MelvinBlog

A blog that chronicles my journey on online marketing, blogging, social media, technology and life.

Blogging Experience

It’s Not About Making Controversy, It’s just Being Me

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If you’re a long time reader of this blog, you probably have seen me a lot of times really go into a certain topic and just write on it freely, most of the times really pouring in a lot of immature controversial  statements as oppose to just being balanced enough and having a milder take on things.

But it’s just recently that I’ve been quite getting some flak for that attitude and that lead to me writing this very interesting post about my take on things.

It’s not Being Controversial, it’s just being me

I don’t think a lot of bloggers have this attitude but when I write, I just speak myself out. I try to be as spontaneous as possible and I think it speaks very well on how transparent I am. But that doesn’t mean that I am being irresponsible. Obviously when you write based on how you feel, you’re most of the times wrong. And that’s what I try to avoid. I can always assure you that I do my research or own study before really speaking on things. For all those people out there, it’s crucial. If you don’t do your research first, it may ruin your credibility.

Back to being transparent, I think most people here have liked my spontaneity and personality. That being said, it’s equally important as well to try to connect to your readers by just being your own. Sure at times we feel quite pressured not to sound too personal (and quirky) fearing to lose our credibility, but the truth is what  all our readers care for is our own view on things. You could talk about this, talk about that and talk about all those latest trends but at the end, our readers will only care on our own tack on those issues and that’s why they comment on the first place. They either agree or disagree.

Controversy gives more risk as a blogger

A lot of people have gone down to this path. They start a blog, and to make a shortcut or to get noticed quickly, out of nowhere they hit big bloggers/people. They try to criticize them even though it’s not reasonable, they tend to create a lot of controversy so that they can get traction in as little time as possible.

I would tell you first and foremost to avoid that tactic. It’s an old blackhat practice and I don’t think it is going to work if you do it solely for bullshitting other people. Sure it can yield you great spikes in traffic but unless you give people enough proof on those, all of those craps are just deemed claims. And claims are just stuffs that you should never believe into.

Striking a balance

All in all it boils down to striking a balance between both. I am always a firm believer that you can get more people to read you by just being yourself, not pretending to be a lawyer or what. On the flip side, more people will actually then BELIEVE you by doing your research, thus boosting your credibility as oppose to just reading you.

Striking a balance is quite a work if you ask me. Sometimes we tend to be not fair but that’s where our readers come and rescue us. I always feel glad, actually really glad when a commenter opposes to what I believe and then explains his side on the comments.

What do you think about this topic?

Automatically getting Subscribed to Comments, Good or Bad?

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For the past few years I have been quite a bit critical and open on tackling blog comments. In fact, there’s even a dedicated category of it here just with that topic. Anyways today I would like to touch on something that I know people have mixed opinion with and that is comment subscription.

One of the guys I really look up into named Neil Patel has this enabled in his blog QuickSprout. What he basically has done is automatically have people commenting on his blog subscribed to their own comments. What happens is that if Neil (or some dude) replies to my comment, I would be notified vial email that someone has replied to my comment. 88 replies to my comment would then mean 88 notification emails (I know its unrealistic).

I’ve first seen that tactic on Gyutae Park’s blog at Winning the Web where the check box is automatically checked. To be honest with you, as a blogger myself, I find this tactic insidious and annoying. Why? Because of uhm, uhm, getting added emails and probably just really not caring to know if the guy replied or not. Both of which are lame reasons as well.

I was checking my subscription to comment plugin stats and I was surprised to learn that I’ve actually had a good number of audience here subscribing to comments. I was like wow. Over the past few years I’ve realized a couple of handful things on blogging generally. Maybe replying to majority of comments is not silly at all, or maybe this, maybe that.

So since we are talking about this topic, I am going to ask your opinion about. I would also like to say that by now, I’m discerning on following that tactic where each and every one of you who will comment will automatically be subscribed to comments. I’ve realized it’s not really annoying at all! But again thats just me…

[poll id=”5″]

Please let me know what you think by voting in the poll and also interacting in the comment forms below. Your feedback about this topic will largely affect my decision on whether to use that or not.

