This is the 250th post here at Tumblemoose.com. Wow. Lots o’ water under the bridge, for sure. I was thinking about all of the things that I’ve learned through the writing of these posts. What I can say is that school has definitely been in session.
Here is what I learned:
- There is no substitute for good writing. My most popular posts were the ones that come from the heart.
- People come and people go. It’s cyclic and changes much like the seasons. The commenting community stays relatively the same for months and then generally evolves into a new set of commentors. Some come back eventually while others never return.
- Looking constantly at traffic numbers is a heart breaker and a motivation killer. I’ve learned to not look and focus on the content – not the numbers
- Internet Explorer sucks as a browser. Firefox has been my friend and the addons have allowed me to do things with my blog that otherwise would be cumbersome tasks.
- It’s okay to change the theme around every once in a while. For me, the freshness helps to keep me motivated.
- Posting every day is a challenge and not for the faint of heart. I don’t believe there is a rigid, perfect posting schedule.
- No way will I ever get rich blogging.
- Even though there were times when I thought I would run out of material, I never really do. Something always comes along.
- If you post a series that includes a meditation theme, prepare to be lonesome for a while.
- It takes a while to find the right sidebar balance of advertising and white space.
- The importance of great titling cannot be overstated.
- Proofing and editing before publishing saves a lot of embarrassment and headache.
- I don’t like in-text advertising on my blog.
- It’s okay to write a draft post and never publish it.
- Longevity counts in the blogging world. I’ve seen a lot come and go in the last two years.
- Whenever I have a great idea for a post I write the first few sentences in a draft post so’s I don’t forget.
And here’s the stuff that makes absolutely no sense:
- With very rare exceptions, guest posts are flops. Traffic and commenting numbers drop drastically, even when the post appears to be timely and informative.
- I’ve given up trying to figure out which posts will skyrocket. I’ve written beauties that I was sure would end up on the first page of Digg or something and they’ve tanked. Other, more mundane ho-hummers get 50 c0mments and 75 tweets.
All in all, it’s been a fine ride. Hope to see you folks for the next 250
Cheers
George
Great reflections George, thanks.
Re the guest posts, I have to say I generally skip them on any blogs I follow – I’m not really that interested in what others have to say, I’m interested in the person I’ve got to know by following their blog.
Something to do with the relationship – it’s not pure content, it’s the content that’s written by *you*
Hi Joanna,
You were an early influence for me and I still learn a lot from you and your site. Thanks for hanging with me for so long.
george
George, great insights. I don’t think I figured them out as fast as you did! As for guest posts — some get more tweets than my own posts. I’m very strict about what I take and I tell all guests that I will edit them to fit my blog. Every single one have been fine with that.
I just want to keep fresh content on my blog and sadly, I have barely had time to read other people’s blogs much less leave a comment.
Meryl K Evans´s last [type] ..Guest Post: Cut the Cord, Writers!
Hi Meryl,
I do see folks falling along both sides of the guest posting issue. By the way, your most recent guest post from Alexis was great!
George
Wow, 250 posts…that’s great! I hope to be able to do the same for my two blogs (one’s for my writing and the other is more personal). I tend to focus too much on the “traffic numbers” and not enough on my content. Yet, I like to think that what I write is being read by someone. It’s that self confidence thing I suppose
Carrie
Hey there Carrie,
Google Analytics is a tough addiction to break. Once you do, the freedom is very liberating and worth all of the effort!
I’m sure you’ll make the 250 mark (and then some). Looking forward to it.
George
Hey George, Congrats on the milestone. Definitely some good insights here. Cheers to 250 more blog posts
Dana Prince´s last [type] ..Value-Added Freelancing – Are Your Clients Getting Value from You?
Right back at ya, Dana!
George
Having just passed the 200 mark on my blog I can relate to a lot of this. It sure seems as if blogging isn’t quite as predictable as people may lead you to believe. But I’m not going to argue, it makes it interesting and fun. Congrats to you George for 250 posts. I’m right behind you
.
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Thanks Chris. It has been an interesting journey thus far and I can’t help but be a bit curious about what the next 250 will be like!
George
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I love this tip –
“If you post a series that includes a meditation theme, prepare to be lonesome for a while.”
Congratulations on 250 posts!
Tammi Kibler´s last [type] ..Writing Career Goals – Checking In
Hi Tammi,
It was a fun series to write, but Tumblemoose turned into a ghost town, replete with tumbleweeds!
George
Hey George,
250 posts and still going that spells success to me and proves that you have a passion for what you do. I agree totally with the in text advertising. I tried it for about a week but hated the way it looked on my blog. Trying to get rich blogging is hard to do but when people come and read your posts and comment it makes it all the worth while. I’m sure you didn’t start your blog to earn advertising revenue, you started it to share and you are doing a great job of this. Looking forward to comment when you post number 500.
Amanda
Amanda Evans´s last [type] ..Ghostwriting Success Without Marketing
Amanda,
Thank you so much. It’s interesting that a lot of the folks who come by here and visit have had a lot of the same experiences that I have.
Looking forward to #500 as well!
George
Hi George,
I was comforted to read through your findings and find myself nodding along with you. I think your points that stand out for me are the importance of a catchy title, how monitoring traffic can be a motivation killer, and your observation about guest posts. That said, I agree with every one of your points!
Since you are a year ahead of me and I’m approaching my 100th post, I’ve always looked to you as an unofficial blogging mentor — you’re probably not surprised by that.
I’m here to say thank you for your excellent advice, inspiring posts, and for taking the time to tend to Tumblemoose. I appreciate you! Keep up the great work, you never know who’s reading, right?
Lori Franklin´s last [type] ..RAOKA: Serenity
Lori,
Mentor? Moi? Aww shucks, lady. Judging from the quality of your site, I think you are miles ahead of where I was at 100.
Thanks for your kind words, Lori. It means the world to me.
George
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
George, it’s been a pleasure reading your blog and getting to know you over the *cough* years (seems like only yesterday). There is a lot to be said about longevity, just staying in the game is a big part of being successful.
Here’s to your next 250 posts and onward…
Matt
Matt | Small Biz Bee´s last [type] ..75 Big Marketing Ideas for Small Marketing Budgets
Mr Matt!
Thanks for dropping by, my blogging buddy. It does indeed seem like just yesterday.
We’ll stick with it and conquer them all!
George
CONGRATULATIONS!
George, its been a pleasure getting to know you and reading your blog these past *cough* years (can’t believe that – seems like only yesterday we started doing this bloggin’ thing). Longevity, and just staying in the game is a big key to success.
Here’s to your next 250 posts. Onward…
Matt
Matt | Small Biz Bee´s last [type] ..75 Big Marketing Ideas for Small Marketing Budgets
Congratulations on 250 posts, George. You’ve made some interesting observations of what you’ve learned.
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Hello Lillie,
Thanks for coming over. I appreciate the kudos!
George
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Thank you for the tip on meditations themes.
Like you, I quit looking at the numbers a while back. They drove me crazy from week to week and don’t mean anything in the long run.
Keep on blogging, George!
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