What are your biggest challenges going forward as a blogger into the new year?
In the coming weeks I’m planning on taking a day or two out to plan a roadmap for ProBlogger going into the new year. I already have a fair idea of where I’d like to go based upon a recent survey I did of newsletter subscriber – but I want to test some of the ideas I have against your feedback as the wider ProBlogger readership.
As you look at your blog and the year ahead:
- what is it that you feel is holding you back?
- What problems do you face?
- What questions do you have that you can’t get passed?
- What issues do you keep coming up against that just hold you back?
I’m not going to give you any suggested answers on this question as I don’t want to cloud or skew your answers in any way – but am keen to hear what you have to say.
Darren,
The challenges for me are going to be doing school work and upholding the current duties all while at college.
Additionally, for me the challenges are more of my personal self. But, one thing is that I hope I get done what I all I want to get done, being that I finally have a clear mind on the purpose of my blogs and what next steps I need to take.
Best Regards.
This year I am planning to launch 5 other blogs with niche targeted topics. I made a small mistake in going with a wide audience with my present blog. But I am trying to make up for that mistake in 2010.
Hi Darren,
That is a great set of questions!
I feel that the biggest things that hold me back on my blog is time and writer’s block. Sometimes very bad writer’s block. It has gotten better over time, but it’s still bad at times.
The biggest problems I face with my blog is seasonal traffic. I write a blog on growing vegetables. Since it is winter currently in the U.S., my traffic numbers have dwindled since the end of October. The bright side of this is that I have seen an increase in traffic from Australia and New Zealand. So, one problem I face is how to target those countries during their summer (growing) months.
I’m sure you have been hit with this one before – how much time should I really spend on social media? I have sat down on a Saturday and tinkered with Twitter and Facebook for 5 hours (and neglecting my blog, although I do this when I’m facing writer’s block). I think I’m wasting too much time there, but do not want to neglect those branches of my blog either. It’s a toss up.
Thanks,
Tee
being held back by the name of my blog. It was perfect when I chose it but am no longer at seminary so it just seems plain wrong now.
the problem I face is what platform to use next, blogger, wordpress or go self hosting. If I self host, where do I do that and can I design the blog myself?
The questions that I can’t get past relate to the two points above. In addition, how do I come up with a new blog that reflects what I want to write about or, do I use my own name?
Thanks for asking Darren, hopefully our collected responses might add up to some substantial ideas and lessons.
What is holding me back?
– My blog, about 18 months old have only recently begun to ‘work’ in terms of generating traffic, recognition and useful content. However, my bounce rate is around 75%, reader engagement is low and I’m still far away from getting the sponsorship deals and monetization that I want. Still, things are beginning to look up. What is holding me back is a certain lack of consistency and to much reliance upon my limited subculture – I need to reach out beyond my niche.
What problems do I face?
– Clearly defining what different types of content are the best, and establishing a posting pattern that is consistent and cohesive. Recently I have been creating a lot of headline-grabbing and explosive material (audio interviews with niche-celebrities that I convent into Youtube-videos) which have been very popular – which is all good and well, but I have realized that you need more than just the protein ;)
What questions do I have?
– Basically, I have decided that I want to interact more with other bloggers and people with the intention of treating one’s web presence professionally. Problogger has been a great source of inspiration for me ever since I started, but in terms of actual blogging I’ve been more or less operating in a vacuum. That’s why I joined the problogger.com forum, in order to actively ask lots of questions and maybe even providing some answers.
What issues do I have in my blogging?
– Actually, some of the very basics. I have learned a lot and think that I have gained quite a deal of expertise in many areas, but still I feel that I need to write more list-posts and how to-guides. Also, the best way to approach a sponsor for the first time is something that very much interests me.
Sorry for writing half a novel, again, I guess that I also need to work on my write-quickly-and-to-the-point technique ;)
I have a fear of requesting money to provide services. Being a parent of an autistic child is pricey enough, I feel I should give all my knowledge for free. I have tried to use amazon affiliates to get sales, but not a big success here.
My greatest challenge will be learning the nuts and bolts of bringing several information products to market. I’ll need to learn how to properly / securely host the data, have a checkout / cash register, provide customer support, offer discount codes, promote the product and develop affiliate partnerships.
Then there’s the techniques for creating the products themselves. Thanks for all the good information here on problogger Darren.
With a blog that is nearly a year old, the new year seems like the perfect time to reflect on where it is currently and where I’d like it to go.. I like that your questions force me to take ownership of the direction of my blog in the future. There’s such a learning curve in the first few months, that I’m in a much better position now to think about the “next step”.
Thanks for, as usual, not only providing helpful information, but asking the right questions.
