Written on May 6th, 2009 at 08:05 pm by Darren Rowse

Plan the Next Steps for Your Blog [Day 31 - 31DBBB]

Miscellaneous Blog Tips 111 comments

Today is Day 31 in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge.

Congratulations to those who have made it through to this point – I hope you’ve found it to be a helpful experience.

To those just starting, part way through or who are yet to start (you can sign up at any time) hang in there!

Your Last Task – Plan Your Next Steps

Today for your last task in 31DBBB I’d like to encourage you to take step back from the last month of activity and learning and to plan your next steps.

I’ve said this numerous times over the last month but while most bloggers tend to drift aimlessly along in their blogging I find that those who grow successful blogs often set aside time to think a little strategically about their blogs every now and again.

This doesn’t mean you need a highly developed strategy – it just means putting aside a little time every now and again to think about what you want to achieve and how you want to do it.

Develop a Plan for Your Next Month

If you’re a blogger who is struggling with discipline or routine (you know who you are) I would highly recommend setting aside a little time to develop some kind of a plan for the next month.

Get a calendar (whether it be a real physical one or your computer based one) and map out specific tasks that you want to achieve over the next month.

Let me show you what this might look like with a calendar that I’ve whipped up below in Google Calendars (click to enlarge).

blog-plan.png

The calendar above is based upon some of the activities we’ve covered over the last month. You can see that this plan includes:

  • 6 posts a week (Sundays are a day off from posting)
  • Each Post day has it’s own ‘type/style’ of post
  • Sundays are for determining specifics of what each post will be (topics/titles etc)
  • An Admin type task each Monday
  • A promotional activity on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
  • A day on Fridays for ‘readers’ (emailing them, answering questions etc)
  • A day on the last day for stats analysis
  • A brainstorming day on the first day of the month

The daily tasks of course will vary from blog to blog and I would not recommend you just adopt this plan.

You might not want to do a weekly cycle of types of posts, you might have a different frequency of posting, you might want to include other activities or or not do others – the key isn’t what you include but rather to layout a plan of the main things you feel are important to your blogging..

Of course the above calendar looks very ‘neat’ – you’ll find that there will be daily tasks to do also (comment moderation, email, social media presence etc) and that other opportunities and challenges arise from day to day that will take you off course – but with a main task or two identified for each day it means you know you’ll achieve a good balance of activity over a month.

With this in set up you don’t have to work out what to do each day when you start blogging – you just have to do the task outlined for the day.

Over the last 31 Days we’ve covered a lot of ground. By no means have I touched on every aspect of blogging but my hope is that out of the 31 days there are at least a few practical things that you can build into your regular blogging routine.

One last thing that I’d recommend that you do at this point is simply look back over the last 31 days of tasks (you can see them all listed in the daily task area of the forum) and identify which of the tasks you might want to take on board as something you regularly do on your blog. The reason that I selected the topics and tasks that I did was simply that these are things that I do regularly myself (most of them on at least a monthly basis). You don’t need to replicate them all for yourself but please don’t simply end 31DBBB today and ’shelve’ what you’ve learned – pick two or three things you’ve found helpful and plan to do them more and extend them further.

Tell Someone Your Plan

A quick tip once you’ve worked out what you’re doing next with your blog – tell someone.

Plans often remain plans and don’t become reality – but one way to take help them to happen is to share them with others. Share it with your blog buddy, tell us about it in comments below or over in our forum or find another friend or family member to share it with.

31DBBB – Where to from here?

Quite a few readers have asked me what happens now with 31DBBB? Many have enjoyed the tasks, the teaching and the community around this project and it does seem a pity to simply end it here. As a result there are few ways that we’ll extend things in a less intense kind of way:

1. 31DBBB Workbook

Many of you want your own copy of the daily tasks. We’re currently working on putting them together into an e-book/pdf workbook which will enable you to go through the tasks again at your own pace as many times as you like. There will be a small cost associated with this for those who want to grab a copy. I’ll share more on how you can get it in the coming week or so via the email list and here on the blog.

2. More Tasks

Over the coming weeks and months I will continue to use the email list to send the occasional task to participants. By no means will it be daily (I’m suspecting it’ll be every couple of weeks at the most).

3. Special Offer

In the next couple of days I’ll be sending an email out with a special offer to get a great blog training resources at a very reduced price. There’s no pressure to take it up

4. Forums to Remain Open

The 31DBBB forums have been an amazing little community for many of the participants of this challenge. In fact they’ve extended well beyond 31DBBB and there’s great discussion on there relevant to all bloggers. They will remain open indefinitely. In fact stay tuned because my hope is to expand them in the coming month to be an even broader community site for bloggers. ProBlogger.COM is going to be ProBlogger.COMMUNITY (more of this soon).

Lastly – let me thank you all for participating in the last 31 Days. While it has been a lot of work it has been a fun ride for me and I have learned a lot. A special thanks to Lara Kulpa who has helped managed the admin side of things particularly in the forum area and a thanks to all who have given feedback and support along the way.

Want More?

This task is a sample of one of the tasks in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Workbook – a downloadable resource designed to reinvigorate and revitalize blogs.

Join over 14,000 other bloggers and Get your Copy Today.

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111 Responses to “Plan the Next Steps for Your Blog [Day 31 - 31DBBB]” - Add Yours

  • PaX

    May 6th, 2009 8:49 pm

    I’ll sit and plan the next step tonight :-)
    Thanks Darren for this amazing course…
    I can see some improvements in my blog and blogging technique already…
    Keep rocking!!!

