Written on December 19th, 2007 at 12:12 am by Darren Rowse
Sometimes Blogging is Like Watching Grass Grow
As we continue to settle into our new house, a new routine and new surrounds in our suburb I’m being constantly inspired by the lessons I see around me and how they apply to blogging.
In today’s video I want to talk about Grass (Turf that is…)
Our turf is brand new and as a result it needs a lot of attention for the next couple of weeks. If we don’t keep it wet - it’ll die.
Water is crucial at this stage as it is still putting its roots down and getting established.
Similarly - a blog needs to put its roots down in its first few months and can take a lot of work - for seemingly few results. However there’s more going on under the surface than you might think. While reader numbers might not be great those first few readers can spread the word of your blog far and wide, the decisions you make about design, SEO, topic, voice etc all can have a lasting impact upon your blog.
Yes - sometimes blogging is like grass growing - but this slow start up phase usually doesn’t last for ever.
147 Responses to “Sometimes Blogging is Like Watching Grass Grow”
Ian N
December 19th, 2007 12:17 am
If blogging is like grass growing, I need to get myself some bloody fertiliser!!
Manas
December 19th, 2007 12:24 am
In philosophical mode eh ?
Yeah Blogging is like growing grass. Add more fertilizers (promote your blog) and it grows fast.
lisa coultrup ( kystorms)
December 19th, 2007 12:31 am
I liked this post, and I agree…. it takes some serious care and time for a blog to take, however sometimes the person writing the blog just does not know exactly where to go to get all the info, such as SEO information. What would be neat , is for a service to come out for the smaller bloggers such as myself so we can be looked over, and given ideas and pointers to make the ‘growing’ stage a bitter shorter.
Thank you for always putting out great pointers for us to learn by.
PlasticPilot
December 19th, 2007 12:32 am
A japanese proverb says: “Grass grows slowly, but the cow is patient”…
More seriously I agree with you. I still a baby-blogger (8 months), and I’ve been through phases of “blogging in the desert”. But thanks to work, patience, and good advise (hey, guess where from…), figures start to raise, slowly, but at a constant pace.
To bounce on what Ian N said, there are some fertilisers around, but the harder thing is not to multiply too much ads too early, this could burn a blog I think. I even decided to remove my banner, and just keep a mini ad-sense unit after each post… and strangely those get better CTR !
Muuuuu.
Jimmy Zimmerman
December 19th, 2007 12:34 am
Wow. Great analogy! This came at a good time, when I was beginning to feel frustrated and lose motivation for nurturing my blog.
I really like how you notice the everyday things that we often overlook and are able to turn these observations into advice on blogging. I think sometimes I need to slow down and pay more attention to things that are going on around me. I bet it would give me broader insight into the things I like to talk about.
theblackactor.com
December 19th, 2007 12:41 am
I was having a moment the other day; feeling like I’m doing so much work and my readership is not what it could be and that I don’t have enough commenters; wah wah wah. But I am reminded by this video and post that this takes time. Thank you. I have to realize it hasn’t been quite three months. I need to calm down, I suppose. LOL.
John Frost
December 19th, 2007 12:42 am
As long as we’re talking about grass and lawns, we might as well talk about weeds. How careful does one have to be about not letting weeds (off-topic posts) invade the growing lawn as you’re planting your SEO base?
The man called Anne
December 19th, 2007 12:43 am
How long does this take? I have been at the same level (~10 readers) ever since the beginning in May 2007
Tim L. Walker
December 19th, 2007 12:48 am
Good metaphor, Darren. ;)
Doug Green
December 19th, 2007 12:52 am
OK - grass growing is one of the things I know about. But what you hadn’t mentioned is that it really takes more than just water to get grass to grow properly. It takes great soil (infrastructure) good fertility (ideas) excellent drainage (sharing ethos) and eventually mowing and weeding (editing) to produce a good turf.
And then you have the maintenance of making a decision to go organic (white hat) or chemical (black hat) in order to get a positive result the neighbours (readers) will admire.
Lawn care is a three-season chore here in the North - and then you get to take a break while snow covers the entire thing (getting human again). If you’ve done it all properly, grass grows pretty darn quickly.
Yeah, I can live with lawns and blogging analogies. :-)
Adam Singer
December 19th, 2007 12:54 am
This is a good metaphor…I’m thinking I need to add more complexity to my site so it has something greater to build upon.
Seth Sluggo
December 19th, 2007 12:59 am
Great video. I can relate!
Kevin @ Change Your Tree
December 19th, 2007 1:03 am
…if we’re lucky.
Lol. I’m watching the grass grow over at my blog right now. I know it will take off–it’s a good blog. Just want to fast forward a little through the grass growing stage.
That’s life though. If I fast-forward too many times I’ll die.
Jon Symons
December 19th, 2007 1:08 am
Judging by the title of this post, you’ve been looking at my stats.
Thorn
December 19th, 2007 1:13 am
The difference between growing a grass and growing your blog is that you really have to put some hard work to get over that first boring phase, whe you give away too much and get back pretty much nothing.
By the way, i love Australia! I’ve been there one time, visiting my brother’s friends. It’s so far the best trip I ever had.
Shane
December 19th, 2007 1:15 am
I can really relate to what is being said. But my numbers are growing steadily. Remember, never give up.
BoladeProa
December 19th, 2007 1:15 am
For me it´s more like growing flowers:
You start with a small and almost meaningfull seed.
