Written on December 20th, 2005 at 12:12 am by Darren Rowse

18 Lessons I’ve Learned about Blogging

In November 2002 I first heard the word blog after a mate e-mailed me a link and said I should consider starting one. Within 24 hours I’d created my first blog (a blogspot blog that doesn’t exist today). Since that time I’ve run 20+ blogs (most have survived, some have not) and I’ve also transitioned from hobby blogger to part time blogger to full time blogger.

Along the way have been many challenges, milestones and celebrations so today I thought I’d do some reflection and create a list of things I wish someone had sat me down and told me in the early days.

Here’s my top 18 Lessons Learned in my 3 years of blogging. Write your own ‘lessons’ list and let us know about it in comments below. If you enjoy this list you might also like to subscribe to my newsletter to keep up to date on more posts like this on blogging.:

1. Be Lucky

I’m increasingly becoming aware that despite the many hours of hard work that I’ve put into building up my business that many others work just as hard and are much more talented than I am but do not enjoy the success that I’ve been fortunate to have. While I don’t believe that luck is the main ingredient in my own story I am convinced that in combination with some of the other things I’ll talk about below it has been of real importance.

The luck I’ve had along the way has included just happening to bump into the right people at the right time (on many occasions), discovering ad systems that just happened to work well on my blogs, starting successful blogs quite by accident, getting links from bigger blogs that led to a snowball effect of incoming links from elsewhere through to choosing the right partners for different projects. I could write many thousands of words on the luck I’ve had but I’ll not bore you with the details except to say that I’ve been a lucky boy.

The key I’ve found with luck is to run with it and to make every lucky instance last as long as possible. So when you strike it lucky enjoy it but also ask yourself ‘how can I capitalise on my good fortune?’

2. Work Hard

Of course the saying that goes ‘you make your own luck’ has some truth to it. Gary Player once said - “The harder I practice, the luckier I get”

I’m a strong believer that to be successful you need to be willing to work hard. While there are plenty of people selling ‘easy money’ on the web I’m yet to find a method of money making that doesn’t have at least some element of work to it.

Success in many areas of life comes out of discipline and hard work. Getting your body in shape, having good relationships, succeeding at study etc all take some level of commitment and work. Work alone is definitely NOT everything (I’ve seen many hard working bloggers who have not had success) but it is one element that I think is essential.

If you want to get to places you’ve never been before you need to be willing to do things you’ve never done before. This sometimes means leaving one’s comfort zone and knuckling down for some hard work.

3. Use the Power of Exponential Growth

I’m not sure that that heading is the right words to describe this but I can’t think of any others that begin to describe the way in which blogging has the ability to snowball. Perhaps it’s a ‘Tipping Point’ thing but as I look at the last three years in terms of blog traffic, earnings, profile and opportunities I see that the first 18 months were very very slow. Growth was definitely there from month to month but because the numbers were so small it didn’t really feel like I was going anywhere.

The wonderful thing about exponential growth is that if you stick at it for the long term it’s a very powerful force. I look over at the poll I’m running this month and see that 27% of bloggers who responded are making $10 or less a month from Adsense and I know it sounds so little.

In reality it’s not that much but it’s more than I was making 2 years ago from blogging.

Here’s a calculation that I kept in my mind in the early days.

If that $10 a month increases by 20% every month in a year you’ll be earning $89.16 per month at the end of the year. Of course that sounds small for a year’s work and I’m sure many bloggers would give up at that point but lets take it further.

If earnings continued to rise by 20% per month for another 12 months and you begin to see the power of exponential growth with a figure of $794.96 per month. Do it for another year and the figure is $7088.01 per month.

Do those figures with the figure of 30% growth per month and the figure after 12 months is $232.98 per month, after two years its $5428.00 and after three years it’s $126,462 per month! You get the picture. Now I don’t want to promise you 30% growth per month for three years straight but as I’ve written before, the power of exponential growth in conjunction with hard work and luck is possible - it’s my story. I see each post I write as an investment in the future and something that has the potential to earn money for me not just today but over the long term.

4. Differentiate Yourself

Part of the ‘Luck’ I’ve had is that I started blogging three years ago and not three weeks ago.

The Blogosphere has changed in many ways - some for the better (the technology and tools these days are much more advanced) and some for the worse. The downside of starting out now is that for every topic there seems to be many blogs already - the web is becoming more and more congested as people discover personal publishing. It’s also become a more competitive business on some levels and in some segments some of the co-operative spirit of blogging has begun to fade as people build their empires.

All of this means that if you want to build a blog that is a runaway success you need to consider how your blog will differentiate itself from all the others out there. While not every blog needs to reach ‘runaway success’ status for you to make a living from blogging (20 reasonably successful blogs can do just as well as 1 amazing one) even lower level blogs need to find ways to stand out from the crowd.

5. Provide Value

This almost goes without saying but I’ll say it none the less. A key question every blogger should ask when starting out is around the idea of what value their blog will give readers. As I look at the year ahead I’ve been asking this question about some of my own blogs. It’s easy to go a bit stale and so reviewing the value that you’re adding is an important part of keeping things fresh.

Value can be about many things including entertainment, education, community, information, companionship etc Without it you’re not likely to get people returning to your blog, linking to it or participating in it over time.

6. Target a Niche

I remember after about 6 months of blogging having a discussion with my readers (I only had the one blog at the time) about whether I should continue to write a blog that was very general in topic or whether I should start a few new ones. I took a poll and they were pretty split over what I should do. I wish at that point I’d started new blogs but out of fear of losing a few readers I decided to plough on with a blog that covered incredibly diverse topics and that increasingly frustrated more and more readers who shared one interest with me but who were not interested in the other things I was writing about.

Moving to a niche approach where I developed blogs around more tightly focussed topics was where my blogging went to another gear and it was probably one of the most defining moments in my business.

Read more about the benefits of niche blogging.

7. Diversify

This connects with my niche blogging point well but goes beyond just having multiple blogs on different niches. It’s really about taking the age old advice of not putting all your eggs in one basket.

While there is some real sense in focussing all your energy on one excellent blog there is some risk involved in this approach.

