If I'd known then...

Barbara R. · May 7, 2012

I'm in the final stages of setting up a Wordpress blog on my website (By "I" I mean my website designer) and I wondered if you experienced bloggers have any advice for me. The blog will be my take on all things writing and publishing related, based on all the hats I've worn in the industry: writer, agent, and editor. I plan to post once a week. Is there anything you know now (about blogging, templates, add-ons, mailing lists, RSS feeds, comments, general care and feeding of blog, etc.,) that you wish you'd known when you started yours?

Thanks!

Ginosion · May 7, 2012

Over all when it comes to blogging, it's a learning experience. Each experience is different for each person. So I don't think there is much advice anyone can give you that would help too much. The only thing I'd say is don't fall in love with your blog too much at first. For the first month you'll probably be making a lot a changes to your templates and posting schedule and stuff like that. If you fall in love too early, you'll be adverse to change at the time you'll probably need it the most. If that makes sense.

Barbara R. · May 7, 2012

Makes perfect sense, thanks.

MartinD · May 7, 2012

What I wish I'd known? People can still come to your website and be interested but never, ever comment on anything you say.

I don't have a blog any longer but one of my dearest friends does. She averages three hundred visitors a day but rarely sees a comment on any of her posts.

Barbara R. · May 8, 2012

Good to know that silence doesn't mean no one's listening. Still---can't be easy talking into a void.

PorterStarrByrd · May 8, 2012

You should, and probably do, have a counter in your site. That should tell you how many people are at least taking a peek.

Judge your success on how it changes over time. You will likely always get new visitors and if you have people coming back for more the counter should show a general climb.

milkymoon · May 8, 2012

I have nothing constructive to add, but I did just go to your website and I really like it (that doesn't happen much)! Ill be following it keenly.

randi.lee · May 8, 2012

If I'd known then... I wouldn't have used size ten font. Really, though! I learned the hard way that if you want people to read your blog--they have to be able to read your blog

mephet · May 8, 2012

There are ups and downs: sometimes you might feel like writing a post or two every day, but then a some time later you might struggle to get a single word down once a week. Real life issues, other deadlines and illnesses can easily break the blogging routine. The important thing is to keep going, even if that routine is broken. Try to keep to your schedule, but should you fail always try to get back to it. Better post later than never!

Deleted member 42 · May 8, 2012

Barbara R. said:
there anything you know now (about blogging, templates, add-ons, mailing lists, RSS feeds, comments, general care and feeding of blog, etc.,) that you wish you'd known when you started yours?

Thanks!

Make sure you own and control your domain registration.

Make sure you're an Admin in terms of access to your Wordpress blog. Don't post using the Admin title; change the display name to your full name.

I suggest installing the Google Analyticator plugin, and creating a free google Analytics account. Don't make that information public.

Use the Google XML Sitemaps plugin as well. Also Secure WordPress.

Don't worry about "hits" or numbers of visitors much; instead, try to think of yourself as a hostess at a dinner party with really interesting people. Facilitate conversation. Take a look at the Making Light blog; it's one of the best I've ever seen in terms of conversation.

Be generous with your links to other people's stuff. Include their name when you can find it, as well as a link.

Consider drafting a few posts in advance, as an emergency backup. You can pre-date posts to post automagically when you know you won't be near a computer.

Have some fun. But most important of all, think of your blog as a hub in a conversational web.

I've been pontificating about some of this stuff here.

veinglory · May 8, 2012

My learning experiences =

1) Make the title descriptive, not clever
2) Have the blog be a bout something well-defined and straightforward
3) Choose something people want to read about
4) Don't be afraid to dump an under-performing blog for a new and better idea. The best blogs start good and get better, rather than starting crap and getting good--same growth, better final outcome.

triceretops · May 8, 2012

By all means pace yourself from the beginning, keeping your blogging frequency within tolerable limits. Once or twice a week is quite sufficient. I wish I wouldn't have burnt myself out in the first month, and slowed down to a more relaxed pace, as I have done recently. I was playing catchup.

Barbara R. · May 9, 2012

PorterStarrByrd said:
You should, and probably do, have a counter in your site. That should tell you how many people are at least taking a peek.

Judge your success on how it changes over time. You will likely always get new visitors and if you have people coming back for more the counter should show a general climb.

Thanks for the advice. The blog will be on my website, and I have a free program called "Statcounter" that keeps track of visits to the site, with pages visited, time spent, etc. I love looking at the map that shows where my readers are from---so cool to get visitors from all over the world. I imagine that will work for the blog as well, but I'll check.

Barbara R. · May 9, 2012

milkymoon said:
I have nothing constructive to add, but I did just go to your website and I really like it (that doesn't happen much)! Ill be following it keenly.

Thanks, Milky! You're welcome any time.

