Today is Day 31 in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge.
Congratulations to those who have made it through to this point – I hope you’ve found it to be a helpful experience.
To those just starting, part way through or who are yet to start (you can sign up at any time) hang in there!
Your Last Task – Plan Your Next Steps
Today for your last task in 31DBBB I’d like to encourage you to take step back from the last month of activity and learning and to plan your next steps.
I’ve said this numerous times over the last month but while most bloggers tend to drift aimlessly along in their blogging I find that those who grow successful blogs often set aside time to think a little strategically about their blogs every now and again.
This doesn’t mean you need a highly developed strategy – it just means putting aside a little time every now and again to think about what you want to achieve and how you want to do it.
Develop a Plan for Your Next Month
If you’re a blogger who is struggling with discipline or routine (you know who you are) I would highly recommend setting aside a little time to develop some kind of a plan for the next month.
Get a calendar (whether it be a real physical one or your computer based one) and map out specific tasks that you want to achieve over the next month.
Let me show you what this might look like with a calendar that I’ve whipped up below in Google Calendars (click to enlarge).
The calendar above is based upon some of the activities we’ve covered over the last month. You can see that this plan includes:
- 6 posts a week (Sundays are a day off from posting)
- Each Post day has it’s own ‘type/style’ of post
- Sundays are for determining specifics of what each post will be (topics/titles etc)
- An Admin type task each Monday
- A promotional activity on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
- A day on Fridays for ‘readers’ (emailing them, answering questions etc)
- A day on the last day for stats analysis
- A brainstorming day on the first day of the month
The daily tasks of course will vary from blog to blog and I would not recommend you just adopt this plan.
You might not want to do a weekly cycle of types of posts, you might have a different frequency of posting, you might want to include other activities or or not do others – the key isn’t what you include but rather to layout a plan of the main things you feel are important to your blogging..
Of course the above calendar looks very ‘neat’ – you’ll find that there will be daily tasks to do also (comment moderation, email, social media presence etc) and that other opportunities and challenges arise from day to day that will take you off course – but with a main task or two identified for each day it means you know you’ll achieve a good balance of activity over a month.
With this in set up you don’t have to work out what to do each day when you start blogging – you just have to do the task outlined for the day.
Over the last 31 Days we’ve covered a lot of ground. By no means have I touched on every aspect of blogging but my hope is that out of the 31 days there are at least a few practical things that you can build into your regular blogging routine.
One last thing that I’d recommend that you do at this point is simply look back over the last 31 days of tasks (you can see them all listed in the daily task area of the forum) and identify which of the tasks you might want to take on board as something you regularly do on your blog. The reason that I selected the topics and tasks that I did was simply that these are things that I do regularly myself (most of them on at least a monthly basis). You don’t need to replicate them all for yourself but please don’t simply end 31DBBB today and ‘shelve’ what you’ve learned – pick two or three things you’ve found helpful and plan to do them more and extend them further.
Tell Someone Your Plan
A quick tip once you’ve worked out what you’re doing next with your blog – tell someone.
Plans often remain plans and don’t become reality – but one way to take help them to happen is to share them with others. Share it with your blog buddy, tell us about it in comments below or over in our forum or find another friend or family member to share it with.
31DBBB – Where to from here?
Quite a few readers have asked me what happens now with 31DBBB? Many have enjoyed the tasks, the teaching and the community around this project and it does seem a pity to simply end it here. As a result there are few ways that we’ll extend things in a less intense kind of way:
1. 31DBBB Workbook
Many of you want your own copy of the daily tasks. We’re currently working on putting them together into an e-book/pdf workbook which will enable you to go through the tasks again at your own pace as many times as you like. There will be a small cost associated with this for those who want to grab a copy. I’ll share more on how you can get it in the coming week or so via the email list and here on the blog.
2. More Tasks
Over the coming weeks and months I will continue to use the email list to send the occasional task to participants. By no means will it be daily (I’m suspecting it’ll be every couple of weeks at the most).
3. Special Offer
In the next couple of days I’ll be sending an email out with a special offer to get a great blog training resources at a very reduced price. There’s no pressure to take it up
4. Forums to Remain Open
The 31DBBB forums have been an amazing little community for many of the participants of this challenge. In fact they’ve extended well beyond 31DBBB and there’s great discussion on there relevant to all bloggers. They will remain open indefinitely. In fact stay tuned because my hope is to expand them in the coming month to be an even broader community site for bloggers. ProBlogger.COM is going to be ProBlogger.COMMUNITY (more of this soon).
