Ming the Mechanic:
Advice for new webloggers

The NewsLog of Flemming Funch
 Advice for new webloggers2002-12-04 16:38
1 comment
by Flemming Funch

Several of my good friends are trying to get around to starting their weblog, but have a hard time finding the time and courage to get going. Here is some good advice from Ross Mayfield from the Ryze Blog & Bloggers tribe:
"They say you play soccer the way you are. I think blogging is similar to this self-organizing sport. You blog the way you are.

When confronted with the chronological format of a blog, the pressure to post is at first extreme. How do I start? What if I don't keep it up? Does this go on my permanent record? But the reality is there is no shame in an empty calendar. Post daily, weekly, monthly or occassionally. You blog when you can.

The question that is most personal is what to blog. As one blogger said, "Find a topic and own it." Finding focus is a sure time saver, but it also contributes to the medium, as its one of specialized voices. The more you post on your domain the better. You blog what you are.

The other part, indeed what this tribe is about, is community. When you have others reading, others you know, their feedback and their own posts spark your own. You don't blog alone.

Make a little plan on how you will start, just begin and you will find your rhythm."
I guess what mostly can be intimidating is if one feels the pressure to produce posts very regularly, like every day, or one feels a pressure to share parts of oneself that one maybe isn't ready for. And, as he says, you can really post whenever it fits your rhythm. And you can post whatever makes sense for you. It doesn't have to be super-smart or super-personal or anything. And in the NewsLogs in NCN it should be even more gentle for you than in most other places, as you don't have to reveal it for the whole world right away, and you have a supportive community around you.


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1 comment

19 Dec 2014 @ 15:43 by Widha @212.101.22.105 : kZNuxFbVDOwyusApsHSx
Bought this after checking out the list of cennott and reading the Look Inside. Wasn't absolutely sure initially if this was worth my investment. But to my surprise, the book did just what it promised.Ming basically outlined the fundamentals and essential steps to guide website creation using WordPress without prior knowledge. But he doesn't stop there. In fact, he details the possible online business model and how to profit from the websites.Ming wrote in an easy to understand manner without all the frills which suits me just fine. He further enhanced his instructions with illustrations.I would recommend anyone who intends to start online business to thoroughly read this. Those who already running their online businesses, I think they can benefit from some of the traffic generation tips too.I learned and actually set up a simple WordPress website using the very comprehensive instructions. I was overjoyed, especially me being not very technical with computers. There were graphics to show me exactly how it was done including the initial buying domain and hosting set up. I was terrified at first, not understanding some of the jargons used, but the step-by-step pictures explains the processes well.Chapter 10 until 12 make up the vital part of building profitable websites. Ming spare no stones unturned at revealing principles on niche selection, keyword selection and analyzing the competitors' strength. I'm sure this part alone is much valuable than the price of this book.I just started implementing the traffic part of the business model, not sure how it will go, but does look promising. The 5 different traffic generation chapters really open my eyes to various potential making money strategies.Oh, guess I must mention the bonus included, which is a series of videos on mastering WordPress. The videos made good reference for me as I venture to customize my website. Definitely a super plus bonus to have!I love the little task lists at the end of each chapter, helps to keep this hands on experience. The only complaint is sometimes the pictures can be slightly too small or faint for my liking. I appreciate Ming for keeping this simple, but wonder there may be more online business models he can introduce.Overall, this book shines through to deliver its promise to help me set up my website using WordPress. I now can proceed to explore more in the online business world. And it helps me overcame the fear of creating websites I seriously think this is worth every single cent I paid and would have paid more for this, knowing this guide will return my investment many more times.  


Other stories in
2012-01-24 00:50: Intellectual Property
2011-11-03 16:51: Seeing the world through the Internet
2009-06-11 18:53: Blogging/Microblogging and work
2008-02-23 17:19: Web 1, 2, 3 and 4
2008-02-22 11:07: Illusion
2008-01-09 22:45: A Communication Model
2007-12-02 20:41: Give One Get One
2007-10-25 21:47: Static or dynamic web metaphors
2007-09-18 22:54: Rethinking blogs
2007-07-04 23:59: Scrutiny of Information



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