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Don’t Make These Blogging Mistakes
Table of Contents 5 Biggest Blogging Mistakes and How to Avoid Them1. Spending too much time on social media2. Not…
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As a blogger, have you made blogging mistakes you wished you hadn’t? If you don’t want to continue making mistakes any more, then you must read this post!
We bloggers are human, and we often tend to make mistakes. That is but natural.
However, the secret to be a successful blogger lies in not letting your mistakes get you down because they actually are your stepping stones to success.
You should be able to identify your blogging blunders and make efforts to rectify them. Once you are aware of your mistakes, you’ll also find ways to overcome them.
Easier said than done! I think knowing your blogging mistakes and its rectification is difficult because blogging in itself isn’t easy!
The truth is that blogging is hard work – a real tough job. Or should I say a full-time, never ending job!
You need to start by creating your own blog, write well, share your knowledge with passion by adding your personality and voice to your blog.
Besides that – you need to be creative, know how to promote your blog, interact with other bloggers, and visit their blogs too. Not to mention that it’s essential to have a strong social media presence too!
Where does all of this leave you time for anything else, if you are seriously into blogging or wanting to become a professional blogger?
If you don’t work smart, you are surely going to tire yourself or burnout, and it affects your blog adversely. However, things are easier is you define and understand your path and ways of doing work.
“Your blog is your unedited version of yourself.” ~ Lorelle
I was no exception, and I’ve had my own share of blogging mistakes, which I experienced and want to share with you so that you learn from them and hopefully, don’t repeat them.
You might find them very different from the ones you find online, and I feel you might relate yourself to some of them.
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5 Biggest Blogging Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Today’s post is written with an aim to change and redefine my own blogging strategy. Besides, it’s with the hope that others learn from these mistakes and make a successful blogging career for themselves.
I know most of you are wise and mightn’t have made these blogging blunders. But for those of you who are in the same boat as me, I hope these can help you.
1. Spending too much time on social media
Don’t get me wrong – spending time on social media is a MUST for every blogger.
Let me ask you a question – do you promote your blog and yourself as much as required?
Perhaps not, but if you don’t have a strong social media presence and aren’t spending enough time on the main social media networks, you are missing out on a lot.
The right kind of social media exposure is essential so that your posts reach the masses or the maximum number of people.
Most bloggers put up their posts once on Facebook and Twitter and forget about it. But those posts, and sometimes those bloggers are forgotten in no time.
You need to know that your posts don’t stay for a long time on these networks. You need to constantly keep working on them and updating your status.
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If your post is good and you have received lots of quality comments on it, why shouldn’t you promote it constantly, or tweet it oftener?
Blogging should be a passion for you, just as it’s for me. I know it can be very frustrating at times because blogging isn’t for everyone.
Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus are the main three social networking sites that require your attention. You need to ensure that you update them at least once a day, if not more.
However, if you are going to spend too much of time on them, you aren’t really able to work. This is exactly my first mistake I would say.
If you’ve heard of the Pareto Principle and the 80-20 ratio, I’d say I tend to make it 90-10, which is bad!
Some of you must be sharing your posts on many Facebook groups and Google Plus communities once your post is published, don’t you?
Yes, there are many who don’t share them at all, but I do as I get a lot of referral traffic through these networks.
The main reason of doing that is because many bloggers who are on these social networks aren’t subscribers of my blog. Yet they like to read my posts and interact through their comments.
I get lots of comments, likes, and shares from those readers, which I appreciate and value a great deal. So, doing that is essential because it increases interaction, builds new contacts, and gets you traffic too!
However, what people don’t realize is the amount of time spent in thanking each person for their single like, comment, or share, which again is essential.
With nearly 150-200 notifications showing up as soon as I start sharing my posts and opening each one to answer takes me lots of additional time again. Does that happen with you too?
You cannot just ignore them because they mean a lot, don’t they?
But now I plan to share my posts and thank each one, as and when I get time, instead of doing it immediately.
I needed to clarify this because people have expectations if you’ve been continuing the practice for long, which sometimes become tough to fulfill.
Tip: Yes, thank each person who shares, likes, or comments on your posts, but do that when you have time. You can thank them altogether the next day, instead of doing it individually – this saves time, yet you are able to thank each person. Also, limit your social media time to what you can afford to spare, after you finish all your work, instead of the other way round!
2. Not replying to comments immediately
While you might choose to delay your response in the social media for a while, don’t implement that suggestion for the comments on your blog.
Most bloggers as I’ve noticed, reply to their blog comments almost as soon as they start receiving them. Adrienne is one such blog commenting superstar and I marvel at the way she does it all so quickly!
This perhaps is the right way. I also try to do that, though I take up the comments as and when they come on the first day.
Why do I do this? Well, just as my first point stated, I share my posts on various groups and communities, and for doing that manually you need time, especially if you are working alone.
So, when I should be ideally replying to comments on my own blog, I’m busy promoting my post on the social media sites, and replying to the responses of people there!
Also, the next day, I prefer to first visit and comment on the blog of those who have visited my blog and left me a comment. I’ve always felt it’s being courteous, and I prefer putting others before myself.
However, I’ve noticed that this method leaves me with less time to comment on my blog because of the number of comments I receive. Of course, this isn’t good, while others say it’s bad for SEO too.
Also, when some commenters see that you aren’t replying to the comments immediately, either they visit later or leave without commenting, which is not good for the image of your blog.
As a result, I have a few unanswered comments still lying and feel very guilty about not having replied to those as yet. But I will, very soon now – better late than never 🙂
How do you take up your blog comments?
Tip: Take up your own blog comments first, IF you get them in huge numbers, and then visit other blogs or reply to the social media notifications and responses. This ensures you have no unanswered comments left. It also shows people that you are active on your blog, which brings in more people to comment as they see the live interaction and communication going on.e
3. Limiting your work time
Aha…this perhaps is the most essential tip I can share with all of you, being a blogging mom!
Working from home is never easy for anyone.
Whether you are a blogger, writer, or carrying on any kind of business working from home – unless you don’t strike a right work-life balance, something or the other suffers.
Most of you know that I’m a full time mom, along with being a blogger-cum-writer. Things aren’t easy for any mom if she’s juggling between her home and work, are they?
You have the kid’s with their share of problems on one end, and deadlines to meet on the other!
Yes, when you are a professional blogger and writer, all these things are kept behind and you just concentrate on work! Had I not learned the art of time management, I don’t think I could have come so far.
But who decides what’s right or wrong? Who chooses when you need to work and how much you need to work?
There is no one else but you who have to make the choice because it’s your life, your people, and your work that matters. After all, life is all about the choices you make – isn’t it?
Coming to the blogging mistake amidst all this – blog less and care more. 🙂
With growing up kids, I ask myself shouldn’t I be spending more quality family time with them now that they need me more. What would you’ve done?
If I was living alone or was single, it was a totally different matter because it was only me I had to take care of and I’d have had no other responsibility.
I could have posted 3-4 times a week, been more social, and just not have to worry about other things. But having a family, there’s a lot you need to take into account because each person matters.
Why am I sharing all this with you? That’s because I know most of you also work from home, and if you are in a similar situation, what would you do? How would you manage your work-life?
