So, Christmas is almost here, five days at the time of this post going live. It’s the season of goodwill, the time of the year most have been looking forward to since 2009 began, and yet it’s an awful time for bloggers. Christmas is a time for family, not blogging, and as a result, the vast majority of blogs suffer.
Less readers, less comments, less everything. I’m no scrooge, far the opposite, and that’s the reason that this will be my penultimate post before the 25th, and then I will probably only post a single article between Christmas and the New Year. That is why, for anyone who will be online over the holiday period, I’ve compiled a list of 57 amazing articles for you to read over the break.
I’ve tried to vary the articles I’ve included. I’ve got some that are purely information based, some which are inspirational, and some which are just a bloody good laugh! So, without further ado, here’s some of my favourite articles from around the web at the moment…
The Articles…
1. Why I Spent An Hour Writing A Post, Then Deleted It  Here on Teenius, I’m always stressing the importance of quality content, and that is why I love this article. James spent an hour writing a post, only to delete it because it was lacking quality, and I think many bloggers can learn from this kind of attitude.Visit the full article at InfoPreneur.net >>> |
2. Ow! Ow! It’s So Boring, It Hurts My Head!  Following on from the “quality content” point, this article by Nicolas Cardot tells you how to make your posts more entertaining. Rather than just posting information, you can and should put some personality in to it, and after reading this article, you have no excuse not to!Visit the full article at SiteSketch101.com >>> |
3. Killer, Pillar, Filler – Getting The Right Balance  In this article, David Shaw talks about the different types of articles you’ll probably find yourself writing on your blog, and how you can keep the balance so that your readers always have some form of quality content to look at!View the full article at DavidShawBlog.com >>> |
4. Why You Don’t Have To Like Writing To Be A Great Blogger  This is a pretty inspirational article in which Robb Sutton discusses how writing isn’t everything for blogging, and therefore why someone who doesn’t like writing can still run a successful blog. It’s a great read, I really recommend you to check it out!View the full article at RobbSutton.com >>> |
5. Why Bullet Points Are Still Going Strong  If you’re a blogger, the likelihood is that in at least one of your articles, you’ll use bullet points. If you look around, the vast majority of professional and successful bloggers use bullet points. It’s little things such as bullet points and formatting which make a big difference to your post, so this article is important.View the full article at FuelYourBlogging.com >>> |
6. You Should Stop Blogging When…  I don’t like it when I see anyone selling the blog they’ve put time and effort into for a long time, but sometimes it’s neccessary to say goodbye. This article by Izzat Aziz discusses the scenarios in which it may be the best thing to move on from your blog.View the full article at IzzatAziz.net >>> |
7. How You Can Take Time Off In A Web Career  As bloggers, there’s nothing worse than leaving your blog unattended. If you do it, the obvious thing that will happen is that you’ll lose traffic, comments, and just about everything else! However, this article talks about some possible solutions to that problem!View the full article at WebCareerGirl.com >>> |
8. Tip 5 Blogging Misconceptions  There are quite a lot of basic misunderstandings that a lot of bloggers make, and this article discusses five of them in detail. It talks about what the misconception is, and how you can avoid making the same mistake that too many other bloggers do.View the full article at DailyBlogTips.com >>> |
9. Sorry Mom, Dad, I Don’t Want To End Up Working For A Boss  This awesome article by Liane, a teen blogger such as myself, discusses the amazing possibilities for the young entrepreneurs of today to not follow the trend (so to speak), and actually get out there and BE the boss, rather than working for one!View the full article at BetterBloggingForBloggers.com >>> |
10. The Art Of Juggling A Job And A Blog  We all know that it’s hard to blog as well as maintaining a full time job (or being a full time student), and this article lists some great tips for reducing the stress, managing your time better, and, ultimately, running a successful blog!View the full article at BeginnerBlogger.com >>> |
11. More Traffic To Your Blog – Wordpress List Post  In this article, Ben Lang, a talented young blogger, talks about the benefits of creating a list post on your blog, including talking about the traffic benefits, and also how to combat the problems you may encounter when creating your list!View the full article at Ben-Lang.com >>> |
12. How To Encourage Your Affiliates To Increase Productivity  Sorry to blow my own trumpet, but this guest post by me on Zubin’s blog is a really good resource, especially if you own a product. It talks about several different ways in which you can get your affiliates to sell more of your products.View the full article at WebTrafficROI.com >>> |
