A blog's name is one of the strategic early decisions you will have to make as a blogger. When I started in December 2006, I didn't think of it that way. There was no blogger in my family and inner circle of friends who could tip me off that "search engine optimization" (SEO)--practices whose end goal is to improve a blog's or website's ranking in search engines like Google and Yahoo--revolved around content, and that great content flowed from, or is inspired by, a carefully considered blog name.
As a beginner, my paradigm was simple. My blog has to be either of two things: about something I'm familiar with, or about something I'm interested in. I decided it should be both--a topic of interest as seen from a perspective I'm familiar with. This is why my first blog has a very long title.
What I didn't know then was that there was this thing called SEO that could have provided me with a better framework in naming my blog. When you get down to it, SEO is an embodiment of one of Dr. Stephen R. Covey's famous "Seven Habits," more specifically Habit Two: Beginning with the End in Mind. If a blogger's objective is, say, to rank well in search engine results so that visitor traffic could be directed towards his blog, this line if thinking will naturally lead to the importance of content which, as I said earlier, flows from the blog's name or title.
If you're still unclear as to why, even with that statement, it's because there's yet one missing piece in the SEO puzzle--how search engines work. To be simplistic about it, search engines like Google and Yahoo prowl blogs and websites looking out for specific keywords which they use as "anchors" to hook onto whenever somebody does a search using certain search terms. As a blogger, you would like that your content contains as many of the keywords or search terms that a typical Web user would input in the Google or Yahoo search box. Now, "content" may vary from what a blogger posts or publishes today to the one that he posts tomorrow, but it always includes (as far as the search engines are concerned) the blog's name or title and its brief desciption or subtitle which you see in a blog's so-called header (that strip or banner above the blog where you find the title and subtitle).
In the coding or creation of blogs and websites, the title or name belongs to what are called Meta tags. As explained here: "The word meta means information about. Meta Tags were created early on to provide concise information about a website. Meta tags list information about the web page, such as the author, keywords, description, type of document, copyright, and other core information." What this means, therefore, is that if your blog title or name belongs to the most often searched terms or keywords, you have a decided advantage over other competitor blogs in your same blogging niche or genre with weaker keywords as part of their title.
Remember, since a blog name or title is a Meta tag, it is one of the bigger spots for a search engine to catch. And once the search results are displayed in Google or Yahoo, it is sometimes the catchier blog title that makes a surfer decide in favor of a lower ranked search result. That's how important a title is in blogging. The recommended length of a title is 50-80 characters including spaces. As a practical advice, put your keywords near the beginning, in case the window is resized on your visitor's computer screen.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
So You Want To Blog?
Knowing what I know now about blogging, would I have taken the same route I took when I started to blog one year ago? What would I have done differently and why? What valuable lessons can I share with non-bloggers who are just about to make up their minds? Here are five personal lessons that should just about cover the basic questions that would be on a non-blogger's mind at the point of decision:
Lesson no. 1: You can blog with little writing skill.
To the uninitiated, it may come as a surprise that the ability to write (and when I say "write", I mean write gramatically correct complete sentences, as a minimum) is not an important ingredient for success in blogging. I had this misconception when I started out. I was so self-conscious and so self-critical of my writing that I became my own worst enemy in blogging. I always thought about what people who stumbled upon my blog--especially office mates, friends and relatives--would say about me. I did not imagine the paralyzing effect such thoughts could have on me.
Lesson no. 2: Blogging could be compulsive and addicting, so be ready to sacrifice your time.
Getting the hang of blogging was not an overnight thing. Like any new skill, you have to ride up a learning curve. It is this challenge of climbing your blogging mountain that eggs you on to endure longer hours at your computer and seduces you to give up sleep at times just to finish whatever you're doing. This is what my wife could not understand to this day--how come there is always "something" to do even after I have already posted to my blog.
I guess she has (and you have) to blog herself to find out why: I can't keep way from my Google Analytics, Feedburner and Hittail stats; I have to constantly check my BlogCatalog and MyBlogLog visitors so I can thank them prompty for dropping by or adding me to their contacts; I have to review my Google AdSense report and use it to finetune my ads; I have to read other blogs in and out of my niche topic; I have to keep up with Forum discussions in Blogger Help on issues unique to the Blogger platform; and I have to do countless other things on my blog and on the Web every single day.
Until I became a blogger, I had always thought that blogging was a lonely activity, suited only to anti-socials, introverts and nerds. I was grossly wrong, of course. On the contrary, it is a very pleasurable activity with lots of opportunity for socializing and learning (and if I may still add, earning some money, too). It's decidedly one of the best things I ever did late in my life; absolutely no regrets. But I discovered, too, that if didn't strive hard to find a balance between my virtual life and my real life, I just might regret it because blogging could ruin my offline relationships. So, you watch out for this.
Lesson no. 3: If you want to blog seriously, sooner or later, you have to invest in and understand a bit of information technology.
