Do you Blog? - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Winsor_Pilates · 09-10-2010, 12:19 AM

Curious if anyone here writes their own blog and what about?

I'm thinking of started a couple up, 1 profession related and 1 about some other personal interests.

nickerjones · 09-10-2010, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Curious if anyone here writes their own blog and what about?

I'm thinking of started a couple up, 1 profession related and 1 about some other personal interests.

I do about daily hockey deals ala my sig. It did so well it got the attention of some people who apporached me about partnering and making it a .com . There are some people who make some serious money blogging

Russic · 09-10-2010, 08:22 AM

I have an apple blog but have only made 2 posts. Despite that it's actually a lot of fun, I just have horrible time management skills and can't seem to get around to it.

MickMcGeough · 09-10-2010, 09:30 AM

If you aren't looking to build a following and just want to dump your brain on to the internet, ignore the rest of this post.

Otherwise, why do you want to start a blog?

I help manage a few, and as I explained to each "author", none have any kind of real success because they lack one or more of:

a) Direction
b) Quality Content
c) Fresh Content

Missing any one of those will guarantee failure for your blog unless you are already a celebrity. The only exception is that if your content is really, really good, you can get away without a & c. But very few people are that good.

I recommend choosing a specific topic (sounds like you have for your professional blog), sticking to a single direction, coming up with a name people will remember, and writing a couple months worth of entries before you launch your blog. Release one every week and give people a reason to bookmark/subscribe.

Rathji · 09-10-2010, 09:31 AM

I have a blog that I post random stuff on, I rarely use it anymore because I am using my free time to learn html and css while I build my own website.

Once I get the site up and running I will probably think about doing it some more.

Ashartus · 09-10-2010, 09:44 AM

I have a science-related blog, mostly about toxicology and chemical exposures, with a bit of a skeptical slant. Mainly done for fun/interest, since I don't have the time to post more than about once a week or so, but also with the hope that at least a few people might read it and learn something.

HeartsOfFire · 09-10-2010, 10:31 AM

I just started a twitter feed.

I dislike the notion of social networking. I'm an extreme introvert and I value my privacy. At the same time, I don't want to dismiss one of the most mainstream tools out there in its entirety for fear of turning into the equivalent a ratchety old coot that can't work his TV.

Anonymity is still my biggest priority. I'm not using my real name.

GoFlamesGo · 09-10-2010, 11:10 AM

I'm a blogger. I started a blog about 2-3 years for fun and posted all the daily bonus codes to all the radio stations in Calgary. It grew over time and got a decent following. I recently started to expand and grow my network of blogs.

It takes a lot time, hard work and quality/ unique content to build a successful blog. You should pick a niche and blog about something you're passionate it otherwise you’ll get bored very quickly.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

Winsor_Pilates · 09-10-2010, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickerjones

I do about daily hockey deals ala my sig. It did so well it got the attention of some people who apporached me about partnering and making it a .com . There are some people who make some serious money blogging

Can't you point your blog to a domain that you own and make it a .com on your own?
That's what I would want to do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MickMcGeough

If you aren't looking to build a following and just want to dump your brain on to the internet, ignore the rest of this post.

Bit of both, the personal one would be just to dump my brain. Get my creative writing side going and explore content I'm interested in at the same time. If it goes somewhere great, but not a big deal.
The professional one would be related to my job, so I'd be more concerned about it having good content.

Quote:

I recommend choosing a specific topic (sounds like you have for your professional blog), sticking to a single direction, coming up with a name people will remember, and writing a couple months worth of entries before you launch your blog. Release one every week and give people a reason to bookmark/subscribe.

I was thinking of doing this, good advice. I figure it's best to start with a good stockpile of content so I don't run the risk of getting started and running out of content before a following comes.

photon · 09-10-2010, 12:22 PM

I'm an information junkie so I always try and think of ways to turn that into income, instead of it eating my income by distracting me from work and blogging seems like an obvious choice.

Picking a direction is hard though, and quality content is also hard.. while I don't feel like I have a problem expressing myself, I do think I am far too exhaustive in doing so. I write like a technical writer, not a blogger

nickerjones · 09-10-2010, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Can't you point your blog to a domain that you own and make it a .com on your own?
That's what I would want to do.

Sure I could ... But I cant build a website and the partners brought other partnerships with them ... These partnerships bring readership in the amount of over 150,000 readers. Its a no brainer if your wanting to make a little dough. I was getting only about 75-100 readers a day doing it myself. Splitting income 50/50 to get supplied readership , web site done for me, and not have to pay hosting fees etc.... Its a no brainer for me!

Winsor_Pilates · 09-10-2010, 01:14 PM

Which blog sites do you guys use/recommend to build and host your blogs?
I'm thinking either Wordpress or Blogger. Any suggestions?

604flames · 09-10-2010, 01:15 PM

I write a blog for the hockey team I work for, your basic team info, game previews and reviews, and league info to boot.

Ashartus · 09-10-2010, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Which blog sites do you guys use/recommend to build and host your blogs?
I'm thinking either Wordpress or Blogger. Any suggestions?

I'd take a look at both and see which one appeals to you the most. Since they're both free you could even set up accounts in both and try starting a blog in each one to see which one you like best. I use WordPress and find it pretty easy to use, but I imagine Blogger is pretty similar.

MickMcGeough · 09-10-2010, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Which blog sites do you guys use/recommend to build and host your blogs?
I'm thinking either Wordpress or Blogger. Any suggestions?

AFAIK Blogger doesn't have a standalone installation option - I could be wrong.

Wordpress, on the other hand, has an excellent standalone installation. I'd recommend Wordpress since you can easily dump your database and move to a dedicated server in the future if you wanted.

DuffMan · 09-10-2010, 03:59 PM

sounds like a good idea to me.

FanIn80 · 09-10-2010, 04:09 PM

One of the best blogs on the internet: http://sethgodin.typepad.com

Flames0910 · 09-13-2010, 07:10 PM

One of the biggest things is consistency. Make yourself a schedule for how often you want to post (daily, mon/wed/fri, weekly, etc) and force yourself to stick to it.

Personally, I switched from Wordpress to Blogger (which is backwards for most people) but if you're not going to self-host wordpress actually gives you less control over your theme.

FCAV · 09-13-2010, 07:35 PM

I'm the managing editor of Future Considerations (www.futureconsiderations.ca new site currently in development) and we blog quite regularly over there about prospects. Twitter too! www.twitter.com/VickersFC

MrMastodonFarm · 09-13-2010, 07:38 PM

I follow Bob Loblaw's Law Blog.