To Blog or not to Blog???

[fitnfree]

Originally Posted by Linda Buquet

Oh in that case you'll do fine! You GO gurl!!!

Sure hope so, thanks for cheering me on! What's that old saying..."From your lips..."??

[fitnfree]

I did it! Got a blog all set up -- so ahhhh...help!?! now what???

Added the 5 star link, though!

[Julia]

Congrats! Did you end up going with Wordpress? That's the one that we (Share Results) use, and we're really pleased with it.

Now it's time to ....start writing.

[fitnfree]

Yes, I did go with Word Press and I found a theme -- I can't get over how great Word Press is to work with! I had dabbled with a blogger just to see what the hype was all about once, but actually find Word Press much more enjoyable. I even installed a theme!

So, I'm pretty much ready to get going but now I haven't a clue what to do so I'm roaming around looking for blogging tips/suggestions. Anyone have any favorite sites for tips - -not just hype, but REAL tips? TX!!!

[kuraykillua]

I read the "Authority black book" recommended by member rtsurvivor, and I thought it contained some decent information on blogging. It deals mainly with Wordpress.
-k

[Teli]

What types of tips are you looking for? Blogging in general (i.e. how-to), marketing the blog, commenting tips, etc.?

One good place you may want to bookmark is Darren Rowse's ProBlogger. It may take some effort to keep up with when you first get started, but when you use a feed reader, it certainly makes it much easier to scan.

As for what you should do now...write. If you're running low on ideas, consider the questions you receive via e-mail. Instead of only responding via e-mail, polish up the answer and blog it (I've used that to save my butt more than a couple times LOL), think about something in your industry that irks you -- it could be a misconception or a myth that continues to propagate -- and set the record straight, or even blog about current events/news in your niche.

For WordPress bloggers, I wrote an article a very, very long time ago about what to do once the installation is complete. Chances are you've already made these changes, but in case you haven't, feel free to read You've Installed WordPress, What Comes Next?

And, of course, if you have any specific questions, we're all more than willing to help. Just ask.

~ Teli

[fitnfree]

Well, I'm just not sure what to do with it and/or where to share it. I put a link to it on my home page and mentioned it in my newsletter, but no one seems to be taking any interest. I try to add posts when I think of something but I'm not real clear just what the purpose is supposed to be -- I am tying it in with my web site, since I have a very difficult time believing anyone would want to hear about my personal life.

Thanks so much!

[Teli]

You'd be surprised what people want to hear about. Humans are naturally voyeuristic creatures, so it's interesting to hear about someone else's experiences with something.

As for where to share it, add it to your forum sig, leave comments on other blogs within your niche, make sure you're pinging the update services, submit it to blog directories (there are a ton of them) and regular web directories, add your RSS feed to RSS directories (see RSSTop55 for a good long list), and don't forget about your e-mail sig (an oldie, but a goodie).

I've already mentioned some tips on what you can blog about. A lot of my consulting clients have the same problem, but each of them, after they develop a rhythm, have more than enough topics to write about and they're addicted to blogging. So, give it some time, start slow (there's no need to burst out of the gate LOL) and let it build over time.

Hope that helps,
~ Teli

[fitnfree]

Thanks, Teli, very much! Every little bit helps. I guess I just need to find some time to devote to it and get in the hang of it. I would really like to make something of it!

I need to visit other blogs, too -- maybe that would give me a much needed jump start!

[Linda Buquet]

fitnfree, in case you didnt know Teli is our resident blog expert and really knows her stuff and gave you some great advice.