[PoetryOfEros]

So I started a blog, pretty much inspired by guys in the RP community. I write in a personal and journal type way but want to become more content rich, more knowledge driven but I don't want to sound too theoretical or too didactic and arrogant. Anyway, that's just my plans for writing style.

I'm wondering if when starting out a blog you should work on content first or whether you should go straight into design and backend stuff. I really am new to doing all this and thought I'd track my progress on a blog. Just hoping for ideas on blogging really.

Not sure if I should really attempt to monetize it yet, I have no clue about list building or anything like that. I'm really just paying for the blog and using it like a free one at the moment.

[SamuelBRoberts]

A couple questions:

Why are you paying for a blog when you can get a free one?

What insights do you have to make anybody want to read your blog? I can read Vox Day, Anonymous Conservative, I can go browse the archives at the Last Psychiatrist, or hit up Cernovich or any one of a billion other genius writers. Why should I, or anybody else, read you? If you don't have a really solid answer for this question, you'll never make any money off your blog, and any cash you're putting into it now is a waste.

[PoetryOfEros]

(12-30-2016 11:31 PM)SamuelBRoberts Wrote:  

A couple questions:

Why are you paying for a blog when you can get a free one?

What insights do you have to make anybody want to read your blog? I can read Vox Day, Anonymous Conservative, I can go browse the archives at the Last Psychiatrist, or hit up Cernovich or any one of a billion other genius writers. Why should I, or anybody else, read you? If you don't have a really solid answer for this question, you'll never make any money off your blog, and any cash you're putting into it now is a waste.

Actually, I started it because I read Gorilla Mindset and Cernovich advises starting your own blog. I'm obviously not going to be as popular as those you listed because I'm just starting out. The whole point of paying for it so far is the customizability of it. Certain themes you can pay for don't work on the free options of running a blog so I'm already benefitting from that in my return of investment. Thanks for your support anyway.

[John Michael Kane]

Work on content first and foremost. Set a posting schedule that you consistently stick to. Blogs that go stale, die. You have to connect with your readership. It will take a while for your site to become indexed, but if you write well and link in your signature, you can grow a small buy loyal following. Focus on themes and plugins later. Just make sure you have a working commenting system and you're good to go. Content is king. So what's your URL?

[MajorStyles]

(12-31-2016 01:56 AM)John Michael Kane Wrote:  

Work on content first and foremost. Set a posting schedule that you consistently stick to. Blogs that go stale, die. You have to connect with your readership. It will take a while for your site to become indexed, but if you write well and link in your signature, you can grow a small buy loyal following. Focus on themes and plugins later. Just make sure you have a working commenting system and you're good to go. Content is king. So what's your URL?

Mr. Kane, just curious...what do you mean "link in your signature"? I'm not aware of a signature line when creating a blog post.

Any input is appreciated.

[SamuelBRoberts]

(12-31-2016 01:53 AM)PoetryOfEros Wrote:  

Actually, I started it because I read Gorilla Mindset and Cernovich advises starting your own blog. I'm obviously not going to be as popular as those you listed because I'm just starting out. The whole point of paying for it so far is the customizability of it. Certain themes you can pay for don't work on the free options of running a blog so I'm already benefitting from that in my return of investment. Thanks for your support anyway.

That's a good point, but that wasn't my question. You're in competition with every other blog on the internet for eyeballs. Everything from Cernovich's blog, to Roosh's blog, to the big blogs at places like Washington Post and the NYT are all competing for the same share of people's time each day. So what do you have that would make people want to read you, over any of the other billion blogs? Are you scorchingly funny? Do you regularly have fantastic experiences that no would would believe? Are you astonishingly insightful? Do you have expertise about a subject that almost no one else has? Do you have some combination of these?

Why should someone read your blog, as opposed to anything else on the internet? What do you have to offer them? If you can't answer this question, you're not going to get much of anything in the way of readers.

(12-31-2016 04:20 AM)MajorStyles Wrote:  

Mr. Kane, just curious...what do you mean "link in your signature"? I'm not aware of a signature line when creating a blog post.

Any input is appreciated.

He means put a link in your RooshV signature.

[John Michael Kane]

Roberts brought up great points. What is the special sauce that makes your blog worth reading over all the other blogs out there? Find something original and you enjoy, because your muse to keep writing depend upon it.

[Corollary]

Work on the content.

Thinking about design, backend work, and monetization is a form of procrastination when you have no content and no readers. As your blog grows, either the answers to your questions will become clear or you'll have better questions to ask.

Also, think of your blog as something that will evolve over time. You don't need to make it perfect in the beginning because you'll always have to opportunity to change something.

Good luck!

