Getting the Blogging Routine Down
Blogging requires a routine. Successful blogging means being faithful and consistent about posting, commenting, responding to comments, perusing news, connecting stories, and tweaking design. Without a routine… sanity ensues!
I don’t actually spend much time blogging. It isn’t my career, so I do it somewhat leisurely. But even in leisure, there are certain patterns that can be quite helpful. Here are some aspects of my own blogging routine. Sometimes I do this once or twice per day, sometimes it’s once a week, but all of these steps can prove quite helpful.
- I check my stats. One two sites, I use Mint. On all sites, I use Google Analytics and on two or three, I use the WP Stats plugin. Seeing my statistics enables me to weed out unproductive or useless content and focus on content that has proven meaningful.
- I respond to comments, tweets, and friend requests. This is not only good blog etiquette, but it’s also one of the purposes of blogging – to connect.
- I check my advertising and affiliate revenue for the day… you know, just for fun!
- I begin reading feeds. Personally, I use Google Reader for a variety of reasons, the biggest of which is that it moves fast.
- I comment on articles from my feeds that I find beneficial or to which I have something to add. My site and email information depend on the nature of the article and which of my sites is most relevant to the topic.
- I tag some really good posts in delicious for reference.
- I use the WordPress bookmarklet to begin articles based on web content. Sometimes I post immediately, sometimes I save it for later. Often I open the full editor for greater control over categories and images.? Sometimes I will include several great links and sometimes I’ll just make a comment or two about a great link and then pass it along.
- I write original stories that aren’t based on anything out there that I’ve read – that is – I don’t link to any particular source of inspiration, I just write about what interests me.
- I peruse some social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, adding friends, posting links, and having fun.
- I examine my blog’s design, making tweaks and adding things as necessary to make it a better blog.
This is my little routine, which has helped me quite a bit along the way. This particular blog (the one you’re reading) is less than three weeks old at this writing and today broke 100 unique visitors with no advertising anywhere – just networking, sharing, linking, and doing what bloggers love to do.
What’s your routine? I’d love to hear about it in the comments…
photo credit: Menage a Moi
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