Hello Darren
As my blog is so in the early stages, I dont want to get to ahead of myself, but I think the biggest challenge I am going to face is to sustain regular posts. After the launch I stated to readers I was going to post every 4 days, but as I have other committments such as running my own business I think this may eventually become a problem and I wouldnt want to compromise the quality of the posts either. But at the moment I am loving blogging and will do everything possible for it to be a success in 2010.
http://www.studentspayless.com
It’s just tough being consistent with writing assignments elsewhere — that pay more. But I think the key is time management more than anything else. Oh, and a willingness to scrounge up free time usually dedicated to frolicking on the web.
I just began blogging this fall, but feel like I am not getting the follower-numbers that I’d like (mine is a book blog). I try not to let that bother me, but must admit it does.
Another challenge is to learn how to better change my template/layout so that I can add a column or change designs more easily. Any suggestions?
Building up enough traffic to get my real goals accomplished through my blog. Creating a solid following would be the ultimate at this time for my blog. But I’m not worried, I feel 2010 will be a great year.
I’m going to ask myself these questions now. By the way, I received your book in the mail the other day, and it’s fantastic! Please publish more books! Thanks
I started a blog less than a month ago about geeky computer stuff and my challenge in 2010 is too actually get traffic beyond my parents
I only have three things I’m looking to acheive in 2010 with my blogs.
1. Increase revenue.
2. Increase posting amount.
3. Increase traffic.
I adopt a wait and see attitude. See how this Google Caffeine upset the world of seo.
My primary goal this year is to steadily build traffic with quality and consistency in my articles. My goal is to have increasingly more traffic every week for 52 weeks, whether it is achievable or not is the question, but I believe it is definitely possible.
My biggest challenge is getting the word out about my blog and book. To be more specific, what is holding me back is the balance between my day job and the blogging and book promotion.
Another more practical limitation is the most effective use of my time. I know there are no silver bullets to being a successful blogger or author but what frustrates me is picking the right things to work on. There are so many ways to promote and it’s just daunting to have to do them all.
In terms goals for the coming year, they are:
1. Expand my reader base to 10,000 unique visitors per month (by year end)
2. Obtain a combined revenue stream of $5,000 per month (blog and books)
3. Start holding seminars on how to thrive as a technical manager.
In 2010 I know i’ll be posting less but I hope to get much more quality posts. It’s been really hard living on my own, working 10h a day on a regular job and being able to post highly relevant content but still I have seen it paying off.
My aim this year is to double my traffic from its current total of 50000 uniques a month
for the year 2010? I want is traffic , more traffic and more traffic. I will think of monetizing my blog later. Traffic first before money.. Am I right?
1. What is holding me back? Right now it would be blog design and focus on a niche.
2. What problems do I face? Really focusing on a niche and how I want to present my information.
3. What questions do I have? I have tons of questions but I know I will get past them. I will work until I do, at which time more questions will come up and the process will continue.
4. What questions do I keep coming up against? I think I still too new to blogging to have an answer to this question. However, I want to monetize my site so I can generate some income. I don’t want to just throw googleads on there. I want to make sure it’s good relevant advertising done in a way that sticks with the purpose of my site.
My main goal over the next week is to work on redesign of my lifestyle design site, narrow the focus, and create 2010 objectives. I want to be ready to hit the ground running hard after next week.
Managing all the tasks is the big challenge.
So this week I am working on an editorial calendar and a schedule of posts and other tasks for all my sites and taking time off from blogging.
I decided to cut down on how much I post at each location but also make sure I update those I ignore at least once a month.
For 2010 my main goal is to really sit down and map out what I want to happen with my blog this year.
One of the main things holding me back is my lack of clear, defined direction. I’m not sure what I want to get out of my blog, so I’m left floundering. One of my goals is to create a roadmap to where I’d like to be by the end of 2010.
This ties in with my biggest problem: I have no real interest in being a full-time blogger at this point in my life (I love molecular biology too much to think about leaving my day job) but I’d love to be a successful part-time blogger. It’s a much less defined-seeming goal than someone whose goal is to earn enough from blogging to quit their day job. There are lots of blogs and books dedicated to teaching people have to leave their day jobs behind, but there seems to be much less info out there for finding a functional balance with a day job you love and yet still being “successful” as a blogger.
Like a lot of other people, I’m worried about sustaining my blog. I would love to see articles with tips for putting together well-structured blogs. My new years resolution also includes learning all about wordpress – too many years self-coding my own page has me confused by cms. “Just let me see the stylesheet!”
As of today, nothing is holding me back – I got over my first major hurdle by getting over my insecurity. As for a roadmap – since I’m just starting I figure I’ll simply press forward with making plenty mistakes and screw-up’s – hopefully learn from other people’s mistakes before I make them myself – but accept that I’ll not miss every pothole in the road.