[PoetryOfEros]

I really just thought that practice makes the master. I know what you mean by being in competition with the rest of the blogs on the internet yet I'm not afraid of failing. I want to know what blogging is all about and so that's one reason I made it.

Having all the things you listed seems like I should really sit down and assess my potential for writing about topics I'm interested in. Granted nobody will have the same experiences and insights as me I'm sure I would be unique in some way. Thanks for expanding on your questions Roberts. Really have some digging to do.

[Shrodax]

(12-30-2016 11:31 PM)SamuelBRoberts Wrote:  

What insights do you have to make anybody want to read your blog? I can read Vox Day, Anonymous Conservative, I can go browse the archives at the Last Psychiatrist, or hit up Cernovich or any one of a billion other genius writers. Why should I, or anybody else, read you? If you don't have a really solid answer for this question, you'll never make any money off your blog, and any cash you're putting into it now is a waste.

(12-31-2016 07:23 AM)SamuelBRoberts Wrote:  

You're in competition with every other blog on the internet for eyeballs. Everything from Cernovich's blog, to Roosh's blog, to the big blogs at places like Washington Post and the NYT are all competing for the same share of people's time each day. So what do you have that would make people want to read you, over any of the other billion blogs? Are you scorchingly funny? Do you regularly have fantastic experiences that no would would believe? Are you astonishingly insightful? Do you have expertise about a subject that almost no one else has? Do you have some combination of these?

Why should someone read your blog, as opposed to anything else on the internet? What do you have to offer them? If you can't answer this question, you're not going to get much of anything in the way of readers.

That seems like a lot of negative thinking. You could apply the same defeatist attitude toward anything you want to start doing: "There are already so many successful, well-established experts in this field. Why should I even bother trying? What more could I possibly contribute?"

The Catch-22 here is, you're not going to know if you can be a successful blogger unless you actually try blogging. And you can't be successful without lots of practice. Nobody's going to being exceptionally funny or insightful right away; that will take time to hone.

So focus on content to develop your own original style. The one thing Roosh, Cernovich, Vox Day, etc. all have in common is that each one writes in their own, unique style, and that's what attracts readers.

Focusing on design almost seems pointless, because all of those successful blogs also have a fairly simple design.

[weambulance]

To answer your primary question, OP, content is king. You should figure out if you even want to write a blog long term before you spend time making your site all pretty.

To cosign part of what Shrodax said, yes, practice is key in developing writing skill. You should always be improving, but it's pretty damn hard to improve as a writer if you're not actually writing a significant amount.

What do you want out of the blog? What's the point of it?

"I just feel the need to write" is a perfectly acceptable answer, for what it's worth. I published several million words on the internet over the past ~15 years on various sites that only exist because I felt compelled to write. And though those millions of words are pretty much worthless on the market, they were extremely valuable in developing my writing skill.

On the other hand, if you don't feel even a weak compulsion to write I suspect you'll find trying to maintain a blog an unpleasant grind. For all that it looks easy just sitting on a couch with a laptop, writing is hard work.

[Mr Johnny Montoya]

If you make your blog multi-author, you can blog as much or as little as you want, without any obligation or pressure, and if you get enough people on board you can build up content quite quickly.

That's what I'm doing with my blog which I know I can't link to but I wish I could.

[SamuelBRoberts]

(01-01-2017 07:49 AM)Mr Johnny Montoya Wrote:  

If you make your blog multi-author, you can blog as much or as little as you want, without any obligation or pressure, and if you get enough people on board you can build up content quite quickly.

That's what I'm doing with my blog which I know I can't link to but I wish I could.

Just in general, how long have you been blogging, how many posts do you have, and how many readers do you have? Kinda curious.

[PoetryOfEros]

Thanks for your input everyone. Seems there's some mixed views on this. I will definitely have to think about the long term, much appreciated!!

[Mr Johnny Montoya]

(01-01-2017 12:53 PM)SamuelBRoberts Wrote:  

(01-01-2017 07:49 AM)Mr Johnny Montoya Wrote:  

If you make your blog multi-author, you can blog as much or as little as you want, without any obligation or pressure, and if you get enough people on board you can build up content quite quickly.

That's what I'm doing with my blog which I know I can't link to but I wish I could.

Just in general, how long have you been blogging, how many posts do you have, and how many readers do you have? Kinda curious.

I believe my viewership is still in the single digits, that digit being mostly 0, but occasionally 1, according to google analytics.

The first couple of posts on my blog were posted in early July, but after that there was nothing until November, when I started contacting people and asking if they'd either join my blog as a contributor, or let me use posts from their blogs.

Right now I have 11 posts (2 of them mine), 4 people who are contributors (only one has contributed though so far), and a couple of very well known bloggers who have given me permission to use posts from their blogs.

