The following is a guest post by Roko Nastic.
There is no shortage of conversation online. An internet that was once barren – completely devoid of conversation as little as five years ago – has become remarkably social, attracting people from different countries, social classes, and ethnicities to interact and share their opinions. With equal access to information, communications, and publicity for all, it seems as if the modern internet could be the greatest source of information available.
There is a problem, though. For all the praise heaped on the social internet for ‘connecting’ us, very little real connections have happened. We have built thin relationships, largely for the purpose of extending our virtual networks, and have often left out the truly important factor in online networking, publishing, and blogging: authority.
The most successful bloggers are not those with the highest reader counts or the most Facebook friends – they are the ones with the insightful audiences and influential guests. If you want to become a blogger that is not concerned solely with traffic graphs and other gimmicks, pay attention – these four tips, strategies, and tactics could help you transform your blog.
Write less.
For most bloggers, the idea of writing less feels like a step in the wrong direction. They spend months – occasionally even years – building their online reputation, only to be asked to limit the amount of output they produce instantly.
It is nothing to fear. Limited posts ensure that the little you do publish is polished and refined. Cut down your posting frequency by 50 percent and double the value of your work – your readership won’t regret it.
In every post, write more.
Two three-hundred word throwaway posts are often worth less than one detailed six-hundred word account. If your aims revolve around building a reputation – an authority aura, if you will – one of the best things you can do is improve the amount of content a single post contains. Cut out the idea that daily, weekly, or even bi-weekly updates are required, and focus on delivering lengthy, high-value posts when possible.
Don’t comment or speculate; meditate on past events.
The rise in blogging has given hundreds of undiscovered geniuses a voice. It is also given thousands of idiots an outlet for speculation. There is no shortage of unfounded accounts and inane predictions online – they litter most feeds like a sampling of low-quality entertainment. Rise above and over reflective content and you will see the favor returned in higher quality comments, coverage, and value.
Attract high quality guest posters.
There is an old saying – “you are the sum of the five most influential people in your life.” If your blog has a purpose – a goal you want to achieve from it – it is essential that you stock it with the right people. Spend time building relationships with online influencers, the type of people that almost everyone listens to, and you will be rewarded with a greater deal of respect and attention yourself. Most bloggers are not opposed to guest blogging – they just have not found the right platform for it yet.
This article is written by Roko Nastic, editor at Webmaster Format, website where you can learn how to create better, faster and more profitable websites. You can follow him on Twitter to get the updates form the ever changing web.
I am an eBusiness Coach, Web Developer, Internet Marketer, SEO, Inbound Marketing Consultant, and General Web Geek, making my living from home.
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Wow Donna Thanks for directing me to this guest post
I like your thinking and found over time and often the hard way many strange truths about blogging. Most bloggers are in a coma and refuse to believe most truths opting to chase Ghosts and imaginary friends 
I am glad I don’t care about much of what bloggers care about stats, how many comments I get and I have greatly reduced my own commenting because I don’t like to comment to try and game some hits or backlinks. One interesting note is I think this is excellent advice for where I am at with my own blog and blogging Thanks
Off to check you out
John Sullivan recently posted..What to do when you get your ass kicked
Stats are useful but only if they are used as a guide for growth. For instance, if your log stats indicate that your community is continually returning to your blog to read about Subject X, but not Subject Y, then you know to expand upon Subject X. Look carefully at the stats to see what the users want to know about Subject X that you haven’t yet provided. Give ‘me what they want. But to obsess over stats without actually making USE of what the stats are saying, is futile and a waste of time, imo.
Twitter: DonnaFontenot
I fully agree on this one with Donna. Checking up on stats is very useful as long as you’re not focusing on wrong stats or become obsessed with it as some bloggers do. It is important too focus on stats on which you can take some actions that will provide better user experience to your visitors.
Roko Nastic recently posted..How Bloggers Can Benefit from Offering Email Newsletters
Excellent post, 2 thumbs up. This definitely helps me in my effort to get my blog off the ground. Sometimes I tend to think more like a person looking to make a quick buck or a million dollars in a single day rather than provide quality content at a slower pace. But then my mind wakes up and I try to do it the right way. Thank you.
Charles recently posted..The Famous Bloggers ComLuv contest may be over- but the fun has just begun
You’re just in the beginning stages of blogging, Charles, so it’s great to know that you’re already realizing that quality matters. That’s going to give you the edge in the future.
Twitter: DonnaFontenot
I have to say, with all due respect, I don’t really agree with any of this. Maybe we can take it step by step:
1. Write Less. Really? I write one blog post per week if I’m lucky. Should I cut it down by 50%? Do you really think that’s going to increase my readership? Do you think that is going to improve the quality of my audience? Because I was writing 3 posts per week a year ago and my audience was much higher than it is today.
2. Write More. I think this seems like a good idea but frankly, writing longer-winded posts will most likely chase your audience away. The Internet is smaller and faster than it was, and we require a more bite-size approach to reading. I know I don’t have time to read 600 words about this or that, so I’d rather you keep it short and packed with good content. If I see that the blog posts is 600 words long and your first paragraph isn’t amazing, I’m probably going to look elsewhere for insight.
