Experiments in Blogging: The Open-Source Model, Write To Done, and Other Tidbits
Today I thought I’d answer a few important questions that readers have asked me in the last few months. If you’re not interested in blogging or a slightly behind-the-scenes look at Zen Habits, you can skip this post.
I’d like to start by saying I’m not a blogging expert. I’m simply a blogger who started out with no readers, a mere 18 months ago, and has steadily grown in readership as I’ve experimented in various ways, finding out what works and what doesn’t. So, as with anything I write here at Zen Habits, I will give you some insight into what I’ve learned, but don’t look at it as the final word on anything.
Open-Source Blogging
At the beginning of 2008, I made an announcement that soon caused a few waves in the blogging world: I renounced my copyright of the content of Zen Habits and my Zen To Done ebook. It was a move inspired by the open-source software movement, among other things, and the reactions were hugely favorable I think. (Read an interview with me on this topic, just published.)
But I often get asked these days: “How is this open-source blogging experiment going?” The short answer: Simply great.
Even though I’ve renounced my copyright, I get people who write to me all the time with proposals to reprint my articles, to translate Zen To Done into other languages, to develop websites and software based on ZTD or other content. I just point them to my “Uncopyright” page, and tell them to do as they please.
And yet, it certainly hasn’t hurt me a bit. Since January, my traffic and subscriber numbers have only grown. And if anything, the number of people who directly plagiarize my site have gone down (from what I’ve seen — I don’t monitor them).
Reactions have almost all been positive, and some people have actually bought my ebook as a thank-you for uncopyrighting my work.
As an experiment, I have to say that releasing copyright and open-sourcing my blog has been a success. A number of other bloggers also released their copyright soon after I did, and others switched to a Creative Commons license (see the comments of the original post for why I didn’t choose a CC license). Of course, the experiment is far from over, but I’m happy to report success so far.
It is my hope that more bloggers will eventually follow this uncopyright path, as they see that the old, protectionist model of publishing is outdated and actually hurts the distribution of their work. If people share my work, I see that as a compliment, and a good thing for the spread of my writing and the marketing of my blog. So far, that’s been true, and I would only wish the same kinds of success on other writers, bloggers, artists and musicians.
Out with the restrictions of copyright, in with the freedoms of uncopyright.
Write To Done, my other blog
Other questions have arisen by readers about Write To Done, my blog for writers started earlier this year. It pains me that I haven’t been writing for WTD as much as I had planned. I started WTD as an outlet for writing about writing, as I felt I had a lot to say on the topic but couldn’t really post those articles here on Zen Habits. It was a good idea, I think, but I just don’t have the time that I had hoped I would.
As a result, the blog has been (kinda) inactive in recent months. I’ve published some good guest posts, but not many by me.
However, I’m excited to announce that Mary Jacksch of Goodlife Zen will be taking over Write To Done as the new Chief Editor. Mary and I have some great plans for WTD and I think you’ll be seeing some excellent stuff from both Mary and me in the coming months.
To start with, Mary will get us back into a regular posting schedule, starting with once per week and building up to twice per week very soon. I will also be posting at least monthly, and we’ll have some good guest writers and interviews as well.
Mary is a published author, a blogger, and a Zen master, so I think she’s pretty much perfect for the job. :)
Please welcome Mary and subscribe to WTD if you’re interested in writing or blogging.
How Did You Build Up Zen Habits So Quickly?
One of the most oft-asked questions is about how I grew the readership of Zen Habits in the course of its first year (2007) to become one of the Top 50 blogs in the world. I started from nothing, knowing no bloggers, knowing nothing about blogging — so what’s my secret?
There’s no secret, really. If I have any secret, it’s this: pick topics that I know about that people want to learn about, and then provide as much useful information about those topics as I possibly can — and then write it in a clear, fairly concise, easily scannable (because people are busy) form with a catchy headline.
The catchy headline is simply to draw people into your post, because often they are looking at a list of headlines (in their feed reader, on another blog, on del.icio.us, etc.) and if your headline doesn’t catch their attention, they’ll never read your stuff. The rest seems like common sense, but it takes awhile to get good at all of it.
