Here’s the truth. Most bloggers are being controlled. Their articles, content, styles and brands are being dictated by the “rules” of traditional blogging.
Here’s the truth about traditional blogging - it doesn’t exist. Without the creativity, self-expression and freedom that blogging allows, blogging itself wouldn’t exist. So answer this for me, please…
Why is it that people let the “rules” of blogging rule their blog?
Is it because they need validation that what they’re doing is right?
Is it because they’re afraid of making a mistake?
Or maybe they’re afraid to be different. Whatever it is, it’s hurting their image because they’re blending in with the crowd. It’s also hurting the entire blogging industry because the lack of creativity leads to lack of good quality content.
But rules are necessary right?
Well yes and no. Some rules are necessary like, “Don’t SPAM other blogs” or “Don’t bad mouth other bloggers”; those types of rules are great ones to follow. But there are other rules that I refuse to pay any mind to; and I’m about to tell you what they are, but first…
I’d like to welcome you to the “Best Bloggers are Natural Hackers Series” started by Keisha Keasly from WeBlogBetter.com. This is part three of the series; click here to read part 2 by Alex Whalley.
Let’s continue…
So, I used to follow these rules when I first got started, but later decided to do my own thing. Here they are:
5 Blogging Rules I Refuse To Follow
1. Keep Post Short
No Way!! My posts will be as long as they have to be. Who made up this craziness about people having short attention spans. So, we come online and all of sudden we’re dumber?
I’m sorry but that doesn’t make any sense to me. If your posts are interesting, engaging, entertaining and/or educational then they can be 1,200 words long, or more.
Check out these posts and then read the comments. I don’t think any of my readers have short attention spans. Do you?
4 Ways You’re Destroying Your Credibility and 5 Tips To Avoid It
How To Create A Content Packed Lead Magnet In 6 Hours Or Less
How To Create An “Ideal” Lead Generation Process On Your Blog
The 1,062 Words Guide To Creating An “Almost Perfect” Sales Process
2. Make Everyone Happy
In other words, don’t say anything to piss anybody off and agree with everybody. Those of you who have been following me for a while know how I feel about personal branding and how taking a stand can only HELP your brand.
People will disagree with you and they might be really mad at you, but if you’re trying to make everyone happy you’ll be hurting your brand in the long term because you never stood for anything.
3. Be Perfect
This is more of a belief rather than a rule. I’ve never actually seen a blogger write about how we have to be perfect in everything we do, but we still think we do.
There are people don’t publish their podcasts and videos because they aren’t perfect. They don’t put out content regularly because they feel it can be improved, but it ends up hurting their productivity.
This belief of perfectionism will stop you from taking any action and it’ll hold you back. Let go of it and just be human. Remember that being the best YOU you can be if perfect enough.
4. Post Everyday
This topic has been beaten to death, but with good reason. There are benefits to posting everyday and benefits to posting less frequently.
But the idea of making this a blogging rule just isn’t cool. I, like many other bloggers, got burned out when I was starting out trying to do this. Yes, my blog grew but then I stopped posting for about 2 weeks. (not good)
It really does depend on what your blogging goals are.
5. The Goal is More Pageviews
This also depends on your blogging goals, but more and more bloggers are realizing that building community and getting the right people on your email list is much more important than pageviews.
I would rather get 500 responsive email subscribers than 10,000 pageviews and no one signing up any day. Wouldn’t you? Let me know in the comments below..
I’d really like to hear what you think about “blogging rules” and how you’re doing things differently. Oh and if you got value out of this, tell your friends about it; they’ll think you’re cool. :0)
Let’s Talk
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5 very interesting rules indeed. Actually, I came to blogging with the 2 rules you mentioned in mind – short posts + blogging everyday. I read these rules somewhere, but the more I blogged, the more power blogs I read (including yours, Hector!), I find that many didn’t obey these rules!
And after that, I went on to write my longest post ever… about 3000+ words (I try to be different for the first time), and I get many comments and reviews from people (more than my short posts!). Haha.
Look forward to next Hacker Series!
