Finding the Best Blog Platform and Host
Before I found my current host, I left three from which I didn’t get a single comment! So do a research first. Decide if you want a ‘monetized’ or an advertisement-free blog. Some hosts allow monetizing, some don’t. So if you choose to self-host your blog, then it’s better to monetize it to cover your expenses.
Choosing your blog Theme
There are specific themes designed for your niche or speciality.
Choose your niche carefully
This was my first mistake. At first, I started writing just about everything that floats my boat. Then I learned that you could monetize your blog at least to cover your writing expenses, time and effort. Some professional bloggers even teach that you shouldn’t spend on your blog or site until you’re earning from it.
So decide if you want a monetized blog or not – then decide what your blog will be specifically about. Will it be about Technology, Science, Business, etc?
Continue search for better blog platforms
Most probably, your first blog host will not be the best.
Practice Ethics of blogging/networking
Choosing the Right Time to Publish
If you care to get traffic to your weblog, here’s a great tip. Prepare your post early but publish later. Yes. There is a right time to publish your blog post. And I learned that lesson after 3 long years! So how do you know the right time to publish? Look at your stats. If your traffic for the day is rising normally, don’t publish yet. If you publish at once, the traffic you’re getting for your latest post will most probably stop. What your visitors will see is your new post which they might not be interested in. So publish only when you see that your traffic has slowed down drastically. Prepare early, publish later. Never publish a new one if your latest post is getting enormous traffic.
The biggest mistake I made in blogging was that I didn’t use hyperlinks in about the first 9 months of my third and current blog Plato on-line. Why? When I started that blog, hackers using hyperlinks was very rampant during that time (first half of 2009). So I was afraid to use hyperlinks. And because I didn’t use it, I lost traffic and subscribers. One of my blog-mates even got a bit mad at me. So when you start blogging, study at once how to create hyperlinks and use it. Just be sure that the site you’re linking to is malware free.
Most importantly, do not publish immediately after your final draft is ready. Let a night pass. This is a mistake I made so many times. The result was I had to edit my article again just after a day because some important additions would suddenly come up.
This is the continuing and maybe, the hard part. How do we make sure we’re blogging politically correct?
a. Your content
We have freedom of speech so it’s really up to you what you write even if it’s offensive; which of course I practice but don’t endorse. But if you will write a rant or offensive piece, target specifically so the innocents wouldn’t think they are part of it. You wouldn’t want your followers to think they are part of your target. If you’re after popularity or sales, then you wouldn’t want to offend everyone so be careful what you write.
One way to make sure your piece isn’t offending: have a kind-hearted person or editor read your article then ask if it’s reader-friendly.
b. Your comments
Now this is where most bloggers offend each other the most. I myself have offended through comments without intending to although one or two I admit were careless though innocent; and that is why I’m reluctant to write about this – it would smell hypocrisy.
We just really can’t be sure how our words will be interpreted. And that is the reason why we should be extremely careful.
Tips:
Never make or reply to an offensive comment when you’re still angry.
Most of the time, we will find that it’s not really worth our anger as time passes. What I do is ignore offensive comments if I want someone to stop sending it. You bet it works. We will even sometimes find we can learn something from the offensive comment. The offensive commenter might even become your fan if you befriend the person!
If you think you have made an offensive comment, follow-up at once and apologize before you get a reply. The more time passes, the more damage the comment will do because it spreads.
c. Spamming
This not only apply only to commenting but also to e-mail marketing. The rule is DON’T SPAM. What do you think your reader will do when the reader learns you spammed him/her? Of course the reader will spread the news which would brand you as a user of your fellow man. I suggest you use a blog host or platform that uses Akismet.
Now there are human spam comments that you really need to spam. Human spam comments are innocent and not dangerous right?
Wrong!
It can be an attempt to steal traffic, comments, or hijack your weblog altogether which I have experienced. If comments are not related to the post, it is spam especially if it asks you to click a link. So check the link first before clicking.
A good way to block spam comments manually is this:
If you use WordPress like I do, go to your Dashboard and follow Settings -> Discussion. In the comment blacklist, enter words like porno, gambling, and whatever words, IP’s, and e-mail addresses you think should be banned. Be extra careful who you spam or blacklist!
Blogging the Right Way
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