Inspired by the somewhat recent article from 9rules’ Scrivs’, “What WoW can teach Web 2.0″, I decided to write a similar article regarding some of the mistakes that I’ve seen some blogs making, even big ones.
Always think two, or more, steps ahead
I have not
A good example of this type of thought is my colleague, and friend, David Peralty, who, before changing his design (and domain), took in consideration what people thought of two designs he showed for his new personal blog. However, after changing domain name and design, and almost starting fresh he started to see some things which he might have not been prepared for. For example, since he started the new blog there is no longer any reference of him in his former site. It’s as if he’s starting a career in a foreign country. The result of that was when he tried to sign up for a new Web 2.0 service, however, they wouldn’t allow him to register because his site was “ranked too low”.
Whether it’s your design, domain name or feature, in your blog, you should always think of what may result from it. Even the best, and clearest, ideas can be deceiving.
Also, regarding articles, you should always take in consideration what you’re going to say regarding anything you post about. As a blogger, or as a modern version of a journalist, you must always remember that what you say may not please all of your readers. Because the same article will be read by both people who love the subject, people who hate it, and people who are indifferent to it. Your article should always be concise, and if you want to show your preference or the opposite for what you’re writing about, do so with evidence, or references, from other articles or news.
Another elegant way to separate the “fans” from the “haters” is to separate the content into separate blogs, like joystiq did with PSPfanboy, as an example.
Every piece is important
In chess, to be successful, you need try and make the most out of the pieces you have. In blogging, unfortunately, in order for you to have success, and make some decent revenue, you need a great number of visitors: good and bad ones.
In this blog, I have made a rule to myself to never force anyone to register in order to post a comment. Sure, Akismet can’t protect me from every spam comment there is. But if I decided to implement registered user, not only would I be helping to reduce spam, but also potential customers, or readers who have something useful or important to add.
It is a known fact that many people hate registering for sites, and even though, according to Akismet, 93% of all comments are spam, by forcing registration you’re excluding yet another big percentage from the remaining percentage of comments that aren’t.
If you write on a blog with the sole intention of gaining many visitors quickly (in order to increase your revenue) you should consider that not all people that visit your site through a referring article will click on your adds. In fact, some of the people who have been dugg (or slashdotted), without being prepared for it, have said that it caused them more harm than good, as it leeched away the traffic that their site was allowed to have and often caused the server to break down.
There is no fast lane for making great revenues from your blogs. It takes dedication, great content and time.
Learn from your experience
One of the greatest things about Chess that surpasses most games, is that when you lose, you know exactly why. You know which moves you made wrong, and which were good, and it’s very likely that you’ll learn from those moves.
In blogging, you can take the same lessons, regardless of the category you’re writing about. You are bound to meet other bloggers that are more successful than you. Unlike Chess, which only allows you to see the board as it is, or will be in a couple of turns; the Internet allows you to see how a site was in the past, how it is in the present, and how and where they’re being referred.
Whether your blog is being as successful as you want it to be, or not; you should always visit the blogs of the people that write about the same things as you. Chances are that they’re doing something better than you, or worse, and if you can perceive that, and learn from it, you are halfway ready to become a better blogger.
Conclusion
Keep your eyes open to your surroundings. If you pay attention to those that listen to you, or those that oppose, you are bound to find success.
Chess, like blogging, isn’t just a test of wits, it’s also a test of perseverance. Remember that, and blog well. It’s your turn to move your pieces now.