Share a Story from Your Blogging Journey
Blogging is an exciting journey. It’s fun because there are so many different ways to approach it and there are so many different concepts and principles to learn.
It’s truly an art in that you can create something completely different from what I could create and we can both experience great success.
Today…let’s just be a community of friends.
Join and Share a Story from Your Blogging Journey
As you move forward on this journey, you’re going to go through a plethora of experiences. Some will be fun and some not so enjoyable. Some you’ll learn from and some you’ll simply be left bewildered. Some will leave you with a new friend and others will leave you reaching for a way to block someone from contacting you.
Let’s share our journeys together as I invite you to tell a story from your blogging experiences. It doesn’t matter if your story is funny, sad, or exciting. I want to invite you to use the comments section of this post to share and then to browse through the experiences of the other users and respond to their stories.
Let’s enjoy a group discussion. Let’s comment and respond to others who’ve commented. Today…let’s just be a community of friends.
Onibalusi Bamidele said:
The blogging journey for me has been very interesting, I have been able to learn and discover a lot of things in a short term (such as the power of guest posting) and since I am getting results, I am happy.
Blogging also has its own pitfalls and there are times I just feel discouraged, like the world has tunred over me, but I am able to encourage myself and get back on track.
My Latest Blog Post: 10 Powerful Techniques to Generate Viral Traffic
Nicholas Cardot said:
That’s good that you can encourage yourself because in anything in life, it is easy to get discouraged so that skill of self-encouragement is vital to success.
What would you say has been the most discouraging thing that you’ve experienced since you’ve started blogging?
Onibalusi Bamidele said:
Great Nick,
It was getting lots of comments on my posts only to be seeing a decrease in comments on my blog posts, it makes me feel discouraged and that the world is turning against me – but now, traffic is all that matters, it is natural to get and not get comments because some posts will do better than the others so I keep moving.
One of my worst experience was when my first guest post went live on this blog (SS101), I was already expecting tons of visitors and unknown to me my host suspended my blog that day due to some errors on my path, I losed a lot of visitors because my site was offline for more than 7 hours – I almost cried and had I been diagnosed that day I am sure it will be discovered I had high blood pressure – my blog is my life
A few months blogging now, I am happy with the journey and I no longer care about some things that bugs me;) – If my blog is suspended for 2 days now, I will still be kicking
(evn though I will be working to resolve it, but not like having high BP 
)
My Latest Blog Post: 10 Powerful Techniques to Generate Viral Traffic
Nicholas Cardot said:
When I first started to read through your story above and noticed that you mentioned that your worst experience was when you guest posted here I started to get a sinking feeling down in my gut like I had done something to make it horrible but I’m glad to hear that it wasn’t something that I did. I’m also glad that everything was able to be resolved on your site afterwards. It’s too bad about the lost traffic but as you can see in my comment below where I shared a story on here…I’ve been there. I know what it’s like.
What’s the funnest part of blogging for you now?
Onibalusi Bamidele said:
Yeah Nick,
The funnest part was me featured as one of the top 30 young entrepreneurs making money online by retireat21.com recently.
I have great hacking experiences and I have hacked a whole mobile telecommunications network but I am christain and I knew God gave me my knowledge for his purpose so I decided not to use my knowledge for evil, but for good.
With what is happening now (I am featured here and there, interview here and there) I am beginning to know that hard work pays off and it is better to use your knowledge for good – that is my funnest part!
My Latest Blog Post: 10 Powerful Techniques to Generate Viral Traffic
Steph said:
As Nick said, the fact that you’re able to stay encouraged is a great thing.
My Latest Blog Post: Site Recommendation- SiteSketch101com
Matthew Weber said:
I have the hardest time deciding the direction I want my blog to go in. I change things constantly. I have always loved technology, so I am blogging about that, but first I wanted to do news, then I realized that that is too hard. Now I am just blogging on the stories that interest me.
I also have an addiction to WordPress. I change the look and feel of my site constantly. Even now, when I love my design, and I have the right combination of plugins and functionality, I am still looking to do something better. Whether it is a new theme, a custom theme, or some new fancy plugin, I can’t seem to let good enough be.
My Latest Blog Post: Review- Mafia II
Nicholas Cardot said:
You’re not the only one. On a site I operated prior to this one, I was constantly being accused of changing themes way too often so when I started this one I actually set a date 12 months from the launch and I committed to myself that I would not change the theme until that date. Now I’ve made tons of tweaks to the theme since that day, but it is still that same theme.