I plan to keep my blog simple and try to not get ahead of myself. I need to hone my writing skills specifically for the web and begin understanding what makes a good writer a great blogger. I need to network with other bloggers. I need to garner a following; I need to not slip back into my comfort zone of anonymity. Most of all, I need to stay committed to treating my writing more like a job that I love rather than an enjoyable hobby.
I think that covers it!
As part of my 2010 goals, I have just downloaded your 31DBBB (a late Christmas present from my husband) and I intend to use the workbook as a stepping stone to start blogging in 2010 off on the right foot. ^_^
Our focus is in driving more traffic. And higher quality traffic. Fortunately there is a ton of excellent information and strategies to solve this challenge!
Now is such a great time to plan for next year! Thanks for asking!
Darren,
The biggest challenge of last year is to start a good blog which I am happy to do with your help on 31 day challenge.
This year I am going to concentrate to change the design of the blog and also try earning some money on affiliates.
Maintaining good relation with my RSS subscribers is also one of my major goals of this year.
Looking forward for more suggestion.
Sudeep
We are adding a mailer in partnership with local businesses. The mailer will help promote The Shopping Nazi and the sponsoring business at the same time.
Biggest challenge is making a plan that works. I’d like to pick up more organic search results as part of this plan, find a way to get more presence on the long tail.
A year ago I would have said monetizing was my priority… but times change and now I am looking more for blog recognition – readership grows regardless. I feel I need to get my blog looking less chaotic… I have been blogging exactly 18 months and we need a face lift, while maintaining our style. Also I need to get a lot of posts out of “the back of beyond” and to the foreground … I can’t even remember some of the posts I have written!!! I am hoping for some inspiration this week to start next year with a bang… I know I should be relying more on hard work than on inspiration… I really do know it!!!
I will be SEO pushing this free blog of mine until I get it to the top 3 positions for about 10 “low hanging fruit” keyword phrases I have chosen to be OK for it.
Then, I will probably be making my first 40-50$/month Adsense from it in my life, and I plan to buy a domain, hosting, set things up with WordPress, and start another more personalized blog, which will be sort of my diary of progress of my other affiliate sites I plan to create after this blog I currently hone my skills on.
That’s kind of rough plan, still have to sort out every details like timing, niche and keyword research, master plan and those stuff.
Hi Darren,
Personally speaking I just want to keep my passion to update my blog regularly, and spend more time with my girlfriend. People are so anxious simply because they attempt to get everything from internet, but I know, that’s not my goal. Well, anyway hope I’ll enjoy blogging this year! ^_^
My biggest obstacle is finding a routine which works for me and my blog. I’m also trying to decide if I want to monetize my blog or just try and earn income through freelance work.
I started my blog and positioned it as a resource and some humor and hope in the world of parents with special needs. Most successful blogs in this niche aren’t monetized.
I’ve only been doing this six months, so I haven’t been able to successful start another blog and keep it going.
I know I’ll eventually find a routine, and I’m in this for the long haul, I did some things to force my hand so that I have no other option than to make it work.
My only problem is I am bit too lazy.
I haven’t formally come up with a plan for the sites yet this year but there are some obvious things that come to mind.
– The biggest thing holding me back at this point is work load. My site, HCI has really taken off over the last year and it’s almost to the point where I may need to hire some help. That might be an interesting topic to cover Darren.
– This coming year I want to focus improved SEO and site organization so that folks can find articles easier.
– I’m planning on starting a forum for the site in January. This is a joint venture project with a friend so it will be the first time I’ve shared some workload and profit!
– Lastly I’d like to start an Ebook but I’m having a dreadful time trying to pick a topic that I think folks would pay money for.
Darren,
One major problem I’m having with my blogs is the technical aspect of it. Getting plugins to work has been difficult for my self-hosted blog. I use WordPress, but can’t turn on the analytics plugin (even though I clicked on “activate”) and can’t get anyone online to help me figure it out. Also, for some reason, I cannot publish anything to my About page. I’ve asked for help in the WordPress forums, but my questions just get ignored.
Other than that, I have trouble getting motivated to publish regularly. Thanks for asking for our feedback,
Barb
Working on the website with full time job and family is a big task. On top of that come lot of studies and examinations. These things make moving further with my plans of developing next version of Newsletter application, my own (separate) blog, and adding new tutorials and articles more difficult.
I look forward to next year with the hope that I will be better able to manage things than I have been in this year.
Good luck to everyone for the next year.
After years of not knowing what to write about, I finally figured it out recently. I have small goals for the time being. I want to prove to potential employers that I can form a coherent sentence and I know what a blog is. I’d love to get my readership up and perhaps even start to see some revenue from it. I have devoted myself to taking all the necessary steps, and then some, to make my blog successful in 2010. I don’t see anything holding me back at the moment, but I’m sure I’ll change my tune in six months.
I always feel like I am running out of things to talk about, and then I find one more thing. In writing, I expect this is the way it is with everyone. I am learning new ways to say the same thing, going into more detail, giving a high-level view, coming up with new things I am learning, and generally doing what I can to keep writing on a daily basis. It is not easy though.