After a while, if you did everything right, your blog will be beautiful and full of life;
Finally, you’ll have the challenge of your life keeping your flower/blog as pretty as before. Only good gardeners will keep their flowers alive and well.
Silicon Valley
December 19th, 2007 1:18 am
Although viral marketing is crucial during those first few months, the question still begs ‘ how does one initially get those first passionate visitors?’.
Of course, friends and colleagues will visit, but what about attracting the public?
Also, how much help does getting homepage on a social media site, or getting organic search engine rankings for relevant terms and PPCs help in bringing loyal traffic?
Jan
December 19th, 2007 1:26 am
Totally agree with you Darren. About 8 months ago I took over the writing for N95blog.com. Constantly nurturing, clipping and tweaking this blog has caused this digital patch of grass to become more green, more healthy and more dense (4.5K pageviews daily and close to 1600 feed subscribers). It takes time, attention and patience.
By the way: Congrats on the new crib, please keep your promise to show everybody around the new problogger’s hideout.
One more thing: What is a digital minded person like you doing in a shirt saying ANALOG??? ;)
Loretta Lynn
December 19th, 2007 1:29 am
I can relate, I recently remarried and live in a nice home, on a golf course. My husband and I both enjoy traveling. sometimes i think he gets jealous of my trips. But when he is gone its amazing how much work I have to do “domestic goddess and engineer, all wrapped up into one..” and you know the rest, chauffer, chef, accountant (or in this case ATM machine for a teenager).
I love to amaze myself and impress my husband when I can take care of a maintenance issue; broken window, you can’t just go out and replace it. Oh no, it took numerous phone calls to Lowes, Home Depot, and window repairmen and the builder to get it replaced. then ofcourse I learned how to put the window in. Mind you this is not the pop-in one either. I had pull the old broken one out, pull the oh, i forget the technical name now, but the spongy stuff on the inside to keep the window from rattling. This was the top window too. Not the one that moves up and down or slides in.
Also, I found out the contractor skipped corners and didnt use the appropriate thickness of glass, this hampered the replacement for me. All in all it took 3 weeks to get it done.
To tie this into websites/internet and blogging, (oh how creative we can be)…
Sometimes we have this learning curve with new, upgraded softwares and have to work through the bugs before we can see the world better. We have to crawl before we can walk, and therefore, even starting a blog and RSS take time. You cant just jump onto squidoo.com and put your lens up in 10 minutes. seriously. Unless you have a lot of material to begin with.
thanks for reading, if you made it this far
happy Holidaze!
Loretta
aka Lois Lane
Guru
December 19th, 2007 1:31 am
Interesting observation, i’ve come across a lot of posts on various blogs relating blogging to stuff like truck driving, asking a girl to prom (if i remember right). This is a simple analogy compared to those, but still is something that we all know so well.
Ian N wants some fertilizer, i think thats the point here, you will always get better growth with fertilizer, but in the end nothing can beat natural growth. No one definitely wants to make their grass heavily dependent on fertilizer, right ?
Jummy
December 19th, 2007 1:32 am
I’ll have to rememeber to maintain that diligence and “water” my next blog regularly during those important beginning stages.
SpicePuppy
December 19th, 2007 1:36 am
I think people would have a lot more patience if they simply kept in mind that it’s _supposed_ to be like watching grass grow in the beginning. It’s normal to want to see some results immediately, but that’s just not how nature works.
Chris Hanel
December 19th, 2007 1:41 am
Tonight, in honor of this video post, I shall go sit on the porch with a beer in my hand and stare at the laptop until the sun sets.
Michael
December 19th, 2007 1:41 am
Good analogy. I think that my grass is of the very slow growing variety. And then I go on vacation and forget about it for a while. And then in my haste to get some coverage I allow too many weeds to grow. We all dream of that “Yard of the Month” sign, but there are a lot more blogs on the net than there are yards in the neighborhood.
Dom
December 19th, 2007 1:55 am
Ok I tried watering my blog but the server just sparked, went *bang* and died.
I don’t think putting water on your blog is a good idea. :(
Mark
December 19th, 2007 2:00 am
I think right now the grass is growing faster than my blog! But that is to be expected given the age of my blog.
I have only been doing this for a little over 2 weeks and so far I am happy with the results. My subscriber base has increased by a factor of 10. If I keep that up I will have over 100,000 subscribers in 3 months! I am getting better at writing posts and enjoying it more and more. I find myself paying more attention to what is going on around me and looking for ways to create a post based on that. I know it is a long term project and I am ready to stick it out and see the results.
As long as the grass keeps growing I will be happy.
razmaspaz
December 19th, 2007 2:04 am
Hmm…how do I tell if its a slow start up phase or if its as big as its gonna get?
theblackactor.com
December 19th, 2007 2:09 am
Why is my comment awaiting moderation — and none of the others are?
Interesting.
homemom3
December 19th, 2007 2:13 am
I’m currently going out and watering my blog today, I loved the timing of this post. Many bloggers right now are comparing blogging to other things.
Chris Jacobson
December 19th, 2007 2:22 am
Nice sized backyard you have there.
Complete Geek
December 19th, 2007 2:32 am
My blog is truly a labor of love. It has to be or else I would have given up on it long ago. I pour myself into it every day and after 8 months and over 100 posts later I finally am starting to see that growth you are talking about.
I love my subject matter, so I don’t consider it work, even though building a good blog certainly is work. Stay the course and you will be rewarded I guess.
Great post Darren.
