsought pleasures….

  • I totally agree with you. My blog is a humor blog and I try to write funny every weekday and it’s not easy. I found out trying to come up with something funny that will make someone laugh is really hard, and to do it almost every day is even harder. But I’m not going to quite, I’m going to keep on plowing.

  • Great post! I am glad I traced back to you after seeing you on MyBlogLog. I have to admit, MBL has led me to some great new blogs.

    Blogging IS harder than people think. I think the only people who appreciate it are fellow bloggers. It takes a lot of time.

    I like your point about not second guessing yourself. I have had what I considered well-crafted posts just sit there mute and comment-free. Then I have had posts where I felt like I dashed something off (no struggling) or even felt like it could have been better and it gets a big (relative to my tiny site) response.

    When I feel a bit stressed over the writing I tell myself that I have to trust myself.

    You’re correct in writing we must be ourselves and write openly. My more emotionally open posts or posts where more of who I am shines through have gotten more responses as well.

    Writing regularly take a lot of discipline but it’s worth it! All the writing books tell you that you should write every day. The more you write, the more you’ll find your own style and you can’t help but improve.

  • Ms. Q, thanks for your comments.

    I think the smaller, off the cuff posts people write usually connect better because those are the times where they don’t overanalyze or edit their writing. This is usually where someones true personality comes out and that is what appears to attract many readers.

    When you sit there and keep rereading and editing your posts they become too polished, and you inevitably end up cutting out the parts that reflect who you are.

    Dan.

  • Wow..you hit the nail right on the head. It can be extremely frustrating to spend the time writing in a blog and then get no responses, or worse yet, no hits showing that anyone even read it in the first place! I’ve faced that A LOT….you gave a lot of good advice though on how to correct that! Thanks for a great post!

  • Takes 3 words: Commitment, Motivation. Effort.
    Takes another word: Choice. You have to choose to do it. Putting in the Effort. After all, if your dream doesn’t cost you something, it’s just a daydream. Most people quit when the cost gets too high.

  • Very true Martin. You don’t get very far in this world without hard work and dedication.

  • Burnout!

    I hear that dude. I am the exact same way. Somethimes I can’t even turn my head fromt he screen in case I miss a little bit of traffic or a comment i need to reply to. The building process is killer.

    I am ready to totally change my approach. Kill off some fo these garbage blogs and only do great ones. Too much time to work on 15 sites and write posts for them. I can write a few great posts, or I can waste my time and write a lot of crap ones. I have figured out that the latter is a short-term solution and a never-ending cycle. The former is building for the future and making a legitimate reason to even be sitting here day after day.

  • Yeh Jimi writing for so many different blogs will only dilute your creativity. Once you’re comfortable writing consistently and have become efficient then it might be manageable to branch out into multiple blogs.

  • Fantastic article there. Very true indeed im having the battle of trying to engage and get readers to my blog right now.

  • I agree with you. Writing can be done by anyone but good writing can be done only by few people. Thats because it does take lots of commitment and discpline and perseverance and thats on top of the fact that you need to be well read. As for me, blog is all about recruiting/resourcing but off late I found that sharing relevant information about the job market to my readers also helps.

  • You just made me feel better for neglecting my site for a week. It IS hard to write all the time. Creativity takes inspiration, and it doesn’t always come coincidentally after dinner when you have free time. Besides, by then, you’re half asleep =).

  • Jennie I know what you mean, the time when I have the most clarity of thought and my best ideas is when I’m lying in bed trying to get to sleep, and it’s usually too much effort to get up at that point.

  • This is the second posting I’ve run across recently on burnout. Now that I think about it, I think they stole the ideas from you. Very insightful. I’ve only now started blogging more seriously the last couple of months but I’ve been in the web development and design biz professionally since ‘95. If you are passionate about blogging and do it for the right reasons (may not be monitization) people will eventually find you and read what you have to say, especially if you have an original voice.

