This guest post is by Chris, “The Traffic Blogger”.
My name is “no one.” Well frankly, to you, being that you have no idea who I am, my name might as well be “no one.” However, just because I am a “no one” does not mean I have nothing to say! Many of you may actually know exactly what it is I want to say because you also are a “no one” like me.
I am a “no one” and I have dreams. I have aspirations, a good work ethic and although there are others with the same name as me, there is only one person who can be me. So just because my name and situation are not unique, does not make my personality, good humor and helpful nature a common commodity. Nobody else can be me—even other “no one”s!
I am “no one,” and I have something to say! I exist! I want to help people and I need to reach out to them! I write helpful content several days a week but I cannot find other people besides my mother to read my work. I exist whether I have a comment, a follower, or not!
Are you a “no one” as well? I know that I sure was when I first started writing a gaming blog two years ago. It took many months of hard work before 1000 people called my site home and two years later a staggering 9,000 individuals read my content daily. What I did as a “no one” was the difference between building a site that worked and one that would lead to me wasting my time.
There are two drastically different ways to look at being a “no one:”
You can realize this is hard work and eventually give up.
You can take advantage of being a “no one.”
If you chose option ‘B’, good for you! But how can you possibly take advantage of being a “no one?”
1. Be a new presence with fresh ideas.
If you are a new person to any niche you have an opportunity to jump off the band wagon and stand all by yourself on an island build out of your own ideas. Many people find fresh ideas exciting and inspiring, so play off this notion as much as you can by making your site seem very new and inviting.
Write content that is challenging of old concepts and revolutionary at the same time. In other words, don’t be just another site in your niche. If you manage to pull this off then you will be the person everyone wants a guest post from or the one person they all talk about on forums (which you should also be participating in).
2. Experiment and don’t be afraid to mess up.
Making mistakes and learning is what it’s all about. Although you will never stop screwing up and learning, it pays to get the bulk of your speed bumps out of the way earlier on. Write outrageous articles, experiment with cheesy headlines and do all the big mistakes we all learn from early on. You’re a “no one” so nobody will mind your early mistakes. Take advantage of the situation and do some learning.
3. Build a relationship with the few readers you do manage to get, while you have time to do so.
As your site grows you will find it impossible to build relationships with your readers the way you could when you were a “no one.” If you skip this crucial stage of intimately connecting with those who like you from the outset, then you will be building a structure whose foundation is made of Swiss cheese.
Be intimate with your readers and pick their brains on what their problems are, what they think so far of your site, and more. You’ll need these fans later when you want to promote site growth, especially with regards to social media.
Are you a “no one”? If you are, what are you going to do about it? If you aren’t, what did you do to go from a “no one” to a “someone?”
Chris “The Traffic Blogger” writes on the subject of generating traffic for both new and advanced site owners for the purpose of making money online. He is a self-proclaimed expert on building communities and marketing solutions for those communities.
From nobody to become a somebody.
We grows from empty to 100~ and even more, achieve more and more in life, and one day, our story would be worth telling to the next generation. :p
It include being a blogger, from nobody where no one really know your existence, till thousands and thousands people online subscribing to what you are writing and talking about, becoming a superstar online, like Darren :D
Isn’t that kinda sorta like saying, sing your own song and never lose faith in yourself?
I much prefer to think of it as being ‘undiscovered’ compared to being a ‘no-one’. I have *never* in my life been a no-one (well, okay, that’s a blatant lie, as when I was a kid, I had less personality than 2 sopping wet towels….talk about a journey for discovery!).
Your mileage, of course, may vary.
Too true Barbara and frankly, I wouldn’t exactly say that Chris is a ‘no one’ as anyone who hangs around ProBlogger or Shoemoney would have ‘bumped’ into him. But yeah, I do prefer to think of a new blogger as ‘undiscovered.’
Great post Chris.
Thank you dotCOMreport! I have to admit that I’ve only been around a few weeks as a “blogging to make money” blogger, so I honestly am a “no one” of sorts. That being said this isn’t the first time I’ve been in this situation entering a new niche and I hope to pass on some of my knowledge to other people in the same position.
New and fresh ideas are so important. Probably the most difficult part. Most of the time, everything that can be said about a particular niches has already been said in 1000000 different ways.