Coen Jacobs
December 19th, 2007 2:43 am
Nice words Darren. As my new blog is almost 4 months young, I just have a small lawn to manage. But over the last weeks, I’m seeing more and more visitors to find my site through all kinds of referers.
If it’s like watching grass grow, I gotta go outside. I love it! :D
Rinaldo
December 19th, 2007 3:00 am
The good thing about blogging is that always is a hobby (even when you take it to a Pro level). So watching that kind of grass growing is very satisfying even if you are kinda desperate to see more movement around.
Really liked the comparison, seemed like a spiritual video to bring ourselves to the reality of most starting blogs :-P-
Katrina
December 19th, 2007 3:37 am
One of the things I’ve found very helpful to help me be patient and keep working is to always have more than one project I’m building. Not too many, I don’t want to scatter my focus, but having something else to work with keeps me working and motivated. This article on Zen Habits was really helpful, as was this one.
Interwebhunt
December 19th, 2007 3:56 am
So linkjuice and linkbacks would be considered fertilizer then? :) I’m thinking a truck load of fertilizer is a good idea then!
sarah
December 19th, 2007 3:56 am
what an accurate analogy — really resonates!
Peter Davis
December 19th, 2007 4:06 am
How about some pics of your new house? Better than razor stubble, no? ;)
john - from fat to fit
December 19th, 2007 4:07 am
Good analogy - and I’ve still got a lot of weeds. I finally got around to pulling out that useless Blogrush one though…
Joe
December 19th, 2007 4:16 am
Darren you hit the nail on the head here! I’ve been watching my blog slowly grow.. and I mean slowly. I actually have a blog that has grass in the header.. haha. This definitely made me chuckle when I saw it.
JEMi
December 19th, 2007 4:20 am
Darren, it was quite startling for me (silly right? what you DO is help thousands of bloggers just like me)
It was because I am at that beginning phase - new blog, new to the whole .. build a site thing .. lol I had to google every single step to make it what it is now
Its my labor of love and I really care about the quality of the content I put into it. Every post to every new social networking sign up (another job all in its own) I am working hard on it and it did make me wonder if I’ll ever get this baby to growin’
It was a very encouraging message so thank you for that. Right on time as usual :) I really love this site
btw - that house is really looking great lol
Thank you Darren! :)
Ron
December 19th, 2007 4:22 am
Amen! A lot of bloggers give up in those first couple months and jump to a new topic [blush - Quilty!] without ever seeing the rewards ~ they just give up too soon.
Just because your search term is in google in 24 hrs doesn’t mean the traffic will flow immediately.
esvl
December 19th, 2007 4:39 am
I totally agree with this part ” for seemingly few results ”
I have a few new blogs and it feels like its taking to long to get results on them.
FMF
December 19th, 2007 4:50 am
How about a VIDEO tour of the new place? The house that ProBlogging built?
BW
December 19th, 2007 4:51 am
This post is very true.
Most bloggers will go through the watering phase, hoping for a fertile blog. For must it will not happen overnight and perseverance is the key.
And for those times of drought, you should check out blogs (or even books) in other areas (away from your niche) as they may give you inspiration and get you back on track
Mihai
December 19th, 2007 5:02 am
Good comparison and great advices how to cherish a blog.
Thanks.
Sarah Stewart
December 19th, 2007 5:08 am
Thank you very much for this post - it is a timely reminder as I get frustrated with my blog. It is a specialized blog (midwifery) so I know I will not have a big audience, but at the same time, it seems to be taking ages to get up and running. What I would like to know is: at what point do you admit defeat?
Mark
December 19th, 2007 5:43 am
Darren -
It’s great analogies and stories like the above, which made it a very easy choice for me to name you as one of ‘The Ten Most Inspirational Bloggers of 2007′ in one of my most recent posts.
Kind regards, and I look forward to more of your inspiration and motivation in 2008.
Happy Holidays,
Mark
Ricardo Bueno
December 19th, 2007 5:50 am
I think that finding your voice is sometimes th biggest obstacle. We write in an arena saturated with content… The only way to really stand out is to be unique. Insincerity is easy to pick up!
Somehow I’m reminded of this quote:
“The first step to being a real leader is to figure out exactly who you are and be that all the time.” — Cathie Black
Mike Smith
December 19th, 2007 5:52 am
I love this article. Awesome analogy you put into this article and I agree 100% with it. When starting your blog, you need to nurture it, water it, cut it, ect.
Mike
Roberto Villegas
December 19th, 2007 5:54 am
I have to agree, though I think it’s even more difficult if you’re not sure what market you’re trying to blog to. But with enough dedication, care, and love, it is possible to grow it into a cornucopia of content.
Chris Vincent
December 19th, 2007 5:58 am
From what i can see you guys have already finished off the basics of what I would like to say, but let me throw some seeds of thought into this blog pot plant.
For many blogs it takes a long time for the numerous visitors to come streaming through, but what about some of the month old blogs that almost instantaneously bring in the goods? My thoughts on this would be that the have successfully brought in the targeted public because of their current and interesting content. They don’t have “their roots” but they develop them temporarily to test them out.
Older blogs don’t necessarily have that initial boost because the owner will need to learn to find what brings in the traffic. Once they finally realise that down the track, it’s then when the traffic comes in.
I’d love to provide examples, but this wouldn’t be the place to start quoting off other blogs.
IndependentKitten
December 19th, 2007 6:01 am
I am trying to stay patient. I am seeing growth slowly. I am okay with putting the work in, because I have faith something great will come out of it. Plus I will get better at writing as I go.