That desire to keep tinkering with your blog can be a liability or an asset. Of course, you might end up installing a plugin that crashes your site or changing things so often that it chases people away or you might end up learning growing and figuring out some of the best ways to really connect with people online.
Have you used any content management systems other than WordPress?
Matthew Weber said:
I used blogger for the longest time. But I really never got into personalizing it, or even blogging consistently. It is when I decided I wanted to try and make money off of this, that I choose WP, since it was free, and had a large and active community surrounding it.
I used SquareSpace for a little while, but found that it was not as expandable as I wanted and cost too much for what little you actually received in return. WordPress really saved my blogging, since it keeps my interest.
I have made the vow to not change my theme many times. I never seem to have the will power to keep that promise. I am doing good now, I have had the theme on my site for a couple of months. But I still keep my out for the next best theme.
My Latest Blog Post: Review- Mafia II
Nicholas Cardot said:
I had a blogger blog for a while and although I enjoyed it while I was on it, I’ve come to realize that there are simply amazing possibilities outside of the blogger CMS. I’ve used Joomla as well which is actually geared more toward actual websites and forums than it is toward blogging and it certainly has some cool features.
In the end though, I have to say that it isn’t even a close competition. WordPress is simply head and shoulders above the competition. Like you, WordPress saved my blogging. It saves me time. It provides awesome features. It’s just all around great.
How have you been doing making money from your blog? In what ways have you been trying to make money from it?
Steph said:
I want to change themes all the time.
Now (dare I say it) I’m even looking into learning Joomla…
Thesis has become my staple theme.
My Latest Blog Post: Site Recommendation- SiteSketch101com
Nicholas Cardot said:
I’ve used Joomla and I can tell you from first-hand, personal experience that WordPress is miles ahead of Joomla. I’m very advanced and skilled on both platforms but WordPress is so much easier to work with. I wouldn’t waste any time on Joomla. You can do just as much with WordPress.
Nicholas Cardot said:
One of my most memorable stories takes me back to the days when I had first started this blog. It was only about 2 months or so old (just guessing from memory) and at the time it was hosted on JustHost servers.
Suddenly one day, I went to load my site and the page loaded with nothing more than a notice that the site had been suspended and that I needed to contact the billing department if I wanted to have it reactivated. I did so promptly since I was paid a year or two in advance on the account.
When I called them it was because the site was using too much CPU resources. I asked them to give me access to the files so that I could transfer them to hosting somewhere else and they refused to do it unless I purchased a dedicated server from them at over one hundred dollars per month.
I bought the server, transfered my files out, and then closed the server for a full refund. That was one of the worst experiences ever.
I wrote a post about it and you can read it here: http://www.sitesketch101.com/a-kidnapped-website
Matthew Weber said:
I have had that problem as well. Only with three different hosts.
I finally figured out that if you paid more you get more, so now I pay $20 a month, which is expensive, but it definitely pays off. Its like when you buy shoes. You buy them at Wal-mart, and you get cheap shoes, they don’t last long. You buy better shoes, and they last and feel good longer. That has been one of the lessons I have learned when it comes to choosing what platform to blog on, and where to host. You do get what you pay for.
My Latest Blog Post: Review- Mafia II
Nicholas Cardot said:
I agree with you and I pay quite a bit more now than I did back then as well. The reason that I had originally chose JustHost was because they were pretty much the cheapest that I had found and just as you said, I got a Wal-Mart package of hosting that didn’t last very long. Which hosting companies gave you that kind of hassle?
Matthew Weber said:
I used 1&1 for a while, they do not have wordpress support at all. Then I switched to BlueHost.com, and they have great support, but are cheap and do not have good uptime. Now I use Media Temple and have had no problems. But I do pay more.
My Latest Blog Post: Review- Mafia II
Nicholas Cardot said:
I currently use BlueHost for this site but have switched all of my other websites over to Site5 which I am very happy with. When this server expires I will probably move it to my Site5 hosting even though I’m very happy here. I have a reseller hosting account over there so it makes it very easy to organize and assign as many resources to it as I might need.
Pinar Tarhan said:
Hey Nick,
I am still on JustHost. I had a six- month membership and then I renewed it. What kind of problems did you have?
I got a few but almost always got tremendous support.
My Latest Blog Post: In Good Company starring Dennis Quaid- Topher Grace and Scarlett Johansson
Nicholas Cardot said:
Most of the problems can be summed up in this article that I wrote about it:
http://www.sitesketch101.com/a-kidnapped-website
Steph said:
OMG, dude!