So much of blogging is out of the blogger’s control and there are numerous problems that could lead to a one blog strategy ending in disaster (these include search engine re-indexing, hacking, loss of data, character assassination, competition, the topic becoming obsolete etc). All good financial planners would advise not to invest in one type of investment but to spread the risk - I’d advise the same with blogging.

Diversification is not just about starting numerous blogs. It’s also about exploring a variety of income streams. i.e. if all your income is from AdSense it might be worth looking at other ad systems, affiliate programs, consulting work etc.

8. Don’t Spread Self too Thin

Of course take my points on hard work, niches and diversification to the extreme and a danger is developing so many blogs that none end up being remarkable enough to develop a readership and profile.

Balance is important so diversify to the point where it won’t decrease the value that you want to offer readers. This will vary from blogger to blogger depending upon many factors including available time, interests, personality, topic chosen etc. For some of you it will mean two blogs, for others it will mean 20 or more.

9. Have a Backup Plan

I’ve written on numerous occasions about the e-mails I regularly get from people telling me that they are quitting their job to become a full time blogger without much thought to how they’ll pay their bills in the year or three that it might take to build up their blogging to pay a reasonable wage.

The moral of the story is that it does take time and in the mean time you need a back up plan and some sort of way to help you transition into your blogging business. Very few bloggers are able to go full time quickly - you might need another job (I had numerous other jobs for over 2 years) or some other form of income to keep you going for a couple of years. In fact the fact is that some bloggers work their butts off for a couple of years and still don’t have anything to show for it at the end. So be responsible and see ProBlogging as having amazing potential but as being something that has no guarantees.

I strongly recommend having a backup income while you transition into blogging and to have in the back of your mind a backup plan for if things go wrong. I’ve been developing a number of other skills and interests over the past year simply because I don’t know how long blogging will last as a full time income. While I hope and expect it will continue to work out for me I know I have a few different options at hand to down the track if it all goes pear shaped.

10. Be Light on Your Feet

One of the things I love about being a solo-entrepreneur is that I have a business that is flexible enough to take opportunities very quickly as they come up. When a wave of luck kicks in after all your hard work you need to be able to position yourself to surf the wave. If you’re too cautious or have a model that is too rigid you might just miss the opportunities as they pass by.

I’ve been caught napping a number of times in this way but have also had a couple of times where I’ve taken the opportunities and reaped the benefits. Of course I’m not saying one should throw caution out the window, but try to build something that has checks and balances that isn’t going to strangle the life giving opportunities that might come your way.

11. Relationships are Key

I was attracted to Blogging in the first place partly because of the way in which it enabled me (a shy guy) to connect with others interested in similar things to me. From the very beginning I enjoyed the relational nature of blogging but also the way in which it allowed me to retreat into my introversion from time to time.

As I look at the things that have been most successful for me in my blogging most of them have had the key ingredient of another person (or more than one) to either help me or partner with me. Most recent is my partnerships with Andy with six figure blogging and Jeremy, Duncan and Shai with b5media but the relationships go back much further than that and are many and varied. I try to put time aside every day to seek out and build relationship with key bloggers that I’d like to work with in some ways - it’s amazing how these connections pay off in many unexpected ways.

12. Establish Boundaries

One of the first blog tips that I ever wrote was on setting boundaries for your blogging. The post itself was pretty naively written at the time - as I reflect upon it I’m not sure I really knew what I was talking about - it was a nice theory at the time. In more recent times I’ve come to see that the point of those I was quoting in the post was incredibly valid and wise.

Boundaries are very important on a number of levels.

Firstly they are important on a security level and for your own well-being. I know this personally from recent events. Writing in the public domain can have it’s own risks associated with it. Work out ahead of time what information you will and won’t reveal about yourself, your personal details and those of your family and stick to those boundaries.

Secondly it’s also wise on a readership and niche definition level. Go changing what you will and won’t write about in terms of topics too often and you run the risk of disillusioning your readership. While variety in topic and voice can add spice to your blog you also will want some consistency in your approach.

13. Don’t read your Own Press

I recently saw an interview with Elizabeth Taylor who was asked if she read much of what people write about her in the media. Here answer was no - she didn’t listen to or ready anything any written or said about her good or bad. Her explanation as to why was (paraphrased)

‘If you listen to the good things people say about you you might just start believing them. If you listen to the bad things people say about you you might just start believing them’

While I wouldn’t go quite as far as Elizabeth Taylor in saying don’t read anything written about you (after all conversation and engagement with others is what blogging is built around) I would encourage bloggers to hold lightly to the opinion of others about you.

It’s easy to become big headed when people rave about how great you and your blogs are to the point where you end up being a complete jerk and think you’re the messiah but on the flip side it’s also easy to become disillusioned and depressed when they rant about and attack you. Part of the skill of being a good blogger that comes over time is that ability to know when to take on board what others are saying about you and when to leave it. It is important to listen to the praise and critiques of others but try to keep them in perspective or it could lead to your downfall.

14. Beware of Hype

Controversy, Sensationalism, Big Claims and Rants are all very useful tools available to bloggers. Many a new blog has found itself in the spotlight (either by design or accident) after a post where the blogger created a stir with one (or more) of these elements.

I don’t have an issue with using these types of posts myself from time to time but I would advise that it’s very difficult to sustain a blog built solely upon these elements. Blog readers are a fairly fickle bunch and will come read your post that generates a stir but unless they find something of genuine value in your blog over time they’ll probably not hang around too long.

By all means use these tactics to get your attention (but have thick skin because creating a stir can cause a backlash) but you’ll want your blog to have something else going for it to make a lasting impression.

Also keep in mind the story of the ‘boy who cried wolf’. Hyped posts might work once or even twice, but they tend to lose their impact over time unless you work hard to make them fresh.

15. Get a Life

I remember someone once telling me that ‘no one ever gets to their death bed and wishes that they’d spent more time at work’. I remember nodding and making affirming noises. You see at the time I was a lazy slob, didn’t enjoy hard work and never spent much time doing any.