  • [...] explains why successful blogging is harder than you think. I love it. Some of the reasons why blogging is difficult? “People find it difficult to write [...]

  • There’s such a thing as writing for the search engines.

    You can’t expect your ‘blog to be the name of everyone’s lips, but if you write with the way people search in mind, you can then catch those people who would otherwise know nothing about you.

    Because my business entails an element of SEM, I know how to write copy to attract search engine traffic.

    Similarly, if you know of some upcoming event that’s specific to your particular niche, you can write ‘blog articles ahead of time to make sure that you’re relevant on the day of the event, thus beating the competition to the punch…

  • Yo Dan,

    Interesting thoughts. Here are a couple that struck me:

    “It’s more of a commitment than most people realise, and that’s why so many blogs fail.”

    What is “failure”? I don’t think blogs fail so much as have no definition of success. If our attitude is going up and down based on short-term things like daily visitors, comments, or (bleh) Adsense earnings, chances are we really haven’t set clear long-term goals (or we haven’t really accepted the amount of time it takes to reach them).

    “It’s not easy writing everyday, let alone writing something interesting and insightful, but you need to try.”

    I think the idea of needing to post every day is a huge factor in burn-out, and isn’t really necessary. Some of my favorite blogs only post 3-5 times a week. RSS subscriptions are getting more and more popular, and some will even unsubscribe due to overly-frequent posting. I don’t think *infrequent* posting is a good idea, but if the quality of your posts are consistent, their frequency doesn’t necessarily matter.

    “even though good writing works wonders, you still have to promote it… Join social sites, comment on other peoples blogs, start discussions on message board…you need to actively engage potential readers.”

    I agree with this, but I think you need to do more than engage potential readers - you need to build potential *relationships*. Blogging has always been a social activity; not just between bloggers and readers, but (maybe even to a greater extent)between bloggers and other bloggers.

    A good comment is one way to start a relationship. Linking to a similarly-themed blog around your level (or slightly higher/lower) is an even better one. It’s a way to start a conversation, and I think it’s those conversations and relationships that will inspire, motivate and bring life to your blogging.

    Similarly, a great path to burn-out is to see links, comments and traffic as an end in themselves instead of a means to continuing good conversations.
    -j

  • its been a while since i stated blogging but my traffic is still at a loss. how can i impove it? ive been submitting it to diffeent seach engines but nothing happens. visit:Online Promotion

  • JohnFTM once a blog has been abandoned I think it’s fair to say it has failed.

    I didn’t mean to imply that you have to actually get a post out every day, but you should be trying to write on a daily basis to learn the discipline. Most people simply aren’t used to putting their thoughts into writing so to begin with at least they need to try to develop that ability, and what better way is there than to do a bit of writing every day?

  • Blogging is hard than you think, and not as fun either…

    Disregarding the quality and subject of content, the difference between a blog that gets read and one that doesn’t is the effort a person puts in outside of their blog….

  • By the number of comments alone, you know that there are fellow blogers out there that like your writing. Keep up your good work buddy. :-)

  • An interesting and well-thought article, I must say. I’ll surely be forwarding this to friends & family who think they’ll ‘just’ make a blog ‘in a little moment’ and become known with it. Blogging is easy, making your blog worth reading is way harder, even though not many people recognize that part!

  • Again another insightful article. You mentioned joining social networks. Are they any in particular that you would recommend as a good place to start?

  • Mike I can see you’ve already joined MyBlogLog. It should be the first stop for all new bloggers.

    There are a few others like explode but I’d recommend working your way around MyBlogLog. Visiting other members blogs, joining communities, and adding contacts is a good initial step in building awareness for your blog.

    All the best.
    Dan.

  • It’s hard work, Dan, and I’m sure that a lot of us wonder why we persevere. And then, one day something good happens that makes it all so worthwhile.

    Maybe you get a visitor from a far-off country, perhaps you get a comment that attracts other comments and sparks a lively debate, maybe you get a visit to your blog from someone that carries a lot of value in the blogosphere. You may even make some money from your enterprise, if that’s your thing.

