What I Know Now About Blogging
This week I’m celebrating the sixth-month mark of ninabadzin.com by sharing “what I thought” about blogging at first vs. “what I know now.”
#1. WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT THE BLOG’S NAME: I needed a cute or catchy one.
What I know now: You don’t. My first name was “A Mom in the Middle.” For writers, I advise using your real name or your pen name. So while the name “Nina Badzin’s Blog” does not smack of creativity, it describes the blog. ME. Also, my Twitter name and Facebook page get to be my name as well.
#2. WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT AUDIENCE: Family and friends would read my blog.
What I know now: They mostly don’t, not even my husband who gets a mention in nearly every post. But I’m 100% okay with that. In my first few weeks of blogging, I desperately sent links to my family and friends, begging them to “like” posts on Facebook and all the other nonsense that makes people curse you. I’m extremely grateful to any of my friends and family members who read the blog, but I do not expect it at all. The majority of my traffic come from other bloggers, Twitter friends, writers and even Google. Also, something for newbies to consider: I think I got decent traffic rather quickly because I was on Twitter for about nine months before I started a blog. In fact, my first post ever was about cheating on Twitter with WordPress.
#3. WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT TIME MANAGEMENT: The blog would suck up every minute of writing time.
What I know now: It doesn’t. But only because I’m careful about how often I blog. I post only once a week, which allows me to spend the rest of the week on fiction and keeps the “New Post” tweets and retweets to a minimum. Also, since I’m not asking other bloggers/readers to read several posts a week from me/retweet me, I don’t feel as obligated to read every single post other bloggers write. Don’t get me wrong, I read as many as I can, but like anyone, I can only take in so much and still pay attention to the rest of my life. I tend to read my favorite bloggers once a week and only their most recent posts.
#4. WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT RESPONDING TO COMMENTS:
Readers will return to my blog to see my response.
What I know now: Most do not. I figured this out when I started reading more blogs and leaving comments. I rarely go back to see the author’s response, which would eat up too much time. Furthermore, I don’t subscribe to comments on other blogs because you end up getting inundated with emails. So I was left to figure out how to make sure the people who commented on my blog would know I was reading and appreciating their thoughts.
My blogging friend, Jana, taught me to respond via email rather than directly on the blog. As long as you cc the commenter (address is always right there on the email) AND your blog moderator address (hit” reply” in your email program), the response appears simultaneously on your blog and in the commenter’s inbox. It’s the perfect solution and takes no more time than responding on the actual blog platform.
One more note about comments: As a reader, I’ve learned that not EVERY comment needs a response. If I read someone’s post about a fantastic book and I comment, “I loved that book too,” I do NOT expect a return comment to that simple note of agreement. I think there are cases when a response is simply unnecessary, and I’m more irked than anything else when I get an emailed response to the comment that says, “Wasn’t it great?” As in tweeting, sometimes you need to leave well enough alone. I try to exercise this subtle etiquette when responding to comments on my blog. I’d say I respond to 90% of comments, but of course I’m not one of those bloggers who has 200 comments per post so I can still do this. Bottom line: every post and every response takes a reader’s time. Make sure you’re not wasting anyone’s time (including yours).
#5. WHAT KIND OF BLOGGER I THOUGHT I’D BE: One who wants tons of badges, does giveaways, seeks ads, is starved for stats, etc.
What I know now: I’m not. As in my non-virtual life, I like to keep my blog simple and straightforward. I don’t want badges all over my blog, therefore when someone gives me a blog award, while I appreciate it, I’m not going to display it anywhere or participate in giving them to others. I’ve never done a link-up and I still don’t know what a meme is. I understand the desire to earn some money from blogging, but I’m not willing to write a “filler” post about xyz just because xyz sponsored it. I guess in some ways I’m still very much a beginner in the blogging scene. Hopefully I’ll have more tips and better ones in November when I hit the first anniversary.
#6. I WISH I HAD SELF-HOSTED FROM THE GET-GO
Thanks to my wonderful readers old and new who make blogging such a blast! If you have tips and thoughts to share please add them below. Nina 🙂
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121 Responses
I’m with you on the badges. 1-2 look cool, a whole bunch look like chicken pox, IMO. So, what do you do, only post the 1-2 best looking ones, therefore pissing off those whose badge you do NOT post? Easier just to NOT go there, and not DO badges.
Still getting up to speed on Twitter and not sure how to send comments via e-mail, but will take your advice and LEARN. (I’m new at this, too.)
Am very happy I have found, am following and sharing (through a rotating list of the 10 most recent) a lot of great writer blogs like yours.