I had a circa 2001 Toshiba Satellite 1100 laptop, running on a Windows XP Home edition operating system (OS), which I connected to a dial-up telephone line when I started to blog in December 2006. As a non-techie just learning to blog, I had thought that any computer equipment and any Internet connection seemed just fine. I did not care whether my computer's microchip was an Intel Celeron 1.2 GHz (or gigahertz), an Intel Pentium 4 1.7 GHz, or Intel Centrino Duo. Neither did I care if I had a 128 MB RAM (or random access memory), 256 MB RAM or higher. Ditto whether I had a 20 GB (or gigabytes), 30 GB, 40 GB (or better) hard drive. I was also indifferent then between a dial-up, a DSL and a broadband.
However, when I saw that most of my time was wasted just waiting for my computer to load--my blog, other sites, a picture, a video clip--it dawned on me that I should upgrade to a DSL connection, get a more powerful laptop and start reading up and educating myself on the technology side of blogging. This educational journey naturally started with computer hardware, because I wanted to address the torturous wait every time my old laptop loads. Then it progressed to the fine points of software (I now have a Windows Vista and use two kinds of browsers) and blogging platforms (I have experimented also with a Wordpress platform). Then last December, as I narrated in my maiden post here, I was forced by circumstances to explore the arcane world of XML coding. Now, I know there is still so much to learn out there and not enough time to master even just a small fraction of it.
Lesson No. 4: Decide early on if you want to blog as yourself or if you want to use an alias.
This is an issue which I overlooked when I decided to blog. It was only much later I realized that blogging under my real name constrained what I could write about. Since I wanted to blog about life, blogging as myself limited me, therefore, from writing about personal experiences which are too private to share under my real name (but possible if my identity was hidden). Also, since I wanted to blog about investment banking, blogging as myself limited me from writing confidential details about persons,transactions and events which could invite legal suits.
Thus, in hindsight, I would say that if you have an image or reputation to protect in real life, it is best to hide behind an alias when you blog. Vice-versa, if you intend your blogging to help build your credentials as an expert or authority on a particular subject or field, or to enhance/support you image or reputation, then by all means blog under your real name.
Lesson No. 5: Blogging for money is way overrated.
Yes, you read it right. Not everyone can replicate the success of John Chow, professional blogger who now earns oodles of cash from his blogging activities. I did not blog for money but I was curious how money could be made online, so I experimented using the tips I got from the various "making money online" blogs. After one year, with several blogs, I have yet to make $100 ($86.25 to be exact, this very minute) from Google AdSense. I used to be too embarrassed to admit that, but since this blog is meant for non-bloggers wanting to join the bandwagon, I thought I should level your expectations.
This is not to say that others are not earning decently from blogging. Actually, you could find some blogs which post their monthly income and I think they're not bluffing. What I'm only driving at is that only a few lucky and determined ones can really aspire to leave their day jobs and feed a family using purely blogging income.
Lesson no. 1: You can blog with little writing skill.
To the uninitiated, it may come as a surprise that the ability to write (and when I say "write", I mean write gramatically correct complete sentences, as a minimum) is not an important ingredient for success in blogging. I had this misconception when I started out. I was so self-conscious and so self-critical of my writing that I became my own worst enemy in blogging. I always thought about what people who stumbled upon my blog--especially office mates, friends and relatives--would say about me. I did not imagine the paralyzing effect such thoughts could have on me.
Lesson no. 2: Blogging could be compulsive and addicting, so be ready to sacrifice your time.
Getting the hang of blogging was not an overnight thing. Like any new skill, you have to ride up a learning curve. It is this challenge of climbing your blogging mountain that eggs you on to endure longer hours at your computer and seduces you to give up sleep at times just to finish whatever you're doing. This is what my wife could not understand to this day--how come there is always "something" to do even after I have already posted to my blog.
I guess she has (and you have) to blog herself to find out why: I can't keep way from my Google Analytics, Feedburner and Hittail stats; I have to constantly check my BlogCatalog and MyBlogLog visitors so I can thank them prompty for dropping by or adding me to their contacts; I have to review my Google AdSense report and use it to finetune my ads; I have to read other blogs in and out of my niche topic; I have to keep up with Forum discussions in Blogger Help on issues unique to the Blogger platform; and I have to do countless other things on my blog and on the Web every single day.
Until I became a blogger, I had always thought that blogging was a lonely activity, suited only to anti-socials, introverts and nerds. I was grossly wrong, of course. On the contrary, it is a very pleasurable activity with lots of opportunity for socializing and learning (and if I may still add, earning some money, too). It's decidedly one of the best things I ever did late in my life; absolutely no regrets. But I discovered, too, that if didn't strive hard to find a balance between my virtual life and my real life, I just might regret it because blogging could ruin my offline relationships. So, you watch out for this.
Lesson no. 3: If you want to blog seriously, sooner or later, you have to invest in and understand a bit of information technology.
I had a circa 2001 Toshiba Satellite 1100 laptop, running on a Windows XP Home edition operating system (OS), which I connected to a dial-up telephone line when I started to blog in December 2006. As a non-techie just learning to blog, I had thought that any computer equipment and any Internet connection seemed just fine. I did not care whether my computer's microchip was an Intel Celeron 1.2 GHz (or gigahertz), an Intel Pentium 4 1.7 GHz, or Intel Centrino Duo. Neither did I care if I had a 128 MB RAM (or random access memory), 256 MB RAM or higher. Ditto whether I had a 20 GB (or gigabytes), 30 GB, 40 GB (or better) hard drive. I was also indifferent then between a dial-up, a DSL and a broadband.