Michael Grove
December 19th, 2007 6:02 am
Darren, you are so right. slow in the start, but it will grow.
Pepper
December 19th, 2007 6:24 am
Then I must be in the testing of the soil phase. I’ve not started a blog yet, but want to. I’m taking the teaching sell course and have learned way to much for my brain to handle. Now I just have to decide what variety of grass will grow best in my soil. Thanks for a great post.
Joe Pulizzi
December 19th, 2007 6:26 am
Thanks Darren…I think you’re particular dead-on when it comes to business blogs. Companies that launch blogs seem to get the most discouraged if they do not see immediate results (even more so than individual blogs). I’ve passed this post on to a few of my clients for motivation.
Best
Joe
coolthought
December 19th, 2007 6:32 am
Ah yes…. once the grass really start growing, you can get a cow. This way you will no longer need to mow the grass and may not even need to add fertilizer anymore….. an example of getting help from someone else to maintain your blog when the grass is established.
Yes… you might even get milk from the cow…. joking.
trmanco
December 19th, 2007 6:39 am
I certainly couldn’t agree with you more…
Blogging is like grass growing…
wild flux
December 19th, 2007 6:46 am
Your house looks nice. Can you give us a virtual tour? :D
allen stern
December 19th, 2007 6:51 am
I took your video a bit further:
http://www.centernetworks.com/growing-a-business-like-growing-a-garden
vhxn.com
December 19th, 2007 7:05 am
Hi Darren thanks for the nice Video I agree with this Video,
My Blog it’s like a new one , I hope it will grow soon - http://www.vhxn.com
FashionByJenni
December 19th, 2007 7:07 am
Great analogy! Its inspiring to remember that there is other stuff going on below the surface and that if we keep at than we can be succesful. If I ever feel bad about my blog I remind myself how passionate I am about the subject and it really helps if you ever feel down about the number of viewers.
Andy
December 19th, 2007 8:33 am
I think I’ll just concrete my lawn…watching the grass grow is great if you are planning to making a living (or hope to) off blogging. If not, then no need for the stress required to watch the “grass grow”.
Technology Slice
December 19th, 2007 9:15 am
Nice house there.
Abdul Basit
December 19th, 2007 9:28 am
nice motivational post, spot on :)
JoLynn Braley
December 19th, 2007 9:55 am
Hi Darren, congratulations on the move, hope your grass gets it’s roots soon and your area comes out of the drought soon!
Great analogy between grass taking root and the work that you need to put into your blog to get it going. The question I came up with though, is what do you consider the “early days” of blogging? Are you speaking of the first month or the first year, because it’s a continual growth process?
Just wondering about that because I still feel like I’m in the early days even though I’ve been working on it since March. :)
Lex G
December 19th, 2007 10:01 am
Yes … this is all true, starting a blog is like working for free … it’s like a car that doesn’t pull up very fast … once it’s going you need to handle the wheel correctly….
Barbara
December 19th, 2007 10:52 am
Not only is nurturing a blog, like growing grass, but the grass always looks greener “on the other side’.
We often compare ourselves, our blogs, and our blog stats to others, but, as I’ve heard it said,,,”The grass is always greener on the other side, but when you get there, it’s actually Astroturf.”
Be true to yourself, be patient, and the results will speak for themselves.
JoLynn Braley
December 19th, 2007 11:12 am
Hi Barbara, I really enjoyed your comments (above)… very positive and insightful, thanks!
lankapo
December 19th, 2007 11:29 am
why grass? not vegetables, or fruit trees :)
You cannot eat grass rite, but if fruit tree, you can eat the fruit. Like Apple or grape, delicious.
Same like your blog Darren, you grow a lot of fruit trees, and now you can taste the juicy in Australian Dollar rite
lankapo
Darren Rowse
December 19th, 2007 12:12 pm
2 reasons
1. I don’t have any fruit trees or vegetables growing in my backyard (yet)
2. The saying ‘it’s like watching grass grow’ isn’t ‘it’s like watching grapes grow’ - not quite the same effectiveness as a title :-)
pablopabla
December 19th, 2007 1:32 pm
I’ve been growing, trimming and watering my blog for close to 2 years and it’s beginning to look like a nice patch now with a steady stream of visitors coming to enjoy it. It’s been a lot of work but worth the effort when I see people enjoying and raving about it :D
Jagat
December 19th, 2007 1:34 pm
Top notch post as usual Darren…u been an inspiration for me mate..
Sue
December 19th, 2007 1:51 pm
It does become addicting in ways that growing grass does not! Its all about the time, and the market you are in as well. Some niches just take off quicker than others. Now if you can equate those blogs to creeping charlie..that grows every where!
Marlon Burrows
December 19th, 2007 3:14 pm
Thanks Darren, your absolutely right. Its easy to get discouraged with a new blog when you put in so much time and effort but don’t see much reward. Many people give up in the first couple of months because of that and the blog just sits in cyberspace gathering dust.
Free Thinker
December 19th, 2007 3:32 pm
Congratz on the move to the new house.
Everything you said there was so true and very inspiring at the same time.
I was taking my blog slowly and cautiously, but I am realizing now there is little point in that! It is just procrastination!
Thx for what you do.
Small Business MArketing
December 19th, 2007 6:51 pm
When do you take the lawnmower to it for the first time and what is the lawnmower?
prasanga
December 19th, 2007 8:06 pm
Great post!!! mad inspiring!!!!! real nice metaphore to clear the things up around blogging. I totally argee. Thanks for sharing.