Beverly, thank you so much for saying that! I appreciate the follow and I followed you back. I can’t help you with Blogger because it’s different than WordPress, but I can help with Twitter. I have a good Twitter series on my blog (look under Popular Posts on the right sidebar.) But if you have more specific questions about Twitter don’t be afraid to ask!
I think you’ve figured out a lot of stuff and have learned a way to keep it manageable! Go Nina!
Great post, Nina! My husband is mentioned in my posts, too, and he doesn’t even read them (which is sometimes a good thing!). I also loved your commenting tips: “As long as you cc the commenter (address is always right there on the email) AND your blog moderator address (hit” reply” in your email program), the response appears simultaneously on your blog and in the commenter’s inbox. It’s the perfect solution and takes no more time than responding on the actual blog platform.”
How helpful! Thank you!
Jolina,
I should warn you that I’m not sure if that works on Blogger. It for sure works with wordpress, but Blogger is a mystery to me. You’ll have to report back and let me know!
Fantastic post. I didn’t know that you could respond to comments that way. I’ll have to try it out!
I love the anecdote about family and friends. I’ve found the same to be true. My husband, sister, parents, close friends–none of them read my blog, and that’s okay because I’m not writing it for them. But I was pleasantly surprised to find out my father-in-law reads it quite often and enjoys it!
Congrats on the 6-month mark! I thought you’d been blogging much longer than that 🙂
I love that your father-in-law reads it! I’m sometimes surprised to know about certain people who read it and I guess at first I was surprised by who did not. 😉
HAPPY 6 MONTHS!! It is amazing how we learn what we do/don’t like as we go! For instance, I just learned that you prefer an email response I’ve you leave a comment on my blog, and I also learned that although you appreciate receiving a blog award, you don’t necessarily like to display it….which does not change the fact that I am giving you a Versatile Blogger award — guess what I’m blogging about tomorrow? But I will not be in the least offended when you don’t put the badge on your blog! 🙂 Just want to let you know that yours is one of my favorite blogs! Thank you!
You are so sweet and you’ve been so supportive of me! I hope saying I don’t display the awards doesn’t come off as ungrateful. I just can’t stand a cluttered look (in blogs and in life). I look forward to tomorrow’s post though! 🙂 Do you know how to do email responses? I’m not sure if it works with Blogger. You’re on Blogger, right?
Congrats on being a successful member of the “slow bloggers”! I so appreciate the once-a-week thoughtful post. I don’t have to wade through a week’s work of dreck to find the wisdom.
And you’re so right about family and friends. They never read my blog. I can’t believe how many told me they “don’t have time for blogging” as if it required more effort than reading any other article online. But I have lots of fantastic readers and they’ve become friends. I count you among them.
Yeah, blogging isn’t what I thought, either. I thought it would be kind of a private place to archive a few old articles and provide me with a free online presence so I’d be Googleable. Now, Google my name and you get 25 pages–most of which are actually me and link back to my blog. Amazing.
First of all, I should have mentioned IN THE POST that you were the one who helped me nail down the name: Nina Badzin’s Blog. You helped me get over the idea of having some kind of catchy blog name. And I probably indirectly followed your lead on the slow blogging, too. Like you said, I appreciate a meaty, thoughtful post rather than several lighter posts in a row. (Both as the writer and the reader.) As for readers, I have some friends who read posts from time to time and I consider that lucky and rare.
I also appreciate when my favorite bloggers post less often. I hate to miss posts, but I can’t read and comment on all of them (when they’re posting multiple times a week).
I’ve been blogging almost a year, and still seem to spend more time than I’d like on it, though. It sometimes becomes my procrastination tool for other kinds of writing. Good for you that you found that balance early on.
Thoughtful post, Nina.
Happy six months to you and look at how much you’ve learned ~ and, more importantly, are willing to share.
I agree with so much of what you said here – although I started Twitter and the blog at the same time and was clueless about BOTH. (I still feel slightly clueless but will keep chugging up that learning curve nonetheless.)
Thanks for the tips and the encouragement and your generosity of spirit. I am so glad I found you out here in the blogosphere and Twitterland.
Or something like that.
Now let’s go eat cake!
Julie! Your blog gets tons of comments. I’m curious on your “strategy” for responses.
Great tips – thank you! I wondered how people did that with emails and I agree about endlessly replying to comments when there is nothing more to add. It could go on for ever. Thanks for sharing what you have learnt.
Okay, so now I’m pretty sure you can’t do that email trick with Blogger. It is a nice function of WordPress, but it’s worth looking into it with Blogger because I might be wrong.
Very informative! I agree that so much traffic comes from “virtual” friends…probably b/c most of us are blogging about writing. Who’s interested? Other writers, of course! You’re doing great for being at this six months!!
