Personally, I read a lot of blogs, probably around ten per day. One article title I’ve seen going around a lot recently is ‘5 things a blogger should do’, or something along those lines anyway. I saw this and a lot of them covered the same information, so this article is basically a comeback to all those article writers. Yes, you’ve guessed it (and if you haven’t, you should have looked at the title by now), I’m going to write about things that bloggers shouldn’t do, or think at least.
#1 – It’s OK to copy content
WRONG WRONG WRONG! I’m active on a few webmaster forums and one of the things I see a lot is the newbies thinking it’s acceptable to steal (yes – STEAL) content. Not only is this going to get you penalised by Google and other search engines, it’s also extremely unethical. Someone out there has spent their time and effort writing that article, so for you to just go and steal undermines all their hard work.
When I speak to the people who think it’s OK to used copied content, I find the reason for them doing it is often something along the lines of ‘I’m too busy to write unique articles’. I have one thing to say to those people: ‘if you don’t have the time to write a post, you aren’t going to have the time to advertise either, so you might as well just give up now.’
#2 – It’s alright to stay in my blog
I know what it’s like – your blog is your safety zone. No one can touch you there because you own it, but the problem with this tactic is that no one will ever come to your blog! You need to get out there and be active in the community (leave comments, read others’ blog posts) to be able to draw people into your own blog.
#3 – Age matters
One of the great things about blogging is that age is irrelevant. Look at me, I’m fifteen years old, yet I run this blog and have also run many others in the past. I also know some older people who run fairly successful blogs. Blogging has no age barriers, and with platforms like Wordpress it’s becoming easier to understand everyday.
#4 – My commentators are fine by themselves
As I always seem to be saying, comments are one of the most important parts of any blog. In my opinion they’re equally, if not more important than the article itself. It gives readers a chance to express their feelings on the article and the topic in general. One thing you should remember about commentators is that they don’t have to be there, let alone comment, and by doing so they’re actually doing you a favour, so it’s always good to reply to some comments at least, just to let them know you appreciate it.
#5 – Free domains are great!
One of my main problems with the internet is the amount of people who think they can build a good amount of money with no investment. To an extent, it is possible, but it only happens in extremely rare cases. One of the traits of this sort of blogger is to get a free domain from somewhere like blogspot. Not only is this extremely unprofessional, it also leaves you with little control over your domain as it doesn’t technically belong to you, so you could get it taken off you at any time, and you won’t be allowed to sell it.
So, what can we tell?!
So, to summarise: I hate people who copy content, I think everyone should get out there and use others blogs too, I don’t think age is a relevant factor in whether you can blog or not, comments should by replied to, and free domains are definitely NOT great.
Over to you!
What other mistakes do you think a lot of bloggers make? Do you disagree with the points I’ve made? What do you think of the article? As always, I’d love to hear your comments, so please feel free to leave one below.
I used to get really pissed off when someone republished any of my posts. Now, however, I don’t really pay attention to those who like to steal others’ work.
Do I support that? No. I think it’s wrong, however I also believe that they’re only cheating themselves. When you repost someone else’s writings, it shows. People can tell and your reputation gets a F grade.
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Personally I get very annoyed when people steal content. People have worked hard to make that content, so to then copy it is out of order.
Recently someone used a few of the articles from this site. When I found out and started speaking to the guy who stole it, and it turned out he only did it because ‘they were really good articles’. Now, whilst I do find this slightly flattering, he should have also recognised that I spent a reasonably long amount of time writing that article, so for him to steal it isn’t fair on the original writer (me in this case).
Newbies, in order to update their blogs they copy content. That’s really bad for bloggers. And as you said age never matters.
Very good point. Like you say, it’s really bad for bloggers and the blogosphere in general, because the genuine bloggers who put hard work and effort into their articles may lose out to those who are simpy copying and pasting.
Another point :
1. By not building a list by giving away a free report coz the money is in the list
2. By not commenting on others blogs (i do this mistake)
3. Also, by not holding a contest
Write about it, a lot don’t know how to start. Make a tutorial Simon, I’ll help ya.
G’day,
Akhil
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Thanks for the comment, Akhil.
1) I definately agree that lists have big big potential, as you’re basically emailing targetted people about products.
2) Commenting is, in my opinion, the best form of advertising, as it should build you up in the community, which will in turn get you loads of traffic.
3) Hmm, I wouldn’t say it was vital to hold a contest, but it does help traffic (for a short period of time – at least until the contest is over anyway!)
I love your first two points! I wish I started building my list when I launched my blog a year ago – I’d have probably have over 1,000 on my mailing list by now.
I have run contest before, and they have been successful, but to be honest, I don’t really like doing them because I feel the only reason people are visiting is because they want free stuff, and will leave as soon as I stop giving stuff away.
