This is a list of small tasks I wish I had completed before I launched my blog. Had I done them, I would have been more organized and productive and I would have saved lots of time and sanity along the way. But remember, there is such a thing as being too organized
- Know Basic Blogging Dos and Don'ts - Not an exhaustive list, but good to know. Related: What Makes Readers Lose Interest in a Blog?
- Start purposeful social media engagement - While you're getting your own site set up, take advantage of what's already happening on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media platforms. I don't mean just be there, I mean be strategic. Pick the one big site where your future readers are hanging out. Block out a chunk of each day (even 15 minutes is something!) and be helpful, promote others' stuff and build genuine relationships. Related: All my posts about Networking & Social Media
- Set up a place to store logins and passwords. Use an online tool like LastPass (Chrome extension) or 1Password or use good ol' pencil and paper. I made a PocketMod which is small and handy. In the past, I've also used a small, cheap address book. Another idea is to set up a spreadsheet (like in Google Drive). Related: How to Organize Your Affiliate Links (same setup process)
- Create a way to capture your blog post ideas. Great resources are Evernote, labels in Gmail, a notetaking app on your phone or good ol' pen and paper. I always seem to get good ideas when I'm driving. If you can relate, try calling yourself and leaving a voicemail, getting a voice recorder app (here are some ideas for Android and iPhone). After years and years of happily using my cheap flip phone, I finally made the switch to a smartphone this summer. I have an iPhone 4S so I tell Siri to email Evernote with my blog post idea. But regardless of how you do it, I recommend keeping all ideas in one place. Related: How to Post to Your WordPress Blog from Anywhere on the Web
- Get a Gmail Account. There's debate about whether your email address looks more professional as name@yourdomain.com vs. name@gmail.com. Personally, I have done both and have opted for the later. I like how my Google account is integrated online in many ways. I use Google Drive (formerly Google Docs) and Google Calendar. It allows me to pick up email from all my different email addresses (I've collected many over the years) in one spot and it's reliable. Related: How to Use Email Templates to Save Time, Increase Productivity by Ignoring Your Inbox? (and the follow-up)
- Sign up with Swagbucks. Swagbucks is a way to start making money online right away. Basically, you can install a toolbar that will earn you points ("Swagbucks") when you search. You'll be doing a lot of searching as you build your blog, so if you can deal with some ads in your search results, it might work for you.
- Sign up with Gravatar. This makes your picture show up next to comments you leave on other blogs and around the internet. It's a good way to build your brand.
- Sign up with Pocket. No doubt you'll come across a boatload of things you'd like to read as you go through the process of setting up your blog. Pocket is a handy tool that allows you to save things to read later so you don't get distracted now. It also keeps you from having a gazillion tabs open in your browser because you want to read it but don't want to lose it. It's a great time management tool and can by synced across all your devices. You can also read things later offline (great for the plane or where you don't have wifi).
- Set up a buzz file. A buzz file is a place to store the nice things people say about you. This comes in handy if you need some testimonials (I'd ask first before you quote people though) or if you just need to read some encouragement and know that what you're doing is helping others. That's always nice when you get the hate mail.
For those of you who hope to make money blogging, there are extra steps I highly recommend as well:
- Prepare yourself to make money. I won't reinvent the wheel. I listed 4 things in How to Keep Track of Your Money and a few more in How to Write an Ebook: Setting Up Accounts.
- Know what the laws are where you live. If you want to make money blogging, I highly recommend you check with your town, your county and your state for information about home business requirements, taxes, zoning issues, or anything else you need to be aware of. This varies by location. Good resources are your local Chamber of Commerce (in the US and in Canada), your City Hall and the Small Business Administration (SBA.gov). Get the advice of an attorney and/or an accountant if needed.
- Determine what type of business you'll have. This might be a sole proprietorship, an LLC, etc. (Refer the posts I mentioned above.) Do you need to register a DBA (Doing Business As)? Check with your County Clerk. Again, consult an attorney and/or accountant.
Refer to all my posts about Productivity & Organization here.
Did I miss anything?
