Here is a short list of blogs I’ve began to follow. These bloggers may not be as big as some of the well-known bloggers but they do have a lot to offer in terms of helpful, informative and insightful blog posts. They have small loyal readership already in place which is quickly growing.

Blogging Kid

I’m beginning to see much younger bloggers make it into the scene and I think it’s great! Harish is 14 years old and already has picked up quite a bit of readers.

Blogict

I’ve read a lot of great posts from Ardit on this blog. He’s only 17 and generates a lot of conversations within each post. Great place to learn new information about blogging with a great community.

The Net Experiment

Here’s a guy trying different methods of making money from a blog. He goes in depth with analysis and does video on his blog too. Well worth checking out and following.

Zalds

I couldn’t find an about page on Zalds but this blog talks about making money online with your blog through affiliate networking and other methods. I’m looking forward to the next money tip post.

Franklin Bishop

Franklin has been blogging for a while now and I’m not sure how I missed this guy in 2008. He’s got great articles about blogging in general. All tips available to any blogger.

How to Make My Blog

Here’s Marko, truly a great blogger that brings value to each blog post. He always has a blog article worth reading.

Jamie Harrop

One of the first bloggers I started to follow religiously. His content is fresh and unique. If you comment on his blog he’ll respond to you in a heartbeat.

I’m sure I’ve missed out on a few blogs but I am leaving this open to you guys to submit any links that you feel should be included. I’ll continue to add onto the list.

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So how can you comment like a pro and participate in the comment threads?

Read the blog post

Don’t comment until you’ve read the blog post. Don’t comment with “I’ll have to read this when I get home.”

Read the post in your free time then leave a comment.

Stay on topic

A comment shouldn’t be focused on me, me, and me. Leave a worthwhile comment related to the author’s content. Leave a well thought out comment instead of information pertaining to your new blog post that has no relevance to the blog post you’re commenting on.

Usually bloggers will consider that as comment spam.

Contribute

Do your best to add to the author’s main point that can be beneficial to not only the author but also other readers. Respond to other commentators if you can provide useful input. Try not to do a hit-and-run “nice post”.

Elaborate

Instead of writing “nice post” on a blog, try to think of why you thought it was nice. Was it nice because you learned something new that you could utilize. Was it a great post because the content was truly original and inspiring? Elaborate and help author with constructive criticism.

Bring value

Before you hit the submit button think to yourself,

“Would I want this same comment on my blog?”

If not, edit your comment to something more valuable to the author. By bringing value in your comments also bring value to your own blog. Be genuine and express how you truly feel.

Be respectful

If disagree with an author’s post don’t be disrespectful towards them and the readers. Be aware of the tone you might create with your comment. Sometimes people perceive things differently online.

Proofread

Please re-read your comment before you submit it. Make sure you spell everything correctly. Read your comment out loud to ensure the grammar is correct. We’re all not perfect but you do want to bring value and quality with your comment.

Can you provide more tips for providing higher quality blog comments?

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I hope everyone was safe out there.  The holidays are now over and it’s time to begin a new year with new experiences.

The new year will be the year for my blog. Earlier I displayed goals that I want to achieve for this blog. To achieve those I’ll be setting monthly goals that will slowly work up to my main goals for the year. During the month of January I will be working towards:

Reach 25 RSS subscribers (currently I am at 13)

RSS feeds have their place and I feel that more advanced readers take advantage of this. January will be the month of converting blog readers to rss readers.

Implement email subscription service

There are a couple of readers out there who prefer to just get an email about a new post rather than surf to the web page all the time. I think I can connect with my readers this way and make things more personal.

Brainstorm a marketing strategy

Every blogger must learn some sort of marketing in order to drive more traffic to their site. I’ve been doing it blindly for a couple of days. It’s time for me to sit down and really think this through.

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With Wordpress, I implemented a plugin called Comment Relish that allows me to interact with each reader that makes their first comment on my blog. It’s a great Wordpress plugin I recommend to every blogger looking to make a connection with their readers.

The problem I am dealing with is that I believe Comment Relish will send my email to you even if you have posted on my blog before. It’s supposed to send an email to a first time commentator. I’ve received my own email when I reply to comments on my blog.

I want to know if you, the reader, have received multiple emails from me about your first comment.