Happy anniversary, and thanks for this insightful look at blogging. It all rings true.
Congrats, Nina. You prompted me to go back and see when my one-year anniversary is. Crap! It’s coming up on June 4… What? A year? Where did it go?
I’m taking to heart your comments about NOT having to respond to every single comment. Though I really do try to respond to those who put some serious thought into responses. Is that annoying to blog readers to see me chiming in all the time, or is it appreciated? I’m never sure if it’s better to respond privately or publicly…
I also already practice one of your tips, which is a life-saver for time: reading only one post per week of favorite bloggers. Some folks post every day, some every other day … and I find I simply can’t keep up. Thank you for tantalizing tidbits! I, too, thought you were blogging far longer. Love what you do, girl!
PS – I AM one of those dorks who returns to many blogs to see author comments. Why don’t all blog sites have the auto-response email set up? (Hubby set mine up that way!)
Melissa,
I think (though could be wrong) that in general people like to know their comment was received and read. But like I said, I don’t think a person who writes “great post” expects a response. I certainly don’t. And you’re not a “dork” for going back and checking! 😉 If I said something unusual or asked a burning question I might, but I find that way too time consuming. But by the way, I don’t think I get email responses from your blog. Hmmm . . .
Nina: So true all around. I began thinking the same thing. I am sure not one of my family or friends (other than my daughter who does all my photography) has stopped by more than one time.
I started doing it five days a week; then I changed to three Mon/Wed/Fri … I tagged “Poetry Wed.” so I would not have to do much but drag out my old college journals and copy with a photograph from my daughter. I dubbed “Silent Friday” for artists and other photographers and again saved myself from “needing” to voice an opinion.
I have considered cutting back more, but since I’ve only left myself with Monday, I can give it a while before I run out of important, relevant, interesting and/or funny stuff to say.
We are all writers, talking to writers, reading writers and reading and writing much the same stuff with our own personal angle.
I’ll tell you–the best part about blogging one day of the week is the Twitter related piece. It helps to keep my tweets about ME controlled so that most of my tweets are about promoting others. I’m not sure how I’d balance promoting more than one post a week! I love that your daughter is so supportive by the way!
Great tips, all. And I could learn from a few. I’ve considered changing my blog name, but I’m so attached to it. Heh. I’ll have to wean myself off gradually…
Although I had fun giving out awards awhile back, I don’t get my feelings hurt if people don’t put them up. I came up w/the idea because so many awards were being given out that had rules tied to them, and I wanted mine to be different. The gesture on my part was more of a thank you card, and I don’t expect everyone to save their cards unless they wanted to, if that makes sense? A blog is such a personal thing, and we all have our own decorating tastes and expectations for our “online home.”
You are a very savvy lady, Nina, and classy to boot. I think your blog is simple and lovely and informative just the way it is. And I’m very impressed that you’ve only been at this for six months! I thought it had been much longer. Congrats on your halfsie anniversary. 🙂
Thanks Anita! I think you were one of the very first people to mention me in a blog post. I remember noticing some traffic coming from a blog I hadn’t seen before. I was so pleased that you’d found me so that I could find you! I’m enjoying watching your Twitter growth too! You’re an expert now! I’ll go ahead and consider myself one of your early tutors. And thank for the very nice note here. 🙂
Alright, dear. I have tried to do the “reply” and “cc” thing for blog comments but when I hit reply it automatically just puts the commenters email address in the main address spot rather than putting my blog moderator address. What the *bleep*?! Maybe I have to change some settings in WordPress.
If you have any ideas of WTH I am doing wrong, please let me know. 🙂
Hallie–I have wordpress.com (the free one for beginners). You’re on wordpress.org. I’m sure you can do the same thing–it’s the more advanced platform after all—but you probably have to futz with the settings. Ask Melissa! She said her husband did it for her blog and she’s on .org too. Good luck! By the way, I did receive a response from your blog today in my email. Did it not show up on your blog though? Is that the problem?
We have been blogging for the same amount if time, yet I always learn so much from you!
Mazal Tov on six months. Most bloggers don’t last much beyond three. Part of why I love most about blogging is that there is no one way to do it. There are multiple paths that you can explore and in my opinion the most important thing you can do is enjoy it.
Have fun and enjoy it. I’m interested to see how things evolve here because all of our blogs grow and change. I happen to think that we don’t really see a blog’s true colors until around year three, but that is just me.
Anyway, I enjoy your posts.
I always enjoy your instructive perspectives. These posts bring out the English teacher in you (easy to imagine the engaging teacher voice, hook and momentum you would inevitably build during a lesson).
