QuicklyBored

The commitment

In order to maintain a successful site, you need at least 5 articles per day. These 5 articles are broken into quick links (called QLs) and features. A good balance is 4 QLs and 1 Feature. It’s good to get into this mentality for a few reasons:

If you can only commit to a post a week, don’t bother. Now you might be asking why QuicklyBored isn’t following the above formula. Well it has for a long time, but this is a recession folks. My time is completely taken up by BlackBerryCool.com because it generates more money and traffic.

Choosing your blog

As I described above, a blog should be a full time commitment. If you’re doing something every single day, you’re going to have to enjoy what you write about. Once you’ve got your head wrapped around the fact that this blog is a daily commitment, start thinking about what you’re going to blog about.

Niche markets are key when choosing a blog with a future. The thought process should be:

Let’s say for example you’re into video games. There are a ton of video game blogs out there so now it’s time to find a niche. What games do you like? Maybe you could blog about the company that makes the games you like. Maybe you like listening to music while you play vids. If that’s the case, blog your gaming playlists.

Getting down to writing

When it comes time to writing, it’s important to know that you’re writing on the internet and a certain degree of technical understanding is in order. Know the technology behind how your content is being discovered and read. Here are some key technologies to know:

With these technologies, you’re going to make sure that people are finding what you’re reading and sharing it with others. Remember, the end goal of a blog is to build a place where knowledge, ideas and opinions are shared. Even if you’re blogging about how great your tits look in the morning, you want people finding those tits, telling their friends about them and sharing their thoughts about them.

Also, you should know all the basic video, audio and pic editing software. Final Cut, iTunes, Garageband and Photoshop will be of daily importance.

Monetize or go home

If you’re not in it for money, then you’re a walking billboard for your favorite subject: “ME.” You’ll be surprised how much you learn about your readers and what they like. It helps to shape your writing as well. For example, when I write about BlackBerrys and see that sales of cases are up, I know people want to read about some cool cases. In the end, your writing job gets easier and you’re rewarded for being smart.

Social networking works

Social networking is addictive and while it serves as a great promotional tool, it can also suck up all your time. Have a game plan with social networks. Make friends both in your field of interest, but also who are pals and can keep you entertained. Think of your Twitter followers as a babe you want to impress, and the people you follow like your wing men. The people you follow big you up while you try pick up lines with people out of your league.

Goals, direction and redesigns

It’s going to take a long time for your blog to really gain some steam. It’s important to have the patience and persistence of Santiago. When it comes to traffic, think of it like your stock portfolio. If you check your stocks everyday, you’ll be on highs and lows that will make you feel like an OC housewife. No amount of Xanax will help you on a bad day. So just check it either biweekly or every month. It also helps you keep focused on the big picture.

Now that you’ve actually read this much, you have to comment.

Can’t think of anything to say? Comment your personal or favorite blog. Shameless self promotion welcome (no Viagra blogs).

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