Ding Neng´s last post ..Why I Participate In Article Marketing Contest And Why You Should Not!
Hey Ding.. you just proved that it pays to be different. Keep up the great work man – you’re going to the top..
I am glad I see mentioned posts length and frequency among the rules you don’t wan to follow, as I feel exactly the same.
If the message you want to convey is clear enough, 400 words are as good as 1200, it all depends on what you’re talking about and how you wanna talk about it.
And frequency, I don’t want to be tied to a fixed once-a-day schedule, as I feel it would drain my creativity pretty quickly, and I wouldn’t be able to sustain it in the long term.
Gabriele Maidecchi´s last post ..The Importance of Ideas as the Real Fire of Innovation
It sure did drain mine.. I was writing a post a day (even Saturdays at times) and then went 3 or 4 weeks without a post idea to save my life..
These rules can ruin a blogger and make him/her feel discouraged
Hi Hector,
They aren’t rules. I don’t follow them at all. To be unique we just have to do whatever we think it’s right to do.
We don’t have to determine the length, just let the words flow naturally. We surely don’t have to please everybody, as you mentioned we simply can’t. Nothing is perfect in this world and there is no way we can be perfect.
Consistent posting frequency rather than posting everyday is better to avoid a burn-out. A high interacting community will have your trust rather than people coming and bouncing away.
Thanks for sharing your insight.
Lye
Lye Kuek Hin´s last post ..Do Your Blogs DELIVER
Lye I completely agree – we have to do what feels right to us. Of course, listening to advice is great, but in the end if we don’t feel good about what we’re doing, why do it at all?
Hi Hector,
Rules are meant to be broken.
I agree about sticking to certain decorum. Being outright obnoxious with spammy practices or intentionally bad-mouth other bloggers are 2 no-no’s.
Outside of these basic ideas I feel most rules are broken each day. Perfect example. I have a Disqus commenting system and a NoFollow – GASP! – blog
I’ve received 97 comments on a post and routinely get 40 comments per post. I’m breaking a massive rule yet I still have an engaging blog with loads of comments.
Rules that the majority accept can handcuff you. Your blog might be growing like a weed yet when you come across an accomplished blogger stating that what you are doing is “wrong” or “breaking a basic blogging rule”, you stop doing what’s working. I made this mistake more than a few times in the past.
Believe in yourself. Believe in your judgment.
Thanks for sharing your insight Hector.
RB
Ryan Biddulph´s last post ..3 Catastrophic Mistakes I Made as a Home Based Entrepreneur
Yes.. that’s a perfect example of how these “rules can ruin a blog. People listening to other successful bloggers saying how to “do it right” will stop their progress and change things up.
Totally agree Ryan
Thanks for this post. I got caught up on the short blog rule and it really hurt my creativity. I found my commenters were missing my point because I was not using enough words. It was an insult to my readers and I am still recovering from the damage.
Dennis´s last post ..Prayer Request- The Republic of Sudan
Hey Hector,
Your post absolutely fantastic! These are the rules I recently thinking about as I start boring reading similar post everywhere.
To answer your questions:
Why is it that people let the “rules” of blogging rule their blog?
Is it because they need validation that what they’re doing is right?
Is it because they’re afraid of making a mistake?
My answer would be “yes”. I think that there are many bloggers who follow other who claimed to be successful blogger. And yes, because they really need success so they are afraid of making a mistake.
May I show you one off topic example. There are 2 kind of painting on canvas.
1. Hand-painted – this one create by hand, we are not afraid of any mistake. The end result is amazing; although we recreate from the same image but each painting will be unique with different brush stroke create by hand. Its price also higher.
2. Print painting – this one we use printing machine to create it. The 2 or 3 or 4 or more paintings from the same image will have exactly same details. Its price is lower.
So, why scare? Think different, you may earn bigger money.
Rose @ Samui Art Gallery´s last post ..Tips on Buying Authentic Buddha Paintings
Rose.. that’s a perfect example!
I love how you connected my ideas with art. I can see why breaking the rules and being unique can bring you more money..
thanks for your great comment
Hi Hector,
I prefer to call them guidelines that should be used, kind of like a template, to help new bloggers get started, so that they’ll at least have something to go by, but by no means should they rule a blog.
