Started my Own Blog

[Shoma]

Hey everyone, just started my own blog here, I call it the Greek Nerdium.

 

Not very impressive but I still getting the hang of this interface. Trying to get my cool background to fit.

 

Btw, I was wondering, is Blogger(from Google) a decent place to start a blog? Or is it like pretty much a ghost town regarding people just wandering on to your blog?

[emsley]

You're about to get 7 years of advice so use it buddy.

 

I ran a google blog for two years. (since 2006 if you count all the previous editions)

I would of preferred my own domain and private server - but i got stung by a shitty company so be careful if you go private.

The trouble is any man and his dog can set up a site/blog now, and for every 1 peach there are 30 turds, and thats how anyone who searches is gonna have to get lucky. Very lucky.

 

3 years back if you set up a site and shared it with people you know including communities lets say 100 people - only around 10 of them are ever gonna keep coming back, and the first few times you bore them say something that hits home, or anything you are gonna lose another handful of that list. I'd honestly say for every one hundred people you will be lucky to get 5 regulars.

 

Sadly the web has become instant, it wants info now not later (look at all those shitty sites that make "lists") I've seen articles on cracked etc that have a million hits and i thought "that shit aint even funny."

 

You have two choices, join the idiot wagon and make posts that commonly suck people in via searches, or be your self and know that you earned everyone of your viewers and they are your energy.

 

In two years since I have been on blogspot the hits I have had could full Wembley stadium one and a half times:

 

 

Now anyone would of thought: If you have had that much exposure surly you should have an audience of some magnitude?

This is when blogspot sucks shit: It counts image searches as hits - which I dont so when you search a google image and someone clicks up the photo, but they dont care for the post.............. I think this kind of search constitutes over half of my overall hits to the blog. I'd say under half my hits have been image returns.

 

I get a random email now and then saying "Found your site via a image search thats some funny shit!" thanks!

As for the labels, well unless you cram in as many as possible in my opinion they have minimal effect, who the fuck searches for "cats suck" and does not find exactly what he is looking for on my blog?

 

Now you have two more options to bring traffic in to your site:

 

Facebook: Your friends list - thats right if you feel like badgering your friends for a link and a share then go right ahead I can tell you right now all thats going to happen is that one of your pals will see the new post, even if he or she knows its you and your blog - then you might get a click if he/she likes the look of what you caught the eye with (this includes an image and some writing) then what happens is, these people dont actively bookmark your site, you have to constantly share to Facebook to remind them, you have a morning audience AND an evening audience to share with. So why not make a group to cut it all down? It's the exact same shit just because it's a group does not mean you have uprooted that internet user to actively remember your site and check for updates under their own free will. Do you see the difference between you fishing your audience and someone arriving of their own free will? This is important. People who remember your site and returned are the real internet users, the ones who have to be reminded are "those users" click monkies, and can only do what their main hubs tell them to do.

 

Twitter: Again twitter is exactly the same as facebook; if you want to find the biggest morons on the face of the planet you only need use twitter.

It has its uses in the things you are interested in, but I think its pretty limited. You must get a "retweet" you must have users, i mean why in the fuck does a stupid bitch called beth who talks about bullshit tv shows have more followers than a yorkshire pirate like my self?

See here: http://neo-cream.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/only-thing-worse-than-facebook.html

 

twitter is all about ego for most of its user base, these blithering idiots think their entire life exists to get more users, hardly any of them are original, and i honestly dont give a fuck what a celebrity is doing, its a gigantic ball of fuck, it pisses me off so bad i wanna take a shit in peoples mouths. Oddly though i have had requests to re open my old twitter account. but i dont get it, why do people want 24/7 of me in their face? If i followed me Id punch me.

 

There are other sources like redit or some shit but i have never bothered with that stuff all that much.

I found that cherry picking users and link your blog in your signature is just as good as any form of social media for exposure. for one, the communities you use will have a similar interests already improving your chances of a constant flow of readers. and two they are real people in the sense they know you, word of mouth (passing a link around) is the holy grail of exposure thats how you want to aim your work.

 

 

The downisde to having a blog: You have to be really careful what you put, what you think might be a sentence from the top of your head, someone else will take as an insult (good fuck them) and little cock suckers start hitting the report button. I had my blog closed on one occasion as it was flagged as spam in their automated sysytem, for a week I was without my blog and I couldnt even get a back up of the fucker. Luckily a human looked at my blog and declared it fit for purpose. gee thanks! asshats!

 

So what im saying is, a private server and domain is the only way to go, but this costs money so its your choice.

[Shoma]

THe only way, pretty bold statement.

Then again you have more experience than I.

Well that's the case I'll look into prices and the work of a private server, in the meantime, I think the blog will be decent warmup for getting used to posting and whatnot.

[emsley]

THe only way, pretty bold statement.

Then again you have more experience than I.

Well that's the case I'll look into prices and the work of a private server, in the meantime, I think the blog will be decent warmup for getting used to posting and whatnot.

 

The blog should be a good stepping stone.

I just dont wanna see you hammer away for years and not get any reward.

It can be an awesome site but still not get the hits it deserves.

 

Just ask you one question?

What makes your blog different from the rest, do you think there could be another bunch of manga/games/movie blogs out there?

And if so why do you think yours would deserve more attention than the next 3 blogs?

Its not a put down, its to give you food for thought, healthy food at that.

A successful blog can be a richly rewarding ego boost.

Edited August 6, 2012 by emsley