January 8, 2005

The “How To Start a Blog” Series:
Tips and Suggestions for Launching a Successful Blog


Starting a blog is easy and can be done in a matter of minutes. Starting a successful blog, however, is much more difficult, often requiring months or even years of dedicated effort. But there are ways of improving your chances of garnering attention and gaining an audience. After spending over a year studying successful blogs I’ve put together a series of posts providing tips and advice on how to emulate the “A”- list bloggers. Hopefully if you are just starting a blog or simply hoping to improve your efforts you’ll find these posts helpful. Thanks to everyone who linked to the original posts.

The “How to Start a Blog” Series

  • Part I - Before You Begin

  • Part II - The Beginning Bloggers Toolbox

  • Part III - How to Become an A-List Blogger

  • Part IV – The Art of Marketing Your Blog

  • Part V - Owning a Micro-Niche

  • Part VI – Three Essential Elements of Blog Design

    • [Note: This post will be updated as new entries are added.]

    The Notes on Blogging Series

  • A Review of the Top Ten Blogs

  • How to become a Higher Being

  • How to get linked by Instapundit

  • What’s the point? -- Defining “success” in the Blogosphere

  • The Myth of the "Discovered" Blogger

  • CPR for Memes

  • The Perfect Post

  • Paris Hilton's Tips for the Striving Blogger

  • Other People's Navels: A Snarky Critique of Wonkette and Gawker

  • Information Flow and the Gatekeepers of the Media

  • Choir Preachers, Shepherds, Thinkers, and Dirty Tricks: Black Ops in the Blogoshere

  • Tipping the Blogosphere: A Review of Hugh Hewitt’s Blog: Understanding the Information Reformation

  • Megaphones Without Oversight: Blog Swarms, Opinion Storms, and Brand Destruction

  • The 5/150 Principle

  • The Autobiography of a Blogger

    • Other Resources

  • Australian blogger Darren Rowse has a comprehensive lists of tips that I found to be invaluable when I first began blogging.

  • Simon World has a must read contribution with "Everything you wanted to know about blogging but were afraid to ask"

  • Paul from Right Side of the Rainbow has some excellent advice on managing expectations.

  • Pejmanesque teaches the basics in Blogging 101

  • Brain Shaving has suggestions on gaining attention for your blog.

  • James Joyner -- who showed me the value of reciprocal blogrolls -- has a list of his own blog tips.

    • Permalink | email: | email this link |

    comments
    Willis writes:

    1

    Joe, thanks for writing this series. I love reading about blogging and I love what you say. :)

    posted on 01.08.2005 4:48 PM
    Todd writes:

    2

    Joe, I just recently found your blog through Hugh Hewitt's site. I just signed up with echristianhosting.com for my own blog yesterday and am looking forward to getting it up and running. Thanks for this info and look forward to linking to you soon.

    posted on 01.08.2005 9:17 PM
    Darren Rowse writes:

    3

    thanks for the link. I've recently moved all my blog tips over to a new location at 'Pro Blogger' (link in the URL field).

    great series you're running here.

    posted on 01.09.2005 1:13 AM
    Mark Radulich writes:

    4

    This is singularly the most important blog I've ever read. Granted I only started this in November but hey, it's still damn cool. I will be linking back here just as soon as I update my links. Bravo friend.

    posted on 01.09.2005 2:00 AM
    Sean writes:

    5

    This is a great resource for those of us just beginning to blog. Thanks!

    posted on 01.09.2005 10:52 AM
    Monk writes:

    6

    Very much appreciated. A big thank you.

    posted on 01.09.2005 7:28 PM
    Janice writes:

    7

    A couple of recent posts of yours were related to evolution. As usual the subject generated a lot of comment from defenders of the faith. In relation to the post on Plantigna's argument several people rejected it but, from my reading of their comments, they appeared not to have read the .pdf document you linked to in which Plantigna discussed "defeaters" and responded to objections to his argument.

    On looking through the comments I could not find any additional remarks that you made and I'm wondering whether you have a policy on how to respond to the kind of passionate argumentativeness this topic tends to generate. I ask because if I ever get around to starting my own blog I will eventually have something to say on the subject and I'd like some advice beforehand on how best to handle whatever nastiness might arise.

    posted on 01.09.2005 7:28 PM
    Lynne Gale writes:

    8

    Thank you so much for these wonderful posts, which certainly eliminate the "reinventing of the wheel" syndrome, for those of us just getting into the 'blogging game'. They are most valuable!!

    posted on 01.10.2005 9:23 AM