I think you know how I feel about rules
When I first started blogging, the so-called SEO rules seemed so mechanical and un-inspiring, so for a while, I ignored them and just wrote the best content I could – turns out, when you do that, if you stick to your topic, you kind of do this naturally. Of course, my SEO tactics have evolved a little, now I do go back after I’ve written a post and do a little research, just to see what I can do to optimize what I’ve already written, but I don’t let keywords rule me.
I guess that’s the point – don’t let anything control your blogging, instead use it your advantage if you can, if not, toss it. Control your blog – don’t let it control you
Kiesha @ We Blog Better´s last post ..Get Serious – Your Blog CAN be Your Home Based Business
“Control your blog – don’t let it control you”
That pretty much says it all.. thanks for your insight Keisha :0)
Very interesting approach to the series, Hector – I am sure many bloggers (including me) will agree with you on these “rule-breakers”.
If I think about it, I am sure I can come up with another one or two, but the point is clear – your readers love you or should love you for who you are and not who you think you should be.
Ana
Ana @ Traffic Generation Cafe´s last post ..How to Successfully Write an Awesome Post Per Day – Every Day
“your readers love you or should love you for who you are and not who you think you should be.”
Nicely Summarised Ana, could not have put it better myself.
Great tweak on the series Hector!
No pressure now Ana LOL
(Now you know how I felt last time LOL!)
Alex´s last post ..How To Hack Your Own Blog Without Anyone Noticing
I didn’t know there was any pressure until I saw your comment, Alex!
Ana @ Traffic Generation Cafe´s last post ..Google PageRank- When Your Think PR- Think Public Relations
That’s hilarious LOL!!
Ana.. I’m sure you’ll hit it out the park with yours.. can’t wait!
Completely agree with you Ana.. and yes; that was very nicely summarized.
Hey Hector,
Blogging is what it is because of the freedom it gives you. So following any other rules, except for the most basic of things is wrong in my opinion. I believe that every blogger should “create” his own rules and do what he believes is good for him and his readers. The length you mentioned in first place is not at all a decisive factor. Giving useful information that can be put to practice right away is what really matters. If it can be presented in 300 words, then OK. If not, there’s no problem in going beyond 1000 words. That’s how I see it.
Daniel Sharkov´s last post ..How to Deal with Criticism And The Different Types of Critics
Exactly.. if the post takes you 500 words to get your point across, Fine. If it takes you longer. that’s fine too.
I am glad to have read this. I tried to blog everyday when I first started back June, 2010. However, I was pushing myself to hard and got burned out pretty quickly. Now, I’m getting ready to pick my days for my posts and stick to it.
I try to read what some quality bloggers say because I have several that have taught me a lot through their blog. I was finding I didn’t have time to ever read them when I was supposed to write a new post everyday. I think I’m setting my own personal goals rather than the blogging goals. I don’t monetize my blog so I don’t have the pressure to have an income with it-not yet anyway.
I want to thank you for the post. I helps me “just leave myself alone & write”.
Sally Brown´s last post ..Rainy-Day Love
Often the pressure of “having to” publish a post keeps up from publishing anything at all. Not having any monetization strategy in place yet is good. It gives you time to find your voice and what you want to truly talk about..
wish you the best
Hi Hector,
I’ve made also a post about breaking rules and I agree totally with you, it depends a lot..
# 1 the length is irrelevant the content is a must.
#2 #3 impossible to satisfy to all in a perfect way, can do you on it offline – no way also.
#4 the crucial is: frequently whatever it is – yes everyday is ideal but sometimes isn’t real.