I often get criticized for writing list posts, but 1) I think in lists, and 2) people seem to like lists, because they can easily scan through a post to get the info they’re looking for. It’s convenient for the reader, who is a busy person, and in my opinion making things easier for your readers is a good thing.
Using these “secrets”, I applied them in the following ways:
1. I tried to provide as many useful and valuable posts on my blog as possible. The more the better. It won’t do to have a good post every few weeks — it has to be several times a week, at least.
2. I wrote as many guest posts on other blogs as possible, using the same “secrets”. I made them as useful as possible, with a catchy headline. Those guest posts gained me new readers and exposure to new audiences. If you do this enough times, and you provide really valuable posts each time, you’ll find success.
3. Once I had a number of readers, they would share my best posts on social bookmarking sites such as Digg or delicious or StumbleUpon, and thus I would find new readers. (Btw, if you share my posts on these sites, I am very happy, so thank you!)
There’s not much more to it than that, other than to try to avoid getting upset by negative comments, and to try to interact with your readers when possible.
Some Zen Habits Q&As
Just a few short answers to other common questions:
Q: What blogging software do you use?
A: I use WordPress, which is free and very flexible. I use phpBB for my forum software, although I am currently making a switch to new forum software. WordPress plugins I use include Askimet, No Self Pings, Optimal Title, Gravatar and Subscribe to Comments.
Q: Where did you get your blog theme?
A: It was custom designed by a friend who is a very good professional designer. It isn’t available for others, although I wish I could release it as a free theme. My designer friend is not accepting new work.
Q: Why do you post so infrequently?
A: At one point, I was posting 2-3 times a day. But that was overwhelming for a lot of readers, and for me, so I switched to 6 days a week, once a day. Even then, a lot of readers said I was posting too much for them to read, as many of my posts are long. So I’ve gradually found a balance, and I think 4-5 times a week has been working well for me and for readers. I try to post quality posts just about every time I post, so that while my posts are less frequent than some blogs (but more frequent than others), they are key posts every time.
Q: What host do you use?
A: I use Slicehost.com … it’s not exactly a dedicated server, but it’s much better than the cheaper hosts. I used to use Bluehost.com, which works very well except when you hit the front page of Digg. Slicehost has worked extremely well for me.
Q: Do you do paid reviews or in-text ads?
No, not at all. I receive numerous requests for paid reviews, but I don’t do them because I want my readers to know that if I review a product, it’s because I genuinely like it, not because I’m getting paid. That said, I have done reviews with affiliate links, as I don’t have a problem with making money off a product I really like, that I think my readers will benefit from. However, there was a bit of controversy about this recently and my new policy is to state more clearly and up-front that the post contains affiliate links.
I don’t allow any advertising to be placed as links within the text of my posts, although I get many, many requests for these kinds of ads. I think it’s best if the ads are kept in separate boxes, so that it doesn’t confuse readers, and so that they don’t think that my posts are just filled with ads. I’ve visited other blogs with in-text ads, and I can’t stand reading through ad-filled text. Sorry, just my preference, but I think many readers agree.
Q: Do you do blog consulting, or life coaching, or seminars, or speaking engagements?
No, not at this point. I just don’t have time for consulting right now.
I am thinking of developing a coaching course on some of the life-transformation topics here at Zen Habits, if I get enough interest from readers. More of a hands-on way of implementing the changes and information I provide here. A bunch of readers have asked for that and I’m thinking about it.
Thanks for all of your encouragement, everybody! If you have further questions, feel free to ask. I can’t guarantee an answer, but I’ll do what I can.
—
If you liked this article, please share it on del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)
- Posted on 22 July 2008 in Aboutzenhabits |
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Comments (62)
Thomas Johnson Says:
July 22nd, 2008, 23:30 pm
Thanks for the extra info. I was really suprised and impressed to hear you only started your blog 18 months ago … nice work!
Vered Says:
July 22nd, 2008, 23:33 pm
I have a question… about negative comments. Were you always unimpressed by negativity? I have come to REALLY admire the way you stay cool and composed in the face of hostile comments. I’d like to know how you do it.
pavs Says:
July 22nd, 2008, 23:38 pm
Excellent Stuff Leo. I have followed advices (from your previous interviews) about blogging and implemented it myself; which worked out great so far. However, Uncopyright is not for everyone IMO. Blogger with large traffic like you will not get effected by this, but new and upcoming bloggers with good content will get penalized by search engine; even if they are the original author of good contents.