The challenge is to come up with something new. Not an easy task. Takes determination.
Then I agree relationships do count for a lot. Yes it’s relatively easy when you are small, but I see that a lot of A-List bloggers lack on this. Probably because of the lack of time. It’s a shame though.
Chris – I loved this post. I started blogging Sep last year, did very little and started taking it seriously in Dec. I love doing it but really feel alone in what I am doing. No comments. No emails. 10 signed up to my feed and that goes down quite often. Having said that I still love writing and posting.
One thing I have found on my blog is that because I do not have many people to please or worry about (in the nicest possible way) I can be 100% true to myself, my opinions and my convictions. I am not saying that it should ever be any other way but when you do not have to think what sort of adverse comments might come your way there is a huge freedom to just post without worry.
I don’t worry about being a no-one. It is fine by me. But I like the positive nature of this post – make use of where I am. Happy days.
All the best
Thanks Simon, I can totally see where you are coming from with your opinion about your blog. If you enjoy treating your blog sort of like an online journal where others can choose to enter into conversations with you well that is just fine. One of the things I’m advocating you do in this post is take those few people who have found you and engage them in conversation. From your comment you seem afraid of confrontation with differing ideas, but this is exactly how real solutions are found to difficult problems! Every situation is different but hopefully this response will help you move forward in your blogging career.
Good luck!
I think just writing about ideas won’t get you very far. You must prove what you say is correct. Use case studies or document changes via images and stats. People are very weary these days of hair-brain ideas that may or may not work.
They also don’t want to try thing that hurt them.
Fresh ideas is what keeps the newbies up in the crowd of the web. The best way to being ‘no one’ is catching a trust agent and asking him to recommend. Recommendations, and not convictions, is the story of the new web.
Thanks! I am in my first year of blogging, and it is good to reinforce positive thinking every now and then! It is easy to focus on getting more and more people to your blog, forgetting to take care of those that already reads yor blog!
Thanks for easy to follow and good advice!
Vidar
These are great tips. I’ve certainly experimented and made lots of mistakes in my 11 months of blogging! But I am improving.
I’m still a “no one” and my ultimate plan for becoming “someone” is to develop relationships. Interact with commenters, comment on others’ blogs, explore forums, the ubiquitous facebook and twitter, and anywhere else I can think of.
Just like in real life, the more people who know you the more of a “someone” you become.
Interesting. I’ve been blogging for years now and I still think that I am a “no one”. This is encouraging and definitely provides a new perspective to my blogging career!
Success to all “no ones”!
Here I am *raises hand*. I am the no one you’re referring to! My baby site is just 11 days and 6 posts old. I’ve already done 2 posts of what I consider to be awesomeness, but they’ve fallen on deaf ears- to be expected, I know! I had hit the wall with a bit of a crisis today, but have encouraged myself that this is thoroughly normal, and it’s going to take persistence and some amount of faith to build up my site and community. Your post was a tonic for a weary traveller. Thank you!
You’re already commenting on blogs so that is a great start to getting your name out there! Be sure to submit your site to google as well as blog directories to help bring in additional traffic as well as get your site indexed by google. Guest posting (like what I did here today) is also an amazing way to develop readership.
Hi Juliet,
I just visited your blog, you got some nice post.
Hi Chris- I’m another “No One”.
I agreed with blogger building relationship.
Thanks! I am in my first year of blogging, and it is good to reinforce positive thinking every now and then! It is so easy to focus only on getting new readers to your blog, forgetting those that are already there.
Thanks for easy to follow and good advice!
Vidar
I am definitely a no one. Thanks for inspiring me see the upside of taking some risks.
Exactly, take your risks now and they will pay off. Really, what do you have to lose? As some of those risks pay off you will build up an audience as well as your own self confidence.
-> Well said, making relatiionships with the people who are there with you when you started and are ‘no one’.
-> Well messing up teaches you lot that even others cannot teach. I screwed up my first blog and as a result I had to shift domain (from blogspot to blogspot)but now the design of the site is cool.
-> Creating new ideas is important as Content is the King.
– Rahul
I’ve been a relative unknown for going on 7 years now, although I didn’t start regularly blogging until 2006 & then vlogging in 2008.