13. Firefox Plugins To Increase Blogging Productivity  I’m sure there are loads of bloggers out there who use Firefox – I know I do, as well as almost 70% of my readers! – so this article could really help you. Here’s a list of 3 awesome firefox plugins which can aid you in your blogging journey!View the full article at Serrandinho.com >>> |
14. 13 Types Of Posts That Always Get Lots Of Comments  If you follow Teenius, you’ll know that one of the things I pride myself on is having a lot of comments per post on my blog, and in this article Darren Rowse discusses different types of posts which will help you to increase the comment count on your blog!View the full article at Problogger.net >>> |
15. 22 Reasons Why You Should Blog  I’m assuming if you’re reading this list, then you’re already a blogger, however this article is still a great read; to let you know where your blogging started if nothing else! This article is written by one of my favourite bloggers, Gloson.View the full article at GlosonBlog.com >>> |
16. How To Enable Gravatars On Your Wordpress Blog  Gravatars are one of the greatest parts of any blog, as they give your commentators a bit of identity, and also make your comment area look a bit more exciting. Incase your theme isn’t already Gravatar enabled, this article will help you to make it so!View the full article at Blinkky.com >>> |
17. 250+ Thesis Theme Resources  All serious bloggers have heard of the Thesis theme, and more and more people are using it everyday. If you’re one of those people, then this article is perfect for you, as there’s over 250 Thesis resources to help you improve your blog!View the full article at SahilKotak.com >>> |
18. How To Set Up Your Own Affiliate Program  This is a glorious article about how to set up your own affiliate program. If you combine this article with the with the post I spoke about at point 12, you’re bound to be making money from your own product without doing any selling yourself!View the full article at CatsWhoBlog.com >>> |
19. $72,000 In E-Books In A Week – 8 Lessons Learned  I didn’t want to include the same blog more than twice, but I simply had to do it for this awesome article. Darren Rowse (Problogger) discusses some of the lessons he learnt from the release of his photography ebook, and how it made him $72,000!View the full article at Problogger.net >>> |
20. Little Known Ways Darren Rowse Makes Money  This article by Seth from Blogussion talks about some of the ways in which Darren Rowse, arguably the best known blogger in the world, makes his money. This article is a really good way of seeing what happens behind the scenes at the biggest blogs!View the full article at Blogussion.com >>> |
21. Is An Advertising Page Really A Good Idea?  This little post invites you to discuss whether an advertising page is good. This is a must read for anyone who wants to earn from private ad sales, as there’s some very interesting views in there which could rethink your techniques of selling ad spots!View the full article at DirectSalesWebMarketing.com >>> |
22. Huge List Of 400+ Social Bookmarking Sites  All bloggers will be looking to advertise their site, and social bookmarking is a great way of driving lots of traffic to your site. This massive list has over 400 different social bookmarking sites listed, so if you use them you’re in for big traffic!Visit the full article at ChoToan.com >>> |
23. 5 Tips For Writing A Killer Guest Post  Guest posting is an awesome way of driving quality traffic to your blog, but you still need to do a good quality guest post to access that potential. This article discusses ways in which you can write a successful guest post!View the full article at SteitBlog.com >>> |
24. How Changing 4 Words Made Me 5 Figures  This article is definately one of my favourites of the whole year, and that’s saying something. Bradley Will talks about how a tricky situation was turned around by four simple words, and then how those words transformed in to a five figure sum!View the full article at Unstrappd.com >>> |
25. Why You Should Have A “Contact” And “About” Page  This quick article by TeenBloggerKid speaks about the importance of having contact and about pages, and how they can not only improve your blog, but also allow you to network with new people. These pages are a must for ANY blogger!View the full article at TeenBloggerKid.com >>> |
26. Can You Still Make Money Online In The MMO Niche?!  This is another guest post by me, this time on MelvinBlog. In this article, I discuss whether or not you can still make money in the “make money online” niche, and, more importantly, how you can do it. I got a great response to this article, hence why it’s being listed here!View the full article at MelvinBlog.com >>> |
27. 70 Gorgeous Blog Footer Designs  If you’re designing a theme, one of the things which will probably nag on your mind is the footer. There’s loads to consider when creating a footer, and this massive list can give you inspiration by showing you 70 awesome footers from around the web.View the full article at WebDesignBooth.com >>> |
