Blogging Success
A New View, After My Personal Blog Reached 106,000 Comments
At my personal blog we have new reason to celebrate. Here at “Deeper Perception Made Practical”… Active since 2007… My monitored, one-person blog has just passed 106,000 comments.
Here I’ll share with you what I’ve learned so far about blogging.
Much as I love to write books… like my upcoming title, “Seeking Enlightenment in the Age of Awakening” — guess what? I love making my blog available to every single reader, whether serious or skimming.
Seems to me, what I’ve learned can prove helpful to some of my fellow writers… and also all of you readers.
First of All
Clever readers will note, this particular article has an unusual emphasis for my blog. Mainly what you read will look like the point of view of #writers.
In addition, I’ve packed this article with info of interest to you #readers. For example, you might enjoy taking an inside look inside how blogging works. Including how I, personally, define success.
What’s the appeal to you #readers? Like how my husband loves to watch TV shows about how factories make chocolate-dipped biscuits. Or canned baked beans. Personally, he doesn’t plan to do this kind of thing any time soon. Yet he’s curious about what’s involved.
Either way I’d like to spill some of my blogging secrets, quirky though they may be. Since these days, there are so many ways to be a writer and blogger.
Actually, Here’s Something to Comment on Right Away
How many blogs do you think exist now, in 2022? 600 MILLION
Extra commenting fun: How many individual blogposts are published daily, these days? 7.5 MILLION
Admittedly, My Blog IS Quirky. Likewise, My Advice
Plenty of authorities give advice for successful blogging.
Geesh, well over 20 MILLION hits at the link just provided. Take your pick! My hunch is that much of this blogging has a flat tone, as if put together expressy to win clicks. That is, guided by SEO ambitions:
- Advice that sounds as though it comes from Grammarly. (And maybe even does come from Grammarly.)
- Advice that sounds as if extruded from a machine. BY hit seekers FOR hit seekers.
- Aiming to help writers to blog commercially, like a spaghetti machine: Extruding product that can be dried and boxed up to bring you many shiny pennies.
In short, not much soul. Just plenty of greed.
By contrast, my goal is to share with you here… some heartfelt, service-oriented secrets of blogging success.
How to GIVE — and GET — the Most from a Blog
What matters most to this blogger? I aim to give something of value and, in return, to receive something of value.
My hope is, each of the five following questions can help you to develop more discernment about that.
Blogging Success for Writers. Question 1.
WHY Do You Aim to Blog?
Only the truth will do, if your answer to this question is really going to help you.
Such a luxury, answering Question 1 in private! Nobody else in the universe… need know your current answer to this question.
Here’s My Answer (Just Mine)
Where do I come from as a writer? Always have. God willing, always will…
My goal is to use writing in order to bring more truth into this world. Truth as I see it. What I call “High Truth Value.”
A Simple Technique to Up Your Game as a Blogger
If you’re a blogger, one of the best questions that you can ask yourself is this: “Why am I blogging? What’s my purpose?”
- Write down your answer.
- Later, take a good clear look at what you’ve written.
- Is this answer a thing of beauty? Are you proud of it?
- If not, either find a better answer, one you can believe in. Otherwise, don’t blog.
Maybe you’ve seen the saying “Clutter begets clutter.” Likewise, “Ugly motivations beget ugly writing.”
One example, for self-help writers, is our ongoing conversation at my personal blog about Self-Help Writing. (Sure, this article shares a point of view to help READERS. But any writers worth their salt — we know how to shift point of view, yes? If you like, check out that article and read it as a WRITER.)
Blogging Success for Writers. Question 2.
Which Source Inspires Your Writing?
Over at #writer profiles on Twitter, one reads ideas like, “I don’t write because is easy. I write because it is hard.”
Perhaps you’re fascinated, as a writer and also in life, with plumbing the depths of human suffering.
By contrast, this writer uses the method known as “Creativity Secrets with Soul.” This system wakes up flow, bringing joy, helping writers to express themselves more eloquently than otherwise. For example, here’s your link to a guest post at my blog by Aria, a graduate of that online workshop.
As a blogger, and as a person, I believe in soul. How about you?
Either way, might I recommend Thomas Moore’s magnificent book, “Care of the Soul”?
To Discerning Readers, Source Shows
Will it reach you like a fine perfume or like body odor? Or what?
In general, I believe that writing with a lazy source, or an icky source, creates empty blogging. However superb the SEO.
