Resource: Successful Blog
I’ve had so much great feedback on my “Be a more productive blogger” post that I’ve decided to dedicate a Web site (and blog) to the concept. Way back I did a series of posts over at Asterisk on how to design, build and maintain a successful blog. Those posts were very popular and seemed to help quite a few people. After that I’d write on a fairly regular basis about tips, tricks and techniques for bloggers and, again, those posts seemed to be helpful for many people.
I thought about writing a book, and still may explore that idea, but for now, I figured I’d blog about it. So I give you Successful Blog where you’ll get tips, tricks, techniques and proven know-how to get the best from your blog. It’s still a baby, so if you want, you can just grab the feed and I’ll have some good, helpful, content your way soon!
17 Comments on A Successful Blog
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I think your better off with the blog. Like I was telling my friend, with the way info moves today, I think a book on blogging would be out of date by the time it got to press.
That’s just my 2 cents.
Blogging is still an emerging medium and there is very little hard data that would need to be put down on paper.
However, I find your site very useful and hope you continue to write. =)
This whole thing is somewhat of a money spinner, eh? Perhpas you should get google ads on your person, then you dont have to create a new website each time you have a ‘new’ idea.
The web is going to become a place full of dead, pointless blogs and websites used soley for adsense…Do it cos you love it not cos it pays you.
Darren — If I did it for the money I’d have quit long ago. You know, I’ve got to say it’s really annoying to hear people like you pipe up whenever they see an ad or someone trying to make a little scratch from their work online. If you don’t like it — don’t read. Pretty simple.
I like to think that I can make a bit of money off my hard work, so yeah, I use adsense on my sites and it works ok. But I also do it because I like doing it and think I’ve got some useful information to share. It’s not a “money spinner” at all. For one thing it doesn’t make enough to be that and wouldn’t make anything if I didn’t have the content to back it up.
Now, I have seen sites like you talk about and I’m with you there, but I really do try and post things people will find helpful and I don’t look at it just as a way to get people to click on ads at all. If you find it that way, it’s pretty simple, just don’t read and look for your content elsewhere.
Many books emerged from journal keeping.
Few books started from a blog project. You will probably be one of them.
It’s the same thing, it only use a different medium.
I hope you’ll learn in your process Keith!
Keep going your good work,
Salutations,
Fred
Fred — Thanks…I hope to learn! That is one of the reasons why I blog. I mean I started this site to help me be more productive and learn more about GTD, etc. And you know what? It’s working. I’ve put myself into a community that can help me as I help it. That is one of the great things about blogging and opening your content (and your mind) up on the Web.
Keith – it’s valid criticism from Darren. I thought the same thing when I read this post – it just seems to be yet another way for you to try and be, say, Jason Kottke.
Are we not at a saturation point with “how to blog” articles and content yet? What makes yours so different that we should read a whole separate site for the same old crap? Why don’t you blog yourself instead of writing about how to do it – lead by example?
Hello Keith!
I am sure that you learned a lot in the process, the opposite would be surprising ;)
It’s the same for me. I initially started blogging to try increasing my English skills and it worked like a charm :) (It’s not perfect but far better than 8 months ago hehehe)
I also meet really interesting people; I constantly clarified my thoughts by posting and discussions about these posts with my readers, etc. Only a fool could not learn from such a process that blogging is. It’s the magic of writing: something I had not discovered, and even suspected, before starting to blog.
Salutations,
Fred
I am sure that you learned in the process, the opposite would be surprising ;)
It’s the same for me. I initially started to increase my English skills and it worked like a charm :)
But I also meet really interesting people, I constantly clarified my toughts
strange…. I think I had a copy/past problem from Word :|
Sorry for this “mid-duplication” of my previous post :)
Salutations,
Fred
Amanda — I realize it’s a valid concern, that’s why I addressed it. I sounded defensive because I felt Darren had a problem with the ads, not the content or idea. I could have launced sans-ads, and I thought about it, but then if I put them on later people would have complained. It’s a no-win situation.
As far as what I’ve got to offer and why I decided to do this. Well, I’ll let my readers tell me if it’s a waste of time and I’ve got several reasons to start Successful Blog.
One, I already write about the subject matter and have been for awhile. It’s been well received and I’m trying to spread my content out to more people. Part of the reason is to help me learn more and develop different styles of writing. Part of it is to speak to different audiences. At Asterisk it’s mostly Web designers, here it’s GTD folks.
Two, I honestly feel I have some valuable insight to share. Again, it comes down to the content, if it doesn’t work for you, you don’t have to read. I don’t think it’ll be the same old crap. But it’s new, and it might be and if it is trust me, I’ll stop.
Three, I don’t think we’ve hit a saturation point with that type of content. I’ve received many e-mails asking for advice and for more on this stuff. If I thought there wasn’t a readership, I’d not have bothered. If it turns out there isn’t I’ll eventually give up.
If I wanted to be Jason Kottke, I’d just ask for donations. ;) Anyway, I understand your problems, and all I can say is that if you don’t want to read–don’t read. If you think the content is crap–don’t read. Tell me I’m wasting my time by just not showing up.
I find it strange that people often seem to act like content is pushed on them. The only way to get my content is to pull it. I don’t mind comments like this, but it always seems like the reader feels the writer is doing something personally offensive. I don’t get that.
I don’t feel that you’re doing something personally offensive – quite the opposite. I feel you’re doing the wider group an injustice, actually. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to clarify that.
I think I’d have less of a problem with what you do if you just said “hey, i’m trying to make a buck here by giving some value to someone” rather than trying to defend it with this “if you don’t like it don’t read it” crap. Seriously.
Amanda — OK, well, I’m not just trying to make a buck, so…Seriously, the odds that that site makes much money are very slim. I highly doubt they’ll cover the effort that will do into it. Sure, I’d like to make money, but I do have other goals.
I wonder who this “wider group” is? And how me launching a site (money making or not) would do them injustice. Anyway, this is way off topic, which I’m not really down with, if you want to talk more, send me an e-mail.
Keith: I think the multiple blog thing is cool. Blogs don’t need to be grand, serious undertakings — if you’ve got a cool idea, start one up. Fast and light… Keep it up.
i’m with cboone. I don’t see anything wrong with this idea and I think you might do well with it. I like your writing and think you know how to do a sucessful blog. don’t get discouraged by any naysayers…
Keith,
I think it’s a great idea. I also think you should do whatever it is you feel like doing and you should try to make money off the site if possible. Go for it!
Wow, some harsh comments here. Amanda and Darren, no offense but you guys are acting like a bunch of wankers.
Darren, your site has just about nothing, and Amanda, you don’t even list a blog. So in essence, shut up!
I see these types of comments a lot from people who either don’t have blogs or who have crappy blogs.
Keith, I think your being way too nice. I believe in good discussion, but these two are at the bottom of a dumpster.
To me is very important to read other weblogs and try to descover new interesting ones. Also those written in different languages…
I think there are already a lot of blogs and articles out there on ‘how to design, build and maintain a successful blog’, so what would make your blog different from all the existing ones on the same topic?