Written on August 14th, 2009 at 08:08 am by Darren Rowse
Forget the Fatal Flaws of Blogging
In this guest post Seth Waite from Blogussion shares some thoughts on two fatal flaws that most bloggers struggle with. Image by helgasms.
Blogging has been a passion of mine now for almost two years. Learning the basics took time and developing my skills has been even longer, but I have learned how to overcome most bloggers 2 fatal flaws, wisdom and effort.
Wisdom
Most bloggers spend tons of time surfing, stumbling, twittering and clicking around each day, but learn very little. Sure they have seen the lists of tips, pictures of cats, FAIL blogs, and a million get rich quick schemes but very little of them actually learn something. This is where the “Blog Tips” industry comes into play.
Designed to teach bloggers about how to blog better, meta blogs offer targeted information for how to actually succeed online. So the the information is definitely available.
A lot of the information is even read by blogging hopefuls. The problem likes in the application of the knowledge. It is not enough to read a post and go back to messing with your plug-ins. You have to apply the information directly to your blog.
The way to do that is by learning the “Act Now” principle. “Act Now” just means that whenever you learn something new, within reason, you act upon it. So today when you read another great post online, follow it through and try it out. With some experience under your belt the knowledge becomes real. Eventually over time this knowledge and experience of application become wisdom.
Effort
Other then wisdom, too many bloggers forget the effort that it takes to be successful. I know this is not something you want to hear, but you probably should anyways. Blogging takes serious work. Anything that is worth something does. There is no “instant” money maker, theory, or plug-in that can ever take the place of real effort.
Effort is more then just putting in time as well. Too many bloggers already put in a lot of time. Often I see posts about “Giving Up my Blog, No One Reads it Anyways”.
I always think that is so sad. With more time and effort in the things that are “wise”, we can produce better content and create a lasting impression on other bloggers and our visitors.
Effort is doing something that is difficult but worth it. For example, writing a post with over 2,000 words on 30 Ways to Make Money Blogging was hard. It took a lot of time and effort to come up with the descriptions, find the links and provide a resource worth reading.
But it was completely worth it. Reading comments from visitors to my blog made me see that the time and most importantly the effort in doing the hard thing paid off. That is what effort is all about. Doing the hard thing that is best for your blog. That will be different for every blog, but almost always it will be some way to uniquely provide an incredible resource for your readers.
If you feel like you are doing one of these principles very well, then keep going with that one and work on the other principle. Finding success comes from the proper application of both of them.
You cannot show your wisdom in niche without the effort of providing the resources, and you cannot show your effort without the wisdom to put into your resources.
So to improve your blogging skills and forget the fatal flaws that might stop you from succeeding, remember to focus on the “Act Now” principle and giving 100% effort. When you combine the two you will begin to see enormous growth in yourself as a blogger, and success for your blog.
The Blogger who is furiously trying to fix these fatal flaws is Seth Waite. You can connect with him at the blog he writes on Blogussion and his twitter account Seth1492.
64 Responses to “Forget the Fatal Flaws of Blogging” - Add Yours
Alex Fraiser
August 14th, 2009 9:08 am
Congrats on the guest post here Seth!
I do agree with this article, it takes a lot of commitment to produce quality content. I have written articles on my blog that have exceeded 2,000 words, but I saw the benefits of all that hard work later on in my traffic stats! One of those posts that was over 2,000 words is the most popular post on my blog, and it still brings in traffic!
Tiger Singleton
August 14th, 2009 9:15 am
Thanks for the input… oh wait. I thought for a moment you were talking at me.
Good job.
Namaste
Seth W
August 14th, 2009 9:28 am
Thanks Tiger. I wasn’t pointing fingers at anyone in particular, but rather at bloggers in general. I think everyone struggles with these problems in blogging and in other life ventures.
But realizing you have a problem is the first step… :)
Dan Smith
August 14th, 2009 9:42 am
I appreciate these words. I feel like I’ve been putting forth effort. However, my problem is that I had no voice, and it will take time to make that clear to the reader, so more effort, over time, will be necessary. Yet because of your post today I am hopeful. We’ll see how it goes!