28. 19 Awesomely Unique and Free Wordpress Themes  When you first create your blog, one thing you’ll have to worry about is the theme you choose. Here’s a cool list of just under twenty awesome Wordpress themes which you can use for free on your blog! I’m sure you’ll find something you want to use!View the full article at WPPanda.com >>> |
29. What Makes The Perfect Theme?  Again, if you’re creating a theme (or just putting one on your blog), there’s a lot to consider. This article discusses the things you need to consider when picking a theme so that you can get the ideal theme for your blog!View the full article at BloggingTips.com >>> |
30. Function Icon Set: 128 Completely Free Icons  Following on from the ‘creating a theme’ point the past few links have had, here’s another really useful resource. Yes, I’m talking about over 125 icons which you can use completely freely on your blog. This was extremely helpful to me, so it more than deserves a place in this list!View the full article at WeFunction.com >>> |
31. 20 Websites Selling PSD to xHTML Services  This is an awesome list which you can use for inspiration when you design a site, as it’s a design showcase of some incredible website designs which are places on sites used to sell a service. The designs in this list are great to look at!View the full article at WebDesignDev.com >>> |
32. Top 26 Photo Wordpress Themes  A while ago, I was looking for a Wordpress theme for a client of mine, who happened to be a photographer which wanted somewhere to host his photos online. I tell you now, if I’d known about this list then, it would have saved me a lot of time, so it definately deserves a place on the list!View the full article at Huzzer.com >>> |
33. Your Clients Are Idiots  Danny Outlaw, a notorious design blogger, tells us in this post how, actually, your client is far from “god”… they’re actually an idiot. There’s also a pretty funny video to accompany the article, so it’s well worth looking at!View the full article at OutlawDesignBlog.com >>> |
34. How Much Should I Charge As A Freelance Blogger?  Carrying on from the freelancing theme in the previous point, here’s a little gem for bloggers who are looking to dabble in a bit of freelance work. This article looks at how much you should charge for blog post writing services.View the full article at BloggingTeacher.com >>> |
35. 7 Words That Can Instantly Add $1000 To Your Copywriting Fees  Oooh, another one which flows from the last point here. If you are going to become a freelancer, you want to charge as much as possible, and this article teaches you how to do this, including tips on negotiation.View the full article at AwaiOnline.com >>> |
36. Top 10 SEO Things NOT To Do  Personally, SEO isn’t my strong point, and I’ll openly admit that. However, this article has been a great help as it lists some of the SEO things that you shouldn’t do. All bloggers should try to avoid these mistakes, and this article is a great place to start!View the full article at ICantInternet.org >>> |
37. Hey Blogger, Go Kill A Tree  One thing many bloggers have never thought of is to actually print their latest blog post before publishing and reading it through – I know it’s something I’ve never done! However, after reading this article I will be changing my ways, and would suggest you do too!View the full article at BlogHerald.com >>> |
38. 3 Darn Good Reasons To Buy A Domain Today  I know what you’re thinking here: ‘but I’ve already got a domain?!’ Well, this article talks about the advantages of having spare domains and parking them. It’s a great article with some awesome tips… well worth a read!View the full article at FreeBlogHelp.com >>> |
39. 6 Ways To Increase Blog Profits With Direct Advertising Sales  This article shows how, if you are to sell advertising space on your blog, you can do it effectively and earn as much money as possible. Direct ad sales is very popular amongst bloggers, so if you’re someone who does it, this article is for you!View the full article at HowToMakeMyBlog.com >>> |
40. 5 Killer Wordpress Plugins  Plugins are one of the best features of Wordpress as they offer the chance to do something different with your blog. This article looks at 5 of the best wordpress plugins, which can be used for traffic building to revenue earning!View the full article at RobsWebTips.com >>> |
41. 20 Website That Will Make You A Better Blogger  In this article, Michael Dunlop lists twenty incredible websites which are based around the “blogging” niche. If you’re a budding blogger, then you can learn some new websites to get awesome tips from by taking a look at this post!View the full article on IncomeDiary.com >>> |
42. 10 Qualities A Startup Founder Should Have  If you’re looking to start your own blog (or indeed your own business), then this article will give you some great advice on what YOU should be like. If you don’t possess these qualities, maybe business ownership isn’t for you…View the full article at DaneBlogger.com >>> |
