I obviously have a blog and this blog is a new blog, but I have been blogging off and on for almost 9 years now. I was blogging even before it was called blogging (my first real website was what they once called an E&N – everything and nothing running on the nuke CMS). I read this post today from Darren on ProBlogger and wanted to chime in with my own two cents on these heated issues found within the blogosphere .
- RSS Feeds - Full vs Partial Feeds
I say full feed. I plan to post only 3 times a week (post launch) and it seems stingy to me not to include a full feed. I try to ensure there are links in the post, like related articles that I hope the reader will use to visit the blog. - Comment Sections – Comments vs No Comments
Comments. This helps site credibility (social proof) and Google gives juice to dynamic content. Google just knows and recognizes that that page has changed, it can’t tell who changed it, and the Google Bot loves change. - Post Frequency – Post More vs Post Less
I am in the post less, but post quality camp. I am an awful editor of my own work and need more time to proof than I do to produce. - How Many Blogs? – Focus upon One Single Blog vs Having Many Smaller Blogs
I would have to go with fewer, I am personally focusing on 2 and 1/2 sites at the moment. This blog, a more traditional web-site (sans blog), and my photo blog to help define my online brand. - Domain Names – long vs short, hyphens vs non hypens, .com vs other extensions (like .net, .org), local vs global domain extensions
I am a no hyphen kind of guy, and I prefer something catchy, easily remembered is more important to me than short… and dot com when you can, dot net is a close 2nd, but there is no third place. - Hosting – hosted vs self hosted
Websites are assets, to me, hosted means someone else owns my work. - Post Titles – descriptive vs keywords
Descriptive, SEO only matters in sales, first you need to build trust and a readership before you can sell them. - Content – Link content vs Original content
Original content… even if it is derived (like this one). - Paid Reviews – Happy to Write Paid Reviews vs Not Doing Paid Reviews
Depends if it is in alignment with my over all brand and mission. - Design – Professional Design vs Templates
Thesis, professionally skinned (so both) - Links to External Sources – Should Open in a New Page vs Should Open in the Same Page
Same page, if I am doing my job the reader will come back. - Ownership – Use Social Media vs Build Your own properties
Use social media to promote my own properties. - Post Length – Long in Depth Posts vs Short, Sharp Posts
Pillar content long (1000 word plus), Short being nothing less than 400 words, with a target of 600 plus words as a rule. - Topic – Niche vs Broad Topics
A healthy proportion of both to help build reader loyalty - Dating Posts – Dates on Posts vs Non Dated
This to me is a dodge to hide a stale blog from new readers. Post a schedule and keep the schedule. If you have dates it gives proof that the blog is up and healthy. - Blogger Name – Anonymous blogging vs Using Your Name
Depends on the style of the blog, that to me is a statement of personal branding. - Subscribers – RSS is Best vs Email is Best
I have no opinion but I feel that email is easier to make money from. - SEO – Writing for Search Engines vs Writing for Humans
Humans - Personal Blogging – Sticking to Topic vs Injecting Personality and Personal details
This to me is another statement of personal branding. Both answers are right depending on the style of the blog. - Comment Moderation – Highly Regulated and Moderated vs Anything Goes
Another statement of branding, but as long as the comments are not personal attacks and are reasonably on topic… anything goes. - Social Media vs Search – focus upon social media rather than search engines as traffic sources
I think you can’t choose just one anymore. If you don’t have a social media presence, it is beginning to hurt your credibility as a blogger. - LinkBait – Anything goes (e.g.. Personal Attacks) vs Strong Boundaries Around What is and Isn’t Acceptable
Short of personal attacks… anything goes. - Bloggers Participation in Comments – Respond to Every Single Comment vs Let Readers Talk to Each Other and Don’t Interact
Middle of the road on this one. - Blog Platforms – WordPress vs ((Insert Other Platforms Here))
I use Drupal at work (day job) and WordPress for anything I want to get done for myself. - Monetization – Blogs Should Be Monetized vs Blogs Should Never Be Monetized
I think focusing on monetization to early will spoil your content and hurt credibility. But having a post a week with some strong affiliate product will pay dividends as your readership increases. - Affiliate Disclosure – Disclose every affiliate link vs Site Wide Disclosure vs No Disclosure
Site Wide. - When To Start Monetizing – From Day 1 vs Once You Have an Audience
Day one, you should have a plan, but your plan may not to start monetizing until you cross a threshold of lets say 1000 subscriptions.
- Text Links – To Sell them vs Not Selling Them
Nope, not going to do it. - Outsourcing – Outsourcing content (or other aspects of blogging) vs producing your own.
No problem as long as the editorial style and quality is not hurt by it. The should be one perceived voice.
photo credit: martinhoward
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