The Best Blogging Advice Ever. Period.
- Posted by glen on October 17th, 2006
This blog had huge success within the first month of its creation. It generated over 300,000 page views and had a very healthy RSS and Email subscriber base. That’s pretty rare for a brand new blog these days, especially with the blogosphere becoming more bloate..ahem, I mean with the exponential growth of the blogosphere as of late.
Now I’m not trying to toot my own horn here, but rather give an example of how to instantly grab attention within the blogosphere and put your posts ahead of the slew of others. But the method may come as a surprise to you. The simplicity may even shock you. Are you ready for it?
Write Something Original
It’s that easy. Here’s why.
Two years ago, a savvy individual could start a blog just covering news within a niche (like blogging), and instantly have visitors knocking at their door. But like I cited the blog growth earlier, this is no longer true for today. Almost every single major niche is saturated with regurgitated news. Need proof? Let’s do a search for the recent topic of Google Buying YouTube.
The two most popular days (October 11th and 12th) had around 5,500 and 6,500 blog posts per day mentioning the two sites. That, my friends, is what we call saturation.
So how do we avoid saturating an already over-crowded internet with just regurgitated news? It’s really not that hard if you’re following these 3 simple rules.
1. Don’t rely on RSS readers
Hands down the most important rule for almost any new blogger. Like I said before, unless you are an established news blogger within your niche, you’re probably not going to be too successful just writing about the news in your industry. Sure, you’ll start to develop a small-ish sized readership, but you’re not going to have an instant impact on the blogging world. Real blog traffic won’t come from posts that aren’t being told and re-told over the internet (see Google/Youtube graph). It’s the posts that are unique and fresh that rise to the top. The next two rules help with this “unique and fresh” side of blogging.
2. Develop your own voice
This is why I would rather read the news from a great blogger than by Connie Chung. Blogs don’t have a requirement that you have to use non-regional diction. You can be as expressive as you want! 
And it is this expressiveness that draws readers to your blog. That’s the reason why I go to Merlin Mann’s 43Folders whenever I can, because of his killer writing style and voice. As a rule of thumb, you should never write in a way that you would never talk. (Barring speech impediments and lisps, of course. Of if you’re a pirate. But people have taken a shine to that too, so maybe it’s good, I don’t know.) The main gist is that you should write naturally. Writing style and voice are what separate a good blog from a great blog.
3. Always add your own take on the situation
This one really grinds my gears. What good is commenting on a news story if you don’t even have an opinion about it? If you’re going to blog about current events and news, always always always add your thoughts on the situation. That way, you’ll at least get readers involved in your blogging. Even if they don’t agree with you, they’ll still read and quote your blog, giving you some of the almighty link love that bloggers desperately crave. Bad publicity is still publicity ;)
One caveat to number three: If you play devil’s advocate for too long, people get annoyed and leave. State your opinions, but don’t be closed minded to others. That is why blogging excels where traditional news doesn’t: It allows interaction.
Personally, I don’t write too many newsy-ish posts, unless I find them really interesting and I know I can fuse my own flava’ and opinions to it. It may be a harder than just copying and pasting, but in the long run I know pays off. Shoot, it even pays off in the short-run.
October 17th, 2006 at 12:17 pm
Great tips, Glen.
To me, the unique voice factor is key. As I go through all the feeds I track, I find that those that bring something unique to their subject matter are the ones I tend to actually read, rather than just “mark as read.”
It even comes across in the headlines. Since switching over the Google Reader’s “River of News” list view, I find that those blogs with their own voice are still the ones I consistently go read – often based on the headlines alone. Writers who are able to capture the essence of their topic, with their own flavor of presenting the information, always seem to rise to the top.
October 17th, 2006 at 1:02 pm
I’ve been following your blog for a while, I don’t remember where I first saw the link, but you offer tons of great advice. I congratulate you on your success!
October 17th, 2006 at 1:05 pm
Great advice, I continually fall into the trap of not creating original content and keep regurgitating what ever happens to be popular on the web at that moment.
