I used to check my numbers religiously every day. I manage two blogs, one of which was mentioned in the New York Times, so I got to be pretty obsessed with my rankings. When I had to take a hiatus for a week, though, and realized just what an unexpected relief it was to not have my ego tied to whatever numbers appeared on my stats, I stopped being so fanatic about it and am now only checking once every week or so. I don’t post as often as I used to (although it’s still at least 3x/week) but — and here’s the weird part — I find that the number of readers/subscribers hasn’t dropped at all.

I’ve no real burning desire to be a major player in the blogosphere. It began as a way to share some of my writing experiences to kindred spirits, and while sometimes I can get carried away with some of the hype about bloggers who achieve fortune and glory, in the end I have to remember that my true passion is writing, not search engine optimization.

Having said that, I sooo admire those who can make a decent wage out of blogging. I certainly wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to do so if it were offered to me! And I love reading about your own successes online and am in awe of your fantastic multitasking abilities. I suck at multitasking myself — ask anyone who’s ever had the misfortune of having to work with me — and admire those who can.

Cheers,
Marjorie

Marjorie’s last blog post..How to Beat Stress Without Really Trying

I’ve found several sites are discriminatory when it comes to listings — because I can’t be easily categorized, they try to look down on me and refuse to link (you know, the ones that go, hey, let’s exchange links, send me the link, you add them, they don’t for months and months, you remind them, and they go, “oh, you write FICTION and I only have copy writers on my links” or “oh, you do BUSINESS WRITING, I only want novelists” — those people.

Buh-bye.

But I find that visiting around blogs and finding them and building up relationships and being active on forums that genuinely interest me instead of “what do I think I can get out of them” gets me both a higher volume of traffic and more return traffic.

I think if one just works in terms of numbers and “gimme”, one winds up turning off an audience that can be much more diverse if you let it.

I talk about a ton of different things on the blog that affect my writing life, and I get some very interesting hits from unusual sources. Many of them stick around. I’m getting quite a few who never read a writer’s blog before they came across mine, but found me due to one of my other interests and stuck around.

Just because I don’t see a financial return in a week doesn’t mean I’m not building a strong foundation and following so that, when I’ve got the relocation done and I’m traveling to do workshops and book tours and whatever — I’ll have a strong base wherever I want to go. I’m building relationships with actual, interesting, unique individuals and that is more important than any number.

To me, that’s worth more than anything.

Example: one of my racing articles last year got one million hits in the first 24 hours, and the clicks back to my blog went up by 10K that week.

I’m surprised how many people stuck around. Plenty of people don’t comment regularly, but they do email me privately.

Devon Ellington’s last blog post..Saturday, May 10, 2008

I’m certainly not all that happy with my search engine results. I show up for some things but not others. Perhaps if I really focused my blog a bit more I’d be able to move up in the rankings for more important searches. Instead I seem to get all the searches involving prostitution. Maybe that’s what I should focus on for the future.

ChinaMatt’s last blog post..Olympic Communications

11 words.

Am I being true to myself? Absolutely. I’m refusing to get boxed into this ‘niche” garbage (it’s garbage for me; if someone else wants to work that way, goody for them).

I write about anything that catches my interest. And I get paid for it.

And I don’t have a “day job”.

Yes, I am being true to myself.

Publishing under a half a dozen names means there are days when I feel like Sybil, but . . .

It’s worth it.

Am I happy every moment of every day? No. But, overall, I’m happy with the direction I’m going, and enjoying the journey.

Devon Ellington’s last blog post..Quick Check-In

<b>@Lillie Ammann</b> - My pleasure. :)

<b>@Brad Shorr</b> - I think “engaged” is exactly the right way to describe it. :)

<b>@Pete</b> - Same to you! Thanks. :)

<b>@Joe</b> - Likewise! Conferences like SOBCon are kind of like speed dating, I think. You just don’t get to spend much time with anyone one person. That’s why it’s so critical to get those business cards so you can follow up after the fact.

<b>@Karen Putz</b> - Every penny! :)

<b>@Barbara Ling</b> - I think it’s in Chicago every year, but I believe there is at least one blogging conference in NJ/NY later this year. E-mail me and we can figure out something that’s closer to you.

<b>@David Bowman</b> - I would definitely put this at the top of the list for 2009 if you’re seriously interested in blogging.