How Long Can You Stay Nice to People

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Recently I was reading a post from Rob Sutton about dealing with people w/c gave me a good idea on this post. We, as bloggers are generally nice to people whoever they are and wherever they come from. That’s why we look into each other more as peers rather than competitors. But everything has its own limit and today I am going to discuss to my experience with dealing with different types of people.

Generally when we were just getting started, we were nice as much as we could. I mean, if someone sends us an email on something, we would always respond. If someone comments on our posts, we are nice enough to reply back. That’s how we are.

Fast-forward to the time we became a bit successful and known, we know don’t have time to respond to people all the time, we are not as approachable as we used to before and it seems like we’re not the same kind guy we used to be when we were just starting. Admit it, admit it people.

Cold Hard Fact

Here’s the fact: When a blogger gets more and more popular and established, he/she becomes less nice, less responsive and less approachable. Struggling with keeping your feet off the ground (like before) is ALWAYS a factor. But there are a lot more to consider.

When people become more successful, he/she switches from socializing to more of managing and administrating. Because of the success, the blogger tries to leverage what he has either by starting a new business or by taking the current one on the next level. As a result, the blogger’s interaction with people as friends becomes lesser.

And With Being Nice

Being nice is not really mandatory. I understood this nature and that’s why few bloggers aren’t generally nice to their readers. I am a frequent lurker of WickedFire forum and if you know that forum, you know what I’m talking about.

Some people on the other hand, seem to morph from a nice person to a complete asshole. Either because of the success that he/she tasted or whatever. Do take note that is normal in today’s world. Success comes with responsibility and as we become more successful (or just by making progress) we also change.

To be fair and have a more balanced outlook in this post, it’s really hard to be nice all the time. Of course when we are just getting started, we are into this mentality of being nice or else not get noticed thing. We try to be nice to rude people. But as I’ve said it’s impossible to be, all the time.

As we get more and more positive mentions online, we also tend to get a lot of negative criticisms from some unknown people. And oftentimes we engage ourselves in bad-mouthing against them. Some even use their blog to bash those people.

I don’t know. I am nice to people, all people who have contacted me using my contact form were replied (even those annoying ones), I try to be as accommodating as possible here in this blog and that’s because I am intrinsically that way. But at some point I wonder and ask myself, how long can I stay nice to people?

Hard Work Is Mostly Needed at the Start

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The  ratio of new bloggers having enough juice to continue from those bloggers who give up is pretty far-fetched. And by doing your own simple observation you can easily notice it. Just by checking some of the old comments from your old posts you can see that most of them have abandoned blogging (for a good reason or because they realized its not for them).

I always believe that if you have the passion and dedication you can surpass that stage alone but I’m starting to contemplate now. In any business model, the hardest part (or what is better known as heavy lifting) is done at the start. And today I would like to give my share in it, relating it to blogging.

Why At the Start?

Ok this is what you need to do when you are aiming to have a successful blog yet you’re just getting started. You need tons of great content, you need lots of commenting (200 blogs a day), you need a lot of guest posting (rejected ones aren’t included), you need to do repetitive link-building tasks, you need to spend almost half a day in social media, you need to connect with the big boys of your niches, you need to do some freelance for a startup income, then spend some time doing all those boring tasks and the list goes on.

Do take note that you need to do that for months, not just for a number of days or a couple of weeks. It’s just god damn tiring and draining. This is actually a good filtering process where those who are really serious about it get in and those who are not get filtered.

Importance of Proper Mindset

Proper mindset is very important here. If you’re expecting something unrealistic within a couple of days then it will disappoint you. It’s important NOT to have any expectations but still be in line with your goals (w/c you must have). All the other stuffs, adjustments, new learnings etc are gonna be very vital here.

If you’re a newbie, its really crucial to have one. You probably are at the start of what is called the learning curve where you are doing your own thing at your own pace and yet you’re absorbing new information. This is tough but I ‘m a big believer of “mind over matter” statement so if you think properly, you can overcome those obstacles.

You Ready?

This question can be hard to answer depending on who you are and what you are doing. For instance, I am a college student. At some point I think I would be very happy to just sell this blog and enjoy the 10X than monthly income money I am gonna get paid. For most, they quit even before they get to have a chance.