Ha! Thanks Liss!! I can hear that too. You say it in a nice way. I just think “bossypants!”
Great post! I also thought family and friends would be the only one’s reading my blog…I couldn’t be more wrong! Also wanted to thank you for stopping by my blog last week, so thank you! 🙂
This is awesome! I love your suggestion about replying via email , and about limiting your blogging so you don’t overwhelm yourself or your readers.
I’ve been very stressed about not posting my goal of 3X/week, but you’ve not only relieved me of that guilt, but also pointed out that it can be overwhelming for people.
Great, great post!
So glad to help to relieve guilt, Erika! Yes, I’ve been getting responses saying that some people are relieved when their favorite bloggers post once a week and no more. It’s too hard for all of us to keep up with each other!
Interesting point here, Nina and Erika …
For two years, I blogged once a week, consistently. I’ve always followed Michael Hyatt’s blog, and he’s done multiple reader surveys about his blogging habits and how they affect his readers and readership. I used to hold that 3X per week was too much (which is what MH used to do). But then he figured out that 5X per week has ~tripled his traffic~. To see for myself, I upped my posting to 3X per week, with a set topic for each day. It’s helped me tremendously, and made each post easier to write. I think I spend less time on 3 posts (they’re shorter, too) than I used to on one post per week. And my traffic (but not my comments) has increased a lot. It’s interesting… I think we all have to find what we’re most comfortable with, and go with that. I do recommend checking out Michael Hyatt (CEO of Nelson Pub house) as he seems to have the latest trends on blogging going.
Most of all, I love that you have this discussion going, Nina. It’s great to have a little teamwork going on in the tough writing realm / blogging.
xo Jennifer
Very interesting, Jennifer! Thanks for that tip on Michael Hyatt’s blog (never knew about it). I’ll for sure check it out!
Fabulous, Nina. Reading this I realize that what you’ve learned, is what I’ve learned — only I didn’t know it yet! Like Erika, above, I was insanely stressed about not posting in something of a timely manner and it’s just not a necessary to add one more overwhelming task onto the already teetering pile. I had no idea about the replying via email tidbit either. Valuable, wonderful, weight-off-the-shoulders post. (Although I honestly have been stretching it a bit too far with my 3-4 weeks between posts.)
(And, my family and friends don’t read my blog all that much either, which on the plus side, allows me pretty much free reign to “name names” at will without fear of dangerous repercussions, lol!)
I’m glad to be helping people realize it’s okay to stick to a once week schedule. I think twice a month is fine, too. The idea is to be consistent and upfront about your schedule. I think when someone rechecks a blog several weeks in a row and keeps saying the same post the reader may assume the blogger has stopped blogging. But maybe not?
Sadly, that would be me…weeks between posts 🙁
I am diligently writing wonderful blog entries in my head, however, but unfortunately no one can see them!
Great blog and tips. I found you through Julia’s Versatile Blogger Award.
I agree, agree, agree, about the commenting on blogs. Yikes. When I want to hear someone’s response to my comment, I end up with a full in-box. I’m not organized enough to check back, although I have done that in a couple of extreme cases.
I’m going to try your tip about e-mailing the comment, if I can figure it out.
Thanks.
Christine, it’s really easy on wordpress.com since that’s what I use too. If you run into trouble after following my directions in the post, email me and we’ll walk though it. Nina 🙂
In WordPress there is also a plug in that will automatically send an email notification to your commenter that you have replied and what your reply was. It is called Comment Reply Notification.
Yup–that’s a good tip for wordpress.org people. WordPress.com people like me can’t use plugins! (except maybe in a premium theme but I’m not sure).
Dangit Nina, you’re so sharp about this stuff, I’m jealous. All very good points. Thanks for sharing!
Wow- 6 months has flown by. So proud of your accomplishments!
Your blog is looking super and though I wish you’d write more often, I completely understand why you limit your time. Your lessons and suggestions are good ones. Taking stock of the why and how of blogging is an important exercise.
Happy 6 mos annivesary!
I had to laugh when you thought your family and friends would read your blog. You’re right, they don’t. Occasionally, if they’re the subjects, I’ll link it to their facebook page, even then I’m lucky if I get a ‘like’ on facebook. LOL. It’s usually an angry phone call, “You’re going to get us all arrested!” Good times.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog this week! Great post today, you just made me realize that I’m in my 6th month of blogging too! Woohoo!
I’ve discovered a lot of the same stuff you have. It can definitely overwhelm us if we let it. Sometimes I have to let stuff go, knowing I can’t catch every single post or tweet that’s out there. That would be a full time job in itself!
