I have been reading more and more about blogging, the Internet and social media over the past few months and have so much I want to share. I also want to reconnect with my blogging friends and past readers of Blogging Startup.

So, I want to let you know about a few things I’m working on for Blogging Startup.  No promises when each of these will happen, but check back to see the changes over the next couple months:

• New BS logo – This is a project I started to work on some time back, but never found anything I really liked.  But, I certainly don’t care for the blog title as it looks now.  Watch for changes soon.
• More posts – I’m setting an easier target of one really good post each week.  I hope to do a couple each week, but I want to get back at a pace I can handle.
• Interesting post series and regular features – Your feedback will help me know what you like and what you don’t.  I want to give you more of what helps you become a better blogger, so let me know what interests you.
• Lots of good blogging resources – One of the things I hear from new and even experienced bloggers is that they often can’t find the tools or resources they need to improve their blog.  Well, I’m gonna be working on that.  Stay tuned.

Again, it’s great to be back and thanks to all of you for dropping by.

I am so sorry about the way I left.  I know, it was abrupt.  I should have said something.  But sometimes it’s just too painful.  There was so much going on…so many things I had to think about, to work out.  No, it wasn’t you, I promise.  It was me.

So many times I’ve wanted to tell you why I left.  What I was doing.  But even I could not make sense of it all.  But I’m back now.  Well, that is, if you will take me back.

I know you have probably changed also.  You may not want me back.  You might have found someone else.  But I’m just asking for a second chance.  I want to win you back.  I want to be the blogger that you deserve.  I need you.  You make me want to be a better man.

So, here I am…exposing my very soul to you.  Asking for you to forgive, and someday, forget.  Will you have me back?

Love,

Jim – Blogging Startup”

[PhotoCredit:gaab22]

Sure, I could give the typical (and critical) advice that all bloggers need a top notch spam blogging plugin. But here is some equally important advice:

Don’t just delete spam. Be sure it is tagged as spam!

Akismet, the plugin I use (and recommend) finds 99.9+% of all spam on my blogs, but occasionally something slips through. And when it does, you should be sure that it’s identified as spam according to the procedures of your software. Doing so (at least with Akismet) added that commentor to the larger spammer list shared by everyone using that software. As part of the blogging community, you are doing your part to clean up the Internet graffiti (well, graffiti minus the artistic value).

UPDATE: Wow, there were 44 new spam comments since I wrote this post 10 hours ago!  Have you seen an increase in spam on your blog?

[PhotoCredit:BennyYap]

I recently found just this thing while visiting Bruce Lawson’s blog.  Bruce has been working as a web developer in the United Kingdom for a large business for the past several years.  While working on a new website, Bruce decided to put into words his own contract with the website users.  He called his agreement A Constitution for a New Website.  In Bruce’s own words, “websites designed by committee serve nobody’s interests, especially not the users’.”  His Constitution lays out exactly what’s important in developing any website.  The Constitution is simply written and clear in it’s message; websites are all about the user, not the owner, not the designer, and not the programmer.

Bruce has already extended an invitation to readers to amend the Constitution for use on their own websites.  It’s a great way to keep focus when developing or writing for your blog.  Create your own constitution or adapt Bruce’s (with linked credit, of course).  And start viewing all you do from the user’s perspective.

[PhotoCredit:Laszlo]

Write 10 Posts on Your Blog Topic

There is a lot to be done when you publish your own blog, but nothing more important or time consuming than writing for your blog. Hey, that’s why we visit blogs, to read great content. So one way to explore the world of blogging is to pick a potential blogging topic and write 10 posts for that blog. Don’t try to write them all in one day. Take some time, but no more than two weeks. Write about a topic that interests you…one you might want to blog about.

So, how was it? Was it difficult to come up with new ideas? Did you enjoy the writing? Pass on your writing to a close friend or two. Ask for their thoughts and opinions.

Writing the 10 posts is a blogging test run. It gives you an idea what it’s like to write every couple days about your blogging topic. And remember, blogging is a long term commitment. The honeymoon period for blogging usually ends after three to six months. That’s when the writing really becomes a chore. But if you enjoy the subject and like to write, it becomes a welcomed chore.

Oh, don’t forget to hold onto those 10 new posts. They are a great way to start if you do become a blogger. For some great tips on writing blog posts, see Piaras Kelly’s post, Tips on Writing Content for Your Blog.

Guest Blog on an Established Blog

Hey, now that you’ve got 10 great posts already written (you did say they were great, eh?), you can offer your writing services as a guest blogger on an established blog. Your posts can be used as writing samples, and if the blog is on the same topics, you can even use one that you’ve already written.