Tip: Chalk out your priorities and devote your work time according to that – doing what you can do within the time you have in hand. Remember, if you have a family, they should always come first, because they matter, don’t they? But you also need to work, so strike a work-life balance that works best for you.
4. Being too committed and consistent
The main two components of a successful blog are commitment and consistency. Some of you are able to accomplish both aspects easily, while others struggle with it due to various reasons.
Perhaps you have kids who need your attention, or you got sick, or went on vacation. Or perhaps you developed writer’s block, and needed a break from writing.
Sometimes you just don’t sit and write for weeks and months altogether due to some other issues at your end. While some others just give up blogging because it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
The reasons could be many.
If you are not consistent, your readers wonder, “Uh, what’s happening on the blog?”, or “What happened to him/her?” Sounds familiar?
Ideally, you need to have a blogging schedule to be consistent.
You could choose a blogging schedule that best suits YOU, without having to worry about what it should be, without trying to copy anyone else’s because each person and his or her life is different.
Whether you are comfortable posting once a week, twice a week, thrice a week, or even once a fortnight – just stick to it and be consistent. That shows your commitment towards your readers.
Personally, I feel two quality posts per week are better than four poorly written ones. Or you could even write one elaborate, well researched post. It all depends on you.
If you want to be a successful blogger, you need to be consistent and committed to your readers – period! There is nothing else that really works!
Speaking of myself, I’ve been writing consistently as most of know and I think I am a very committed blogger – my husband would vouch for me being over-committed to my blog. 😉
However, when you go overboard and do more than you should, your loved ones suffer. I have been guilty of that a lot of times.
There are times when I sit late nights after ending all my chores at home and work, (I can see you smiling, Susan and Mayura!)
That’s because I am committed to my readers and feel that I must set up my post to be published on the due date. If it’s not that, it’s the other writing projects.
However, over commitment only harms you if you are not able to take care of your other duties and liabilities. Then you try to find any time and convert that to your work time to catch up with things.
You tend to use your sleep time and sit to work overtime for tasks undone. Or you use your other valuable time to catch up – like the weekends, which should be days of NO WORK!
Tip: Work hard but smart, not only hard – based on the time you CAN work. Even if you aren’t too committed and consistent once in a while, it doesn’t matter. But if you neglect your other important aspects of life, it’s not good. I’m sure your readers will understand your situation if you share it with them. If you can, you should. But if you cannot, take it easy!
5. Having health issues
As I mentioned above, because some of you become too committed and always think of being consistent, you tend to overwork endlessly till you fall flat. Happens with me SO many times!
This meant not getting adequate sleep, which should ideally be 7-8 hours, whereas you just sleep for about 4-5 hours at night and an hour in the afternoon, if at all.
Yes, for some people even 4-5 hours is good enough, but that is not what’s ideally recommended, and it affects a lot of other things.
I know most of my blogging friend’s sail in the same boat, but let me tell you that lack of sleep can cause a lot of other health problems for you, which show up gradually.
You might want to read a post where I mentioned some shocking sleep deprivation effects that would surprise you.
When you don’t sleep well, you don’t get that good and fresh feeling in the morning.
You feel lethargic, don’t feel like doing anything, and tend to get all stressed up because you are rushing against time for completing your incomplete work.
You don’t feel like walking, nor taking up some other form of exercise that’s essential for all of you, especially bloggers and writers because all of you lead a sedentary lifestyle.
Additionally, be careful of your sitting posture that caught the better of me sometime back.
So, gather your threads once again, and get back into shape to feel good about yourself. Do you have health issues due to leading a poor lifestyle?
Tip: Look after your health first – everything else comes secondary. If you are not well enough, how will you take care of your family and work? A healthy mind is more efficient and productive too.
Blogging Mistakes To Take Care Of
Now that you all know the mistakes bloggers tend to make and that includes me too, here are some ways that I plan to change myself and become better. Perhaps they might help and work for you too.
Lessen my posting schedule to once a week for a few months at least. Yes, I plan to do this from the coming month for the following reasons –
• Spend time in re-doing my older posts, which need to be optimized.
• Take the time to reply to all the pending comments on my blog.
• Spend more time to bond with my kids and family. Ah…and try out their favorite dishes 🙂
• Look after my dad and in-laws and be there for them. After all they aren’t with me forever.
• Create accounts on many bookmarking sites that I still haven’t had time to do.
• Visit a few blogs that I have yet to visit due to lack of time.
• Write more guest posts and interviews that many bloggers have been asking.
• Perhaps if I have time after all of this, start writing an Ebook, which again is in the pipeline for long but because of lack of time, I’ve just not got started with it as yet.
• And just be in the moment, relax and ease out a little, feel the fresh air and the passing wind, and experience the joys of not doing anything for a change!!
Just re-learn to stop rushing through life 🙂
I don’t know how I will do all this after being used to such a busy schedule, but I want to bring a positive change within me, which will also help me evolve into a better person and help my blog get better.
I think with time and change of situation you should reassess yourself and change your strategy or way of working, if it’s required.
After all even Google changes almost every other day, doesn’t it? 😉
“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.” ~ Steve Shearer
I think there’s always a time for everything, as my better half always tells me. Perhaps it’s time for making a few more changes on Aha!NOW – for the better.
You know that without you, this blog wouldn’t have been anywhere. I value each one of you for sharing yourself with me and my readers, which helps understand each other better.
So, stay by me…
Over to you –
Have you also made some blogging mistakes? If so, how did you deal with them? Do you think these are mistakes or choices we have to make for the better? Share your experiences below.
Photo Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos, bitesizeinspiration, Brett Jordan
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Facing same issues;
One of the biggest problem for me is just wasting time and inconsistency;
I think I’ve lost my passion for blogging; I couldn’t contribute on a timely basis;
Would you like to suggest some more tips for motivation?
Well, spending too much time and overwork can commonly occur to bloggers, and one thing we can say is that they are obsessed. But health is far more important and we’re the only one that manage the blog.
Hey Harleena, it’s really cool to be on your blog again and this time on this lovely post.
I thought to give you a heads up on a good job well done. I mean these are the most common blogging mistakes that even I still commit and I will be looking to trashing them myself.
Like for instance, I barely sleep and that always have a terrible effect on my health.
I will try though but you know I need the money. 🙂
Thanks for sharing a great post as usual!
Sam
I believed that social media can grow a huge amount of traffic. So I passed a lot of time in social media marketing.
Now I am clear about social media marketing. I should remember the following mistakes in future. Thank you very much for this awesome article.
Hey Harleena,
Finally one of your blogs I read where I think I am getting there. When I first started blogging I was frantic. I would wake and start at 6.00am and finish well into the night. Well this was my You Tube. I was gaining so much knowledge but was doing nothing else. Working in administration for years, I was great at meeting dead lines and clearing my in box. I always prided myself on my work ethic.
However when I started this internet madness, all of a sudden – I have lists a mile long, things that never seem to end and my commitment to my own deadlines. I did not think I needed a new time management plan because as far as I was concerned I was good at it. However I read an article that showed me other wise and talked about planning your week and giving everything a time allocation.
The first week I did it I was a bit sloppy with the time allocation and planning – so I still felt as if I was chasing my tail. The second week I spent an an hour and a half planning. I listed my priorities and then other things I would like to achieve. Gave them a time allocation. I could not believe how valuable this was. I felt at ease because my week had been methodically planned. I did not have to have a pen a paper ready to write down things I forgot I wanted to do.