    Any of these might make it all seem worth the effort. But sometimes you just fight against the odds for the sheer enjoyment of making, of creating something that’s yours and no-one else’s. And, hey - that’s a really nice feeling.

  • Hi. Great advice!!

    Personally, I always need a big project to work on, being the over-over achiever that I am, to help burn off some of this ever-present energy I have had my entire life. Then normally, I have a big let-down, unless I totally burn out before that happens.

    The information you and your readers provided were excellent suggstions, so hopefully, with one month of blogging behind me, I will avoid some of the pitfalls mentioned.

    Just like with most things in life, it takes hard work and determination, among other things….

    Thank you!

    Thanks ever so much!

  • [...] Dan goes into greater detail on his blog; be sure you read his solutions to blog burnout. [...]

  • [...] Blogging is harder than you think. There are over 50 million blogs on the web if you can believe that, and many of them have either been abandoned, or are updated infrequently. [...]

  • [...] Blogging Is Harder Than You Think [...]

  • I don’t blog to be a good blogger, I write to vent, to pass time, to share observations with friends who only see me occasionally - but most importantly because I want to - this is why my blog has been updated regularly for the last 3 years.

    Very little of what I write is the kind of content you talk about here, I doubt many people would really find much of interest - but that’s ok.

    I go through phases of halheartedly trying to drive more traffic to the site, but that tends to be more from boredom than any real desire to see my ranking increase.
    I couldn’t cope with the amount of comment traffic being popular would bring. Yes, I do love it when people post, it’s always nice to hear what someone else has to say about something you’ve written, but I like having the time to respond to those comments - too much traffic would ruin that.

  • Amen. I’d say the best “comforting” blog I’ve read about the subject matter so far. I liked the sober, objective treatment of the topic. Dan, you spoke about a lot of truths about writing, blogging, and other things that I can relate to in this post. I have subscribed to your RSS feed. Keep blogging…

  • Your thougths are precisely the reason it took me a long time to write a follow up blog. I guess it was wrong to expect too much, even if you believe that you have written a great piece. I am actually at war with myself, trying to really identify my motives in creating a blog.
    I used to have a diary when I was younger and used to write too for our school paper but I lost the urge to write when I started to work. There was no internet then, no blogs nor online forums to join. I had no venue nor motivation to write anything. It’s only these days that I have become more interested in blogging and discovering mybloglog was a great thing for me. Your thoughts are opening a lot of threads in my mind about what to write. Thanks for the inspiration.

  • [...] is a few weeks old, but Dan at The Wrong Advices wrote a great article about the fact that blogging is harder than we think. Take a gander at it and [...]

  • You are not wrong, nice blog post!

    Its damn hard to get motivated at times, especially in a sea of millions.

    Is there truly anything new under the sun? Absolutely of course.

    The great thing about blogging is that its about what you have to say and how you say it too. Too many people regurgitate what they’ve read already elsewhere.

    It’s a tough trick to come up with something unique, interesting and original, but if you read enough blogs elsewhere then inspiration usually follows.

  • You’re right. If you just use a little persistence & consistency, you’re ahead of 99% of people.

  • [...] Blogging is Harder Than You Think [...]

  • I, like so many others, started my blog as a way to express my inner self. Whether anyone reads it or not doesn’t really concern me. If someone finds value in it great, all the better, but I truly do it for myself. The creation, to me, is the best part! I never had any idea what the process was to put a blog together and the fun, for me, was creating!

    You have an amazing gift to write, keep up the positive work!

    All the best,

    Andy

  • I’d like to join Andy on what he just said. Btw, Dan, great new template. I’m impressed with the change. Haven’t dropped by for some time, though I am able to update myself by reading the continuing comments through my subscription. Only goes to show how valuable this post is to every blogger out there.

  • Well, you certainly seem to be committed. All these comments are proof you have interested readers.