First you must find a blog where you can offer yourself as a guest writer. If you already frequent a blog or two and are known by the owner, then that would be good place to start. You can also research blogs in your topic area at Technorati or Google Blog Search.

Once you have a blog in mind, be sure to read several posts on the blog until you have a real good feel for the tone and topic of the blog. Contact the owner through their contact page or email address to offer yourself as a guest writer and pitch a few ideas for possible posts that fit their blog. Don’t be surprised to be welcomed with open arms as many blog owners are very busy and would welcome a guest writer.

Oh, by the way, don’t expect to get paid for being a guest blogger. Only the top blogs pay for posts and rarely use unknown writers for guest bloggers. Your experience writing for the blog and seeing the reaction of readers is payment enough. To learn more about how to be a good guest blogger, visit ProBlogger.net.

Microblog on Twitter

Want to go ahead and start your blogging experience without the long term commitment or enormous writing demands? Twitter helped popularize the term microblogging with it’s service to publish very short (no more than 140 characters) “posts” about anything you want. Many Twitterers (hm, is that right?) use the service as a diary and post what they are doing throughout the day. Others comment on current events or share information.

Unlike a blog, you don’t read a Twitter on a single page on the web. A Twitter can be published on multiple websites (in something called a widget), in a desktop applet (like instant messaging), or at Twitter.com. To read someone’s Twitter, you must choose to follow them. To learn nearly everything there is to know about Twitter, read the Big Juicy Twitter Guide by the Queen of Twitter, Caroline Middlebrook.

Twittering will give you a taste of blog publishing without the hassle of setting up a website or the responsibility of writing multi-paragraph posts. You can twitter in just a few seconds and do it as often as you like. It’s not the same as blogging, but it will begin to give you a taste of what it’s like to write for others on the Internet.

Start a Blog on Blogger or WordPress.com

Finally, if you’re nearly ready to take the plunge, but not yet ready to commit money or time to creating your own blogging website, you can start a blog for free at WordPress.com or Google’s Blogger. Both of these services offer free blog sites with nearly all the functions of an independently hosted blog. You can register your account and create your blog in less than 15 minutes.

These free blogs allow you to focus on your writing and not worry about all the hassles of purchasing a domain, finding a web host, loading software and tackling technical problems. You simply write your posts and load your images. It’s definitely more involved than Twitter. Let’s face it, you are no longer test driving, you have now leased a vehicle and are among the thousands of bloggers worldwide.

The only step from here is to “buy the vehicle” by setting up your independent blog on your own domain. But you don’t have to do that to be a real blogger. You can continue blogging at Blogger or WordPress and experience success as many other bloggers have before you.

So don’t think you have to jump into the deep end of the pool when you first consider becoming a blogger. Take some time to sample the experience and consider the ideas I’ve suggested.

[PhotoCredits:Exfordy & Salsaboy]

For many of us, blogging started as a hobby but became something more. In my own life, I started blogging as an outlet from work; a way to share my ideas and gain ideas from others. But it didn’t take long for blogging to become much more than that. Soon it was two blogs, then three. A couple months ago I added a fourth blog as a resource for a training workshop I was doing. Four blogs will keep you very busy.

But I also have a life outside of blogging. And recently, that life has gotten in the way of my blogging. Well, maybe that’s not a good way to put it. The fact is, I have to set priorities for my life, just like each one of you. And my priorities are family and work. It was work that needed the most attention and will continue to consume the majority of my time for the next month. So, something had to give, and it’s been my blogging.

I don’t blog for a living. Heck, I could probably make more with a sign on the street corner. But I do value my blogging for other reasons. Nonetheless, blogging has taken a backseat in my life for the past several weeks. Any of my regular readers already know this just from the infrequent posting on this blog. I’ve even got a few kind emails (thank you) from readers wanting to know what had happened. As I said to them, it’s just a situation where life had other plans than I did.

When you are blogging, or involved in any hobby for that matter. You need to keep things in perspective. Keep your priorities straight, even if something has to suffer a bit. I’m not suggesting that you neglect your blog, but don’t let it take over your life. We’ve probably all heard the jokes about husbands or wives that seem wed to their blogs, allowing their relationships to suffer. But when it really happens, something is desperately wrong. Put blogging in it’s correct place, and give it the proper attention only AFTER you have taken care of the other priorities.

So, I’m probably not going to be posting as often as I’d like during the next month.  Let me apologize to you now.  You may want to take the time to visit some of my older posts or spend the time working on your own blog. I will be posting once or twice a week, so I’m not disappearing entirely. And watch out for mid-May, when I get some of my free time back.  There is still a lot I want to accomplish on this blog and a lot that I want to share.

[PhotoCredit:OiMax]