Although I have an excellent audience and their growth has been stable, I’d like to know what I could do to really bring in the readers/viewers. Thanks guys!
– Andy
Hi Andy, have you tried any blog improvement courses? Problogger’s 31Days course is great value for money- I’m working my way through it now, and it’s providing some new challenges. Skelliewag’s blog also has lots of great tips. Sorry no links attached, as I’m commenting from my phone at 2.55am! Good luck!
Another no one here, who started blogging just a few weeks ago. I like (and Liked and RTd a link to) your post, especially the reinforcement of one of my core beliefs: that every person on our wonderful planet matters and their voice counts. Thank you too for your tips.
Thanks, especially for the last point on building relationships. I am at the beginning of my blogging venture and I have managed to make a few friends. I thought to pass by their request to provide them informations as they were growing in number and sometimes they were just stupid requests. But, now I think I should handle them properly and with care.
One of the mistakes I made when I first started growing as a blogger was brush aside responding with well thought out answers to simpler questions from my audience. As you mentioned in your comment this is a horrible idea! Making the most of the relationships you have is key to blogging, regardless of how simple or repetitive the request from your reader might be.
Yes Chris, I understood my mistake. Thanks a lot for pointing it out for me and other bloggers also
Finally an original take on web anonymity!
Kudos for not advising bloggers to sound like experts.
All it takes, as you’ve mentioned, is a new spin on a tale as old as time.
Sadly, site/blog readers have become disinterested in original content.
Got to swim against the tide, once again. *sigh*
I especially like point 3. There is lot of time and silence when you are a no one. And, every relationship built while you are a “no one” counts a lot when you become famous.
Thanks for the article Chris.
Jane.
“Experiment and Don’t Be Afraid to Mess Up”
I couldn’t agree more. Looking back at some of my first posts over a year ago definately is a great reminder of where I started out. Back then I really was a “no one” with no clue. Now I am “sorta someone” with a much better idea of how to become someone.
Great advice Chris – like some of the other commenters say, its a time to establish yourself as a fresh voice with new ideas. People online are often looking for fresh perspectives to help them move forwards, and that’s how a “no-one” gets discovered.
Two days ago I realized that nobody is following my blog and that I’m a “no one”. So I asked myself – How to take advantage of that? And now you write article about exactly the same thing.
I started to view it from the poing of “Nobody cares. Do it for yourself.” (thanks Hugh MacLeod) And I’m going to write about anything that comes to my mind. I have blog with guitar lessons, but I write about using imagination to learn, learning with YouTube and so on. And I really don’t care if anyone else cares.
Making mistakes and learning is what it’s all about is part of the parcel of being online, with so much happening on the web, new things coming up, its always a learning experience, and one has to also be prepared to make mistakes.
I love this. I feel like a “no one” as I’ve been blogging for one and a half years and still feel so very far away from becoming a “someone.” Maybe it’s because I’m not your typical grandma writing your typical grandma blog, but this makes me feel okay about that, okay that my voice is different from all the other grandmas — different from all the other BLOGGERS. Thank you. This is what I needed to hear today.
Thanks Lisa! My mother had a blog on cooking which fell apart because she wasn’t willing (nor had the time) to get out there and collaborate with fellow bloggers in her niche. Make sure you get out there and communicate (just like you are now with your comment) so you can grow your site. Now is the time to branch out, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
I felt like a no-one until I got my first comment. I mean, from a human, not a spam from a robot. That very comment did not changed me into a star of the blogosphere, but it changed my blog from a monologue into a dialogue. And this is what we’re all looking for, isn’t it?
Getting in touch with this first commenter and having a comments / mail exchange with him was so exciting. And years after, having contacts with others in my main blog’s niche is the best part of blogging.
I continually say, “engage, engage, engage”. There’s really nothing more important than continually engaging and interacting with everyone. Whether they be a client, influencer or just someone you enjoy tweeting with; constant engaging is a must. =)
Fantastic article!
Being a “no one” is scary as hell. At every step you feel like its the end for you, whereas actually its the start.
The idea of building relationships, both with the few virtual readers I have, and offline contacts as well, is vital for building myself from a no one (which I still am) to a someone. It’s hard work, but it’s a fact of life.