I had JustHost as well. They seemed to be such a great deal – until you realize the shoddy upsells, the crppy downtime episodes and the fact that support isn’t helpful. They also made it next to difficult to transfer my two oldest URLS, and I did that…
I have since learned how to export and import wordpress and blog images via the Tools in the platform.
Woo Hoo
My Latest Blog Post: Site Recommendation- SiteSketch101com
Nicholas Cardot said:
After my experience with JustHost, I started searching for reviews about them and I discovered that I literally could not find a positive review about them that was not using an affiliate link. That’s revealing. They are literally paying people to lie about them in order to acquire business.
Annabel Candy, Get In the Hot Spot said:
It’s been a rollercoaster ride but it’s worth hanging on in there:) I’ve had my blog 13 months and these are some of the benefits I’ve enjoyed:
> meeting like-minded people from around the globe
> being flown to China business class for a social media conference
earning money online
> getting new clients for my copy writing and web design services
meeting best selling authors
> writing for print and some of the most popular blogs on the
Internet like Problogger, Copyblogger and Zen Habits
> Earning money
Keep at it people!
My Latest Blog Post: Shape Your Destiny in 6 Powerful Steps
Nicholas Cardot said:
Reading through your comment makes me feel like I’m standing in the presence of a movie star. You’ve certainly experienced some amazing things since you’ve started blogging. I could only dream of doing some of the things that you’ve talked about here. All the way to China in business class? That’s just amazing.
Great work, Annabel. You absolutely rock!
To what would you attribute your success? What is your secret ingredient?
Annabel Candy, Get In the Hot Spot said:
Well, I tell people these things because I’m passionate about blogging and the benefits it brings. I hope when people hear these things they’ll consider giving it a go. The great thing is that if I can do it anyone can:)
The secret ingredient to my success? 3 things:
The willingness to learn.
Being people-oriented – I love people and really want to help them.
Quiet determination.
My Latest Blog Post: Shape Your Destiny in 6 Powerful Steps
Nicholas Cardot said:
Those sound like three powerful tools and your experiences are very inspiring to me. I’m grateful that you took the time to share them with us here.
Keith said:
I can share a story that doesn’t have an ending yet. I got an email from an attorney today saying one of my sites is infringing on their clients trademark.
We shall see what happens, but I have worked really hard on this site and I won’t just “give” it to them….
My Latest Blog Post: Social Media Monday- Deepen Your Connections
Nicholas Cardot said:
I’ve enjoyed hearing you talk about this experience in the Blogger’s lounge and I’m happy that you chose to share it on here. I regret that it’s happening to you in the way that it is and I honestly think that you’ll be able to come out of this stronger than ever.
Emily said:
My blog is about the challenges of being chronically ill while raising a child. When I first started my blog a little over a year ago, someone took the trouble to open up a fake email account to tell me that Lupus (my main illness) is not such a big deal and that my premise for starting my blog was ridiculous. It was scary because someone had to have known me as it was my first blog post.
But it began a debate with people either wishing me good luck or people defending me as Lupus affects people many different ways. For my first post I had 11 comments! Someone wrote to me, “What a way to start off a blog! I blog every day and I am lucky if I get even one comment!”
So, what started off as a negative was turned into a positive.
My Latest Blog Post: Five Images of a Perfect Summer
Steph said:
Whomever that was, was a selfish idiot. My mother-in-law has lupus, and I heard it can be stressful
My Latest Blog Post: Site Recommendation- SiteSketch101com
Nicholas Cardot said:
I can’t believe that they would attack you for that but perhaps they had their reasons. It’s really great, however, that you were able to take that antagonism and turn it into meaningful conversation in the comments section. How is your blog doing now?
Emily said:
Not sure what their reasons would be..maybe need to get a life? Some people can live relatively normal lives with Lupus, some die from it, I am in the middle.
I wish I could blog every day but it is difficult due to my illness. I write about 3-4 posts per week. I try to promote my blog, but would also like to do more of that. Something I found helpful to bring some more traffic is to take part in a Saturday Sampler where you submit your best post of the week, 2nd Look Saturdays, where you submit an older post, and I also take part in a Writer’s Blog workshop where you are given assignments. The Saturday things are helpful to me, b/c while I am not writing new content, new readers are coming.
My goals for my blog are to help people
in my situation and to educate others about people who live and raise children while they are chronically ill.
My blog is a little over a year old and I think I am doing pretty well considering my limitations.
My Latest Blog Post: Five Images of a Perfect Summer
Steph said:
I’m so shocked there aren’t more comments on this blog today!
