Archive for April, 2008

Today we’re going to talk about a subject that has been brought up by Darren Rowse and other bloggers alike.

It’s the subject of focusing while writing for your blog.

We’re going to cover two aspects of this. How and Why.

How do I focus?

Focusing on your writing is not too hard to do, you just need to place yourself in the right situation.

Here’s a list of Do’s and Don’ts when writing a blog post, that either help you to focus, (The Do’s) or distract you and eventually cause you to lose focus and determination in your writing. (The Don’ts)

The Do’s when trying to focusing on your writing

1. Keep your desk uncluttered
2. Don’t keep books or any other reading material (other than any required research material for your post) on your desk.
3. Don’t write posts in a slumped state. (IE: In bed, on the couch, etc.)
4. Disconnect your internet while writing up the post, as this keeps you from site surfing.
5. Use the full screen mode in Wordpress 2.5 to remove any other text or buttons that are on the screen that are unnecessary.
6. Write in a well lit area of natural light, not lamps.

The Don’ts when trying to focus on your writing

1. Don’t have the television on, no matter the volume level.
2. Keep the radio off, or on a classical music station. (it’s been said that orchestrated music helps you concentrate)
3. Don’t have any games open. (IE: Minesweeper, Tetris, etc.)
4. Don’t write in a public place with lots of noise and commotion.
5. Don’t talk to friends or family members on AIM, MSN, or yahoo messengers, as this will completely distract you and cause you to lose your train of though.

Now we’ll discuss why you should focus.

Why Should I Focus?

There are many reasons why you should want to focus in your writing. Let’s go over a few of these reasons.

One reason is because it shows in your writing. If you were distracted when writing your article, it is more likely that it will show in your writing by means of bad grammar. You need to take the time to write well so that you convey your highest quality writing!

Another reason is because if your writing seems to go off-topic, or you love tangents, than your readers will get bored with your blog, and they will leave.

You don’t want any bad articles so slip out and ruin your reputation as a professional blogger or good writer.

I hope you guys use these tips, and if you do, I can guarantee that your readers will see the difference and be more and more intrigued with your blog or articles!

Hey guys, just a bit of an update.

I had a post in the works that wasn’t supposed to be published, but I accidentally did, and long story short, there’s a post that doesn’t exist in the feed, but I’m taking care of it now.

In other news, we’ve hit 1500 dollars in prizes, But we’ve still got a ways to go, so we’re looking for your donations eagerly.

I’ve also got a great post planned out for tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Today we’re going to talk about something that a lot of bloggers forget about, but in my opinion is absolutely essential when starting a blog: Creating a community.

This is something I feel very strongly about, and I will always feel that way.

When reading a blog, someone may casually read the content, and maybe even apply it, but unless they feel welcomed to do so, or are urged to participate, they will not comment. Why? Because commenting takes time and effort, time that most people will not take unless it will really benefit them.

This is where creating a community comes into play. If you really get involved with your readers, and respond to their comments, take to heart their suggestions, and mention them in your blog, they will comment for you, they will subscribe, and they will possibly even post about you on their own blog! This creates a welcoming community, and builds strong relationships between the blog owner and readers, creating loyal readers, and there’s nothing better than that.

Here are some ways you can create a community feel to your blog

• Comment on similar blogs and mention your own blog, and get involved in their community, as this makes them twice as likely to get involved in yours.
• Respond to comments left on your blog, answering questions or keeping the conversation going with your readers.
• Have a weekly roundup post mentioning (and linking to) maybe your top 10 commentators websites, or some of your favorite articles written by blogs owned by your readers.
• Be personable and funny in your posts, as this inclines readers to comment.
• Give an incentive! Maybe offer free advertising or a prize each month to the top commenter of that particular month.
• Run a contest where commenting gains entries.
• Offer spots for guest posts, allowing your readers to really get involved with the blog.
• Ask your readers questions, ask for suggestions, or even ask their opinions on the given subject in your post.

All these things will raise your comment count which will in turn create a stronger, better community in your blog. I hope you can apply these tips in your own blogs.