So this is something I might try out, if my blog every gets as bog as yours.
One thing I always wanted to know is how much traffic (more specific) do you get now and over the years. Numbers always fascinates me. :)
Keep up the good work Leo. I have been following you from the beginning and it has been a good journey so far. :)
Leo Says:
July 22nd, 2008, 23:43 pm
Thanks pavs … to respond to two things:
1. Bloggers with less traffic will be penalized … you might be right, but in my experience even then search engine traffic isn’t huge, so the penalty isn’t great … but if their work is good and is spread by many people, that’s much much more important for a blogger or any writer for that matter. It means that the number of people exposed to their work and their name is increased exponentially, potentially leading to a much bigger payoff than a small penalty in search engine rankings.
2. How much traffic do I get a month? I hate to share this because it sounds like bragging, but … somewhere between 1-2 million pageviews, although pageviews don’t mean that much from what I hear. My best month was over 2 million PV, worst months are more than 1 million. In the early days (first six months), I grew to more than 100,000 PV per month by the end of that six month period, from what I recall.
Leo Says:
July 22nd, 2008, 23:46 pm
@Vered: Thanks for the nice feedback. Negative comments affect me just as they do any blogger. My trick, though, is not to respond when I feel hurt or angry. I take some deep breaths, and then come back and respond when I’m calm.
I don’t feel that attacking any of your readers is smart. It brings negativity to the discussion and makes you look immature. I prefer to stay on the high ground if possible.
These days, I don’t get as upset by negative comments as I used to, only because I’ve learned that there will always be people unhappy with your writing, no matter what you do. It’s more important to stay positive, both in your responses and in your mind.
Karen Zara Says:
July 22nd, 2008, 23:55 pm
Thank you for sharing the info. I love behind-the-scenes posts because they help us know our favourite bloggers a bit better.
Your advice regarding posting frequency is interesting… I’ve seen other great bloggers (Skellie is the first that comes to mind) stating that it’s not really necessary to post several times a week, as in, quality is more important than quantity. But then again, you said that one should post several high-quality articles a week, so it’s a matter of quantity + quality. For most bloggers that would be almost impossible though. Anyway, your piece of advice is definitely something to keep in mind. :-)
pavs Says:
July 22nd, 2008, 23:56 pm
Thanks for the info on traffic Leo. This is very impressive. I am sure we will see you in the top 10 blogger list within this year. :)
Regarding the Uncopyright, I agree with you that this will help more people know about your writing, even if you are new to the blogging; and this is indeed something a writer looks forward to. However, this only works if the person copying your stuff, attributes the work of the original author. Unfortunately, when you give a clean bill of health to copy stuff, some not-so-good people will copy stuff to gain Search Engine indexing their page. People do it, even if you don’t give them the permission; no they will have more motivation to do this.
But I personally think this is a good step for a writers point of view to gain more reader base; which is what we all look forward to. But for a new blogger, this is not such a good idea. Just my personal take on this.
Oh, by the way. Submitted this to digg, in five hours we will see this on the frontpage. ;)
Leo Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 0:12 am
@Karen Zara: Thanks for the nice comment! Just to clarify, though, I wasn’t giving advice to other bloggers regarding posting frequency … I was just explaining my own. If posting several high-quality posts per week is difficult, go for at least one per week. Any less than that seems to infrequent to me, but more than 3-4 would be pretty difficult.
Leo Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 0:14 am
Thanks for the Digg, pavs! I appreciate it. I don’t know if this post would make Digg front page, but I’ve added a Digg button to allow other readers to vote in case they do like it.
Marelisa Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 0:19 am
Leo:
Do you target certain keywords in order to increase your google search traffic, or do you not pay much attention to SEO? It sounds like you just hung in there until you had enough subscribers so that when they stumbled or dugg you it made an impact and caught the attention of others.
Thank you for the behind-the-scenes look at your blog.
Leo Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 0:27 am
@Marelisa: I’ve never done a single thing for SEO, and don’t pay it any attention. I find it makes your writing contrived — you’re just trying to write a post for its SEO keywords, and that doesn’t make for good writing.