Anthony Mora
August 14th, 2009 10:01 am
You make great points. One other point I’d add is that it takes time, when means you need patience. Blogging is still comparatively new to me, but having worked as a journalist and as a PR consultant for many years, I know that the same holds true in that world. Too many people send out one press release and if their world doesn’t change within the month, decide the process doesn’t work. As with blogging, it takes time, work patience, creativity… did I mention patience?
Josh Mann
August 14th, 2009 10:02 am
I think reasonable expectations and the definition of ’successful’ are also key factors in this conversation.
Seth W
August 14th, 2009 10:12 am
Anthony – Blogging just like anything does take time. Time to learn, experience things, and understand where to place your effort. Keep applying it and I’m sure you’ll see powerful results.
Josh – Success should be an expectation that you determine very early in the process – - Think 31DBBB. Goals are so important, so if you don’t have those measured… they will become part of the wisdom that you gain.
needmoney.com
August 14th, 2009 10:18 am
“The way to do that is by learning the “Act Now” principle. “Act Now” just means that whenever you learn something new, within reason, you act upon it. So today when you read another great post online, follow it through and try it out. With some experience under your belt the knowledge becomes real. Eventually over time this knowledge and experience of application become wisdom.”
This is terrible advice. If you are online and have even one functioning braincell you are CONSTANTLY learning new things. It is IMPOSSIBLE for such a person to follow through/try out every new thing they learn.
Better advice would be to focus on what you’re doing and follow it through until you have conclusive results BEFORE trying anything new.
Basic Blogger Advice
August 14th, 2009 10:26 am
Great points. I hate seeing abandoned blogs too. Blogging takes a lot of effort and you have to be patient in order to be successful.
Mathew Packer
August 14th, 2009 10:26 am
Definitely agree with you here, it’s one of those ’strike while the iron is hot’ analogies.
I think one problem that sort of exists around this is the overwhelming amount of advice out there now. With so much of it, it can be difficult some times to determine the good advice from the bad advice.
Also I think some people, definitely me, maybe tinker too much with our blogs and maybe never gain that momentum that can be achieved by concentrating a little more on our topics of choice and not trying every new little SEO technique that pops up every day or so…
Nice post Seth.
Cheers
Mat
Terry Heath
August 14th, 2009 10:51 am
The old saying goes, “Experience is the best teacher.” It’s easy to get bogged down with philosophy and forget about practical application. Although I’m not sure it’s wise to run out and try every new idea we stumble across, the sentiment is good; put things we learn into practice. I never feel like I’ve really learned a thing until I’ve actually done it, moved from theory into application.
I started blogging in 2004 and have probably forgotten more than I know now. But I’ve always learned the most when I’ve tried to make things happen.
Miranda
August 14th, 2009 11:02 am
Great tips! I sometimes feel like I’m putting forth so much effort and not getting much back. I’m working hard on building dialogue and community. It’s coming, but slowly. I know it takes time, but as a part-timer, I don’t always have much of it!
Mike
August 14th, 2009 11:04 am
I put in the effort, a lot of effort, but I think the Act Now principle is something I need to work on…starting right now.
Tan Yew Wei
August 14th, 2009 11:16 am
Well, i’m new to blogging, and tomorrow marks the 1st month of blogging for me. But yeah, I can see how this turns out.
One issue I have seen is the massive amount of information on how to blog, monetize, etc out there and its just confusing as hell.
For this reason I guess its easy to miss the true reasons as to why we blog and how to go about doing it. Hence, I still think that delivering value should be the first priority to others, and having fun should be the first priority to yourself.
Thanks Seth!
Jenny
August 14th, 2009 11:17 am
Definitely a great point that it takes time and persistence to succeed in this career field. I guess so many of us begin after reading a “in 3 months I had a book deal” post – so wiping the stars out of our eyes and realizing it takes work and time is a wake up call at first.
Chris Mollo
August 14th, 2009 11:26 am
I really appreciate this post because its so true for me. Recently, whenever I see something while surfing, I’ll write it down and go to Google and use the Wonder Wheel that Darren told us about. That will usually produce an interesting spin off topic that I can write about while using the original topic idea as a reference point. So far it’s working. I’ve been writing at least 2 articles a day now as opposed to 1 every two days.
Alex Lim
August 14th, 2009 11:47 am
I’m with the same page with you Darren.
