Written on July 4th, 2007 at 05:07 am by Darren Rowse
How to Keep Momentum Going on Your Blog with a ‘Points System’
Jason left a comment a couple of weeks ago on my previous post asking how many posts readers have posted on their blogs in a week that caught my attention.
In his comment Jason talks about a ‘points system’ which he’s developed for helping him to keep his blog achieving the momentum that he wants it to.
His daily goal is 50 points and different tasks get him different amounts of posts. I’ll let him explain (note - I’ve slightly reformatted his comments):
“I work full-time on the side as well. The way I get things done is by using a point system.
Some days I don’t feel like writing, some days I don’t feel like commenting, some days I don’t feel like networking, or whatever… I have to reach at least 50 points per day.
- 10 points for a long blog post
- 5 for a short one
- 2 points for a comment on a blog I’ve commented on before
- 5 points for commenting on a site I’ve never commented on before
- 1 point per comment on my own blog
- 10 points for installing a new module/plug-in, etc.
Works well for me. I think I may have created the system, or sub-consciously remember reading about such a thing somewhere.
I just know that the point system keeps production going while I also work a full-time job.”
What a great idea. I’m sure some readers will find it a little too complicated for their free flowing style - but if you’re in a dry patch and need a little self discipline, or like Jason have limited time to throw into your blog I think that this is a great plan.
I’m sure there are plenty of other tasks one could put on such a list. Here’s some off the top of my head (feel free to add more):
- 2 points for emailing another blogger with a link to a relevant post
- 3 points for an IM conversation with a blogger in your niche
- 2 points for answering a reader’s question via email
What would you add?
78 Responses to “How to Keep Momentum Going on Your Blog with a ‘Points System’”
Lucia
July 4th, 2007 5:33 am
20 points for writing a plugin a friend wanted to help monetize her blog.
2 points for letting other bloggers know you can know use the Kontera Control plugin to keep Kontera ads off your newer blog posts and out of your sponsored posts.
-5 points if you get accused of link dropping in the process.
Martin Muehl
July 4th, 2007 5:36 am
A really great idea!
Perhaps you should also reward yourself for preparing posts or coming up with ideas for new posts.
That’s two points for me!
mgroves
July 4th, 2007 5:53 am
I like it–I think it’s pretty good as-is, not much adaptation needed. (2 points for me!)
tejvan
July 4th, 2007 5:56 am
Submitting your best posts to blog carnivals would be well worth a few points
Eve
July 4th, 2007 6:04 am
Great one Tejvan! I am making up an excel sheet now to start using this method, I really like it! Great post Darren!
Viral Electronics
July 4th, 2007 6:09 am
Sounds like a great idea to me. I have certian things I try to do daily to help expand my reach with my blog, but never thought of assigning a points system to it. Kind of an unique aproch to the situation
Today is that Day
July 4th, 2007 6:25 am
Wow - I LOVE it!
Being a one-man show who does every single thing related to the growth of my blog, I could use a point system like this to keep me on track.
One thing that I would add is points for linking out. You could even have a range of points for that as well:
1 point for linking to a blog that you have linked to in the past
2 points for linking to a blog in your niche that you have never linked to before, etc.
Great stuff!
- Aaron
Mary-Ann Horley
July 4th, 2007 6:26 am
If you like pretty worksheets to tick things off on, you could use the editable version of DavidSeah.com’s Printable CEO.
Celebrienne
July 4th, 2007 6:29 am
Nice idea, might be useful for me. I’m often short in having self discipline ;-)
Well, since you asked, here’s my input:
- 10 points for partnering with another blogger (like guest blogging, promoting each other’s blog, etc.)
- 10 points for sending out a prepared and well-written e-mail to relevant niche websites with some goodies (best thing I’ve done yet, the post (a celebrity contest) went viral and got around 15k poll votes and 1500+ comments)
- 5 points for creating promotional stuff for your visitors to use (I’ve created badges which a lot of my visitors posted in forums, signatures, sidebars, myspace, etc.)
- 5 points for tweaking/customizing the design template
Well, that’s all - for the moment at least… :-)
Terra Andersen
July 4th, 2007 6:31 am
Great strategy!
Danilo
July 4th, 2007 6:40 am
Great system, it lets you keep track better of what needs to be done. I’ll do the same as Eve and create a spreadsheet for it (not excel though… sorry).
