Wow, I’ve been blogging at thehostinginsider.net for almost three years. I have to admit at times the delivery of content has been sporadic, but in the last 12 months I’ve managed to keep to a reasonably good weekly schedule. Over this time I have learned several lessons, from how to host a WordPress blog to understanding more about writing to building my personal brand and becoming more social on Twitter. I realise it is not for everyone, this isn’t the first time I’ve tried writing things down but after several previous attempts in the past, this one has kept me interested. In a break from the technical and ecommerce related content, this week I’m going share some of my thoughts on blogging and why I enjoy regular writing.
If you are thinking about starting a blog, I would strongly recommend giving it a go. There are plenty of easy ways of getting started, from the basic like Tumblr, to the more advanced such as Blogger and WordPress. For me two of the hardest things were finding time to write something meaningful and to have enough to write about regularly. I think it is important that it becomes something you enjoy, and it also offers something engaging for others to consume. Is there any relevance in writing personal memos which no one else will read? Perhaps, but then why not just keep a journal? Having enough content can be tricky, in my case I have based my writing on my work and I’m lucky because I am constantly learning new things.
As I approach my 3 year anniversary I am considering a site redesign. The plan is to make things more interactive. This may involve a regular newsletter for subscribers, a short e-book and more discussions via a comments section. I have had some interesting engagements with people who have read my blog and got in touch. The best example of this is Brighttalk.com. They approached me after finding me on Twitter and taking an interest my writing. As a result I now deliver a series of monthly webinars which you can check out here (they are free!):
Hosting is boring! Should you be consuming cloud as a commodity instead?
How online shopping is changing network traffic behaviour.
How software empowers online retail. – Coming soon (August 13th).
Along with a redesign and some new functionality I’m starting to think about what I write. In the past, research has lead me to believe that 500 – 600 words is the optimal length for a piece to pique a reader’s interest. However, recent trends seem to suggest long form articles of 2000 or more words allow you go into greater detail, demonstrate a greater level of knowledge and are better for SEO. Attracting new readers is something I’m always interested in.
As you can see, the journey I’ve been on with this site has been pretty interesting. I have I developed a better writing style (I’d recommend The Elements of Style), learned to re-read what I have written and edit it mercilessly and built up a knowledge of SEO and other marketing techniques. Keeping up to date with trends and reading work by other bloggers is a constant source of help and inspiration. I am proud of the work I have put in and would strongly encourage you to have a go, you might like it!
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