Lastly – let me thank you all for participating in the last 31 Days. While it has been a lot of work it has been a fun ride for me and I have learned a lot. A special thanks to Lara Kulpa who has helped managed the admin side of things particularly in the forum area and a thanks to all who have given feedback and support along the way.
Want More?This task is a sample of one of the tasks in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Workbook – a downloadable resource designed to reinvigorate and revitalize blogs. Join over 14,000 other bloggers and Get your Copy Today. |
I’ll sit and plan the next step tonight :-)
Thanks Darren for this amazing course…
I can see some improvements in my blog and blogging technique already…
Keep rocking!!!
Darren,
Thank you so much for doing this. I learned a lot. My blog has benefited and I plan to institute many of your tips on a regular basis.
That you did this for free is an amazing act of giving. You could have easily charged a decent fee for this, and still have made us happy!
One benefit I take from these 31 days is that I now feel more confident as a blogger. You helped me to reach out to other bloggers and to directly engage with my readers.
Again, thank you!
As 31DBBB draws to a close, and just before most of us go our separate ways, I wanted to suggest we did something special and outstanding for Darren And Lara & opened a thread on the forum to this purpose:
I hereby invite all that gained, even modestly but most certainly greatly, from participating, to share one example of a breakthrough, added clarity, new knowledge, etc… You can write your testimonial at:
https://www.problogger.com/31days/topic.php?id=560
I wish the examples, testimonials and experiences that will be shared by members and participants in the 2009 31DBBB community will modestly compensate for their exceptional generosity, professionalism, example and standards.
I know that in Darren and Lara’s hearts, the best reward for their efforts is in the success of each one of the 12,000 bloggers that participated in the event; however, I personally believe that the exchange would be incomplete without an additional effort from each one in this community – the easiest “payback” comes with purchasing the soon to be published new Darren’s e-book; but could take other forms like a link pointing to Darren and Lara’s blogs (remember the coming Google review of PRs) or the occasional stumble or digg of one of their postings…
Be awesome and outstanding,
To your success
Fred (in China)
Hi Dareen,
these are great steps to follow . thanks.
Thanks for this course Darren, I have certainly learnt a lot over the past month. I don’t know how everybody else feels, but I now treating my blogs in a more professional manner than I used to. Although I am still also having fun along the way.
Thank you Darren. That was fun.
I couldn’t keep up with you, but I did read and absorb all of the tasks. I will be referring back to this series a lot.
Cheers!
I too want to thank you for this great learning experience. I plan to look over all the tasks again, and start thinking about the big picture.
Thanks Darren!
Thanks a lot for the excellent month-long course.
wow 31 days are over. It was a great experience. I wish that you would continue 31DBBB for some more days. Got many intresting tips for my blog. Thanks Darren
I’ll sit and plan the next step tonight. Oh the Time is a Problem……;-)
Thanks for this amazing course
An thanks for the gread calender
Thank you so much for these 31 days. I’ve learned more than ever thought I would about blogging. My blog has “grown up” and moved to a self-hosted site and is now thriving there. That move would not have happened without the 31dayBBB. I’m looking forward to making many of the tasks part of my regular blogging routine. So thank you, Darren, and also Lara who has been wonderful help!
Make a good plan is really important!
Thank you so much for all the 31 challenges you presented us with! There are still a couple loose ends I have to follow, but it was a great experience. I feel my blog has improved, at least the statistics do look that way.
I am looking forward to hear more from you.
Good luck and thanks again
Ulrich
Thanks Darren. It has been a blast.
I have already produced a daily/monthly plan after the inspiration of your editorial calendar post, which kind’a lead directly to that sort of thinking. (plus a mind map that is stupidly big)
But it is the end of the month and so I will do a rethink, I have them marked on the board as every four weeks.
As for tomorrow?
Well I kept a list of the web links and I am going to go around the loop again. Hopefully each time round more of the tasks will become relevant to a young blog.
Darren are you going to do a sneeze page for 31DBBB-2009?
(Thinks, I bet you have it already saved and sheduled.)
Thanks again Darren
PS; Looking forward to the e-book
We must all thank Darren for doing this challenge which have been very helpful to bloggers.