Of course these days I actually DO enjoy my work and the temptation is to spend a lot of time doing it. I love blogging for it’s creativity, relationships as well as the good pay packet that enables me to do things for others and I could quite easily spend a lot more time doing it. As a result I spend considerable time working at my business.

But I’ve also learned that unless I take time off the rest of life tends to fall apart at the seams. Not only that but the quality of work I produce suffers after 16 hours in front of the computer and improves drastically when I sleep more than 5 hours and interact with real people or get into one of my hobbies (go figure). While I love it, blogging will still be there tomorrow and I have a much more balanced approach to it than I once did.

16. Make Mistakes

It doesn’t feel that good when you stuff up or make a mistake but as I look back on the last year or so it’s the times when I’ve blundered that opportunities have often flowed. The key is to learn from the mistake, to make the most of what follows and to see it as an opportunity to improve what you do and make the most of any publicity that comes out of it.

Elbert Hubbard got it write when he wrote - ‘The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.’

Learn to see mistakes as opportunities.

17. Be Yourself

One of the temptations of starting a blog is to spend more time trying to emulate other bloggers than establishing your own voice and style. While there are a lot of lessons to be learned from other blogs there is a lot to be said for developing a strong blogging identity of your own.

There are a number of reasons for this that come to mind:

Transparency - readers are an insightful bunch and will quickly find you out if you’re not being genuine
Sustainability - it’s difficult to sustain writing in a voice and personality that is not your own. Be yourself and you’ll last a lot longer.
Consistency - regular readers of a blog overtime take on a sense of ownership of a blog. When you chop and change your writing to emulate and please others you’ll end up disillusioning the people who make your blog what it is (your readers). Be yourself and you’re more likely to be consistent (I’m not suggesting be monotonous - you can still be creative and surprising - just do it in your own style and you’ll be right).

18. There are No Rules

Lists like these always finish with a point like this that says ignore all of the above - but that’s not the point of this point (can you have a point of a point?).

All of the above is essential stuff (for me) but the thing I love about blogging is that it’s such a new and emerging technology that there are very few things that you can’t do or shouldn’t try.

Push the boundaries, experiment with the model you’ve got, try new tools and techniques and have a blast doing it. The worst thing you can do really is make a mistake - and we all know that they rock!

What Lessons have your Learnt in Blogging? Write your own list and leave a comment below telling us about it.

What next?

241 Responses to “18 Lessons I’ve Learned about Blogging”

Aviad Ben Dov

December 20th, 2005 1:15 am

Great list, Darren!

I will definitely take it to heart. Especially on targetting a niche - I’ve been thinking a lot about whether a blog about “Java Technologies” is too wide, and maybe it could be spread out to several smaller blogs.

My main fear at the moment is that I am posting 1-2 posts a day at that blog, and I can’t be sure smaller blogs would enjoy high update rate, and if that’s bad anyway.

I already set myself to read your references on niches, so if you answer these questions there, I would probably know the answer in a short while. :)

Aviad.
Alison

December 20th, 2005 1:23 am

Goodness you are so utterly, consistently wise.
I’ve been blogging for about a year now (loving every minute of it!), but only recently discovered ProBlogger (the day I decided to take myself seriously) and I can’t begin to tell you the impact your writing is having on my work.

Point seventeen is the one that resounds most loudly with me: all to often I find myself trying to emulate someone bigger and better than myself, (I am not Martha stewart, I am not Martha Stewart…) and yet is at the times when I am totally and utterly me that my work achieves what I am aiming for: that is recognition that I authentically believe in what I write and want to create enthusiam for something I love.

Thank you.
18 Lessons Darren had learnt… » www.hafizismail.com - once a blogger, always a blogger

December 20th, 2005 1:28 am

[…] Darren has written a very excellent self reflection article on things he had learnt as a blogger. I quite like point #17 - Be Yourself. […]
John Evans (Syntagma)

December 20th, 2005 1:46 am

Very useful post, Darren. You know you’re turning into the Aussie Ralph Waldo Emerson, don’t you?
Paul -V-

December 20th, 2005 1:57 am

This is a wonderful article. Wonderful points.
Tertiary Blogging » Blog Archive » 18 Blogging Tips from Problogger

December 20th, 2005 1:57 am

[…] Darren “Mr Problogger” Rowse has written a very useful post titled, 18 Lessons I’ve Learnt as a Blogger. […]
dkessaris

December 20th, 2005 2:24 am

Some very useful tips here, thanks for the great article
Joe

December 20th, 2005 2:28 am

Hey Darren,
I’m not sure if this is an answer to my E-mail the other day, but it did give me insight into how you got where you are today.
Thanks for the peek into the past.
Scott Randolph.net » Lessons for Blogging and Life

December 20th, 2005 2:28 am

[…] Darren over at Problogger has made a list of lessons he’s learned about blogging. […]
Tammy Powley

December 20th, 2005 2:52 am

Ahh…so many niches I could fill and so little time to fill them! Excellent article.
spud

December 20th, 2005 2:57 am

Excellent post, Darren.

Everyone new to blogging should read it. And then re-read it….
Marcel

December 20th, 2005 3:02 am

Thank you Darren… This post is really well appreciated :)
john doe

December 20th, 2005 3:04 am

very2..amazing…motivation for blogger
NetMeeting

December 20th, 2005 3:59 am

I like it, Darren…keep writting and wish u happy blogging.
Maksim

December 20th, 2005 4:17 am

Very nice, i take this as instruction ;)
Netwalker

December 20th, 2005 4:24 am

Thanks, this kind of tips are the ones that helps building better blogs. I think this is a good starting point for anyone interested in blogging, besides if he wants to earn money or not.

I liked the 18th rule, because, as you say, this is a very changing enviroment, which has improvements and changes every day.
Ken

December 20th, 2005 4:43 am

I thought one of the tips was going to be:

Posts with lists are always popular.