Nina, between this, your Twitter posts and a few others, I’m beginning to think you should offer social media classes for writers! Anyway, as always, excellent stuff. The part about time management/frequency of posting is making me rethink my current strategy!
About the comments, I definitely agree with you that I don’t need to respond to every comment. I’ve stopped doing that now. It’s just time-consuming, and seems a little ::gasp:: fake if I really don’t know how to respond to a commentor. And yes, lots of them might just say “Great post!” at which point I would say…. ?
So yes, I’ve discovered that I don’t have to respond to every comment.
As for emailing the comments, I like that you do that. I still don’t but that’s because I’m lazy. 🙂 My thing is, if I leave a comment where I really want a response (knowing most bloggers these days now answer their comments) I’ll go back to that post myself. But that’s only if I really, really want to get in on the discussion. (And usually I do if I leave a long-ass comment like this one.)
So there’s my two cents. 🙂
Hi Lisa! You’re not the only who says she goes back to the post to check if response if she wants to see it. I guess I’m “projecting” a bit when I assume most people don’t. (Although many people who answered my question about this on Twitter said they do not go back. Many said so on the blog post too.) So I guess I’ve decided that even though my uninvited email might annoy a few (since they didn’t check the notify box) it helps readers like me who want to see the response, but can’t possibly remember where they left comments in the first place. If a person checks that box, they get ALL the responses and all the comments. This way they only see their original comment and my response and if they want to see the whole range of comments they can go back to the post.
I appreciate your two-cents as I love your blog!
This is an excellent round up of your thoughts after six months blogging. Thank you for going out on the limb and sharing!
I’ve been blogging quite a bit longer than you (2+years longer), and definitely don’t garner as many comments as you do. Congrats on your feedback success! But, success comes in many disguises. Most of all, for me, I love the open connection with others. When they want to visit my writing and photography studio called my blog, they can. I think of my blog as the new kind of artist’s workshop, just no physical shingle to hang out. It’s a great connection to larger community.
Many more months and years of blogging success to you, Nina.
Cheers!
Jennifer King
The Reply thing is genius!
Though admittedly, I usually return to see if the author replied.
My question is how did you get so many readers?? Did Twitter help? I find that out of all my readers, less than 5% of them actually comment. I see your comments and realize you must have hundreds of readers!! I have my blog linked up to fb so anytime I do a new post, it automatically posts to my fb wall. Not sure what else I can do other than start tweeting.
Hi Karissa! I have some easy answers here. You might do some of these things already, but just in case I’m putting it all out there.
1. Yes, Twitter helps. Twitter keeps me connected to other bloggers. Bloggers are the ones who comment on blogs. My friends and family might read posts, but they really comment. I think that’s common and 100% normal for most bloggers. To build your audience, you have to go outside Facebook. Because who is on Facebook? Your family and friends?
2. I read other blogs and comment on them. I think that’s the main key. Like I said, you may already do that regularly. If not, that’s the first change I’d make before even worrying about Twitter.
Hope that helps! If you need guidance on Twitter I’m happy to help. Nina 🙂
Also–when you comment on other blogs, you should always leave your URL in the space where it asks for it. Otherwise how will the blogger and other commenters find you?
Thanks for such a useful post Nina! As a new blogger, your tips were very timely. And I really like your tip about replying to comments (and I won’t expect you to reply to this one:)
You are wise beyond your blog-years. Seriously, this shit took me YEARS to learn!
I think you go about blogging in a very organized, non sensical way.
The things I learned, I learned through pain.
I tried, from the time I began my blog March 2010 up through August, to email and comment back with a visit to everyone who would visit me.
What happened to me? I was up till 4 am, sleeping only 3 or 4 hrs a night.
All to visit readers back just so no one would say I was rude, inconsideraet, self centered and fancied myself the Pioneer Woman.
In truth, I had NO IDEA the amount of time to respond back to visitors.
NO IDEA.
We’re talking 4 or 5 hours at a time.
I had to let it go and realize that people will form an opinion of me, and not know the whole story.
That I cannot put my blog before my life as a mom of three, wife of one, who works 20+ hours a week outside of the home, cooks and cleans and grocery shops and gets essential sunshine and exercise.
I cannot let the worry of what people think about me, take over my life.
But, yeah, I always said, “hmmph..how can someone not respond back to each reader??”
That’s what I used to say.
I remember you and I had a conversation about the comment issue when I first started. Back then I felt a little slighted if I left a blogger a long comment and never heard a word. Now that I don’t even go back to look for a response I feel differently. (By the way, that’s why I like to get the email like I’m doing right now for you–I wouldn’t expect anyone to go through my posts twice to see my response. And I have no idea of blogger does that. Sorry!) But email responses or not, I’m much more understanding about comments and responses now that I’m a blogger with a decent amount of comments on my posts. As a person who leaves comments on lots of blogs, I would NEVER expect a response when I write something quick and light. Kind of like the thanking for the RT issue, I’d rather see the blogger come back and visit me some time in the future–even months later–then waste the time responding to my simple comment.
