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What I Have Learned About Blogging
Welcome to episode 100. Today I would like to take a look back, not over the last 100 podcast episodes, but back to when I first started blogging 13 ½ years ago.



I’m going to talk about some important lessons, and identify ten things that I wish that I had known when I first started blogging in 2002. I hope to share some of the things that will help you get over the bumps in your blogging venture.

My blogging journey began when my friend Steve sent me an email with these four simple words, “check out this blog” and a link to TallSkinnyKiwi.com. I had never heard of blogging before, and I was curious about who the tall skinny kiwi was.

I clicked the link and loved the content that Andrew Jones had created, but I also fell in love with blogging. I was intrigued with the idea of building a community around a blog, and I dove in with no experience or credentials.
In Today’s Episode

My introduction to blogging and different jobs I tried before blogging
My first blog called Living Room and how I just got started
People found my blog by me commenting on other blogs
I met some bloggers that taught me some HTML and how to make things bold
Rachel Cunliffe from New Zealand helped me redesign my first blog
I learned a lot just by starting and reaching out to others
Over time the blog evolved and I became addicted to it
A year later I started a blog about digital cameras
I made a little money with AdSense and the Amazon Affiliate program
A few dollars a week, grew to a few dollars a day, to a part-time income
After about a year, I realized I was going to be a full-time blogger and really ramped things up
I started ProBlogger in 2004 and went full time with blogging
In 2007, I transitioned my digital camera blog into Digital Photography School

The 10 Things I Wish I’d Known When I Started In 2002

If you want your blog to be a business, you need to treat it as a business
Identify who you want to read your blog - Spend time to understand your reader
An email newsletter is a very powerful thing - Build a list - Popups increase conversions
There are so many ways to make money from blogging - Diversify your income
Create something to sell - My first ebook The Essential Guide To Portrait Photography
Content - Create content that informs, inspires, and interacts
Look for Sparks - Most big things start as small things (glimmering sparks)
To be active - What action will I take today that will grow my blog?
Let your worlds collide - It’s OK to let your readers see what you are passionate about beyond your niche
Aim to have a big impact upon the readers you already have - I am incredibly grateful to you for listening to these podcasts and for the emails I get from you.

Further Resources on 10 Things I Wish I’d Known About Blogging

Episode 64: Content Marketing – Secrets From an Entrepreneur Who Has Used It to Build a Successful Business
Episode 37: How to Grow Traffic to Your Blog Through Guest Posting and Creating Content for Other Blogs, Forums, Media and Events
Episode 67: Why You Should Create a Product to Sell On Your Blog (and Tips on How to Do It)
Talk at World Domination Summit in Portland Oregon -  Paying Attention to Sparks

 

Darren Rowse from Chris Guillebeau on Vimeo.

 
How did you go with today’s episode?
I value my listeners, and I look forward to continuing this journey together. Thank you for listening and, I hope you enjoyed my story.

I’d also like to thank my team on ProBlogger and Digital Photography School, and Rose who edited most of the last 100 ProBlogger podcast episodes, and our new podcast editors and producers, PodcastMotor.

I’d love to hear some of the lessons that you have learned and what lessons resonated most with you. Leave your comments or suggestions for the future...