You don’t need to put hardwork just at the start, you need it everytime. But keep in mind that the bloodiest part of it is when just getting started. I said “bloody” because these are usually the tasks that can tire you. At some point you may even feel wasted. But as you make progress, your focus and hard work shifts from bloody stuffs to the easier managing part. And believe me in the end its all worth it. 😉

Blog Interviews are Lame

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The “in” thing nowadays is blog interviews. You can surf the blogosphere and easily find a ton of bloggers doing it. Why? “Maybe’ because it’s a good way to boost your blog’s traffic.  Before, it seems that only reputable bloggers can do interviews with big people. But now it has become different as almost anyone can easily hold one. Not only that, these days you don’t need big people, you can interview random people and still look like you’re doing it finely.

My Rant with Interviews

Personally I’m not a fan of these interviews (although I got interview quite a many times). I find it as a lazy blogger’s way to sneak some traffic w/c will not really convert in the end. Either way here are the main reasons why I think its lame:

1. Lazy, Generic and Annoying Questions

There is nothing more annoying for me than to see generic questions get asked like “Tell something about your blog”, “What’s your advice for the readers here” and stuffs. While you cannot avoid asking the same questions with different people, it’s a completely different case when you just intentionally have a pre-made question for all your potential interviews.

Remember, each and every blogger has their own persona, different experience, expertise and tone. Don’t be lazy, ask questions accordingly!

2. Interviewing People that Don’t Add Value

The main purpose of an interview is for the interviewee to share something valuable to the readers of the interviewer’s blog. I don’t mean to be offensive but the hard fact is that you cannot just interview random people across the board and expect your audience to get interested in it.

It’s also important to stick your niche. If your blogging about blogging, you need to interview credible probloggers, not just any bloggers out there blogging on different niches.

3. Gullible Interviewees

Again you are going to disagree with this but I would just like to be honest. I find it absurd that these big people let these unknown bloggers interview them. Unknown bloggers are those who are just getting started, with 10m+ Alexa ranking and stuffs. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying someone is not qualified to do an interview if he/she is just getting started. What I mean is that there must have some sort of credibility first before you can interview people. Just like in guest posting, you have to look first on the guest poster’s site before accepting the post if it’s good.

And as for the interviewees, I think it’s also important to think on whether accepting the interview can benefit other blogger’s audience (if there’s actually an audience) and benefit themselves as well. I don’t see the point of spending an hour answering questions when no one is really going to read it. I know you know what I mean.

Final Words

In doing interviews it’s essential to become creative and stand out from the rest. One person who does it fairly well is Michael Dunlop from IncomeDiary.com. The guy interviews people well and I myself enjoy all of his lengthy interviews with prominent people in the industry.

Just becoming different and not lazy can make a huge difference.

What I Learned in Doing Paid Reviews

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Last month, you probably have seen me accept a couple of paid reviews here in my blog and to be honest I know you don’t like seeing two paid posts in less than 10 days especially that this blog rarely does paid reviews.

The truth about paid reviews is that you rarely pass on them. Practically, it’s the most expensive form of advertising one can avail and for the bloggers; it’s the most lucrative one. And again, I don’t think most bloggers would pass for the opportunity of getting paid. As long as it’s related to what your blog is, then I don’t think there’s any problem with that. Of course, it can hurt your blog in a way or another.

I have learned some few lessons on doing sponsored reviews but before I talk about that, I would like to share with you how I really discourage advertisers from purchasing a review from this blog. First is I price my review too high. Ok, although it seems like $50 is a small amount for the audience I have, it actually is $50 way back when this blog is in 200K Alexa (w/c means I need to raise). Another thing is that my blog is pr0, meaning you don’t get organic boost. And worst, I even no-follow the links! And lastly, I don’t let it last too long in the front page. Doing this sponsored post is really painful in my ass BUT for the money-sake, you obviously do it as long as it’s relevant.