Because I got so much done the second week, I got a little cocky in my third week and did not plan as well as i did the second week and I noticed the difference. So I like when I have my list telling me what to do. I even fit three twenty minute sessions of mediation in, 40 minutes exercise, and tried a new recipe. And met my goals. I so agree with you about the health and sleep because they give us the up and go. Make writing so much easier and when I had my plan in place, I was not distracted with all the things I may have missed. When writing time was in – I gave it my all. Thanks for a great post.
Hi Harleena,
Amazing post! I really recognized myself in this one. When I first started blogging, I spent too much time writing and working on my blog and I became really tired so I had to review my blogging hours. I often found myself working until really late at night so much so that my husband complained about it. Now I limit myself to a certain hour and try to sleep at least 6-7 hours per night.
I also cut down on number of posts I write and I now write one article per week. As for the comments, I don’t have much so I can reply really quickly. Another mistake I made when I first started was to not visit other blogs and not comment enough on them. Now I read and comment as much as I can and I made some pretty good friends while doing it.
Anyway, it’s really nice to read about these kinds of advice and to see what you have to correct as a blogger.
Thanks for sharing this with us! 🙂
I think it is common for new bloggers to overspend their time on blogging endeavors and then they tend to burn out when they don’t start seeing immediate results. I also think that neglecting health is key too. If you are sitting for so long on the computer then that isn’t good for you. At least take the computer outside to a coffee shop so you can be around people : D.
The mistake I was doing was spending so much timer over social media but gradually I have stopped being online there and work more on my blogs. Thanks for the post. These are common mistakes done by bloggers.
Very informative post. Being a newbie sometimes I too face these problems. You have a shared an ultimate guide to avoid them. Thanks for your support maam. 🙂
Harleena very well balanced article and greatly appreciated. These are all so essential points. As far as groups for Facebook, I cannot seem to find them. Are they available to both individuals and business pages. How do you actually find these groups; what are the actual steps to take to find them?
Another well written post 🙂
I will try not to make such mistakes!
It is time to work a little harder.
Thanks Harleena Singh for your excellent post.
Hi Harleena!
What an incredible site you have and such valuable content. Thank you for that. I appreciate such bloggers and strive to get where you are! My name is Maria Galloway and I saw your comment on allbloggingtips. I then came to your site and WOW, very impressive with value…
I just started my ‘true love’ of blogging with my own personal blog (finally) and I strive to only write valuable content that will help my readers first, then sell them. I will not write junk just to write that’s for sure. Anyway, I wanted to comment on your post in the way of, I agree with you 100%. Especially, learning from our mistakes along our journey to the top. My blog has been going for only a month now, however, I learn quickly from my mistakes and others and take quick action to fix them. So, my blog’s PR is 2/10 and Alexa is 435k in only a month’s time, which I believe is pretty good.
I want to get better and better and the way I’m doing it is learning from great bloggers such as yourself. I seriously mean that, this writing is not always easy when life comes upon us, you know what I’m saying…LOL
So, with that, I thank you for your site and I’ll be coming here quite often now that I found you…
Peace and Love,
Maria Galloway
Hello Harleena, pretty good detailed writing,
Generally we found bloggers post no. of blogs one after one and resultant unable to pay equal response to the commenters. According to me the proper timely response of any comment on query in comment is helpful to attract the commenter to visit you blog again and again for further query.
Hi Harleena!
Finally had time to pop over and read something of yours! Actually, I found this post from your LI posting of it, if truth be told. I was riveted while reading this post, and the others. Thanks for sharing the wonderful tips and providing great links and information!
Hi Harleena,
Even I love such articles where bloggers point out blogging mistakes. It helps us avoid making those mistakes. Even I make it a point to publish articles related to blogging mistakes I’ve made.
I particularly liked the ‘being too consistent’ part. This often leads to burnout and health issues. I enjoyed reading this post. Will be back for more. 🙂
Thanks so much for this post. You know one of the things I do is put too much content on Facebook and not save enough for deeper blog articles. Part of it is that on Facebook I feel inspired in the moment and it just pours out, where putting it on the blog takes more time and tends to bog me down a bit. Sometimes by the time I am actually going to put it on the blog, I’ve lost enthusiasm for the subject matter. I wonder if there’s a better way I could do this so this doesn’t happen so often … thanks again 🙂
Well it was too difficult to maintain time for blogging earlier for me. The points you have mentioned here are perfectly fit on me at my starting time. However I found some great friends on social media (blogging friends of course) who guide me how to tackle this situation. Finally I manage to handle all those hurdles. I hope this will help all newbies to handle their all the problem.
Hi Harleena,
I must say this is a well written post. It is wise to be consistent and committed to your readers so that they do not have the feeling you have lost interest in blogger or that something is happening to your blog. Also some bloggers do not consider their health just because they wanted to be over committed, I do not advise this. I always say health first because health is wealth and it is only when you are healthy you can sit down and compose or even be able to think well. I enjoyed coming here as usual.
Thanks for sharing
~Bob
Hi Harleena,
Thanks for pointing five lethal mistakes almost every newbie blogger do. Some get to know earlier and correct them and several can’t know them and eventually become flop blogger or leave their blog undone.
You are right, social media is so fascinating and it never lets me sign out and all the time forces me to stay more and more either it is Facebook, Twitter or Google plus. One must be choosy while working on the social media of any type. Your last point needs serious attention of those bloggers especially who are 30 or 35 plus. Being a 46 plus if I don’t care my sitting posture I feel back ache and I have to come back to my caring way of working. Diet habit is also very important. If we keep taking coffee and tea ultimately we will face its negative impact. So our all type of intake must be balanced and healthy.
Once again thanks a lot Harleena for sharing such important tips. I keep reading your comments that are not lesser than a post and after a long time visited your blog to read your post that is equally awesome and very informative. God bless you.
Hey Harleena,
Great write. For me, I believe that blogging should be fun. Yes forget about competition, SEO and stuffs. Enjoy the whole process and never ever rush to build a site.
If you write good stuffs, google loves that and you should be just fine. I always see bloggers (including myself) over focus in blogging and causes more issue than benefits.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Harleena,
I don’t spend too much time on social media. One of the reasons is that I don’t have a clear strategy there, yet. I think you need a lot of time to figure out how to use social media effectively. Especially when nobody shows you the way.
Replying to comments? I usually reply to comments the same day or the next day. However, things get complicate on weekend. That’s because I never work on Sundays.
I chose to have one day per week where I do not care about blogging or online business. On that day (Sunday)I never answer to comments, never go to social media, never write anything. I don’t even read other blogs. Not even for fun. Sunday is a day for rest, walking and any other activities that do not involve a computer.
Now, I want to discuss with you a very different thing that is not so related to the post. I wrote an article about a specific part of blog commenting.
Among the answers was one where an internet marketer complained about AntiBacklink and the negative experience it gave to him when he tried to comment on other people’s blogs. His blog was not in the root domain and he was angry because many comments were rejected because of this.
This is the kind of comment that usually generates reactions. A reaction came immediately when another reader said something like: “Oh, yes? If things are so bad, I will never install that plugin.”
