7 Blogging Mistakes
Posted by Nik Imran | Posted in Web Development | Posted on 22-01-2010
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What is the best way to learn from mistakes other than learning it from the experience of others. Here are some of the mistakes that I see many new bloggers are making, and in which I have made myself in the past.
1. Choosing a topic you have no interest in – For your blog to be successful you’ll need to blog regularly on your topic for years – if you want to sustain it choose something you have an interest in or love for or you’ll run out of steam.
2. Putting off starting a blog – When it comes to blogging, I firmly believe in a shotgun approach. Instead of worrying too much on finding the right moment, it’s better to take action straight away, and plan later.
3. Not reaching out to new readers – Successful blogging involves time, effort, and reaching out to fellow bloggers / publishers / authors (whatever you prefer). Intead of waiting for readers to find you, reach out to them by guest posting, writing comment on other blogs, participate in forum discussion and so on.
4. Not using a self hosting blog – The problem with hosting a blog through WordPress.com is that you don’t have full control over customisation. WordPress owned and stored my content. On top of all that, I was using a blog template that thousands of others were using. That’s no way to stand out from the millions of blogs that are online.
5. Neglecting your article headlines – No matter how good your articles are, if you have terrible headlines, the chances are, your article won’t be read. Why? Because that’s the first thing that catches the readers attention.
6. Expecting too much, too soon – Blogging isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. Your blog won’t be an overnight success, and for the first few months it might feel like you’re writing for no one. It can take time to build up your readership and have a regular community of people who participate on your blog. Don’t expect immediate returns from your blog and do expect to put in a lot of hard work.
7. Assuming it’s easy – Blogging takes real effort and man-hours into organizing thoughts and even coming up with schedules as to what you’re writing and when you’ll publish the posts. Taking into account the networking, reading, and commenting on other blogs takes time, it’s not something you should do half-heartedly.
New bloggers are bound to make mistakes, one way or another. Although theoretically speaking, it’s best to learn from other people’s mistakes, but reality is always harsher. The best thing you can do is to avoid as many mistakes as possible, and don’t be harsh on yourself when you make one.
Nik Imran is the author of I Make A Blog, a blog that provides guide on How To Make Blog. Besides providing steps on setting up blog, the blog also provides blogging tips.
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