A simple guide to blogging wrong: For everyone who doesn’t want to make money, or jump on bandwagons

by Veronica on May 30, 2011

11 Steps to Blogging Wrong, according to my scientific study of bloggers.

1 – Refuse to sign anything. If it requires an electronic signature, it can be considered a bandwagon and you probably don’t want to jump on it.

2 – Post only when you want to, but write as often as you need to.

3 – Take inspiration from your friends and copy what they do, insomuch as it works for you. Give credit, always.

4 – Change things. Develop a brand, change your mind and start again. Rework your theme, decide to be different.

5 – Find a big blogger, work out what they are doing wrong and then don’t do those things.

6 – Listen to critcism. Critics are usually right and only in some cases does it stem from jealousy. Maybe you ARE boring. Decide to change (see point 4).

7 – Remind yourself that NO ONE IS THE BOSS. You will forget this, over and over. No one can tell you what to do. If you’re not breaking any laws, you’re going to be okay.

8 – Resist the urge to listen to the ‘Yer doin it WRONG’ crowd. Wrong doesn’t exist. You can’t do it wrong.

9 – Listen to your gut, always.

10 – Find your crowd. Find the people who understand your humour and love what you write. Don’t pay attention to how many of them there are. Two good readers who get you are better than 50 who don’t.

11 – Ignore everything I’ve said and walk your own path. Decide what you want to do and do it. Ask questions of people you trust and work out what works for you.

That’s it.

Fiona May 30, 2011 at 7:21 am: yeah!

I like being ‘got’ by some.

I also need to apply this to twitter.
Dannie May 30, 2011 at 8:12 am: Love this list so right (i need to make ME work) 😛 xxxx
achelois May 30, 2011 at 8:33 am: Adored this list. Bearing in mind I haven’t blogged in so long I think I just need one reminder. Write a bloody post!
Kellie May 30, 2011 at 9:06 am: So far, not breaking any laws (well, that I’m aware of!).
Loving this list, Veronica!
PS. Do we get to hear more about the nuts and bolts of putting together your“scientific study”!! LOL! 😉
Melissa May 30, 2011 at 9:09 am: Am really working on #10. Learning not to be worried about numbers (or lack thereof). Great post.
Thea May 30, 2011 at 9:20 am: I love these! Because I’ve been doing a bit of ‘what am I doing wrong’ thinking lately. Now I’ll just get over myself and keep on blogging! Thank you!! 🙂
Seraphim May 30, 2011 at 9:24 am: Veronica, this list is spot on. I’m proud to say I did 4,7 and 9 over the weekend. Even though it caused a lot of hassle I’m glad I tried something, even if it wasn’t right for me at the moment. I’ve learned from it.
I’m cutting and pasting this to save on my computer.
Thank you.
Karen (miscmum) May 30, 2011 at 10:07 am: Love it!
joan May 30, 2011 at 10:27 am: Yay! By your rules, I am doing it right. 😉

Love this!
Louisa May 30, 2011 at 1:09 pm: Love this!
river May 30, 2011 at 3:14 pm: #1—-> #11, yes yes yes.
I must be doing something right, people are still reading me. Or maybe they’re just there for the photos….
Melinda May 30, 2011 at 4:14 pm: What a great post, very refreshing 🙂
X
Lil @ How to go left May 30, 2011 at 4:22 pm: Lol, love your list.. new to blogging and it seemed a little scary at first but now just doing it for the writing side and to get stuff off my chest so i don’t implode at the children hehe.
Jodie May 30, 2011 at 4:34 pm: Thanks for the reminder. It’s can be hard sometimes to stay on the path that is true to yourself.
DanniiBeauty May 30, 2011 at 4:36 pm: Great post! The ‘I’m doing this wrong’ thought pops up quite a bit for me. Need to work on it……
Marylin May 30, 2011 at 8:33 pm: Awesomeness! <3 x
Tiff May 30, 2011 at 9:28 pm: Love!
amandab May 30, 2011 at 9:38 pm: Holy crap! I think I am blogging wrong!!!

And I am much happier doing it this way 😀
Happy Elf Mom May 31, 2011 at 2:27 am: Hmmm… of late I’ve seen posts where you seem to be trying to reach for something new and define who you are as a blogger. Well. I think your success speaks to the fact that whatever you’re up to rule wise you’re doing it right. 🙂
Barbara May 31, 2011 at 2:49 am: Brilliant list.
jean May 31, 2011 at 3:04 am: Perfection!
Chelsea May 31, 2011 at 9:11 am: #11 sounds good to me! If I’m going to do it wrong, I’d rather do it the way I want and if I fail, then so be it. But at least I enjoyed myself. thanks for sharing!
Deb Wild Hope May 31, 2011 at 2:39 pm: Wonderfully said! I refuse to ignore everything you’ve said though! LOL.. I’m fairly new to blogging and learning lessons the long and hard way. I like this list a lot. 🙂
Belinda May 31, 2011 at 9:27 pm: Thanks Veronica. Good to know that there is no way I can be doing this wrong, even though my stats are pretty dismal and I haven’t posted in more than a week. It’s working for me on some level, so it must be right, right?
Hear Mum Roar May 31, 2011 at 10:11 pm: I think you did really well! I agree about the no bosses thing, and the, ‘if it’s not breaking a law, you’re probably fine’ ones too. I got into blogging for many reasons, but I always liked the idea that it’s MY blog, not anyone else’s. I’m my own boss. I do enjoy doing projects with others here and there, but still, I feel that any of that is my choosing, which is a wonderful feeling. I never want to lose that as long as I’m blogging
edenland May 31, 2011 at 11:16 pm: THIS IS AWESOME! I love it.
Sharnee May 31, 2011 at 11:57 pm: So good I thought all these before you wrote them (in a FAR LESS COHERENT WAY and spread out over a year or more!).

I agree 100%.

I am sick of bullshit. Some people need to follow these rules a little more.

xx
rachel June 1, 2011 at 5:24 pm: oh i like this! especially no. 2 – i blog when i can and jot down notes with little nuggets whenever they come. no pressure though – better to post quality than quantity of crap…
oh and finding your crowd is a great tip too. there are so many people out there and so little time – i appreciate my regulars but also love the people who pop in now and then – all comment love is good!
Ali June 2, 2011 at 10:21 pm: Oh, how I loved this post. You pretty much summed up how I feel exactly. If I had been worried about adhering to rules I wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun or learned so much.
Tat June 21, 2011 at 3:53 pm: You do have to remind yourself that no one is the boss, don’t you? Love this post!
EmmaK June 25, 2011 at 12:16 am: What a refreshing post. Yes! Listen to critics. Oh bum now I’m wondering if I’m boring ….;)
Grace July 6, 2011 at 12:50 pm: This was awesome to read ! Just what I needed.
Giving credit to others is so important. Glad it was high on your list.
Just very glad I found this on the Blog Carnival…
Alice July 16, 2011 at 11:19 pm: What a great list…just what I needed to read!