Thanks Darren.
p/s – looking forward to the workbook.
AS I sat through a boring meeting yesterday, I made a list of the weekly blogging schedule I might adopt. as well as list of things I know need to be done. .Love the idea of a google calendar and will set up one this week.
This has been the most useful 31 days.. I will miss the daily chores and chance to interact.. But will hope to see some of you around and will be checking in with other blogs.
Darren: I hope you will keep the forums and daily lessons open for awhile so that we may continue to chat and share?
thank you.
be entertained
Thanks darren for your 31 day better blog project, I myself learned lot of new things ,planning and discipline is the key to become successful blogger like you.Thanks a lot I am a regular reader fof your bog now.
You’ve given us a good outline to follow and the calender is part of a good business plan.
31 days is a start to developing good habits.
You have definitely won be over as a loyal reader and participator in all that you do.
Thank you
Hey!
The course was great. Learnt a lot of new things!
I’ll be starting a new blog soon, and will continue using your tips to make sure it works out well! :)
Will be looking forward to more mails regarding tips (Though I do read every new post on your blog anyway!) :D
Thanks Darren for you 31 day course. I would say that I throughly enjoyed and learned so many things and am very confident now that my blogging has improved. I really appreciate your openess of sharing your knowledge with all and helping them. Now I am a full time fan of Problogger.net :)
Cheers
Krish
“When you are thirsty, it’s too late to dig a well”
That’s what can happen when you don’t have a plan. Businesses (and blogs) are best built, if you have a plan for them … and then go out and execute the plan. I work with clients on business planning and developing or launching their businesses (or turning their ideas into businesses) and know from experience the value of having a well-structured plan to follow.
Darren, thanks for an excellent series on building a better blog … even experienced bloggers can learn from what you shared in the series. I know that I did.
I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.
Thank you.
Call it Fate, but the fact that I began my new blog on April 1 (yes, April Fools) and then this challenge began just a few days later, probably made the difference of my getting started with a sense of purpose. I know I have a long way yet to go, but I at least feel more organized and intentional.
I’ve saved all of the e-mails with the tasks, and plan to run through the challenge again myself in six months. Hopefully, I’ll be in a very different place with the blog at that point.
Thanks for the forums, which will serve as an ongoing community/tutorial. This has been a great project all around. Thanks!!
Thanks for all the tips, Darren. Some are things that I have already implemented, others are things that I will implement in the future.
I really need to start using more tools like Google Calendar. I had just printed off a blank calendar from Outlook and had sketched out a plan for the month in pencil. My blog ( http://www.observingcasually.com/ )covers a variety of topics (more a web magazine than a blog, probably) and I have a defined subject area for each day of the week. The calendar was a necessity.
Adding the other tasks is something I overlooked, though. I’ll have to do that.
thanks again.
That was a great 31 days, and my blogging certainly got better in the process!
Thank you for doing this.
I’m glad to see that I’m not the only thinking that having a plan is important!
Thank you, Darren for a resourceful and fruitful 31 days course. And everybody who’s been great of offering advises and suggestions. It’s a great community, and will see you guys more in the forum. Best wishes to all.
@wchingya
Adding my thanks and appreciation too. This was a herculean task! For me, the course was at times self-affirming (in the beginning), fun (analyze other blogs), perplexing (the technical aspects) but informative throughout. I have already implemented much of what I learned and realize I still have much to learn! Sign me for the next one!
always plan or it’s far from success =)
This course has been amazing. My readership has gone up and that’s what blogging is all about.
I will admit I did fall behind in the lessons due to some things that came up. I plan to complete them.
Rita — The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide
The course was really helpful to me. I am much more confident and sure now than I was 31 days ago. Now I can plan and decide more efficiently about my blog. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.
Thanks Darren for this wonderful learning experience. You have really helped me a lot! Thanks a billion!
TheHenry
http://thehenry.net
http://twitter.com/thehenry
Darren,
Thank you for putting this together, it has been extremely helpful to me :)
I was somewhat quizzical about what this challenge could give to a personal blog that doesn’t fit a niche… and I’m happy to report it gave me oodles of juicy ideas and inspiration as well as some cool practical tips to apply to my mosaic of me :)
*applause*
Thanks for an incredible 31 days, Darren! My blog is my “side hussle,” but I tell my friends that it’s also what keeps me sane. Thanks for giving direction to my passion and helping me bring focus and vision to Creative Perch. Your suggestions have helped me make my blog more valuable to my readers, and that is the goal, after all.
