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YouTubeAfter listening to a podcast from the creator of lifehacker, I'm thinking about starting my own blog. I know some of you have your own, and I'm looking for any helpful tips that you may have to help me be successful.
Thanks,
Blake
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Thinking about starting my own blog...looking for tips
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foxforcefive
CBus
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Posted 2 years ago # -
foxforcefive
CBus
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drew
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foxforcefive wrote >>
drew wrote >>
First thought - how do you define 'success'?I suppose getting people to read it...
I mean no disrespect in asking this, but which people? Think of that in the sense of - who would you expect to be interested in what you intend to publish?
I guess what I'm trying to get at is that it's a bit difficult for me to think of good advice without knowing more about who you're trying to reach and why. To my mind, your ideal approach to the blog would be structured around those kinds of questions.
Posted 2 years ago # -
foxforcefive
CBus
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drew wrote >>
foxforcefive wrote >>
drew wrote >>
First thought - how do you define 'success'?I suppose getting people to read it...
I mean no disrespect in asking this, but which people? Think of that in the sense of - who would you expect to be interested in what you intend to publish?
I guess what I'm trying to get at is that it's a bit difficult to think of good advice without knowing more about who you're trying to reach and why. To my mind, your ideal approach to the blog would be structured around those kinds of questions.Not sure who my target audience is...I'm a mid-30s white guy with a wife and 2 kids, interested in sports, computers, music, blah blah blah. Not sure who my target audience would be, but I hope it would be my demographic, as well as age +/- 15 years, etc.
From what I have read, it's write often, make it worth reading, and promote the crap out of it. Any other tips?
Posted 2 years ago # -
Talcott
Clintonville
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What do you want to write about?
You mention who you want to read your blog, but you haven't mentioned what it would be about. Even fairly general blogs (BoingBoing, for example) have an overall theme and voice.
In general, people are drawn to blogs that they find interesting, but it can take years of regular updates before people find your work. The content has to come first, not only to make it worth reading, but because you have to enjoy posting to it day after day for a long time before you have a large readership.
My best advise would be to decide what you would like to see in a blog, make that blog happen, and then start worrying about getting more people to read it.
Posted 2 years ago # -
foxforcefive
CBus
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No doubt. I think I've got the idea down that I need to write good content, but looking for other tips from folks that either frequent blogs or have their own.
Posted 2 years ago # -
columbusfoodie
West Side
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As someone who has a semi-successful blog (~2,000 visitors/day), I'd say it's all about the content. In my case, my blog has a definite theme - it's a food blog, so I attract people who like to cook/eat, eat at restaurants in Columbus, eat locally, etc. Readership has built over time - in the beginning, I was lucky if I got 50 hits a day.
The other thing, if you're doing a hobby blog rather than a professional blog, realize that it pays practically zero. From ad revenue, I make enough to cover my hosting costs and eat out a couple times a month. I'm sure if I marketed the crap out of it, I could make more $$/get more readership, but I'm doing it because I like to do it. When it stops being fun is when I'll know that the blogging is done. Still far from that point.
So you need to think about what you want to write about - then you need to find a place to host it (do you want a free site on Blogger or Wordpress, or are you going to host it under your own domain using CMS software that you configure yourself? Then start writing. If you write compelling content, you'll get noticed. Update often. Use Twitter/Facebook smartly. Get involved in your community - usually there are other bloggers local to you that are writing about the same topic, and you end up bonding because you see the same people at the same events. It always helps when you get noticed by other media - I got a big jump in readership after food bloggers were profiled in the Dispatch.
That's general advice - if you can narrow down your purpose for blogging (hobby, professional, ??) I can give you more detailed advice.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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BCNation wrote >>
I also want to start a new blog.
But, where can you find a blog that will:
a) upload mp3's
and
b) you can make some $$$ off of itI have noticed that there is a paid advertising option built into blip.tv's services for hosting mp3 podcasts:
I haven't used it though, don't know what their pay model is like, or what sort of listenership you need to actually make decent money... but it might be worth at least exploring.
I use them to host the CU podcast. Free, easy, allows for remote linking, and easily ties into multiple accounts with iTunes, most popular blog software and social networks for easy one-click publishing.
Posted 2 years ago # -
foxforcefive
CBus
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There's a CU podcast?
Posted 2 years ago # -
hungrywoolf
Victorian Village
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Saw this on twitter the other day
Posted 2 years ago #
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