Anyways here are the key tips that I learned in doing posts that are paid:

  • Tell them everything – I always tell people to tell your client/advertisers what to expect. After I learn that someone has purchased a paid review, I usually personally contact them with the details, along with how long the review would be there and the nofollow thing. And besides, I believe I clearly stated in my advertise page.
  • Adjust quickly – If you’re like me then you have a ton of drafts that you are planning to publish anytime soon. So imagine everything is planned already and all of a sudden somehow requested a paid review, how would you react? Adjust rapidly! Make sure you don’t alienate your posting frequency by breaking it. On the other hand, also make sure that the advertiser realizes his post will not be posted immediately but on a scheduled date.
  • Tell your readers you’re paid to do that – There will be times when you would get consecutive review requests or even 3-4 requests in one week. I’m sure it would cross your mind not to disclose some of it because you’re worrying your readers might get annoyed with those reviews. Listen, disclose it! Don’t even think, just disclose it and talk in such a way that you’re still doing your normal posts.
  • Be honest – This is an ancient tip with paid reviews yet still many bloggers are afraid to do it. When you’re paid to review someone’s product, you either get your reputation tainted, or get the advertiser’s expectations not met. I would rather get the second one. With my last review about PasteWeb, I was constructively critical with the program itself but I can tell that the advertiser was not mad with me. Here’s one key tip: You know your audience, you know what type of audience they are so think of them when doing your review. Conclude the review based on whether it can benefit your readers or not.

Obviously as I was mentioning this, I still have a couple of paid reviews on the way but I can assure you this will not bore you to death nor will it make you not want to visit this blog again. How about you? How do you deal with sponsored reviews?

What is Problogging & A Look at Some Pro Bloggers

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Problogging is a word that’s not new. If it sounds new to you, then probably you are living under the cave. Pro blogging simply stands for professional blogging and today I would like to talk about it more from my own perspective. No worries as I’ll assure you that this is no generic article.

Each and everyone of us bloggers want to be called as professional bloggers but in reality we’re not. Professional bloggers are simply the ones who do blogging as a business, more specifically as a primary business. They usually allot 6+ hours per day with their blogs, mostly dealing with content and marketing. That being said even though I am spending a lot of time blogging, I cannot still call myself as a problogger because I am student.

It’s also a big misconception that you can look like a professional one by blogging with perfect grammar and great fluency. Again its a total misconception. Although I don’t want to imply the mentality of speaking like a moron/douchebag, you cannot just focus too much on how formal your way of speaking is. At the end it’s all about gaining popularity and capitalizing on it, not boasting your English degree.

So Im going to take a look at some probloggers today. Obviously, just earning a big amount of money doesn’t mean you’re a pro blogger. Anyhow, here are the great examples of bloggers who do professional blogging.

  • Darren Rowse – is the pioneer of professional blogging. I probably have never seen a guy who is as dedicated as Darren in this world. He blogs at ProBlogger.com and some other many sites. What’s amazing with this guy is that you can take a look at all his blogs and easily notice that they are all established in whatever niche they are. Although he’s a bit conservative in terms of making money, I still believe he makes a heck of cash with all of his assets in the internet
  • Yaro Starak – Yaro is my favorite blogger. Although he’s not the earliest person to do blogging, he probably is the first guy to leverage his audience best by offering a membership site called Blog Mastermind. Since then it really exploded his expertise on the subject matter where he gained a lot of reputation and trust. Look at Yaro as a blogger who got interested in internet marketing, studied it and mixed it with blogging superbly to achieve who he is today now.
  • John Chow – Ok it took me 5 minutes to decide whether I should include Chow in this list. After all he’s like Shoemoney. The only difference though is that Chow has no other big  business aside from blogging w/c is why he’s in this list. John is the best example of a pro blogger who doesn’t need to have perfect way of expressing things in word.
  • David Risley – It was only last year when I stumbled upon him and his blog. Some of you may not even know him yet. If not it’s your best chance to know him @ DavidRisley.com. He connects with his readers well by just blogging spontaneously. David is a problogger even before the term existed but he just started building his expertise couple of years back. If you’re looking to build a blogging business, then head on and grab his six figure blogger blueprint (Don’t just get afraid of his large voice!)

Okie dokie. As always I’d love to hear your opinions on this and your thoughts about problogging. Also do you have any other suggestions out there for professional bloggers? Or do you think someone in that list doesn’t deserve being included?