  • Bradford Shimp

    May 6th, 2009 8:51 pm

    Darren,

    Thank you so much for doing this. I learned a lot. My blog has benefited and I plan to institute many of your tips on a regular basis.

    That you did this for free is an amazing act of giving. You could have easily charged a decent fee for this, and still have made us happy!

    One benefit I take from these 31 days is that I now feel more confident as a blogger. You helped me to reach out to other bloggers and to directly engage with my readers.

    Again, thank you!

  • Fred

    May 6th, 2009 9:01 pm

    As 31DBBB draws to a close, and just before most of us go our separate ways, I wanted to suggest we did something special and outstanding for Darren And Lara & opened a thread on the forum to this purpose:

    I hereby invite all that gained, even modestly but most certainly greatly, from participating, to share one example of a breakthrough, added clarity, new knowledge, etc… You can write your testimonial at:

    http://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=560

    I wish the examples, testimonials and experiences that will be shared by members and participants in the 2009 31DBBB community will modestly compensate for their exceptional generosity, professionalism, example and standards.

    I know that in Darren and Lara’s hearts, the best reward for their efforts is in the success of each one of the 12,000 bloggers that participated in the event; however, I personally believe that the exchange would be incomplete without an additional effort from each one in this community – the easiest “payback” comes with purchasing the soon to be published new Darren’s e-book; but could take other forms like a link pointing to Darren and Lara’s blogs (remember the coming Google review of PRs) or the occasional stumble or digg of one of their postings…

    Be awesome and outstanding,
    To your success
    Fred (in China)

  • العاب شمس

    May 6th, 2009 9:07 pm

    Hi Dareen,
    these are great steps to follow . thanks.

  • Garry - thisimprovedlife

    May 6th, 2009 9:08 pm

    Thanks for this course Darren, I have certainly learnt a lot over the past month. I don’t know how everybody else feels, but I now treating my blogs in a more professional manner than I used to. Although I am still also having fun along the way.

  • Sparky

    May 6th, 2009 9:11 pm

    Thank you Darren. That was fun.

    I couldn’t keep up with you, but I did read and absorb all of the tasks. I will be referring back to this series a lot.

    Cheers!

  • Brian Meagher

    May 6th, 2009 9:13 pm

    I too want to thank you for this great learning experience. I plan to look over all the tasks again, and start thinking about the big picture.
    Thanks Darren!

  • HazardousPaste

    May 6th, 2009 9:15 pm

    Thanks a lot for the excellent month-long course.

  • Rahul Jadhav

    May 6th, 2009 9:19 pm

    wow 31 days are over. It was a great experience. I wish that you would continue 31DBBB for some more days. Got many intresting tips for my blog. Thanks Darren

  • Andy

    May 6th, 2009 9:23 pm

    I’ll sit and plan the next step tonight. Oh the Time is a Problem……;-)
    Thanks for this amazing course

    An thanks for the gread calender

  • Tiffany

    May 6th, 2009 9:44 pm

    Thank you so much for these 31 days. I’ve learned more than ever thought I would about blogging. My blog has “grown up” and moved to a self-hosted site and is now thriving there. That move would not have happened without the 31dayBBB. I’m looking forward to making many of the tasks part of my regular blogging routine. So thank you, Darren, and also Lara who has been wonderful help!

  • topcool

    May 6th, 2009 9:45 pm

    Make a good plan is really important!

  • Ulrich

    May 6th, 2009 9:59 pm

    Thank you so much for all the 31 challenges you presented us with! There are still a couple loose ends I have to follow, but it was a great experience. I feel my blog has improved, at least the statistics do look that way.

    I am looking forward to hear more from you.

    Good luck and thanks again
    Ulrich

  • Andy Shackcloth

    May 6th, 2009 10:10 pm

    Thanks Darren. It has been a blast.

    I have already produced a daily/monthly plan after the inspiration of your editorial calendar post, which kind’a lead directly to that sort of thinking. (plus a mind map that is stupidly big)

    But it is the end of the month and so I will do a rethink, I have them marked on the board as every four weeks.
    As for tomorrow?

    Well I kept a list of the web links and I am going to go around the loop again. Hopefully each time round more of the tasks will become relevant to a young blog.

    Darren are you going to do a sneeze page for 31DBBB-2009?
    (Thinks, I bet you have it already saved and sheduled.)

    Thanks again Darren

    PS; Looking forward to the e-book

  • Roseli A. Bakar

    May 6th, 2009 10:11 pm

    We must all thank Darren for doing this challenge which have been very helpful to bloggers.

    Thanks Darren.

    p/s – looking forward to the workbook.

  • delicate flower

    May 6th, 2009 10:12 pm

    AS I sat through a boring meeting yesterday, I made a list of the weekly blogging schedule I might adopt. as well as list of things I know need to be done. .Love the idea of a google calendar and will set up one this week.
    This has been the most useful 31 days.. I will miss the daily chores and chance to interact.. But will hope to see some of you around and will be checking in with other blogs.
    Darren: I hope you will keep the forums and daily lessons open for awhile so that we may continue to chat and share?
    thank you.

  • cat

    May 6th, 2009 10:12 pm

    be entertained

  • venkat

    May 6th, 2009 10:12 pm

    Thanks darren for your 31 day better blog project, I myself learned lot of new things ,planning and discipline is the key to become successful blogger like you.Thanks a lot I am a regular reader fof your bog now.

  • Internet Business With Purpose

    May 6th, 2009 10:13 pm

    You’ve given us a good outline to follow and the calender is part of a good business plan.
    31 days is a start to developing good habits.

    You have definitely won be over as a loyal reader and participator in all that you do.