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Yeah, that’s the main problem I see with contests. I think if you do a long term contest for a big prize, people are more likely to stick around when the contest finishes, but when you just run small contests it tends not to pay off long term.
I just remembered something I used to do and should start again….. I would add a link to the post at the bottom of every post so that if someone scrapped my content I would at very least get a backlink….
I just started a case study and I am a little worried that people may copy and sabotage the whole thing!
Nice idea. If you link to a post on your blog, it’ll also give you a pingback, so you’ll be alerted whenever someone steals your content. I find that once you’ve found someone, they’re usually willing to take the content down.
Teenius,
Nice article. I find that sincerity is something most bloggers do not think about. It is something they should do though. I like the list though. Age definitely does not matter and free domains are a waste unless you already have a name and following for yourself. There are a couple of famous people using blogspot because they were famous before they got the blog….
Yeah, there are a few exceptions to the ‘free domain’ point, but generally speaking free domains are taken by newbie bloggers who end up being disappointed with the results.
A while ago I helped out this guy who had a free Blogspot domain. He was posting amazing content and advertising a fair amount, but just wasn’t getting any real traffic or comments. I got him to move to a .com domain and, surprisingly enough, both his traffic and comment count improved. I suppose people trust .com domains more.
Teenius , I have noticed this also. I once saw someone selling computer parts on a freewebs website (lol) and i often see people that have ripped YES ripped content and it is obvious and VERY anoying
I think using a free domain is THE worst thing you can do when trying to sell a product. It looks so unprofessional and people are unlikely to trust you or take you seriously.
I couldn’t agree more. If you really want to grow and make money from your blog, I recommend that you purchase a domain beautiful and the best is use Wordpress.org.
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Agreed. Infact, I would say that buying a strong ‘.com’ domain and then installing Wordpress is the best start you can give to any blog. Stay tuned, as I’m intending to write a very ‘different’ post about setting up blogs
I agree with all your points.
1. I hate copied content. It is stealing the hard work of people. I am against duplicate content. Well, unless you are quoting my content.
3. Age is a common excuse among people. Age is NOT a barrier. It is never too early to start. I am 11 years old running my own blog, and there are other extraordinary young entrepreneurs (like Simon) out there too.
And if you think you are too old, check out this 108-year-old blogger – http://www.oddee.com/item_96618.aspx
4. I had been thinking this when I started my blog. I thought my commentators are fine by themselves, well, because other bloggers think that too (Remember – You are an example to beginner bloggers!).
A few months ago, I decided to reply to every comment, except unnecessary ones, and my blog was more interactive than before!
5. I really don’t know why some people think free domains are great. Free domains look really unprofessional. To me, it means that the person is not really serious into blogging, otherwise they would have bought their own domain name.
Come on! It’s only $9 a year! The money you make is going to pay it off anyway, so buy a domain name if you have a free domain (like .blogspot.com).
There is also a way you can import your .blogspot.com posts to your wordpress-powered blog under your own domain name.
Gloson’s last blog post..7 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Blog (Most of which you haven’t done)
:O
That was the best comment I’ve ever seen on a blog, thanks Gloson
I agree with your last point a lot. It costs $9/year for a domain, and around $100/year for hosting, and that’s if you use a really good company. If you can’t make $110 back in a year, you’re REALLY doing something wrong, but, then the site should be worth over that amount anyway
Alright so going with number one, I completely agree! However, there are many times that my info is a little bit similar if not a lot to other post that I’ve seen. Now if I could remember the blogs that I got it from I would make sure to give them credit, however since I can’t most of the time, I just make sure that it is a big collection, and hope that no one gets mad at me. If you ask me, that is not stealing.
(I put the wrong url on the 1st)
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The point I was making was that to just steal the content is wrong. If you’re just taking the concept it’s not too bad, but if you copy and paste directly then that’s plagarism.
I think with the age thing, you should probably not use it as a selling point either. Many teenage bloggers in this day and age are flaunting how old they are, and I really don’t see why. I never throw the fact that I’m only 16 in peoples’ faces, and I think I garner more professionalism from it. I think once more and more teenagers get online, the age factor will be unremarkable.
When I started OW, I decided I was going to reply to every comment. It’s really paid off, I think, and getting out and commenting builds your brand and your authority.
Personally I use it as a selling point for two main reasons:
1) People are intrigued as to what a teenager can do.
2) It’s something to remember me by.
I can see where you’re coming from, but personally I think it should be something that is praised rather than something that will be your downfall. It’s all about turning a potentially negative situation into one that could be a big factor of your success
[...] and write about things that can actually damage your blog. I’ve already done a post entitled ‘5 things bloggers shouldn’t think’, and this is basically a follow-on [...]