    I often ask myself these questions about blogging on a daily basis. Also, wanted to point out that the latest statistics are that there are 71 million blogs, not 50 million. That’s according to what I have been reading.

  • [...] article by the Wrong Advices on the fact that Blogging is harder than you think. And i agree. This blog has been around for almost two years now, and i really do not have that big [...]

  • I’ve found it’s not just the blogging that gets ‘time-intensive’, it’s keeping up with others’ blogs as well.

    I’m constantly amazed at how much the Web has to offer, and I’ve been pretty active here for a dozen years or so.

    I’d loved to get more traffic on my own blog, and it’ll be a commitment to keep posting on a more regular basis. You do have an excellent point about finding a balance between content that is deep and well thought out to posts that are just bits of brain dump. Not putting down brain dump either, it can be quite entertaining!

    I think you gotta use a good mix of both. Still easier said than done.

  • i’ve been reading your posts and i find it very helpful. =) i’ll have to read it from the start.

  • This is really new territory for me and its like there was this whole other world existing hidden nebeath the wires that I was not a part off.
    But its not easy when you see how amzing people have made their logs and you realize that you may be able o do the writing but how on earth are you going to do the technical work related to making your blog look good as well as be a good read.

  • Talking about technical work, Random Magus, looking good is just one of those other problems of a new blogger. I’ve been blogging since December and I still cannot fathom how to do my site map which I can submit to Yahoo, to improve the searchability of my posts. Most of my search visitors are still from Google. Maybe, if Blogger.com were not owned by Google, even searches from the latter might not find my posts.

  • I am a blogging novice. I hope to make some sort of income someday from blogging and thought your post was a good dose of realism. Thanks!

  • [...] Blogging in an Oversaturated Market is Usually a Poor Decision, Blogging Mistakes: Final List, Blogging is harder than you think, 5 Tips on How to Manage Change in Your Life, Five steps to starting a successful blog, HOW TO: [...]

  • I like your point on being honest and open. I think it’s easier to maintain a blog in the long term if one is really writing about something they’re passionate about. That’s part of being honest - with yourself.

  • Wow, I think every point you touched on is something each and every (relatively) serious blogger must experience every week. I know I do, and this was the exact post I needed to read, without even knowing it until I began reading. It is tough to stay positive, tough to keep coming up with post ideas and adhere to a writing standard, and most of all, extremely difficult to keep from second guessing yourself. The comfort comes in knowing there are so many others out there who (like myself) are just trying to contribute something of interest or value because they love what they’re writing about, but who share the inevitable disappointments that come along.

  • One of the ways I have avoided burn out is to simply blog when I want to blog. This means that I will often work on several articles in a short span and then take some time off before I resume my writing. Thanks to being able to schedule work with WordPress, the gaps are not noticeable to my readers.

  • Hi,

    Blogging is not easy!

    I think you are so right, I started two to say different things - but I find that it is difficult being constantly productive. As an artist I have been inspired by the “painting-a-day” blogs that I have found and you are saying much the same thing here. You need to work at something to be ceative.
    I will bear that in mind - Thanks

  • I agree with vitually everything you say. I have been doing my blog, techjuicer.com (nice plug hehe) and i enjoy it. sometimes its tough to come up with the right content but when you get nice comments its great.

    The bit i find that gets to me is if i write a post and either mislead anyone or someone totally disagreed with my view then they are really insulting.

    Other then that i really enjoy writing about stuff that I enjoy.

  • [...] is kinda hard. Blogging is not for everybody. Blogging is harder than you think.I have seem a lot of people who left their blogs. They just lost their interest of blogging due to [...]

  • Hi - this is noname - my art is never seen, my words are never heard. How do you stop yourself from siting down at the computer in the hope that someone will notice - isn’t it better to go out into the REAL world and make a difference.

  • Sounds like you’ve got a plan there, Viv.

    Only one flaw: if you’re trying to make an impact across several continents / timezones, traveling to meet people isn’t going to cut it.