Artur Kim
December 19th, 2007 9:30 pm
Nice analogy. Motivation definitely helps when you are going through this phase.
Rodney
December 19th, 2007 11:54 pm
Question: I recently signed up for AdBrite. When I check my AdBrite report their page views do not match the number of page views my Webalizer report shows…why. Webalizer report is provided by my web host.
For example when I checked AdBrite today they reported 39 page views for yesterday but my webalizer report shows 630.
If you find the time to post an answer to this please email me as well.
Thanks
Mrs Mom
December 20th, 2007 1:09 am
Darren-
First, many congrats on the new home! Its beautiful.
Once again, your timing is incredible. (ESP mayhap?LOL)
My husband keeps reminding me that “The Journey Of 1000 Miles Begins With A Single Step”. Since my blog is brand-spanking new, (12-7-07 in fact,) I am pleased with the results thus far. (Avg 13 visits per day.) Its a fairly specialized blog, (equine, with humor and sarcasm,) but apparently a somewhat popular subject.
On the days of frustration, I will be sure to refer back to your words of wisdom here!
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and have a flat out Wonderful Day in your new abode!
Jeremiah - Simpletiger
December 20th, 2007 3:45 am
I agree entirely Darran. I am brand new at blogging, but I have seen how high quality my work has become after only a month or two of working directly with other and staying focused. I was always too embarrassed to write and felt a little out of my element, but it helps much to try for a long time. Thank you!
David
December 20th, 2007 6:40 am
If blogging is like growing grass then keywords are fertilizer sticks located in strategic places.
Suddenly mowing the lawn has taken on new meaning. My wife will be pleased.
Jenn
December 20th, 2007 5:35 pm
An interesting metaphor, to be sure, and one that is appropriate for me and my site which is very new. I write fiction and will be adding blogging tips, writing advice, etc. I am amazed at the amount of traffic I have generated in a short period of time (modest by your standards, I’m sure), but not very many folks leave comments. I am working to make myself better known in the writing/blogging community, but it is very time-consuming, so I fight the battle of time management, i.e., I work to balance my writing with my marketing and self-promotion efforts. Your article is a good reminder to me to be patient, work diligently but purposefully, and then see the rewards over time. Thanks, Darren.
Mandy
December 21st, 2007 12:56 am
Well this isn’t looking good I’m no good at gardening!!!
But seriously, I learned a lot from my mistakes when I started my first blog.
Now I am starting my second blog - http://www.thephotographerblog.com and I am going to implement what I have learned, and hopefully it will be more successful than the first one.
And as you say, the most important things I have learned so far is patience and determination!
Giada
December 21st, 2007 3:15 am
Thanks Darren for the encouraging words. Starting a blog can feel desperate sometimes. Apart from waiting for your group of readers to grow technical problems can be very frustrating too. My first blog kept being attacked by bots; very annoying. I used an e107 template: never again! What is your favorite forum or website for technical help regarding wordpress?
Ruchir
December 21st, 2007 6:44 am
Wow, you really can connect real life stuff to blogging :)
And when the grass gets “established” enough, it just grows wildly :lol:
Berlin Visit
December 21st, 2007 7:19 am
Blogging is like watching grass grow, but sometimes the grass at the neighbours seems to be growing better.
Marylin
December 21st, 2007 8:45 am
I had to laugh when you started to talk about grass growing - you really can turn any thoughts to blogging can’t you?
I’m still in the baby stages of my blog and have some tweaking still to do, thanks for the inspiration to keep going!
Don't Click This!
December 21st, 2007 11:13 am
Good analogy. I agree with you. Sometimes it feels like not much happens, and then suddenly a couple of text link ads have been sold, a couple of bigger orders are made in Amazon, etc. When I look at my stats, I see traffic gowing steadily but slowly. When I look at my earning, I see them doubling every month, but it takes time to get enough for living.
It really feels like watching grass grow, but when I look at my blogs it feels like watching trees grow!
Margaret
December 21st, 2007 1:23 pm
What an apt analogy! My little blog is mostly read by friends and family although I post on a variety of topics that would be of interest to many. Growing my readership is exactly what I’m trying to do at this stage!
I”m glad I’ve found this blog, I can see where there is a lot to learn.
Suzie Cheel
December 21st, 2007 1:38 pm
I love that analogy. Applies to the garden as well Yes I think it is so true- it does take time and I know in the early days I was much more disciplined with my blogging habits. this post reminded me I need to get back to the basics and review your steps to a better blog.
I look forward to your video of the backyard in a year or so
Michael
December 21st, 2007 2:40 pm
Wonderful post Darren, I was just starting to get into a blogging funk but this is incredibly encouraging and is really motivating me to push forward.
Azlin
December 21st, 2007 8:08 pm
Nothing like a good ‘ol metaphor to inspire!
Just as I am laying out my online business focus and plans for 2008…it couldn’t have come at a better time. Thanks, Darren.
cool dad
December 22nd, 2007 12:58 am
Thanks Darren. I am certainly frustrated because I feel like we are creating content that people would love and laugh at, but so few are seeing it. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to develop relationships with other bloggers and audiences.
We’re still early at 2 months, but at times I worry that we’re putting our best out there now and then we’ll run dry. I just need more confidence and patience.
John R
December 22nd, 2007 2:09 am
I noticed that the acoustic was kind of terrible. Google DeAmp. Also.. it is interesting to see the gardening perspecrive on blogging. It immediately makes my imagination spring alive with lots of interesting ideas.