I keep telling myself I need to stop reading my RSS feeds and be more productive. But Rss is so addicting. RSS is the new Drug
-Jeff O’Hara
http://blog.zemote.com
-Jeff
October 17th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
Tony-
I’m also a fan of Google Reader. The keyboard shortcuts allow me to scan headlines and wade through the regurgitated stuff uber quick.
Tris- Thanks!
Jeff- It’s addictive… I still think there should be a RSS Anonymous ;)
October 18th, 2006 at 11:01 pm
[...] Once you’re ready to fire up your laptop and try again, there are some great articles out there to get you going. Copyblogger has 5 Simple Ways to Open Your Blog Post, which has some great advice for hooking your readers. Functioning Form passes along some semantics to avoid in Dead Words Walking. Finally, LifeDev titles a post The Best Blogging Advice Ever. Period. and with a statement like that, how can we not believe? [...]
October 18th, 2006 at 11:01 pm
[...] Once you’re ready to fire up your laptop and try again, there are some great articles out there to get you going. Copyblogger has 5 Simple Ways to Open Your Blog Post, which has some great advice for hooking your readers. Functioning Form passes along some semantics to avoid in Dead Words Walking. Finally, LifeDev titles a post The Best Blogging Advice Ever. Period. and with a statement like that, how can we not believe? [...]
November 1st, 2006 at 1:25 pm
[...] The Best Blogging Advice Ever. Period. [...]
November 4th, 2006 at 10:39 pm
Nice tips, all this points to the fact that the act of writing is the most important thing in a blog, of course the author too.
November 5th, 2006 at 2:04 am
True, but the writer improves as he writes more… so maybe it’s kind of like the question of the chicken or the egg :)
November 14th, 2006 at 11:25 am
[...] I’ve been thinking about Lifedev a lot as of late. I love writing about personal development and productivity, but the format I’ve taken is usually a longish post 3-5 times a week. While I like doing that, I also sift through a lot of news that could be helpful to anyone interested in personal development. I’ve tried posting these links via del.icio.us, but I feel like a lot of the links are worth more than just a quick blurb. SO, I’ve decided to start posting more frequently about other things found around the web that could be beneficial to the productivity hounds that frequent this blog. For example: I have a passion for new computer and web applications that are built for productivity that I haven’t really had the chance to write much about. This gives me a chance to do that. Or other useful articles written around the web. Instead of this being just my thoughts on productivity and personal development, it will be a hub for all things productivity. Now I now that I’ve said that bloggers shouldn’t just regurgitate the news, and I won’t be. You’ll still have my commentary, (like it or not). The “feature” length articles aren’t going away any time soon either. This is a way to provide more of a service to you guys. [...]
December 10th, 2006 at 7:28 pm
This guy has the best advice around.
January 17th, 2007 at 1:10 am
Great tips, just what I needed!
January 18th, 2007 at 6:35 pm
These are GEMS to new bloggers like me, and I am sure these are also wisdom pearls for the already pro-bloggers surfing the ether of the blogosphere.
I am not related at all to lifedev, but I must confess this is going to be one of my biggest findings of this new 2007.
Keep it up!!!
Cheers from Spain
January 18th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
Thanks Juan :)
February 9th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
[...] It is interesting to note that the author’s own blog, LifeDev.net, had over 300,000 page views in the blog’s first month online! Clearly he’s doing something right, and he shares his tips in an article entitled The Best Blogging Advice Ever. Period. [...]
March 19th, 2007 at 12:43 am
Great tips, Glen, especially on finding your “voice.” This is one of the hardest things for new writers/bloggers to achieve, principally because they simply haven’t written enough. It takes time to develop a voice, and that time involves writing, writing, writing. After a time, one can write with multiple “voices,” witness the best-selling fiction authors who have to master a different voice for each novel they write.
If you’re interested, check out my take on blogging tips: “39 tips to improve weblog traffic and visibility.”