<b>@Michael Martine</b> - Yes, great to actually put a face and a voice on the person. Vlogs are great, but they’re nothing compared to flesh and blood.

<b>@Sandra Mendoza-Daly</b> - I will, I will! Thanks for being patient.

<b>@Lori</b> - Girl, you would have loved it. Maybe next year!

<b>@Yvonne Russell</b> - You are very welcome. I hope it turns out to be helpful!

<b>@Fotobuch</b> - I think so, too.

<b>@Hope</b> - Thanks!

<b>@Todd Jordan</b> - Yes, definitely. And I chuckled about the unlimited Diet Pepsi. I felt the same way about the Cherry regular. ;)

<b>@Lorelle</b> - Incredible, indeed. That 10-words exercise was torture, but the best kind, if that makes any sense. I really needed that. Thank you!

@Joanna Young - Thanks for the reinforcement. First, I was thinking in terms of “explanation” with the informal version. Now, I’m thinking in terms of “tagline” — and I don’t think either of these is there yet, but I’m okay with that for now.

@Liz Strauss - Thank you! I will keep you posted. :)

@Tammy - What a great idea: giving yourself a quarterly evaluation. Am I satisfied with my performance? Am I achieving my goals? Is it time to set new goals? Should I give myself a raise? Is it time for a promotion?

You raise a great point about being mindful of the work we accept. If it doesn’t move your closer to your goals, what’s the point? Well, sometimes just getting a paycheck is worth it, but not always. Great comment.

@Mary-Lynn - I’m REALLY looking forward to hearing what you guys come up with. Thanks for all of the WP help this week. :)

@Sheila Scarborough - Hmm, there’s a thought: Do you have to have one one-liner for everything, or can you have a one-liner for each area of your business? Or maybe, “I guide people to the good stuff…in travel,” “I guide people to the good stuff…in racing,” etc, for each of your sub-brands. Oh, the possibilities!

@Cory - Wow, being told to come up with a tagline in the first class? I think I would have had a heart attack. :) Let me know what you come up with.

@Easton Ellsworth - You hit the nail on the head: “…what most of us need first is a deeply rooted sense of who we are and what we offer in a business sense. Second, we need to be able to explain that identity to anyone, anywhere, at any time, in the way that best suits their understanding.” That’s exactly it. Like you said, once you find that center, it’s easier to stay there. And I think I’m finally there, or at least close to it. :) Phew!

@Lori - I think 11 words is completely acceptable. Great purpose statements, both of them. How is what you’re doing aligning with those missions? Would love to see you expand on that in a post.

@Abra - After this weekend, I’m starting to think we’re all in that boat! Thanks for your idea about the Query Challenge. I will add that to the list.

@Hope - I remember discussing this a few months ago, and I’m so glad to hear how you’ve taken that realization and turned it into something productive. Good for you! Thanks for the encouragement.

@Laurel Homer - It’s so true: We’re either too busy with other people’s work to focus on our own stuff, or we let ourselves believe we are because it’s easier than facing the uncertainty. Don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to pull that off anymore. :) Come back soon and let us know how you’re doing with taking stock.

@Marjorie - Your raw honesty is so refreshing. Thank you for having the courage to put all of that out there for us to learn from your experience! Money is easy; happiness is the hard part, and the day to day minutiae is (are?) the terrifying aspect because THAT’S WHAT WE SEE ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. I don’t have an answer yet, but I think that in itself is an answer: The answer is the process, and vice versa. What do you think?

@Scot Herrick - Woohoo! Virtual high five to you, friend. Let me know how it goes.

@IrreverentFreelancer - Thanks, girl. I have to confess, it’s a relief to hear that you don’t have an answer to that question right off the bat. :) Always reassuring to learn that your pals are in the same boat — so you can get there together!

Thanks for all of the comments, folks! Did I miss anyone? Keep them coming!

For this particular experiment, I just wanted to see if I could pull it off! Now that I know I can, I have to figure out the best way to turn this skill into income. I loved what you said at SOBCon08: ” Are you making money, or are you just chit-chatting?”

Positioning is key, but then what are you going to DO with it? I need to answer that second question, I think.

IrreverentFreelancer’s last blog post..Here a Guest Post, There a Guest Post, Everywhere a Freelance Guest Post