My Does and Don’ts On Blogging

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from paulapcda

As I sit and think about what to include in this article, I find myself going back to when I first started my blog Singapore Kid’s Places, 18 months ago. I was a complete newbie, and I really had to learn everything from scratch. I envied the youngsters in their 20s (or younger) who found their way around a computer so easily. I didn’t even know how to copy and paste, so I had a lot to learn.

But I was determined to start something on-line that I could work on while the kids were at school; something that I enjoyed and that was fulfilling. Little did I know what a journey blogging and Internet Marketing would be.

I set my blog up using the blogger platform which I found ideal for me as I had a phobia about those four letters HTML. I was intimidated by all the jargon, and blogger was so user friendly that it didn’t take me long to work it out. I still love blogger although there are fundamental flaws with regards to SEO and also the long term goals of a blogger blog. But Blogger blogs can look very professional and there are some talented people out there who can tweak a template to make it unique.

But think long and hard before starting a blog with blogger in terms of your long term goals. If you want to sell the blog a couple of years down the track, don’t use blogger. You will also have more control using a wordpress blog, and access to some amazing plugins that are not available for blogger. My next blog will use wordpress and I will get over my phobia!

My blog has come a long way from the early days where I threw any widget up there just to fill the page. I have learnt that less is more, and readers really appreciate a well designed page, without too many distractions. You only get one chance to make a first impression, and this will often determine whether a reader will stay or move on. Even if the content is superb, I cannot stay on a page that is jam packed with ads, has spelling and grammatical errors and sloppy layout.

I have listed some of the Does and Don’ts I have learnt over the past 18 months. Some are still on my list to achieve (like “Don’t procrastinate”!). Most important is to enjoy the journey, learn all you can and take action!

1. Take action.
2. Plan and set your goals. Be specific.
3. Decide on a monetisation strategy early on.
4. Learn from the big guys but also follow the little guys who are willing to help.
5. Don’t be afraid to fail, it is through failure that we grow.

6. Outsource if the job is too difficult or timeconsuming.
7. Be true to yourself.
8. Don’t be a sleazy marketer.
9. Give value for money.
10. Give give give.

11. Make a business out of what you love to do in your spare time.
12. Be creative, think outside the box.
13. Don’t neglect your family.
14. Don’t subscribe to too many newsletters, delete any that don’t give value.
15. Don’t procrastinate.

16. Don’t think big, think HUGE.
17. Don’t expect people to buy your product just because you tell them to.
18. Connect with people, build relationships. Don’t isolate yourself.
19. Treat people with respect and talk to them like they were your best friend.
20. Give your reader the best content possible.

21. Treat yourself with respect.
22. Congratulate yourself for every small step you take on the learning curve.

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This post is contributed by Amelia Wallace and you can catch her in https://www.millysmix.blogspot.com/

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Share with me your thoughts or questions. Amelia and I love to hear from you.