:-)
The Tlog - a technology blog

December 20th, 2005 5:03 am

ProBlogger: “18 Lessons I’ve Learnt as a Blogger”

Darren Rowse has done it again. “18 Lessons I’ve Learnt as a Blogger” is an absolutely fantastic, comprehensive post, of the kind I wish my own blogs had (they will, but not yet).
The lessons Darren speaks of (and expands on, of co…
Mike Stopforth

December 20th, 2005 5:29 am

Lol Ken - hear hear. Lovely stuff, Darren - thanks for the resource. Do they have 36 hours in each day in Oz?
Lake Neuron » Blogging for dollars

December 20th, 2005 5:30 am

[…] A week or two ago, I did some posts about the basics of getting started in blogging. But if you want to get serious, and earn advertising dollars by producing a focused, customer-driven blog, check out this excellent post by Darren Rowse about the subject. […]
JT

December 20th, 2005 6:31 am

Thanks Dareen for this post. A lot of great points to be made out of this post.

We must have fun doing what we are doing, because it shows. If you are having fun, others will see that and follow.

Fun is contagious.
Liam Daly

December 20th, 2005 7:46 am

Have you just put material for 18 posts into a single entry? Commendable.
Easton Ellsworth

December 20th, 2005 7:54 am

Darren, great post. I’m putting up a commentary post about it at Business Blog Wire right after I leave this comment. Thank you for pointing bloggers toward success and making their journeys through the blogosphere more smooth and easy. And for not charging us anything to read your blog!
John

December 20th, 2005 7:57 am

Fantastic Darren! Your list hits at the heart of anything that you do in your life. Inspirational. Thank You.
BusinessBlogWire

December 20th, 2005 8:15 am

Problogger: 18 Lessons from 3 Years of Blogging

Over at Problogger.net, Darren Rowse offers 18 pearls of blogging wisdom culled from his extensive experience. (Three years is a long time to have been blogging, relatively speaking.) Read all 18 yourself, and leave Darren a comment.Here’s…
Darren Rowse

December 20th, 2005 8:24 am

thanks all.

Yes Liam - I did consider making this an 18 post series - but decided that it’d have more impact all together this time.

I hope you all enjoy. Thanks for the feedback - this post took me most of yesterday to write and is one I’m quite proud of.
Wie wird man ein Problogger » Webdesignblog

December 20th, 2005 8:28 am

[…] hier gehts zum Artikel Ähnliche Artikel: […]
A.H

December 20th, 2005 8:32 am

Darren, i have no words…i mean, thank you man! the inspiration, the knowledge and most importantly the exprience immersed in your posts are indescribable, really =)

A.H
Kim Dushinski

December 20th, 2005 8:41 am

GREAT information. I notice that you included a lot of pictures in this post (per advice from Arieanna Foley, a b5media blogger who posted here recently). It does make the longer posts easier to keep reading. And I am guessing this is also a hard working post like John Evans described. =:)

Quick question, where do you get all the photos?
Blogmania Business Blog » 18 Waardevolle lessen van Problogger

December 20th, 2005 8:53 am

[…] 18 Waardevolle lessen van Problogger Geplaatst onder: blogonomics, problogger — Bertrand @ 12:53 am Darren Rowse aka ProBlogger is een van de interessantste particuliere bloggers. Geen lid van een grote organisatie. Geen CEO. Just an ordinairy guy. Op de vraag hoe flik je dat heeft hij nu geantwoord met 18 Lessons I’ve learnt as a blogger. Lees ze, neem ze ter harte en oefen. Succes in 2006 (of begin vandaag!) « Het bedrijfsleven en Web 2.0 in 2005 […]
Knut

December 20th, 2005 11:00 am

Thanks for sharing in such a sympathetic way.
Small Multiples, a blog by Dmitry Nekrasovski » Blog Archive » Lessons about blogging

December 20th, 2005 12:46 pm

[…] I just came across this post by Darren Rouse, who is apparently a well-respected professional blogger, detailing lessons he has learned during his three years in the business (which, of course, is a long time as far as the blogosphere goes). Unlike the many other similar reflections out there, his is refreshingly ego-free, as well as pretty applicable to success in pursuits other than blogging. Highly recommended. […]
zamri79

December 20th, 2005 2:37 pm

I’m glad to read your lesson. I have to work hard, set my nicehe target and set my future plan in order to achieve what i want from blogging. Thanks for the lesson…..
Bill Nadraszky

December 20th, 2005 2:43 pm

Darren, I know that every post here is filled with thanks for giving this great, grounded wisdom from your years of blogging and these posts are well deserved.

When you write about exponential growth I know and understand exactly what you were thinking and hope that my mindset with little Google paychecks can be as strong as yours in the two earlier lean years.

Often providing value is one of the hardest things to do on a consistent basis, especially when you can easily just copy and article and add some of your own thoughts - you so very little of that I notice which makes the work much harder.

Thank you again for everything you have taught me over the last six months and thank you again today for helping inspire.
brem

December 20th, 2005 2:56 pm

I’ve been blogging for 6 months.
I’m wondering when this progression you talk at point 3 stops or regulates itself. As we know, the blogosphere is limited in readership, therefore traffic cannot grow indefinetly. Right now, my blog traffic of unique users has doubled last month and it probably going to double that amount again this month as I just yesterday reached last month’s results. Does the curve hit a certain amount of hits and stays there? Does it goes down again?

What is a blogger to expect?
Darren Rowse

December 20th, 2005 3:23 pm

brem - every blog is so different so it’s difficult to predict. Some blogs grow steadily every month - others are more up and down. In fact some don’t grow - I guess what I’m talking here about is my overall business which overall has grown in those ways.

