| #1: Are you Ready to Win some Cash? The ProBlogger Giveaway continues! |
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Why It Made The List
Darren ran a creative contest giving away 17 different prizes ranging from a $20 Amazon gift certificate to $501 in cash. What did people have to do in order to earn a chance to win? Finish the statement "If I had a million dollars..." by commenting in the blog post that announced the contest. The result? A remarkable 742 comments posted by ProBlogger readers. It was a fantastic way to generate awareness about the blog and get his community further engaged with his blog. Lesson learned: If you want more comments, give away free stuff. |
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| #2: Should Links Open in a New Window? |
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Why It Made The List
Should you have links on your site load in a new window to keep visitors on your website or does it make your site look spammy? Darren's opinion is to keep them in the same window and if the visitors wants to use a new window or tab they will right click on it and select that option. He doesn't want to be forced to load the link in a new website. He also suggests that it is ok to load a link in a new page when you are linking out to a PDF file or large image. Over 160 ProBlogger community members then weighed in with their thoughts in an interesting discussion that every website owner could learn from. |
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| #3: Fashion-Incubator - a ProBlogger Community Blog Consulting Project |
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Why It Made The List
Darren started an initiative called Community Blog Consulting where bloggers could submit their websites and get ProBlogger community members to dissect it and give their feedback. This particular post looks at a blog called Fashion-Incubator and over 65 ProBloggers joined in on the conversation offering valuable, specific, and detailed advice on topics such as design, content, promotion, SEO, and monetization. It's a must read post for anybody starting a blog or looking for ways to make their blog better. While the advice is specific to Fashion-Incubator, many of the lessons discussed can be applied to almost any blog. |
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| #4: Do You Call Yourself a Blogger? |
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Why It Made The List
This post sparked a serious discussion amongst ProBlogger readers. Darren, the ProBlogger, came out and said that he uses the term "Blogger" less and less to describe what he does. He explains that he does it for three reasons: competitors don't limit themselves so why should you?, readers don't care what format your site is in, and it allows you to position yourself for future opportunities. This post made many bloggers think about how they want to be seen and think more strategically about how they position themselves going forward. |
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| #5: A Reality Check about Blogging for Money |
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Why It Made The List
Darren discusses the Wall Street Journal article published about him which reported that his annual blog earnings was over $250,000. To discourage new bloggers from naively quitting their jobs to start an online business without having all the facts, Darren discusses the missing 'back story' behind his earnings. He talks about how it took 5 years to get his blog to this point, that it's a lot of hard work, that it takes luck, and that most people don't make much money blogging (the most popular category for bloggers is under $10 in monthly earnings). It's a great reality check for new bloggers who think they can make a quick buck. |
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| #6: What is the Biggest Mistake That You’ve Made as a Blogger? |
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Why It Made The List
I'm a big believer in the notion that the fastest way to build a business is to model the success of others. Part of that modeling success comes from understanding and avoiding the mistakes that others have made before you. In this post Darren opens up the discussion to his blogging community encouraging people to share the biggest mistake they have made as bloggers. Over 200 people left comments sharing their mistakes that cost them the most. Some share missed opportunities and regrets while others discussed errors in judgments and actions. All in all it's a fantastic list for bloggers looking to learn from and avoid the common pitfalls that others have fallen into. |
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| #7: ProBlogger - PageRank 4 |
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Why It Made The List
One of Google's biggest shakeups happened this year when in October they downgraded the Page Ranks of thousands of blogs. The main reason for the decrease was enforcing a penalty for selling links. Darren discusses here how his blog fell to a Page Rank 4 despite not selling any links on his site (his blog would go on to become a Page Rank 6 again). The Page Rank update marked a significant turn in how Google would evaluate websites and the inability to sell links quickly shut down the business models of many bloggers. Over 200 bloggers weighed in with their thoughts on this Page Rank drop blog post. |
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| #8: 10 Ways to Hurt Your Blog’s Brand by Commenting on Other Blogs |
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Why It Made The List
Most bloggers look at commenting on other blogs as a way to build awareness around their own site. In this important post, Darren warns about the negative impact that commenting on other blogs can have on your business if you do not do it properly. Some of Darren's tips include don't put in too long a signature, don't link too much in your comment, don't post short and meaningless comments, make sure the blog post is relevant to your site, don't get involved in flaming wars, and don't stuff your comments with keywords. The important thing to remember from this post is to approach commenting as you would blogging - make sure that each comment is well thought out and adds value to the conversation that has already been started. |
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| #9: Which Feed Reader is Best? |
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Why It Made The List
One of the greatest features of ProBlogger is that Darren is always looking to help bloggers find the best tools to help them build their businesses. In the process, Darren also becomes a better blogger and everyone wins. In this post Darren asks which RSS feed reader is best for bloggers. Over 230 bloggers answered Darren's call with some very informative, detailed, and well thought out reviews. It's an excellent resource for bloggers looking to maximize their time and find the RSS feed reader that best fits their style and personal needs. |
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| #10: Should I Add Fake Comments to My Blog? |
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Why It Made The List
Every blogger wants to see that people are leaving comments on their blog. It makes the blog look more popular and encourages people to come back. But what if you're not getting any comments? Is it worth adding your own fake comments in? It's a question that I'm sure every new blogger wrestles with. Darren's opinion is not to fake a blog comment and instead focus your time on writing better, more engaging content and getting involved with other bloggers so that they have an incentive to come to your blog and leave a comment. It was a hot post for ProBlogger that led to over 130 other bloggers giving their opinions on to fake or not to fake. |
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