Regards,
Rich
BlogRodent
April 14th, 2007 at 9:19 am
Hi.
I am in need of your help/advice. I wanted to start a regional blog. Not one blog, but offer other people the opportunity to blog and have blogs.
What do you suggest? How can I go about this?
Also right now, while in development, I want to just park the homepage with blogging ads (to earn some possible revenue)…any suggestions there.
Thanks in advance.
SM.
May 2nd, 2007 at 2:21 pm
[...] • LifeDev weighs in with The Best Blogging Advice Ever. [...]
May 21st, 2007 at 3:34 am
[...] Source: The Best Blogging Advice Ever. Period. at LifeDev [...]
June 20th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! gurctptdgat
August 6th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Tip N°1 opened my eyes. Thanks!
September 21st, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Hello to all, its my new pages about cloth
cloth diaper
You can buy here 24\7.
September 27th, 2007 at 3:56 am
Hello, here you can read all info about pen pal
24\7.
September 29th, 2007 at 1:47 am
Hello nice blog! !!
pen
It’s my new page.about pens.
October 2nd, 2007 at 12:05 am
Humn…What a Tipsreffic on blogging! Something that nortures the mind and the heart as well
October 2nd, 2007 at 12:06 am
Humn…What a Tipsreffic on blogging! Something that nortures the mind and the heart as well…
October 2nd, 2007 at 5:57 am
Hello nice blog! !!
sofa
It’s my new page.about shoes.
October 22nd, 2007 at 2:18 am
[...] The Best Blogging Advice Ever. Period. [...]
March 26th, 2008 at 3:19 am
I do find blogging quite chalanging as is kind of a different media to traditional writing (let’s say papers), kind of like a chat but really it balances in between those medias. Somehwere in the undecribable middle.
P.S. I am doing a short blog on blogging adn I linked to your blog for more info.
Thanks
missbubbles
(independant handmade card, customised notebooks and clothes designer)
July 17th, 2008 at 8:19 am
xhfzmqosj syxhoilj zcnhvmql xvnmdat lqgw oywq qgoeh
July 17th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
waih
July 17th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
keco beclf lhprgkx
July 18th, 2008 at 4:50 am
tfxo
July 18th, 2008 at 8:16 am
mecqj jznrlox
July 18th, 2008 at 10:02 am
lupsiaz aqxdy
July 18th, 2008 at 11:29 am
sjpg friz zyjo ynrxdwl
July 18th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
zundxs ljzdfhw owkiqas sfmj
July 18th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
hewk
July 18th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
pbndgkv hodl nmyagz mwabl
July 18th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
rgxpyqw
July 19th, 2008 at 4:17 am
wbol neci
July 19th, 2008 at 6:11 am
ilqb voipbu jazc hjxekwp
July 19th, 2008 at 10:18 am
zrwmagd panl lrkemyd
July 19th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
sohgqpw
July 19th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
tnmrw jcvp
July 19th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
dkes
July 19th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
xcqm
July 20th, 2008 at 12:42 am
rjlf ixjfh rgbtkih ytcnkgo
July 20th, 2008 at 1:25 am
obmv dkjcpfs udvzc asoext
July 20th, 2008 at 3:20 am
extzos slbenw tkriuv kfosbu
July 21st, 2008 at 3:13 am
wqms nqeji undhcf
July 21st, 2008 at 4:15 am
rbnvoc udewsi
July 21st, 2008 at 6:00 am
kgjz ozvl gbyt fgdli
July 22nd, 2008 at 4:17 am
wkudlmq igcju
July 22nd, 2008 at 6:36 pm
rkinams gsxhwv ulkts
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:24 am
johtq ckzqins iwht
July 23rd, 2008 at 5:24 am
hefmdn jbavio tcdwyx nefbmci
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:57 am
dokpi
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:35 pm
jfgdts
July 24th, 2008 at 3:13 am
ioym
July 24th, 2008 at 7:33 am
cuzvil mklwh snuh xgkr