Brian
December 22nd, 2007 6:29 am
Nice…I like the idea!
Bookmark @ livbit
http://www.livbit.com
Andrew SVK
December 23rd, 2007 6:31 am
Nice video. I just make design of my new blog and thing about all stuff around. It was really nice compare grass roots with beging bloging.
I havent watch your videos, but i will start. Stay cool and thanks for all advices.
burmesegoldbull
December 23rd, 2007 8:29 am
hi..
its a nice video..
im a blog newbie.. so i guess i need to come back to blog often.. thanx..
Vicky
December 23rd, 2007 9:37 am
Darren, don’t throw up these global farts. We need real advices that will help us with our blogs.
Darren Rowse
December 23rd, 2007 10:36 am
‘Vicky’ - two things:
1. I don’t expect everyone to like everything that I do. However some people come to ProBlogger for specific tips on how to improve their blogs while others come for a little encouragement and motivation. This post is aimed at the second type of reader - those who are having a tough time in the early stage of their blog and need some encouragement. There are 4000 posts on ProBlogger - I’d guess that around 2000 of them are aimed at the first group.
2. There’s no need to use an anonymous comment. If you don’t like a post for some specific reason I welcome people to give constructive feedback on how it can be improved. Posting a comment like yours just makes me do one thing and that’s to search to see what IP address you used and what other comments you’ve made previously under your real name.
Always happy to be critiqued - but take it more seriously when it’s constructive and when the person doesn’t try to hide themselves.
Booklover
December 23rd, 2007 3:31 pm
Boy, I needed that message. I actually went to the site for some how to, but the grass metaphor was more helpful. I have been feeling like I may need to start paying or blackmailing my friends and family to even read the blog, much less get a following. So, your encouraging metaphor was exactly what I needed to inspire me to keep it up! Thank you!
Cory
December 23rd, 2007 6:09 pm
Darren, I recently started my first blog a few days ago. While searching for how to’s your blog keeps popping up. I hope Vicky can realize just how popular and helpful your articles are.
To make the point clearer this article has actually been the most helpful to me. I am writing a blog about poker because it’s what I do professionally. I have been posting on forums like crazy hoping that my signature with my blog address would get me hits and subscribers. In the few days since I started I have had 4 hits.
I am very much results NOW oriented. This post was very helpful in bringing back to reality. Thank you.
constructicle boy
December 23rd, 2007 6:17 pm
well,this is true.certainly my income has rose but at times,it can be a little tiring and not motivation to blog.lol.just a thought that i have.
Jason
December 24th, 2007 12:31 am
I find the analogy very appropriate. I would add the idea of weeds to the grass growing. If you don’t pay close attention to your blogging and keep up every day in some way weeds start to move in. I’m still a beginner but better posts grow with a little attention every day until published. When the growing is neglected for a few days, numerous weeds seem to have sprouted and I spend more time “weeding” than growing. My rhythm is quickly lost and I spend time just getting it back so things can grow again.
Steve!
December 24th, 2007 12:48 am
HEY! You stole my metaphor!
I have the exact same thing going on on my blog!!!!
Bathroom Hero
December 24th, 2007 5:58 am
A motivational posting to keep at it. Great post.
Minic Rivera
December 24th, 2007 7:49 am
One of the best among the thousands of articles/videos here. After being silent for most of 2007, and now starting a new blog, I definitely get this stage. Thanks!
Deborah Robinson
December 25th, 2007 4:01 am
Very inspirational message Darren. My blog is less than 3 months old and your analogy made a lot of sense to me.
KiwiPulse
December 25th, 2007 11:30 am
I like this video, I agree with what you saying and I can easily relate it with my own experience. I don’t know how many design I have made for my blog, or how many time I spend to try to improve it. My design is one thing, but the essential is still my content. It’s my content that have made my blog grow and not my design. The design is only there to attract my readers attention. My blog can be a beauty, but if I don’t come with an interesting content. It’s a fiasco! :D
JohnST
December 25th, 2007 10:06 pm
Darren, you have drawn an apt analogy between blogs and grass. For some, it may be even more than that, it is a newborn baby. I like that part about things happening behind the scenes during those months, even if individual results do vary, at least it is a consolation to new bloggers to dig their heels in and persist.
I started on my own blog about 2 months ago , traffic is increasing but it is painstaking work. I am not referring to the the writing as I take pride in churning quality content and it is issues which interest me. The killer is the promotion of the blog which often leaves me wondering if I am barking up the wrong tree.
When such clueless days occur, I know there is this blog here which I can turn to.
Merry Christmas to you!
ITrush
December 27th, 2007 12:21 am
So I guess I’m not alone here. Very nice post, it inspires me to keep on watering my 2 months old blog until it’ll grow and bear fruits just like everybody is hoping. Keep on watering guys!
Nhick
http://www.itrush.com
PeterSanz
December 27th, 2007 6:38 am
I think Blogging is not like watching grass grow but sow the seed of creativity and work.
Creativity is essencial.
Sorry for my English…:-)
http://www.petersanz.com
Juanma
December 28th, 2007 5:02 am
Having just launched my blog, I find this article super inspiring and honest. Keep’em coming!
Monsenior
December 28th, 2007 4:52 pm
Ive learned a lot in this videos, thank you sir because im inspired in your problogger.net, someday i will be created this site.
My virgin blog is http://www.money-on-blog-easy.blogspot.com
Will you give me some advice in my topic in blog posts,
Thank you again sir
yourebusiness
December 29th, 2007 8:14 pm
Hi,
Great watching the video. I really feel jealous about your blog. Cheers! and Wish you a great 2008.
