The Retrospector

Darren is at it again with another group writing project at Problogger. This will be my 4th participation in his group projects, and things are really getting interesting now that he’s managed to find sponsors to donate incentives for the participants. The project’s topic is ‘LISTS’. Come up with a list of some sort, be it a ‘Top 10′, ‘How To’, or a ‘My Favorite’…whatever suits your fancy.

I’m somewhat dissapointed that we can’t use previous posts in this project, as one of my most popular posts (and continues to bring over 50% of my traffic each week) is a Top 10 Ways to Motivate Geeks list. Nevertheless, I don’t see why I can’t just come up with another list on short notice. Though the first thing that really comes to mind just isn’t related to business or technology. The first thing that hit me was a Top 10 list for things I’ve learned while reading Darren’s post at Problogger.net.

Finding Problogger is actually what convinced me to give blogging a try. I never realized it was something you could gain back expenses with using the techniques Darren talks about in his fairly deep archives. So here they are, the Top 10 things I’ve learned from reading Problogger.net:

1. You can make money from blogging

Now, at first I thought this blog was dedicated only to those that really wanted to make a career at blogging. In a way, it is. Darren does a little more though. He also posts things that are helpful to the casual bloggers. When I discovered that you could just make enough money to cover the expenses of blogging (assuming you want your own domain and control of hosing) I was baffled. Just the fact that you could make money at all, let alone as a full time job was the first thing I learned at Problogger. I really didn’t think it was feasible for just anyone to do it. My first lesson was that anyone can do it…

2. Blogging is easy, but it’s a lot of work

Most sites will tell you how simple it is to get started on a blog. Their tutorials are designed to just get you to click on their affiliate links and continue on through their site where you may click on more affiliate links. This is fine, but a lot of them will just say that “well, it’s a lot of work…but you can do it!!!”. I felt that after reading Problogger, I really had a handle on how much work I would have to put into this. Darren has always been very up front with how overwhelming it can be sometimes. I’m just a part time blogger, and I enjoy it just because it’s a new experience that I’ll probably continue on for a really long time. I’ll probably never become a problogger though, just because my goals are a bit different. Even though it’s just part time, WOW is it still quite a bit of work. This is definitely the #2 thing I’ve taken away from Darren’s site.
3. Content, content and more content

Everywhere you go, to learn about blogging you simply hear “need lots of content” and “get yourself some deep archives”. I wasn’t really sure how much content was needed until spending some time on Problogger. It wasn’t just emphasized by Darren, it was reiterated over and over by commenters on many posts. I learned from the habits of highly effective bloggers group project that content was one of the top habits shown in the definitive list I created. (Which I still get a regular stream of daily readers from after Darren posted links to it shortly afterward, thanks Darren!) I’m on my way to a decent archive size, but after just 3 months of blogging I can see how content really does help a lot.

4. You need to engage with other bloggers/blogs

This may seem like a no-brainer to you all, but before visiting Problogger, I’d have never thought to read another blog. I stumbled onto this site just because I was looking for how-to tutorials on creating a blog. In the last 3 months, I’ve learned so much about so many different things just because I’ve opened the doors to the blogosphere and raced right in. Reading is great, but I find myself actively engaging with the posts that i find interesting. I especially enjoy finding things relevant to my niche that I can relate to by leaving links to my own thoughts and ideas for others to see and respond to. This side of blogging is something that I probably wouldn’t have bothered pursuing had I not stumbled onto Problogger.

5 & 6. How to utilize feeds and subscribers

I’ve combined the two items because I find them very closely related, but deserving enough of their own numbers in the list. Learning how to use feeds and make the best use of them is something I probably wouldn’t even have considered doing. I knew what RSS was before blogging, but I never realized how many people actually utilize feeds once they see something good on a site. Gaining subscribers doesn’t sound very hard, but holy cow…I was running on pure adrenaline when i saw the first few feed subscribers show up on my feedburner count! (Not to mention the 5 email subscribers I have! ) Now that I’ve learned more about what feeds are, and how subscribers really help ensure the foundation of your traffic stays consistent…it’s much easier to maintain a decent readership. (partly because I now know what drives them away, not just because I know how to gain them) Very key things I’ve learned from Darren…

7. Site layout and ad placement

Ok, at first I was like “What? Who cares where that stuff is at, nobody looks at banners anyway!”. Boy was i wrong. Adsense, banners, affiliate links, the whole works…all of these items work very differently when utilized correctly with proper layout. I’m no expert, but changing from just chucking stuff down at the bottom of the pages to placing them throughout the site in multiple arrangements has proven very useful in finding the most effective place for my site. This is one of the first topics I learned from reading Problogger, and though hundreds of other sites are explaining the same stuff…I was drawn to Darren’s style so pretty much read all his stuff first. Either way, this was a good lesson to learn.

8. Participate in carnivals and/or group writing projects

Wow, if you thought I was kissing up to now, get a load of this point! This is partially related to the engaging with other sites/bloggers, but I think it has it’s own merrit because of what it does for you as a blogger. For me, it really helped me see in more detail how other bloggers accomplished the same tasks, approached the same problems, and shared the same frustrations. I felt the sense of immediate community with many participating readers coming to my site to check what I had to say on the matter that they were likely posting about as well in the same project. Rather than a gradual community-building exercise, immediately dozens, if not hundreds of people are thrown into a common cluster where they can relate to each other and collaborate in ways you just don’t get in one-on-one environments.

9. Be yourself, have fun

One thing I really take home from reading Darren’s post is that he really knows how to be himself. He knows who he is and doesn’t present himself in a special manner to accomodate a select few. I don’t know if he realizes it, but he sounds like he’s really having fun when he’s writing. Each time a new announcement comes up, I picture him hopping in his seat grunting “ooo ooo, the whachacallit that just came out is soooo cool and useful looking” as he types his posts. I could be waaaay off, but hey…it sounds like fun. So I try to remember that this is for my enjoyment. I never stress about not having a post ready. I just do what I can when I can do it, and I enjoy it.

And last, but not least…

10. Blogging is GLOBAL

I don’t know how many times I jump to the assumption that everyone is on the same time-zone as I am. “What do you mean it’s August 15th already. How on earth could he have posted that when it’s only August 14th right now!!!” Blogging has brought the internationalization back on the radar for me. I’ve not worked for a global company for a few years now, but I’ve not had to think about others being from other parts of the world for awhile. I really enjoy this aspect of blogging that makes me realize we’re a global community with very different views on life. I really thrive on reading how people of all different backgrounds and environments communicate together on a variety of topics through the same interface.

Conclusion

So there you have it. My ‘Top 10′ list of things I’ve learned while being a Problogger.net reader for the last 3 months of my blogging career. I know it sounds like a real kiss-up thing to post about, but it’s definitely a sincere learning experience that many people from Problogger will definitely relate to if they’ve been reading Darren’s posts since they started too.

What things have you learned from reading Problogger? Was there somethign I didn’t mention that would be in your ‘Top 10′ list? Share it up!

Tags: blogging, problogger, group+writing+project, list, top+10

   

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