#5 it depends of your goals this only part of the equation of the bloggers
Have a great week,
Gera
Gera@SweetsFoodsBlog´s last post ..11 Mistakes Why Social Media Fails
This may be my favorite post of yours to date! These are definitely common “rules” I’ve heard about blogging, and they’re all ones I break as well, for many of the same reasons. AND a few of them are related to each other! I, of course, have views on each section, so here goes:
1 – Keep it Short: This goes back to my time in college as an English Major. I was always taught that the only time you should be concerned with the quantity of your writing is when you are ensuring that you have completely covered your topic(s) and made your point(s). If you can make your point in 1 well-written paragraph, don’t stretch it out, and vice-versa, if you can’t squeeze your point into a 140-character twitter post, then you’re going to have to bite the bullet and write on a different platform.
2 – Make Everyone Happy: My thoughts on this are so intermingled with my thoughts on #5, that I’m going to cover them both at once…
5 – The Goal is More Page Views: The goal, ultimately, is to make money. The way to do that is by gaining as many page views (wait for it)… from the right audience (there it is)… as possible. Trying to keep everyone happy is a fruitless endeavor that will leave your writing bland and flavorless. Writing like that attracts readers about as quick as gruel attracts hungry people who have easy access to better food. The truth is, your personality and your beliefs probably won’t jive with everyone. So why bother trying to attract an audience that, ultimately, won’t like what you have to say anyways? Rather than making yourself “right” for a particular crowd, why not let the right crowd find you?
3 – Be Perfect: This has never been an issue for me… being perfect already an all. I kid, I kid. I am a stickler for spelling and grammar, and I do like my content to be just right… but I am also a big believer in letting people know you’re only human. This one is a tricky subject… you need your content to be as good as you can make it, or maybe even better… but you also need to be true to yourself. You really have to find the right balance, and I think you really nailed this one on the head!
4 – Post Everyday: I agree with you 100%! This is an overrated idea, and it’s just not necessary. Sure, in a perfect world, we would have a 24-hour stream of our own thoughts for our audiences to access… actually, that’s a terrible idea. And so is daily posting. For very similar reasons.
Again, loved this post! Thanks so much for sharing!
Hey Hector
I could not agree more, especially with # 1
I would rather engage with people who take the time to read something regardless of ho wlong it is.
I really do not want to attract people whose attention span starts to drift after the second sentence.
Peter
Peter Fuller MBA´s last post ..How to Track Keyword Conversions on Your Blog
Hey Hector
I couldn’t agree with you more. I don’t even know where to begin. I could comment on about everything that you just touched up on here, that I probably could write my very own article. But You and I are a lot alike on your thought process. I do follow some guidelines and rules, but I’m far from perfect, but I do try to put my best performance on when I can. Take it or leave it. Thanks for sharing. This is something that needs to be heard from a bunch of people.
Steven Dean
Steven Dean´s last post ..Alexa Ranking Newbie Update
these are the best 5 tips to be followed. i need to work on tip number 4…
Electronics Tutorials´s last post ..Transistor As Amplifier : Bipolar Junction Transistor Tutorial
The way I see it, what separates the successful bloggers from failure is their capacity to defy the “rules.” an open minded and smart blogger knows what works for him and what does not.
Being unique and making some trial and error are the best ways to succeed in blogging.
Amen, brother! I emphatically agree with each one of your points here!
My posts are NOT short. I just can’t say what I want to say and what needs to be said in 500 words! My average is about 1500 words per post, and people respond really well to that kind of stuff. It’s odd that the same bloggers who say “Keep your posts short!” also say, “Write long ‘pillar’ articles as linkbait.” But… Why not just have EVERY post be linkbait?
And I HATE posting every day. Last year I ran 3 daily blogs and it just about killed me. I don’t think it’s possible for one person to maintain high quality posts if they post every day. And I don’t like reading a blog every day, no matter how good the content is. I don’t want to feel like I’ve got to go to your blog every day!
Phew. Anyway, I could rant on and on, but I should probably stop. Moral of the story: YES. I agree! Post thoroughly enjoyed and retweeted.
Tristan´s last post ..Bloggers- Are You Actually LEARNING Anything Useful
Hi Hector!
Well, I obviously agree with many of your points! My posts are usually around a thousand words. I’m not concerned with being a people pleaser and I’ve found that not being perfect is really freeing.