At this moment I became worried. I remember that you wrote a very interesting article about blog commenting on Adrienne Smith’s blog.
In your article you talked about blog commenting etiquette and recommended the following: “Use ONLY the root domain of your blog in the URL field.”
This seems to be a part of a blog commenting etiquette.
My question to you is: Why did you recommend this? What is the reason behind this recommendation?
Why are some people upset because of this and what can be done?
Have a wonderful day
Hi Harleena,
Nice post which just reminded me of my mistakes, all the mistakes pointed above just reminded me of what not to do. Its a fact that some times life takes us into some unexpected events which jut puts a hold in our blogging career. health, love, events happening around are some of the major reasons why some bloggers couldn’t be consistent. some times as you said writers block, it happens when you take a long leave from blog. once your mind will be full of idea’s on what to write next and suddenly after a long gap you don’t know from where we need to start.
Thanks for reminding these mistakes.
-Vijesh
Hey Harleena,
Your suggestion to go back through old posts is one I need to follow. It’s been a while.
I usually find posts that could do with an added notation, some optimization, minor revisions in the light of new information, or should perhaps be deleted entirely, as they now dilute the evolving direction of my content.
– Cole
Hey Harleena,
First, I just wanted to say that I really like your writing style and how everything flows. Great style.
These are definitely some of the biggest problems I faced with blogging in the beginning, but really feel like many others experience as well.
One thing I have found helpful is to write extra posts on days that you have extra time or in full on blog mode, and schedule them for publishing instead of doing it right away. It kind of ties in with what you said about it being better to write fewer posts that are of better quality than more that are not.
Thanks for sharing your great ideas.
Torri
I appreciate all of these tips! I am a beginning blogger. I see that your advice is well-balanced, and considers many aspects of real daily life. I need to educate myself so much more on how to best use social media to promote my writing.
Hi Harleena,
I tend to be making these mistakes a lot, specially the first two. I always share the post once at Facebook and Twitter and forget about it. The problem is that I don’t even post them on Facebook and Twitter at the same time so sometimes people see while other times people don’t. Sometimes I would be busy doing something and I forget to reply to comments which could end up not replying to them at all as there is newer comments that I didn’t reply to and need to be addressed first. I do agree with you that we should be committed to blogging and have a strict plan on when to be blogging and when you have to have time to rest or spend with the family.
Hy Harleena, Thanks for these great insights! For a starting blogger things can be difficult. Especially all the things going on with social media etc… I sure need to spent more time to interact with others to get more followers and readers. I hope you will write more articles about bloggers we sure can use some professional adivce!
Really nice insightful post Harleena.
I am not good at the SEO or promoting my posts. I am very consistent with my posts and have a clear idea of what my “voice” is, but I do not have a good grasp on all the other factors which go into making a successful blog.
Great post! Social media must not be the only way in gaining traffic. It requires enough attention but not all the time spending on it. Well said dude!
I think this are the reasons why i can’t be a pro blogger its because of all this mistakes, one of my mistakes are being a social media addict specially on facebook. the second is the laziness to reply all the comment..hopefully i can’t quit all of this habit to make my blog more productive..Thanks for sharing i really appreciate it..
Harleena,
Its nice to be over at your blog and get such excellent advice. It seems all good bloggers think alike – for I did similar post sometime back.
You see, the only blogging mistake I think I may have done was listening to bad advice. As a newbie blogger (my first blog is about 6 months old), I read lots of trash and implemented it. The result? I failed, woefully.
Your advice is sure great – and I immediately recognize the merit in it.
Thanks for sharing and do have a supercharged week!
– Terungwa
Good post. I spend too much time on Facebook I think. After reading this, I realize I need to spend more time on Twitter and G+. Thank you for this post!
Hi Harleena,
A massive offering…You must really be practicing your time management A+ to fit all this into one article!
Consistency is still my downfall, but I’m beginning to see the light…take care of your friends and readers who visit with you first and the rest as time allows.
I recently made a schedule change to put my walking at the top of the list…If I don’t keep the body in shape, then the mind follows.
Cararta
Wonderful post Harleena,
Spending quality time on social media is of great importance, trust me when i say this it is very expensive to spend time on social media than writing an article there is a whole lot of difference, I use up a data modem and the time spent on social media daily is about 10 MB compared to other stuff
I do including reading articles and trends which takes roughly 2 MB, so if folks have to spend time on social media, they should use it wisely
Great post Harleena!
The biggest mistake I made in the beginning was not being clear about who my target market/reader was. I resolved this by getting clear about ‘who’ I wanted to write for, ‘who’ would hire me as their freelance writer. Of course, this has evolved, again. I’d really love to redesign my blog/website, but I need a web designer to do this for me. 🙂
Not replying to my comments, my bad , I rarely go to that page when I’m in the dash board. Do not have health issues but do not waste sleep time for blogging!Thanks for your advice.
Hi Harleena,
I’m really surprised, how you manage your personal life and professional life.. that too working from home. I know many people feel that working from home is really easy and big pleasure. But I know it’s really difficult to manage everything at home, as you generally find number of other work which are also very important. I’m a working professional and managing my blog from home, and to be true I generally find really difficult to be consistent with my blog. But I’m trying to manage everything and I know if you have preplanned schedule, you can easily manage your each task and responsibility.
Hi Harleena,
Now Halloween is over, so Happy Diwali to you!
Speaking of making blogging mistakes, I am with Adrienne because in life, we all make mistakes and that is how we learn. Yes, we can also learn from other people’s mistakes as well but still making mistakes (new ones) is part of life. The good thing is, mistakes are great as long as we learn from them.
Too much of anything is bad. Too much of good things also yield only bad results. There needs to be a balance and therefore, too much time on blog, too much time on social media, too much time with family and friends, they all cause fatigue and frustration. We need to learn and balance our lives as I have learnt and experienced.
I can’t say I spend too much time on social media or blogging because I don’t think I have the bandwidth to do that with my profession and a couple of businesses to run. But I do spend fair amount of time on social media and as you said, it’s needed. Plus my team takes care of a few chores for me, so it’s not that bad 🙂
Regarding replying to comments, I am not sure what you really mean by real time response because I believe there is no emergency in online world (especially on social media and blogging) because everybody knows you or I can’t sit all day long in front of computer waiting for comments we we can respond. However, I do think that a reasonable response in a reasonable amount of time is well received.
In fact, people like Neil Patel and Michael Hyatt (who received a few hundred comments on each of their posts) sometimes respond to their comments and sometimes, don’t. Even if they do, they don’t send an email notification to the recipient. So, it’s a subjective matter based on your blogging strategy. Don’t you think?
Let me know what you think about it….
Regards,
Kumar
Very well written article!
One really has to decide just how much time each day they want to commit themselves. It takes a great deal of time and effort to do all the things necessary to produce a quality blog that people will enjoy, return to and pass on to others. Thanks for sharing!
HI Harleena,
So many important topics for us bloggers.
I also find myself spread a bit thin at times and having to prioritize. But also on the right things. It is easy to get side tracked with social media. Sure we need to promote and spend time on there, but it is an infinite realm that can just suck up your time!
Hopefully we can all take note of some of your tips and improve
Thanks
Ashley
Excellent post Harleena !