Tony
July 4th, 2007 6:45 am
Simple, but excellent! What could I add?
20 points for creating a plan for a blueprint or series of articles
20 points for each of the articles or chapters
1 point for submitting a post to Digg
etc.
Eve
July 4th, 2007 6:47 am
Danilo, if you come up with something first, let me know, I am not very good at making them interactive LOL. And Mary-Ann, I looked at the Printable CEO you mentioned and the web based one is almost perfect, but you can only complete each ‘task’ once a day, not multiple times (like for comments and such, without adding the task to the list multiple times. But I love the site, thanks for mentioning it!
Brian Auer
July 4th, 2007 7:02 am
* 3 points for making a new connection (friend) on a social network.
* 2 points for adding somebody’s article to digg, StumbleUpon, del.icio.us, etc.
* 1 point for voting on a social network article within your niche
* -2 points for each time you check your site stats
Brad Isaac
July 4th, 2007 7:19 am
I love it too. Personally I work well with timers and point systems like these. It is a great idea I am going to try.
Jared Schwager
July 4th, 2007 7:21 am
Great idea! I tend to procrastinate a lot when writing posts on my blog. Hopefully I can use this points system to help motivate myself to do more than just surf around.
What I’d love to see is if someone could make some kind of service or WordPress plugin that would allow you to mark off things each day as you do them.
jhay
July 4th, 2007 7:32 am
Though it’s classical conditioning it sure can work for most of bloggers. I wonder though if those points could translate into something more tangible other than keeping your blog going.
Miss_MoneyMaker
July 4th, 2007 7:48 am
Sounds like a great idea. I’m going to try this myself.
Thanks Mary-Ann, I’m going to check his site out too.
Angela
July 4th, 2007 7:49 am
This type of point system is suggested by leaders in my offline business. We prioritize points according to income producing levels, e.g. marketing/holding classes/sales/customer service/recruiting are IPA’s (income producing activities) that receive the highest points, ordering/shipping/receiving/letters/emails/notes/mentoring receive the next level of points, and administration receives the lowest level of points.
The idea is to not only keep us focused on working our businesses daily, but also to prioritize our time and focus on the most direct income producers first and foremost. It works well for many, too.
Jason
July 4th, 2007 7:52 am
“Reaaal men of genius…” Kidding.
I can’t wait to see how the list expands, everybody, giving me yet more to add to my original system.
Bloggrrl
July 4th, 2007 8:05 am
10 points for setting up your profile on MyBlogLog or one of the many social networking sites.
20 points for setting up a Squidoo lens. 50 if you do it right. :-)
Jonas Bergenudd
July 4th, 2007 8:06 am
Use Joe’s goals to keep track of it. I think you can give weight to different goals…
that’s what i’m going to do…
Bloggrrl
July 4th, 2007 8:07 am
Here’s another: 2 points for each RSS directory you submit your blog to.
Terry Ng
July 4th, 2007 8:19 am
I’m using a point system to encourage my readers to comment more, and it’s working well. They’re awarded points for good comments, etc. Here’s an example of a user profile:
http://www.kineda.com/profile/jules
Andrew Ferguson
July 4th, 2007 8:20 am
10 points - Securing a partnership with a new advertiser relevant to your content?
Lance
July 4th, 2007 9:12 am
MM..this is good, but you need to have self discipline to this.
Vascabruta
July 4th, 2007 9:14 am
Great way to motivate myself, and keeping up with several sites.
I think i’ll make myself a check off list with the point system.
Maybe a reward system too, say Ice Cream for every 100 points?
Thanx for the idea
1916home.net
July 4th, 2007 9:35 am
I love the idea! Although being married and working full time, 50 points is a heck of a lot to do, especially when I have a 100 year old house I blog about. Ive got to do SOME restoration work on it to be able to blog about it :) so for me I’ll definitely use this system, because I think its excellent, but I may have to drop my daily goal point to 30 or 40. At least I follow a guideline and thats probably the most important thing. Readers come to expect certain things from us bloggers, a good post daily, or 3 short bursts, or 3 awesome posts a week.. whatever it is, they are connected to us (or soon will be) and following this cool tip will certainly help out. Thank again Darren!
