DISQUS

I think it's true. The best way to approach blogging is just do it.

It will take shape as you go. The problem with planning everything and spending ages setting it all up is that you may well change your mind about it down the track. For instance, you might start a blog about eBay, say, and tailor it for that. Then you find a more lucrative and enjoyable field to blog about, which renders a lot of that initial work worthless. Also, you might even get stuck with a dodgy host, or one that suddenly goes belly up.

I'd say it's a good idea to not just get cracking on one blog. Start a few, and see which one becomes the most successful. Then focus on that in particular.

I think that point 5 is a particularly good one nowadays. I suspect that as so many companies have to cut advertising costs and find new ways to promote their products, people with expertise in web marketing could benefit greatly.

Actually, I suspect that jobs of the kind you describe could actually increase in number quite dramatically over the next year or so.

Thanks for this good roundup.

I have found many of these methods to be effective, though I certainly haven't used all of them.

Though I haven't spent a cent on promotion, I now get around 600 hits a day to one of my blogs. Haven't made much money off it, however it's definitely raised my profile, so I can leverage that to get writing work.

A blog is the best free publicity without a doubt!

I wouldn't try this method. Firstly, there's no way I could afford it! But also it seems a bit cold and clinical for my liking.

Sure, there's a very strong biological, genetic component to relationships. That "chemistry" is exactly that.

But we are also thinking, spiritual beings. I'd like to think that we connect as much - or more - on these levels.

Sounds like this was a good casting decision. Just heard a report on the radio about Rourke winning some international award for this role.

<abbr>Matts last blog post..Urban joke latest</abbr>

Of course the scene should remain as it was intended.

To be honest, I'm sick of all the weeping and whaling that's gone on over his death.

Sure, the bloke was a good actor. And it's sad when anyone kicks the bucket that young, and in such a way.

But life goes on. People should just get over it.

It's amazing that it was that long ago. Seems like yesterday.

It is scary that Hillary is running -- and doing well. I hope that she loses and that Barack Obama wins the Democrat nomination.

The thought of having Hillary (and by extension Bill) back in the Whitehouse is too terrifying for words!

Woah! This is scary.

Shows the immense power that Google has.

You could drive yourself crazy trying to satisfy those myserious algorithms, only to discover that they've all been changed.

Best not to worry about them.

Woah! This is scary.

Shows the immense power that Google has.

You could drive yourself crazy trying to satisfy those myserious algorithms, only to discover that they've all been changed.

Best not to worry about them.

I know this whole paid post phenomena is quite controversial. My own attitude to it is that if you disclose that the post is paid, then that's fine. And if you're doing more paid posts than free ones then I think you are losing your blogging soul. (But then it's up to the blogger him or herself to make that decision, of course.)

What amazes me is the continuing growth of this industry. I thought this was just going to be a temporary thing that would boom until Google found a way of penalising blogs with paid posts, and/or readers got sick of it and left in droves. But it looks like neither of these things has happened -- and maybe never will! -- since PPP is going from strength to strength.

A sign that blogs are seen as media is that down here in Australia, the ABC's Media Watch program has poured scorn on the contents of some popular blogs and their commenters.

Something is really happening when a vast publicly funded institution feels the need to pick on some guy in his pyjamas!

I think that points 5 and 6 are spot on. Each blog comment is like a mini-blog post. It's a way of generating an idea that you can elaborate on later (but not too much later!).

And you can look on a blog post in a similar way. It's like a mini-article, which you can grow, and then submit to directories, etc.

All "grist for the mill", as they say ...

This seems to be a similar moral dilemma to writing sponsored posts on your own blog. I would say that sponosred posts are not unethical, as long as there is disclosure.

Dfference with comments is that there is no disclosure. No room for it, apart from anything else!

This seems to be a similar moral dilemma to writing sponsored posts on your own blog. I would say that sponosred posts are not unethical, as long as there is disclosure.

Dfference with comments is that there is no disclosure. No room for it, apart from anything else!