    Thank you

  • RaSh

    May 6th, 2009 10:19 pm

    Hey!

    The course was great. Learnt a lot of new things!

    I’ll be starting a new blog soon, and will continue using your tips to make sure it works out well! :)

    Will be looking forward to more mails regarding tips (Though I do read every new post on your blog anyway!) :D

  • Blogging Basics And Money Making Tips

    May 6th, 2009 10:21 pm

    Thanks Darren for you 31 day course. I would say that I throughly enjoyed and learned so many things and am very confident now that my blogging has improved. I really appreciate your openess of sharing your knowledge with all and helping them. Now I am a full time fan of Problogger.net :)

    Cheers
    Krish

  • Dennis Lowery

    May 6th, 2009 10:29 pm

    “When you are thirsty, it’s too late to dig a well”

    That’s what can happen when you don’t have a plan. Businesses (and blogs) are best built, if you have a plan for them … and then go out and execute the plan. I work with clients on business planning and developing or launching their businesses (or turning their ideas into businesses) and know from experience the value of having a well-structured plan to follow.

    Darren, thanks for an excellent series on building a better blog … even experienced bloggers can learn from what you shared in the series. I know that I did.

  • Michael Godawski

    May 6th, 2009 10:32 pm

    I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.

    Thank you.

  • Vicki@collegeparentcentral

    May 6th, 2009 10:33 pm

    Call it Fate, but the fact that I began my new blog on April 1 (yes, April Fools) and then this challenge began just a few days later, probably made the difference of my getting started with a sense of purpose. I know I have a long way yet to go, but I at least feel more organized and intentional.

    I’ve saved all of the e-mails with the tasks, and plan to run through the challenge again myself in six months. Hopefully, I’ll be in a very different place with the blog at that point.

    Thanks for the forums, which will serve as an ongoing community/tutorial. This has been a great project all around. Thanks!!

  • kosmo @ The Casual Observer

    May 6th, 2009 10:40 pm

    Thanks for all the tips, Darren. Some are things that I have already implemented, others are things that I will implement in the future.

    I really need to start using more tools like Google Calendar. I had just printed off a blank calendar from Outlook and had sketched out a plan for the month in pencil. My blog ( http://www.observingcasually.com/ )covers a variety of topics (more a web magazine than a blog, probably) and I have a defined subject area for each day of the week. The calendar was a necessity.

    Adding the other tasks is something I overlooked, though. I’ll have to do that.

    thanks again.

  • Nicolas Prudhon

    May 6th, 2009 10:45 pm

    That was a great 31 days, and my blogging certainly got better in the process!

    Thank you for doing this.

    I’m glad to see that I’m not the only thinking that having a plan is important!

  • Ching Ya

    May 6th, 2009 11:21 pm

    Thank you, Darren for a resourceful and fruitful 31 days course. And everybody who’s been great of offering advises and suggestions. It’s a great community, and will see you guys more in the forum. Best wishes to all.

    @wchingya

  • Joan Nova

    May 6th, 2009 11:22 pm

    Adding my thanks and appreciation too. This was a herculean task! For me, the course was at times self-affirming (in the beginning), fun (analyze other blogs), perplexing (the technical aspects) but informative throughout. I have already implemented much of what I learned and realize I still have much to learn! Sign me for the next one!

  • alone

    May 6th, 2009 11:22 pm

    always plan or it’s far from success =)

  • Rita

    May 6th, 2009 11:29 pm

    This course has been amazing. My readership has gone up and that’s what blogging is all about.

    I will admit I did fall behind in the lessons due to some things that came up. I plan to complete them.

    Rita — The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

  • Rakesh Kumar

    May 6th, 2009 11:32 pm

    The course was really helpful to me. I am much more confident and sure now than I was 31 days ago. Now I can plan and decide more efficiently about my blog. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.

  • TheHenry

    May 7th, 2009 12:05 am

    Thanks Darren for this wonderful learning experience. You have really helped me a lot! Thanks a billion!

    TheHenry
    http://thehenry.net
    http://twitter.com/thehenry

  • Taexalia

    May 7th, 2009 12:07 am

    Darren,

    Thank you for putting this together, it has been extremely helpful to me :)

    I was somewhat quizzical about what this challenge could give to a personal blog that doesn’t fit a niche… and I’m happy to report it gave me oodles of juicy ideas and inspiration as well as some cool practical tips to apply to my mosaic of me :)

    *applause*

  • Dee Wilcox

    May 7th, 2009 12:13 am

    Thanks for an incredible 31 days, Darren! My blog is my “side hussle,” but I tell my friends that it’s also what keeps me sane. Thanks for giving direction to my passion and helping me bring focus and vision to Creative Perch. Your suggestions have helped me make my blog more valuable to my readers, and that is the goal, after all.

    I updated the Google calendar are started back on the “editorial calendar” task, and man, that’s a lot of tasks! :-) We’ll see how it goes. Since I work full-time, I have the tasks scheduled before work and on my lunch break. However, in my efforts to avoid burnout, I try to write posts in a series ahead of time, when the inspiration and time are both there. I’m sure I’ll be tweaking this calendar as time goes on and I figure out what works best.

    Thanks again, Darren! The last few weeks have ben fantastic!

  • Becki

    May 7th, 2009 12:22 am

    Darren, I’m glad you ended with this type of task. We’ve covered a lot of ground in the past month and should have enough information to create a plan. I know I’m going to need a day or two to sit down, take it all in and develop a plan.

    Thanks again for sharing your knowledge, time, and passion with us. I know that I have learned a lot and my blog is better for it.

  • Samuel - sparklife.info

    May 7th, 2009 12:26 am

    Thanks for the effort in putting this together Darren.