Anyway, back then you helped me see that it’s impossible to respond to everything. (I can’t remember what you said . . . but we did “discuss”). I can’t believe you even tried to visit everyone and comment back every time. Seriously, that would be crazy!!!! I’m glad you’ve cut yourself some slack. I cut plenty for myself!
P.S.
LOVEd this post, sorry about the novel I left.
I guess I had a lot held in me, huh?
ALSO: does the reply back/cc thing work only with WP, and not blogger blogs?
Reading this inspired me to create one myself! 🙂 but the thing is I am always mixed up and lost whenever the chance for writing comes. I think I would be needing tips from you…
I’m gobsmacked – you have pointed out almost EXACTLY what my own blogging experience has been so far! The only difference between us is that I do like to link up with other blogs and the occasional meme from time to time. I find by doing that I get the chance to expand my readership (and on the very odd occasion gain a new subscriber!) but it helps when the old creative juices are running a bit dry.
I’m with you on the badges thing; if I’m distracted by them on other people’s blogs then the same goes for those who read mine, so I leave them off.
Congratulations on reaching freshly pressed too. That’s a great achievement…and no, you don’t get a badge for it!
Hi! So glad you found me. 🙂 The post wasn’t on Freshly Pressed though. It was on a different site . . . I’d LOVE to be on Freshly Pressed though! 🙂
It is too hard to put badges on the blog. I did have a couple of them, but I lost them when I changed themes.
Hi there! Your blog looks great . . . I thought about using the Chateau for a while. It’s a nice one. Anyway, you could easily put the badges on with the image widget, but I think all the blogs look so much less cluttered without them.
Nina, thank you so much for this entertaining and very timely post which ticked all the boxes of thought I am currently having about my blog. BTW, no obligation to reply to comment!
I needed to read this as I have been blogging for a few months, mostly about a recent road trip. Now I am changing my focus to Life as a retiree, getting healthy etc. so It is like starting over.+
thanks for the tips
No problem and hope they help! Good luck!
G’day Nina
And I found your blog through?…….Twitter! There you go!
I agree with your overall advice on this blogging thing. Originally, I devoured books on blogging, agonized over how many link badges and widgets to have, and ended up trying to juggle 3 blogs at once! Ridiculous…
Now, I have just one blog on a discreet range of topics, and I also post once a week, if I’m feeling sharp; my 94-year old Dad occasionally reads a post; and my connections develop through trying to develop & join in meaningful conversations. I’ve been thinking about it a bit lately, and I wonder if ‘good’ blogging isn’t just having pen-pals over the ethernet.
All the best
Richard
I really enjoyed reading and learning from this post. You should be FRESHLY PRESSED!
Oh, I would LOVE that! 🙂
You seem to be enjoying quite a following Nina, so your tips must be working. I too thought that my friends and family would be my primary readers, but discovered that they are not, except for a few loyal ones. There are some friends whom I don’t even want to read my blog – such as work friends. I can share my writing with strangers just fine but sometimes it is more than I want to share with work friends and acquaintances. After all, our writing is a glimpse into our souls. Most of my followers are fellow bloggers and I’ve grown quite fond of them all, and appreciate their loyalty. Congratulations on your blogging success.
Yes, blogging friends are a real thing . . . it’s a concept only other bloggers understand!
Great information and very timely (I was referred to your Post through my new subscription to Daily Post from WordPress, which I am finding very helpful). I am a new Blogger and have a lot to learn. The replying to comments via email is a great tool – I’ll need to learn how to do that. I am mentioning your article in my Post today. I’m finding that reading comments from others is also a great resource for additional info and will recommend to my readers to do the same. Thank you!
Well said, I agree with most of what you are saying. I started blogging about 10 months ago and am also learning the ropes. It is true that a blog can take up a lot of your time. So I am re-evaluating why I started the blog and why I am doing it. I love writing and am sure next year this time my blog might look much different and might be in a total different direction.
How do you respond via email (and simultaneously sending the reply to the blog post)?
I tried it but doesn’t work since the email address used by wordpress is the do not reply email.
Is it necessary that the comments are automatically approved? Thanks
Here’s what I did in gmail.
