Building my blog up?

[thomamon]

Anyone have any experience with building a blog?

I am looking for tips on how to get more linkbacks and make it more popular.

Any suggestions?

 

[SilentPanda]

People won't visit your blog to give you link backs and grow your blog. People will visit if you post content they find interesting. Post what you love and don't worry about growing. Most blogs these days aren't much more than an "I get to start all the threads" forum unless the blog is on a new topic. Additionally, don't make me make a login to comment on your blog. If it's just a random guys blog, I'm not going to take time to make an account to comment. If I can login with something I already have, I might. Comments start arguments, arguments keep people coming back.

 

[obeygiant]

Start with tumblr or Instagram to get a following...

 

[Jessica Lares]

Writing good content is key, just like what SilentPanda said. You don't have to be the first to talk about it, but you have to put your own spin to everything.

You're already on a like-minded website, and I'm pretty sure you've gotten a few visitors from here surely?

 

[thomamon]

Writing good content is key, just like what SilentPanda said. You don't have to be the first to talk about it, but you have to put your own spin to everything.

You're already on a like-minded website, and I'm pretty sure you've gotten a few visitors from here surely?

Surely, probably most of the visitors I get are from here, lol.

Thanks for the info guys, it is much appreciated!

 

[mscriv]

I just checked out your blog and it's not bad at all. Just keep writing about what you enjoy and interact with those who post questions or comments. When people feel connected they will come back.

 

[Avatar74]

Anyone have any experience with building a blog?

I am looking for tips on how to get more linkbacks and make it more popular.

Any suggestions?

I've run a movie website for the last seven years, and my first advice is: Do it for fun.

I know people who were racking up 750,000 pageviews a month and not making a dime... basically all their money went to their hosting plan. They were cranking out all kinds of pieces on any subject, large or small, to increase pageviews, and working around the clock, going to film festivals out of pocket, etc. and basically went broke doing it and had not much of a backup plan, so they're all scraping by on other jobs now.

So, number one: Don't quit your day job.

There are easier ways to make money, but if what you primarily want to do is write for the sake of writing, then keep focusing on content that interests you and find genuine ways to make it interesting for your readers. 90% of every site's traffic is the index page. Even large traffic sites don't generate much return readership and it's disappointing.

What you want to do is commit to a set of ideals that represent why you're doing it. For me it was that I wanted to be a better writer, and a better movie critic. All else was secondary to my mission. That's how I developed a reputation among the readers I do have, and among the film criticism community.

I may not make a dime and I may not be famous, but my respect for proper journalism got two other professional film critics to write for me and now we represent significant voting power in the awards season. For a site that is small fries we have a lot of clout... and that its perks....

Not every site that the editors/writers are passionate about takes off... Sometimes it's the luck of the draw, unless you have millions of dollars to throw at the public, because the internet is much more crowded now than it was if you had started ten years ago. But if you don't have a passion for what you're doing, and you don't take it seriously in your writing and develop your own "voice" that sets you apart from the umpteen zillion other sites that write about the exact same things you do, then building a following will be very difficult.

 

[xShane]

I've run a movie website for the last seven years, and my first advice is: Do it for fun.

I know people who were racking up 750,000 pageviews a month and not making a dime... basically all their money went to their hosting plan. They were cranking out all kinds of pieces on any subject, large or small, to increase pageviews, and working around the clock, going to film festivals out of pocket, etc. and basically went broke doing it and had not much of a backup plan, so they're all scraping by on other jobs now.

So, number one: Don't quit your day job.

There are easier ways to make money, but if what you primarily want to do is write for the sake of writing, then keep focusing on content that interests you and find genuine ways to make it interesting for your readers. 90% of every site's traffic is the index page. Even large traffic sites don't generate much return readership and it's disappointing.

What you want to do is commit to a set of ideals that represent why you're doing it. For me it was that I wanted to be a better writer, and a better movie critic. All else was secondary to my mission. That's how I developed a reputation among the readers I do have, and among the film criticism community.

I may not make a dime and I may not be famous, but my respect for proper journalism got two other professional film critics to write for me and now we represent significant voting power in the awards season. For a site that is small fries we have a lot of clout... and that its perks....

Not every site that the editors/writers are passionate about takes off... Sometimes it's the luck of the draw, unless you have millions of dollars to throw at the public, because the internet is much more crowded now than it was if you had started ten years ago. But if you don't have a passion for what you're doing, and you don't take it seriously in your writing and develop your own "voice" that sets you apart from the umpteen zillion other sites that write about the exact same things you do, then building a following will be very difficult.