    If someone’s got the gift of the gab, they’ll get noticed on the ‘Net, don’t you worry about that…

  • To Viv:

    Wayne is right. Besides whatever you do create will be embedded on the net for all in the future to discover.

  • Do you really think that all the crap that is out there will stay there ? Oh horror - then we will need someone to clean up the mess on the web just like recycling is going to become the career of the future.

  • Not to forget the work after you have get your blog popular. Replying reader’s comments and emails, dealing with comment spams and hate mails. It is more stressful to keep your blog frequently updated after it is popular than before. You will feel bad to see readers coming everyday and see no new post.

  • [...] Source [...]

  • If you still need the affirmation, here is some:
    I think this is a great post.
    You wrote this in a way that made me enjoy reading it. For the style, the tone of voice and for the content. So this is one person’s proof that you are blogging for the right reasons.
    Thanks.

  • nice tips buddy you are right blogging is not easy as you think

  • Blogging has to be a passion. If you are doing it for the money then you better have the money to pay others to create content for you otherwise you just wont be able to keep up.

  • Good article. I recently started a blog about creating wealth and keeping it, and I’m experiencing some of the frustrations and discovering some of the truths that you cover in your article. It does take patience and committment, more than anything, I think. But, I also think that if you write what you are passionate about and share interesting content with your *two or three* readers, they’ll keep coming back and tell their friends.

  • To: Richmoneymilion

    Boy is that an understatement. I think it is a matter of who is left standing. Not too many people stick with this blogging stuff.

    I know I am thinking of jumping ship.

  • Your post and comments section is giving me courage to do more hard work for my blogging career. I knew it very well that it is a hard thing but my feeling of having fun with blogging is taking me forward.

    Very impressive post. Your blog review and post link is created at my site:
    Wrong Advice blog-with a difference

  • I think most of what you have said here is par for the course with the exception of the last statement. That has more truth to it than you perhaps realise. All of the great business ideas, on and off the web help people do something. The more you help others, the more others help you. Incredible wisdom!

  • To Vincent, Wayne and Digital - hi guys - you see -even though it is 4 months later I am finally replying to your comments - I think getting “popular” is a mugs game. Stick to what you are good at - if it’s plumbing then go DO IT - these days everybody wants to be a writer , but nobody wants to go out there and WORK!! (Including me, I might add - it is much easier to sit here and blog my crap than actually go and face the “real” work which is my painting- the reason why I started a blog is to see what sort of response there would be to my art - and the response has not been great. Am I to therefore to assume that I am a useless artist because I don’t have a successful blog about it - this is a very debatable issue - I sometimes wonder whether people realise what effort, determination and time is involved in making a good painting. It seems though that the only way to get traffic to your blog is to join social networking sites and write to others telling them how great they are - only then will you maybe get a few visitors to your site - though these people will not necessarily be artists themselves and will not really appreciate or understand the work. In my 4 months or so of social networking I have only had about 2 worthwhile criticisms/comments on my blog about the quality of my actual art itself, so I am beginning to think SU and Digg etc networks are not for fine artists wishing for sales - if anybody can point me in the direction of where to find buyers for my work I would be grateful!

  • To Viv -

    Actually, I am an artist…was any way. I have an MFA degree in graphic design. My suggestion is to start a static website, and use your blogging just for fun and to direct traffic to your website.

    Join some artist forums, too. I eventually paint, once I get to the right location.

  • i don’t mean to just nod my head and agree with you like you said, but i just couldn’t help it. i’m somewhat impatient, i burnout, stressed, worry about the lack of results, etc… i swear you described what i’ve thought about and i didn’t even say any of it outloud to anyone! i can truly say “thank you” for this. this is one of the best entries i’ve seen since i’ve blogged cause it’s VERY personal and gives motivation. my name is jason from DatCurious.com and i sure hope you’ll hear about me one day as i’ve heard about your blog. thanks again!