    This last task is going to prove crucial to me, as if this last month has shown me anything, it is that I put things off far too easily!

    Good luck to everyone else! I plan to check through a lot of your blogs when I get the chance! :)

    Sam

  • Shane - Inspiring your Success

    May 7th, 2009 12:36 am

    Thank you Darren for putting this together, I am sure it has helped us all very much!

  • darya

    May 7th, 2009 12:36 am

    This month of blogging has been so illuminating. Thank you, Darren.

  • Tasha

    May 7th, 2009 12:37 am

    Thank you to both of you. I know how challanging this may have been. Laura kudos to you.

    Darren, thank you for my new binder of great lessons…they will never go unappreciated.

    This has opened my eyes to a whole new world and how to make it more professional and well done from a great teacher. So many things I just never would think of helped me out more than any other teacher.

    Look forward to buying you a drink at OUR meeting one day when I take a vacation.

    Thanks so much.

    Tasha Harris
    http://www.theeangels.com

  • Tommy

    May 7th, 2009 12:43 am

    Would there be advantages to posting a calendar for your readers to view? So they know what to expect in the near future.

  • Kayla

    May 7th, 2009 1:02 am

    Thanks, my blog benefited so much. I think I’m going to use Google Calendars to remake my schedule, and I’m going to have to create one I’m actually willing to follow as well!

  • Vicki

    May 7th, 2009 1:02 am

    Thank You for the past 31 DaysBBB
    I just starting blogging and the daily task were very helpful to get my plan of attack organized. I wasn’t able to apply the task every day, but made notes. I’m hoping to take each
    task one at a time and apply it to my blog.
    Thank you
    Vicki

  • Abdul Halim

    May 7th, 2009 1:11 am

    Thanks a lot. You are really exceptional blogger than others. You have done a great job for new bloggers. We are grateful to you. I think we have many things to learn yet about blog. So please try to continue your support in future to be a professional blogger like you.

    Thanks a lot. God bless you.

  • Mrs Green

    May 7th, 2009 1:19 am

    Thank you so much for everything, Darren. You have given so much time, thought and energy to this course – it has been truly amazing and I’m very grateful for all that you share.

    I have learned a lot and will continue learning

  • Nicole

    May 7th, 2009 1:37 am

    Thanks for operating this 31DBBB Challenge. I have some tasks to catch up on and enjoyed the process, as it had me posting more on my blog and being more active in terms of promoting the blog.

    You have influenced my to go and work on a second blog that I have sort of abandoned and have not updated frequently. Using the 31DBBB tasks, I will work on that second blog over the next month to see if I can get it up to speed and build an audience around that to market affiliate products and my own products.

    I have learned more things about my blog than I knew and realized that some aspects of the blog needed redefining.

    The 31DBBB challenge helped me to really focus on areas that are not helping my blogging goals and shift that focus to areas that will allow my blog to grow in the coming months.

  • Barb

    May 7th, 2009 1:46 am

    Darren and others,

    Though I was only able to do about a third of the exercises, I see that even only doing that amount greatly increased my readership (relatively speaking), so imagine what could happen if I were to do all the exercises! Quite a motivational thought!

    Thanks for all your time and generosity, Darren!

    Barb

  • kosmo @ The Casual Observer

    May 7th, 2009 1:58 am

    “Tommy: Would there be advantages to posting a calendar for your readers to view? So they know what to expect in the near future.”

    I have the weekly schedule (monday = news, etc) in my right sidebar. Hopefully it’s helpful to newbies.

    http://www.observingcasually.com/

  • Gayle

    May 7th, 2009 2:01 am

    This has been a wonderful experience, and I’ve learned so much. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, and I look forward to more tips along the way.

  • Amy @ parkcitygirl

    May 7th, 2009 2:17 am

    It has gone by so fast! Thanks for all your hard work and insight into our blogs :) I have to admit, about half-way through I got off track . . . I hosted an event on my blog and went from 100 +/- subscribers to over 800! I’m hoping to go back through all the posts and put more into action. thanks again!

  • Marilyn

    May 7th, 2009 2:20 am

    I’d like to thank you for this series you put together Darren. While I didn’t actively participate through I month, I followed along, and plan to do each step in the future when my blog is a little more mature. You’re well thought out posts and subscriber participation is invaluable! Thank you!

  • Asswass

    May 7th, 2009 2:20 am

    Nice project Darren. It helped us a lot. I hope you write a monitoring plan in the future.

  • Jennifer Blanchard

    May 7th, 2009 2:30 am

    Thanks for doing the 31BBB Challenge, Darren. Over the last month, I have significantly improved my blogging–not just my blog itself, but also how I approach my blog. I now have an editorial calendar that I follow as well as am using guest posts. I’m excited to keep growing it!

    Can’t wait for the workbook so I can go thru the tasks again!

  • Jeff

    May 7th, 2009 2:57 am

    Hi Darren,

    This was a great course! Thing is, I was not able to put these strategies into play, because I still have a SHTML web site. I am shooting by July 1st, 2009, to finally convert my web site into a blog. The one thing I have going for me, is that I have over 5,000 pages of content and I can estimate that I have over 15,000 readers through my mailing lists (according to my Aweber account, I have cover 20,000 readers, but quite a few of these readers are on multiple mailing lists).

    The one thing I have been doing over the years, is that once I upload my stories to my server, I point links from my blogger account to those specific pages, so when I convert my web site into a blog, I will have a nice list of archives.

