Welcome to 273 Blogging Tips I Never Shared & Still Won’t. You probably didn’t know that by choosing to read this post you are participating in a very serious social media experiment. Well, now you do.
It is a simple experiment to see who reads and who doesn’t.  Because I am a gadfly, muckraker and troublemaker I intentionally used a headline that is somewhat misleading. I want to see how many comments and or emails I get from readers complaining that I didn’t provide 273 tips on how to blog more effectively.
Some of you might say that it is obnoxious and or goofy to do that and I would agree. It is. So what. Blogging should be fun and I am having fun. I having fun in spite of the people who emailed me to say that they were unsubscribing because I update too frequently or not frequently enough. I am having fun in spite of those who say that I am not funny or that I am too happy.
I write for me first and then for you. But I would be lying if I said that I didn’t love you all. Ok, maybe I don’t love all of you but I love some of you. That even includes those who were trapped in cleveland. I probably should be careful about bad mouthing the land of the burning river. It turns out that I know quite a few people from there. Found out just the other day that I know 12 people who went to cleveland heights high school.
Don’t ask me to explain why I bothered counting because I just did.
But What About Those Blogging Tips
Ok, fine if you really must have some tips on how to blog let me suggest that you visit Adrienne, For Bloggers, By Bloggers or Blog Like A Star. Don’t forget to go visit Jayme. She just redid her place and it looks great.
It is not that I can’t teach you about blogging because I can. I know a lot about this but I am not in the mood to spend much time writing about it. I am having too much fun listening to music and asking hard questions. I am not much of a dancer. I can two step, know how to slow dance but when things speed up my body doesn’t cooperate the way I want it to.
But I have an idea. If I can become a famous rock star I can dance however I want and it will seem cool. Just look at the videos below.
and
Ok, I confess that I was just dancing. Sometimes the music is contagious. And let me say for the 298th time that I wish I could play an instrument with the same degree of expertise as some of these musicians. I wish that I had the kind of voice that would make you stop in your tracks.
Don’t get me wrong I am pretty happy with what I have got. It is not like my bucket of skills and talent is completely empty, but a man has to dream a little. As I tell my children, I am not just a father. I am a person and I had years of life long before they came into the picture.
Working on My Dream
I am actively pursuing a number of my dreams. I am writing that book that I always said I would. I am working on getting myself into shape so that I can do that Ironman when I turn 50. I am not just bumping and grinding the day away. I am an active participant in my life.
I suppose that I keep touching upon these themes for a host of reasons. Some of it is because I think that writing these things down helps me stay on track. It is a way that I hold myself accountable. But it also happens because my friends and I are in a funny time and place.
We are not children any more but we aren’t old either. We are in that place where you have to give up on becoming a pro athlete. If we haven’t done it yet we aren’t going to play in the NBA, NFL or NHL. I wouldn’t say that it is impossible but the probability of such things is low.
A lot of the boys are divorced and or in the process of getting divorced. Some of them are so torn up they aren’t doing much at all with their lives. I never want to be that guy.
But What About The Blogging Tips
Some of you may wonder why I am back on the blogging tips and that is because I guarantee that some of my readers are still looking for them. So let’s talk about blogging for a moment. I have been thinking about first impressions. I have been thinking about what people see when they first arrive and have been wondering if I should switch things up.
Maybe I should send them to the About Me page. It is a bit text heavy and could use some graphics, but it is not a horrible spot for them to arrive. It has links to some good posts. I sometimes look at those posts and wonder if they are the ones that I should be using. I wonder if they are the best written and or most representative. And then I remind myself to have fun and I let them go.
And let’s not forget the email list. I haven’t done a thing about it. Haven’t collected names for a personal newsletter from me. Haven’t collected names to help convince a publisher that I have a large platform.
So many questions and so little time. Well my friends it is almost 1 am so I think that I will leave you with some additional links to old posts that according to analytics are popular. But have no fear, I will see you again in this life or the next, whatever that means.
- One Slightly Used Pump For Sale
- Why Steve Jobs Isn’t Important Now
- Some Things I’ll Teach My Children (Updated)
- The Best Cover Letter….Ever
- Why Your Post Sucks and Everyone Hates Your Blog
- Dealing With Divorce
- A Letter To The Universe
- Do Things Happen For A Reason?