Sensible simple ideas that we listen all over the blogging world. Are the budding bloggers listening?.
I am currently a ” no one” in the blogging world, and really appreciate this post!
I hope to be a someone someday, but realize it will take work to get there.
Your tips will come in handy, I appreciate you focusing on us little guys!
Brittany
I am just crossing that no-one bridge :-)
I have also a new blog on my website… i’m a total newbie and so on i be a no one :D
Building relationships is vital for anyone who wants to start and maintain a business.Being honest with customers is also an important part of having a relationship with the client.
In my experience about blogging, honesty, credibility are the essential aspects In gaining a audience and sustaining a audience. People want to read from a real person with there own humor and insights.
Great tips. I’ve just revamped my blog and am moving to having a more public blog . I’m making mistakes and learning as I go. It takes a while to get comfortable with my own voice and become confident that someone else cares about what I have to say. Looking forward to the journey…
I guess I still am a no one, but hope to be a someone in the future. Thanks for inspiring me and all the other no one bloggers on the net :-)
Although “no-one” is not a good expression, i got your point!
Your #2 statement is probably the best. A new, undiscovered blogger plays a bit safe and his mistakes can be forgiven!
Thanks for the encouraging article. As is so often the case, common sense isn’t always so common until you see it in print.
Building relationships is an essential step that “no ones” and those who aspire to be “someones” usually miss out on. They often have the attitude of I don’t want to be bothered with that. It’s always a challenge to explain the importance of it to them.
My blog is developing (for a month in) a solid readership base, but I have felt like even more of a “no one” because I blog without divulging my name or admitting that I even blog in real life. Not even my parents or best friends know I have a blog. My profession would probably not like it if they knew I blogged, even though I write about innocuous things like personal finance and personal/professional development. Oh well, at least my wife and my dog know, and somehow a few other people are beginning to know as well. I think of it more as a way to relieve stress and to improve my writing, and if anyone reads its all the better. Blogging is a very cheap hobby, (financially although not with respect to time), all things considered.
I like the idea of this article. Being a blogging nobody myself, I can definitely see the difference between seeing this condition as “hard work and giving up” vs an opportunity. I’m experimenting with tons of things to see what works, and honestly I find this incredibly exciting. I just enjoy the ride.
Being a nobody is just as fun as being well-known, it’s all about the journey. Great article!
The thing I love the most about being a “no one” is the community and connecting with great people that read my blog.
Getting off the wagon is a wonderful idea and that is obviously what you guys here do :)
And I guess the mistakes just make you look more like a human and less like a machine! So mistakes can even help, lol.
Great post – I especially like the part about not being afraid to try new things and mess up. It’s not like it will be detrimental in the long run – and sometimes your wacky new ideas might turn into something great!
I just start blogging to sell product online, i get some ideas here. thanks.
Hi! I’ve been trying to develop my blog for ages and yes, my latest blog has witnessed positive growth (though I may still be categorized under the “no one” group).
Sadly, due to other commitments in life and perhaps the occasional i’m-too-lazy-to-blog attitude, my blog if often left untouched every now and then. The fact that I’m writing this comment suggests that I am currently free from that awful attitude.
I do agree with you on the notion that as bloggers, we should maintain relationships with those who are willing to even visit our site. Truth be told, it’s not easy to have traffic in this clutter of blogs, let alone huge traffics.
All in all, I found a way, to a certain degree, to relate to your post and hence this comment. Just thought a sharing a little something.
Have a great day.
Cheers!
Even though I have considered myself a “no one” in the bloggin world, I have found that Blog Hops have been a fun way to engage with other bloggers and get more visits to my site.
Great read! What can you do when you’re seen as a ‘no-one’, despite all the hard work and effort you put in?
Well, it’s better to be a ‘no-one’ than a ‘nobody’.
Anyone can make a difference in this world :-)
This article is perfect timing for me – thank you. I’ve just started blogging regularly about personal development, and I’m still trying to find my feet (and motivation and inspiration to keep going). I especially like the fresh ideas concept – don’t me scared of saying something different than the masses are used to hearing. I’m going to try this now!
Thanks for the encouraging article. Thanks for inspiring me and all the other no one bloggers on the net