Barbara R. · May 9, 2012

randi.lee said:
If I'd known then... I wouldn't have used size ten font. Really, though! I learned the hard way that if you want people to read your blog--they have to be able to read your blog

LOL! No fear; if it were ten-point type, I wouldn't be able to read it either.

Barbara the ancient

Barbara R. · May 9, 2012

mephet said:
There are ups and downs: sometimes you might feel like writing a post or two every day, but then a some time later you might struggle to get a single word down once a week. Real life issues, other deadlines and illnesses can easily break the blogging routine. The important thing is to keep going, even if that routine is broken. Try to keep to your schedule, but should you fail always try to get back to it. Better post later than never!

Good advice. I've written a few posts that I can use to fill on on lazy or particularly busy weeks. I'm aiming for once a week, not daily posts--I know my limits. And I plan to have some interviews with industry pros for added value. My agent has promised me an interview, as has my editor and some other old friends in the business.

Barbara R. · May 9, 2012

Hi Medievalist,

Thanks so much for this useful list. I'm copying and sending to my website guy for implementation of the add-ons, and I'll study the links you provided. As I am the owner of my domain (which reminds me of the funniest Seinfeld episode ever about being "Master of My Domain"), I assume this means I'll also own the blog---but I will double check. Re. facilitating conversation, I do it all the time in my online classes, but of course, I have an advantage there: my students HAVE to participate, or I send the writing police after them. Will do my best to duplicate this without coercion on the blog.

Barbara R. · May 9, 2012

Hi Veinglory,

All great points, thank you. Still puzzling over a name for the blog. Too bad Book Slut is taken--I'd have liked that. My son suggested "Pen is Mightier," on the grounds that it would look interesting when run together. I'm sure I'd get plenty of hits.

Barbara R. · May 10, 2012

triceretops said:
By all means pace yourself from the beginning, keeping your blogging frequency within tolerable limits. Once or twice a week is quite sufficient. I wish I wouldn't have burnt myself out in the first month, and slowed down to a more relaxed pace, as I have done recently. I was playing catchup.

Thanks, Tri. I'm aiming for once a week and will feel very proud of myself if I manage that.

Deleted member 42 · May 10, 2012

Barbara R. said:
Still puzzling over a name for the blog. Too bad Book Slut is taken--I'd have liked that. My son suggested "Pen is Mightier," on the grounds that it would look interesting when run together. I'm sure I'd get plenty of hits.

The name is kinda important. But the name of the blog is easy to change.

I went with the exceedingly original [cough] Book Thing.

I'm pretty sure you can do much much better.

Barbara R. · May 11, 2012

Medievalist said:
The name is kinda important. But the name of the blog is easy to change.

I went with the exceedingly original [cough] Book Thing.

I'm pretty sure you can do much much better.

I have a few possibilities in mind---will let you know, you can be sure. I visited your book blog and liked it a lot, tw--have bookmarked it for return visits.

ohthatmomagain · May 11, 2012

MartinD said:
What I wish I'd known? People can still come to your website and be interested but never, ever comment on anything you say.

I don't have a blog any longer but one of my dearest friends does. She averages three hundred visitors a day but rarely sees a comment on any of her posts.

I have to say this makes me feel better. I have 2 blogs. One has 75 (followers) and one has 78. If I get 1-2 comments it's a good day. I average about 100 hits per day on both. I think people just read and don't comment or... as I like to think.. maybe I wrote it so well, there is nothing left to say

Barbara R. · May 16, 2012

Casper said:
I've learned not to be so uptight - about what I'm posting and about how often I do it.

Since I decided to let go a little bit and not be afraid of being myself, I get lovely comments about how people enjoy my posts or find them funny.

I'm not posting anything groundbreaking, but I'm enjoying it, and I think that shows.

I just looked at your blog and I think it's wonderful. Your voice comes through very clearly, sense of humor intact, and I came away from it feeling that I'd love to sit down and have a cup of coffee (or wine) with this writer. Just the result I'm aiming for. Well, that and a bit of fear, too.

popmuze · May 21, 2012

ohthatmomagain said:
I average about 100 hits per day on both.

How long did it take for you to get to 100 hits a day? I'm at 20 per day myself and it took five months to get there. Some days I get 41 hits, other days 3.

melanieconklin · May 22, 2012

I find it really beneficial to read other blogs and comment on them as much as you work on your own blog. I mean, we're writers, right? So we read like crazy. Always leave a comment on everything you read.

People follow you to your blog, and then you end up having conversations. In the end, that's what it's about, right? Connecting with people, not just seeing good stats or random comments.

Today I started a poll on my blog, about Writer's Greatest Fears. I've passed it around on twitter, and other community sites, but the people who really get interested in it will be those I interact with regularly.

Also, respond to comments on your blog. Everyone likes to be part of the conversation!

I love your blog, BTW

Casper!

Melanie

You can take the one-click poll here if you'd like:
http://www.melanieconklin.com/2012/05/what-do-writers-fear-most.html

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