There are two types of learning. (… at least from what I’ve experienced) Passive Learning and Active Learning.
Passive Learning is like the learning we do at school. You sit behind a desk and listen to the teacher/professor go on and on about some lesson that you’ll probably never need in “real-life”
..and then there’s Active Learning. This is, in my opinion, where TRUE learning begins. This is experiential learning. Everything you get from this type of learning is TRUE KNOWLEDGE because it comes from actually taking action.
While blogging, I’ve come to realize a few things that I would’ve never known without actually doing it. Hopefully this insight can help a few people avoid some pitfalls, and also be a more effective blogger.
Here’s The 5 Things I Learned About Blogging While Blogging
1. Your Posts Need To UNIQUE – Especially in the internet marketing/entrepreneur space, there are sooooo many people trying to get the market’s attention through blogging. So the best way to ‘cut-thru-the-clutter’ is to add some personality to your posts and simply create a blog that provides value but also sounds different.
Unusual posts related to your niche will get more attention than the same ol’ “How To Create A Blog” posts. Remember, your readers are humans too – who like gossip and other weird stuff, so entertain them. ;0)
2. Have More Than One Traffic Source – This is very important.. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!! If all you’re doing to get traffic is Forum Marketing – what would happen is those Forums decide to delete all the “signature files” when your links are? - That’s right, all your traffic is gone!
Now, that probably won’t happen, but hey, who knows.. the point is to get traffic from different sources and sites – just to be safe.
3. You Will Meet Some Amazing People – Through blogging I’ve met some great people, and developed partnerships and small collaborations. The internet doesn’t have to be your only communication medium – take it offline and talk on the phone with those you meet and you might end up with a great business partner.
4. Once It Picks Up – It REALLY Picks Up – Yes, there is some work involved. Yes, there are some elements that your blog needs to have in order to be effective
..But, once you have an effective blog set up, and you start providing that value – it’s only a matter of time until you start getting massive exposure, deals, collaborations and partnership with other leaders and up and coming leaders in your industry.
5. You Gotta Enjoy Writing – Fortunately for me, this is something I realized I actually LIKE doing. If you don’t enjoy writing – making videos or pod casts would be the next best thing – but, although video is really HOT right now, you’ll be eliminating a big chunk of your audience who might enjoy reading more than watching a video. (..just a thought)
I know most of you have been blogging for a while.. tell me:
What Have You Learned About Blogging While Blogging?
Leave me your comments below – I’m sure I’ll get great responses from all of you. As always, if you enjoyed this post Tweet It, Digg It, Share It, & Stumble It.
It’s been great! Talk soon
To your Success,
———————
Also, check out these Blogging Tips by Keisha Easley over at We Blog Better.
Further Reading:
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Hey Hector,
The biggest thing I’ve learned is to take action regardless if you are not comfortable or complete. I see way too many individuals waiting for everything to line up before they take action. You and I know that it never lines up right.
I tell people go create that first post and don’t worry about all of the technical stuff you read (SEO, backlinking, or all the types of marketing).
After a couple of post then you can start implementing small things until you are comfortable with it. I can speak on this for a long time.
Chat with you later…
Josh
Josh Garcia´s last [type] ..The Secret to Successful Blogging
Hey Josh..
Definitely.. taking action and just getting it going is a great tip..
thanks for sharing
talk soon
Hector
Hey Hector, can’t agree more, especially with #3 You Will Meet Some Amazing People.
and Josh, you are right on, too many become paralyzed trying to do everything perfect.
Peter R Fuller´s last [type] ..Why I started my own Home Business
Peter,
Forget those who say these connections aren’t real.. – I say they’re as real as they get..
thanks for sharing
talk soon
Hector
Hi Hector,
More than anything I’ve learned to churn out quality content on a daily basis with your audience in mind. Think of what you’re writing about and how it can benefit your readers.
Provide something of real value, network with your fellow bloggers and you can grow a great following.
