The Ultimate Guide to a Wildly Sticky, Successful and Outstanding Blog
A SERIES

Setting up the Blog — Picking the Platform

If you’re new to code and blogware, take heart. Most bloggers started out knowing nothing about the technical side of blogging. It might seem like a lot to learn, but we all did, just as we all learned to read. You’ll be tweaking your blog in no time. Somehow, playing with the code seems to be in a blogger’s genes.

Choosing or Changing a Domain Name

Naturally the closer your URL matches your blog title, the easier it will be for readers to remember and return to it. When you sign up for that domain, check the box for at least two years. Search engines look more favorably on new domains that plan to stick around. Also consider the option of buying an existing domain, but read up on the subject before you do. Here’s some additional advice.

1. The site wizard tackles the questions you’ve been wondering about in Tips on How to Choose a Good Domain Name for Your Website
2. Consider what’s going on in the marketplace when you areChoosing a Good Domain Name.
3. Seomoz offers realistic Expectations and Best Practices for Moving to or Launching a New Domain If you don’t need this information now, you’ll need it one day.
4. Sitepoint offers solid guidance on how to Hit the Jackpot! How to Find Money-making Domains. Do the research Mara Miller suggests and you could end up way ahead of the game.
5. And Don’t Buy that New Domain Name Yet think about the values of buying an old one. Also weigh in the baggage an old domain can bring.
6. BONUS: How to Use the New Custom Domain Name Feature for Your Blog*Spot Blog: A Tutorial

Choosing the Blogging Platform — What Sort of Home Will You Build?

Bloggers are generous with their time and we’re helpful. Don’t be shy about asking, especially about the technical stuff. Someone will step up to offer the hand you need. Bloggers care about the blogosphere working right.

1. Start here. USC Annenberg has pulled together the background, a list of the common blogging jargon, and an overview of the blogging tools. [via Frank]
2. The purpose of this research is to find what your options are. About.com’s Which Blog Platform is Right for You? offers 15 links to blog platforms. The selection is useful to new and advanced bloggers.
3. A well-thought top-ten list can be helpful. The Top Consideration When Choosing a Free Blogging Platform.
4. Though most seasoned bloggers might steer you from a “hosted” or free blog — blogger, wordpress. com, or the free SixApart typepad.com — Each has its value. If you’re blog is solely a personal, or a short-term project, a free blog might work best for you.
5. Be sure to consider the opinions of other bloggers as well as those of reviewers. Which Blogging Platform Do You Use and Why? – Open Mike Some reviewers aren’t as hands on as we might wish they would be.
6. Keep in mind that the platform or blog software you use will be easier to negotiate, if you are part of a community who use the same tool. Reach out to bloggers when you have a question or a problem to solve. You’ll be blogging sooner and better if you Learn from Someone who Knows.

Choosing Hosting — Who Will You Count on?

Your host is someone you rely on to care for your blog in ways that you cannot. Don’t make price the only issue. As with everything else, in hosting you tend to get what you pay for. Know what you need and what to look for before you choose. Here’s outstanding wisdom on choosing a host.

1. To understand the specs and the key questions, you might start with What to look for in a Web Host? It’s nice to know the difference between a T-1 and an OC-24.
2. With those basics, you’re set to consider the values and features that would meet your exact needs. Christopher Heng has outlined solid criteria for choosing a free web host or commercial web host. He includes further references if you want to know more.
3. In this classic, What to Look for in a Web Host, Dan Cray offers a starter list of questions to ask when you make the calls to web hosts you’re thinking of doing business with.

When choosing a host, ask for recommendations from bloggers you know. Also ask the web host for recommendations from clients they have hosted in the past. We had two great sponsors at SOBCon — Network Solutions and THC. Read their blogs and see which is for you.

Setting up your first blog can be daunting. . . . Recently someone said that he had trouble choosing because the blog software had adequate tech support. No worries there, the whole blogosphere seems to be ready to help a new blogger.

The list is thin by comparison to what’s available. What advice would you add?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
Check out Models and Masterminds too

A SERIES
The day before I left for the UK, I posted a challenge that you might add to a list of Wildly Sticky, Successful and Outstanding Blogs on Blogging that I had started. Some folks missed that last prepositional phrase “on blogging” and offered great blogs on other topics. Those don’t really belong on this list, so please don’t feel offended that I didn’t include them.

Here is the list I promised to compile, starting with the original ten I offered.

1. Bloggers Blog
2. chrisg.com
3. ProBlogger
4. SEObook
5. Lorelle on WordPress
6. Freshblog
7. dosh dosh
8. Copyblogger
9. Daily Blog Tips
10. seomoz
11. The Blog Herald
12. Wayne Liew Dot Com
13. Blogsessive
14. Network Blogging Tips
15. Chris Brogan
16. Blog for Profit
17. Internet Duct Tape
18. Performancing
19. Lost Art of Blogging
20. Quick Online Tips

That’s the list that we made together.