Other posts in this series
- How to Start a Blog or Website: Intro & FAQ
- How to Start a Blog or Website: Cheat Sheet
- How to Find (or Refind) Your Passion
- How to Decide What to Blog About: What Works for Readers?
- How to Decide What to Blog About: What Works for You?
- Understand Branding: 4 Tips
- Understand Keywords: Increase the Odds of Getting Found
- Writing Great Content: 3 Tips
- How to Write a Killer About Page
- 12 Blog Organization Tips
- How to Choose a Domain Name: 12 Tips
- How to Register a Domain Name
- How to Set Up Hosting and WordPress
- How to Change Your Nameservers
- How to Add a New User in WordPress
- How to Optimize Your WordPress Settings
- How to Install a Plugin
- My Favorite Plugins
- How to Get & Optimize a Feedburner Feed
- How to Choose a WordPress Theme
- How to Install a WordPress Theme
- Elegant Themes for WordPress
- How to Install Google Analytics
- How to Use WordPress: Tips & Tricks
- How to Start a Blog or Website: 10 Tips for New Bloggers
Great post as usual. I was putting a lot of effort into twitter but realized i was getting only a few referrals. Now I put into automatic with Tweet Old Posts with my Facebook page feeding into too. I pretty much see the same results. My readers are all on Facebook.
I so wish I had done #3, now I have a tonne of passwords I don't remember but have to play the guessing game at. As for #4 I like using the note section on my i-touch but if that is not available, I have been known to call the "hubby" while I am out on a long run and say "hey write this idea down for me". #6 I have lost count of how many Swagbucks I have earned with "define……." I love teasing my English teacher friends that "bad spelling does pay off"! LOL
Hey Amy! Great post! I also break my twitter down even further and have lists I have created for things like local people, and outdoors people I follow. Helps me organize my online life.
Great resources! When I started my blog, I had no idea what I was really getting into! This is a great starting point!
This is helpful info (that's why we love you), where can I find info on blog organization pertaining to how you break up your writing time. Do you outline/draft on one day and write on another? Do you write a post then edit at a different time? Does it all come out perfect in one try? And how to you shuffle your kids into this mix. Please and Thank you.
I block out chunks of time and try to do like tasks together. I offered suggestions about how to split up organizing blog time here. I think writing posts (at least first drafts) in batches is the way to go although I have not mastered this by any stretch of the imagination. I know bloggers who carve out a few hours on a Saturday morning and write all of their posts for the upcoming week in that time. Writing just doesn't come easily for me so I haven't been able to fully accomplish this yet, but it's my goal! As for blogging time/family time, I try to keep office hours. I explained my process in my ebook, but you can see my schedule if you go here and scroll down to the bottom of the page (my schedule has been rearranged given my husband's new work schedule but it should give you an idea). I hope that helps!
yes, thank you! I teach home management classes and I'm good at budgeting my time. However, adding this blog project and taking that time away from the kids (or at least it feels like it) has really thrown me for a loop! I'm gonna get it!!
Great tips Amy, the most important is keeping a track of all the accounts you open up, I spent so long resetting passwords when I first started online that it just got boring and frustrating. Anyone starting out should definitely follow these great tips.
Thank you so much! Awesome article with lots of great information.
I just signed up for Gravatar. I wondered how people got their pictures with their blog comments. Thank you.
Oh how I wish I'd seen this post six months ago when I started my blog. Luckily I have got most of them right – probably because I've subscribed to your posts via email for the past year. However, I'm going to work my way through the list and make sure I've got it all right – better late than never! I love your posts – so much brilliant advice – thank you.
Thanks so much, Margaret!
Hi Amy,
this is a wonderful list, thanks for sharing it.
Yeah, I too wish I had gotten these pieces of advice before I got started, but it's never too late, right?
Being organized is very important, and yes, being to organized can be an issue too.
I use Evernote a lot to record my ideas and to store my works in progress. I will have a closer look at Swagbucks.
Best,
Oliver
Great list Amy. I am fairly new to this and find it quite useful. Thank you.