43. How To Network As A Young Entrepreneur: Online  I’ve always maintained that networking is one of the most important parts of blogging. This awesome guide will help young entrepreneurs (and indeed adults) to learn how to network effectively, as well as giving other useful suggestions.View the full article at JuniorBiz.com >>> |
44. Expanding Your Business Branding Online  In this article, Brendan Wenzel discusses some things you should consider about branding before even starting your blog or website. This article would be extremely helpful to anyone who wants to make it easier to brand their blog in the future!View the full article at BrendanWenzel.net >>> |
45. How I Built My Brand And You Can, Too  Another branding related article here. This article is a bit more advanced than the last, although both are incredibly useful for newbies and experienced bloggers alike, purely because of the importance of branding!View the full article at PersonalBrandingBlog.com >>> |
46. Six Twitter Alternatives To FollowFriday  If you are a regular on Twitter, you’ve undoubtedly seen ‘FollowFriday’ in the trending topics at some stage. This is a use of a hashtag (in the case of FF, to recognise other great tweeters), but this article discusses different hashtags you can use!View the full article at WeBlogBetter.com >>> |
47. I Really Don’t Want To Be That Blogger  One thing that I can imagine every blogger has done is sit down and think about what they want from blogging, although I doubt many have thought about what they don’t want to happen. This article can give you some food for thought in that department, for sure!View the full article at MikesLife.org >>> |
48. The Silver Bullet For Blogging Success  I meet a lot of bloggers, and a lot of them end up stopping fairly soon after starting, purely because the promise of tons of money and wealth didn’t come instantly. This article is really inspirational, and reveals the real way to succeed from blogging!View the full article at Blogidy.com >>> |
49. From 0 to 200,000 visitors – 8 Blogging Lessons Learned  Marko Saric is a remarkable blogger. As you can see from the figures in the title of this post, in a single year he’s attracted over 200,000 people to his blog, which is some achievement! In this article, he reveals the lessons he learned from his first year!View the full article at HowToMakeMyBlog.com >>> |
50. Stop Roaming From Blog To Blog And Concentrate On Yours  If you’re anything like me as a blogger, you’ll visit a lot of different blogs. If you’re one of these people, then this article is the “kick up the arse” you need! You may also find the comment I left on the post interesting, so check that out too!View the full post at ShirleysZone.com >>> |
51. Top 10 Failed URL Shortener Spinoffs  Last but definiately not least is this hilarious post by the incredibly funny Jordan Cooper. I’m sure you’ve all seen the URL shorteners such as ‘bit.ly’, but I bet you haven’t seen some of these ridiculous spin offs!View the full article at NotAProBlog.com >>> |
Some articles from Teenius.com
52. 5 Ways To Bring Old Posts Back To Life  One thing that many bloggers neglect is their old posts. They write the post, promote it for a day or two, then move on to the next one. This is a HUGE mistake, as you’re practically losing all the benefits the old post brings, so here’s some tips to bring it back to life!View the full article here >>> |
53. The Importance Of A Custom Twitter Background  Twitter is one of the best marketing tools available for webmasters at the moment, but the problem is that lots of people aren’t maximising it. One of the things you can do is create a custom background, and this article gives you loads of advice and help for doing that!View the full article here >>> |
54. Get The Most From The Top Commentator Widget  Most blogs I visit nowadays have the Top Commentator Widget installed on their blog, but very few of them are actually using it to its full potential. This article will show both the blog owner and the commentator how they can use the plugin effectively.View the full article here >>> |
55. Alternative Ways To Earn From Your Blog  It’s official: affiliate sales, private ad sales and Adsense aren’t as effective as they once were, so you now need to look for alternative ways to earn. This article will run you through some awesome alternative ways to earn!View the full article here >>> |
56. 4 Steps To Thank Your Commentators  For me, the people who comment on my blog make my blog. Without them, I run just another blogging tips blog, which isn’t really worth a lot in the greater scheme of things. This article gives you some ideas about how to thanks them for commenting!View the full article here >>> |
57. 34 Amazing Premium Wordpress Themes  The design you choose is vitally important for the success of your blog. It can determine your branding, your returning visitors and even influence things such as the RSS count and comments per post. I’ve listed 34 amazing wordpress themes to help you make the decision!View the full article here >>> |
That enough for you?!