Social media activeness is one of the key factors for success in the blogosphere .Being active on social media sites not only help a blog to get traffic but also helps to build trust and relationship with new people .I initially ignored social media sites but now I try to spend time on social media sites . When I’m active , I do get traffic to my blog . Thanks for sharing these suggestions with us.
-Pramod
Hi Harleena,
Oh yes, I have made many mistakes along the way. At first, all I thought of was my blog. My life was my blog, so much so, I wasn’t giving my family the attention they deserved. I felt anxious!
Then along the way I learned something called DMO (Daily Method of Operation) Blogging, commenting and being on the social sites were taking too much time. I wasn’t thinking of anything beyond that.
So I created my DMO which included spending time with family (family first!) then taking the time to cook natural foods…no more excuses of take-out. I feel so much better.
But most of all, I see beyond the blog! It is the marketing edge that is important and that is where I put more energy.
I have no regrets, but I sure do listen to those mistakes I made along the way and now it has become a good habit. I can blog, answer comments, go to other people’s blogs, spend limited but quality time on social sites. But the most important thing is that I can create “Me” time!
-Donna
Hi,
I have read so many potboilers but you are artistically awesome!
Inspiring from you,hope someday i can blissfully write like you 🙂
Regards,
Gaurav
Hi Harleena
It’s been a while since I’ve been here. I’m glad I’m back. First i second babanature’s idea. You might just start a blog on blogging tips or compile this post as an Ebook. 🙂
I’m guilty of Point 1 and 2. Promoting Blog posts on social media is very time consuming. With my slow internet connection, i usually spend an hour or more sharing my post. I was having my quiet time two weeks ago and all i was thinking of was how to spend less time on the media and achieve more results.
There is only one factor that stops me from replying to comments immediately and that will be my slow internet connection. This Internet service providers would always charge much and deliver little.
I’m not too committed. I love my readers as I love myself, i wouldn’t want too breakdown. I’ve been spending more time sleeping lately. My brain seem to have come alive than before. I’m more focused now. Health is wealth!
Awesome post ma’am
Hey Harleena,
You know why I like coming to your blog? You always tend to make me look at myself LOL… But this post shows they we all are pretty much in the same boat.
I do have to say numbers 1 through 4 resonated with me quite well. For Number 1, I have to say i’m the opposite. Although many people tell me that it looks like i’m working hard because they see my content or some other post all the time, but in actually I feel like I don’t spend enough time engaging on social media. I just post quotes and other bloggers content as well as mine. I really don’t engage anyone enough.
For Number 2, I’ve been slacking off. Since I returned from Las Vegas about 2 and half months ago, I just haven’t been replying to my comments immediately. That’s something I really have to work on, plus I need to change my schedule bit as far as blogging. This would fall under numbers 3 and 4.
I was putting in so much work on my blog, I had posts scheduled to post for every other day for the next 4 months at one time in the summer. I did this this so I can stay consistent and committed, but I also needed time for myself, family, friends as well as really diving into different strategies I can be using to make blogging more convenient and less time consuming.
But yes, we are more or less in the same boat, and I’m just glad I’m not the only one going through this LOL
Thanks for sharing!
I would love to meet the person who says they’ve never made any mistakes when it comes to blogging. Raise your hands people, I want to see them! Aha, I don’t think so Harleena. We ALL make mistakes.
I think it’s like anything else, we have to find our place. We have to work a schedule around all the things we intend to accomplish each day. I’m always so in awe of everyone who works full-time outside the house plus has a family to tend to as well as building a business or dealing with a blog. Either way that’s a heck of a lot of work to do within a limited amount of time.
I had to find my groove but as you know I don’t have a family to tend to besides checking on my Mom next door and taking Kayla out to take care of business during the day. I can sit on this computer until all hours of the night if I want to be sure I get everything accomplished. I use to in the beginning but eventually backed off and just had to give myself some time.
One of the things I did want to make sure I did was respond to comments as soon as possible so I do dedicate the two days that I post replying to comments and as you’ve witnessed, they just keep on coming. They’ll continue coming days later and eventually slack off but I think it’s important to let the commenter know that I heard them and appreciate them taking the time to stop by my blog. You’re the same way I know.
I’m not on social media as much as a lot of people and I oftentimes will think to myself that perhaps I need to be in order to get more attention but I limit myself to four times a day. I will respond to notifications that I have emailed to me but I’ll deal with those when time permits. I do respond the same day so I think that’s important. Unless of course it’s late at night and I’ve closed up shop for the day.
I really have made a lot of mistakes in blogging due to trial and error. The one thing I will brag about if I may is that I’ve never been hacked and I’ve never lost my blog. So many people have so that’s kind of a big deal to me. I’ve been blogging now over four years so I think that’s something to be proud of.
Thank you for mentioning me here Harleena, I’m honored and I know that the guest post you wrote for me will help anyone who wants to learn how to be there for their commenters. Oh yeah, darn great stuff.
Have a great weekend and thank you for sharing this with us.
~Adrienne
Hi Harleena,
Thank you for sharing your tips!
I’m a newbie to blogging and mainly do it because I like to share my travels, a few insights and images I’ve taken over the years. I’ve just started twitter and need to research google though I do have an account. I’m single, but do have commitments outside of home and work, so finding time to keep myself up to date and out there on social media is a bit of a struggle. There are so many great blogs I’ve visited, but just don’t have time to read them all. I’m really learning as I go and as much as I don’t have the time to pay attention to everything I want, I do what I can. I am trying to blog once a week and that helps me to remember the joy of creative writing, or at least writing in my own voice. Thank you for your tips; I hope one day I’ll be at that point where I’ll be deluged with comments! : ) Sarah
Great post Harleena. Reading through your list I can say that like many others who have commented, I’m guilty of all of them.
I’m fairly new to blogging and it’s really fun but OH SO TIME CONSUMING.
Some days I think what I need is to have three separate “MEs” : the blogger, the self (wife, friend, mom) and the couples therapist. But there’s only one me! And yes, I need sleep and exercise and time for fun.
Right now, I’m experimenting with balance. I post once a week. Every Sunday at 6pm. Then I put the link up on Twitter and G+. Then I curl up with my husband or a good book (of both).
My goal is to find the sweet spot where I put in the right amount of effort to promote my blog, write inspiring material, interact with my followers but I don’t do so much that the rest of my life suffers.
My biggest learning has been that patience and ambition need to sit side by side. Much like planting a garden, I must trust that if I lay the groundwork and tend to it, it will grow. Just enough water and not too much. Just enough care and attention. And I need to remind myself that, however well cared for, a giant oak does not reach it’s full height overnight, that all things grow inch by inch.
Hi Harleena, Excellent advice!
I have been guilty of spending too much time on my blog. I was posting 5-6 times a week in the beginning which took over my life. My family wasn’t happy with that and I got complaints from my readers that it was too much. So now I am down to 3 times a week though sometimes that gets tough.
I have a couple of articles “in reserve” ready to go so if life throws me a curve ball, I can still publish.
I have a to do list for my blog too, including an ebook. But between life and writing I haven’t found much time to spare!
Thanks for these great reminders, Harleena!
This list is really great one for anyone who is serious about blogging. Though most of my time spend pitching my clients, writing and sending business emails to them but I often do feel guilty over not getting enough time to stay present on social network sites.