I do get a fair amount of SE traffic, but that’s as a result of lots of incoming links, which occur after you’ve written a valuable post.
StumbleUpon and Digg have definitely helped, but in the first 6 months I didn’t get much traffic from them, so the most important strategy was guest posts and writing powerful posts here at Zen Habits that other people would link to.
Writer Dad Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 0:27 am
I’m so happy that Write to Done is coming back. My wife and I were both there when it started, and sad when it dwindled. Now we’re excited.
Leo Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 0:32 am
Thanks Writer Dad! I really think Mary and I can turn it into a very valuable resource for writers. I’m sorry for the hiatus! :)
Devan Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 1:21 am
Thanks for sharing this Leo. One of the things that impresses me about your blog is your writing style, which is easy to read, yet very informational. Casual without becoming too complacent.
Did you set out to write with a particular style or voice in the first place? Do you get someone else (wife etc.) to read through each posting before going live to check the style?
I am amazed at the consistency you have kept, as well as the perfect spelling and grammar! :)
Cheers,
Devan
Leo Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 1:26 am
@Devan: Thanks so much! I think my style has developed mostly from my 18 years of journalist and freelance writer. During that time I had a weekly column with my local newspaper which helped me develop my blogging voice, a more personal voice than most newspaper or magazine articles. But in the beginning, I also mimicked a lot of other bloggers in terms of blogging voices, just to see what worked best for me.
As for spelling and grammar, I’m not perfect, but I think I’ve gotten better over the years from all my practice as a writer and editor.
nick Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 2:01 am
This is a very inspiring post. I have been using linux and open source software for over two years now and I love it. Also, thank you for the great tips. It’s always nice to see someone who just wants to help.
Brian Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 2:08 am
Could you say a bit more about the Slicehost plan you’re on, and tell me a bit about your experience? I’ve been considering getting a slice and/or getting set up at Linode. Linode is cheaper but I like the look of slicehost more. I also fear that 100GB cap on the lowest slice.
If you don’t feel comfortable disclosing what particular slice you’re on, I suppose I can understand that, but I’d like to hear your thoughts on slices.
Leo Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 2:12 am
@nick: Thanks … I’m very glad if I’ve helped!
@Brian: I started out (late last year) on the 512MB slice, but had to increase to the 1GB slice this year as I was constantly exceeding my bandwidth cap. Now, understand that if you exceed the bandwidth cap, you don’t get shut down or anything … they just charge a rate per GB over your cap. So I was paying extra every month and decided to just switch to the bigger slice.
I’ve had no problems with them whatsoever. They have been 100% reliable, and responsive to the couple of questions I’ve had. I can’t compare them to Linode, as I haven’t tried that, but I’m happy with Slicehost. I don’t get a commission from them. :)
Abhijeet Rajwade Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 4:10 am
I want to post this article on my blog.
I liked it very much, expecially the answer of the question “How Did You Build Up Zen Habits So Quickly?”
Shall I do this?
Complete Kaizen Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 4:19 am
This is a really interesting post Leo. Like Nick I also use a Linux desktop (Ubuntu) and opensource software.
I’m especially interested in your section dealing with building up this site so quickly.
Have you ever thought that blogging is similiar to publishing your own magazine and therefore, as in the print world, it is only those blogs with an astute “business” plan and marketing strategy that become successful.
For example, as with blogs, there are many new magazines being launched each year but only a few reach such dizzying heights as to become apart of peoples daily lives. Many more magazines that stated with high hopes simply fall by the wayside and eventually go out of print.
If this is so do you feel your 18 years in the print media as a journallist and freelancer has helped you develop ZenHabits into this successful, magazine like blogging website? Not from a writing point of view, but on the business side of publishing.
I ask because I feel that, with few exceptions, the most successful blogs are those following a print magazine model.
Leo Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 4:23 am
@Abhijeet: Sure, you’re welcome to post any of my posts! :)
@Complete Kaizen: I completely agree — blogging has a lot of similarities with magazines, and my experience in print journalism has translated well in blogging.
I’ve noticed, though, that many print journalists and publishers are slow to realize that they should be translating their skills into blogging. There are many magazine publishers, editors and writers out there, not just me!