Well, that brings this rather long list to an end! I hope there’s enough articles there to last you over the Christmas period, although, if there isn’t, feel free to add a link via the comments or via Twitter, and I’ll be more than happy to add a few more articles at the bottom of the post.
Wow! Great list, I really liked it. And Thanks for including mine.
Sahil Kotak´s last blog ..500+ Icons To Decorate Your Blog For Christmas
No problem Sahil, it’s an awesome collection!
Thanks for including mine and making it number 1!!
TheInfoPreneur´s last blog ..Could a Magazine Enhance Your Site?
No problem, it’s a great post. However, the post order is random to an extent (I grouped the type of post together – it just so happened yours came out first)
Thanks for compiling such a great list! How long did it take you?
Gordie´s last blog ..How To Slice And Dice Your Way To Success.
No problem, hope you find it useful! Erm, in total I would say it probably took around 4-5 hours, but that includes finding the posts, writing them all a paragraph (the article is 3500+ words), then changing the size of, uploading and inserting the images.
Great collection. Thanks for including my link ^_^
No problem Toan. It’s a really useful resource that you’ve created, so I was more than happy to include it!
I’m honoured and gratefull – especially to be on the list with so many good writers.
Thanks!
Simon, Really cool and beneficial list!! Thanks a lot! That will really have occupied! Thanks for mentioning one of my articles as well
Appreciated
Best,
Firas Steitiyeh
Firas Steitiyeh´s last blog ..6 Things I Learned In 2009
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by sahilkotak: RT @teenius 57 Awesome Articles To Keep You Occupied Over Christmas! http://bit.ly/6eo7PA...
Awesome list…Tweeted it , thanks for the link back
Now, Simon, thanks so much for including me in your list. Those are really great articles you’ve listed there and I think it’s going to take days into the new year to finish reading all that, well maybe and maybe not. But I’m actually going to make it a will to read them all except mine which I’ve already read myself
.
Great list!
.
Shirley´s last blog ..5 Helpful Posts Worth Checking Out
Yeah, it’ll take a decent amount of time to get through all of those!
Bookmarked as I have a feeling it’ll be useful more than once!
Hopefully! The name is a bit deceptive if I’m honest; it’s actually meant as a blogging resource, rather than just a bit of fun over the holidays
Nice, thanks for the link..
I just checked a few of the articles..
Especially like David Shaw’s Killer, Pillar, Filler – Getting The Right Balance <- Awesome article.
Anyway Simon, keep up the good work!
Mikkel "DaneBlogger" Juhl´s last blog ..Increase Affiliate Sales by Implementing Two More Things in Your Selling
Yeah, that’s one of my favourite articles from the list, and definately my favourite on David’s blog!
Wow – I really appreciate the time and effort you put in for that list! Great format putting the images in and the blurb next to each article
Also sweet that I’m included in that list!
Great job, Simon
Sarge | BeginnerBlogger.com
Sarge | BeginnerBlogger.com´s last blog ..How To Deal With An Information Overload and Take Action
Glad you find it useful, Sarge, and thanks for the kind words. The blurb writing wasn’t too bad, but making all the images, cropping them and then uploading took a long time, haha
Hi Simon,
Its a great list… I have read few articles in this… Definitely i will bookmark this post and read the remaining articles soon….