I have a question about registering the domain name–I've read your blog & it is so so helpful, but I'm still overwhelmed trying to figure everything out before I start, that I've put it off over a year. I think I just need to get going & stumble along as I go. One concern is–all the cool names are taken : ) So the domain name that is a good balance of what you described (having those key words) .com is not available. My question is, should I go with .net or change the domain name to something that isn't as fitting? I know you said to go with .com, but wasn't sure the reason why…I'm a quite a bit of a novice when it comes to this sort of thing.
Thank you,
Hi Beth, did you catch my next post, How to Choose a Domain Name: 12 Tips?
I did! That was where I read your recommendation to go with .com. I guess the question is whether I should go with the domain name that I really like & do .net or stretch it to a different domain that doesn't describe what I want to blog about as accurately (trust me I've tried to be as creative as possible, but so many are taken!) if the .com is really crucial…. I know it's sort of a judgement call, but if it were you which would you go with?
I have a confession to make that I believe will help others with Gravatar.
I've been commenting on other blogs for almost three years now. For almost three years I've had no Gravatar picture. Only about a month ago did I figure out what the problem was.
I've checked things over and over again and done Google search after Google search trying to figure out why my picture wasn't showing up. I took the advice I got and made sure I had my profile set up right, yet I still was showing up as a ghost on your site.
Then my business partner looked deeper into the profile and found out that my profile was marked as an X-Rated site. So of course, none of these business sites like yours wanted to a gravatar picture of someone's junk showing up in their comments so my picture was being blocked. He changed that setting and Voila! now me and my nerd glasses show up here.
I don't know how the setting got set the way it did but if there's anyone out there who's struggling to get this to work, make sure to look at this setting and make sure it's not on X-Rated.
Hi Amy,
This post boost my Idea to start a blog,I have sucked every line of your post to start a new blog.
Thank you for sharing this valuable resource.
You're welcome. Glad it has inspired you. You can do it!!
good information
Thank you so much for your insights here. Even though I already have my blog up and running, I found the tips useful and I can still apply most of them. I had no idea about Swagbucks and him going to check that out. I use Evernote all the time and it is a great tool for storing pretty much everything.
I'm going to share a tool that I use, and I promise that there's no advertising involved whatsoever. I use TextExpander for repetitive text and images that I need to use. You can save whatever text or image you would like and combinations both. There's stuff I use all the time and have to either retype or copy and paste, both of which take time. This tool allows you to create a brief tag that will insert the given text into it any program. So, for example, I type "ggmail" and the tool inserts my Gmail address instantly, in any application. I write about the tool here if you are interested: http://www.zipminis.com/16/post/2012/09/the-amazing-textexpander-copy-paste-and-save-mac-app-dream.html
Thank you, as always, for your helpful and concise tips Amy.
Your item #1, "Know Basic Blogging Dos and Don'ts" on this page is a dead link.
Thank you so much, Larry, for the heads-up. I fixed it.
Love these tips! I'm going to try all of these!
Hey, I have decided to follow your advice and move from blogger to wordpress. I do have one question, and that is how do I get the choices across the main bar. Example, you have about me, blogging with amy, books, etc. What are those things called, and how to I get them? I have searched but now knowing even their names is driving me crazy. Thanks so much, I have loved reading your blog.
Hi Shelley, that's your navbar, also known as Menu. Go to Dashboard –> Appearance –> Menus. Create a new menu, add the links you want (from the left column) in the menu and save it. You'll also need to assign your new menu to navbar (Primary, Secondary, etc.) in the dropdown at the top of the left column. Hope that helps!
Thanks, I was struggling because I didn't know the name of what I wanted. Turns out my theme only supports one menu, so I'll keep looking and thinking. Your posts and blog have been very helpful!
I just discovered your website today! Thank you for all of the useful information! And a HUGE THANK YOU for introducing me to Pocket! I have already added two articles on my new Pocket account from your blog to refer back to and read (again and again!). That will save me time and allow me to not be tied to my computer all the time!
Oh you're welcome. Pocket is great–I love firing up the app on my phone while waiting in line at the grocery store, etc. Perfect productivity tool.
I've been at this since 2007, but still found some very useful information and inspiration here. Thanks!
Thanks, Lisa!