Alan
December 30th, 2007 1:36 am
This is the biggest load of garbage ever. Look at all the pathetic comments about how great this video is. Give me a break. 99.9% of you will never have a popular blog. Why do you all fawn over the crap spewed out on this site and the other big sites like John Chow? Don’t you realize they are just trying to sell you crap so they can make money?
Darren Rowse
December 30th, 2007 7:31 am
Sorry you feel that way Alan.
I’m not sure how long you’ve hung around here at ProBlogger but I genuinely try to help bloggers reach their potential.
I do occasionally link to an affiliate program but in almost all cases it’s to a product that I’ve used and recommend.
I don’t expect everyone to like every video or post that I do - but I attempt give good and helpful information and to make genuine recommendations. While I understand your suspicion of some sites like this (there is a lot of hype and deception out there) I attempt to run a legitimate blog here.
If it’s not for you - I won’t force anything down anyone’s throat but I do ask you to give me a chance as I’m sure you’d want others to give you one.
Philip Voice
December 31st, 2007 5:30 am
Hi Darren,
At last, a gardening post :) - Something I am comfortable with.
If I can add something - and I have not read all of the comments so I apologise if this has been said - grass, whilst it needs constant water when it is first laid, it will also suffocate and quickly die if it is over watered.
Maybe this is a parallel that can be thrown back into blogging, over blog and saturate your site and it can suffocate your blog.
A good sprinkling, timed to perfection will be the best tonic your lawn and blog will be grateful for.
All the best
Phil
Mike to Earth
December 31st, 2007 7:08 pm
Just want to say that I love the site. Great analogy about turf and blogs. Maybe if my blog takes off someday I’ll be able to buy a lawnmower with the adsense money…haha
Nollind Whachell
January 1st, 2008 6:44 am
Actually if you check out information on permaculture, you’ll find out that its principles and concepts relating to natural ecosystems also relate quite well to the digital ecosystem of the Web. Therefore, you’re not really building a site or community so much as growing it. And noting the patterns around you, as well as edge effects (where you connect with others), really can make a big difference in helping your site grow.
If you’re interested in learning more, a great starter site on the subject is shown below (check out the Concepts section in particular and even the Principles section).
http://home.klis.com/~chebogue/PermacultureIndex.html
Also a great book on the subject is “Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability” by David Holmgren. Again the idea is to look past the specifics (how they relate to nature) and instead look at the general principles and concepts as they relate to an ecosystem.
Nhuong Son
January 1st, 2008 10:54 am
Wow,
It really is! I’ve been blogging for about a week and it seems pointless sometimes, but I know I have to keep on trucking if I want my blog to live. I need to definately get do some SEO. Your entries are REALLY helpful to beginners like me. Thank You
Nhuong Son
KnoxFilms
January 1st, 2008 11:59 am
Man, I’ve been watering my lawn for six months and I still have not needed to cut the grass yet!
Any advice?
please feel free to leave comments on http://www.knoxvillefilms.com to help the grass grow!
Knoxville Films–all about filmmaking–written by filmmakers.
Majik
January 1st, 2008 12:26 pm
You are so right about having to ‘water’ your blog. I’ve been trying to add a new post to my blog everyday, and just now after about three months I have been seeing new traffic everyday from search engines. I still have to work on SEO, but now that I am seeing an increase in traffic I can look at other options to improve it.
Hope you have a Happy New Year!
Ruth
January 1st, 2008 12:27 pm
Your video is a great analogy to building a blog. And it seems to grow just that slowly — like watching grass grow. You’ve totally revamped your site since I’ve been here. The new look is great! Congrats on your new home.
kylie
January 1st, 2008 6:07 pm
like watching grass grow? Need some weedkiller, too? :-)
WildTips
January 2nd, 2008 6:10 am
Yes, starting a website, blog, or whatever takes time! Chances are you won’t see great results for months, or even years! It even took Darren a while before his sites became a success! Great post.
abesha
January 2nd, 2008 11:45 am
It puts everything in perspective. Very intelligent to use the grass approach to explain something that so many misunderstand.
http://www.abesha.wordpress.com
Frances Palaschuk
January 2nd, 2008 2:07 pm
Oh, I really hope things are happening behind the scenes and that I will reap those benefits one day.
This video is certainly inspiring and really has me thinking now…
Thanks!
gnoma
January 3rd, 2008 11:37 pm
I read your blog 1 2 times a week in order to find useful advice for growing the mio…ho started recently and I must admit that I never thought it was so difficult to make itself known and generate traffico…anyway thank you for the support to blogger’s community …
Niki
January 4th, 2008 2:52 am
Good analogy - and I’ve still got a lot of weeds.
Curtis
January 4th, 2008 4:02 am
I know I’m a little late on this comment but I am okay with that. I just wanted to say, as I am sure many others have, this has been an inspiring video. I have only lightly blogged for the last few months but this helps one keep their head up. Thank you Mr. Rowse
Nikoo
January 5th, 2008 4:06 am
Hey Darren, I used to read this site awhile ago, almost ritually. I came back today.
Apart from the fact that i completely disagree with the grass idea, it’s Monoculture and I think a blog should be like a permaculture fruit and veg garden, resourceful, and diverse, I think you are selling your readers short with this post.
I respect you, and have learnt from what you have had to say in the past, but as someone who has taught me well, I think it would only be doing you disrespect to not give you constructive criticism.