Phillip Hines Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 4:27 am
Very interesting post.
Thanks for sharing this information so honestly.
Chris @ Lifestyleproject Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 6:26 am
Leo,
Thanks for writing this excellent post!
As someone fairly new to blogging (publically anyway), I find your insights very useful. I particularly agree with you comments about list posts. People are time poor (hence reading productivity blogs) and scanning before delving in is very useful.
I’m looking forward to more content on WTD, as although I am building up my blog - writing is not my strongest point so I am keen to learn.
Cheers,
Chris
Scott McIntyre Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 6:46 am
Very useful and interesting advice, Leo, just great for someone like myself who is on the edge of deciding whether to launch my own blog.
It is invaluable to learn from your experiences.
So far, I’ve been an avid blog reader who doesn’t yet have their own blog.
I do, however, read a lot of blogs and comment as I go.
As a result of commenting on Liz Strauss’ blog, I was incredibly grateful to have been asked by Liz to contribute a guest post series.
I’m writing about how bloggers can encourage readers without a blog to become more involved in the blog community.
I also share my perspectives on how those with online offerings can connect effectively with offline customers.
So I am, quite literally, a blogger without a blog!
Can I ask you, Leo, what key advice you would give to someone like me on the verge of launching their own blog?
Liara Covert Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 6:58 am
Blogging is experimental if you believe you take a risk. Yet, if you choose to blog not based on aspiring to increase traffic, but on acting to rediscover yourself, then you may not see blogging as a risk or experiment at all, It may simply serve as a chapter in your personal process of becoming what you have always known deep inside.
Myrko Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 7:48 am
I liked the passages about growing your blog and how the quality of the content is number one. Have you presented your content always in the same style? It would be interesting how this presentation style has evolved over time. A question that I have, how important is usability and accessability of the content compared to it’s raw quality?
Leo Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 8:08 am
@Scott McIntyre, who asked “what key advice you would give to someone like me on the verge of launching their own blog?”
It really depends on what you’re trying to do — there are so many approaches and aims to blogging that I can’t prescribe any blanket advice. I guess I would just say that you should use the blog to explore yourself, your thoughts on different things, your writing skills, your passions, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different styles and see what works for you and for what you’re trying to do.
@Myrko: ah, the age-old question of form vs. content! I can’t give you a definitive answer, but for me the two are inseparable.
To explain what I mean: I write about simplicity, for example, so that’s my content — but in the form of my posts, I need to present them in a very simple and easily accessible manner, in order to match the content. Form and content must merge, and the two cannot be compared in terms of importance, because both are crucial.
Leo Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 8:09 am
@Liara Covert: I hear what you’re saying, but even if blogging is an exploration of your inner self, it can still be an experiment — you’re finding new ways to express what’s inside you, and that kind of experimenting can be a lot of fun.
Pete Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 8:55 am
Leo, as usual, your unwavering flow of information about life is incredible. Thank you for sharing everything you have with us. I wish more people would learn the benefit of opening up and giving away things. You remind me of the main character in that great book by Og Mandino ‘The Greatest Salesman in The World’.He gave away half of everything he earned, and he became the richest person on the planet. I am a fellow blogger myself, and this information is priceless in such a new industry.
Robert Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 9:27 am
Why do you use the word plagiarize in this sentence?
——-
And if anything, the number of people who directly plagiarize my site have gone down .
——-
If you’ve given them authorization, then it cannot be plagiarism, right?
ZenWriter Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 9:28 am
Leo, I’m so happy to hear Write to Done will be getting up and running again. I loved the posts there as a new author. I just finished my first novel Monday night! Looking forward to more of your writing advice (and of course Zen Habits, which I love!)
SpaceAgeSage Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 9:32 am
Leo,
It’s so refreshing to read about your approach to blogging, copyrights, writing, and negative comment reactions. You don’t buy into the formula hype and “gotta dos” when it comes to blogging, nor do you insist that yours is “the right and only” way to do things. You share what you know freely without the manic need for optimizing monetization.
Thanks for showing us “flow” works better than “force.”