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Image from Jeff Pang

If you set a goal, will you reach it? If you don’t set any goals, how can you measure success? Every blogger should set a goal. It doesn’t matter how small or large the goal may be but you must shoot for something in order to get somewhere.

The new year brings on new challenges for my blog. It’s only 3 months old but it looks like my blogging has come quite a long ways. Most blogs don’t make it past the first week.

I sat down and developed a short list of blogger goals. What I want to achieve for 2009. If you’re new to blogging or haven’t set any goals for you blog, you are more than welcome to take my goals and make it your own.

Here are my blogs goals for 2009, in no particular order:

1. Increase rss subscribers to 100
2. Implement an email subscription service
3. Generate 100 email subscribers
4. Reach a total income of $300
5. Generate 1000 visitors each day
6. Have unique blog posts 3 days a week
7. Convert new visitors to repeat visitors
8. Develop a marketing strategy

Have you set any goals for 2009? I’d like to hear them and hopefully we can hold ourselves accountable to each others goals.

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I hope everyone gets wonderful gifts! Remember to drive safe and drink responsibly.

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Image by ground.zero

A blogger’s biggest challenge is overcoming the challenges blogging while working a full-time job. Here at rowelldionicio.com, I’ve developed a system that works with my schedule and has me posting blog topics efficiently.

I work in IT full-time so I know that it’s not simple to blog everyday like other probloggers but there are tips and tricks to make blogging simple and effective while working full-time.

Keep track of blog topics

Have a notepad nearby to jot down a quick blog topic you want to write about. With this method you won’t lose your idea and can blog about it when you have the time.

Delayed Publishing

Some bloggers like to write most of their week’s posts in one day and spread out the publishing times during the week. Take advantage of publishing throughout the week. You can delay a post to publish in 5 days at a specific time. It’s your preference. You’ll get more posts done without having to spend each day writing and publishing.

Brainstorm ideas

Like above, always keep a notepad or similar recording aparatus to jot down blogging ideas. Be aware of your surroundings and actions that could possibly become a potential blog topic. Use a mindmap to draw up subtopics of other blog topics. It’s a highly effective way to create blog post followings and series.

Wordpress iPhone App

Do you have an iPhone and a Wordpress blog? Download the free app from the iTunes store and write posts when you’re on-the-go, on your lunch break or in line at a store.

Utilize an RSS Aggregators

to keep track of what your fellow niche bloggers are blogging about. This is another way to generate ideas for your blogs. Are you opposing a blogger’s stance on a subject? Maybe you can write an opposing post to that blogger. Another post could spark an idea in your head for a new topic.

Inspiration

Subscribe to other blogs in your niche. Read their content and ask them questions, if you have any. Reading other blogs will generate ideas and give you the umph! you need to keep blogging.

Motivation

What motivates you to blog? Is it the passion of writing or is it monetizing? Whatever it is just always keep it in mind and always blog for the end result. You can find motivation in different forms such as reading other blogs such as Problogger.net or Copyblogger.

Make your topics open-ended or ask a question to your readers to stir up conversation. Bloggers get more motivation to blog when readers are engaged.

Connect with other like-minded successful bloggers and you will lead the same path.

Commitment

Time is precious to us all. So developing that commitment to blogging is a difficult task. For any blogger I recommend setting a time schedule for when you want to write out blog posts. Typically, I set 1-2 hours during the weekend to develop one week’s worth of posts. My blogging frequency goal is 3 posts per week but 1 post minimum.

Decide what works best with your schedule and write out as many posts as you can for the days you just don’t have the energy to write. Put it in your calendar and set a reminder for that commitment.

Reader response

So I set out to the web and asked other bloggers out there what challenges they face with their full-time positions.

I would say my biggest obstacle is getting a complete post out before it becomes old news. While I could fit a quick, paragraph-long post while at work, I’d rather devote time to researching and thinking through an issue before commenting on it. It doesn’t help that my commute is two and a half hours a day, either. By the time I get home, I’m too tired and feel it’s too late to bother posting anything most of the time.
ochua1

I work a day job too Rowell. Things I do to overcome the common obstacles we face are:

Work during the Night - I lose sleep, but it’s quiet and I get better ideas
I note post idea’s regularly for later use
I read other Bloggers posts and that helps get the creative juices flowing
I also write posts in advance for the days that I’m just tapped out!
mikewayne

My biggest obstacle for blogging is the time commitment. I usually have plenty of ideas for things to blog (past research projects I’ve been meaning to write up or future ideas I’d like to develop more thoroughly). Unfortunately, I don’t prioritize bloging mostly because I almost never get any comments or feedback on the site (!), and so I often go several weeks between new posts. (Recently, however, I began posting this “Word of the Week” visualization game-thingy; that now gets posted weekly.)
Brynn Evans

@rowell I work too much to blog professionally, and my personal blog gets little attention due to being busy and/or lack of motivation.
jimmyweee

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“how do I spread the word about my blog?”