1. I read your comment 2. pushed reply 3. added YOUR email address to the CC box. 4. pressed send
THAT’S IT! 🙂
Thanks for these great tips. I’ve been blogging on and off for a good few years now, but I’m only now just trying to do it a bit more seriously and have a goal with it. Many a year ago I was one of those bloggers who’d want to have various badges and what nots. Thankfully, I’ve changed a bit!
My friends hardly ever read my blog. A few do, which is always nice. But they were never my main target, just a happy coincidence if they did come along.
I had a question – how do you find other bloggers? I’ve got a couple of friends who I know have blogs and with whom I share interests with. So in between us we visit each others blogs, but how do you find new blogs/bloggers?
I find other bloggers via Twitter. That’s the only way that really works (that I know of). Fast and effective. You have to regularly visit other blogs then and comment there regularly. (Sounds like you know about that part though!)
I was going to try that email thing you suggested out, but then i realised im not a computer savy as i thought i once was, I’ve been looking for tips for my first “proper” blog and how to do it. I came into it all guns blazing thinking id have like a million readers and post 72 times a day, The actuality is i post when i have something to post about and if i have readers or not, Its becoming less important to me (don’t get me wrong i want readers just its not as important as me sharing my thoughts now).
This post has helped me loads in figuring out if im doing everything right or not.
So thank you very much for that. I look forward to any more advice you have to impart with in the near future 🙂 [keep it coming haha]
:Wayne
Reading this made me laugh- yesterday I changed my blog title from my name to a title! I thought maybe I needed something defining or catchy. However, I’m not going to change it back just yet. Your blog also put me so much more at ease. I took a gamble and posted something on my blog that is extremely important to me; I really needed some support from my limited group of Facebook people and have been waiting for comments to trickle in. And of course, there’s been none(big sigh). Knowing that this is completely typical doesn’t make it hurt so much, ha! I have already begun to turn away from focusing on Facebook support and am delving more into learning about blogging and becoming better, more knowledgeable, while building my contacts from people I’ve yet to meet, so finding your words came at a perfect time. Long-winded thanks, but, thanks!
Now for Twitter.
Hi! Well, if you don’t mind my two cents . . . “Of Words and Writing” could be the title of a million different blogs whereas your name is far more original.
I am a new blogger and I appreciate your insight. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Of blogging – I’m more confident now that many are thinking alike. Thank you fro the nicely put thoughts.
Hello Nina,
I hope to have your writing skills some day. I just started blogging 6 months ago, although not new to internet marketing, it helps the learning curve some. I’ve never consider myself a writer, and being honest I would have poor sentence structure , mispellings , run on sentences haha. Just writing never been my strong point. Reason why I say this is, people will improve in blogging and their writing. I know a lot of people who are afraid to write because they don’t wanna make grammatical error’s. I’ve always been one to say , just get started it’s okay to show mistakes. Show’s that you are human.
Sorry, Off to a rant. Just wanted to say nice blog and very clean. I’m currently testing monetizing and not really sure I like the ads. Just have to work on placements that won’t annoy readers.
Shane
how long have you guys been blogging?and how long does it take 2 get the hang of this?
When I wrote the post, I’d been blogging for six months. I felt I had the hang then, though there’s always more to learn. In November it’ll be a year.
*sigh of relief*
I’m new…and was a little upset yesterday at the tremendous response of 2 views to a new post that I thought my family and close friends would absolutely read and respond to. LOL.
Thank you for your insight and tips…it really made me feel better about continuing with my blog beyond my first month.
I’ve been blogging for two years and one thing I’ve learned is that there is always something new to learn. An incredibly useful post.
I found you via The Daily Post.
Thanks for these insights! I’m still pretty new at this…
I’d love to get into Twitter, although I’m not really clear on what it is (yes I’m one of those), but I’m living in China for now and Twitter isn’t very popular with the ruling sensorship and of course my VPN just decided to quit on me!
Any, thanks!
Thanks a lot, Nina, for your write up. Seriously, I am still at the I thought I’d be stage!
Great post, right before I read this post I changed my blog name to my actual name. So I’m glad to hear I was on the right track. I had to stop and leave a comment because this post was so very helpful for me, thanks so much!
So glad the post helped. One more tip: always leave your URL when a blog allows it so people can visit your blog. 🙂
I have to agree with your insights in this post, most especially the one discussing about the blog name or title. I think before you step on the realms of blogging, you have to be true to yourself and be aware of your agenda. You have to ask yourself questions like:
1. What niche or topic would I be most comfortable writing about?
2. What could be a unique trait I have as a writer or blogger?
3. How would I like to be known by people?
Well, those are just SOME of the questions you may ask. Thinking before blogging makes it easier for you to lay out your priorities in case you really want to do blogging on the next level.
