I Started a Blog..
- Thread starter PoetryOfEros
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Also as for OP, the fact that some of the other posters were able to scuttle much of your efforts with mere words isn't a good sign. It isn't consistent with the mindset that MikeCF preaches.
Like Bushido (or dreambig as I still remember him
) said, getting your own blog costs peanuts. A domain name and basic shared hosting is going to cost you like around $100 on Bluehost for the year. That's nothing. Do it. You then just install wordpress which takes like 5 minutes. You then have near full flexibility and your own legit 'place' on the internet. I have no idea why SamBRob is saying not to do this, and saying get a free blog; I would strongly advise you set aside that advice.
Do try to think how to differentiate yourself though. If you try to write something that's just another boldanddetermined or another dangerandplay, you're not going to be next boldanddetermined or dangerandplay. Think and hard about how your play is going to be fresh or unique in some way (even if it's only a slight uniqueness), because that's half of the game.
Like Bushido (or dreambig as I still remember him
) said, getting your own blog costs peanuts. A domain name and basic shared hosting is going to cost you like around $100 on Bluehost for the year. That's nothing. Do it. You then just install wordpress which takes like 5 minutes. You then have near full flexibility and your own legit 'place' on the internet. I have no idea why SamBRob is saying not to do this, and saying get a free blog; I would strongly advise you set aside that advice. Do try to think how to differentiate yourself though. If you try to write something that's just another boldanddetermined or another dangerandplay, you're not going to be next boldanddetermined or dangerandplay. Think and hard about how your play is going to be fresh or unique in some way (even if it's only a slight uniqueness), because that's half of the game.
Phoenix said:
Most of my traffic comes from Google organic search. Very little advertising or promotion.
Phoenix said:
I started my first blog in late 2011 and it started making about $30-40 monthly within 3 months. This was back in the day when ranking in Google was much faster. The topic was an IT examination I had to take for work. Resources online were totally scattered so I brought them together into a more coherent set of notes. Looking back it was a shit website, but I made it within a couple of weekends.
Since then, I've started countless websites. Most made nothing and I eventually scrapped them but a few have come through for me. The ones that have been successful are 99% passive. My content is mostly evergreen so it doesn't get old.
Broadly speaking, my blogs have been in the education, IT and self-improvement sectors.
I'm not sure how free vs self-hosted is even a debate. You either look professional and do it the right way, or you don't do it at all.
Hosting can be around $3 a month with a Hawk Host shared hosting plan. (search for coupon)
A domain is around $10 a year from Namecheap. (search for coupon)
Hosting can be around $3 a month with a Hawk Host shared hosting plan. (search for coupon)
A domain is around $10 a year from Namecheap. (search for coupon)
There's nothing wrong with giving OP a reality check, and it's not a "weak mindset" to recognize that you don't necessarily want to do something once you learn more about it.
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@Bushido
Do you update the sites you're talking about regularly? Because the way you make it sound, they're not blogs but static sites. There's nothing wrong with that, but I want to get everyone on the same page. Hell, if you can make passive income off a site without updating it that's way better than a blog that requires constant ongoing effort.
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In general, yes, it's better to have your own domain and not a blogspot.com or wordpress.com site. But it depends what you want the site to be. Not everyone is trying to turn their blog into some kind of passive income engine or use it as a professional calling card.
As some obvious examples of people who were extremely successful with their blogs without paying a dime for hosting, I'll point you to Vox Day and Larry Correia (hugely successful author who got his start by self publishing before ebooks were even a thing). Vox Day still uses blogspot.com and is only planning on switching if he has problems with them, last I heard. Larry Correia does pay to host his site now but he built his audience on a free wordpress.com site and a couple different web forums.
Regardless of how cheap paying to have your own domain and host is, the fact is that's extra money and effort you have to put into it to make sure you don't lose your whole site if there's a problem with the host. If you accidentally don't renew your domain, you can end up totally fucked and have to spend months resolving the problem. If your domain reseller shits the bed at the wrong time, that alone can cause major problems that will be a pain in the ass to resolve. I'm dealing with something like that right now.
Unless a professional appearance is a high priority or paid hosting is specifically required for some reason to do what you want to do, it's easier and safer to just go on wordpress.com until it's clear that the site is worth the trouble.
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@Bushido
Do you update the sites you're talking about regularly? Because the way you make it sound, they're not blogs but static sites. There's nothing wrong with that, but I want to get everyone on the same page. Hell, if you can make passive income off a site without updating it that's way better than a blog that requires constant ongoing effort.