It’s a recurring question I get in my inbox. Today’s resources make it very easy for any blogger to tell a wide range of people about your blog. The reach is large and can be rewarding if you do it properly.

Today’s tip for the blogger is to look into your niche and go where your fellow niche bloggers go. Find where your competitor bloggers are talking about your subject. The best way to go about this is by plugging in your niche + forum in your favorite search engine. Aside from that, here is a list to help spread the word about your blog.

Join forums

Best way to drive traffic to your blog is to join a forum and help other users. A blogger can generate a web presence and provide a service to others. Free information is a web traffic resource.

Use Entrecard

Most new bloggers join Entrecard to increase the visibility of their blog. I’m still in the experimental stages of Entrecard but it is possible to leverage it to your advantage. Check it out and see what it can do for you.

Comment on other blogs

Develop relationships with other bloggers in your niche. Give a valuable comment about their post and engage in conversations. Please do not comment “great post” or “loved it!”. Expand on that thought and tell them why you thought it was a great post or why you loved it.

Twitter

If you haven’t heard about Twitter then you’ve been living under a rock. Get on and join the crowd! It’s a great way to connect with other people all over the world. A blogger can also use it to share their posts.

Facebook

I’ve always thought that Facebook is the new Myspace. Everyone is networking on Facebook and it’s also another great way to market your blog. Chances are that you have friends on Facebook who you can share your blog with.

Article Submissions

As a blogger, you probably have a ton of articles to share.. right? If so, submit some to a site such as Ezine. You can get credit for your article and even drive traffic to your own personal blog. Some article submission sites pay bloggers to write for their site.

Email Signature

This is a free and easy way to market your blog. Just add your blog url address to the bottom of every email you send. For example, your email might say:

Hey Barbara! I’m doing great. I’d be more than happy to take care of your dog for the rest of the week!

Rowell Dionicio
www.rowelldionicio.com

StumbleUpon

Get your site Stumbled by other users. Visit stumbleupon to get the gist of it but there are plugins for Wordpress bloggers to add to the bottom of every post. By having your readers stumble upon your site, it can get shared to the stumbleupon community.

Write A Guest Post for Another Blogger

It’s nearly the same as submitting an article to article submission sites but you can write a specific article for another popular blogger. By doing so, you give the blogger some great content and in return you will get traffic forwarded back to your own blog. It’s a win-win-win situation. I wrote a guest post not too long ago for Jamie Harrop. I’ve found this method very rewarding and plus I made a new friend!

Sharing with Family and Friends

Spread the word by actually telling your friends and family that you’ve got a new blog. A great friend or family member would do the best thing and tell anothe r person. Next thing you know, you’ve got word of mouth spreading.

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There are basically two types of bloggers in the world - reporters and experts - and some people perform both roles (usually the experts, it’s hard for reporters to become experts, but it’s easy for experts to report).

If you have ever taken an Internet marketing course or attended a seminar specifically for beginners, you have probably heard about the two different methodologies. Whenever the business model is based on content, and if you blog for money then the model is based on content, people are taught to either start as reporters, or if possible step up as experts.

I’ll be frank; you want to be the expert.

Reporters leverage the content of the experts and in most cases people start off as reporters because they haven’t established expertise. Experts enjoy the perks of preeminence, higher conversion rates because of perceived value, it’s easier to get publicity, people are more likely to seek you out rather than you having to seek others out, joint ventures come easier, etc… experts in most cases simply make more money and attract more attention.

Most Bloggers Are Reporters

The thing with expertise is that it requires something - experience. No person becomes an expert without doing things and learning. Bloggers usually start out without expertise and as a result begin their blogging journey by talking about everything going on in their niche (reporting) and by interviewing and talking about other experts (reporting again).