But despite of all that I do agree with you that when we go overboard than we should do, our loved one suffers. This often happens with me when I get too much busy with my client’s writing projects and my near and dear ones do miss me when they need me for their emotional attachment in their daily life.
Hii Harleena,
Great tips for all the blogger who want to be a successful blogger. you have shared really very accurate and genuine mistakes. we should always skip from these all above mentioned mistakes.
After reading this post i am feeling that i am also current doing a biggest mistake and that is – Spending too much time on social media. but know i am goign to control this habit.
thanks again mam…!!
Hi Harleena,
I am still learning how to blog and your such posts as this one are so helpful! A big thanks for that! I step forward very carefully, so I have read this post very slowly, chewing and digesting each of the mistakes I would like to avoid.
I marvel at your time management!!Susan has rightly pointed out that a lot of our time is wasted in technical nitty grits, struggling to learn. I still am hazy about promoting my post though I share it on Facebook and Google.
I must thank all bloggers [ I too admire Adrienne] who have been a great support, especially you Harleena, for prompt and cute replies you manage to post. Thanks
Hey Harleena,
My #1 mistake was delaying my comment replies. I usually would have time to reply back to the comments I get, but I would delay it and decide to do it later (Yes, I was procrastinating, plus I didn’t really see the importance of replying ASAP). Anyways, I do get it now, and I plan to not make that mistake again.
I feel that bloggers must make these mistakes, learning from others is good, but these – the most important mistakes – they have to learn from themselves. They have to make those mistakes and learn from it.
I don’t have problems with any of the others (except maybe for health – I do have everything setup for taking breaks, but I forget to do it), especially not now since I am following a block schedule. I have 2 thirty min blocks for professional networking (I don’t spend that much time on SM. Just scheduling stuff for sharing..perhaps I need to spend more time? Look at the Twitter timeline for a change? :D).
Anyways, thank you for sharing these mistakes, Harleena 🙂 Appreciate it!
Harleena Mam, your post is very nice and true at the same time !!
The main part i liked the most was the thought:
“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.”
Thanks for sharing such a Wisdom!
Hi Harleena,
This was a brilliant post on blogging mistakes.
I would like to begin by saying that I find your approach to blogging and the effort you put into your blog to be truly inspirational.
Currently I’m only able to spend half the time that I would like on my blog. I also have a day job and it can be very tricky to juggle extensive blogging activities. Nevertheless, I do what I can.
I ensure that I publish one post a week. With regards to responding to comments at my blog, I aim to respond to 2-3 comments a day. For those which I don’t respond to on a particular day, I always ensure I check out the latest posts of the relevant bloggers and comment at their blogs on the same day.
Thank you.
Hi Harleena,
I really admire you for writing this post and can relate to all the issues you mention.
As regards the jobs that blogging entails, I would add learning to cope with the technical side of things – I think you’ve said your husband helps you out with that. For those of us who are not tech savvy and who don’t have a loved one or friend to help us out with it, I can tell you it can eat up hours and hours of time, sometimes just sorting out one little issue, as well as keeping up with the routine maintenance stuff like changing passwords regularly etc.
As regards social media, to be honest I find it a huge burden – I value the personal contact it sometimes provides with fellow bloggers, but I’m afraid for me that “plus” is outweighed by the massive pressures it brings. I spend most of my time promoting other people’s content and thanking people for their shares and tweets – I know I don’t spend enough time promoting my own posts, but I just don’t have enough time or energy left to do any more. It’s all too fast-moving for my liking, and there are just too many different social media platforms to get around. I “follow” tons of interesting people on Twitter, for example, but hardly ever have time just to browse through my own feed or lists – once I’m done thanking people and responding to messages I’m mentioned in, I’ve usually had it!
As for comments, my policy is to try to respond to them as soon as I can, and I usually also try to follow any comluv links as I go along, visiting and commenting on those posts. The amount of time commenting takes has taken me completely unawares – that’s partly my own fault, because, like you, I can’t do things by halves and end up leaving lengthy comments like this one. I’ve recently been thinking I need to cut down on it, though, because it’s eating into time I’d rather be spending on other projects.
I do think it’s important to have some time off and, as you describe, I often fail to do that, using weekends to catch up, which is no good at all. I don’t have a family to look after – just my husband and two dogs, which is nothing really compared to your responsibilities, but I’m still conscious of the need to make time for them. This week we’ve been to the movies for the first time in years and at the weekend we’re going to the theatre – also the first time for ages – and I intend to do much more of that.
I, too, have had some stress-related health issues and been through periods of sleep deprivation, and I’m trying to make sure that I prioritise my health, as you advise in this post.
I’ve recently been pulling back on some of my blogging activities and I think I’m going to have to continue doing so, because I don’t really see my blog as a full time commitment, or an end in itself. Nevertheless, I’m finding even just keeping it ticking over is a frighteningly time-consuming task – and I’m going to be brutally honest here and admit that I often don’t find all of the associated work very fulfilling. For example, I sometimes feel under pressure to read and comment on blog posts that don’t interest me that much, and this is time I’d rather be spending on other activities – like reading some REALLY good books and working on my creative writing. I’ve been trying to prioritise the latter, but I’ve still been letting it get squeezed out by blogging pressures, and I’m going to have to do something about that. I know I often complain that I’m a very slow writer, but I really am, and it’s a big time management issue.
So yes, Harleena, I’ve made, and continue to make, lots of blogging mistakes, including all those you’ve listed in this post. Blogging IS a full-time job, but I’m afraid I don’t feel sufficiently committed to it to make it my own full-time occupation and, like you, I’m in the process of re-evaluating how I spend my time.
Sorry if this is a bit negative – I just so often get to the end of the day and feel I’ve spent hours and hours at my computer and achieved so little – I want to make much more constructive, fulfilling use of my time and in order to do that I suspect my blog’s going to have to take even more of a back seat.
Maybe I’m not really much of a blogger after all 😉
Thanks for a very inspiring post, Harleena – and I wish you well with your new plan of action 🙂
Hi Harleena,
Thanks for describing these important blogging mistakes. One more mistake which I would like to add is the failure to focus on a specific niche. Most blogging beginners often generalize their blog by writing on various topics of their liking instead of taking a niche specific path. While it is a good strategy to gain some long-tail keyword traffic, in the long run, it reduces the overall effectiveness of the blog.
I’m guilty doing each and every one of these mistakes, Harleena :). I like to call myself a work in progress because I fall back into old habits very quickly and without me realizing it.
As a work from home mom with teens life can get really hectic. I have to have a schedule or I won’t get anything done.
I don’t spend a lot of time on social media pushing my posts, I’m like a 90/10 too but I’m trying to even that out a little :).
I would love to be like Adrienne and reply to comments as quickly as she does. I try but before I know it, I fall behind. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this post with us, Harleena. These are very important mistakes every blogger should avoid but it’s a challenge, isn’t it?
I hope you’re having a great week!
Thank you Harleena – you have stated what all of us feel from time to time in our blogging journey. It’s funny seeing it through a fellow bloggers eyes. I never think twice if someone is slow to respond to a comment I made – in fact, I just assume that they will get around to it. However, when it comes to my own responses, I really give myself a hard time about not being timely. Your post has encouraged me to let go of that, stop beating myself up and just get back to finding the joy in blogging.
