C’mon, we all know that’s you at the computer in the image above. :)
Okay, so you’re not a machine and you probably don’t have cool laser guns sticking out of your head.
… Speaking of, um, blogging …
Here are 18 of the most critical skills to success as a blogger, plus related articles. Use this list to help you decide which skill(s) to work on now.
Blog Publishing Skills
1. Coming up with blog post ideas
- Nothing to Blog About: Hit the Ideas File by Lorelle VanFossen
- Your Immediate, Unlimited Supply of Blog Post Ideas by Chris Garrett
- Where I Get Story Ideas by Jonathan Bailey
2. Planning your blogging activities
- How Are You Planning For Your Blog’s Future? by Lorelle VanFossen
3. Reading about blogging in order to get post ideas and improve your posts
- How to Read by Brian Clark
4. Editing published posts
- Cleaning Up Old Posts, The Gateway to Your Blog by Lorelle VanFossen
- SEO Tips: Increase PageRank by Revitalizing Your Old Posts by, you guessed it, Lorelle VanFossen :)
5. Writing posts
- How Long Does It Take You to Write a Blog Post? by Lorelle VanFossen
- Why Does a Blog Post Fail? by Lorelle VanFossen
6. Using blog publishing software
- Choosing a Blogging Platform by Melanie Nelson
7. Learning how to improve your blog publishing efforts
- Improve Blog Content: 29-Point Checklist by Easton Ellsworth
Blog Promotion Skills
8. Emailing people about your blog
- So How DO You Pitch a Blogger? by Mack Collier
9. Calling people about your blog
- The Ultimate Guide To Networking With Bloggers by Alex Shalman
10. Talking to people in person about your blog
11. Sharing your blog on social media websites
- Six ways to make people follow your blog and Twitter feed by Kevin O’Keefe
12. Making and publishing press releases about your blog
13. Learning how to improve your blog promotion efforts
- How to get traffic for your blog by Seth Godin
- 21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic by Rand Fishkin
Blog Improvement Skills
14. Analyzing the traffic and search engine rankings of your blog
- Statistical Analysis of a Blog’s Traffic by Eric Rosenberg
15. Changing the design of your blog
- 30 Ways to Improve Readability by Michael Martin
16. Adding services to your blog
17. Recruiting or hiring other bloggers to contribute to your blog
- How to Recruit High Quality Guest Bloggers by Darren Rowse
18. Studying the process of blog improvement
I’m sure there are more skills that matter. I just wanted to list the ones I see as central to blogging success for most people.
What do you think? What would you add?
image: stephendann
Great list Easton, thanks for the link. And I LOVE the pic!
Cool list, thanks for the aggregation!
Two more ideas: learn to write for a blog (tone, voice, building community), get content ideas from comments (yours at other blogs and those of others at your blog). I’ve written extensively on blogging both here and at Conversation Agent.
Excellent links with great information. (Thanks for including mine!) You’ve turned me on to a few new people–which is always appreciated.
Two additional ideas: learn to put in writing for a web log get content concepts from comments (yours at alternative blogs and people of others at your blog). I’ve written extensively on blogging each here and at spoken language Agent.
Easton,
What a great list! Thanks for putting this all in one place– some oldies&goodies, some new.
Pardon me, but I notice that you haven’t listed any of your *own* posts!? You have some great ideas on VisionaryBlogging that have inspired me, and that I’ve recommended to others. A little ssp (like, adding just one of your own articles to this list) wouldn’t be too offputting, in my view.
thanks!
cvh
Wow, an extensive list of skills you have listed above. As a blogger, you always need to improve and be on top of your game so to speak. You always need to be one step ahead of the rest and post about interesting topics that interest others.
Thank you for this very useful list!
Though it will take at least a week to read and understand it completely :)
This will surely help in the long run.
You are all most welcome! :) Let me know how it goes with improving a skill or two this week. I am working on getting better at changing my blog design and also becoming a better planner for my blog.
I have this bookmarked already – great list of powerful blogging resources. Just can’t believe I haven’t left a comment. Went back here to thank you “personally” by leaving a comment. This is truly a must-have especially for newbie bloggers like me.
Thank you, Easton.
I too have bookmarked this post. So far I have only gotten through the first item on ideas and I’m giddy with excitement. Thanks for the page and keep up the good work.
A good compilation …. nonetheless I am soooo tired of ‘how to blog better’ posts … But I guess that’s me …
Lex
This is an ultimate list. Good one.
Helped a lot :-)