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In general, yes, it's better to have your own domain and not a blogspot.com or wordpress.com site. But it depends what you want the site to be. Not everyone is trying to turn their blog into some kind of passive income engine or use it as a professional calling card.
As some obvious examples of people who were extremely successful with their blogs without paying a dime for hosting, I'll point you to Vox Day and Larry Correia (hugely successful author who got his start by self publishing before ebooks were even a thing). Vox Day still uses blogspot.com and is only planning on switching if he has problems with them, last I heard. Larry Correia does pay to host his site now but he built his audience on a free wordpress.com site and a couple different web forums.
Regardless of how cheap paying to have your own domain and host is, the fact is that's extra money and effort you have to put into it to make sure you don't lose your whole site if there's a problem with the host. If you accidentally don't renew your domain, you can end up totally fucked and have to spend months resolving the problem. If your domain reseller shits the bed at the wrong time, that alone can cause major problems that will be a pain in the ass to resolve. I'm dealing with something like that right now.
Unless a professional appearance is a high priority or paid hosting is specifically required for some reason to do what you want to do, it's easier and safer to just go on wordpress.com until it's clear that the site is worth the trouble.
^ They are blogs, but I don't update them very often. No dates shown on posts either. I deliberately picked areas that didn't require constant updates.
Not sure how you could forget to update a domain. Mine renew automatically and I also get a million emails nagging me to do so before the due date.
I think that owning the platform is always much better than being a figurative serf on a domain such as Wordpress.com, but that's just me. You don't control anything. You can always sell a domain with traffic when you own it yourself. In fact, even a domain without traffic is often worth something due to its age. A freely hosted site is of much less value by default.
Not sure how you could forget to update a domain. Mine renew automatically and I also get a million emails nagging me to do so before the due date.
I think that owning the platform is always much better than being a figurative serf on a domain such as Wordpress.com, but that's just me. You don't control anything. You can always sell a domain with traffic when you own it yourself. In fact, even a domain without traffic is often worth something due to its age. A freely hosted site is of much less value by default.
I would encourage you to start your first one if have a specific topic that your passionate about. Even if no one is reading your content, writing helps to sharpen your critical thinking skills and improve your communication among other things. If you're purely driven by the potential financial gain of this, you'll more than likely get discouraged and probably abandon this project shortly after starting.
PoetryOfEros
Sparrow
I can always try again when I'm ready for it. Thanks for all the positive remarks following the negative onslaught. I needed the extra cash back for now anyway. Will commit at a later date.
If you have stuff to say but don't want to commit yet, you should just write posts on your computer but not publish them anywhere online. Then you'll have content built up and ready to deploy if/when you do decide to start a site. Having a history of content makes a blog look legit immediately. Or maybe you'll end up with a book instead of blog content.
That's what I'm doing right now, because I'm spending a ton of time at a cabin with no internet access. I just write a short post or two every night when I'm done with my work and at some point when I'm not so lazy I'll upload about 25 posts at once, backdating them appropriately. Since what I'm writing about is not related to outside events, but just the project I'm working on, it's not a big deal if my posts don't go up immediately. The posts are for a very young blog and I get about 1 hit every 5 days, so I'm not neglecting my audience because I don't really have one yet.
And if it turns out you never write any posts, well... then you know you shouldn't be blogging. Then perhaps you'll find a different outlet to express yourself.
That's what I'm doing right now, because I'm spending a ton of time at a cabin with no internet access. I just write a short post or two every night when I'm done with my work and at some point when I'm not so lazy I'll upload about 25 posts at once, backdating them appropriately. Since what I'm writing about is not related to outside events, but just the project I'm working on, it's not a big deal if my posts don't go up immediately. The posts are for a very young blog and I get about 1 hit every 5 days, so I'm not neglecting my audience because I don't really have one yet.
And if it turns out you never write any posts, well... then you know you shouldn't be blogging. Then perhaps you'll find a different outlet to express yourself.
Bushido made some great points.
I urge the OP not to have too great of expectations. Just start writing. The quality to your content will come with practice as will the kind of niche that you want for your blog. Don't expect to make any money, so that if you do, it's a pleasant and comforting surprise.
As Samuel pointed out when it comes to readership, what makes your content worthy of your time. Attempt to write with a NEW and refreshing perspective. Develop your own unique voice when it comes to your writing.
Also, don't worry about layouts and all that. Just start writing.
Regarding hosting, others have pointed out you might want to pay for it, which is a valid point. I pay about 20$ something a year for my webhosting and its absolutely worth it - my host is an alt-right guy himself so he won't for any reason ever cancel your hosting because of pressure. I can give you his number if you wish to call him and see.