Thanks for sharing,
Ryan
Ryan..
you made a great point.. talking to and getting to know your fellow bloggers is a great tip. It takes a small mindset shift from seeing bloggers as competitors and seeing them as potential partners..
talk soon
Hector
Hi Hector,
I have learned that if you are consistent and if you provide good value, people will thank you and this is a great feeling, where you are helping someone to take his business to the next level.
And of course meet amazing like minded people just like you and learn from them.
Great post.
Jiri
Jiri Majkus´s last [type] ..How To Increase Capture Page Opt In Rate With This Simple Method
Jiri,
Great point bro.. consistency is key, when you continue adding value, great things happen
talk soon
Hector
Hello Hector the Inspector LOL….! Sorry I mean Hector the Alexa Director!! (A great stand out title!)
Thanks for your tips and words of wisdom. What you have made me realise is that its time to write more on my blog and stop reading others and researching IM info… I am just confused about monetising my blog and traffic generation…
Anyway, I am sure I will get there somehow!
Have a great day!
Regards,
J*
JacStar´s last [type] ..Standing on the starting blocks
Thanks Jac..
Researching and learning is definitely a must, I mean I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t educate myself first, but if you’re trying to build a brand, and build a business around YOU – then blogging and adding value first is the best way..
I’m sure you’ll get there soon too.
talk soon
Hector
Hi Hector,
well done, as usually. It’s important to be authentic and not to try to please everybody. On the other hand, we never know whom we’re going to meet ouu there on the internet, so it’s crucial to adress people through the channel they like, be it written stuff, spoken content or visual content like video. The good thing about a blog is that it allows everything of these various media.
Take care
Oliver
Oliver Tausend´s last [type] ..The Fall of a Leader – from the Desk of my Friend and Mentor Michael Dlouhy
Oliver,
Wow.. great point man – meeting people through different mediums.. a blog does all three very well
thanks for sharing
talk soon
Hector
Hector, man, long time no see in Teamwork Tribe, I am so glad to see you again
So this post deserves a special traffic from me..
Everything you wrote is absolutely true – there’s no real learning without doing it. You can read all the books in the world, but you’ll never learn as much as when you are actually applying what you’ve read.
I actually like to do everything the hard way and find paths to do things on my own.. It takes more time, but I learn much more on the way..
And I am specially thankful that I’ve met so many great people and marketers in our blogging communities, thats a real treasure, bigger than meeting thousands at all other places..
Keep with great work,
Milena
Hey Milena.
thanks for stopping by..
You’re so right. Meeting people who like the same stuff you like and that are into the same thing is always great
thanks for sharing
talk soon
Hector
Hector,
Thanks for sharing what you have learned, i like #3 , i have met so many new folks from many different niches, backgrounds all over the world by regularly updating my blog…Value plus being yourself equals a successful blog in my opinion.
Chris Bernardo´s last [type] ..Stop Trying to be the GURU-Specific Niches
Chris..
Your opinion is correct bro..
Authentic Value = Success.. I like that
thanks for sharing
talk soon
Hector
Sometimes we can all learn the Hard Way or “The Highway”. Don’t change the wheel. TAKE ACTION APPLYING IT & Believe!
Iv had a couple of breakdowns with my blog and you can see Iv lost me header after optimizing with different plugins which did not like me theme. hahaha But you just keep going. These are just things you go thru. Its repairable. Don’t wait. Stuffin around to make it look perfect hahaha Iv lost me blog a few times thru test and trial. hahahaha
Great Tips Keep Rockin Hector!!
Maria Eves
MLMTrainingBase
Maria Eves´s last [type] ..Monetize Your Twitter
Maria,
We just gotta keep moving forward.. things will happen and break down but that shouldn’t stop us..
thanks for sharing
talk soon
Hector
Hi Vector ;
It is a great , valuable , and unique post . Sure you are true about practice , and you told us the exact feeling about writing , i became a writing fan after writing some posts
Thank you for your valuable information
Mohamed Fawzy
Mohamed Fawzy´s last [type] ..Do You Have the Right Followers On Twitter
Mohamed,
Writing gets easier and easier as time goes on and you continue to put out more and more content..
thanks for sharing
talk soon
Hector
Hi Hector,
My first visit here and I learned something, I love that!
