This guest post has been submitted by my son – little ‘X’ – who turned 1 today. I thought it was an appropriate day for him to make his debut as a blogger.
I’ve been watching my Dad being a ProBlogger for a year now – here’s 5 things that I noticed about how he does it:
1. My Dad Reads More than He Writes
One question I hear a lot of people asking My Dad is ‘how much time do you spend writing each day?’ I think it’s a good question, but a better one would be ‘how much time do you spend reading each day?’ You see my Dad reads more than he writes. I think he does this because his writing gets better after reading what others say and because it means he’s learning more about his topics.
2. My Dad Talks All Day to Other Bloggers
Another thing my Dad does all day is ‘chat’ to people. He talks to them on his Skype headset, he types to them on his instant messenger and he even meets some of them in the cafe down the road for something called a ‘cafe lartay’. I think My Dad does it partly because blogging looks like a lonely job but also because it helps him blog better. It gives him new ideas, helps him get people to read his blog and link to it more and it even finds him partners to work with.
3. My Dad Only Uses a Few of the Ideas He Comes Up With
I was looking on my Dad’s computer the other day and found a folder called ‘posts in progress’ which is filled with text files of half finished posts. Some of them are just blank text files with a post name as the file name, others have 10 points that need to be expanded. Others are half thought through ideas or questions from readers. My Dad has hundreds of files in this folder and he puts more in every week. On days when I’m being a little bit naughty and he can’t think straight to come up with a new idea he goes to this folder to help him get started.
4. My Dad Works A lot – but less than he Used to
My Mum tells me that My Dad used to work from when the sun made my room light to after she used to give me the last drink of the day (I don’t have that drink any more because I’m a big boy). That seems like a very long time to be looking at the computer box. He still does look at it for a lot of time in the day but less than he used to. My Dad now takes me for walks every afternoon where we go to the park for a swing and on the weekends he sometimes doesn’t look at the computer box for a whole day. I think he’s a good blogger because he knows he has to work hard but especially because he knows when to stop working.
5. My Dad is Different, like the Wiggles
I don’t read any of Dad’s blogs (I want him to start one of the Wiggles and then I would) but I met a few people that do read them and they tell me that one of the reasons that they first started reading what he writes is because he had something different to say. I don’t know how many blogs there are in the world but I would say it is at least as many as all of my My Mum’s, My Dad’s, My Grandma’s and My Grandpa’s and my toes and fingers all added together (and maybe more). That is a lot of blogs and to get people to notice yours you need to stand out a little – like the Wiggles do in their colored skivvies!
I could probably think of a lot more things to tell you about blogging and perhaps one day I will (although I think I could make more money writing it as an e-book for you to buy – I am an Ontraprenor like My Dad) but I have to go and have my morning sleep now.
I hope you had fun learning about My Dad with me.
Hehe, that was an amusing post, and your son seems to be quite brilliant, writing so eloquently at such a young age.
Precious and priceless post! What a cutie hiding behind your laptop…or is that his?
Interesting. Ever since I was a week without solid Internet access a little while ago I have begun having a lot of post ideas in a folder… all text files. I’ve found it to be a great way to work.
By the way- great perspective. :D
Very well written article, something a little different is always appreciated. I throughly enjoyed reading more about you Darren.
This post is soo..o precious. It’s great that he understands so much about your work at such a young age.LOL I also noticed that you are making time to spend with him. That will be even more enjoyable as he gets older.
Angela – it’s mine, although it does remind me that I do have an old powerbook lying around that I was meaning to give him one day (maybe when he’s a bit older) to bang away at :-)
thanks Jake and Glenn.
Congratulations on the youngest blogger!!!
What a great idea for a post!
And let me tell you, your son is quite the articulate little 1 year old.
(oh yea, and that folder with hundreds of unfinished posts, I understand completely)
Keep up the good work,
– Mason
Awesome D!
Those cute little eyes behind the notebook…filled with wonder and innocence…Darren you got a real handsome kid. And he is smart also! Congrats!
That is the cutest post I have ever seen. Happy birthday to little X, and will he be starting a blog anytime soon?
Happy Birthday to your little guy! That is so sweet that he wrote a blog post for you, and he’s so smart. ;)
I totally get what he’s saying about the Wiggles, though I’m kinda glad my 5 yr old has outgrown those ‘different’ guys, LOL…
Great post!
Angela Wills
http://www.StarVA.com
Reminds me of when I was one. My dad wasn’t a blogger he was an insurance underwriter. I think I denied my first claim when I was 1.
He’s got a bright future ahead!
Happy Birthday X :) Thought you were lucky enough to get a macbook for your birthday. A lovely picture.
You will be out blogging your Dad in no time with a great first post like that.
Shucks your kid is soo cute!! And look at him he looks like he’s really blogging. :) Nice post, Darren! The picture of your kid made me smile! :)
Very cute. Happy birthday to your little boy.
You hit a couple of major points right on the head.
1. You definitely need other bloggers/web designers/marketers to chat with during the day and shoot ideas off of. I don’t know how many of my friends who have 9-5 jobs have replied “some of us have to work” when I message them during the day. They simply don’t understand that I am working, but from home and not in an office.
2. I also agree that you can easily wear yourself out and work too hard. There’s no time clock or log in sheet for your employer to view ’cause you are your own boss. You have to find a happy medium between work and play.
Very good post.
http://www.Bloginterviewer.com
What a great writer X is! And an observant guy too! I think you’ve got a blogger growing up in your household. Problogger the Sequel, Son of Problogger – heh heh!