There is so much to love about expressing yourself, sharing with other and connecting sincerely with some really tremendous people. That will be my main focus and then keep being committed and consistent!
Thank you!
Hi Harleena,
Yes, i make some of these mistakes. The one problem that i have at times is my girls wanting me to baby sit. Sometimes I just have to say no other times I stop and think, these grand kids grow fast and the day is coming when they will just want to spend time with there friends, not grandma.
I do most of my work during the week and on weekends they are for hubby and me.
Guess post are something that I can fall down on, need to do more of that.
Thanks for helping me focus on the important stuff Harleena. We all need reminded once in a while.
Debbie
Excellent post, Harleeana.
To start with, Social Media is a double edge thing, we need them to promote our blogs, but if we stay stuck on them too much it’s a killer. I remember how you told me recently that you don’t go to Facebook too often 🙂
I do my best to reply to my comments as soon as possible, and considering my life style, really, I think I do not bad at all. But when I take more time to reply is that I really couldn’t make it sooner.
Being committed and being consistent is vital to blogging success. What does amaze me, actually, is when I see some bloggers who are only partly consistent and still seem to be very successful with tons of comments. Well, this doesn’t work for me 🙂 yet, or I must be doing something wrong 🙂
Thank you for those great tips, Harleena and always needed reminders.
Ah Harleena! There you come again taking a simple topic and making it a complete book with valuable materials.
I’m almost guilty of the first 2. However, I recently took a firm decision to avoid all sorts of distractions including social media. I will not open these links until it’s their time.
Sometimes I get comments when I’m not in front of my PC. It really happens often and the poor network connectivity here makes things worst.
I can identify with your point too. Being active on social media, it takes time to promote the new post and not be able to reply to those comments immediately. However, a delay of some few hours does not hurt.
Adrienne is really a champion at responding almost immediately. It’s always hard to see her posting manually on Facebook groups or Google + communities – except I’m not with her in the same groups 😉
Thanks too for suggestion solutions. You want to drop to 1 post per week? Oh! I’m going on the contrary for my new blog. Remember we discussed this in mail and thanks for your wonderful suggestions. The new blog is up and running and I intend to speed it up with super great contents. I’m linking to it in this comment 😉
Do have a wonderful week ahead dear friend
You are right about spending too much time on social media, a blogger can get carried away and spend hours hanging around the various social media and do nothing. Its all about using it appropriately so that you get the most out of it. But been there and done that, sometimes it happens to the best of us.
One thing; What is the point of answering the comments right away, is there any actual benefit to this? I let comments come and then when I have time, will comment in one sitting. Just a thought. Perhaps I have missed out one something.
Thanks Harleena, I have learnt a lot from this post. You are a great blogger and you have lots of great advice which I have adhered to personally.
Hi Harleena,
Wow! I have made them all. Do I get a prize?? LOL! Seriously the rest thing is huge. Pulling back from your work and resting improves the quality of your work.
Sometimes my creative tears are wracked by anxiety. No good here. Pull back. Relax. Rest. Push yourself to a point then remember you are living a human body which needs rest.
Thanks for sharing!
Ryan
Hi Harleena!
Thanks for sharing this post. There was a time when I didn’t even like the idea of being on any social media platform and now I can’t leave it alone even when I’m done sharing, commenting and reading. It’s like ‘one minute more and then I will stop.’ For me this post of your equals a wake-call and after posting this comment I am going to spend some time creating much needed time-table for social media engagement. Taking care of health should be a top priority for bloggers and writers.
Regards
Priyanka
Hi, Harleena mam,
Making mistakes is Human nature, we cannot ignore it; however, we can turn these mistakes as our stepping stones. Yes, you are true, mistake can be a stepping stone, only if, we are able to recognize and rectify them. 🙂
As a blogger, I spend lots of time on social media for promoting my posts. Yes, it is a good habit to limit our time for social media and we can do it through right promotion strategies. We should be always thankful and appreciable for each like, share and retweet. This will help us in building good relationships as well as get lots more share. 🙂
Time management and health are another issue, over which we have to have control. These two bring good consistency in our work. It also makes us more active to reply on the comments we get and as well as making comments on other blog.
These are the mistakes what we make in blogging; we can easily rectify it by making a little effort. Your suggestions are quite admirable and appreciable regarding blogging mistakes.
Thank you very much for sharing wonderful thoughts with us.
Have a great week ahead. 🙂
Hi Kumar,
Yes indeed, we all make mistakes, but it makes sense if we can learn something from them and get better, isn’t it? 🙂
Spending time on the social media is essential for a blogger, but if you overspend your time, such that your work suffers (as I see many bloggers who are good at writing but prefer wasting time on social media) and they or their blogs suffer.
Oh yes… you should be thankful for each share or like that you receive and try to do the same with other bloggers, after all that’s what the Blogosphere is all about – sharing and caring, isn’t it?
Time management IS essential, and it helps you in all spheres of life. Health should be of foremost concern, or else you really can’t do all that you have to do, isn’t it? Health IS wealth. 🙂
I’m glad you liked these blogging mistakes, which I’ve made and I felt by sharing them with others, I might be able to help them in some ways.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views with us. Have a nice week as well 🙂
Great points Harleena and I cannot agree with you more.
1. Social media is highly crucial but spending too much time on it is foolishness. And, even more, it is addictive. Bloggers should approach social media strategically. Instead of randomly hanging out and randomly doing updates they should strategize their every efforts. This way, they can cut down a lot of time and yet reap great benefits.
2. I am guilty of this – not responding to comments immediately. I interact with people on other blogs quite soon. But when it comes to my own blog, I put it off and attend to comments either once in a week or even sometimes miss out! I should fix this.
3. Being able to work from home is a blessing. Although it has some negatives, I strongly believe that the positives over weigh the negatives! Carving out time for family and other responsibilities will what make it meaningful.
4. Committing too much time to business and having strict, inflexible schedules will make you easily burned out. And it will also lead to stress. If I am working on a book project, naturally I won’t have time to write blog posts or be on social media. So I prioritize tasks accordingly – I either write posts in advance or completely turn off publishing for a week. The world won’t end 🙂
5. This one is a biggie! And for bloggers, since we don’t care to go into the many official covers, or savings, we have to be very careful. And our health is one of the biggest assets in our business. If we go ill, we cannot expect our business to make profits (even though passive income is possible).
Thanks for sharing Harleena 🙂
Hi Jane,
Nice to read your expert views about this topic of discussion, and I’m glad you agree as well 🙂
I agree with you about the social media and the amount of time we should ideally be spending on it. I guess if you know it’s not the right thing and you continue spending time on it, you ARE being foolish. Absolutely! Share something of value if at all, and that’s a reminder for me too. I think I should lessen down my updates because then you’re also committed to the reply to the comments that follow up.
Replying to comments, as I mentioned above in reply to a comment has various views. Some people take their time, as you mentioned, for their own reasons, while others prefer replying to them as soon as they come. While a few others don’t show up the comments or keep them in moderation till they are all replied to at once. I wonder what is the ideal thing, and does it really affect the SEO or rank, as some bloggers say it does. I’d be trying to reply to mine from my next post onwards, to see if it does make a difference overall.
It sure IS a blessing, but as you say, it’s got its drawback too, unless you know how to make the best use of your time and balance your work-home life.