If you missed it, read the entire introduction to The Ultimate Guide to a Wildly Sticky, Successful and Outstanding Blog.
More is coming.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Want to know what’s wildly sticky? Work with Liz!!

A SERIES

Experts on Successful Blogs and the Blogosphere

Before you go anywhere, you have to know where you’re going. What’s your destination? What’s your plan? Building a blog of quality and relevance is an accomplishment. It’s not something that just happens by letting your fingers type anything. It takes planning, heart, and “a village” to make a successful blog, but a great blog is worth every minute invested in pulling those three together.

What Makes a Successful Blog?

Every individual has his or her own definition of success. I’m sure you have yours too. Take a look at what folks hold up as guideposts. Keep cornerstone advice close. Here are a few expert opinions to help you set bar of what you might strive for when build your successful blog.

1. Let’s start with the key ingredient. You can put stock in Chrisg when he says, “Online or Offline, this is the Key to Success.” Thank you, Mr. Garrett.
2. You’ll be a much more relaxed blogger if you have a sense of where you fit. You might want to take the Blog Review Checklist — the most comprehensive evaluation review tool. It’s backed by 20 years of working with readers and how they interact with text (online and off.)
3. Pay attention to success reported by smart bloggers in their first year. They not only care about what you care about, but the learning curve is the greatest in the first few months. How to Build a Somewhat Successful Blog: 16 Lessons I Have Learned from the Positivity Blog is a top-notch example.
4. A part of any blog’s success is related to links, tools, and measures. Read about Google Page Rank, Alexa Rank, and discussions of blog surveys and the ways a bloggers opinion of success can change over time. Meredith Wolfwater discusses these in What makes a blog successful? from Information Wants to Be Free
5. Website or blog, the principles are the same. Listen. Seth knows what he’s saying. How to create a great website
6. Becoming part of the community, the conversation, and the creativity of blogging are Essential Requirements to Starting a Successful Blog
7. Understand that success comes from within. You’ll need the wherewithal to come to your blog and your readers every day. Three Traits of Successful Blogs – Focus, Passion, and Originality
8. Know that readers know a lot about what makes a good blog tick. They share if you take the time to ask. What Makes a Blog Successful?
9. Follow the lead of those who’ve been there and succeeded before you. How I Chose 18 Thought Leaders to Follow (and Their Links)
10. Do the work and understand what works. As with life, success with a blog is more investment than luck. How to Build an Authority Blog: Tips from the Experts

The Culture of the Blogosphere

Once we realize that people are talking to each other on the Internet, it’s not long before we figure out that blogosphere has a culture of its own. New circumstances often inspire new ways to interact. We can’t see who’s on the other side of the screen. We only see the words, images, and sounds send us. The filters we use in person don’t work to decide who is telling us the truth. Authenticity and transparency are two words that you’ll find important to the community and culture of the blogosphere.

Check out the blogosphere. Get to know what blogging is about. Find your favorite blogs and bloggers. Figure out what it is that keeps you returning to read them. Just as important, notice what turns you off.

1. A great start is John Dvorak’s Understanding and Reading a Blog (for Newcomers) This entry is timeless, relevant content.
2. Get to know all of the ways you can read a blog . . . The Blog Realm: RSS, Aggregators, and Reading the Blog Fantastic by Greg R. Notess
3. Know what to do to make the most of the experience. “Ah – blogs – one of the best ways to waste lots of time. Here are the top 10 tips we’ve found for being more productive when reading blogs.” Top 10 tips for effective blog reading – part 1 by Nev a Dave
4. Honor the cultural traditions and mores of Internet interpersonal communications. Act with netiquette to show you are a respectful and savvy citizen of the virtual world.
5. If you’re trying to figure out what makes a blogger a blogger, this quick look works as well as any other.What Is A Blogger?

Just know that the blogging community is worldwide and incredibly helpful. Finding your way around the blogosphere doesn’t have to be arduous or take from here to forever.

Ten Blogs on Blogging

Ten that I find consistently readable in no particular order.

1. Bloggers Blog
2. chrisg.com
3. ProBlogger
4. SEObook
5. Lorelle on WordPress
6. Freshblog
7. dosh dosh
8. Copyblogger
9. Daily Blog Tips
10. seomoz

I’ve listed ten blogs on blogging. Now, here’s my challenge.

I’ve left out plenty that could be on this list. Add them in the comments. When I return I’ll compile them. We’ll set up criteria. Then we’ll determine which blogs you suggest make

Which blogs do you nominate?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Want to know what’s wildly sticky? Work with Liz!!