However, when I saw that most of my time was wasted just waiting for my computer to load--my blog, other sites, a picture, a video clip--it dawned on me that I should upgrade to a DSL connection, get a more powerful laptop and start reading up and educating myself on the technology side of blogging. This educational journey naturally started with computer hardware, because I wanted to address the torturous wait every time my old laptop loads. Then it progressed to the fine points of software (I now have a Windows Vista and use two kinds of browsers) and blogging platforms (I have experimented also with a Wordpress platform). Then last December, as I narrated in my maiden post here, I was forced by circumstances to explore the arcane world of XML coding. Now, I know there is still so much to learn out there and not enough time to master even just a small fraction of it.
Lesson No. 4: Decide early on if you want to blog as yourself or if you want to use an alias.
This is an issue which I overlooked when I decided to blog. It was only much later I realized that blogging under my real name constrained what I could write about. Since I wanted to blog about life, blogging as myself limited me, therefore, from writing about personal experiences which are too private to share under my real name (but possible if my identity was hidden). Also, since I wanted to blog about investment banking, blogging as myself limited me from writing confidential details about persons,transactions and events which could invite legal suits.
Thus, in hindsight, I would say that if you have an image or reputation to protect in real life, it is best to hide behind an alias when you blog. Vice-versa, if you intend your blogging to help build your credentials as an expert or authority on a particular subject or field, or to enhance/support you image or reputation, then by all means blog under your real name.
Lesson No. 5: Blogging for money is way overrated.
Yes, you read it right. Not everyone can replicate the success of John Chow, professional blogger who now earns oodles of cash from his blogging activities. I did not blog for money but I was curious how money could be made online, so I experimented using the tips I got from the various "making money online" blogs. After one year, with several blogs, I have yet to make $100 ($86.25 to be exact, this very minute) from Google AdSense. I used to be too embarrassed to admit that, but since this blog is meant for non-bloggers wanting to join the bandwagon, I thought I should level your expectations.
This is not to say that others are not earning decently from blogging. Actually, you could find some blogs which post their monthly income and I think they're not bluffing. What I'm only driving at is that only a few lucky and determined ones can really aspire to leave their day jobs and feed a family using purely blogging income.
Blogger Resource Links:
Here are ten other articles, in no particular order, which you may want to refer to on the same topic. Just click on the links I provided for your to get there.
1. "Why Blog?"
2. "Why Do We Blog?"
3. "Why Blog For Business?"
4. "Why Blog?"
5. "Why Blog?"
6. "Some More Reasons To Blog"
7. "What's The Point Of Blogging?"
8. "Is Blogging A Good Use Of Time?"
9. "Improving Your Blog: Why Blog?"
10. "Why I Blog"
Monday, February 4, 2008
A New Blog For Neophyte Bloggers
February 7th marks the start of Chinese year 4706 , which is a Rat Year. In less than a week from now, the Year of the Rat officially ushers in a new 12-year cycle in the Chinese calendar that runs up to year 2019. Being the start of a new cycle, I thought that there could be no better time than now to launch this blog. Among Asians like me who believe in such traditions, the timing is supposedly auspicious (and lucky) for new endeavors initiated today. At the same time, I've been around long enough to know that without pain, there can be no gain.
And talking about pain, the idea for this blog actually took shape from the many aggravations and frustrations I experienced during my initial year as a neophyte blogger. To my mind, I reached my lowest point last December when I had a difficult widget problem which resulted after I changed from Blogger's stock two-column template to a free Wordpress-themed three-column template for my Ibanker blog.
And talking about pain, the idea for this blog actually took shape from the many aggravations and frustrations I experienced during my initial year as a neophyte blogger. To my mind, I reached my lowest point last December when I had a difficult widget problem which resulted after I changed from Blogger's stock two-column template to a free Wordpress-themed three-column template for my Ibanker blog.
But it was a journey of discovery. In the process of trying to find an online solution to this problem, I observed that most of the blogs that offered solutions or tips or explanations to blogging problems are still not "laymanized" enough for a non-techie blogger like me. Am I the dumbest blogger around who have difficulty reading into explanations that apparently everyone else understands? I doubt it.
It is this benefit of the doubt--that there might be others like me who need "plain English" explanations and tips on the more technical aspects of blogging--that prompted me to start this blog. How many blogs about blogging are already out there? A thousand? A million? Who can tell for sure? The blogosphere is expanding at a dizzying rate. However, there is one thing that I can be sure of -- there are not many blogs that are neophyte blogger-friendly, that are written in plain English, that try to laymanize IT jargons that only techies understand. Otherwise, I would never have thought of starting another blog like this out of sheer frustration. If I can only put a smile on the face of another neophyte blogger thru this blog, I would have achieved my mission already.
Kung Hei Fat Choi !
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