Yes – it does, and I think I’ve gone through that phase so many times, and each time I think of changing my way, but it’s back to square one! I wish it were as easy! How do you handle people tagging or asking you when is the next post? I wish they’d understand that bloggers too need a break or might be working on something important!
I absolutely agree with you there. If we don’t care for our health, everything we are working for is lost. This is one aspect I need to strongly work on now.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your pearls of wisdom with us. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Hello Harleena,
Hmmm. Why didn’t you start your blog with blogging tips? Because you are seriously good at it 🙂
I am in the category of some of the things you pointed out yet, like I hardly sleep at night so I work at night and sleep in the morning time (most times).
I am not too consistent and committed, I am over committed and consistent because I do have a target to meet before the year runs out and I do hope to get it :).
My ever blogging mistakes that I will never forget is when I first bought a hosting plan that almost discouraged me to stop blogging. Now my advice is ask other bloggers to know how and what hosting to use so you won’t fall into the same mistake :).
Interesting article my friend. Do have a wonderful week ahead…
Hi Babanature,
Hmm…interesting question! Thank you for your kind words of appreciation, though I’m still a learner myself. 🙂
I think I’d never thought I’d have a blogging category on this blog when I’d started off. But once people started asking questions about blogging on the various social networks and showed interest to learn more about it, I thought of adding this niche too, again, with the sole aim of helping other bloggers 🙂
Oh dear…that’s not good at all! But I remember you’d mentioned in an earlier sleep post on this blog how you are able to cope with less sleep. I think your wife and son need credit for that because they don’t disturb you while you sleep in the morning hours! Nevertheless, I hope you don’t burn yourself out working endlessly, because if not now, it shouldn’t have an adverse affect on your health later, isn’t it?
I know your over committment, and to a certain extent that’s good too if you can manage it, or have goals to achieve as you mentioned. However, I’d repeat again – take care of your health first 🙂
Absolutely! Having the right hosting plan is essential, but sometimes new bloggers just don’t get it right, or perhaps they are misguided or confused and land up making the wrong choices. Nevertheless, I think if you can learn from your mistakes, nothing like it.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Hi Harleena,
I could really relate to this one – I think I spend too much time on social media (though I do LOVE it) and less time on writing would probably be more productive. It’s a toss – you need relationships to blog and yet you also need time to actually write your blog material too.
As for comments I work during the day so I can’t respond until if I have a lunch hour, (some days not) or evenings or the next a.m. I always try to respond within 24 hours unless I’m really overwhelmed or on vacation.
We all have other lives outside of blogging and I think most bloggers understand that. Even the full time ones can remember when they had other commitments too. I have a few sites I want to still join liked Reddit but hope to in 2014. We can only do much in our 24 hour period – right?
Great topics and points Harleena 🙂 Enjoy the rest of your week.
Hi Lisa,
Glad you could relate to these blogging mistakes 🙂
Ah…you too like the others tend to spend more time on social media. Yes, we love it, though we also know what happens if we tend to go overboard, don’t we? You’re absolutely right! Both the things are essential, without which bloggers can really not get that far. Perhaps knowing how much time you need to spend, or just closing your social media tabs to go and work, is the key.
I marvel at the way you manage to work, and maintain your numerous blogs, while I have a tough time with just one! Yes, replying to comments and how much time we should ideally take to reply them is a topic of discussion. However, it all depends from person to person and the time they have in hand. I think we should reply them as and when they come ideally, but if cannot, then do it whenever possible.
I agree with you about life outside the Blogosphere, though I see some bloggers whose life IS blogging and nothing else! I wonder how they survive and can manage to blog endlessly, or perhaps they have others working for them.
Reddit is good, though honestly speaking, it would only be now that I’d be able to find some time to explore all these bookmarking sites in detail. Absolutely! Do what you CAN do without stressing yourself, and just let go of the rest…(look who’s talking!)
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us. Have a nice week ahead as well 🙂
Hey Harleena,
One I would add to the list is capturing e-mails. So often times when a visitor visits a site, there is a good chance they will never come back. This way you can give them something of value in exchange for their email. You can get readers to come back and you’ll get more targeted traffic to your site. Once you capture your visitor’s emails, keep them updated and reminder them always to come back. Great list of tips!
Hi Nate,
Absolutely! Having a strong email list is a great way to ensure your posts reach a large number of people and they come back too, though there are no guarantees that they will.
I see many bloggers try various ways and means to do that – like offering free eBooks etc. Yes, it does work at times, but I personally feel that if a subscriber has to subscribe, he or she would do so even if you don’t have anything to offer, isn’t it? You really don’t have to capture anyone’s emails for that – if they come, it should be out of their choice.
I’ve often seen some bloggers complain that after downloading the eBook or report, people unsubscribe as soon as they had subscribed! Amazing – but true! I’d rather build my email slow and steady because I am sure then that people like me for what I share and are sure to stay. Just my two cents about it 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us. 🙂
As a newbie, I’ve made a few mistakes that you’ve mentioned: not replying to comments soon enough and not limiting my time! Time has been my biggest hurdle — trying to find what works for me. I’ve realized that what works for someone else, might not work for me.
So, that brings me to my next biggest blogging mistake — trying to be like another blogger. As I search the web, I see beautiful blogs and different ways of presenting content and I’m envious and think how can I build a blog like that. It has taken time, and I’m still working on it, but I realize that I need to be true to myself and who I am.
Hi Jennifer,
I think being newbies, we ALL make mistakes, but that’s also the way we learn 🙂
Limiting our time on the social media networks is a common problem most of us face, and unless we learn to control how much time we want to spend there – we can really get lost.
You are very right by saying what works for one, might not work for another. This again is something people realize very late, or some try to copy others not realizing that they can only be the best by being themselves.
I can understand the feeling about liking another blog more than your own, but I think it’s good to learn new things from other blogs and if we can use those tips to get better. Of course, your own identity lies with your blog because each blogger and their blogs are unique, and all of them teach us something in return, isn’t it?
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us 🙂
Hmmm . . . I don’t spend ENOUGH time on social media, I don’t reply immediately to comments (unless you consider within 24-48 hours “immediately”), I definitely don’t limit my work time (most of my energy/time/life is spent on a commercial investing-oriented site), and my sleep life is pretty much screwed up as well.
Sounds like I need an intervention . . .
Actually, I believe most of my “mistakes” would alleviate themselves automatically if I experienced better and more consistent financial results online.
Hi Brad,
That’s wonderful indeed! I think you are already on the right track 🙂
Spending time on the social media is required, but if we cannot limit our time there, then we lose out on our time when we ought to be working on things that’re more important, isn’t it?
I think there are a lot of views about replying to comments and whether they should be replied immediately, or even approved till they are all replied. I’ve seen so many bloggers keeping the comments moderated, and suddenly they are all approved along with the replies, so what really is the right thing, I really wonder. I just thought I’d try out what normally everyone does from my next post, which is to reply to the comments as and when they come, keeping everything else aside.
Ah…limiting your work and concentrating on your health are vital – for you and your loved ones I think. I know what lack of sleep can do to you, having gone through it all, and it certainly affects your next day too.
I agree with you about the financial bit, but you need to take care of yourself too, or else it could all end up the other way round. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views with us 🙂