I’m not making promises - but if you keep working your butt off and get a little luck things should continue to grow. Of course for me there is a ceiling coming with how much work I can actually do as one person - the challenge then becomes to develop systems that others can help me with.
Nat

December 20th, 2005 3:52 pm

Darren,

YOu should name this post as a 18 commandment of a Succesful blogger. it’s a good lesson too.
Michele

December 20th, 2005 4:35 pm

Great info! I was starting to get discouraged about adsense until I began reading your blog and understanding how exponential growth works. Thanks for sharing this invaluable information.
MarketingFacts :: dagelijks de nieuwste feiten & cijfers

December 20th, 2005 5:31 pm

[…] Darren Rowse is een van de meest interessante bloggers op dit moment die o.a. schrijft over business bloggen voor de kleine ondernemer. Oftewel, hoe kun je geld verdienen met bloggen? Op zijn weblog Problogger geeft hij 18 Lessons I’ve learnt as a blogger (via: Blogmania). Absoluut de moeite waard! Marco | Dec 20, 05 | 8:25 am | 0 comments | 0 views […]
bonhamled

December 20th, 2005 10:20 pm

I am a newbie to all of these of blogs (just two months) so your advices are very useful for me.
My blog is not commercial not bussiness but everyone of us; even those who claim they are individual and not devoted to blogosphere, likes to be world spread.
thank u very much
I will be here to learn and maybe to copy (in the good way of course ;).
bonhamled
http://almadormida.blogspot.com
bonhamled

December 20th, 2005 10:20 pm

I am a newbie to all of these of blogs (just two months) so your advices are very useful for me.
My blog is neither commercial nor bussiness but everyone of us; even those who claim they are individual and not devoted to blogosphere, likes to be world spread.
thank u very much
I will be here to learn and maybe to copy (in the good way of course ;).
bonhamled
http://almadormida.blogspot.com
Nancy P Redford

December 20th, 2005 10:37 pm

Whoa Darren,

This post is better than Xmas lunch. Plenty to digest here.
Thanks for sharing your intimate thoughts and advice with
us all. It’s easy to forget that you are not right here in my very home as I read through your insights.

Merry Xmas to you Darren and here’s to another prosperous New Year!
Charles Lacroix

December 21st, 2005 12:30 am

Hey, thanks for the great tips, i’m reading a lot on how to make your blog successful and you gave some good tips here, i will try to make my blog less widespread. Anyways, I hope i call back on your site for another great article :)
Instant-franchise

December 21st, 2005 12:44 am

2006 Quixtar/blogging goals: Top 20 goals
lifehack.org » Blog Archive »

December 21st, 2005 1:54 am

[…] […]
Anthony Pierre

December 21st, 2005 2:21 am

Hi [or should that be, Thanks] Darren,

I think I have lurked around here for too long without giving credit where it is due.

To say that I have benefitted from the posts and the responses on Problogger would be the understatement of the year. And I haven’t been blogging that long.

The package of information you presented in the 18 lessons, Darren, could easily be repackaged and sold for the benefit of bloggers irrespective of their stage of development.

I regret the two incidents in the recent past where you had to take a few days off due to feeling unwell and the most recent incident.

From my perspective, coming from the other side of the globe [Barbados, West Indies], I was always hoping you would have had a secret address since whenever you have to admit success in a public forum, there will always be an element of risk.

Thanks again for the quality information and while I am not a camera buff by any stretch of the imagination, I find myself slowly warming to the hobby. I wonder if perusing your Digital Camera site has anything to do with it….?
Blog Marketing, Blog Promotion for Newbies » Blog Archive » Interesting Technique

December 21st, 2005 3:35 am

[…] Darren, as usual, doing his helpful thing listing 18 Things He’s Learnt (is that like burnt? - oh yeah, Darren’s Australian ) About Blogging. Which answers a great question Liz asked the other day. I particularly liked #9. Darren and Liz sure receive a LOT of comments! […]
Luke

December 21st, 2005 9:21 am

Nice to see you’ve finally embraced the pink shirt as a real part of “you”. Now stop writing so I can do some work!
E L S U A . N E T » Blog Archive » 18 Lessons I’ve Learnt about Blogging

December 21st, 2005 9:30 am

[…] Over at Darren’s weblog, ProBlogger, he has just shared a very interesting and thought-provoking post that would be worth while reading: 18 Lessons I’ve Learnt about Blogging. Indeed, in that particular weblog post he details what his experience as a pro-blogger has been all along and for the last three years and more importantly what he has actually learnt throughout that period of time about professional weblogging. […]
GoodBytes

December 21st, 2005 2:52 pm

Thanks Darren, for this wonderful post and for the useful tips.
Darren’s 18 Blogging Lessons +1–Backwards! » Successful Blog

December 21st, 2005 4:16 pm

[…] Yesterday Darren Rowse at Problogger wrote the best piece on the 18 lessons he’s learned from blogging. I was with him on every one, but our order differs. That’s the story of being ME. […]
Darren’s 18 Blogging Lessons +1–Backwards! » Successful Blog

December 21st, 2005 4:16 pm

[…] Yesterday Darren Rowse at Problogger wrote the best piece on the 18 lessons he’s learned from blogging. I was with him on every one, but our order differs. That’s the story of being ME. […]
Blog Goodies » Combining Ideas in a Post

December 21st, 2005 5:08 pm

[…] I have found that combining ideas in a post make sense if it is a structured list…say like 18 Lessons I Learned About Blogging. […]
Kobayashi

December 22nd, 2005 3:04 am

Thanx Darren for this informative post. Do you have any plan to publish a book on blogging, cause you have many experiences and good results on it.
Technoogle » Blog Archive » 18 Lessons learned from Blogging

December 22nd, 2005 4:52 am

[…] Darren Rowse the famous six-figure blogger shares 18 lessons learned about blogging. In November 2002 I first heard the word blog after a mate e-mailed me a link and said I should consider starting one. Within 24 hours I’d created my first blog (a blogspot blog that doesn’t exist today). Since that time I’ve run 20+ blogs (most have survived, some have not) and I’ve also transitioned from hobby blogger to part time blogger to full time blogger. […]
Cornelius Solomon

December 22nd, 2005 6:06 am

Great information, however, I created a blog that does not work and I cannot figure it out. Who should I turn to?.
Redstar

December 22nd, 2005 7:03 am

I found this blog at del.ico.us and most say that im very glad i have found it.
I have read the whole article, and found out i stard doing it pretty well after one year of blogging.
I discoverd blogging one year ago by finding my self a new hobby, and started with designing templates. Its great! Now i’m developing software(and stil learning developing it) Great, and i also bookmarkt this page to del.ico
Simplenomics » Blog Archive » Blogging Lessons Plus A Life Lesson

