1) Use my own domain name instead of a typepad domain! If I’d had even the slightest clue my blog would ever end up with this much traffic, I would have been much smarter. It’s much too hard to change it now without completely messing with rankings, etc.
2) I would never–not for a moment–change/filter/censor what I write simply to keep the harshest detractors at bay (which doesn’t work anyway). I found myself falling into the trap when my blog comments, posts about me on other blogs, and emails started to become really nasty.
While legitimate criticisms are one of the best reasons to have comments (you learn a phenomenal amount from your commenters), the more traffic you get, the more personal attacks you get–including flamers, trolls, and a few who are sincerely and passionately against whatever it is you’re doing. Learning from the legit critics while simultaneously ignoring the attackers is the strategy I wish I’d had from the beginning. If I started over, I would not withold topics I care about and believe in, and I’d do a better job of recognizing who/what I should just ignore.
3) If I had to start over, I would not hesitate. This has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and I keep wishing I’d started earlier!