I updated the Google calendar are started back on the “editorial calendar” task, and man, that’s a lot of tasks! :-) We’ll see how it goes. Since I work full-time, I have the tasks scheduled before work and on my lunch break. However, in my efforts to avoid burnout, I try to write posts in a series ahead of time, when the inspiration and time are both there. I’m sure I’ll be tweaking this calendar as time goes on and I figure out what works best.
Thanks again, Darren! The last few weeks have ben fantastic!
Darren, I’m glad you ended with this type of task. We’ve covered a lot of ground in the past month and should have enough information to create a plan. I know I’m going to need a day or two to sit down, take it all in and develop a plan.
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge, time, and passion with us. I know that I have learned a lot and my blog is better for it.
Thanks for the effort in putting this together Darren.
This last task is going to prove crucial to me, as if this last month has shown me anything, it is that I put things off far too easily!
Good luck to everyone else! I plan to check through a lot of your blogs when I get the chance! :)
Sam
Thank you Darren for putting this together, I am sure it has helped us all very much!
This month of blogging has been so illuminating. Thank you, Darren.
Thank you to both of you. I know how challanging this may have been. Laura kudos to you.
Darren, thank you for my new binder of great lessons…they will never go unappreciated.
This has opened my eyes to a whole new world and how to make it more professional and well done from a great teacher. So many things I just never would think of helped me out more than any other teacher.
Look forward to buying you a drink at OUR meeting one day when I take a vacation.
Thanks so much.
Tasha Harris
http://www.theeangels.com
Would there be advantages to posting a calendar for your readers to view? So they know what to expect in the near future.
Thanks, my blog benefited so much. I think I’m going to use Google Calendars to remake my schedule, and I’m going to have to create one I’m actually willing to follow as well!
Thank You for the past 31 DaysBBB
I just starting blogging and the daily task were very helpful to get my plan of attack organized. I wasn’t able to apply the task every day, but made notes. I’m hoping to take each
task one at a time and apply it to my blog.
Thank you
Vicki
Thanks a lot. You are really exceptional blogger than others. You have done a great job for new bloggers. We are grateful to you. I think we have many things to learn yet about blog. So please try to continue your support in future to be a professional blogger like you.
Thanks a lot. God bless you.
Thank you so much for everything, Darren. You have given so much time, thought and energy to this course – it has been truly amazing and I’m very grateful for all that you share.
I have learned a lot and will continue learning
Thanks for operating this 31DBBB Challenge. I have some tasks to catch up on and enjoyed the process, as it had me posting more on my blog and being more active in terms of promoting the blog.
You have influenced my to go and work on a second blog that I have sort of abandoned and have not updated frequently. Using the 31DBBB tasks, I will work on that second blog over the next month to see if I can get it up to speed and build an audience around that to market affiliate products and my own products.
I have learned more things about my blog than I knew and realized that some aspects of the blog needed redefining.
The 31DBBB challenge helped me to really focus on areas that are not helping my blogging goals and shift that focus to areas that will allow my blog to grow in the coming months.
Darren and others,
Though I was only able to do about a third of the exercises, I see that even only doing that amount greatly increased my readership (relatively speaking), so imagine what could happen if I were to do all the exercises! Quite a motivational thought!
Thanks for all your time and generosity, Darren!
Barb
“Tommy: Would there be advantages to posting a calendar for your readers to view? So they know what to expect in the near future.”
I have the weekly schedule (monday = news, etc) in my right sidebar. Hopefully it’s helpful to newbies.
http://www.observingcasually.com/
This has been a wonderful experience, and I’ve learned so much. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, and I look forward to more tips along the way.
It has gone by so fast! Thanks for all your hard work and insight into our blogs :) I have to admit, about half-way through I got off track . . . I hosted an event on my blog and went from 100 +/- subscribers to over 800! I’m hoping to go back through all the posts and put more into action. thanks again!
I’d like to thank you for this series you put together Darren. While I didn’t actively participate through I month, I followed along, and plan to do each step in the future when my blog is a little more mature. You’re well thought out posts and subscriber participation is invaluable! Thank you!