This guy has sound advice

Write about a topic that really, really, really interests you, and that you really, really, really enjoy writing about. Seriously. If you can do that, it will *truly* show in your posts, and people/viewers/readers will generally be more interested in your content. Just be yourself.

If people enjoy your style or reading your content, they will be coming back for more. They're also more likely to tell a friend (i.e. spread the word).

Now once you're sure you've got that down, you can try to "boost" view count by signing up for sites like Digg.it. Every time you create a post, also try to publish it through Digg.it. Another great technique is to put a link in your signature and a quick, catchy description that will make people want to visit your blog (and do this for *all* forums you're a part of). I think people actually read signatures, so therefore, this can be another great way to get noticed. You can also try spreading the word through your Facebook account/friends (if you have a Facebook account). There's *so* many ways to spread the word.

I think another key factor is how your site looks. It has to be reader-friendly, and you have to assume that the average reader isn't computer-savvy and doesn't know how to navigate a website. It has to have a good look and "feel" (i.e. the color scheme, the theme, etc.).

Your question is so broad that it's certain you won't get a golden, magical answer that explains and answers your question completely. Nevertheless, there are some really good tips in previous posts.

Do some internet research on the art of blogging. There are a lot of really good websites and documents out there explaining advertising, marketing, writing good content, etc., which are all necessary for having a successful blog. Popular bookstores like Barnes N' Noble are sure to have a whole section dedicated to blogging, with tons of valuable resources and books on the topic. So you might want to give that a try, too.

I hope this post helps

 

[Avatar74]

I think another key factor is how your site looks. It has to be reader-friendly, and you have to assume that the average reader isn't computer-savvy and doesn't know how to navigate a website. It has to have a good look and "feel" (i.e. the color scheme, the theme, etc.).

^^ That. Usability is key. Don't be afraid to take criticism, either. I've gone through multiple site redesigns over the years and early on I learned that rather than being combative with people who picked apart flaws in my original design, I was wiser to let them do all the testing and thinking and then quietly make the modifications that made the most sense and solved the largest number of usability issues.

The W3C (WWW Consortium) and php.net have a number of articles on usability and accessibility as well, based on large volumes of research conducted that have identified very critical components to optimizing usability for audiences with varying levels of web savvy.

 

[thomamon]

^^ That. Usability is key. Don't be afraid to take criticism, either. I've gone through multiple site redesigns over the years and early on I learned that rather than being combative with people who picked apart flaws in my original design, I was wiser to let them do all the testing and thinking and then quietly make the modifications that made the most sense and solved the largest number of usability issues.

The W3C (WWW Consortium) and php.net have a number of articles on usability and accessibility as well, based on large volumes of research conducted that have identified very critical components to optimizing usability for audiences with varying levels of web savvy.

Thank you so much to you both for your input. I am always willing to listen to learn. I love constructive criticism and feedback!!! Nothing makes me happy then any kind of interaction.

I made the blog to basically talk about anything that I love, but some how I always wind up talking about tech stuff, lol. I guess I know where my heart lays with that, lol. Sometimes I wonder if I should just stick with the tech stuff or keep it open like I planned to.

I am not doing it to get rich by far, but if it helps pay for my dedicated server I am extremely happy. Anything I make from it is a bonus. I use to use it for my business, but since I've moved on and gotten a new job that doesn't pay that bill anymore.

As far as design goes, I would love an updated design and maybe once I get out of debt, I can pay for a really good one. I'm not crazy about the one I have now, but its OK. I hate the title image, lol

 

[Tsuchiya]

If I were to guess, branching out would be the way to go. Build up fellowship on instagram and twitter then direct traffic back to your page.

Reason being it's very easy to search for your interests on those websites and find content. But if I was looking for a blog to start reading a simple google search wouldn't be enough.

 

[waloshin]

Just keep posting, when ever you feel like it.

 

[Bodhi395]

One of the problems I see with your blog is it seems like it focusses on recent Apple news, which it fine, but there is so much of it out there. Someone looking for info on Apple Maps or the new iOS update will have literally hundreds of articles about those topics to choose from, so it will be really hard for you to stand out in that crowd. I think you need some unique take on a recent issue, or something that would make you stand out.

I'm in the same boat as you in that I'm starting a blog. I'm trying to find a voice and stand out. I also have focussed somewhat on Apple, but I'm trying to be unique in my content. I recently did a post about eWorld that got good traction, because its something that hadn't been talked about for years and I think people felt nostalgic about it. But even a good post won't make a good blog, because you need a constant stream of good content to build up a readership and keep people coming every day. That's a very difficult thing to keep up.