SpaceAgeSage
Ryan McLean Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 10:09 am
Hey Leo
Thanks for this post. It has been one of my favourites. I am a blogger also so this has been really helpful for me. I try to write great posts that my readers will love and relate and I am also looking at doing more guest posts to bring exposure and to bring in readers.
At the moment I am trying to comment many blogs to get some exposure (just being honest) but this takes SOOOO much time and I am looking for something that will bring greater results with less effort. Guest posting is the way to go. Then once I have a small amount of people I can begin building a crowd :)
Thanks again
nudgeme Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 10:13 am
This was such an interesting post - and I just echo all the thanks for sharing so freely and openly Leo. I too am currently wondering about writing a blog, and it’s just so interesting to hear your take on it, and especially the fact that you don’t talk SEO and all the usual salesy stuff that gets spouted. I also don’t like reading blogs littered with adsense or advertsing (although I appreciate people have to make money!). Your views on negative comments are also inspiring. I so agree that you can’t please everyone all of the time. It always helps me to just accept that no two people will ever like things in exactly the same way, as they come from their unique map of the world and I come from mine. Instead, I tend to say “you like apples and I like oranges, and that’s okay let’s just agree to differ”. Thanks and all the best again.
Mandiann Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 10:14 am
Yay, for open-source and free information! That is the beauty of the internet. You are the best Leo. Congrats on creating such a successful site (and life) in only 18 months.
I recently launched my very own blog (Chicvegan.com) this past week. She is still in her infant stages, but I hope to grow something spectacular and informative out of her as you have done here.
This post really helped me evaluate my blogging process by staying as true to myself as possible while providing readers with the most informative content I can muster. Ethical decisions are of the utmost important to me, obviously. I am proud that we have that in common.
Thanks again!
Tim Visher Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 10:16 am
Great post, Leo!
I think the part I was most impacted by was your reasoning behind Uncopyright (which I was actually unaware of until this post… fancy that). I feel very strongly that opening your content up is the *best way to get distribution of your content. As a Christian, and a writer about Faith issues, it has never made sense to me how something that I consider to be a revelation from God could possibly be ‘owned’ by a person. It’s weird, but I imagine Jesus at the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) dropped into today’s information culture and all the sudden the disciples aren’t listening, instead they’re down at the base of the mountain charging entry fees to go and listen to the guy talk! It just seems incredibly illogical. The whole point of information *is dissemination, not profit and acclaim (at least in my book).
Blogs are such a great way practice that type of open communication who’s primary purpose is to enrich another’s life. They’re fairly cheap (obviously not when you’re taking Millions of hits a month, but for me who might get 100 it sure is), incredibly accessible, and empoweringly inclusive. I applaud you for your stance on the information you produce, and I think that you’re seeing the obvious payback which is people who care passionately about that information.
For people who are specifically interested in the idea of freeing your content in order to maximally spread your message (which admittedly has to be your goal; if you’re in this for guaranteed profit, I don’t know whether or not this is the best option), check out this Desiring God post by the ex-head of tech at that ministry. It’s written from a Christian perspective, but it’s content is applicable across the board for information producers in every arena, I think. http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/RecentlyAdded/2458_Make_it_Free/
BTW, I’m *really looking forward to seeing Write to Done kick up again. That stuff was awesome when it was coming out on a regular basis.
Thanks again, Leo! Keep it up. ^_^
The Financial Philosopher Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 10:29 am
Great post, Leo. Your growth is amazing but now I can see that your “secret,” intentional or not, is the Law of Attraction, which can work both for or against us:
If we believe that our dreams cannot be fulfilled, then we will not make an attempt to make our dreams a reality and, therefore, they will not come true.
If we pursue meaning as a destination in our lives, we are likely to be energized by hope and to be fulfilled by the pursuit of meaning itself, whether any particular destination is reached or not.
If we perceive money to be scarce, we are less likely to take risks with it and will hold our money closer to us; thereby, hindering our ability to attract it.
If we perceive money as abundant, we are willing to take more risk with it and to give it to others, which increases the potential for money to grow and for others to realize its abundance; thereby, making it abundant.