    Jay
    DatCurious.com

  • yet again - I am still blogging my crap almost every day, but only because I am an addictive personality. I think if I was totally normal I would not be doing this. Having said that if someone gets reassured by your blogging journey or encouraged or challenged in some way (even to prove you wrong) that is good enough reason to blog. Look at the great explorers of the world - everyone told them they were mad - but they went ahead anyway - Columbus, Aldrin, Tensing, Hilary, Shackleton - too many pioneers to mention. In a way the blogosphere is attracting these type of people for the same reasons as the explorers of old were intrigued - a need to go out on a limb to discover the unknown. Good luck everyone. Don’t give up!

  • thanks for the GREAT post! Very useful…

  • As a newbie I try to learn hard.

  • I really enjoyed / found this post useful.

    In particular, I think it is really important to focus on:

    - quality (content)
    - (and yet) not to be fastidious
    - be yourself
    - be original

    and it’s much easier and enjoyable to write, and people will take much more of an interest (the difference between people bothering to come back - and not)

    And the balance between the above points and actually promoting your site in general.

  • thanks for your insightful and helpful article

  • oww! great post
    very very thanks :)

  • True. I agree with you. A few people know to make blog is so hard than they think.

  • I agree that as a blogger it is responsibility of ours to share and care for the online community. That’s the idea with which i started blogging and hope build a good relationship with my readers over a period of time.
    Regards

  • You are actually right with everything that you’ve said. Blogging should be a result of honesty and openness.

  • it is nice post, especially for newbie like me, thanks

  • It is very difficult blogging in what appears to be a vacuum. Most blogs or sites that attract the most people tend to be centered around sex, gossip or anything that is trendy at the moment. Fine and dandy, but how do you engage people intellectually on a certain topic? How do you create dialogue without having to resort to using four letter words?

  • Great post! Many people blog simply for the money that can be made of it, but it is the wrong approach.You need to write about things you love in a way that helps people.The income will follow.

  • Hello bloggers- as I have been back at the canvas for some months now and not been posting as regularly as I used to - I am conducting some research into whether traffic has decreased or increased. I have found over the last few months a slight drop off in traffic but I am getting quality responses from people who are really interested in my work. So it is quality rather than quantity that counts I think - you will get the traffic you deserve from the type of content you write. Just my opinion!

  • If there is one awesome read for the day, let this be this one. An interesting thoughts indeed.

    It’s hard to manage a new blog and it’s even harder to do it when you are just a new kid in the neighborhood.
    I just keep a simple principal of ‘not thinking about the monetary results’ but that doesn’t mean I am being way too patience. I for one are not. I just do not let that be the factor to pull me down when things don’t go my way.

    As for now, I’m enjoying every minute of it. Burnout? You bet…

  • First off let me say, Thanks for the work you did on Prosense with Dosh Dosh because it ended up being my final choice for a wordpress theme on my blog.

    You are so right that blogging is harder than you think. I am feeling the wrath, but I am up for the challenge. I feel like I have a lot to say and my first blog is going to be sloppy because it is going to mold over time.

    If you look at my blog it is still very plain. I need to change the header but am having a hard time. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

    - Ben

  • Yes, certainly it is hard to cope with all these aspects. Regular posting is biggest problem for most of the bloggers. Another as you mentioned, good post which needs well study and survey. But main thing that you should not give up!

  • The easiest part of blogging is setting up the blog. The hardest part is maintaining the blog with daily post or regular post. The other thing is getting the word out about your blog. I think you can do this by being a guest blogger on other blogs so you will be able to get noticed, but that takes time as well. You can write articles and include your blog link in your resource box, but results probably won’t be noticed until your articles get picked up by ezine publishers. You can also submit your blog link to blog directories and every time you submit a post, submit the post url to feed directories. A good one is friendfeed.com and feedage.com.

  • Successful blogging is hard, but just blogging for fun is easy one (when you don’t really care about the results)

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