Wonderful!
Darren:
Based on the cute factor X will be out ranking you any day. Cute little guy. Great post! Happy Birthday X. W
So cute, and informative! I look forward to “ProBlogger Jr’.
What a cutie! Very cute post too…
My favorite post from you ever, probably.
You had better go buy ProBloggerJr.com right now before you have to pay a small fortune for it, too. ;)
Wendy, I agree. I think this is the best blog post I’ve read.
Happy Birthday X :)
Happy Bday to the little guy! He’s going to get a kick out of this post as soon as he knows what a ‘post is.
Mine had his 1st a few months back. Its am awesome age…
posts like this are the reason why you deserve what you get.
HH!
Aw, Dad, can’t he please have an interactive one? :-)
Wendy is right. You need to grab ProBloggerJr.net and/or .com quick.
Oh, you might also want to consider taking up a Toddler Spelling class so you can keep up with his Google searches like this one http://www.angelabetts.com/blog/2007/06/21/toddler-google-search/ by my 15 month old granddaughter.
THE Single Best Post EVER!
I LOVE IT!
I’m going to submit it to StumbleUpon right now.
Nice way to mix things up, giving us a personal look at your life but still keep it informative. Great job!
good on ya darren! brilliant post.
what an adorable boy. Happy Birthday !
hi
happy birthday to your son and family.
why not using problogger.com for your junior.
one thing i learned that he can write.
good job.
Very cute! I love your son’s writing. ;) It’s great to hear that you don’t look at the Computer Box so much now.
Happy Birthday “X”! I remember a year ago when you were born, how proud your mum and dad were… I can’t imagine how proud they are of you now! (Well, yes I can, I talk to your dad quite a bit… LOL)
You’re growing up to be more beautiful (sorry, handsome!) every day, and I think it’s GREAT that your dad takes walks with you and plays with you!
We’ll get on him to do that Wiggles blog for ya… ;-)
Darren,
You should see if bloginterviewer will interview your little guy.
Does your son write guest posts too? If so, I would love to hear his work stories.
Chris, we would be happy to do an interview. Darren, shoot me an email and we’ll set you up as a “Featured Interview.”
http://www.Bloginterviewer.com
That was excellent! Very creative post…
Little X,
I read your Dad’s blog every day and I absolutely love it. It has been so helpful for me as I start my own blogging business. There is so much information on it and I do my best to chip away at the content every day by reading often. I still have so much to discover on this website and so many more of your Dad’s tips to try to incorporate into my blogging.
I always mean to comment on Darren’s wonderful posts, but something happens: I get distracted, I have to move on to my own writing or one of the other 70 feeds I subscribe to. But since you are so cute in that picture, and your guest post was so adorable and useful, I wanted to take today to say thank you for Problogger.net. Please tell your dad I said “hi” and that he should let you guest post more often.
Sincerely,
Monica
Hi lil x and Happy B day
I was reading your dads blog since you weren’t born, now you turned 1 and start blogging but i still don’t have a blog yet :p .
I would add “If you like this post buy me a bottle of milk” plugin :p
hmmm – I’m starting to get jealous – I think X might be more popular as a blogger than I am! Perhaps I should sign him up as a guest blogger before someone else makes him an offer he can’t refuse!
It is inspirational to see a young prodigy such as yourself upstage your old man. Keep up the good work!
Happy bithday cutie. Nice post.Now I know why problogger had a great idea behind his post.
Hi Darren,
Happy Birthday to your son.
I have been keenly following your posts after accidently stumbling upon it. And I am discovering to my horror how I am wasting my time in my blog. Infact, I love writing and I am a rewriter in a newspaper, The Hindu. I am based in Trivandrum, Kerala, India. I am assimilating quite a lot of tips from your posts. I hope to launch a niche blog soon.
Hope you are having a bash for the Birthday.
Happy Birthday again to the cute one.
Bimal
this is so unfair, using your son’s cuteness to win readers. kidding. Very creative post, lesson learnt :)
Happy Birthday little x
Thanks for your first post – full of insights about your dad. Lots of people are intrigued about how he does what he does, so it was a good choice of topic to write about. You also have a great writing style, very natural, easy to read, not too many long words, but at the same time you manage to tell us all the most important things – with humour, and warmth, and affection. Lots of those other bloggers out there (and yes, there are a lot) would love to be able to capture your style. Thanks for sharing some of the secrets. Read more than you write, and remember to keep your own unique and amazing voice.
Enjoy the rest of your day – love to mum and dad too
Joanna
B’day X
this quote very true : – “The Child is the Father of the Man”
Happy Birthday, X. Have a great year and god bless.
Terrific post, Darren.
By the way, X looks choooo cute!
LOL ……. Happy Birthday young man! You and your dad have come up with a great post here, which has taught me so much. *thumbsup* :D
Happy Birthday X,
look forward to many more posts from you – like your Daddy, you have wisdom beyond your years :)
Best regards, Andrew
That was a delightful, creative post. Hey, the little guy’s born to the business.
I love having a folder/list of post ideas and notes because it frees me from the fear of writer’s block. And that sense of freedom allows more ideas to flow. Yesterday the ideas for both posts occurred to me within the day, as a result of 1) my offline activity on the blog topic and 2) my regular morning online reading. I was inspired by something fresh and put off my planned post topics.
It’s a great feeling to have more post ideas than you have time to write! This tells me I’m focused on the “write” topic for me.
The definition of a creative post.
Happy birthday “X”!
Happy Birthday little X!!