December 22nd, 2005 11:38 am

[…] Over at Successful Blog, Liz has given us an add-on lesson to a post of Darren’s over at Pro Blogger. […]
Kashif

December 23rd, 2005 3:54 am

Another great post. This should be the ‘Things to Do’ for any pro blogger.
Pakpromo :: Brands, Blogs, Social Networks, SEO, RSS » 18 lessons from a pro blogger

December 23rd, 2005 4:06 am

[…] For details check 18 Lessons I’ve Learnt about Blogging […]
A Story about the Importance of Checking your Blog’s Stats: Blog Tips at ProBlogger

December 23rd, 2005 9:54 am

[…] Lessons I’ve Learnt […]
veridicus

December 23rd, 2005 1:04 pm

Great post! This is truely valuable information for any blogger. Thanks for the insights.
Jane’s Blog » Useful Links

December 23rd, 2005 5:36 pm

[…] 18 Lessons About Blogging : More geared towards the pro, but still useful. […]
Ashish Kulkarni’s Journal » links for 2005-12-25

December 26th, 2005 4:19 am

[…] 18 Lessons I’ve Learnt about Blogging insightful blogging tips from professional blogger Darren Rowse (tags: blogging tips) […]
Trey

December 26th, 2005 4:04 pm

Great list, I just wrote one myself and referenced yours within it.
Cheyne

December 27th, 2005 2:41 pm

This in a fantastic article. It covers alot of issues that many bloggers do not understand. Great work.
matusiak weblog » Blog Archive » My First Threadless Photo

December 30th, 2005 1:50 pm

[…] Yup. Believe it or not, I now have a threadless blog. One can never have enough blogs, it seems. […]
John

December 31st, 2005 6:41 am

I wish I would’ve found out about your site much sooner, but you’ve definately given me a ton of advice about the blog I just started.
Bill Wallace

December 31st, 2005 11:20 am

Hi Darren

Great article and good to come from an Aussie. Very balanced perspective. I’m with John (comment 68) I’ve just started on blogging (and using it as a website for m business) as it evolves it should be very easy as a contenet management system but with the added advantage of up to date posts.

Bill
PigPog

January 1st, 2006 1:52 am

Blogging - Tips and Tricks

Latest Update: Added 10 Journalism Tips For Bloggers, Podcasters & Other E-Writers
If you’ve got a blog, you probably want more readers, no matter why you’re blogging. If you want to make money, more readers means more income. If you wan
Financially free anyone? » once a blogger, always a blogger

January 2nd, 2006 10:18 pm

[…] Darren once wrote that All good financial planners would advise not to invest in one type of investment but to spread the risk - I’d advise the same with blogging. - 18 Lessons I’ve Learnt […]
Go Flock Yourself » Blog Archive » 18 lessons about being a blogger or a pathetic waste of space or something

January 3rd, 2006 2:51 pm

[…] PRO-BLOGGER […]
stories from a Web Junkie life » ProBlogger posts to read

January 4th, 2006 3:10 pm

[…] 18 Lessons I’ve Learnt about Blogging […]
Ian's Messy Desk

January 7th, 2006 2:25 pm

links for 2006-01-06

N-side Group Life MORE FREE Small Group Resources (tags: Small+Groups Bible+Study Free Resources) Flock We believe that it should be easy for everyone to contribute to and participate on the web. To that end, we’ve started with integrating tools…
Tip(z) » 18 råd till en bloggare

January 9th, 2006 5:45 am

[…] Jag betraktar mig inte som en riktig bloggare. Jag gör mest noteringar på en blogg för att hlla reda på webbplatser jag vill återbesöka (hinner inte granska dem när jag hittar dem). Samtidigt kanske andra kan vara intresserade av det jag hittar. När jag dessutom ville prova bloggen som verktyg, blev det naturligt att starta. Men jag lägger bara till några inlägg ibland när jag har tid. För den som betraktar sig som lite mer bloggare, och satsar seriöst på att skapa en profil finns en bra artikel av Darren Rowse. Han ger 18 råd, som han fått lära sig själv, på sin väg till att bli professionell bloggare. […]
Vecindad Gráfica Diseño Gráfico

January 10th, 2006 3:34 am

Odio las resoluciones del año

Odio las pinches resoluciones del año, jamás las llevo a…
Blawg.it » Come Bloggare in 18 Lezioni

January 12th, 2006 7:59 am

[…] Problogger, spiega in 18 punti come migliorare il proprio blog. […]
Blawg.it » Come Bloggare in 18 Lezioni

January 12th, 2006 7:59 am

[…] Problogger, spiega in 18 punti come migliorare il proprio blog. […]
Sudar

January 13th, 2006 8:21 pm

Thanks Darren

Very informative and insightful…
Ade Lamidi

January 13th, 2006 9:18 pm

Hi Darren,

I am very new to blogging and have been really inspired by your story as a full time blogger. I have found your articles on lesson learnt on blogging very useful. I currently have to blog sites http://www.worldcupzone.blogspot.com/ and http://www.propertyinvestoruk.blogspot.com. I am passionate about football(soccer) and property which is why I have decided to start blogs on both topics. I would appreciate any comments/advice you have to novice bloggers like myself.