Where we disagree, is that right now, I’m in the middle of a blog challenge to post daily 5 days a week and I’m loving it. I’m only a week and a half into it, but it’s going amazingly better than I dreamed it would. For me, with the intention of posting daily, I’m writing much more from my gut than from my head, and it seems to be resonating with my readers very well so far.
Rules are meant to be broken!
Heather
Heather C Stephens´s last post ..Clever Marketer Prove It! Blog Challenge 2011
Another great article! Yes, I do follow blogging rules and at times it can be overwhelming. As a solo-preneur I am realizing I cannot physically do everything at once. That leaves me with a question for you. Everyone seems to be recommending wordpress – do you really think its essential. I sell, make, and teach others how to make lace wigs. Yes, I do blog weekly, but it wordpress essential? Please help cuz this is a big decision my web host right now does not support wordpress.
Yondel´s last post ..Get Hair like From Melanie in the GAME
Hi Hector, awesome article – really interesting stuff. I have just started blogging and have been confused about all the stuff everyone’s been telling me. I now realise that not everything works for everyone all of the time – your blog shouldn’t try to be like anyone elses.
Thanks
Justin
Justin Teoh´s last post ..Recap Of The Six Figure Mentors Marketing Webinar- Free Facebook Traffic
Hi Hector! Let me try this comment again…
First, I love your post The 5 Rules you Refuse to Follow. And I love your blog! I bookmarked it.
Second, I took over my blog after the person I hired to do it was just plain lazy. I knew I knew more about what I did than she did and subsequently got fired for being too picky about her posts. It was for the best. I learned to blog from the ground up and still have so much more to learn! I had 12 followers when she had it, and now I have over 200. Would like more comments, but hey, whatever…. one day maybe?
My posts are as long as they need to be to tell the story. I certainly don’t write to make everyone happy, and I was warned against this in my writing by a peer. But I am honest, tell it like it is and tell the whole story: the good, the bad and the ugly. if people don’t want to read it they don’t have to. I try to write about things I would want to know… One of the most important things I like to do is write to an audience, not to myself.
I’m not perfect, and I don’t blog everyday. I try to get new ideas from real life running of an office and being a nurse. Not re-vamped, over-used stuff that no one cares about. I have lots to learn and I ‘m hoping to re-vamp my site, my URL and market myself and not my business name in the near future. So much to do and learn, so thanks for your blog posts and your site. Keep inspiring me!
Robin
YAY!! I get to read your comment now :0)
So you said a few things that I think are very important when it comes to content creation. “write to an audience, not to myself.”
A lot of startup bloggers/content producers don’t think about what their market wants and create stuff that doesn’t resonate with anyone, which is just a waste of time. I’m glad you take them into account when writing.
Secondly, you said that you try to get ideas from real life. That one took me a while to figure out, but I noticed that the more I spoke about the stuff I was DOING, as oppose to the just sharing RANDOM information, my audience started growing and my comments started to pour in..
I hope you take your blog & business to a whole new level this year.. I wish you the best
thanks for wanting to share your thoughts (sorry it took you so long)
Hector
I think the best rule to follow is to do what makes sense for you. You should write to a style a frequency that fits your personality. Don’t try to shoehorn yourself into other people’s “rules.” Afterall, the goal is to bring out your own voice so that you can develop a relationship with the people who visit your blog.
Richard´s last post ..5 Traits of an Outstanding Blogger
Hey Hector, I really think your post was amazing..I got some good info and tips from it thank you for sharing this with us all and I hope you have a good day.
Mike
Mike Sherratt´s last post ..Easy SEO Tips to Improve Your Rankings
Awesome post Hector,
I can imagine you breaking out of the bloggers comfort zone and finally able to breathe
I think some of those things have been mentioned many times. Posting frequency and short and long posts is what I’m referring to.
Perfectionism..ah.. one thing that plagues almost everyone of us. I think that has been one of the stumbling blocks towards some of the things I wanna do. That is my biggest problem in the list here. Great post to jolt me to do something about it!
Bryan´s last post ..Link Building Recipe- Bad Ingredients That Spoil The Pot
You’ve got the winner’s attitude. You don’t let anyone hold the rein for you. That’s an commendable approach. We all have our own strengths and weaknesses as individuals and we know what we can do best. This should be our core principle.
