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Stop Following Rules made by Others.That's my main bit of advice. Everyone has thoughts on what needs to be done to become a successful blogger but what they neglect to understand is that we all have a different meaning of "successful."
Set Your Own Rules... and Don't Be Afraid to Change ThemWhen I first started blogging I wanted to make money. Plain and Simple. I did sponsored posts on anything and everything. I posted about stuff I had no business talking about because I didn't even know what I was saying, but I was making money, so I was successful. Then I decided to be more selective. I still do sponsored posts and reviews, but only on products and services I understand, have a need for or am interested in. That was my choice. My Rule changed and I embraced it. I also started making more money for those posts so it all evened out.
Be True to YourselfSome of the well known bloggers will tell you not to give away anything for free. They may be right and that probably reflects their personalities. That doesn't fit my personality at all. I'm one of the "go-to" people amongst my friends. When someone is in a bind and needs someone to watch their kids, they know they can call me and I'll happily help them out. I don't ask for money or for them to return the favor. If I come across a business that makes cute hair bows like
Little Owl Boutique or an individual that does awesome bead work like
Molly's Lampwork Beads I'll promote them
because I can. Those two ladies are incredibly talented and happen to be personal friends of mine. Not only did they
not ask me to promote them, they don't even know I'm doing it. It makes me happy to help them out. I often post about charities because I am always looking for ways to "give back". If I asked these charities to compensate me I would feel like a fraud. Really. One of my favorite sites to promote is
Bridge and Beyond. Sandy and I have become virtual friends through blogging and Facebook. She encourages knitters to donate hats, mittens and scarves that she gives to the homeless men in her area. She also donates some of the stuff to local free clinics that make them available to women and children. She also doesn't know I'm posting this. It's a cause I support and a woman I think is amazing, so I share it with you. That's what works for me and makes me feel successful. You have to do what's right for you.
Post When You Have Something to SayThis is another tough one. I understand that your articles are more likely to be picked up by the search engines with regular posting but, setting a goal of X number of posts a week has never worked for me. I often fail to hit my goal or post something crappy because I'm trying to hit a quota... that I set for myself. How silly is that? Now I post when I feel like it. I no longer feel like I've failed and I'm much happier with my content. My happiness is what matters here. Your happiness is what's important on your blog.
Do It Your WayRead what others have to say. Arm yourself with the knowledge others possess and then do what works best for you. Change your mind when you want and continue to strive for new goals and knowledge. That's the best way, I've found, to make this a continuing hobby. I call it a hobby because it isn't a "living". That was never
my goal.