Thanks
Ade
Labnotes » Blog Archive » links for 2006-01-14

January 14th, 2006 3:35 pm

[…] 18 Lessons I’ve Learnt about Blogging: Blog Tips at ProBlogger (tags: Blogging Writing) […]
Lexi’s Blog » Blog Archive » Interessante Tips

January 18th, 2006 9:16 pm

[…] 18 Lessons I’ve Learnt about Blogging - Problogger […]
Thomas

January 22nd, 2006 3:43 pm

Hi I enjoyed your website.
Just a comment on the Problogger News menu at the top.
I find the orange background and white characters hard to read.
david k

January 24th, 2006 7:46 am

I found this article to be very interesting. It is true that it takes a lot of work and time. Just starting out myself I have come to realize this and it is cool to hear about your success.
Check out my blog soon, it is about the trials and tribulations of domaining, another way to make a living on the Internet.
http://www.davidkovit.blogspot.com
Participatory Journalism and the Personal Media Revolution » Sites for Blogging Tips

January 25th, 2006 2:30 pm

[…] 18 lessons I’ve learnt about blogging by Darren Rowse at Problogger […]
Michael

January 25th, 2006 8:44 pm

I thougth those photos were pretty funny man. I agree with almost everything you say! Great stuff!
quicklinks

January 26th, 2006 9:00 am

18 Lessons I’ve Learnt about Blogging

18 Lessons I’ve Learnt about Blogging Most of which apply just as well to real life…..
rosh

January 26th, 2006 6:11 pm

HI, Darren , nice story ; hope i learn and apply some of these. I was really wondering about what you say about selecting a niche and spreading yourself out too thin. Though initially i planned to start out on affiliate and internet marketing, i realized that there were millions and i would stand no chance. Therefore recenlty i started this blog which focuses on computer software, hardware and web services(marketing). i hope to do this in a balanaced way. Am i spreading out too much into abroad topic? ANy tips?
Deborah

January 29th, 2006 8:57 am

I started a blog last fall and quickly came upon a dilemma. How much information should I give out on my site..

I did a story about an incident I witnessed where a store owner refused to a sell a 16-year-old condoms. I was all righteously indignant about the incident and was two seconds from putting up a picture of the man’s store. It’s definitely a controversial story especially with the whole issue around pharmacists denying birth control to women.

I thought about how I would feel and decided not to put his information in. I’m glad I didn’t. I went from unknown blog to mega-traffic in just a few weeks thanks to some word of mouth about the story from friends. I got few comments but TONS of email, some demanding to know where the store was. They wanted to confront the store owner, picket his store, all manner of things. I felt what he did was wrong but no one deserves that type of spotlight.

Well anyway, no sooner than it all picked up, the hype died down, the fighters found another cause and my blog is back to being fairly unknown with a few visitors now and again. It taught me a valuable lesson about people, hype, anger and how what’s a hot button issue today is forgotten tomorrow.

In the middle of all this, I did a Google search for Blogging Responsibly. I read a lot of articles and I came aross a website (I don’t know where it is or I’d source them) but they had a pretty good set of 10 rules for teens to blog responsibly. I tweaked them a bit but this is what I came up with for myself.

My Blogging Promise of Responsibility

1. I am responsible for anything posted in my name.
2. I will not say anything on the blog I wouldn’t be willing to say in public or to an individual’s face.
3. I will not gang up on anyone. Points of view that do not mirror my own will be presented fairly.
4. I will not post personal information about other people without their permission.
5. I will only use first names (and last initial if necessary).
6. I will not plagiarize other blogs, but I will quote them and give credit where it is due.
7. I will stay on topic and will only post links that are relevant to the topic.
8. I will not link to inappropriate websites.
9. I will strive for ‘correct’ spelling and grammar. Errors will be corrected as soon as possible.
10. Divergent views will be supported. Bullying will not be tolerated.
PJ

February 3rd, 2006 11:06 am

Did ‘learnt’ make it to the dictionary? *shrug*
Darren Rowse

February 3rd, 2006 11:12 am

yep
Linkblog for Monday, 06 February, 2006 » Chandrasekhar Vallabhaneni

February 7th, 2006 3:20 am

[…] 18 Lessons I’ve Learnt about Blogging: Blog Tips at ProBlogger […]
royans.net » Blog Archive » 18 lessons on blogging

February 20th, 2006 7:33 pm

[…] Here are 18 Lessons I’ve Learnt about Blogging: Blog Tips at ProBlogger. […]
Linda Walsh

February 23rd, 2006 12:39 pm

Ok, I am very new at blogs. I built my first one today and talk about luck…I found your blog! I am a stay home mom with three little ones ages 4, 3, and 1. We started our own retail online store selling travel related accessories to families that travel with children at http://www.ahappytraveller.com and my husband kept mentioning ‘blogs’. I haven’t read your entire article because its alot for me. I have saved it and will be coming back regularly to learn more. My very first blog was built this morning at http://ahappytraveller.blogspot.com/. I wanted to promote our business but now I am learning that I have really tapped into something big. Thank you for helping such a newbee such as myself.
Linda
Thank You Fellow Bloggers Meme! at Brendan McPhillips.com

March 8th, 2006 3:40 pm

[…] One of the best educations you can get on blogging, building traffic and earning a few buck from blogging can be found at Darren Rowse’s Problogger site. You can literally spend days there learning how to blog. If you have any questions about how to increase your traffic this is the first place to go. Again, Darren has taught me so much it’s hard to pinpoint specific post but here are two that I’ve bookmarked because they inspire me; 18 Lessons I’ve Learnt About Blogging and (Another) Day in the Life of a Problogger. Thank you Darren! Last, but not at all least, is someone who isn’t as well known as the above bloggers, (I could be wrong), but who deserves to be, Lorelle VanFossen. When I thought to thank all the bloggers who helped me get started; Lorelle is the first who comes to mind. She is the most thorough, thoughtful and prolific teacher of all things about blogging and WordPress that I’ve have come across on the Net. Her two main areas of focus are improving blog traffic and blog quality (e.g. the writing). Lorelle cares more about the quality of blogs than anyone else does. For example, in the article The 12 Biggest Problems with Your Blogs, Lorelle taught me that my site had poor navigation since my single post view had no site navigation other than the next and previous posts. A seemingly small tweak to your site to fix something like this will help your readers stay longer. Another great example of what Lorelle teaches is The Top Ten Clues That You Are an Amateur Blogger. Thank you Lorelle! […]
Be Lucky: ProBlogger Blog Tips

March 12th, 2006 10:16 am

[…] Lessons I’ve Learnt […]
Jimmy Young

March 21st, 2006 3:55 am

Most “luck”, “accidents” etc… Are all blessing from God.

I am too always having things happen through accidents and in some kind weird of ways :-) .. Nonetheless I relied heavily on the Man in Heaven for everything.