Anne Sales´s last post ..Network Solutions Offer Code
Hector,
“Keep it short” was one I could never figure out. Just say what you want to say makes much more sense. I have been in blogging challenges, where we had to blog every day. It was good for building a lot of content for a new niche site. But I found that setting a schedule for consistent weekly posts works best for me. It gives me time to market the post to my list and on social sites.
There are some rules I like to keep – like easy to read layout and keeping my important info above the fold.
Appreciate you take on hacking.
But when it comes to writing my stuff. That is me and mine
Sheila Atwood´s last post ..Ready To Buy or Sell Your WordPress Site
Yes! This is the reason I named my blog “The Unblogger” – because I’m tired of the so-called blogging rules.
You make some good arguments in this post. “Make everyone happy” got me thinking though…
Who actually suggests that? Does anyone truly believe they can please everyone, all of the time? Talk about setting yourself up for a fall…
Ben´s last post ..How Project 365 Has Helped Me to Reach a New Audience
That’s exactly right Ben. I’ve spoken to aspiring bloggers that have a fear of being wrong or disagreeing with the norm. This is, what I believe to be, the herd mentality that’s in all of us; the desire of wanting to be part of something.
As oppose to doing something completely different. Talking about the things that aren’t being spoken about. Writing bold content and in the process, upsetting a few people. But, also in the process, really connecting with those who resonate with what you’re saying, with your message and your writing style.
But I agree.. they will be setting themselves up for failure, if they fail to find their voice and stand for something; even if it alienates a crowd of people.
Hi Hector,
For example your blog, I don’t mind long posts, as long as it’s entertaining and informative at the same time. I’ve learned many things from your posts.
I think the rules you said that other blogs followed weren’t really rules, but actually only guidelines. You can follow them or not. Anyways, rules are made to be broken!
Thanks for sharing!
Felicia @ No Deposit Poker´s last post ..Aussie Millions Main Event – Day 1b completed- Gavin Griffin finished in 10th place
Who cares about rules? To me, we’re here to write what our visitors need. As far as I’m concerned, you start stuffing things into rules and tight little boxes, you stand the chance of alienating one of your visitors. If your readers need explicit details and it requires 3000 words to convey it so they get it, then you write 3000 words to make sure you provide value to them.
In my own experience, I’ve found that the word count isn’t going to matter. It’s the visitor and what they need that calls the shots. If your post has it, they’re there and they’ll keep coming back. If it doesn’t, well, then maybe you need to do a bit more work to understand who they are and what they need. You know that saying that goes “rules were meant to be broken”. With some things, they really are, and this is one of them.
Good luck to you all with your making money online dreams =)
Jim Sanders´s last post ..trogar1971 wrote a new blog post- How to Make Money Online with Affiliate Marketing â Doing it Successfully
I tried the short post route and just couldn’t do it unless the topic demanded it. I am more of the notion of writing length being determined by the topic and what I have to say more than anything else. We publish 5, maybe 6 days a week, but I also have several contributing writers. If I had to do this myself I would implode. I love blogging, but I want to also be doing this for a long time, and burning myself out by publishing once a day would do just that.
Eric Nath´s last post ..G4′s Fresh Ink with Blair Butler – The Death of Batman and Robin
I don’t follow the “keep post short” rule because I like writing wrong articles. Content farms were built with shorts posts and look where they are today after the Google Panda.
I agree with all! I have an awesome community and I think that’s the secret. I always say the best part of my posts is the comments. I’m lucky if I average one post a week. I don’t want to write just to make such a goal. Excellent points!
Melinda´s last post ..Good Moms Have Sticky Floors
Hector, of what I have learned from this blog, you are really funny.. Haha!
Never keep post shorts!
Stick with what you do..
Hey Hector
I’m new to your blog and I really enjoyed this post. I like writing long posts and have been criticised for it, but that’s me. I found that I really liking writing about what I like writing about and if I do it in 200 words then that’s awesome. However, I usually add an extra 1000 words just to get my point across!!!!
