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22
Jun
Who Says?

Since blogging basically has no rules,

it’s time we stop believing it does.

~Barbara Swafford

Before our first post is published, we’ve usually done enough homework to educate ourselves on blogging; from choosing our blogging platform (WordPress, Blogger, or other) to what we’re going to write about.

The rules of blogging or the lack thereofIn the process, we’ve probably learned a little about what blogging is, what to expect and what not to do.

Today’s Lesson

Depending on from where or whom we learn about blogging, often determines how often we blog, the theme we use, how we build our blog, plus much more.

Some bloggers believe the magic bullet is to follow the rules of “abc”, whereas others proclaim it’s “XYZ”.

So, who’s right?

Neither.

What’s happening is bloggers are sharing what works for THEM. Since we’re not THEM, there’s no guarantee what they do will work for us, no matter how hard we try.

Granted, we can learn the basics of blogging and tips from others, however to stand out from the crowd and to feel authentic, we need to be creative, step out of the blogging box and ask ourselves questions such as:

  1. Do I really need to publish a post every day? Week? Month?
  2. Does my theme reflect who I am, or am I copying someone else?
  3. Is guest posting all it’s cracked up to be? Or am I better off showing my writing talents or knowledge in a different venue?
  4. Is it really necessary to market myself and my blog on Facebook and/or Twitter, or is there a better way to promote my work? Or, do I want to (self-promote)?
  5. Is commenting on other blogs helping to drive traffic to my blog? If not, does commenting have any benefit?
  6. Does it matter if what I post might go against what others believe? Do I care?
  7. Instead of just looking at my blog as a place to share, can I use it as a vehicle to propel me further? If so, how?
  8. Is the time I spend socializing with my online friends helping me to advance? Or is it just a distraction which keeps me from my fulfilling my dreams?
  9. Are affiliate links the best way to monetize my blog? What about Google AdSense? Or do I even want to monetize my blog?

How we blog and why we blog is up to us. Let’s remember that and learn to enjoy the journey.

Happy Blogging! 8)

Today’s Assignment

What “rule(s)” of blogging have you found to be false?

Have any “rules” you’ve followed proved to be true or beneficial?

Care to share?

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Category: Archives, Blogging, Blogging Lessons, Comments, Increase Traffic, Social Networking, Writing Tips  134 Comments
30
May
Do It For The Fun Of It

Blogging can drive us crazy if we let it.

We get one visitor, then we want two.

One comment, sale or ad click leads to wanting more.

Soon, more is never enough.

Today’s Lesson

There’s a lot of talk in the blogosphere about visitor counts, page rank, subscriber counts, followers, blog revenues, SERPS (search engine result pages) and much more.

For some bloggers, these numbers matter.

However, if we get caught up in the numbers, blogging can begin to feel like a race; a competition.

Sometimes we’re competing with other bloggers, but oftentimes it’s an imaginary competition where we think if we don’t have big numbers, we’ve failed.

But what about the blogger who doesn’t want to be a star in the blogging world? Who doesn’t care about “the numbers” or making a name for themselves?

What about the blogger who just likes to write? To share? To publish their work online?

In some circles they might be labeled as a failure.

But, who cares?

If a blogger enjoys the process of blogging and isn’t interested in making money or gaining notoriety, that’s okay, too.

In the blogosphere, there’s room for everyone.

Today’s Assignment

Are you concerned with getting more traffic? More subscribers? Making money?

Or, are you blogging for the pleasure of it?

Care to share?

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Category: Archives, Blogging, Blogging Lessons, Comments, Increase Traffic  117 Comments
02
May
You May Be Offended…

I recently watched a video named “Owned and Operated” on the Crackin Films site.

In a nutshell, it’s a movie about how the world is changing and not necessarily for the better. The film goes on to show how we, as citizens can make a difference if we choose to.

After watching the movie I shared a link to it on Facebook and included a note that the film contains profanity.

Today’s Lesson

I knew I didn’t have to warn my followers about the profanity in the movie, however I didn’t want anyone to be caught off guard, especially if they decided to watch the film with young children.

But, it’s not just in films we see profanity, we see it in blog posts, comments and in social media sites, too.

With freedom of speech, many of the people who converse online feel it’s okay to swear.

And, it is.

The problem is, some people are offended by curse words.

Since social media and blogs aren’t rated or categorized according to content, what’s shared online is there for anyone to see or read.

We can’t protect people from what they might find online, but as blog authors and members of social media sites, we can post a warning to alert our friends or visitors of profanity or potentially offensive language or images.

We can, but…is that really necessary?

Today’s Assignment

Do you think it’s our job to warn our friends, followers and/or visitors about profanity and/or offensive language or images on sites we own or link to?

Care to share?

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Category: Archives, Blogging, Blogging Language, Blogging Lessons, Comments, Networking  101 Comments
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