I urge the OP not to have too great of expectations. Just start writing. The quality to your content will come with practice as will the kind of niche that you want for your blog. Don't expect to make any money, so that if you do, it's a pleasant and comforting surprise.
As Samuel pointed out when it comes to readership, what makes your content worthy of your time. Attempt to write with a NEW and refreshing perspective. Develop your own unique voice when it comes to your writing.
Also, don't worry about layouts and all that. Just start writing.
Regarding hosting, others have pointed out you might want to pay for it, which is a valid point. I pay about 20$ something a year for my webhosting and its absolutely worth it - my host is an alt-right guy himself so he won't for any reason ever cancel your hosting because of pressure. I can give you his number if you wish to call him and see.
PoetryOfEros
Sparrow
I wasn't happy with the 3 posts I had on there. I still have the domain and hosting so I simply chucked a free theme on there, something minimal. I'm starting afresh. The domain and hosting is cheap enough, maybe I shouldn't have doubled down on a theme while my writing was getting some practice.
For what it's worth I had one comment within the first week. Lame, though, asking for details of my hosting etc, SPAM and deleted it.
Topics to write about seem to be governed by the domain name, if not, well, the 'theme' of writing would necessarily need to be in proportion to what you've titled the blog, right? I mean if you name your domain 'badassalpha.com' and you write beta game articles it seems a bit of a denigration to your own title.
Right now, my blog is blank, nothing but a theme and no content. The main task now is to create content and lots of it. The content is what makes up the whole point of visiting the site. Sure you have to be unique in some way, directly through the writing of course. That seems reasonable.
I don't live an utterly exciting life, I don't jump from buildings with parachutes or anything like that. It would seem silly to write stuff that is not real unless of course, one is writing non-fiction. I really need to make the effort of sitting down one evening and brainstorming ideas on a pad. Literally, figure out where I'm going to end up because I can't see myself writing lame posts every weekend and keeping readers entertained through half-assed attempts.
Some great points have been brought up regarding blogging just on a can/can't or is it practical/non-practical to start a blog? Really got me reassessing my goals.
For what it's worth I had one comment within the first week. Lame, though, asking for details of my hosting etc, SPAM and deleted it.
Topics to write about seem to be governed by the domain name, if not, well, the 'theme' of writing would necessarily need to be in proportion to what you've titled the blog, right? I mean if you name your domain 'badassalpha.com' and you write beta game articles it seems a bit of a denigration to your own title.
Right now, my blog is blank, nothing but a theme and no content. The main task now is to create content and lots of it. The content is what makes up the whole point of visiting the site. Sure you have to be unique in some way, directly through the writing of course. That seems reasonable.
I don't live an utterly exciting life, I don't jump from buildings with parachutes or anything like that. It would seem silly to write stuff that is not real unless of course, one is writing non-fiction. I really need to make the effort of sitting down one evening and brainstorming ideas on a pad. Literally, figure out where I'm going to end up because I can't see myself writing lame posts every weekend and keeping readers entertained through half-assed attempts.
Some great points have been brought up regarding blogging just on a can/can't or is it practical/non-practical to start a blog? Really got me reassessing my goals.
Bushido said:
If I sound negative, it's because it sounded like he fell for the Badnet scam (Especially if he's been reading this corner of the internet) of overcharging for something you can get for free. I dislike Badnet, because I hate to see people waste their money, so I set him straight in order to save his cash.
As for what Cernovich might or might not say, I can't say that's super-important to me. Next time I see him, I'll ask him, but note that even he barely blogs anymore, and he certainly doesn't make any money off the blog itself. He puts far, far more of his effort into twitter, where he can reach more people and promote himself far better.
I agree that a specialized niche, particularly one linked to an affiliate program, can make a lot of cash. Not to bring up Cernovich again, but his juicing blog, with articles like "What's the best juicer?" that affiliate-link to 100$+ amazon items, is an ideal example of the kind. The problem is that all these niches are swarming with people trying to make a fast buck, so standing out is extremely difficult. It worked for Cernovich because he's got a built-in audience from his other blog, and also because he's built like a tank and people are more willing to take fitness advice from him. It worked for you with your exam pages are (presumably) in a field that's not well-known to the general public.
If OP can think of a niche like that where he can fill, I whole-heartedly encourage him to go ahead with his blog. I'll admit to a degree of skepticism there though.