Thank you very much for sharing this Nina. I am a newbie blogger/writer myself and I have to say that I’ve learned a lot from you. Keep it up! And I hope I can become a successful writer, like you, someday. 🙂
Your points are great too! You don’t need a complete plan before blogging, but it’s good to have some idea of how your blog will be different from others while also fitting into the already established field out there. Thanks for checking mine out!
Stop by my blog: https://ninabadzin.com Follow me on Twitter: @NinaBadzin
This is great – I’m trying to figure out how all in I want to go with writing and the effort I’m willing to extend to GET THE STUFF READ. I go all in with the writing, but I am a social media moron, and was just considering whether or not it’s possible to become a successful (read: hired by Bill Maher) writer the old-fashioned way without all the media-savvy. I wonder. 🙂
You’re off to a good start by having a blog. They say (whoever they is) that it’s expected to have an online presence now.
Looking back, this post has really helped me a lot Nina. Yes, going over the process of establishing my new (and hopefully stable) blog is a bit of a headache-trigger but everything’s worth it. And by now, I was also able to come up with what I really want to do as a blogger.
Many thanks Nina. You’re so great!
Hi Nina. I just read your comment when you visited Ms Bumble. I agree a comment is worth loads of likes. So here is my loads of likes…..oops…..comment
. Ralph 🙂
Number #4 is genius! Not only did I not know this, but I suspect most bloggers don’t know this. Although the quote button within the WordPress system is great and helps to foster community and engagement, it doesn’t apply to non-Wordpress readers.
And like you, I’m always pleasantly surprised when a real-life friend actually reads something I wrote. It’s actually quite rare. You have a great collection of tips Nina, both on blogging and on twitter. (Initially found you through GoJulesGo by the way, who’s a genius.) Honestly, didn’t realize the too much thanking was due to thanking ETIQUETTE, not actual gratitude. Still pretty sure there can’t be too much of that, thanks again for the link.
Oh crumb! Is it possible for to edit out my name? I have a family and don’t typically give out my last name for safety reasons. Rookie mistakes….
Nina,
Thank you so much for all these tips. I have had a desire to blog for so long, I finally just got the courage :). Reading your tips really helped me realize it doesn’t have to be overwhelming, which was a concern of mine. I too want to keep it simple! Feel free to pass along any additional tips as you figure them out!
Thanks again!
Tonya
Well let’s see…number one. Uh-oh. I’ve got the cute or catchy name for my blog: Squirrels in the Doohickey. But I must admit, I love forcing people to say it out loud, especially the folks in technical services when something goes amuck on my server.
Number two. Oh yeah. Other than my aunt, it appears that my family and friends have better things to do than read my blog. Which, come to think of it, should make it fair game to blog about them regularly.
Number three. Time management? Who’s got the time?
Number four. I’m leaving a long comment on your blog hoping that you will come out of retirement from commenting and leave a comment. Although it looks like you do, indeed, comment. Woo-hoo! Here’s a trick: subscribe to comments on other people’s blogs, and after the blogger reponds to your comment,unsubscribe. Unless it’s my blog. Then you won’t have to worry, because you’ll be the only person, other than my aunt, who is leaving a comment.
Number five. I’m the kind of blogger who shows up once a week. My subjects tend to vary. I would probably be a better blogger if I showed up more often and stuck to a theme. But then, I’ve got squirrels in the doohickey, so I can’t be held responsible. For anything. Maybe that’s why my aunt is my only subscriber. Har.
Number six. Oh yeah. Self-hosting from the start is a must. I got that tip from Nina Amir, the author of “How to Blog a Book.”
All jokes aside, this is a great post. Good tips.
Diane Holcomb recently posted..My Stint as a Guest Blogger
Ha! Well, I wrote this a few years ago but I still stand by most of it. Nothing is a real “rule” of course. Just one person’s humble opinion. Thanks so much for offering your take. I loved revisited the conversation. And YES, I will be by to visit. I’d love to hear how you found the post.
I was poking around on your blog (you left a comment on mine), spied the Twitter/Blog tips, and landed on this post. I’ve since poked around some more, (will curtail my “Cheers for the RTs” tweets, following your advice and my ever shrinking available time)and, when free time expands, will visit again. Great stuff!
Diane Holcomb recently posted..My Stint as a Guest Blogger
Wow- this really spoke to me. I believed all of things too. Thanks for sharing. PS I love the word ‘doohickey’. Great job!
Hi Nina: I found you through the Her Stories project and I am currently taking The Balanced Writer class. I noticed that you said self hosting of a blog is better. Why is that? I am trying to start one and my biggest question is whether I should do a “free” on or pay someone else. I wont be trying to make any money off of it. Thanks for any and all advice you can provide