Knowledge is just a mere theory unless you will apply it. Application is the key for experience and acquisition of skills that will make you ahead of others. Information isn’t enough, knowing how to use it is. It’s the same situation with other profession like medicine, nursing, engineering…etc. When you utilize data into action that is where you can find the real essence of it.
Indeed, when you subject your self into something difficult and succeed, it really means something. Your future is bright man. Not all people can do such thing; those are only for the motivated ones. They are the most likely to rule.
Daniel Richard
August 14th, 2009 12:23 pm
The efforts made from blogging to even get any form of income is *unfortunately* too high before some bloggers start to lose steam and give up.
Effort is just a tiny piece of the puzzle. Well, imagine a blogger who thinks that “hey I need to put in a little bit more effort each day, crank out 2 more posts by noon” and in hope to get income from 3000 hits in a day… most likely it will fail – again. Unless, it is a business model that allows the traffic to turn into a good form of income.
Soxialize
August 14th, 2009 1:17 pm
“Act Now” is right! To often I see people take way to long to do a write up or launch a product. They miss the window of opportunity or worse yet never do anything because it wasn’t perfect enough.
“Act Now” – Better done than perfect! ;)
wayne @idetectorist
August 14th, 2009 1:28 pm
Hi, my name is Wayne and I’m a flawed blogger.
Thanks for the advice, and I WILL keep working the steps.
Seth W
August 14th, 2009 1:31 pm
You are all very right! Too often I see blog posts about what they are going to do and very little discussion of what is actually getting done.
For instance… bloggers love to talk about guest posting, but no one ever sits down and writes them out. They are work, but a lot of fun!
Diana
August 14th, 2009 1:47 pm
Thanks for your advices.Really , “act now” is a principle not fallowed by many.Effort is not enough to make a succesuful blogger.If you don’t have the skill of writer all the effort is waisting.
Jaky Astk
August 14th, 2009 1:59 pm
Hi Darren, this guest post was interesting and philosophical. It’s important to learn and act upon it. More important is to learn constantly. I am blogging since 3 months now and the consistent effort is paying off.
Mitch McDad
August 14th, 2009 3:07 pm
Good point. That’s why my blog suffered, I stopped working on it.
Surender Sharma
August 14th, 2009 3:34 pm
Nice tip.
Act immidiately works well.
Some blogger fails because they don’t focus on act now formula.
They believe on tomorrow.
Son
August 14th, 2009 3:50 pm
Great Post Seth!
The “Act Now” mindset really does work. I’ve learned more this way than any amount of surfing could have taught me!
Keep Up the Great Work!
Dental Fort Worth
August 14th, 2009 4:07 pm
This is a very interesting post. Blogging takes lots of effort to succeed. Most journalists wonder why people would rather get information and latest news rather than read a newspaper or magazine. One thing is for sure, people think that bloggers are easy to approach and they can always share their view on something.
Andrew - We Build Your Blog
August 14th, 2009 5:16 pm
I build blogs for clients and one of the first question I ask – “Why do you want your blog?”
Their answer tells me every thing. I go on and explain how much effort is required. Sometimes I lose customers because I do explain, you are not going to become rich, you are not going to work a 4 hour day…you ARE going to have to work hard…you ARE going to be frustrated…you are going to have to learn lots…making money is dependant upon so many factors.
Us, internet marketers (that’s what I suppose I am!) have to manage expectations. It’s essential.
Andrew
Walter
August 14th, 2009 5:27 pm
Most bloggers are not aware of the most important aspect of blogging is having the right attitude. Your inner construction will reflect on all of your works. Many take this for granted. That’s why they fail. There’s much to learn but some are so preoccupied with the fast way. A pity. :-)
Website Flipping Masters
August 14th, 2009 6:03 pm
Effort? Is that why my blogs always only last about 45 days? lol
Seriously though, it’s soooo easy to “start a blog” but often sohard to keep it going. When folks don’t see the insta-result they are wishing for, the initial shine gets dull real quick. I think if you’re trying to be a “blogging success” then you need to be in it for the long haul and prepare for that from the beginning.
This is definitely the best place to start getting advice. :)
Cheers
Jay
luke
August 14th, 2009 7:07 pm
keeping a blog diary of updates helps me realise how much work im doing or give me a kick to do more….
seth has a good point about actioning things you may see around the internet its one thing to read a lot of new techniques but another to but them into action…
great post hope to see more from seth on problogger!