[SamuelBRoberts]

(01-01-2017 04:40 PM)Mr Johnny Montoya Wrote:  

I believe my viewership is still in the single digits, that digit being mostly 0, but occasionally 1, according to google analytics.

The first couple of posts on my blog were posted in early July, but after that there was nothing until November, when I started contacting people and asking if they'd either join my blog as a contributor, or let me use posts from their blogs.

Right now I have 11 posts (2 of them mine), 4 people who are contributors (only one has contributed though so far), and a couple of very well known bloggers who have given me permission to use posts from their blogs.

OP, this is why you don't pay for a blog. Montoya's #s are pretty typical for most people who do blogs. If you're paying monthly I suggest canceling and moving to Wordpress.

There's a lot to be gained from writing online. You can improve your writing skills, which is always worthwhile, and you can also sharpen and clarify your thinking, which is amazingly helpful in everything you do in life. If you want to share your insights, though, why not post more here instead of on a blog? You'll get instant feedback, recognition for your work, and feedback about where you might be lacking. There's all kinds of topics here, from politics to sports to pickup. to dieting, and you can always start your own topic if there's something else you want to talk to. Once you've built up a rep and sharpened your skills here, you can always transfer that readership over to your new blog, and you'll be in much better shape.

[Mr Johnny Montoya]

(01-02-2017 12:14 AM)SamuelBRoberts Wrote:  

(01-01-2017 04:40 PM)Mr Johnny Montoya Wrote:  

I believe my viewership is still in the single digits, that digit being mostly 0, but occasionally 1, according to google analytics.

The first couple of posts on my blog were posted in early July, but after that there was nothing until November, when I started contacting people and asking if they'd either join my blog as a contributor, or let me use posts from their blogs.

Right now I have 11 posts (2 of them mine), 4 people who are contributors (only one has contributed though so far), and a couple of very well known bloggers who have given me permission to use posts from their blogs.

OP, this is why you don't pay for a blog. Montoya's #s are pretty typical for most people who do blogs. If you're paying monthly I suggest canceling and moving to Wordpress.

There's a lot to be gained from writing online. You can improve your writing skills, which is always worthwhile, and you can also sharpen and clarify your thinking, which is amazingly helpful in everything you do in life. If you want to share your insights, though, why not post more here instead of on a blog? You'll get instant feedback, recognition for your work, and feedback about where you might be lacking. There's all kinds of topics here, from politics to sports to pickup. to dieting, and you can always start your own topic if there's something else you want to talk to. Once you've built up a rep and sharpened your skills here, you can always transfer that readership over to your new blog, and you'll be in much better shape.

I agree, it's best to start with a free blog. Mine is free. Also, use Mines.com (it's like Gab and Twitter) to get traffic. You get points which you can spend to boost posts. That's how I get all of my 1 readers. God bless their soul.

[PoetryOfEros]

Okay, I thought about the advice you members shared and cancelled all payments. I'm no longer running my own blog and deleted everything. I reasoned with the fact that it's probably better that I build up a readership first, I probably won't want to do it on most days, and I don't think I'm at a level to teach others what I know. I've freed up some time to concentrate on other things. Going to start a free one for the time being.

[SlickyBoy]

Nowadays, blogs are not the business itself, but an extension of a business behind it. The blog is really just the smell of the bread to get you into the bakery.

Do you have a business behind this blog or is it just a blog you plan to cultivate into an income producing stream? If it's the latter, you've definitely got to bring something to the table that nobody else has, since so few people read for the sake of reading and most that do have enough already.

As others mentioned, no, you shouldn't have to focus too much on format - content is king. One of the blogs I enjoy regularly has crap format but thoughtful content (heartiste), and I know for a fact he's using a free service too.

Good luck.

[Bushido]

Wow, such negativity around here. Cernovich would be scoffing at your "bush league mentality".

Samuel Roberts, I know you're just trying to be helpful here but you're basically discouraging this guy. I'd reflect a little on why you are being negative in this thread. Have you started a successful blog?

Last month I passively made around $700 from my blogs. I started off much how the OP here did.

A few points:

1. Starting a free blog is BS. You're preparing yourself for failure before you even begin. If you are serious about building a successful blog then buy a domain. It will cost you $10.
2. Hosting is extremely cheap. You can host literally dozens of websites for a TOTAL of $20 a month with the right plan. Once you have a multi-domain hosting plan, you can just launch new ideas as you see fit. Just a $10 investment for a new domain. I do it all the time.
3. Join an affiliate program such as Amazon Associates. Set up Adsense. Once you get some traffic and, assuming you have a niche audience of some description, you will be able to cover your costs.
4. It takes time to organically rank on Google these days. 6 months is the general minimum. Don't panic if you aren't seeing traffic right away. In fact, I suggest setting up Google Analytics on your blog then not looking at it till several months in.
5. There's nothing wrong with giving something new a try and seeing how it goes. Ignore negative nancies asking you what your plan is or why you are capable of writing a blog.
6. You don't need to ask for people's permission before taking action. Implement, implement, implement then report back on how you did.
7. Write what you know. You will have unique insights and experiences that those famous bloggers don't. That's reason enough to write your own blog. If your life is truly too boring and you don't have enough interesting stories/insights then you need to change that up first.
8. Niches generally make more money than very generalized blogs. "There's riches in niches!"

