Comments on: The Power of Blog Projects

By: callcentergal

callcentergal — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:58:56 +0000

This is a good suggestion. One of my challenges in providing content is to keep my readers satisfied while learning something new. Will think more about the suggestions here so I can apply these in my blog.

By: Kissie

Kissie — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:17:42 +0000

First thing what I tried after I got bored with my blog, decided to start a new one. Then I thought that it was so me – abandoning every single thing started and decided to just change the design. It helped a lot : )

After some time I managed to start creative art project, another blog – for me and 2 or three my friends. Well, the idea had success… It’s been more than a month now, the project is running, more than 50 readers submit their stories or art weekly, I’m starting to negotiate with local magazines to publish it. This project was great motivator not only for me, but for my readers also – It drew traffic to my main (private) blog, and we feel that we became interesting for a lot of people. : ) Maybe soon I’ll start an English blog for the same project. I just don’t have enough bravery yet…

By: Bambi Blue

Bambi Blue — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:38:39 +0000

Wow! This was super helpful. I’m constantly trying to come up with new ideas to spice up the blog. I’m going to try many/all of these! Kudos :)

By: Sime

Sime — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:52:58 +0000

It’s true… My little “Seven days to published” has generated more traffic than usual.. I am not so much “in a slump” as… “I have too much to say” so – maybe I’m flooding my viewers?.. Though, I only have about 68 of them, so, I guess they’ll be ok!… Thanks, Darren for the link!..

Sime

[Day Two : Not published yet!]

By: ShaharY

ShaharY — Tue, 06 May 2008 08:09:09 +0000

This i really a great idea. I love the Series idea most and actually started one in my blog – http://www.dev102.com.
The series is about “Programming job Interview Challenge” where each week i post a job interview question and let readers answer them (by writing their post, leaving a comment, mail). In the following week i post the readers answers, the correct answer and the next question.
this kind of series really can help to build momentum on a blog as you said…

By: Sketchee

Sketchee — Tue, 06 May 2008 00:23:22 +0000

I was just thinking about writing a series and now I’m motivated to follow through with it thanks to this post

By: Justin Edwards

Justin Edwards — Tue, 06 May 2008 00:08:31 +0000

Being a photo blogger the main disadvantage in producing regular content is that my blog is largely dependent on the time taken to sort out the photos. So I have been using luchtimes at work (I don’t have Photoshop on my work laptop so I can’t work on photos during officer hours) to write series and project blogs that aren’t dependent on my own photos.

By doing this it means that I can keep a backup supply of blogs (I usually have 4 or 5 draft blogs at any one time ready to publish) and can keep publishing two to three times a week. Plus doing something different from the day-to-day photo blog keeps me motivated/inspired/engaged.

By: Trisha

Trisha — Mon, 05 May 2008 23:06:33 +0000

All those are great ideas – but you really need to be getting a decent amount of regular readers to your blog for them to work. That’s the problem I still have.

By: Sandy Naidu

Sandy Naidu — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:59:18 +0000

Running a series is my favourite…I find that they keep motivated (to learn and write)

By: Ryan McLean

Ryan McLean — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:25:29 +0000

I am currently experiencing this exact thing. I called it blogger boredom. I am running a series on my financial blog on How to Master Your Debt in 30 Days.
This keeps me interested in writing as I have a set project I want to accomplish and write about and I am hoping that this will increase readers.
I am already planning my next project and I am only 5/30 days through my current project.
A project definately makes blogging more exciting

By: The Masked Millionaire

The Masked Millionaire — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:42:14 +0000

The only thing I have done is a series on how I stopped smoking. It was very successful. The only thing that was weird about it was when part 2 was posted nobody read part 1 anymore. And then when part 3 (the final in the series) was published nobody read part 1 or part 2 anymore. But the 3 post were read quite a few times and still are.

I have been writing shorter post recently. I think that I was burning myself out and burning my readers out on the longer ones. We’ll see how it works.

Live From Las Vegas
The Masked Millionaire

By: David at DavidNordmark.com

David at DavidNordmark.com — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:25:35 +0000

These are all great ideas. Blogging is such a creative medium, there is nothing you really can’t do. Even before I read this post, I started to blog on a great book I found called “THE POWER OF CONCENTRATION”. The book was published in 1911 and focuses on training your mind to get the things you want. It’s very much involves “The Law of Attraction”, and you can get the book at my site (in PDF form) I’m planning on writing a summary for every chapter. Not only do I learn something, but I think my readers will too. This is definitely a fun way to blog!

- Dave

By: Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D.

Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D. — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:16:42 +0000

I’ve successfully used the series idea and videos to illustrate my topics.

One of the most successful is interactive. Since one of my challenges is getting visitors to actually leave comments on my blog, I came up with an ethical bribe. In the very last lesson of one of my e-courses I offer subscribers a free report when they review the course on my blog. They leave it following the post where I announced the course. This is working very well, plus it gives me testimonials to promote the e-course on my website and in my newsletter.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:39:59 +0000

I’m working on two series right now to keep me motivated while I’m in school and to give me something to continue once I’m finished with school (two weeks!) I am chronicling my clutter clearing once a week, and once a month I post a list and reviews of books I’m reading, dvd’s I’m watching and so forth. I find that doing a series helps to keep me motivated when I am busy doing other things, that way I don’t have to think too much and I get a good post up.

By: H.E.Eigler

H.E.Eigler — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:35:57 +0000

I don’t usually get bored with what I post but I often get bored of other blogs….does that make me conceited? It does? Hmmmm.

I’m starting a giveaway project to hopefully gain some readers and links. I think I might document the process for future posts :)

http://maternalspark.blogspot.com

By: JoLynn from The Fit Shack

JoLynn from The Fit Shack — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:54:28 +0000

I like the idea of doing experiments, I’ve done numerous ones on myself on my blog – the current one I’m doing is a 12-week experiment in healing my emotional eating, updated every Wednesday – it’s something I’ve needed to work on anyway and this way I’ve turned it into an experiment on myself (using a certain program).

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:43:55 +0000

Thanks for the great tips Darren,

Using a new medium is a great one. It seems as though many bloggers constrain themselves to only one medium – their blog.

Their are so many different mediums of communication on the internet its almost insane to stick with just one.

By: Cecelia

Cecelia — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:41:46 +0000

I took your advice and added a video post. It was easy and fun; I’m not sure if a regular video section would work on my site but I love the idea!

By: Mark - Creative Journey Cafe

Mark - Creative Journey Cafe — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:33:07 +0000

When I’m not feeling particularly inspired to post, I stick to something simple.

I might pose a creative question to my audience, allowing them to feel inspired enough to leave exciting comments…

Or I might simply post a photograph, something that will inspire others.

Inspiration quickly returns – it’s an ebb and flow.

By: Zopito DiGiovanni

Zopito DiGiovanni — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:32:32 +0000

This post has given me a bunch of ideas. I’m going to try writing a series and see how well that works. It is a great idea, and as a reader, I know that I am naturally more drawn to blogs (here and elsewhere) when I am following a series. If the series is a good one, I can hardly wait for the next post! That is why I think it works so well…

…it keeps your readers in a state of suspense.

I have tried a few “experiments” but I haven’t posted about them while they are going on. Sometimes I wonder if I will follow through and be able to pull it off. I don’t want them to turn out badly I suppose. Nothing really turns out badly though because there is always something to learn from it. You could post about what you learned in the experiment if it did not got as planned. I really like this idea and plan to test it out.

Thanks for all the inspiration Darren!