Good luck to you!
I love blogging. Some days, I spend 15 hours at my computer (yes, it’s more than just blogging).
But TIME is my issue. Solid devotion to blog writing or book writing is difficult to find. Life gets in the way.
My biggest thing is traffic. A month ago I decided I would write a post everyday. I have yet to see the growth that I want in terms of traffic. No traffic, no ads, no ads, no monetization. I plan to keep up my one a day post, do more guest posting, and revamp the look of my blog…we’ll see where that takes me.
Posting infrequently.
*gasps!*
Better write a post now! Bye!
*writes a post*.
* What is it that you feel is holding you back?
Not putting enough dedication to my content, got too focused on superficial marketing tactics.
* What problems do you face?
Staying consistent with quality posts that my readers find valuable.
* What questions do you have that you can’t get passed?
It’s already been 6 months, but I want to turn this into a 5-10 year project, perhaps even keep it going until the day that I die. Will I be able to have that kind of dedication?
* What issues do you keep coming up against that just hold you back?
Keeping RSS subscribers. Used to have over 100, then it dropped after I changed my layout, then I have been experimenting and trying to build myself back up ever since.
Good questions, good time to be answering them!
The only things holding me back, Darren, are the lack of a 28 hour day and the stamina to stay awake for at least 20 hours of that day!
Seriously, I have a day job, and three growing sites. In order to keep the sites growing, I need to increase posting on two of them, and maintain my 3x/week post schedule on the third; finish writing one ebook and start-to-finish editing and promotion on a second; increase my visibility by guest posting and active participation in niche carnivals.
But the day job is going to be manic in the early and mid-parts of 2010…and then it will go away. When the day job is at its craziest, it’s going to be tough to keep a steady forward hand on the blogs. My biggest challenges in 2010 will be balancing all of the demands – fostering growth on my sites (which I’ll depend on in 2011) at the same time I’m transitioning out of my day job. I know it’s going to be tough, and I can’t risk my health by overextending myself. So pace and planning is what’s gonna get me through.
And that 28-hour day, if anyone finds it…
The biggest thing holding me back is motivation to write everyday. Not really writer’s block as it is defined, but getting to a point where I can do my best work. There’s only so much time in the day, and lately, I’ve been getting the computer less and less, and therefore the obvious solution is to change my priorities relative to my computer, however, as I tend to be topical, that’s not always a solution. I’ll probably end up figuring out how to do this on my own, and furthermore, I don’t think I’ve answered any of your above questions.
What is it that you feel is holding you back?
“Trying to Convert My Web site Into a Blog”
This is what I have been trying to do for the past 12 to 15 months. I originally wanted to hire folks to do this, but the cash flow is not there. So far this year, I had to update my mailing lists (over 700) to provide confirmations and convert data behind the scenes from my web site into the WordPress Blog. Now I need some money to buy a template from Woo Themes. (More on this below)
What problems do you face?
“Problems I face is lack of cash, time and help!”
I had wanted to hire someone to create a unique blog design for me, but it looks like everywhere I look, it’s going to cost at least $700 to over $1,000 bucks. I am someone who likes to come off strong for whatever I promote. So I have decided to just go with a template from Woo Themes,
since their templates seem easy to customize. Yes, I know
about Thesis, BUT it seems you have to know the Hooks
aspect from Thesis really well, along with having some kick
butt web design skills, to make sure your Thesis web site does not look like other Thesis web sites. I do have an IT background, but I do have a job, in which I do not have enough free time to sit there and learn something new and I have tons of other things to do like write content, convert my web site, etc.
The good thing is, my ex-girlfriend has volunteered to help
me with CSS when I am ready to design the template. This will have to do for now. It would be nice to get some help for my blog, but it just me. So I am doing the best I can with it.
What questions do you have that you can’t get passed?
“How do I go about bringing someone on board as a “minor” partner?”
As I just mentioned, I need help growing my site. Here is something I am planning on doing next year: bring on a writer by paying that writer $20 for each article, but I will give them 0.5% ownership in the web site (not my company) that they are writing on every six months, up to 2% for web site ownership. Yes I said 2%, because I am not giving up the farm. Let me know your thoughts on this Darren.
What issues do you keep coming up against that just hold you back?
As I have mentioned before cash to hire writers and web designers; time and help to grow my web site as quickly as possible, because I am starting to get tired of doing it. I have been doing this since 2005, so you can see my frustration. Thanks for your help Darren!
Thinking on this further, my main concern will be to monetize the blogs that I own, while attempting to maintain my sanity, and not fall for all the “Blog your way to millions” crap that’s out there…. It should be possible to do this.
@Jeff H. What’s your site? What’s your niche? I may be available for what you propose above :)