I have been trying to not have my eggs all in one basket, to diversify is good and can be easily done even in small niches.
I enjoy the writing once I have a good idea to write about, occasionally I fumble about looking for the topic for my next blog, but once I have that, it’s fun to put the ideas on “paper” to share with others and make it communicate to them with some humor to leaven the lesson.
Thanks for writing,
Alan
Alan Eames´s last [type] ..I Can’t Do That- I’m Scared
Alan,
Glad you learned something, and I agree with you, its a lot of fun writing down your ideas and sharing it with others in your own way.
thanks for sharing
talk soon
Hector
Hector,
Interesting thoughts on blogging. In fact, one of them that to me that was highlighted today as I visited another blog was that, as you said…
“You will meet some amazing people.”
I would say that I am just beginning that process. In that way, I see the internet world as encouraging. My wife and I were interacting the other day and one of the things that came up was the simple thought that “there are a lot of good people out there” that you just don’t hear about.
And blogging does introduce you to those.
Of course, the idea about liking to write: that’s definitely me as you know. And, I can say that one of the challenging areas that you have demonstrated for me is how you can create quality material that is not pages and pages in length. I need to keep on learning that and producing more consistently.
Your thoughts on creating a variety of content (i.e., video and written) caused me to pause for a moment. True: people learn and “like” in different “skins” so-to-speak.
Thanks for sharing,
Lee
Lee Wise´s last [type] ..Attraction Marketing Excellence – On Being A Sensitive Dad
Lee,
Great point – there are some really good people out there that are willing to lend a hand and actually help others.
…and yes, I like keeping things, short, sweet and to the point but there are always exceptions to this rule – it all depends on your readership – but it’s also a great rule of thumb to follow if you’re just getting into content creation.
Thanks for sharing Lee,
Talk soon
Hecror
Hector,
I realized that even if you’re not the greatest writer, VIDEOS Make Great Blog posts As well.
Jordan Schultz
~Social-Media Specialist~
Jordan Schultz´s last [type] ..How To Get MASSIVE Exposure With Your Facebook Fan Page
Jordan,
Great point bro.. videos are great for getting your message out
thanks for sharing
talk soon
Hector
These are great points Hector!
Blogging is FANTASTIC!! Especially when you’ve chosen a niche that you are super passionate about! Not only will you be able to share your knowledge with others, but you will meet tons of really great people while doing so!
Thanks for sharing!
Amanda´s last [type] ..Do You Know When To Say No
Hey Amanda,
Yup.. so many different connections that would’ve never happened if it wasn’t for blogging..
I love it!
talk soon
Hector
Thank you for the tips! I just started to blog and will defiantly keep these in mind. Hopefully it will be successful!
Kelly´s last [type] ..Introduction Day 1
Hey Kelly,
Your welcome – if you need any more help, there’s a ton of stuff on here that you might find useful – feel free to look around.
Wish you the best and keep moving forward.
talk soon
Hector
Hi Hector I’d say the biggest thing I’ve learned is that you don’t have to be the greatest writer in the world to put your message out there and that with practice comes improvement.
Alex,
I totally agree with you.. with practice comes improvement.. and soon you’ll turn into the greatest writer ever.. :0)
thanks for stopping by
talk soon
Thank you Hector for this brilliant idea!
Blogging seems to be an interesting good hobby and later be an effective turnaround of multiple money through a low cost system. We can’t deny the fact that aside from those mentioned above, this could be the best online business strategy in online industry.
A.L.
Atasha Lewis´s last [type] ..Hello world!
Hi Hector,
thanks for the post.
Good tips to people who start blogging.
I am really meeting wonderful people trough the best blogs around (for now online, I hope also offline in the future).
Erik Emanuelli @ Free Make Money Advice´s last [type] ..FREE MONEY ADVICE n 64 – Get your Free Seo Report