For example, I wrote one blogpost to question the helpfulness of a very popular online article for empaths. As for the source of that writing, far as I could tell, it was all clickbait gobbledygook.
By contrast, how many comments at my personal blog have flowed from that critique? 435. Probably because reader responses to that blogpost were inspired by the article’s source: Since I used skills for cocreating with the Divine. (To some readers, that kind of source can’t be beat.)
Blogging Success for Writers. Question 3.
What Do I Aim to Give My Readers?
Many a writer frets over “Do I have something important to say?”
Well, that could be helpful for what I call “ego-based” writing.
Alternatively, one could choose service-based writing. That means, what can help my peeps?
You know, I think that readers of my blog can tell that I care about that. Whatever you aim to give your readers, you can be sure of one thing: They can tell.
Speaking of Service to Readers…
Responding personally to comments helps, too.
Back in 2007, I didn’t think it was cool to do that. But in recent years we’ve been having Comment Conversations, and I now believe this is where we writers can show our mettle. Resulting exchanges can be fun for everyone!
Check out any blog with comments. Does the blogger’s response show writerly verve? Or caring? How about the snoozer quality of writing from a “writer” who hasn’t bothered to learn much about writing technique?
Blogging Success for Writers. Question 4.
Do I Have a Lively Curiosity About the Topic of My Blog?
Speaking even more about the ideal of service to readers, why just run a blog? If you have interests to write about, why not also have a website?
Otherwise, why blog?
Writing Just for the Sake of Writing?
Can’t you tell when somebody is doing this?
To me, a perfect example comes from Medium.com. Yes, I blog there occasionally. Their platform is huge, their blogging software just superb!
However, if you’ve ever blogged for Medium, you know about what I’ll complain about next.
On the bright side, after you publish a new post on Medium, you receive links. Quite snazzy looking links, actually.
Hello!
Although you’re free to make your own copy to go with that link and your post’s pretty picture…
Medium offers shockingly basic boilerplate for all bloggers to use. This default boilerplate goes like this: “I just published “Title (Without Quotation Marks).”
For instance, I just published Blogging Success https://link.medium.com/hxBLhHM7rtb
Namely (and Lamely)
That’s:
- A bare minimum invitation to busy people to read your blogpost. And that’s it.
- Surprisingly popular, too!
Have You Ever Wondered?
What kind of a writer, or blogger, can’t think of a single thing to tell folks, other than:
Me. Me. Moi! Me did it.
Take your precious time to click on my article.
Because Me so special!
Incidentally, the Secret Lack of Quality Tipoff at Medium
Shiny and successful though Medium is, have you ever noticed this major design flaw?
At least, it’s a serious design flaw imo.
Either a blogger at Medium can allow comments or not. All ON versus all OFF. Binary choice.
Either way, zero chance to monitor comments.
How Disrespectful!
Potentially that’s disrespectful both to your readers, and also you the blogger.
Unless you’re writing pure pablum, or have selected a topic where people tend to be nice (like videos offering free fashion advice)…
Unmonitored comments are cringey. For example, at YouTube videos. Or local newspapers. Or, for all I know, the unmonitored comments at Medium.
Unless you’re prepared to keep out salacious and nutso comments… My advice is, don’t allow comments.
Otherwise, spend the time. Commit to monitoring the comments. Personally, it matters greatly to me that this blog is a safe space.
Blogging Success for Writers. Question 5.
How Will I Integrate My Blogging with the Rest of My Writing?
Very individual solutions are possible.
Although I could share mine, I’d rather hear from you. COMMENT away at the version of this article at my personal blog. And there you can read other people’s comments too. (Nothing cringey, since it’s a monitored blog.)
Does blogging enhance the rest of your writing career? Or do you find built-in conflict?
Let’s discuss!
Incidentally, if you’re at all leery about commenting here, you might enjoy checking this out: “Overcome Creativity Myths” is a previous blogpost with typically lively discussion in the Comments section.
Thank You for Reading, Everyone
That means you, my fellow writer.
If you got all the way to the end of this article, that’s an extra reason for me to thank you. Hey, I know what it’s like to have a very busy life.
And yes, you can actively comment at the version of this article over at my personal blog. You comment, you get published, readers can view without cringing, I respond. Only fair.
Also, I sure would appreciate if you would FOLLOW me here on Medium. If our roles were reversed, wouldn’t you as a blogger appreciate that?