    I can’t wait to implement your lessons from not only your 2009 version of 31DBBB, but also from 2007 & 2005. BTW, you should throw those two years into your e-book too! I am a big fan of your ProBlogger book and I will await the arrival of your affordable e-book. I like the fact, that you are not charging us an arm an a leg for your upcoming e-book (like other people). You are a great man Darren!

    One more thing, I want to applaud you for writing such awesome content over the years. Most MMO blogs, like to promote a product well over $50 to $100 every other week. You don’t do that. When you promote something, its like every two or three months. This is one of the MAIN REASONS why I read and/or check out your blog daily. For the record, there is nothing wrong with promoting products, I just feel some other bloggers can get a bit overbearing, and that is why I RARELY, IF EVER read their blogs.

    When I look at people to emulate for my blogging strategy, I look at you, MICHEAL ARRINGTON and NICK DENTON. Because I am not trying to be like every other blogger who is trying to promote MMO products. My goal is to build a blogging empire and within the next two months, that process will begin.

    Cheers Darren, for doing such a fabulous job with ProBlogger!

    Jeff

  • Mahesh

    May 7th, 2009 3:02 am

    Thanks Darren for 31DBBB.. Had fun enjoying your posts!

  • Personal Development

    May 7th, 2009 3:52 am

    Thanks a lot Darren for excellent show here. I would be patiently waiting for your e-book. Please count me in.

  • Tiptopcat

    May 7th, 2009 3:58 am

    Thanks for providing such a comprehensive way of working to get better at blogging. I am sure that i am not alone when i say that i have very little structure to my blogging at the moment. Hope to implement some of the tasks you have set us very soon. thanks.

  • H.R

    May 7th, 2009 4:56 am

    I am so proud to inform that I have followed you everyday until today for these thirty days. I mean more or less. Thank you for you service. Your posts have been timely.

  • opinionatedant

    May 7th, 2009 5:01 am

    Thanks Darren & Lara for all your hard work.

    This month flew by and it’s been great learning along with other bloggers. I’m happy about the future workbook and am very excited that the forums are staying open.

    Problogger.Community sounds intriguing, can’t wait to find out what it’s all about.

  • Jackie

    May 7th, 2009 5:02 am

    Thank you very much for this awesome course on blogging. I have learned a lot though i may have missed some days. So I intend to go back to them now before I make make “plan”.

    Looking forward to your next course!
    Jackie@ http://www.stepbystepblueprints.com

  • Shakti Carola Navran

    May 7th, 2009 5:36 am

    Dear Darren,I have used the inspiration of your 31 day seminar to build a blog and get started. I am not a computer savvy person and I really liked the simple, down to earth instructions. I really appreciate your generosity of sharing your expertise with so many people. Just because of that I would buy your e-book when it is available. Thank you so much!
    In case you are interested in Astrology my blog is an Astrological Signs Weather Report & Healing Gems, so really a niche project.
    Many blessings on your journey, aloha Shakti.

  • soberdanimal

    May 7th, 2009 5:44 am

    Thank you Darren and Lara for creating this space and sharing your time, talent,and knowledge with us all

    I found you via http://www.twittip.com just as I was starting to research how to enter into the world of blogging. Since the beginning of 31DBBB, I’ve been writing down the daily tasks in a notebook and, although I fell behind some days, I do have a full notebook now and a sore wrist. :) You’ve helped me create a mental framework on how to be successful in blogging and most importantly, how to begin on the right foot an offer a nice and sticky first impression when my site launches at the end of May.

    Funny, I’ve been meeting so many cool Aussies in this past month as well! Looking forward to a continued relationship in this wonderful blogging community.

    Peace,

    Dan

  • Nicole (Three By Sea)

    May 7th, 2009 6:25 am

    Darren-
    Thank you, thank you, thank you! This has been an extremely helpful course and I appreciate you offering it to everyone! You rock!

  • Yemoonyah

    May 7th, 2009 7:10 am

    Thank you Darren for all the work and time you put into this.
    My blog has gone from 300 visitors in march to over 2000 in april.
    That is quite a success for me and I owe much of it to you and the 31DBBB challenge.

    I read you are not working as a minister anymore, but you know what? You’re still serving the people, just in a different way :-)

  • Sami - Life, Laughs & Lemmings

    May 7th, 2009 7:12 am

    The 31 day course was a great idea and has obviously been very helpful for a lot of people. I know putting it together would have been a lot of work. Thanks very much for providing such a great resource.

  • Bumbles

    May 7th, 2009 7:25 am

    Well – one step ahead of you Darren! Likely because you have trained me so well over the last month. The other night I mapped out the whole month’s worth of posts and felt so much less stress and disorganization about it that I created a post for our readers to let them know what to expect from us in the coming month. I decided to make it a monthly post to act as a type of newsletter – coming attractions – to give us extra incentive to follow through on our intentions and to provide a tease to keep our readers interested in checking back in. Here’s the post:

    http://thebumblesblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/on-blogging-may-days.html

  • Caden Grant

    May 7th, 2009 8:33 am

    This was a great course I really enjoyed it and it really helped. As for todays task, I think planning is one of the most important ways to become successful. I plan a lot of the stuff I do and it helps.

    Great post!

  • needmoney.com

    May 7th, 2009 8:49 am

    Heh. Looks like this campaign has given Darren more than a few ideas about how to milk his membership. Funny how that works out sometimes.

  • Wayne

    May 7th, 2009 10:00 am

    Your Goggle Calendar is a great idea for listing out a plan for where I am going with my blog. I use the google calendar now to schedule my people in the office and it works great as everyone can access it at any time to see if they are working and what time.