I think this post is about standing out. It’s so easy to fall in step with what it looks like everyone else is doing, but one of the ways to get noticed is to be oneself.
A timely read for me.
Thank you, I’ll be looking forward to more from you.
IF YA WANT TO FLY LIKE AN EAGLE, YA CAN’T FLY WITH THE FLOCK. YA KNOW WHAT THE RULES ARE, THERE
NONE
Progress and innovation occur when people break rules. That’s all I have to say
Amen to that bro.. :0)
Great list, Hector! I have to confess, I didn’t know that’s what the rules were. Oops. I’ve been breaking them all along. Who knew? Good thing you said I didn’t have to follow them.
Imagine what a boring world it would be if everyone followed the same template!
Carolyn | The Wonder of Tech´s last post ..Have a Heart!
It would be very boring.. Good thing there are people like us who break rules :0)
Hector,
You are one funny guy! This is timely since I’ve been only at this for oh….3 weeks. So much information and I can see how it can be overwhelming. Thanks for sharing your best practices. Great for newbies (like myself) and for veteran bloggers as reminders.
Oops, this isn’t a long enough comment!
Kidding…..
Hello, Hector,
I’m a first-time visitor to your blog (found it through a friend’s paper.li) and, honestly, this is something I’ve never done before: comment on my first visit.
But you’ve packed so much common sense into this post that I couldn’t help myself.
First off, “don’t spam other blogs” and “don’t badmouth other bloggers” are elementary etiquette. Yeah, with all the ‘rules of blogging’ floating around in the ether, quite a few people don’t know to be polite.
So I wouldn’t describe these as blogging rules, they’re more like rules of engagement. Blogging is so much like a block party; you don’t know everyone, but you mingle, make new connections, maybe share some valuable info. One thing you absolutely mustn’t do is be a jerk.
Post length: you use as many words as it takes to get the point across. Some of my favorite posts are well over the 1,000-word mark.
The rules were meant to be broken. Advice is often best ignored. What most people want to do is blend in — so they will obsessively look for rules to follow. I’d rather be supported by 200 weirdos that are on the same page as I am than slip into a straitjacket and write according to a formula.
Each blogger knows what’s right for them. The only rules I follow are self-imposed; post on a schedule, put out the best stuff I can, and ship no matter what.
Actually, the schedule helped me avoid the pitfalls of perfectionism. I specialize in story prompts, and sure enough, I’ve posted material I wasn’t 101% happy with, but hey, now they’re out there and I’m OK. I get appreciative emails and comments from time to time, so I must be doing something right. I’m doing something that I love, that makes me happy. That was my goal to begin with.
Rule no. 1 in life and blogging: love what you do, do what you love. I guess that’s one rule I don’t want to break.
Bell´s last post ..Port Me to a Tablet, I Want to See the World
Completely agree! Thank you!
Aaron´s last post ..Photo
I will second you on your second point. You commit brand suicide by being safe and copying everyone. It can feel warm and cozy to stay in our comfort zones where you won’t offend and one. But the consequence of staying there is that you don’t really stand out and make a statement enough for people to care. At the start of this new year, I posted a sticker on the top of my monitor that reminding me to: “BE BRAVE.”
A good friend and mentor told me that Fear & Growth go together like PB&J. I try to remind myself that any time I feel like being small.
Mandi@ professional consultant marketing´s last post ..Success
This is a great reality check for my own blog. I know you are sticking to the tried and tested ’5 ways…’ headline grabber, but in essence I think you are saying that Niche over Volume is a good strategy
- niche means having an opinion
- niche means not churning out posts for posts sake
- niche means going into a subject in depth
That said I guess volume works if you are trying to generate income from masses of traffic and low click-thru ratios on generic ads. I know several people that do very well out of that approach.
Richard Blundell´s last post ..Why court ruling on right to free TV through mobile could actually benefit TV networks
What there are rules to speaking my mind? I have not ever really followed any specifics, just write, type, and be glad that people came and read. Great article.
elizabeth traub´s last post ..I Want To LIKE You