Move beyond some of the analogies that seem drawn out and less fruitful. Ask your self “Can this post be summed up in one sentence?” If yes, it probably isn’t worth writing about. This post, unfortunately, can be summed up in less than a sentence. We all want to push our ideas further in terms of content, I myself think I can get enough out of an idea that can be summed up in a sentence to fill a page, and its part of the nature of blogging as long term writing exercises designed to generate content that can be commercialized. I am not against getting as much content out of a simple idea that could be summed up as a sentence. But the least we can do as bloggers for our readers, is to make that sentence Proustian (long, complex, but articulating a very defined and directed idea)
Anyway heres to the future and many more useful posts to come, even if this is not your most shining example.
ps. sorry for the proust analogy
Nikoo
January 5th, 2008 4:11 am
also, another piece of constructive criticism, is it just me, or are 50% of the comments here, whilst written by real human beings, just here for the trackback?
I remember reading awesome discussions in the posts here over the years. Darren, I want your old blog back!
Farid
January 5th, 2008 8:04 am
Darren, this was a very inspiring post.
As I sit on my computer till 5 in the morning working on a blog that I started a week-or-so ago, it’s good to know that the work that I am doing in the early stages of the blog is setting the stage for something possibly greater in the future.
I would speculate that as many as 75% of blogs do not make it past their first months because of “poor starts”, and blog owners that aren’t patient enough to “seed” their blog’s early on. Because of post’s like this, I feel reinvigorated and dedicated towards working even harder on my blog!
I will have a beautiful bed of flowers growing in no time, but until then, I will seed the soil!
Regards,
Farid
dave
January 6th, 2008 3:37 am
Good analogy: grass is one of the hardest plants to grow!
Garg the Unzola
January 6th, 2008 8:45 pm
I hear plants like music.
If you want your grass to grow, you should play it some music! Not too sure if that works for blogs, but my blog likes music.
Looking critically at my own blog, I think one of the things I could do better is to stick to a niche. During the first few weeks, I planted some grass, some carrots, some dahlias and some daisies, instead of patiently waiting for the grass to take root. Since then, some of the posts I really feel passionate about like these have proved to be popular:
http://necrofiles.blogspot.com/2007/12/faust-love-of-damned-2001.html
http://necrofiles.blogspot.com/2007/11/come-on-hollywood-remake-these-films_27.html
http://necrofiles.blogspot.com/2007/11/nile-ithyphallic.html
http://necrofiles.blogspot.com/2007/11/pantera-reinventing-hell-their-best-of.html
http://necrofiles.blogspot.com/2007/12/black-sabbath-heaven-and-hell.html
(I never post something to make money, but I feel more comfortable with some posts than others)
Thanks to problogger, I feel more like the patient cow from PlasticPilot’s proverb. Really an inspiring blog!
Ville Kiviniemi
January 7th, 2008 3:12 pm
You are absolutely right! When I use to blog it was something like that: traffic grow slowly and sometimes I just thought that there wont ever be nice amount of traffic on my blog, but eventually there were, not much, but decent amount of traffic anyway and that surely took some time.
Oprea Marian
January 7th, 2008 9:15 pm
Thanks problogger for such motivational message addressed to us, the bloggers.
I find this very true and I believe it. However, it would like to mention that it could take more than 1 year for many. It depends on the content bloggers write about. As long as its quality content that adds value to it, that’s when the blogs takes off.
Some of you may know, or even experience, that even if you write weekly you still don’t get many visits. There are blogs that wrote for more than 3 years and still get few visits. I believe they didn’t set any goal to have many visits. That how you lose the time!
Holly
January 8th, 2008 6:47 pm
Yep, that’s exactly right! But you’re also right in saying that the beginning phases don’t last forever. With the TLC you give to your blog and to blogging in general, it most often pays off and the reward for all of your hard work is definitely worth every minute you put into it!
Lawrence
January 9th, 2008 3:23 am
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Will
January 9th, 2008 1:27 pm
I Dig the Analogy!!!
Well in that case we just need to keep on watering it and make sure it gets plenty of sun, but not too much, as I don’t want it to brown out….
Karen Sugarpants
January 10th, 2008 6:51 am
So many good points Darren. I could listen to that accent allll day! :)
Deepak
January 11th, 2008 5:14 am
Thanks for posting this Darren
Actually i also got a similar idea like this one…
the difference was that i thought it like planting a tree…
i know you dont have have time but still
here is the link of my post
http://bloggerchamp.blogspot.com/2008/01/blogging-is-like-planting-tree.html
& thanks for making such a great blog
RIGHTTTT
March 26th, 2008 2:48 am
So i have been blogging about 2 weeks. I dont know any bloggers so im not sure how to feel about my stats from feedburner. I was hoping someone could give me some help doing that. So for the first couple of weeks my feed was fluctuating between 1 and 2 but the day before yesterday i had 5 and yesterday i had 10. Is this good. I wont lie im kinda excited. 10 subcribers in 2 weeks is awesome to me. But is it awesome to other NEW bloggers? I would really like some input. Hope one of you can help. Thanks in advance.
http://parkerverse.blogspot.com
Yongho Shin
July 7th, 2008 7:51 am
Very insightful video post! It is definitely keeping me going at my small blog, which took a surprisingly large amount of time making, despite the little content it seems to have right now.
Darren, are your glasses from Prada? I think we have the same ones!
Best blogger (in dreams)
October 9th, 2008 5:11 pm
Great video post. And yes, blogging is like growing grass, it will be much better after a while.
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