3. Don’t Comment or Speculate. I think you’re right, but only if you’re wrong. Do you know what I mean? Speculation is all fine and good but only if you are correct. If your predictions are wrong, then nobody is going to trust you so that is the only scenario where I would agree with this.
4. Attrat High Quality Guest Posters. I don’t think anyone would disagree with this. Big-name bloggers will undoubtedly bring some of their audience to your blog.
The only reason i disagree with 75% of your tips is because I have tried them, and they have failed me. So what do you think?
Nate Schubert recently posted..Logos With Hidden Meanings
I think everyone has their own experiences. I also think that while the author’s points may be 100% right for some, they may also be 100% wrong for others. However, his points are worth considering. You tried them and discovered that they didn’t work for you. I’m glad you shared that with us. Now, we can all consider both sides; test and perhaps test again; and then decide which works best for us. For me, at least, the goal is to consider carefully, test, and then come to conclusions. Thanks for letting us know your experiences with it.
Twitter: DonnaFontenot
Nate,
I would have to agree with Roko about writing less often and increasing the length of each post. I guess it depends on whether you want to be popular or whether you want to be an authority. You can be more popular by writing more often. But, can a blogger really produce great posts every single day? I have never found one that could.
By publishing less often, you will have less readers, but those readers who stick around are going to be very loyal and trust you more so than the others did. You won’t post crap just for the sake of posting either. Your content will likely be much higher quality.
I personally prefer to subscribe to blogs where the blogger only posts when they have some great content to share. Otherwise, they are wasting my time with the filler crap. Who really wants to weed through the filler crap to get to find the golden nuggets. Wouldn’t you rather have the blogger get right to the good stuff?
Successful business people and CEO’s run their lives using the same principle. They don’t waste the time doing BS busy work. They spend their time doing only high value work. If you are in a conversation with someone important, they will often cut the conversation short if you start to drift off topic at all. They don’t have time for the low value crap.
Along the same lines I also would much rather read a blog that has 600, (no wait) – how about 2,000 word posts that cover a topic in great depth with very precise explanations and examples. That is real value.
How many 200-300 word posts stand the test of time in the SERPs? Take a look at a successful blog like Steve Pavlina for instance. His most popular posts are the ultra long pillar articles that go into great detail about a topic. That is real value. That is real link bait.
If you were searching to learn about how to do SEO, would you rather read an article that had three hundred words about selecting a title. OR, would you want to read about every last detail in order of importance for what matters for on-page SEO. What about an article about links? How much value can you stuff into 300 words about links?
Longer is better as long as it is not fluff. Longer articles have higher quality scores, rank for more long tail keywords and attract more natural links. Which part of that equation would you not want?
Nate, I respectfully disagree with your two objections.
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Hi Nate, thank you for your constructive criticism. It is always good to hear opposite opinions to fire up discussion.
I wouldn’t say that you’re wrong with your assumptions as there are situations that can prove both sides, but in general I strongly believe that bloggers should decrease number of posts they writing. Of course, only if that will increase quality of their posts and that’s often the case.
Maybe you don’t have time to read 600+ words posts and there are certainly others who feels the same, but again, in general, long posts to tend to be accepted better and more often go viral trough various social media channels. You cannot cover topic in depth with 300 words.
Regarding commenting and speculation, there are again various situations where this is applicable, every with its own context. I would refrain from commenting events and others’ actions if I don’t back it up with thoughtful analysis to get right to the point. That’s why I said “…meditate on past events.”
Roko Nastic recently posted..How Bloggers Can Benefit from Offering Email Newsletters
I only have one comment about writing less. I really get disinterested when bloggers or web site stories are too long. I believe quality is best over quantity. Short to the point and precise. You have a message, Say it and get it over with.
I can’t speak for the author of the post, but in general, I personally am pretty succinct. But even though I tend to get to the point rather quickly, my blog posts are often on the long side. I like to be both succinct and comprehensive at times. It is what it is.
Twitter: DonnaFontenot
It seems some have misunderstood the point. Of course it would be counter effective to increase the length of a post just for the sake of making it longer. If you have nothing valuable to add after you wrote to 300 word, stop. The suggested approach is: choose the topic wisely, make deep research prior writing and write 1000, 2000 words… Share high quality thoughts, advices and insights where no word is excessive.
Roko Nastic recently posted..How Bloggers Can Benefit from Offering Email Newsletters
I am not so sure that simply blogging less frequently will make you more of an authority. Providing more meat in your content will. Since I am just a pest control guy I really don’t worry about establishing myself as an authority. But if I were concerned about it I would say the first step would be to establish what subject you wish to be an authority in and then limit your posts to that genre.
Again, don’t look at my blog for examples. My blog is for me. Authority or not, it’s just me. Which is probably why it fails based on the numbers. A wise Internet marketer once said, “my blog is like my therapy.”
…and here I am speculating on creating authority. =)
Thos003 recently posted..New Twitter “Tweet Button”
I think you make an excellent point. Provide more meat in your content. But the author of this post agrees with that. In point #2, there is this statement, “focus on delivering lengthy, high-value posts when possible”. To me, that says the same thing as “provide more meat”.