There’s nothing wrong with reporting of course and for many people it’s a necessity at first until you build up some expertise. Unfortunately the ratios are pretty skewed when it comes to reporters and experts - there are a lot more reporters than there are experts, hence reporters tend to struggle to gain attention and when they do, they often just enhance the reputation of the expert they are reporting on.

Don’t Replicate Your Teacher

If you have ever spent some time browsing products in the learn Internet marketing niche you will notice a pattern. Many people first study Internet marketing from a “guru” (for lack of a better term). The guru teaches how he or she is able to make money online, and very often the view that the student gleams is that in order to make money online you have to teach others how to make money online.

The end result of this process is a huge army of amateurs attempting to replicate what their teacher does in the same industry - the Internet marketing industry - not realizing that without expert status based on a proven record and all the perks that come with it, it’s next to impossible to succeed.

Even people, who enjoy marginal success, say for example growing an email list of 1,000 people, then go out and launch a product about how to grow an email list of 1,000 people. Now I have no problems with that, I think it’s fine to teach beginners and leverage whatever achievements you have, the problem is that people gravitate to the same niche - Internet marketing - and rarely have any key points of differentiation.

How many products out there do you know of that all claim to teach the same things - email marketing, SEO, pay per click, affiliate marketing, and all the sub-niches that fall under the category of Internet marketing. It’s a saturated market, yet when you see your teachers and other gurus making money teaching others how to make money (and let’s face it - making money as a subject is one of the most compelling) - your natural inclination is to follow in their footsteps.

If the key is to become an expert and you haven’t spent the last 5-10 years making money online, I suggest you look for another niche to establish expertise in.

Report on Your Process, Not Others

The secret to progress from reporter to expert is not to focus on other experts and instead report on your own journey. When you are learning how to do something and implementing things day by day, or studying other people’s work, you need to take your process and what you do as a result of what you learn, and use it as content for your blog.

It’s okay to talk about experts when you learn something from them, but always relate it to what you are doing. If you learn a technique from an expert it’s fine to state you learned it from them (and affiliate link to their product too!) but you should then take that technique, apply it to what you are doing and then report back YOUR results, not there’s. Frame things using your opinion - your stories - and don’t regurgitate what the expert said. The key is differentiation and personality, not replication.

Expertise comes from doing things most people don’t do and then talking about it. If you do this often enough you wake up one day as an expert, possibly without even realizing how it happened, simply because you were so good at reporting what you did.

You Are Already An Expert

Most people fail to become experts (or perceived as experts) because they don’t leverage what they already know. Every person who lives a life learns things as they go, takes action every day and knows something about something. The reason why they never become an expert is because they choose not to (which is fine for some, not everyone wants to be an expert), but if your goal is to blog your way to expertise and leave the world of reporting behind you have to start teaching and doing so by leveraging real experience.

Experience can come from what you do today and what you have done previously; you just need to take enough steps to demonstrate what you already know and what you are presently learning along your journey. I know so many people in my life, who are experts simply by virtue of the life they have lived, yet they are so insecure about what they know, they never commit their knowledge to words for fear of…well fear.

Blogs and the Web in general, are amazing resources when you leverage them as a communication tool to spread your expertise because of the sheer scope of people they can reach. If all you ever do is talk to people in person and share your experience using limited communication mediums, you haven’t much hope of becoming an expert. Take what you know and show other people through blogging, and you might be surprised how people change their perception of you in time.

Reporting Is A Stepping Stone

If your previous experience and expertise is from an area you want to leave behind or you are starting from “scratch”, then reporting is the path you must walk, at least for the short term.

Reporting is a lot of fun. Interviewing experts, talking about what other people are doing and just being part of a community is not a bad way to blog. In many cases people make a career of reporting (journalism is about just that), but if you truly want success and exponential results, at some point you will have to stand up and proclaim yourself as someone unusually good at something and then proceed to demonstrate it over and over again.

Have patience and focus on what you do to learn and then translate that experience into lessons for others, and remember, it’s okay to be a big fish in a small pond, that’s all most experts really are.

This article was by Yaro Starak, a professional blogger and my blog mentor. He is the leader of the Blog Mastermind mentoring program designed to teach bloggers how to earn a full time income blogging part time.

To get more information about Blog Mastermind click this link:

Blog Mastermind

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