Cheers to you…
Kent (The Financial Philosopher)
Cal Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 10:48 am
Leo,
When explaining the reasons for the success of your blog, I think you underestimate how much your particular personality and story matters. I think you connect with people in a way that most productivity bloggers do not. Here is how I recently described the Zen Habits phenomenon to my readers:
At its core, Zen Habits tells the story of a real man, living on an isolated island with six kids and real problems, struggling — and more often than not, succeeding — to construct a life that is engaging, but also happy and, above all, peaceful. We see us in him, and his experiences give us hope.
Keep up the good work.
- Cal
Myrko Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 11:12 am
The union of good form and content is preferable. May it be valid to say: ace presentation but poor content fails, while poor presentation and ace content would still be able to survive? :)
DR Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 11:58 am
I am new to blogging (reading & writing), but articles like this are just another reason why more and more people are choosing blogs over traditional web sites in their search for information/knowledge/enlightenment.
What “professional” productivity web site would give away all of this advice for FREE?
What successful web master would tell you their “secrets” in an effort to help you build your site that will be eventually competing for the same viewers?
Jamila Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 12:11 pm
Thanks so much for sharing this important information. About two months ago I began a subscription to this blog, and find it very helpful to me as I transition from full-time work, to working home part-time.
I also started a blog to capture this experience and gain insights from others who may want to share. The information about how you started and what sustains your blog I think will go a long way toward helping many beginner bloggers.
Jamila
Shilpan | successsoul.com Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 12:20 pm
Leo -
Has it ever been an overwhelming to deal with a sudden success of the magnitude that you’ve achieved? With your success comes a broader responsibility to carry burden of 1)Keeping up the higher expectations from your readers and 2) Balance your work-life cycle. It would be nice to know how you cope with these areas of challenges. I’m inspired to ask this question as I’ve witnessed some great bloggers in making all of sudden packed the bag to leave us all shocking.
Thanks
Shilpan
Katie Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 13:06 pm
I’ve enjoyed your blog and the lists help me because I’ll go back to them from time to time when ideas or questions pop into my head. Keep up the good work!
Zendad Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 15:06 pm
Leo:
Thanks for the insight into the behind the scenes of the best blog on the internet as far as I’m concerned. Kudos and continued success!
Zendad
http://www.zendad.net
The Green Routine Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 15:17 pm
Very inspiring post. I know I’ve read the various tidbits in comments and other posts on Zen habits in the past. But, how you built ZH from basically nothing to what it is in 6 months is very inspiring for a beginning blogger such as myself.
Also, the no self ping plugin you mentioned as a byline is something I am absolutely going to download tonight. The self pings when I referenced another post in my blog were getting confusing for my readers…
Thanks Leo, keep up the good work!
eclecticaliah Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 16:40 pm
Building up a blog takes commitment. It’s great that you’re so committed to providing excellent, relevant content on a consistent basis. It keeps me coming back for more!
I, on the other hand, have been super busy this week and haven’t posted much on my blog or commented much on other blogs, and my poor little stats graph has flatlined. When you’re just starting a blog, every hit you get motivates you to write more, but when you don’t write much and therefore don’t get many hits, you can get into a cycle of not getting that “stats high”, not feeling like writing, and therefore not attracting readers. That’s where the commitment comes in. I haven’t read Write to Done before but I’ll definitely check it out for some inspiration. Thanks!
Leo Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 16:53 pm
@Robert, who wrote: “If you’ve given them authorization, then it cannot be plagiarism, right?”
Yes, you’re right, except that before I released copyright, it was plagiarism … I’m just comparing the numbers before and after. It isn’t plagiarism now.
@Cal: You may be right. I guess I just focus on what I do, when I’m analyzing my success, not who I am, but there may be a lot in what you say.
@Shilpan: Yes, sudden success undoubtedly came with a new set of challenges, although I’m not complaining. It came with higher expectations from a greater number of readers, which is a challenge to meet every day (and when I don’t, my readers aren’t shy to tell me so). It came with a ton of emails and comments, requests and questions, spammers and advertisers and people who want me to join their websites or networks or publicize their websites or books.
I regret that because of this deluge of requests, I communicate directly with my readers less than I used to. In the beginning (first six months), I tried to personally respond to every email. These days, I’m lucky if I can shoot off a few lines — many times I just can’t keep up.
How do I find a balance? I just set boundaries and limits, and stick to them. I blog for a certain part of my day, and the rest is for my family. I do a certain amount of email, and that’s all I can get to. Without limits, I’d have no life!