With site development, there’s so much to do that it’s almost too much! I can get completely overwhelmed by my sites and many get left to the wayside. I need a better schedule for my work!
It also doesn’t help when I’m looking for information, and the sources aren’t credible, or are low quality. I stumbled upon this blog mere days ago and was immediately taken with it’s A-B-C values.
Depending the site I’m developing, there are a number of memorable experiences. One I have to share is that I have a niche site about relationships. Without revealing too much, it didn’t take long for the URL to climb rankings on the name alone. However, it’s “.net” name and as of recently, the “.com” owner of the URL tried to pass it off to me for an utterly ridiculous price! The offer was politely declined because the rationalization was based on traffic they received from my work!
Nicholas Cardot said:
They probably purchased that domain for no other reason than to sell it to whoever ended up pursuing the .net equivalent. I’m glad to hear that your site continues to climb in the search listings and I hope that over time it will continue to climb.
Mark Johnson said:
I’m just about to reach the 6 month mark for my primary blog, and I have actually been blogging a little bit lately about what I have learnt.
I think one of the biggest “mistakes” I made, and probably many others make, is assuming that you can some how get results faster than most bloggers would have you believe.
I always had the determination to keep going, and I think my goals were pretty realistic overall (hey I’m 6 months in and still going), but I have to admit that I did secretly hope that by working overtime I could achieve my goals faster.
I think the most important lesson I have learnt is that ultimately, the sooner you realise that it will take time, the less time it will actually take.
Now, I write less posts than when I was starting out, but they are always of a better quality. And quality content is what matters the most.
My Latest Blog Post: Why aren’t you getting any traffic 5 ways to start an avalanche
Nicholas Cardot said:
How true that is! People are impatient creatures. We want things and we want them now. The truth is that we need to be continually learning and growing and we need to stick with it. Great job on learning that lesson and I hope that you’re successful trying to spread that concept to others.
Now that you’re writing less have you noticed a difference in traffic?
Mark Johnson said:
Hi Nick.
It’s hard to say really, as my traffic is growing constantly. For the first 3 or 4 months I got hardly any, now adays I am getting a pretty healthy flow of visitors and I’m getting several comments most days.
That said, posting less often certainly didn’t seem to slow down my growth.
My best posts always get more comments than the less well written ones though, I feel fairly confident that some of my older posts are less “comment worthy”, I may go back and re-write some of them actually, and see how well they do when re-published.
Of course I don’t have the numbers to back up that hunch, but I’m definitely of the opinion that less can be more…
My Latest Blog Post: Why aren’t you getting any traffic 5 ways to start an avalanche
Mary E. Ulrich said:
Just started my blog a month ago, and have so many things yet to learn. It is quite humbling because I thought I had a clue and was ready.
I did get a fan letter today: Subject: Re: check out new blog
“Wow Mary – you have me and my wife crying here in the … – our son has just been permanently excluded from his high school… We know about the small print….
Your words echo so many experiences of parents too… we would love to add a link to your blog from our Parents page… does that work for you?”
That really gave me a rush of adrenaline. There just aren’t enough hours in the day. I’ve got to work faster and smarter.
So the journey continues.
My Latest Blog Post: Herby bites the dust
Nicholas Cardot said:
That does sound really exciting. It’s a rush when those types of emails start coming in. It’s really empowering. Keep up the great work. What’s your new blog about?
Mary E. Ulrich said:
I have had a heck of a time with putting it in one phrase and finding appropriate keywords.
Long tail version: Site is for parents of adult children with severe disabilities including autism who believe in inclusion and community living. See, pitiful description.
My Latest Blog Post: Herby bites the dust
Micke Hasselqvist said:
My own blog story is still very much in its opening chapters. But I have many pages that I want to fill.
I installed the blog on my own portfolio site as a way to try out WordPress, more or less. But then, when I browsed around and found sites such as this one – real, passionate people with a dedication to helping others – I decided that I want to be part of that world.
I know some people make money of their blogs with ads and stuff like that, but that has never been my goal. (I’m not sure I even know how I would do that!)
The point is – I want to help people and make my stand in the web design community. It’s not enough for me to make websites for small clients who never uses them – I want to do something I can be proud of, together with people I admire.
And that’s why I have my Studio51 blog.
My Latest Blog Post: Disconnect To Increase Your Workflow
tushar said:
for me, starting the blog was even a story. i am from india and here, people does not know exactly about blogging and telling them that you can earn money is like joke. So, i had to wait for 2 years to get my own self hosted blog when i got a job.
