It works for them. Will it work for you?
I saw a couple of posts recently that clarified something I’d been thinking about for the last few days. Should you take advice about blogging from someone just because they’re successful at it? Sure, the advice they’re giving worked for them, but will it work for you? I don’t think that’s always the case. Even more than that, I think taking someone’s advice without examining it first could hinder you.
Bloggers know about the echo chamber. If you’re a blogger that hasn’t heard of it, you will, at length, repeatedly. It’s probably the loudest echo in there. However, the Milk Man seems to have broken away from the herd on this issue. What else is new? He blogs about what he wants to, not what people tell him he should blog about.
Courtney Tuttle points out the dangers of SEO. He makes some good points. People get so involved with SEO that they forget other things. Sure SEO can help, but don’t overdo it. Going too far to please the search engines can really mess up your blog. Write for people, not search algorithms.
Falling in line and becoming a good little blogging bot can lead to success for some. I’m sure there are blogs that were built by following everything Darren Rowse or John Chow said. Some of ‘em might even be good. If it works for you, go for it. If it doesn’t, then maybe you need to strike out on your own. Try blogging for yourself and not the A List. Or the B List. Or any List.
What works for you?
Technorati Tags: Blogs, Blogging, Blogging Tips, Blogging Advice, Echo Chamber, Tips, Advice, SEO, S.E.O., John Cow, John Chow, Darren Rowse, Courtney Tuttle
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5 Responses to “It works for them. Will it work for you?”
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What works for me? I do it my way.. I write about what i want, the way I want, when I want.. I try very hard not to be yet another ‘blogger-bot’ …
PS– It’s refreshing to see another blog that’s not jamm-packed with advertisements.
Yeah, I’m not trying to make this one a money maker. I do have one with ads I’m trying to build. I’m thinking about taking ‘em off for a while. Not makin’ anything from ‘em so I wouldn’t be losing much.
I think you are right. Looking outside too much in what you “should” do with your blog takes the joy out.
I blog for me first, so I do what makes me happy. I blog for readership second. Then comes making money. Then, further down, SEO and that junk.
I feel that networking is almost as important as writing to sucessful blogging. Write awesome? Great, but when no one visits there’s no point.
I’m currently running a survey in a recent post asking visitors how they started reading my blog, because I’m pretty sure most of them are from PayPerPost and GeekySpeaky forums, then some from my blog reading and commenting rounds.
The thing I do to remain “ethical” about my “stalking” other bloggers is that I only comment when I have something to say. Only when I read a post and a comment “forms” in my head do I type one out. Otherwise that is unfair use of others to promote my own goals.
Tina, I agree with pretty much everything you said. I like personal blogs in addition to blogs where I go to learn something. They’re not always that far apart.
Blogging for a living isn’t a bad thing. If you don’t enjoy it though, what’s the point?
I’m interested to see how that survey turns out. I’m pretty sure most of the millions and millions(< -- dreaming) of people that read this blog found it in a similar way. Either through the forums I hang out in, or through the blogs I comment on. That's why I'm not too worried about Google’s new round of insanity.