From Malaysia.

Jimmy
Email Overloaded » Company collapses: CEO forgot to check email last night

March 23rd, 2006 3:04 am

[…] “No one ever gets to their death bed and wishes that they’d spent more time at work” — Darren Rowse. […]
» 18 Lessons I�ve Learnt about Blogging

March 24th, 2006 6:33 am

[…] 18 Lessons I�ve Learnt about Blogging […]
billson

March 26th, 2006 5:11 pm

hi there,

just to here to thank you for sharing.

regards,
billson.
Juan

March 28th, 2006 7:51 am

Thank you darren, this is maybe the best post I’ve read in the last 5 years !

Juan
Listics - Frank Paynter’s Voice and Vision… » 18 Lessons

April 5th, 2006 6:42 am

[…] You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Leave aReply […]
ScaredCrow

April 5th, 2006 9:03 pm

Thank you very much Darren for this wonderful list. For starters like me, it’s a great thing that we can start from somewhere with this list. We have a better insight of what to expect, what is coming or may not come. We are very grateful for simply sharing.

God Bless!

ScaredCrow
Blogs Rules

April 9th, 2006 3:12 am

Extremely informative and offering excellent advises for newie bloggers. I will remember by heart this points. It is really very useful and serve as a good guides for others.
Papamoka

April 13th, 2006 12:46 am

Awesome tips and advice. It looks to me as if you have taken blogging on to the next level. I’m not saying there will ever be a church being built but you have the spirit behind it down to a tee.

Thanks,
Papamoka
Vincenze

April 16th, 2006 10:21 pm

Thanks Darren, nice tips.

Vincenze.
Robert

April 17th, 2006 2:38 pm

Great topic for new bloggers like myself.

from usa
rob
Marco

April 17th, 2006 6:12 pm

Thanks for the tips Darren. I can definitely relate to a few of them and some I may need to implement…

Hope a bit of luck comes my way soon ;)
George

April 17th, 2006 6:17 pm

Being yourself is the hardest part of blogging. I guess I need to sit down and think what my blog’s focus is in terms of the public image it gives out.

Thanks Darren.

http://www.mysharetrading.com/
Makesens

April 24th, 2006 12:04 pm

I was never a lucky guy.. but after reading this, maybe my luck will rise :) Great Blog!
truongn2

April 28th, 2006 10:09 am

If you have good luck, it would be easier, but you can still work at it.
slim

May 7th, 2006 4:19 pm

Very Insightful tips, very helpful. I think my blog could use a lot of these.
Blog for Money » 18 lessons I may have learnt about Blogging (announcing the serie)

May 9th, 2006 2:50 am

[…] Bloggers love lists, and post articles with lists frequently. I only just started being serious about monetizing blogs, so I don’t think I should try to come up with a list myself. I am going to write a serie of postings reflecting on Darren Rowse’s article 18 lessons I’ve learnt about Blogging instead. […]
Blog for Money » 18 lessons I may have learnt about Blogging (1)

May 10th, 2006 4:58 am

[…] This is the first article in a series of 19 in which I reflect on the 18 points on Darren Rowse’s article 18 lessons I’ve learnt about Blogging. If you missed the announcement I wrote yesterday, you may want to read it to get my idea behind this series. […]
Blog for Money » 18 lessons I may have learnt about Blogging (1)

May 11th, 2006 6:48 am

[…] This is the second article in a series of 19 in which I reflect on the 18 points from Darren Rowse’s article 18 lessons I’ve learnt about Blogging. If you missed the announcement I wrote earlier, you may want to read it to get my idea behind this series. […]
Blog for Money » 18 lessons I may have learnt about Blogging (3)

May 12th, 2006 6:21 am

[…] This is the third article in a series of 19 in which I reflect on the 18 points from Darren Rowse’s article 18 lessons I’ve learnt about Blogging. If you missed the announcement I wrote earlier, you may want to read it to get my idea behind this series. […]
Franklin

May 13th, 2006 1:44 am

“Amazing.” - Me.

Darren really is a man who walks the talk! Point 5 says “Provide Value”, and this is exactly what he did by writing those 18 gems. Good job Darren. More of this please! :-)
Blog for Money » 18 lessons I may have learnt about Blogging (4)

May 13th, 2006 4:34 am

[…] This is the fourth article in a series of 19 in which I reflect on the 18 points from Darren Rowse’s article 18 lessons I’ve learnt about Blogging. If you missed the announcement I wrote earlier, you may want to read it to get my idea behind this series. […]
LAS VEGAS FLIGHTS HOTEL

May 15th, 2006 3:38 am

I read your blog every other day or so. You have alot of useful tips. You deserve everything that you have. It seems that you worked very hard for what you have. I read your blog because it is very informative. I try to usher in your advice in my own blog. But I guess all I can do is try. Maybe one day I will have your success.

Cheers!
Blog for Money » 18 lessons I may have learnt about Blogging (5)

May 16th, 2006 3:18 am

[…] This is the fifth article in a series of 19 in which I reflect on the 18 points from Darren Rowse’s article 18 lessons I’ve learnt about Blogging. If you missed the announcement I wrote earlier, you may want to read it to get my idea behind this series. […]
Jelmer de Jong » Blog Archive » Corporate Blogging

May 16th, 2006 7:23 am

[…] - 18 Lessons I’ve Learnt about Blogging: Blog Tips at ProBlogger. http://www.problogger.net/archives/2005/12/20/18-lessons-ive-learnt-as-a-blogger/ […]
jude calvert-toulmin

May 16th, 2006 7:25 pm

hi darren, ive just goombled across your blog (i just made that up, its stumbling across whilst googling LOL!) and your lesson list is fantastic! ive only been blogging for 10 days but the bits i hadnt already taken on board (the 16 hour day life falling apart bit, mainly ;) ) i will certainly be stapling to my cerebral cortex.

i will also recommend your blog to people and put a link to you in my blog.

thanks so much for taking the time to advise others; im a great believer in sharing knowledge, and serendipity (another word for goombling. kind of).

keep up the good work!
Blog for Money » 18 lessons I may ha