- Your Blog Bores Me
- Teach Your Children To Be Responsible With Money
- Bloggers Are Narcissists
- A Whiter Shade Of Pale
- My Children Confront Death Again
- I Should Have Slept With Her…. Again
- What Happens To Your Facebook Account When You Die
- He Died A Hero
Hi Jack, I care. I’m reading, though sometimes I read through the email and don’t get a chance to heard over here to comment.
I think you gave the best blogging tip of all: enjoy the blog yourself and don’t worry about others. First, you’ll never please everyone. Second, if you don’t thoroughly love your blog you will quit. It’s too much work not to be fun.
I’m very glad you’re having fun, Jack.
I agree 100% with Janet. I want to see posts. Your posts are so strong and are always surprising and engaging so you will keep your readers. At least the ones who care about what you have to say. And those are the ones who matter. As you said.
You matter, Jack, and I appreciate you enriching our lives with your writing.
Hi Carolyn,
Thank you. I am touched and very much appreciate your comment. It is always nice to know that people enjoy our work.
It really is fun to write and that drives me to keep going but the people are like the icing on the cake.
It is a wonderful benefit that people who don’t blog miss out on.
I sit at a desk in LA and connect with friends all over the world. Maybe it is old hat to our children, but to me it is still magical.
I have vivid memories of getting shushed because my parents were talking “long distance” to someone.
Now it is virtually unheard of to have long distance charges, at least domestically.
You’re right, I’m still amazed at how we can connect with people from all over the world. My kids take it for granted, but I really appreciate the magic of the Internet.
Jack, aloha. Great post title and brilliant sending people to visit the referenced blogs.
My vote is against having them land on the About Me page. When I land on a blog, I like to see posts. If I don’t like your posts, I won’t want to learn about you. If I do like what I read, I will click your About Me page. Make sense?
Jack, this was a truly great post. Thanks for the smile. Your sense of humor and style delight me.
Best wishes for a terrific weekend. Until next time, aloha. Janet
Hi Janet,
I like your rationale and it makes sense to me. I am a thinker so I have my moments where I get lost in thought about this and that.
But I like being a doer too, so it all works. So glad to see you here.
I hope that all is well in your world and that you have a great weekend.
Love your post!
Funny, entertaining, some good ol’ learning by example and some interesting links…. what else could we want?
Thanks!
Hi Iana,
Welcome to the blog. I am glad that you enjoyed it. Hope you come visit us again.
LOL!
This has got be the ultimate non-blogging blogging post! 🙂
I did write something similar on why we shouldn’t be conforming to the blogging craze. But then, I worry, if everyone is blogging about blogging, then who is blogging? I do write for a blogging blog but my personal blog comes first. And there is no way I am running blogging ideas and tips on it. I am here just over a year and I find it difficult to find blog that just write because they love to. Irrespective of what people think, of what others are doing or of what others think is the right way to blog. I am glad you Jack are just the blogger every blogger should be learning from. Blogging his own way and loving and rocking every bit of it… post by post! 🙂
Hajra,
I always give the same advice. Have fun.That is the most important thing. If you have fun it comes out in your writing and people respond to that.
Life is too short to always be serious.
Umm, Jack (or whatever name you are going by these days)… I was kinda hoping to get a few tips to improve my blog! (No, I joke.) Seriously though- after being here (and paying attention…well, most of the time) for over a year now, could you, could ANYONE really come up with 273 blogging tips I don’t already have in my files and head?! I doubt it.
I love coming here, Jack. I don’t chat very often (with you) simply because I don’t feel as I have anything worth taking up yet another moment of your time, to add.
BUT! I really do enjoy listening and reading what you share with us. So, I figured, since I get such a chuckle from you so often, you should know or at least hear from me once in awhile, to just say Thanks.
Hello Amber-Lee,
Call me Jack and I will respond with a smile. You are always welcome to come say hi.
This stuff is supposed to be fun. If it wasn’t there wouldn’t be a point in doing it.
Wow Jack!
You sure got me running over to your blog when I read the title of the post, and was just about wondering how you would have managed to write so many tips down 🙂
I guess as you post everyday, directly or indirectly you do share so many tips with us along the way- thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Harleena,
I bet you could come up with 237 tips. It might take a while, but I think we could do it.
The big question is what kind of value those tips have. Hope you are enjoying your weekend.
Best. Blog. EVER!!! 🙂
Hey Lindsay,
Went by Mr.Petty’s palace to ring the bell again but he still won’t answer. Maybe I should stand outside and sing I won’t Back Down.
Hope you are having a great Friday.