Back in January I was stumbling around the new SITS site because it’s totally fantastic and I came upon the forums. Honestly I typically run, very fast, from anything forum-like. I’m not sure, but I think it conjures up images of the internet circa 1995 and I just can’t live in a cyberworld of “chatrooms” and shady “experts” offering advice.
Nonetheless, I knew SITS was by no means shady and they were, in fact, experts. The forum I found was doing a challenge for 31 Days to Better Blog, based off the e-book by Darren Whats-his-name (Side note: I think Darren is an Aussie – so reading his book with an accent makes it even more fun because who doesn’t love that accent?!?!) Thinking it would be free, easy and make me an instant superstar in the blogoshpere (gotta love that optimism!), I signed up.
Ok, so maybe my ambitions were a little too high.
$14 and an e-book later, I was welcomed into the forum by Shelly, our fearless leader.
Not only is Shelly leading this chaos of bloggers wanting to be better, she also has plenty to deal with in her own real life, being a special needs mom and an advocate for all inclusive playgrounds.
Each day (throughout the week) we log on to the forum, answer the questions Shelly gives us (a summary of the assigned chapter for the day) and then we work on those key elements. Then, we visit the site of the person who posted before us on the forum. Speaking of that, it is the main reason I love SITS so much – those girls really got it right: The secret really is in the support.
And having little online parties isn’t too bad either! In fact, Shelly’s hosting one this weekend that includes a giveaway to iTunes! Holla!
But enough about MY opinions – here’s a recap of the 4 Most Important Things I’ve Learned about Blogging since I started this challenge:
- Don’t be afraid to PROMOTE your blog/posts (Day 3). Yes, you can over-do this, but most bloggers don’t do it at all! I’ve learned that promoting in moderation is a GREAT way to get people to read your posts. Utilize Facebook, Twitter, and other social bookmarking tools like Stumble Upon and Delicious to help you get the word out. Best of all: it’s FREE!
- Visit other blogs and INTERACT with the bloggers in your niche (Day 5-ish). I’m guilty of not spending enough time reading other blogs, but since I started this challenge it has been really awesome to meet some ladies that share some of my passions. My 2 newest bloggie friends are Kelli from African Kelli and Rachel from This Italian Family. These girls are super cute & fun and I recommend you go check out their sites too!
- Write a link post (Day 7). I was always afraid of doing this because linking off your site is a risk that readers might not come back. But I learned that engaged readers will come back and linking helps build not only your blog, but other websites too. Again, in moderation, this is a very effective tool to spread your ideas beyond just your blog.
- Interlink you old blog posts (Day 8). This has always been a favorite practice of mine, though I haven’t utilized it nearly enough! This is a good way to keep posts short (unlike this one) and still give readers a chance to get some background (or related) information. It also helps build up your own credibility by linking certain posts, if you do it right and don’t overdo it!
Add a new blog design to this challenge, and I’m feeling like a whole new blogger again!
Expect clearly I know way more than I did back in 2004 when I was on Blogger until I decided to interview for government jobs so I DELETED everything online.
SO STUPID!
I should have just “unpublished” it but I was too paranoid, so all those stories about nose rings, chasing garbage trucks and missing M&M’s are yet to be re-written for your enjoyment. Perhaps someday I’ll get around to taking a trip, down memory lane…until then you’ll just have to be satisfied with my random considerations, my lame attempts to be a good spy and my questionable allergy relief tactics!