OP, feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[Phoenix]

(01-03-2017 12:36 AM)Bushido Wrote:  

Last month I passively made around $700 from my blogs. I started off much how the OP here did.

Impressive, especially given you haven't used your online account here (and thereby breached anonymity) for marketing purposes, like Spike or Zolo did.

How long did it take to reach that, and what sector (roughly / in the broad sense) did you target?

[Phoenix]

Also as for OP, the fact that some of the other posters were able to scuttle much of your efforts with mere words isn't a good sign. It isn't consistent with the mindset that MikeCF preaches.

Like Bushido (or dreambig as I still remember him ) said, getting your own blog costs peanuts. A domain name and basic shared hosting is going to cost you like around $100 on Bluehost for the year. That's nothing. Do it. You then just install wordpress which takes like 5 minutes. You then have near full flexibility and your own legit 'place' on the internet. I have no idea why SamBRob is saying not to do this, and saying get a free blog; I would strongly advise you set aside that advice.

Do try to think how to differentiate yourself though. If you try to write something that's just another boldanddetermined or another dangerandplay, you're not going to be next boldanddetermined or dangerandplay. Think and hard about how your play is going to be fresh or unique in some way (even if it's only a slight uniqueness), because that's half of the game.

[Bushido]

(01-03-2017 12:44 AM)Phoenix Wrote:  

Impressive, especially given you haven't used your online account here (and thereby breached anonymity) for marketing purposes, like Spike or Zolo did.

Most of my traffic comes from Google organic search. Very little advertising or promotion.

(01-03-2017 12:44 AM)Phoenix Wrote:  

How long did it take to reach that, and what sector (roughly / in the broad sense) did you target?

I started my first blog in late 2011 and it started making about $30-40 monthly within 3 months. This was back in the day when ranking in Google was much faster. The topic was an IT examination I had to take for work. Resources online were totally scattered so I brought them together into a more coherent set of notes. Looking back it was a shit website, but I made it within a couple of weekends.

Since then, I've started countless websites. Most made nothing and I eventually scrapped them but a few have come through for me. The ones that have been successful are 99% passive. My content is mostly evergreen so it doesn't get old.

Broadly speaking, my blogs have been in the education, IT and self-improvement sectors.

[zoom]

I'm not sure how free vs self-hosted is even a debate. You either look professional and do it the right way, or you don't do it at all.

Hosting can be around $3 a month with a Hawk Host shared hosting plan. (search for coupon)

A domain is around $10 a year from Namecheap. (search for coupon)

[weambulance]

There's nothing wrong with giving OP a reality check, and it's not a "weak mindset" to recognize that you don't necessarily want to do something once you learn more about it.

------------

@Bushido

Do you update the sites you're talking about regularly? Because the way you make it sound, they're not blogs but static sites. There's nothing wrong with that, but I want to get everyone on the same page. Hell, if you can make passive income off a site without updating it that's way better than a blog that requires constant ongoing effort.

------------

In general, yes, it's better to have your own domain and not a blogspot.com or wordpress.com site. But it depends what you want the site to be. Not everyone is trying to turn their blog into some kind of passive income engine or use it as a professional calling card.

As some obvious examples of people who were extremely successful with their blogs without paying a dime for hosting, I'll point you to Vox Day and Larry Correia (hugely successful author who got his start by self publishing before ebooks were even a thing). Vox Day still uses blogspot.com and is only planning on switching if he has problems with them, last I heard. Larry Correia does pay to host his site now but he built his audience on a free wordpress.com site and a couple different web forums.

Regardless of how cheap paying to have your own domain and host is, the fact is that's extra money and effort you have to put into it to make sure you don't lose your whole site if there's a problem with the host. If you accidentally don't renew your domain, you can end up totally fucked and have to spend months resolving the problem. If your domain reseller shits the bed at the wrong time, that alone can cause major problems that will be a pain in the ass to resolve. I'm dealing with something like that right now.

Unless a professional appearance is a high priority or paid hosting is specifically required for some reason to do what you want to do, it's easier and safer to just go on wordpress.com until it's clear that the site is worth the trouble.