Till date, my parents have never approved my blogging.
So for me, my blog is much more than just a blog. Its something i will never ever leave
My Latest Blog Post: BloggersPassion Monthly Report August 2010
Oilfordoves said:
It’s interesting that something as seemingly contentless as how to get views on your blog can generate so many views–but of course, that’s what I came here for myself.
Blogging for me has been an interesting journey, although I have not yet come very far along the path. I have had less than 10 views as of today. But even without readers, as I have chosen to be anonymous, blogging has enabled me to write freely about things I would otherwise choose not to write about in books published in my own language.
My aim is primarily to write about waiting for my father’s death, which has been underway for the last 10 years, during which he has suffered from the motor neuron disease ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Being the (only) child of a parent with this illness has affected me in many ways, but only rarely have the people surrounding me in my daily life had knowledge of the situation.
I have decided to stick with two categories for posts until now: “before” (the death of my father) and “after”. It will be interesting to me, and might also be interesting for potential readers, when the switch comes, to see the differences between the two.
This spring I then had the idea of writing about it in English and publishing what I would write on a blog. I chose to call my blog LEARNING HOW TO USE A TYPEWRITER, because I had the idea of writing all the posts on a typewriter (an idea I have now abandoned) before re-typing them on the computer.
I have great hopes for my future blogging self, but had not, until I stumbled upon your blog, thought about the making money aspect of it. But it seems that you are very confident of this possibility.
My Latest Blog Post: VIOLENCE
Mary E. Ulrich said:
I recently found a website called Caregivers.com and they might offer some ideas and support.
Best wishes, it is hard to care for someone you love for such a long time. Mary
My Latest Blog Post: Herby bites the dust
Oilfordoves said:
Thank you Mary. Yes, it is a long time, but in many ways that just means that it is more like a handicap than a terminal illness. Which I believe is preferrable.
My Latest Blog Post: VIOLENCE
Starr-Anjelica said:
I started my site as a hobby with a friend when we were working on a project for a client. I had never used WordPress before and it was really an experiment to test it out really but one thing led to another and then kind of turned into an addiction. I am kept pretty busy with work any way so blogging is still a hobby and I don’t class myself as a pro blogger but I blog as much as I can and invite friends as well to keep the blog post regular. My blog has helped open doors and I have made some really nice contacts and friends, even requests for work since I started and I also write for other blog sites as well and I love it. I think the hardest part for me was the first few months and trying to get noticed and keep yourself motivated when you think maybe nobody is visiting.
My Latest Blog Post: The Eye of the Tiger – Awesome Tiger Art & Photography
Reza Winandar said:
I was in the middle of jungle when I started to blog (kidding). I like to blog, but I like to play with Google Adsense more, and blogging is just my side-mission.
My Latest Blog Post: 5 Types of Comments That Attract Attention
gabriela said:
I am blogging since 2006. However, after 3 years as a blogger I found my path, and since January, I am the founder of mutfaktakicadi.com, a blog about food, travel and cooking.
Being a blogger takes me deeply in social media, and as a result I am doing my PHD on social media, and working on social media in one of the most important university in Turkey
SEGUN said:
I am a starter on blogging. My mentor and instructor is the popular 16 year old blogger from Nigeria where I also come from. My latest article is on TERRESTRIAL AND CELESTIAL which dwells on maintaining an upbeat attitude in a world full of pressures.
Blogging gives me a lot of kicks because it puts me under pressure to bring out the best of my writing skills, allows me express thoughts that could help others, and brings me in touch with new friends.
Steve Roy said:
I’ve recently started a blog that I created out of frustration in my life. I am trapped in a job I hate and feel like I am wasting my life away.
My goal is to build a successful blog, create a passive income, and be able to quit my job.
The main reason for wanting this is to be able to spend more time with my 2 daughters.
My idea is to help others realize that there is much more to life than working some crappy job and that we can find something we are passionate about and make it a career.
So far, things are going well, getting some positive feedback, but few visitors.
Will keep wotking at it until I succeed!
My Latest Blog Post: The Most Important Thing
Leif G.S. said:
I’ve had some success with my last blog (Notae.net) seeing that I have some acclaim for my poetry but it was more hollow recognition, nothing that propelled me to constantly want to improve.
I’ve met some great people over the year I blogged, they are some fantastic poets and authors who have given me advice. I’m still learning and eager to apply the knowledge I acquire in my every action as I can. I know I need to keep going because this is where my life belongs (writing, blogging is the side benefit).
My Latest Blog Post: Micro-Fiction: Be Quiet!