Im still hoping you write up a workflow chart on what you typically plan for each day of the week and even a daily workflow would be cool.
Thanks! Dave & Anna over @ 1916home.net
sir jorge
July 4th, 2007 9:35 am
If long blog posts are a 10, then I’m so in the lead!
Everyday writing for me is long, and drawn out. Then again, I’m not making a living blogging.
Catherine, the redhead
July 4th, 2007 9:36 am
Not throwing the computer out the window = 50 points.
Done.
Simmons
July 4th, 2007 9:44 am
3 points - post a comment on a forum.
4MySales
July 4th, 2007 10:36 am
It is a great concept. A few of the online social networks such as ActiveRain are using the same concept. It is a great way to generate a bit of competition and a lot of traffic.
Teejay
July 4th, 2007 11:26 am
I don’t think with a full time job, I could reach that. I’d lower it a bit so I don’t fail. I will say I just need just 30 points for a day and stick to it.
Martin
July 4th, 2007 12:35 pm
Tagging someone in MyBlogLog: 3 points
Writing a long post with graphics: 10 Points
Getting mention on ProBlogger:
Priceless
kishore duddekunta
July 4th, 2007 1:26 pm
Well i certainly agree that jasons 50 points per day is really a great thought. I would say as growth is always progressive i think that when one has a new blog you should start of with a post every day. view other blogs and comment in other blogs.. this would increase knowledge and awarness among other bloggers..
second after a month one could increase the no of posts to 2 or 3 per day as traffic or good crawl is dependent on how frequently you update the website.. increasing the number of posts does increase google crawler rate and at the same increase traffic to your website
So the key i think is it progressively increase the number of posts to increase the traffic steadily
Nickus
July 4th, 2007 3:47 pm
As soon as I read this it felt like this would be a great compliment to all GTD:ers out there. I use GTD a lot but it doesn’t work very well for blogging, at least not for me. I have a lot of ideas but I can’t really just write on my to-do list “write blog post about blahablaha” because it doesn’t really motivate me that much. Definitely something I will try.
Colin
July 4th, 2007 4:29 pm
Great system. I recently started blogging and already have about 15 blogs mostly with my own content. Some days I just don’t feel at all like writing anything. Maybe implementing a point system will help me get through it!
Rachel
July 4th, 2007 5:08 pm
This is a super idea. I think it’s just what I need to keep myself motivated, I just started a new blog and some days I already feel a little burnt out.
(+5!) Long time reader, first time commenter!
Gopinath M
July 4th, 2007 7:01 pm
Even i face the problem of going out of interest to post. I’m finding very tough to keep posting good content. Let me try your tip.
Gopinath M
Tech Thoughts
Jason
July 4th, 2007 8:50 pm
10 points for setting up a newsletter.
5 points for sending out a newsletter.
100 points for creating an e-mail course.
Jason
July 4th, 2007 10:38 pm
“Perhaps you should also reward yourself for preparing posts or coming up with ideas for new posts.”
Martin, if I come up with a killer idea or something I’ll reward myself a couple points. Also, if I do some research to learn helpful new things/market research.
Jayce
July 4th, 2007 11:20 pm
LISTS!! That’s my wife. Me, I’m motivated by the following two things:
* Staying at least one week ahead on my posts
* Seeing an upward trend in stats.
anonymous coward
July 5th, 2007 1:40 am
Seems like every day is weekend strategy recently.
Brian Heys
July 5th, 2007 5:13 am
What a fantastic idea. Sometimes a couple of days can go by where I feel as if I haven’t done anything. Here’s a great way to demonstrate that I have. :)
gizo
July 5th, 2007 1:20 pm
Great idea. You’d want to make sure you don’t allow yrself to ‘carry over’ excess points to the next day.
You could also reward yourself with a nice coffee or sticky bun if you get 100 points, or a new personal best..
Geek
July 6th, 2007 1:41 am
Nice way to quantify effort. I know some days I feel like I’ve done so much, but just can’t see what I’ve spent the hours on. By giving some points for the smaller tasks throughout the day, it helps me not feel like such a big slug just because I didn’t write 3 original articles that day. Some days I’m just not creative, and fiddling with plugins or reading other peoples’ blogs just fits with the character of that day. (5 points)
Geek
July 6th, 2007 1:42 am
Hey gizo - I think 100 points should be worth a trip to Starbucks ;D
tony
July 6th, 2007 8:50 am
I have had this problem of trying to organise my site and how I can work on it for a long time.Thanks for that great idea and I will surely be implementing it on my site.