    Thank you, I appreciate this tip!
    My travel blog will now have an organized plan thanks to this tip.
    http://www.traveltothewest.com
    Wayne

  • Lara Kulpa

    May 7th, 2009 10:16 am

    Thanks Darren, for the mention… it’s definitely been a fun ride! :)

  • Mario

    May 7th, 2009 10:19 am

    This was a nice time. Some days were really challenging and refreshing. Sometimes I found that I hadn’t to do something ‘extra’ because the tasks involved things that I was already doing.

    I have to admit that sometimes I just let is slip and was more thinking out of the box. One example is the task about the statistics. I just put this on my to-let-list as I got tired from all this to-do-lists all over the place. Of course it is important to know the numbers and interpret them right. No doubt about that. I just noticed that I got a little statistic addicted and looked at them too much in the past weeks.

    There are some tasks that I will repeat over and over again.

    Thank you for the great work, Darren.

    Bless you,
    Mario

  • sjay

    May 7th, 2009 10:55 am

    Thanks Darren!! It s been a wonderful following the blogging lessons and every single day was special and something really important. Learn so much stuff and it improves the blog a lot. Best part is I can continue following it.

    Thanks Darren!!!

    Sjay

  • Jimmy

    May 7th, 2009 11:14 am

    Thanks so much for doing this! I got a lot out of it.

    Hopefully more people will be inspired to do Ironman Triathlons, and the whole blogging community will improve.

  • Tony

    May 7th, 2009 11:34 am

    Hi Darren, THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Now that this is over I feel like I and hope others feel like they lost a friend. I have no idea how you do it, but keep it up. Not like I will stop coming on here just because this is over. I will miss those who came to visit my blog as well, not that it’s that exciting lol. Well that’s about it for me, Again THANK YOU!!

    Tony

    P.S. Good luck everyone, my some day we will be like Darren:)

  • Tony

    May 7th, 2009 11:36 am

    oops typo….sent too fast….good luck everyone, may some day we will be as good as Darren.

    Sorry about that, for double posting

  • Denise

    May 7th, 2009 12:50 pm

    I have truly enjoyed this 31 DBBB. However, I always check your blog on a daily basis, sometimes several times, looking for one answer or another. I know that I will get sincere and honest information; something I can trust. I have learned so much from you Darren with all that you share with us and I appreciate that. You have had a great hand in helping to change my life. I hope one day that I am able to share that story with you. Unfortunately, I am a bit behind at the moment, but it will happen. Again, thanks so much for putting your time, effort and energy into the past 31 days; and ProBlogger itself. It was helpful in seeing your example of the calendar in this post as a guide also. As always, I look forward to more of your writings of insights, advice and challenges. Great Work Darren!

  • Shorty

    May 7th, 2009 2:02 pm

    Thanks for your knowledge and expertise this past 31 days. You are truly appreciated. I will put my plan in action.

  • Matt Freeman

    May 7th, 2009 2:25 pm

    Darren,

    Thank you so much for your commitment to post so great material and further to share it with us. I look forward to the ebook to have as a reference. I have learned alot in the last 31 days. A special thanks for the Sunday posts as I see that they are excluded in the calendar. I wish you continued success.
    God Bless,

    Matt

  • Hobart Fat Loss Expert James Kerrison

    May 7th, 2009 2:35 pm

    Darren,

    Thanks for all the work you have put into this. It is a great resource and something that you could have charged a mint for. To give it away is unreal!

    Well done,

    James

  • Jean

    May 7th, 2009 4:57 pm

    Thank you so much.

    By conincidence I started my blog at the time the course came out.

    It has helped me be more focussed about my own blogging. I shall go and buy your book and look forward to your ebook as well.

    I need a little more technical support (don’t know if it will be in there) so I can do all these wonderful things. Really appreciated your intelligent and warm approach, and am interested you have done all this in only two and a half years. Congratulations and many thanks for your generosity

    Jean

  • Eight Women Dream

    May 7th, 2009 4:59 pm

    Thanks for all your hard work over the past 31 days Darren. I forwarded every woman who writes on our blog. It helped so much to have an “expert” say what I have been trying to tell them. I also saw how I still had some bad blogging habits and just finished mapping a plan. Thank you for giving away so much of your great advise. It has made a difference in my blogging life =
    Catherine

  • Janet Bianchini

    May 7th, 2009 5:25 pm

    Hi Darren

    I would just like to say a big thanks for all your hard work and effort. You have been an inspirational mentor. I haven’t been able to complete all the tasks but I will definitely try to do them as soon as I can.

    The tasks have been challenging and practical. I will do my best to apply the tips to my blog, which has been going for just 6 months. I will be re-reading your helpful insights for a long time to come. I look forward to your e-book and workbook.

  • Janet Bianchini

    May 7th, 2009 8:00 pm

    Hi Darren

    I would just like to say a big thanks for all your hard work and effort. You have been an inspirational mentor. I haven’t been able to complete all the tasks but I will definitely try to do them as soon as I can.

    The tasks have been challenging and practical. I will do my best to apply the tips to my blog, which has been going for just 6 months. I will be re-reading your helpful insights for a long time to come. I look forward to your e-book and workbook.
    BTW I love your blog!

  • Sudeep

    May 7th, 2009 8:42 pm

    Hello ,
    Thanks a lot for this amazing course Dareen . I started with no blog and now with this course i have my own website with a start flow of atleast 100 people vsiting the site .For me this is gr8 .I would be in touch with all the happenings and looking forward to be in touch.
    Thanks
    Regards
    Sudeep

  • SquiggleMum

    May 7th, 2009 9:27 pm

    A month ago I had a relatively new blog – but I had no idea what I was doing with it. After doing the 31DBBB Challenge I can’t say I’m a newbie anymore because I’ve learnt SO much. Armed with knowledge from the course and with the support of my new blog-buddies, my little Aussie mummy blog is steadily gaining readers and evolving into something I really like.