Mitch
August 14th, 2009 7:27 pm
I’m always confident in giving away my secrets of success because I know 99% of people won’t take the time and effort to follow it. It’s a shame how people have the resources to build a successful blog but don’t follow through. The 1% that puts in the effort ends up shining.
Joseph Gelb
August 14th, 2009 7:46 pm
You make a great point about the effort, and for me that is bringing in video into more posts and researching new subjects to write on.
Salman
August 14th, 2009 8:03 pm
Nice thoughts seth.Congrats on your post on problogger
http://www.tips4blogging.co.cc
Asif
August 14th, 2009 8:10 pm
There are so many Rules for Blogging to Success.
Just pick any one and start following it.
Grass is always greener on the other side.
Samantha Milner
August 14th, 2009 10:40 pm
Thanks for the tips seth and for blessing us with a guest post!
If you want to be successful as a blogger you have to remember to avoid as many bad bits and just concentrate on the big meaty content.
kind regards
sam
X
Pete | The Tango Notebook
August 14th, 2009 11:01 pm
Wonderful advice, Seth. My Kenpo teacher used to tell me to pick one defense move out of the hundreds available and practice it until I owned it! Obviously, in a street fight, that move wouldn’t always apply. What he meant was keep digging so as to extract as many pearls of wisdom as your efforts can handle. I love blogging, first, for its liberating and creative powers, and second, for its income potential. He also said, “Share the wealth.” Great, guest post!
Signupandmakemoney
August 15th, 2009 12:03 am
What are the fatal flaws of blogging? I was reading that post in hopes to find the answer, but didn’t find one.
ITrush
August 15th, 2009 12:24 am
Thanks for the reminder.. I also agree that in every thing we do, we should put lots of effort on it.
Son
August 15th, 2009 12:30 am
I am a true believer that those who share with others will be the richer ones in the end. That is both in Money as well as in Spirit!
It is also a pity that people don’t take the advice when it is just handed to the, yet they complain that their blog (or statue in life) isn’t doing well.
———————————————————–
In response to Mitch: “I’m always confident in giving away my secrets of success because I know 99% of people won’t take the time and effort to follow it. It’s a shame how people have the resources to build a successful blog but don’t follow through. The 1% that puts in the effort ends up shining.”
fas
August 15th, 2009 12:50 am
No amount of effort ever goes to waste, the more you put effort, the more you treasure your reward.
Seth W
August 15th, 2009 12:58 am
fas – it is important that the effort is going towards something valuable though. Otherwise you are just spinning your wheels but never moving forward.
Kayla
August 15th, 2009 1:11 am
I need to work on the wisdom, which is ironic since I’m always encouraging my readers to actually DO whatever I’m writing about as well. It’s much harder to put it into practice than it is to say.
Hopefully I can get better at that. Thanks for the inspirational post!
BloggerDaily
August 15th, 2009 1:40 am
Blogging is amazing. It’s where you learn a lot of thing and sharing knowledge towards each other.
Don’t too worry about the fatal because there are a lot more ’secret’ that you have to reveal inside!
David Stillwagon
August 15th, 2009 1:56 am
I checked out Seth’s post 30 ways to make money blogging and it has a lot of great information!
thanks
Madeleine
August 15th, 2009 4:05 am
Like Tan Yew Wei, I’m also new to blogging–with less than 2 months since my first post. And like him, I love that there’s lots of help and support from experienced bloggers, but it is overwhelming.
I think the key is having priorities and that writing compelling content is the highest priority. Without that, how can all the latest plug-ins and heavy social media participation build an audience?
Thank you for your thoughtful post, Seth!
Make Money Online
August 15th, 2009 7:33 am
i agree, this is why i really enjoy reading your blog, you can tell effort was put into each article, and just put up to be put up… good quality content will always keep me coming back to read more…. keep up the good work…
hospitalera
August 15th, 2009 9:16 am
I got into the habit to convert every bit of “wisdom” I learn into a draft post in a folder on my computer. So I do have always material to blog about and as it is relevant to me as a blogger, I hope it is also relevant to my readers. SY
V.C
August 15th, 2009 9:42 am
You make a good point.
