I really enjoy WebTool Collection. They do a great job updating their readers on new Themes and Plugins for WordPress. That alone is worth visiting and getting their feed.
But every so often, they publish a really good post or link to a really good post. That’s how I found John Chow’s 10 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid. I’ve gotten John’s feed for a while, but somehow this one got by me. John’s list is pretty solid, I’d say:
- Blogging Mistake #1 – Not Updating
- Blogging Mistake #2 – Blogging Only For Money
- Blogging Mistake #3 – Rushing a Post
- Blogging Mistake #4 – Not Being Personal
- Blogging Mistake #5 – Being a Copycat
- Blogging Mistake #6 – Not Replying To Comments
- Blogging Mistake #7 – Not Giving a Full Feed RSS
- Blogging Mistake #8 – Not Reaching Out To Other Bloggers
- Blogging Mistake #9 – Writing For Google Instead Of People
- Blogging Mistake #10 – Not Reading John Chow dot Com
If I was writing my list, I certainly would agree with most of his points. I might not even add my blog in the 10 slot – not just yet, at least. I want to deserve that position before I run off and snatch it.
But I think there is more than can be said on this topic. So I have five points I’m going to add to John’s list:
- Blogging Mistake – Not Having a Clear Focus For Your Blog.
There are many things that make a blog worth reading. One of the main things is clarity on your topic. Make sure that your blog is focused. Be as focused as possible. This will help you stay on topic, develop yourself in a niche with a solid readership. And it will help you know what to write about. - Blogging Mistake – Be Careful What/Who You Write
You never know who’s going to read your blog – now or in a year. So be sure that anything you don’t want people to read, you don’t post about. Regardless about how you feel. Consider that your blog is a live, public record of what you’ve said and how you feel. - Blogging Mistake – Not Allowing Comments
I don’t truly consider a blog without commenting to be a blog. And when I run across them, it always makes me feel like the site owner is cheating – taking advantage of blogosphere advantages without giving back. You’ve got to have a dialogue on your blog to make it one. - Blogging Mistake – Making Your RSS Feed Link/Button Hard to Find
I’m amazed, still, how many blogs I visit that make me hunt for the feed link. Most of the time I give up and go away. Why in the world would any blogger want to make it hard for their readers to find their feed link. Makes no sense to me. - Blogging Mistake – Not Linking To Other Blogs
John sort of said this, but he focused on meeting other bloggers. I go further and say link to other bloggers. One way to honor your favorite bloggers is to link to them. In a blogroll, in a post, etc. Linking to them tells them and everyone else that you like and respect their blog enough that you’re willing to recommend it. I’m always so grateful when people link to me (hint, hint).
There’s my five additions to John’s original ten. What have we left out?
Will absolutely agree with point 3 and 5 that you raise. Both of which I make sure I always follow.
Blogging Mistake: Not having lots of links in your post
Blogging Mistake: Long paragraphs.
Blogging mistake: Not using a spell-checker
Tiny text with extremely tight leading, making it impossible to read.
Oh that’s irritating.
Dave
Good ones. I thought about spell checker, but realized I rarely use one myself. I usuallly spell check by eye. So I didn’t want to call myself out. Now, the cats out of the bag.
David Airey
Yeah, I agree with tiny text. I’m actually enjoying the movement I’m seeing around the web to larger text.
Ajay
As I said, I really don’t consider a blog to be an actual blog unless it’s interactive. I can further that by saying that all comments should allow links back to the commenter’s blog. I’ve run into a few sites that want your comments but don’t give you a place to link back to your blog. Why leave a comment at all if there’s no reciprocal link?
I find myself rushing a post more often than I realize. I have the title in my head and start to write, suddenly my kids start shouting and then my wife… and I just hit publish, instead of save.
Many of my posts should be edited, but then I would probably have half as many posts, but the content would be better 🙂
Hi Dawud,
Your additions fill out the list nicely and make it real winner. Focus is so important. It helps blogger make decisions and helps readers know the context from the minute they start reading. 🙂
Dawud,
I actually don´t think about who I write for. Sometimes I write for myself and sometimes I just write. My main goal when I started the blog was to write for people who are looking to earn money online…
Jens
I think the quality of the your content is most important. I read your blog most days and I feel your content is pretty good. Just one question…who are you writing for?
Liz
Thanks. I agree about focus. You actually helped me see this in more light when we spoke recently. Thank you. Any suggestions for how bloggers can find greater focus?
Well, Dawud, about finding and keeping focus, after you hire me to rephrase the question and to pull the phrases from your answers, 🙂 [big grin] . . . put a question regarding focus or direction somewhere you visit daily and ask it often to watch how your answer changes. 🙂
Liz
I know…I take short cuts now and again. Sorry.
Do you mean a place I visit often, such as the bathroom?
I’m laughing. How did you know I was thinking of that? 🙂
Liz
When we talked the other day, I didn’t mention that I’m psychic?
Dawud,
Soory I thought you said you were “psyched” !! 🙂
Liz
Oh, I’m that too.
Of course, I knew that! [she grins]
Liz,
Nice jousting with you. Now I’m heading over to your site to see how much trouble I can get into.
I think my biggest mistake is not updating my blog often enough. I guess I have a hard time coming up with unique topics. Do you have any suggestions on where or how to get new ideas to write about?
Yes I agree that frequently updating a blog is the biggest challenge. Sooner or later you get writer’s block and lose motivation to keep posting. Your best bet is to make a blog about a topic that you actually want to write about for months or even years. If you’re not interested in what you’re blogging about, you’re bound to fail.
it is right it is too boring work to just updating a blog frequently if it doen’t have enough amount of scope and diversification for the matter. Just like news blog.
Thanks Dawud for recommending wordpress for a blog. I’m enjoying it and now my biggest mistake is keeping it at wordpress.com, I need to move it and host it separately…. Once in a while it’ll swallow one of my posts if I put too many links on it, and heaven forbit a CJ link! By the way, I am enjoying the keyword hits on my typos! I get a lot of hits on my keyword type “Diney Cruise”!!! This summer there’s going to be a lot of poor spellers on cruises!!! Thanks again for sending me to wordpress, I just laughed till I cried when I saw a google pagerank of “5” for my site!!!
Just getting started. The blog world is another world to me. Hope to green the planet and learn a little about life from a blog.
I agree with all of these… but on the last one. #10. not reading johnchow … I think that when you read his blog… you should try to zoom back in time to his earliest posts… that is where you will find the best information!
I agree completely with the comment on not updating the blog on a regular basis. If you don’t then it is hard to attract repeat visitors to your site. The quality of posts also is a huge factor!
Julie,
If I can help at all, just let me know.
One Year,
I didn’t write the original list, so I can’t say. It’s also be a long time since I’ve read anything from John Chow.
subske,
So true. How often do your write?
And I was just starting to blog when I read this post 😀
How about “Blogging Mistake – Activating No Follow” ?
I’d add “Being a broken record” to the list. Nothing says “don’t bother” like a blog that repeats essentially the same thing over and over and over and over and zzzzzzz….
Also: “Self-aggrandizement.” Bloggers, show us how wonderful you are, don’t tell us. Your fan mail doesn’t belong on your blog.
And: “Obviously written by someone else.” If it sounds like your assistant wrote it, and your assistant wrote it, start writing it yourself or get a new assistant who can write in a style that sounds like your voice. This goes double for your marketing messages, if they have your name signed to them.
pretty much summed up all.i think 10th thing was a joke wasnt it?
rest all are cool and essential points.
my absolute rule in blogging is just like journalism Write WHat You Know. I do love John Chow…i have learned so much form him.