    Thanks Darren for your generosity in sharing advice with us all. Please could you pass on my thanks to your wife also?! As a tech wife myself, I know that “work hours” sometimes need to happen outside of “work time” and I’m sure that running this course must have had an impact on your own family. -Blessings, Cath.

  • Joe Smith

    May 7th, 2009 10:43 pm

    The 31 Days to Build a Better Blog (31DB3) program has been the best blog-improving programs or lessons I have ever seen. This past month has seemed like a “best of” production that highlights all of Darren’s top work and ties it all together.

    Unfortunately, I’m still at day 20 (hectic schedule), so I have some catching-up to do.

    See you on the other side (and on the way through).

    j2s

  • LaTonya

    May 8th, 2009 1:21 am

    This has been great! I’m not at day 31, but I have learned sooooooo much. Some I’ve even done out of order, that I just couldn’t wait. Already, I can tell a change in the way I approach planning and writing for my blog.

    Thank you.

    lr

  • Nicola

    May 8th, 2009 1:55 am

    Any plans to produce this as a PDF? Have found out about it very late on and would love to read the whole thing as a document…

  • Maddie Grant

    May 8th, 2009 3:26 am

    This has been great, thanks Darren!

  • Ryan Bickett

    May 8th, 2009 3:51 am

    Just wanted to say thanks to Darren and everyone who participated. While I have some catching up to do with regards to the tasks, the information presented and comments have been extremely valuable.

    I wish everyone out there who participated and is passionate about blogging the best of luck in your endeavors!

    All the best!
    Ryan

  • ezFreeSamples.com

    May 8th, 2009 4:43 am

    The last day of 31DBB :-( This site has really helped me with my new site: http://www.ezfs.us

  • Patricia

    May 8th, 2009 4:53 am

    Darren and all,

    I am very glad that I participated in this even though I could not keep up entirely with everything. I am planning, however, to start from the Day 31 task and use that to better plan my foray into this 31 step system. I wish that I had been able to find a blog buddy, but it didn’t happen. Nonetheless, I am determined to keep working on improving my weblog skills and habits.

    Thanks Darren and those of you with whom I interacted. This has been a valuable set of lessons and I am glad that I kept all the lesson emails.

    :)

  • TheFatLossAuthority.com

    May 8th, 2009 5:54 am

    Darren,

    Kudos to you. It was a great challenge with a lot of important information covered. Much thanks to all those that I connected with. It’s good to know your not the only one experiencing certain issues or road blocks.

    I wish everyone continued success and perserverance.

    Best of Luck,
    Michael

  • Java Bean Rush

    May 8th, 2009 6:35 am

    It has been a thrill. Thanks, Darren.

  • Ben Lind

    May 8th, 2009 7:30 am

    Thanks, Darren!

    Your blog really helps me improve on my blogging, and the past 31 days have been amazingly gratifying.

  • Kevin

    May 8th, 2009 7:34 am

    Thanks for the challenge. The most important lesson I learned was to plan my website for success. I have started to list different types of posts on my calendar. I have also made a list of posts that I will write about.

    Reading the comments and visiting other sites has also helped.

  • Robyn

    May 8th, 2009 1:26 pm

    Thanks Darren
    I have enjoyed the whole process and meet some really interesting people.
    It’s been great to see everyone sharing & caring and I am going to miss hanging with everyone.

    Thanks Darren, Laura & everyone for a great 31 days, I am now more confident in blogging and look forward to improving my blogg for the long term.

  • elizof

    May 8th, 2009 2:11 pm

    Thank you Darren and Lara for a phenomenal 31 Day Challenge . It has been an amazing ride and I have learned a ton from the exercises and interactions with other bloggers here.
    I dislike endings and won’t say goodbye because, thankfully, you will keep us connected with the process we all started 31 days ago…
    I have recently embarked on a new and challenging career path that will demand superior time management skills and so the gift of the workshop is that I have gained enough insight into my own blogging habits to truly grasp what is realistically feasible for me to do. I am at peace with it.
    Another great gift I received from the workshop was to stay true to my vision and to make it a long term vision. I don’t want to be gimmicky and I don’t want to veer off course because some trendy approach shows up tomorrow or the new fangled whatchamacallit turns the corner beckoning me to try this, dip into that… nyet.
    The doors I walked through here have been both fascinating and encouraging. I will continue to visit other blogs when I can and support team members and also focus on my blogging plan.
    Yes, I now have a workable plan and topics that I have organized into a semi schedule. Some are partly written, some are completely written (need review) and others are in the developmental stage. I have also allowed room to write commentary on current events, social outings and other relevant activities.
    Thanks again for everything. It has been a smashing experience and I have always believed that … Those who give Freely…get Fully. Thank you!
    Kudos and see you all soon.
    Cheers!

  • Alison | Quest for Balance

    May 8th, 2009 5:33 pm

    Hi, Darren. Thanks for offering this free workshop. The funny thing is… Day 1 and Day 31 were the main things we (as a few-months-old blog) hadn’t done yet. I was surprised by that, actually! Day 1 was the elevator pitch — it really helped to put that together. Day 31 — the calendar — will be helpful on an ongoing basis.

    Some constructive comments… this workshop was a little bit less “advanced” than I was hoping for. While I can see that it would be great for someone REALLY just getting started, it served a different purpose for us. As each new day came up, I thought, CHECK! We’re already doing that. However, I found myself wishing for something “meatier” at the end, and I’m not sure exactly what.