Casey
July 6th, 2007 12:50 pm
Very neat idea! I don’t know if I could implement it. I will have to give it a shot though.
Samir
July 6th, 2007 8:40 pm
The best aspect of running your days on a point system like this is to help quantify what you do every day.
For a blogger or anyone who freelances or works for themselves, it is very easy to go through an entire day and get the feeling that you didn’t actually do anything by the end of it. The reason this happens is that you don’t always have major tasks with tangible results to do everyday. There are days when you only do maintenence stuff and tie up loose ends. These kind of days would seem more fruitful if you had a system like this, I guess, because now you could rest easy in the knowledge that you completed your quota of tasks for the day — Even if you don’t have a shiny new piece of finished work to show for it.
The worst aspect of a point system like this, like all “systems”, is that the mechanism can take over your life, and the numbers become more of an obsession than the objective. As long as you don’t take it too far, it’s a great idea.
Jonathan Danylko
July 6th, 2007 9:27 pm
Excellent post, Darren and great technique Jason!
I think I’ll implement this technique into my site. :-)
Fredrik Gyllensten
July 7th, 2007 3:10 am
GREAT idea! I’m gonna try it, but not just for by websites - for all my computer work :-)
Loretta
July 7th, 2007 4:05 am
I definitely need to implement a system like this one. Sometimes I get caught up in my free flowing typing and forget to post in certain places or get other things done, a points system will definitely make things smoother and more organized.
MattK
July 7th, 2007 7:03 am
This sort of system is interesting as it can bring about measurable results. I like blogging just for the heck of it, but successful blog management requires some sort of quantifiable measuring tool. Sounds like you have one.
Mikhail Subach
July 7th, 2007 6:01 pm
I like this idea. It is also important not to create a big list of deeds for which you will receive points. List of 5-9 items is enough. If you have more ideas, it is better to combine some items. Otherwise you will soon be bored with accounting or will more count than blog :)
Brian
July 8th, 2007 1:58 pm
Love the system, but I’d turn the final point on its ear to read “10 points for uninstalling a new module/plug-in.”
Kudos to you, I say, when you cut clutter and achieve a quicker load time.
dave
July 9th, 2007 12:53 am
This is a really good idea. I’m going to implement this into my blogging and also see how it translates into other facets of my life.
eve
July 10th, 2007 1:44 am
I made a excel worksheet for this- you can track each blog seperately and it auto-tallies your totals and lets you know how many points you have left for that day and that blog. Completely editable. I have it posted here- http://dillydesigns.com/2007/07/09/the-blog-points-system-excel-sheet/
Enjoy!!
kathryn
July 11th, 2007 3:15 pm
When I first read this post, I dismissed the idea as too structured for me. However, it’s been marinating away and I’ve come round.
I love blogging, but it’s only one part of what I do and I often find it hard to balance out the blogging and social networking, with the other things I do. Hence I tend towards inconsistency - spending too much time on my blog one week and then neglecting it the next.
So, I like this idea of having a points goal for each day. It gives a boundary to my blogging, but also a sense of daily achievement. Thanks for this.
Mark
July 12th, 2007 9:49 am
How about 2 points for revising an earlier post?
Laura
July 14th, 2007 7:21 am
This is an excellent idea, and works well - I know, because I use almost the exact same system, set up in an Excel spreadsheet, for keeping track of all the daily bullshit I have to do around the house and with my kids. I get bonus points for going out somewhere like the park or on a walk or a playdate or even McDonald’s. I lose points for watching talk shows. Ha! I get HUGE points if I manage to work out. It’s a fun little motivator, and helps me get stuff done I might ordinarily blow off, like vacuuming or whatever. When you’re up to your armpits in small children, you have to trick yourself into thinking you’re winning a game. Haha!
x3r0_bug
July 16th, 2007 3:04 pm
Wow, this post has opened my eyes to something that is very useful, yet very… simple. I can’t believe I didn’t think of something like this before. I don’t think its the fact that I’m getting points that motivates me to get things done, but it allows me to make fully sure than I’m contributing a substantial amount of work into my blog…and not second-guess myself at the end of the day feeling like some kind of slacker.