Again, I’m not complaining. I love that I’ve been able to make a living doing something that is so damn fun and interesting! I love that I’ve been able to connect with so many people, that I’ve gotten so much encouragement from you guys. It’s been great.
@everyone: Thanks for the nice comments … I’m really glad you’ve enjoyed this post … and while you thank me for sharing with you, it’s actually a lot of fun and I’m glad I have people who are willing to listen. :)
Piankeshaw Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 17:02 pm
Again, Leo, great post. I live in rural, southern Indiana. Down the road there is a farmer who puts out sweet corn for sale with a sign that reads, “Pay whatever you think its worth.” There is a bag that people put money in with no one watching. I asked the farmer about the sign and he said that he gets more money treating people like they are honest rather than treating them like they are crooks. I think that is a great lesson.
Leo Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 17:18 pm
@Piankeshaw: that’s a great story, thanks for sharing it!
Andre Kibbe Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 19:37 pm
My trick, though, is not to respond when I feel hurt or angry. Good advice. We almost always regret any response we give in the heat of the moment. At least, I know I do.
Jeffrey Davison, Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 22:18 pm
I love the un-copyright. It was one of things that immediately struck me.
I also like the amount you post. I’m not spoiled that way. It keeps my wanting more. I’m always excited when I see a new post. It’s like a treat.
piankeshaw Says:
July 23rd, 2008, 22:19 pm
Like Nick and others, I am an Ubuntu Linux user and support open-source software. A while back, I reached a point of frustration with the dominant operating system empire’s philosophy of greed and control and decided that by being a part of it I was guilty by association.
Not only is Linux better, I can feel good about being part of a cooperative community of users. Free your computer from the shackles.
becoming minimalist Says:
July 24th, 2008, 1:31 am
your frank and honest openness is a breath of fresh air.
Richard Says:
July 24th, 2008, 2:47 am
Hi Leo,
Great insights in how to get a new blog off the ground. At the end of the day, the old adage is usually true: you get out what you put in - and you have put your heart and soul into this project; it was inevitable that it would succeed!
Well done, and continued best wishes,
Richard
Dot H. Says:
July 24th, 2008, 10:21 am
It’s always interesting to get a peek behind the scenes. I agree that quality content is the biggest draw, and the quality of your content is consistently good and reader-oriented. To what do you attribute your ability to give great advice that’s helpful to so many different types of people?
Az Says:
July 25th, 2008, 8:47 am
Great blog. Thanks!
Miss Gisele B | myBeautyMatch.com Says:
July 26th, 2008, 10:46 am
Excellent post as usual Leo. I’m mesmerized to see your consistency regarding blogging as well as your perfect spelling and grammar. Even I have a blog of my own but at times I do make spelling mistakes which I haven’t seen in yours single post.
Myrko Says:
July 28th, 2008, 18:55 pm
Btw. Shilpan made a good point: responsibility. Do you feel any kind of responsibility to your readers, or do you just write with a mind-set free as you wrote on the first day?
Leo Says:
July 28th, 2008, 22:34 pm
@Myrko: Do I feel responsibility to my readers or do I just write with a free mind-set?
Great question. There’s no doubt that I’ve tailored my writing to fit what I think my readers want. I think that’s necessary, as blogging is a two-way conversation (or a many-side conversation if you like) and not just me standing on a soap-box and giving lectures. However, there should be a balance between your readers’ needs and your own, and that’s the trick. :)
@Miss Gisele: Thanks! I don’t think my spelling is perfect (I’ve caught mistakes) but I do try my best! I think years of working as an editor and writer in journalism have helped.
@Dot H.: Interestingly, I try not to give too much advice. Sometimes I catch myself doing it a lot, but my goal is really to share things that work for me, through experience, and have others take from that what they like. So instead of advice, it’s sharing information … but I try to share info that will benefit many people, through finding what we all have in common.
Ashish Lohorung Rai Says:
July 29th, 2008, 6:30 am
I think i will lost in the puzzle world ….65k subscribers…97 comments..and what do u need more…i wonder how much you make income with this great blogsite…u r definitely the encouragement for the beginners like us…keep it up
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