Blogging is still new to me but I work hard day by day to gain experience.
Blogging takes a lot of effort and you have to be patient in order to be successful.
Reza Winandar
August 15th, 2009 10:05 am
I do accede with this article, it takes a lot of charge to aftermath superior content. I accept accounting online writing on my blog that accept exceeded 2,000 words, but I saw the allowances of all that harder plan after on in my cartage stats! One of those posts that was over 2,000 words is the a lot of accepted column on my blog, and it still brings in traffic!
SURVEYS FOR MONEY
August 15th, 2009 11:01 am
Appreciate the amazing guest post, I learned a lot. I have to agree that all bloggers must overcome the flaws of wisdom and effort. As we continually blog we will gain more and more wisdom. The “Act Now” principle is a great way to learn and retain information. I never knew about meta blogs so as soon as I finish my comment I’m going to go check that out. We learn more through time and effort so as long as you keep blogging there is no reason to give up.
Liane YoungBlogger
August 15th, 2009 11:44 am
I’d say good work Seth but that’s an understatement. I am curios though, you’re already a permanent at Blogussion then? You run your own blog right?
Really, congratulations on this one!
amirulcyber
August 15th, 2009 12:56 pm
nice article daren.tq..
Sue Vickers
August 16th, 2009 2:50 am
Great article and one that I needed right now. I am a new blogger and writing is hard work for me. Seth’s article made me realize that researching, getting facts right is “hard work” and not just for me, but for others as well.
I took the 31 Days to a Better Blog, subscribe to your RSS Feed and I belong to your LinkedIn group. I have learned so much from you Darren, that I would like to say “Thanks”.
Wallpapers
August 16th, 2009 5:24 am
I remember back when I started working online I spent hours reading new articles and posts about how to blog and never got around to doing it.
It took me almost a year to see that I could be successful as long as I kept working. If I spent more time just working and less about what to work on, I progressed.
Crude Oil Trader
August 17th, 2009 2:20 am
To many people get into blogging thinking writing the blog is all you have to do. All successful bloggers spend hours a day as part of a community, that is where must of the work comes in.
Great post!
Ebizel Diary
August 17th, 2009 2:28 am
A quality content can be termed as a foundation of a blog )
Glad to b a reader of ur blog :)
Swami
August 17th, 2009 4:33 pm
Great! I have done many many mistakes on by blog and learn from it. Important thing is we should be ready to learn from our flaws and don’t repeat it
Stephanie Smith
August 17th, 2009 11:02 pm
I am learning more about blogging all the time and how to be part of the community in order to read and be read. That is one thing that doesn’t get addressed much for new bloggers- where to start getting into the “community” and making connections. I am not on Twitter because I don’t like the short format and all their “rules”, # of tweets vs replies, etc. I am already on facebook and there are so many social sites -it’s hard to know what is the best way to go.
Thanks for your research, advice and links!
Steph
Seth W
August 18th, 2009 11:47 am
Wow… thanks for all of the really great comments. I have tried to provide a unique article to help you all get the realization that blogging is work and requires a lot of wisdom and effort, but once it all comes together you have something really remarkable.
Igor Helps You Succeed
August 18th, 2009 6:18 pm
Hey Seth,
great post. Really enjoyed reading and got wiser in the process :)
Igor
Dallas Web Design
August 20th, 2009 6:21 am
Yes you have to act and take control and make it happen if not you are just another no it all with big mouth. I like the blog and glad to see you are doing very well with it. we are currently trying to dial our blog in as to generate more traffic and of course better rankings in the serps.
Dirk
August 24th, 2009 12:07 pm
It really boils down to what your goals are, what is the purpose for your blog and what are your long term plans with it. I would definitely put my goals before wisdom and effort.
This way you can measure what works and what does not work thus giving you wisdom thus showing you where to put your efforts.
Cheers!
jeux virtuel
October 1st, 2009 10:39 pm
Your post made me think back to 2 weeks ago. I gave my niece a cute pen that made funy noises. She is just like you and has to know how things work. She pulled it apart and a wire broke. Then I dsicovered that for her knowing how it worked was far more important than having it working: she showed me every single part she had detached and wasn’t at all perturbed by the fact that it no longer worked. Understanding was all she needed.
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