    This is to say that it was helpful, but I would’ve liked to go slightly deeper on some of the more challenging aspects of starting up a successful blog. For example, one thing we’ve been struggling with is getting enough people to see us in the first place. I know you’ve touched on this, but we’re not getting the numbers we’d like to see, and it’s the main thing we need help with. (In the meantime, we’re still focusing on content, doing some SEO work, working hard, and trying to remain patient.)

    Thanks again, Darren. I look forward to continued tips and helpful reading. If you ever want to do a “Next 30 Days” workshop, or a “6 Months In” workshop, count me in! : )

    –FairyBlogMother

  • ITrush

    May 9th, 2009 1:26 am

    Your examples are really amazing, thanks a lot for putting these up and hope to hear another tutorial from you. Thanks A Lot Darrren.

  • helen morris

    May 9th, 2009 2:14 am

    I have read, enjoyed and learned from each of the projects. It may take a few months rather than 31 days but I will do it. I’ll start with the visit to the shopping centre! I have to give a speech later this year on the importance of blogging in the field of home decorating and I will certainly be singing the praises of you, your team and your contributors. Thank you.

  • Enemy of Debt

    May 9th, 2009 3:01 am

    Darren,

    I just wanted to thank you for doing this great problogger challenge!!! It was SOOO helpful for me! I was unable to participate in every challenge but have your posts neatly filed so that I can go back through at anytime. What I did participate in changed my way of thinking, and enhanced my blog for my readers in some way. My presentation is more professional. The elevator pitch alone changed my world! In fact I was mentioned in a CNN.com article about giving up credit cards for good. I am still overwhelmed with emails in my in box that I need to respond to. What you do is a blessing to many people!!

    Thanks Darren, and blessings to you my trusted blogger professor! :) I learned a lot!

  • Keith Jenkins

    May 9th, 2009 8:14 am

    Hi Darren,
    A BIG Thank you to you for this amazing course! I’ve learned a lot over the past month and I’ve had various successes based on the things I learned here.

    Thank you once again! You’re a star!

    Cheers,
    Keith

  • R Kumar

    May 9th, 2009 6:41 pm

    The 31DBBB course was a very informative one and has helped all of us improve on our blogs.
    Thanks a lot Darren.

    Just wanted to raise a point here. With the experience you have, you might be able to help.

    With the growing competition on a particular niche and the amount of blogs on the blogosphere, doing just normal things would not help a blog gain attention or, traffic. The strategy has to be different and unique. So the normal ways of commenting on a few posts, on in a forum is insufficient to gain readers or, visitors. A blog marketing strategy would for sure have changed from what it used to be about 3-4 years back. I have seen this in a blog that I started about 4 years back as a comparison to one that I started about 6 months back.

    Do you have a different opinion on this? If there are different strategies, would you help all of us new bloggers with a post on strategy to strategy comparison?

  • Sexorcism

    May 12th, 2009 2:39 am

    Thanks so much! My blog looks better than ever and traffic is way up.

  • Sam sall

    May 12th, 2009 4:11 am

    Hi
    Thank you Darren for everything, i couldn’t imagine that in only 31 days my Alexa blog rank improved by 10,000,000
    as for my plane i will keep on doing the task you gave us in this 31D challenge WITH SOME MODIFICATION LIKE 3 POST /Week
    i will also rolle in course to update my self in some stuff in my niche .
    thanks again

  • A Dawn

    May 12th, 2009 9:34 pm

    This course is very informative. Thank you for sharing! I will sit later and plan the next step. In everything, planning is definitely important.

  • The Broad Brush

    May 13th, 2009 12:45 pm

    I’ve long known about the power of planning. Believe it or not, after years, I’m finally starting to get there. Your encouragement and the positive feedback along those lines has really helped provide that motivation.

    It doesn’t mean the content generates its self, the tasks do something for me automatically or any such hooha. It does mean that I could actually get ahead of the game for a change, improve the consistency of the blog and content, and actually capture the continued interest of the readers.

    Great wrap up post.

  • ManlyWeightLoss

    May 14th, 2009 12:41 am

    I haven’t quite gotten to this point, but so far I’m getting a lot of good ideas and information that I’m using on my brand new blog. It will be interesting to see if this information accelerates the growth of the blog I just launched yesterday – even if it doesn’t, some of the ideas for types of posts, etc are going to be great for keeping me busy with new posts over the coming weeks.

  • Claus D Jensen

    May 15th, 2009 4:38 am

    This challenge has been so great!

    On of my plans for the future is to write posts that relate to earlier posts.

    Or to plan a series of posts on the same subject.

    I have today published a new post related to my review post from this challenge.

    How I used The Attractor Factor for creating music for The Sleep Secret Audio:

    http://www.clausdjensen.com/how-i-created-the-music-for-the-sleep-secret-audio.html/

    Hope to see some of you there! :-D

  • Kimberley Payne

    May 18th, 2009 12:28 pm

    Darren,

    Awesome stuff! Thanks so much. I feel like I have a much better focus and direction for my blog and plan to put into place all the information that you’ve provided over the last 31 days.

    Thanks again!
    Kimberley Payne
    http://www.fitforfaith.blogspot.com

  • Bridget Deehr

    May 23rd, 2009 7:15 am

    I recently started reading your blog, and I really appreciate the great tips you gave about improving my blog. I like the idea of using a calendar to better organize my ideas and trying to keep a more regular schedule. Glad that there is someone like you who wants to pass his knowledge to those with new blogs. Thanks again!


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