I came across an interesting post recently in my regular reading that posed the question - ‘Is blogging worth the time commitment?‘. Great question and one that most bloggers will ponder at some point. I’m not afraid to admit that I massively underestimated the time commitments associated with blog maintenance. At face value blogging seems like a simple case of writing and publishing articles. But don’t be fooled… there’s so much more to it. Don’t believe me…? Then come take a journey into my blogging diary…
Last year I thought I was a pretty damn good digital marketer. I had 5+ years industry experience and had just landed a job with Australia’s biggest digital marketing agency. I was on my way… Yet looking back as little as 4 months later, I’ve had a stark realisation. I knew squat! In fact, in retrospect I liken myself to a cocky teenager who thinks he has mastered all of life’s lessons. So what sparked this change of heart? Entering the blogosphere. Indeed, I now wonder whether it’s possible to be a truly good digital marketer without being a blogger…?
Just a quick post today to celebrate the loss of my PageRank virginity. It seems the Googlebot has finally decided to recognise my humble little blog. Now… I know that little green bar within the Google toolbar means very little… my good pal Dave told me so. But I do still tend to believe toolbar PageRank contributes to the social proof that influences perceived authority, just like Jonathon Fields wrote earlier this week (super article).
So a quick huzzah to me for reaching PageRank 3 within 4 months of launching the blog. Not bad considering I’ve done diddly squat to optimise the thing. Methinks it’s time to unleash the optimisation beast within…
It was only a few weeks ago that I diagnosed myself with a severe case of schizophrenia. Yet just as I come to terms with the reality of living with split personalities, I’ve been hit with another revelation… The torment doesn’t end there! You see… it has come to my attention that ever since I started blogging I’ve been behaving differently… and not just in your regular split personality sort of way. Oh no… it’s far worse than that. I’ve become obsessed… with blogging! That’s right… I’ve developed a little case of obsessive compulsive disorder. Crap!
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April has been a tough month. Aside from falling ill, I’ve also been busy keeping my personal life in order. As a result, my ability to blog regularly has been affected. Just three posts in 20+ days in April is evidence of that… hardly the quantity of work likely to maintain an engaged audience in a hyper crowded market. My struggle got me thinking about the issue of quantity vs quality, and whether it’s ok to publish a few crappy posts when you’re starved for time…?
Guest blogging rules. No shit Sherlock… I hear you saying. There are literally tonnes of articles out there already promoting the benefits of guest blogging. Glen Allsopp and Skellie are just a few of the many to openly write about their guest blog love. Wayne Smallman is another interesting contributor to the topic, due to his coverage of both the positives and negatives of guest blogging (yes… there are negatives). Yet despite all the guest blogging banter, I am yet to come across a case that provides tangible results. So on that note… welcome to my personal guest blogging story (particularly useful for blogging newbie’s).
Hey folks. You may have noticed it’s been a little while since my last post. Rest assured I haven’t lost motivation or creative inspiration… I’ve just temporarily lost my health (and my lunch on more than a few occasions). I guess that’s what happens when you burn the candle at both ends… Anywhoo, I’m on the mend and am hoping to be posting again by tomorrow. Until then…
Social media is a pretty basic process. Up until now I thought I had it all figured out - people submit content to their favourite community (such as Digg, Sphinn or StumbleUpon), other people read it and then vote for the stories they like. The articles that generate the most votes get the greatest exposure. Simple huh…? Sure… except it seems we’ve been taking one thing for granted… the fact that people actually read the stories…
Is it just me, or is anyone else out there getting a little tired of the generic Top 10 articles that flood the blogosphere…? It seems everywhere I go I’m confronted with a list that will revolutionise my digital life:
“10 ways to optimise your blog in 10 minutes”
“The Top 10 ways to use social media to build your brand”
“10 ways Twitter enhances your cyber-stalking capabilities” (Ok… I made that one up)
Etc, etc… Sound familiar…? Personally, I’m so sick of this article format that I thought I’d develop my own little Top 10 list - Ten reasons why Top 10 lists suck!
The war between good and evil continues. But in a significant development, Dr Jekyll has landed a major blow against the evil Mr Hyde. It seems the world was quite amused with my case of schizophrenia. And the social media community in particular rallied behind Dr Jekyll’s cause. The end result was a traffic spike that sent Dr Jekyll into orgasmic overload…