Blog tips: How to sustain a personal site.

I receive a lot of emails asking me how I did it? How did I get a broad audience as a personal site writer, and how to keep it up? I want to first discuss the history. It wasn’t easy, and I was very patient and at times forgetful that I had a site. I didn’t keep up with this site at all in the beginning, and I just used it for fun and talked about random things. However, once I realized that those random thoughts about anything interested a broad range of audience, then I knew that I have accomplished the hardest step in my blogging career; getting the audience to come back for more.

Here are some tips that I have compiled over the years:

1. Title for your site. [The first impression.]

Usually the title for your site is what grabs people’s interests. Think of it as a book. There were plenty of controversies towards this, but most people do judge a book by its cover. In other words, by the title. No one can deny that fact, and it will always be this way.

2. Website design.

I can’t stress this enough, if you want to succeed as a blogger, you need to create an original website design. Hire someone to design it if you can’t do it your self. I use WordPress as my blogging tool, and I created this template from scratch. Downloading a free template will not help you at all in the long run. Your website will look like everyone else, but with a different title.

3. Website hosting.

So, you got your WordPress files, and got a custom template done, but you don’t want to pay for hosting. That’s fine because there are many hosting services now a days that provide free hosting, and it is as stable as can be. I pay for my monthly hosting from Byethost.com, which is $2.99 a month. I get plenty of space. I have many websites hosted with one account, and my websites are up 99% of the time. They also provide free hosting if you don’t want to pay a cent for your personal hobby.

4. Promoting your site.

Is commenting on other sites enough? Sometimes it isn’t. I submitted my site’s URL to many search engines. You can download free tools that help you submit your website to many search engines.

Is word of mouth enough? Sometimes. Some people I know that I have one to one conversations with almost every day read it out of curiosity. They call it the realm to the other side of me.

Is paying to advertise your site enough? Sure, but it depends where. I don’t know why you would pay to promote your personal site on a popular sports site. I just find it strange that you don’t know who your real audience are, and you are trying to promote it all over the place thinking that people with any interest would love it. No, they won’t because they don’t care. Only pay to advertise your site on other personal blogs. Or do a link exchange if they agree to do so.

5. Writing skills.

Sarcasm. Sarcasm. Sarcasm. Each of us has a pinch of sarcasm when we express our selves with other people. So why sensor that on our sites? Try to be funny. Try to be sarcastic for once, but not too sarcastic. Throw a tid bit of sarcasm in the wrong places where there shouldn’t be. People will laugh, and think that this person has some sense of humour, and has some funny opinion about something that usually is not a laughing matter. Get people interested in what is so mundane in everyone’s daily life in a sarcastic tone. I only comment and laugh and read again and again of posts that make me say, “wtf? Why? Huh? Really? Haha.. that’s funny. I never thought of it as being funny in that sense.” Try it. Make people happy! When you write your personal post today, try and think of how to make it a bit sarcastic. Laugh at your self first!

Express true emotions. This is what people lack. Being sarcastic is not so hard, but expressing your self truthfully at times is. Once I read this amazing well written expressive post by some personal blogger, and thought to my self, “wow. I haven’t read that much bull crap in 3 paragraphs than I did in my entire life.” I don’t know why people exaggerate so much and end up swaying from the obvious truth. I just find it hard to believe people’s stories sometimes. I have had several conversations with some of those overly exaggerating bloggers of why they write that way. They all had a common answer and said, “I want to keep my privacy and who knows who is reading this from work, or from friends, etc. So I write anything instead to impress an audience.” Why you call it a personal site then? Call it fictional stories instead!

6. Don’t be afraid.

A lot of people have called me courageous, authentic, daring, amazing writer, and expressive. Why? It is because I am not afraid to tell the truth and express my self. If I don’t like something, I WILL say I don’t like it. I don’t think twice when I publish my article because what’s the point of having a personal blog then? Why am I allowing my fear of what others think sensor my personal thoughts?

I hope these simple tips help you with writing in your personal blog. Maybe it will even get you to make a personal blog if you don’t already have one. If you have a personal blog or article you want to share then leave it in the comment area. I am curious!

More advanced tips will be shared later…

Advice, Random Thoughts