SamuelBRoberts said:
Thanks for responding. I understand what you mean. And I see that you only have good intentions for OP.
I wasn't aware that Badnet is considered a "scam." What's the dirt?
SamuelBRoberts said:
He still blogs. I think he is taking a break after the election unless I'm missing something.
SamuelBRoberts said:
Dude this is 100% false. Not sure where you get this idea from? Danger and Play still gets a ton of traffic and definitely makes some considerable passive income, without even taking his e-books into account.
I'm not Mike so I won't get into which platform is more important for him. But simply discounting what is a popular blog (with some strong SEO) is a little excessive. He could certainly sell it for a large chunk of cash if he ever wanted to.
SamuelBRoberts said:
Some markets are simply very large. Health is one of them. Juicing is a popular niche in a huge, huge market. You don't need a big following to make a few hundred bucks a month. In reality, a few well-ranking pages can do it. In fitness, for example, I'd wager that there are 1000s if not 10,000s of blogs/websites making this amount. Sometimes crowded niches just mean that a niche is fucking big...
My IT blog was just the first example. The websites that have followed aren't crazily niche. Keep an open mind man. There's still plenty of money to made out there. Google rewards unique and well-written content. You can find yourself ranking for all sorts of long-tail keywords you never even thought of.
Another example: I even have my mum making $100-150 a month from a site that I helped her make. She wrote the content a couple of years back (I was visiting family for Xmas) and the income has rolled in ever since. No SEO. No business plan. No gurus. No upkeep whatsoever.
SamuelBRoberts said:
I see my former self in your posts. You simply "know" how things are. I used to write off friends and their business ideas too. Then I saw some of those succeed and ended up eating my words. These days, I avoid making any firm predictions about anything or anyone because most of the time we simply don't know until we make an honest attempt. Let's keep an open mind towards OP. I wish him success.
Look, a little scepticism is fine and necessary even. There are a lot of charlatans preaching BS about making money from blogs.
However, don't let a few scammers dissuade you from the overwhelming huge possibilities that still remain to make money online. When it comes to entrepreneurial or creative endeavours, it's all too easy to close your mind to the possibilities out there. Unfortunately, our modern education teaches us to be obedient slaves and pours scorn on anyone trying to break the mould.
The reality is that tons of people are quietly making some very nice incomes blogging without any special advantages or ever being a known name. FACT.
I have nothing to gain from trying to convince people. Just hoping that this helps someone around here. Now if you'll excuse me it's time to go write on a platform that I own.
PoetryOfEros
Sparrow
Wow, I appreciate the scepticism and the real accounts of experience but I really had no idea that being informed meant that your opinion counted. I'm honestly doing this for my own reasons. Fair enough I've done away with the theme which was just short of $100. I appreciate Roberts conscientiousness on the matter because that money is better in my pocket if I'm getting no visitors. I've never even known of 'badnet' until this thread and was basically going of Gorilla Mindset which I read a few months ago. I'm sticking with my hosting and domain name, really need to make time to sit down and write down content ideas and obviously figure out my niche in the process. I think I read somewhere that it takes three attempts before a business succeeds. If that's a blog then obviously you wouldn't know what succeeds until you put it into action. It could be a load of rubbish and never take off but how will you know if you don't try?
General Mayhem
Kingfisher
I started a shit blog a few years back and spent a few months posting. I went about it all wrong the first time and tried to re purpose it to no avail.
Sure I blew some cash I could have spent somewhere else but I don't regret it.
I'm thinking about starting one up again with a different focus this time. Something I truly enjoy. I also think there is a physiological benefit to posting shit to the web vs just letting it sit on your hard drive but maybe that's just me.
Sure I blew some cash I could have spent somewhere else but I don't regret it.
I'm thinking about starting one up again with a different focus this time. Something I truly enjoy. I also think there is a physiological benefit to posting shit to the web vs just letting it sit on your hard drive but maybe that's just me.
One of the hidden benefits of going with self-hosting is that you can have your own self-hosted email address. No more yahoo, gmail, aol or any of the other major providers. Companies that show you ads, get hacked (yahoo), and don't care about your privacy. Once you have hosting you can setup a branded email like this: NAME @ YOURDOMAIN.COM
Bushido said:
Regularly posting great content + time will automatically lead to gradual increase in organic rank (and hence traffic)? Or is there still a large component of luck of the draw involved (i.e. maybe Google needs to first see people are visiting your site--somehow--before they will rank you higher?)?
In other words, does consistent/interesting content get people to see your blog for the first time, or does it serve more to keep people coming back after they've already seen it?
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