10 Blogging Mistakes

Most amateur bloggers learn about blogging on the fly… if they learn at all.  As far as I know, there is no Blogging 101 course required before one goes public with their product. Yet without learning basics of layout and HTML, developing a relative command of the language, being funny, interesting or scandalous, and doing it on a regular basis, one is probably doomed to perpetual amateur status. Of course, if someone blogs simply for their own enjoyment, none of this applies (including growing a significant readership). But for those seeking to attract regular readers and build a fan base, continually improving their blogging skills is required. Which is why I found Michael Hyatt’s recent post, Do You Make These 10 Mistakes When You Blog?, so helpful. Here’s the bullets:

• Mistake #1: You don’t post enough.
• Mistake #2: You post too much.
• Mistake #3: Your post is too long.
• Mistake #4: You don’t invite engagement.
• Mistake #5: You don’t participate in the conversation.
• Mistake #6: You don’t make your content accessible.
• Mistake #7: You don’t create catchy headlines.
• Mistake #8: Your first paragraph is weak.
• Mistake #9: Your post is off-brand.
• Mistake #10: Your post is about YOU.

The entire post is good and you should read it. Notably absent in this list is the quality of writing, probably because it’s a given. Good writing does not guarantee visitors. Bad writing, on the other hand, is guaranteed to winnow potential readers from the mix. Either way, Hyatt’s list is a good springboard for all of us trying to grow our blogging platform.

I’ve been blogging since July 2005 (my first-ever post, was Transcending Neverland.) Since then, I’ve managed 600 posts (this is 601) and garnered 3893 comments. According to my server stats (Bluehost), this year (after an odd April decline) deCOMPOSE has managed its largest audience ever, last month seeing almost 8,000 Unique Visitors. My Google Pagerank has been at 4 for a while, which, from what I gather, is all right for an amateur blogger like me. All this to say, as we approach the new year, I’m pleased but not satisfied with where I find my blogging. So lists like the one above are something I want to progressively take to heart.

Of course, being so self-referential potentially triggers Mistake #10 on the list. Which, again, calls into question whether such hard-and-fast rules do exist when it comes to blogging. I tend to think consistency and quality eclipse frequency and speed. In other words, regular good posts are better than oodles of mediocre ones. Yet frequency — especially Uzi-level rapidity — seems guaranteed to corral a share of readers. (For the record, I try to post 3-4 times a week.) The length of the posts, their accessibility, and a conversational format, I think, are non-negotiables (but although I am way guilty of lengthy posts, I tend to frequent certain blogs that specialize in dense, lengthy, posts — so I’m not totally sure what to make of Mistake #3). And frankly, I’m still not sure about the self-referential factor in blogging. It depends on the type of blog it is, I guess, and the popularity and/or celebrity of the author. For me, details and references to one’s personal life is not necessarily a turn-off, provided the blog is not ONLY about that. In fact, it seems like many popular blogs are intrinsically ABOUT their authors. So I’m also wondering how much of a mistake #10 really is.

It’s become a bit of a tradition, but at years’ end I reevaluate this blog, what I’m doing, and how I can make it better. What topics attract the most visitors? How accessible are my posts? What kind of reader is finding their way here? And how can I keep them? Entertaining these questions is, I think, what separates “hobby bloggers” (as Hyatt calls them) from “aspiring professionals” (with emphasis on the aspiring).

So I’m wondering, how often do you evaluate your blog, your blogging tendencies, and the mistakes you may be making? Which one of Hyatt’s 10 mistakes do you most often make?  Or do you consider yourself a “hobby blogger” and maintain no aspirations about reaching a larger audience? Your thoughts?