It’s easy to get lost in the idea of communicating your ideas with the world. There’s just something amazing with knowing that what you write may have an impact somewhere in the world. As bloggers we are a special breed of writers with a unique niche in the the world that is highly specialized, much to people’s surprise.
Too often you hear stories of how blogging is unregularted and not to be taken seriously, but nowadays blogs are looked at as highly useful tools in communicating with large groups of people in a loose environment that encourages conversation and two-way communication. As such there are things that should be adhered to, and som basic guidelines to ensure that your steps in the blogosphere are the right ones.
Today’s post will quickly highlight some of the biggest mistakes made in blogging. Please note that these mistakes are generalized and may not pertain to your own blog, but in my experience and those that I’ve spoken with over the years, these seem to be the biggest problems on the net.
- Not using a self hosted blog
- Blogging from a lust for money instead of a passion
- Being authoratative or controlling on your site
- Expecting people to visit your site with little to no effort in promotions
- Using a “specialized” voice as opposed to conversational tone in posts
- Starting out with no goals
- Constantly checking blog stats
- Repeatedly changing the location of your blog
- Ignoring the importance of blog headlines
- Sharing only good things and ignoring the bad side of topics, be honest and open
- Failure to link to other sites
- Lack of interaction on other sites
- Worrying about your status on Digg, Reddit, or Stumbleupon, losing focus
- Failure to realize the importance of the “About” page
- Underestimating the time commitment for a good blog
- Not editing and proofreading your content
- Lack of SEO understanding
- Not promoting your feed
- A cluttered site design
- Using # based permalinks instead of title based links
As we go into the month of December, each of these topics will be expanded upon to help you become the best blogger we know you can be. I’m sure there are a number of other mistakes, some we might even make ourselves, but these are just 20 of some of the most highlighted problems.
Photo Credit DavidErickson, Annie Mole
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=02798a23-8520-4317-ac3c-593d9f56d2aa)
good tips! i am glad that i only have a few mistakes that i need to fix. cheers!
Even I, as a long time blogger, have things to fix. It’s amazing how topics as basic as this can be useful for both new and veteran bloggers alike. There’s always something to improve upon, glad to see you only have a few to work on. Good luck with your efforts!
My last blog post is..FreelanceCamp San Antonio 2009!
Good points, some people forget blogging isn’t just a blog without all the extra stuff.
I agree completely! Blogging is so much more than just putting thoughts down. Not to say that you can’t do that, I mean there is always room for journaling online, but if you’re really interested in monetizing your efforts, there’s a lot that needs to go into a good blog.
My last blog post is..FreelanceCamp San Antonio 2009!
I don’t understand number 3 above: “Being authoratative or controlling on your site”
I find that my authority in my niche and the fact that I offer a “no BS” approach is what draws people in and keeps them. They don’t want opinion or speculation…they want to be told facts they can use. (at least in my niche anyway)
AL
My last blog post is..Video: DIY Christmas Lights Simple and Classy
You know, I probably was not clear on that one, my apologies. What I meant was controlling with how people interact on your site. Some people like to edit out negative comments and thus stifle the conversation. Obviously if it’s in bad taste with foul language or spam, deleting is not a problem, but just because you don’t agree with a comment is no reason to remove or ban the person.
That is more along the lines of what I meant. Sorry for the confusion.
My last blog post is..10 Reasons Why Conversation is Important
You have shared great information. Being an amateure blogger I’m trying to learn from people like you.
Regards
Happy you enjoyed it! Keep learning, there’s a lot of information out there, but Bloggin-Ads works hard to make sure that we provide the best quality content possible.
Keep us informed on your progress we love to support our community!
My last blog post is..Losing Your Identity to an Online Handle
I think the biggest mistake is “Blogging from a lust for money instead of a passion” and the other one is “Using # based permalinks instead of title based links” which can fall in the lack of SEO understanding.