Twitter: DonnaFontenot
Yes. I totally agree with the #2 point. If blogging less with achieve the 2nd point then it’s good advice. Just making an observation that simply writing less frequently isn’t alone a factor in authority. …. But don’t mind me, I am just a pest control guy. =)
The article provided some excellent tips.
And it appears that I goofed on my twitter handle…
Thos003 recently posted..Pest Control is about the little things
It’s always fun to goof up something now and then.
Twitter: DonnaFontenot
This is some advice I can appreciate. I sometimes feel very pressured by the amount of content other bloggers put out. But here you are telling me I don’t really need to worry about that, just making my posts have more quality. Thanks!
Laura Davis recently posted..What You Didnt Know About Wall Street Reform
Here’s one example of a blog that is updated approximately once a month: http://www.redflymarketing.com/blog/
Every piece they publish is of a extremely high quality and that makes them an authority in seo/sem field, while being so rarely updated.
Roko Nastic recently posted..How Bloggers Can Benefit from Offering Email Newsletters
While I certainly have no trouble with writing less posts (being distracted comes very easy to me and any excuse not to work is alright with me), I’ve found that short posts work for me because if I write long ones I tend to drone on and bore my readers.
Dean Saliba recently posted..3 CPM Ad Networks That I Use
Dean, it’s certainly possible that short posts are best for you and your readers. You’d know best on that, so you certainly won’t get an argument from me. Having said that, have you ever thought about thinking of long posts as merely a set of short posts put together? If you look at a long post as merely a series of concise short posts, you might be able to start writing long posts, without droning on. The key might be to think of a long post in sections. Write each section the same way you’d write a short post. Concise and to the point. Then tie each section into each other smoothly. Just a thought.
Twitter: DonnaFontenot
Great advice!
Roko Nastic recently posted..How Bloggers Can Benefit from Offering Email Newsletters
Writing less, although it really does seem like “ah crap, I’m not staying in front of my audience!”, does have a ton of merits because if you think about it, most bloggers try to teach something – how is that possible if you never have time to actually learn it yourself?
It’s much better to take a few days off to actually put what you plan to teach into implementation therefore you can bring real-world experience and not just theory.
Going the extra distance in your writing goes a long way and, funny enough, you’ll be able to write longer posts because you have more to say
Murlu recently posted..Tips And Tricks To Get The Most Out Of Helium
Going the extra distance makes the difference – no matter how often a blogger posts, or how many words the posts contain. If there’s just one thing to get out of this, it’s that – Go the extra distance; whatever it takes.
Twitter: DonnaFontenot
You’re so right! It is much better to take some time to test something in practice or make deep research on subject and then write one masterpiece than to write 10 posts that evoke “I have read this somewhere before” thoughts.
Roko Nastic recently posted..How Bloggers Can Benefit from Offering Email Newsletters
Hi Roko,
You have the same thinking with me about the first point. I have read the book about making money, written by John Chow and he claimed bloggers should write short post (300 to 500 words). I don’t agree with this point because to me, mid-size and long post with action plan is much more appreciated. Don’t you think?
Mike recently posted..3 types of posts I hate to read the most and how to improve them
I agree with you Mike, mid sized and long posts to tend to be more appreciated.
Roko Nastic recently posted..How Bloggers Can Benefit from Offering Email Newsletters
Roko, glad you’re back from your trip. Hope you had a good time. Thanks for the post and for responding to the comments. Cheers!
Twitter: DonnaFontenot
This is a really useful tutorial, becoming an authority blogger can be done in a few different ways, but these are defiantly some best practices to implement. I completely agree that cutting post frequency down 50% and increasing quality instead is an excellent practice that works, I must admit that I have been guilty of this in the past, simply trying to churn out posts one after another does not cut it these days, not if you want to leave a real impact on the net.
Great stuff, always a pleasure to read anything from your blog Donna, keep up the good work!
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I’m kinda running low on blog post ideas and must admit that I ain’t so impressed with some of the posts that I’ve been putting out lately. Hopefully now that I’ve decided to stop posting frequently, I might be able to create better posts worthy of being linked to by others in the blogosphere
Be sure to let me know when you’ve posted something you think is link-worthy. I’ll be happy to check it out.
Twitter: DonnaFontenot
Thanks for the offer but you see in a way what i think is link worthy might not be to other folks so it’s left to you the reader/spectator to decide if it suits your taste
Udegbunam Chukwudi recently posted..Top Three Ways Of Building A Mailing List For FREE!
But what if I don’t notice it? Promote, promote, promote. Never be afraid to promote what you think is great. I may or may not agree, but at least I’ll be made aware of its existence. And if someone actually tells you to promote to them, like I just did, don’t turn that down!
Twitter: DonnaFontenot
In that case I’ll be emailing you some of what I think are my best posts for you to scan through
. If you don’t mind of course.
Udegbunam Chukwudi recently posted..Top Three Ways Of Building A Mailing List For FREE!