Deepika´s last blog ..7-Sureshot Methods To Increase Your Blog Readership
Awesome, thanks for dropping by, and I hope the posts are helpful when you come to read them (I’m sure they will be…
Simon, wonderful post you have put together here! Shows a lot of time and dedication. Also, thanks for featuring my blog
A lot of these posts/blogs I’ve never heard of before so I’m going to be checking them out while I’m relaxing away at the beach!
Happy holidays
Rob´s last blog ..The power of guest posting
Thanks Rob!
I tried to get a variety of blogs in there so that the list had something for every blogger. Glad you’ve found it useful, and have a good holiday!
You’ve a huge list there. By the way, thanks for adding me on the list =)
blinkky´s last blog ..Collection Of Free RSS Feed Icons
Wow, this list is definately going to keep me busy for the coming weeks!
Thanks for including me, and thanks for introducing me to a multitude of great bloggers that I didn’t know yet!
Bjorn | iCan’t Internet´s last blog ..Blogging: 8 Elements for Grabbing and Keeping Attention
I’m happy to hear it’ll give you something to do!, and good luck with connecting with some new bloggers!
I can’t wait reading all those article. Reading some of them now and some later. Bookmarked this post.
Agent Deepak´s last blog ..List of 10 Awesome WordPress Plugins
[...] Tweets about this great post on TwittLink.com [...]
Man, this is cool
Very long and so awesome list. Awesome articles chosen !
Enk.´s last blog ..Around Wordpress 2.9 – Features, News, Bugs, etc.
Thanks Enk!
It’s actually the longest post ever on Teenius (around 3500 words – I didn’t realise how long it was until after I’d written it!)
wow, this lists surely awesome, and i can learn lot during this holiday and become better blogger in the end of holiday.
Dana @ Online Knowledge´s last blog ..Build Bond and Trust Trough Comments
I’m sure that if you read all the articles I’ve listed, you’ll be a much better blogger. And, actually, even if you don’t, you’ll probably enjoy reading them.
Great looking holiday reading list. Not sure who has time to read all of them but I’ll plow through a handful this week.
Also, thanks for the plug!
Clearly I do!
Haha, but then maybe I should get a life? (haha j/k)
Hey thanks for the love buddy, glad you liked the post.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..UPDATED – Pick My New Domain Names With A chance To Win $10!
Hi Simon! Thank you very much for including my post as #15! I really appreciate it!
Cheers!
Gloson
Awesome list, Simon! I’ll be referring back to this several times over the next month. Thanks for the mention!
Nick Tart | JuniorBiz´s last blog ..Don’t Buy a Book Without Finding Where It’s Cheapest
No problem Nick, it’s an awesome article!
Great list and I wish I could read them all but I could not as I have been traveling over Christmas and New Year. Thanks
Tinh´s last blog ..Thanks to HostGator for Both Reliable Service and Money
Hi Simon,
Im JP Manching from blogmatters.net, your new blog follower
Thanks for this articles, I like number 8 and 14. I hope someday I can get a spot on your list haha
Looking forward to your future post Simon.
Jp Manching
Jp Manching @ Beginners Blogging Guide´s last blog ..No Commentator? Then be the Commentator
I’m sure if you keep creating quality content, I’ll feature you in a future list
Hope to see you commenting here more often, JP!
I’ll look forward to that Simon.
Comments? no problem, always and will do
Jp Manching @ Beginners Blogging Guide´s last blog ..No Commentator? Then be the Commentator
Awesome; I look forward to seeing you more often then!
hey thanks for the free plug. Interestingly your guest post on my blog still gets traffic and comments up to now (and spam comments too)… all props to you simon!
Glad to hear my post is still bringing you some decent traffic
I get a small amount here and there from it; although nowhere near as much as when it first got posted.
Very interesting list indeed. Good reading material over the holidays. I particularly like the “how to better your blog” articles.
hey man really impressive list thanks for sharing such an interesting post i liked it and i am new to this site i liked it website is going pretty good and i hope i will carry on in the future as well thanks!
Many of these are fantastic articles and great reads, I subscribe to several of the blogs myself. You did a fantastic job compiling them together and listing them, this page is now bookmarked until I can finish the rest.
Dragon Blogger´s last blog ..FeedBurner Drops FriendFeed As Blog Subscribers