And don’t forget to Subscribe to the RSS feed so you don’t miss a beat!

PS. On a side note, I’d like to thank Shannon Lilly over at Infected by Bugs for the great review, and I want to welcome all new visitors, and hopefully readers.

Hey guys, that “something big” is none other than a blog launch contest!

This blog has done so great in it’s first week, with some posts topping 8,9, and 10 comments! That’s really great, and I really want a strong community here.

With the launch of this blog is coming a contest! Now, I know that there are many many contests coming up and ending, as well as ones just ended, but this one will be something special, I can promise that.

Winning The Web’s Contest ended up with $14,575 in prizes, and yes, I am going to strive to beat that. I know it will not be easy, almost impossible! But I will do everything I humanly can. I just started looking for sponsors yesterday, and already the prize pool is over $1400, so we’re well on our way.

We are still looking for many many sponsors so do not feel shy!

What’s in it for me?

I know your probably asking yourself, “Why in the world should I donate a prize? How the heck does it benefit me? Well this is how!

You see, the contest really feeds on itself. The more prizes and value in the contest, the more people it attracts. The more people it attracts, the more prizes it gets. Also, when you donate a prize, you will get linkbacks in many posts here, and on every blog that posts about it, as posting about the contest with a full prize list will be one of the ways to gain points. So it really is a win-win situation for everyone!

What are you waiting for?

Well, what are you waiting for!? Swing on over to the contact page and drop us a “vine” and sponsor a prize! You know you want to.

Also, Subscribe to the RSS Feed to keep updated on the contest.

Also, below, you can subscribe by email, (which is a way to enter) to get a head start!

Something that a lot of bloggers strive to achieve and in most many situations end up giving up on, is a little thing called originality.

There are two main ways to be original and keep the originality: Personality and Original Content. We’ll talk about both.

Personality

When starting a blog, most bloggers try to give it a “personal” touch, or to have a unique way of delivering content. One blogger that particular stood out to me in doing this is Jason at The University Kid.

He gives his posts a personal touch by talking directly to you, and steering clear of talking in third person about himself. This is something that looks professional at first, but can really become irritating to readers eventually.

In the same way, many bloggers make their blog original or personal by using techniques like these. But the problem is keeping the originality in there.

It’s not so tough throwing in personal touches, or a corny joke here and there , but eventually, if you don’t keep at it, your can lose your originality, and eventually lose your charm as a blogger, and your revenue, readers, and reputation may be lost.

Original Content

As is having personality in your blog, having original content is not hard at all; when starting out. After the first week or two, maybe a month, it will become extremely hard to have original content.

One of two things usually (and unfortunately) happens when you reach this point as a blogger.

1. You get “stuck”, and give up blogging.
2. You end up just reiterating what someone else has said.

When you do this, you end up killing your blog.

Don’t Give up!

But don’t give up friends, as that doesn’t have to be the end!

I’ve learned that you can do one thing to “spice” up your blog and content, and really keep that personal touch and originality to it, is to talk about unique viewpoints on something already brought out by a friend or blogger.

At some point, you are just not going to have something to write about that absolutely no one will have ever said, hinted to, or thought about for that matter.

But you don’t need 100% unique content! I know you guys are going to trash me for it , but hear me out.

Like I said, you’ll have extreme difficulty at some point to find something totally unique to write about. But what you can do is this: Take a point, story, tip or anything else talked about by someone else, be it a blogger, friend, co-worker, etc.

Than what you do is take whatever it is, and revamp the meaning and the way it’s portrayed. What this means is take something someone says and either change the point or meaning of it, or take something said and then write about it from a different viewpoint. If someone looks at the grass from this side, write about it from the other side! You’ll get more buzz for contradicting/agreeing with another blogger, and people will just eat up the content and try and piece together each side.

I think that this is a great tip and I personally use it myself, and I hope you will too!

And if you want to see more examples of this technique and how to use it, Subscribe to the RSS Feed and keep up with the MonkeyBlogger!