I just started my blog, so there is practically nothing there yet, but this point system will definitely help out a lot. I will start on it tomorrow. I just built a basic list of points that tailor to my website specifically, but it will grow as I think of them.. or as I do things that aren’t within the list.
I’ve ran a blog before, and I think anyone who has can agree that there is a whole slew of things that should be done in order to have a ’successful’ blog (write posts, comment on others, build relationships, links, etc. etc.) and its hard to keep track of them all. The point system allows you to have a list of all the possible things to do to keep your blog alive, thus taking away whatever stress it causes trying to remember what needs to be done!
Another great thing about it is the fact that it can be used with many other things besides just making sure to keep your blog updated. Like I said, I can’t believe something this simple I haven’t though of before, mainly because of the fact that for me personally, something like this will work really well.
Jason
July 19th, 2007 1:22 am
Hey Darren, you can read this post in Arabic today. You do speak Arabic don’t you?
josh
July 27th, 2007 5:09 pm
It’s in Russian.
It is a free translation of this post but author is linking to problogger and Jason’s page.
Jason
July 28th, 2007 12:52 pm
Ah. I see.
I think I’m going to start going by Джейсона.
Eternity
July 31st, 2007 12:52 am
That is a really good idea, thanks. I am definitely going to start using it myself.
Jeff Sargent
August 14th, 2007 6:53 am
Just found this - this is a fantastic idea, I think I’ll try it. Thanks for sharing!
ryan
August 15th, 2007 6:49 am
since i’m always online reading someone’s blog using something like this helps me pay attention to use all the time i have well, besides if you find something insightful you should let people know. so…
I enjoyed this post and found it practical.
Zane Dickens
August 22nd, 2007 7:34 am
I have just started to use this method and already I have gotten more done in the last 20 mins than the last two hours…
One small change I minus points for bad habits, in order to correct behaviour.
Currently:
-5 for tweaking visuals
-5 for adding or tweaking ads
I’m insanely competitive so I have be going for 50+ everyday. Really awesome idea, these are the ‘little gems’ I’m looking for filmmaking-related for my site…
Pinyo
September 19th, 2007 11:42 am
I think this is a good system. I have been posting once per day and still feel that something is missing. May be this will help.
David
October 10th, 2007 2:31 am
Great idea, now im making 2 points :D
Dave Origano
February 7th, 2008 9:57 pm
What a great idea. Actually I’ll improve this further and put it into my guide for bloggers and coaching students.
This kind of things really helps people stay on track, especially when you combine this with your strategy, short- and longterm goals.
Yes, two points for me!
-Dave
Gopher Girl
May 30th, 2008 2:14 pm
Love this idea!!…. Although I’m not happy to admit, I know I’ve neglected my blog over the past few weeks. This system makes it simple enough to maintain dedication towards your blog.
Other ideas I have:
15 points for writing a tutorial
5 points for posting a video
10 points for writing a review of a website or service
You could also set rewards like for every 1,000 points take a day off!
So I’m going to try it and see how it goes. Thanks for sharing
Chad Bordeaux
June 17th, 2008 1:03 am
I am going to start this immediately. This is a great idea!
Chris (Amateur Traveler)
June 18th, 2008 9:33 am
A great idea. I am thinking for me I would want to add points for podcasting and for twittering. Something like:
1 point per minute for an edited podcast
.5 points per minute for a stream of un-edited podcast
1 point for a twitter with content
.5 for a twitter about what I am doing
.5 for a twitter reply
Hey cool, this would get me 2 points!
Vidyut Kale
June 21st, 2008 2:08 am
Fantastic idea. I will start using this immediately. My blog had been badly neglected and now I’m trying to scramble my way out of the mess I brought to myself.
This will go a long way in helping me find direction.
Chris (Amateur Traveler)
June 27th, 2008 1:45 am
OK, now that I have been trying this for a while I may need to get more realistic. Doing blogging/podcasting as a part time job I may have to be satisfied with 30 points a day on average.
Giuseppe De Sio
June 29th, 2008 5:48 am
Brilliant :D
In several years I’ve tried a lot of things but i definitely missed this one.
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