To mark 1000 posts on this blog, I thought I’d reflect on what I’ve learned since post #1.
UPDATE: Now available in German, Spanish, Hebrew, and Portuguese.
UPDATE 2: I’ll be posting further ’1000 things’ via Twitter – you can find them with this search or this RSS feed.
- Blogging is not ‘writing a blog’. Blogging is linking and commenting. Any writing is a bonus.
- Regular posting is important…
- But quality posting is even more important. Spending a week or more on a single post can be one of the most important things you ever do.
- First knowledge, then analysis, then ideas.
- A picture is worth a thousand words. More importantly, a picture is worth a thousand words in two hundred countries. The fact that readers don’t need to speak English to understand what you’re communicating can make a word-free post – or at least one with a good image – your most successful one.
- For similar reasons, video works. It may not be search engine-friendly, but if people can embed it the word is more likely to spread.
- When video meets conversation, good stuff can happen.
- Everyone looks ugly on video. Get over it.
- Online video is not online TV
- Podcasts work better when there’s more than one of you
- It takes time. Sometimes years. Persistence counts.
- Being early matters
- A big idea travels far
- Pingback/trackback is a wonderful thing, a form of distribution news websites are still struggling to match. What can be more interesting than someone who is interested in you?
- Cliques and old boys’ networks exist in the blogosphere too
- We are too fucking Anglo-American
- Language is a massive barrier (but having multilingual friends helps – see updates at top of post)
- BASIC principles matter
- Social bookmarking makes researching a post much easier
- The best reason to blog is not to show everyone else what you know, but to find out what everyone else knows
- RSS is one of the most undervalued technologies in the world. Once you understand what to do with it, you can bring the world to your desktop, your mobile, and your blog, and vice versa.
- A blog doesn’t open doors for you, it just gives you the idea to try knocking.
- When people Google you, it saves a lot of time explaining things.
- Blogs are just one part of a social media ecology. Half the stuff that used to go on this blog now goes on Twitter; more goes on Delicious; and some on Flickr and on Seesmic.
- Don’t get me started on FriendFeed, Plurk, Jaiku, etc.
- Humour is effective, but not everyone will get it
- I seem to like linking on verbs
- Streaming live video from your mobile is a pretty amazing thing when you think about it
- Streaming live video from your mobile uses up your battery quickly
- Web browsing on your mobile also uses up your battery quickly
- If you’re moblogging an event, bring a power lead, an extension lead – and a spare phone
- The N95 kicks iPhone‘s ass
- (But I’m prepared to be persuaded otherwise)
- WordPress plugins are addictive
- Firefox extensions are addictive
- Signing up for beta web services is addictive
- I don’t really care about Twitterspam
- A simple, fun idea can be around the world in minutes
- If you want to campaign against something, you already have the technology
- If you want a service, create it yourself
- Google is the biggest popularity contest in the world
- When you realise you don’t have a readership – you have a community – then you also realise you can mobilise, and get things done.
- Technology is easy; community is hard
- Meeting in person is important: I read blogs by people I’ve met much more often than those I haven’t
- Geography still matters
- Birmingham has a lot of bloggers
- Liveblogging and Twitter-blogging are not the same thing
- Privacy is a fluid concept: just because it’s in the public domain doesn’t mean it’s not private
- WordPress.com is better than Blogger
- WordPress.org is better than WordPress.com (see Thing 34)
- Content is not king.
- Conversation is king.
- Conversation is the kingdom.
- We shouldn’t try to be the media
- If someone is sending you a press release about something, you shouldn’t blog about it
- As a journalist, blogging is a good way to rediscover the joy of journalism
- Blogging is also a great way to rediscover how great having a good editor can be
- Do what you do best and link to the rest
- Blogs aren’t worth dying for. That’s what family is for.
- Setting yourself a maximum number of posts per day is a good idea
- Setting yourself a set time to look at your RSS subs every day is also a good idea
- If you rely on third party services, prepare for the rug to be pulled from under your feet
- If you publish the comments widget high up on your blog, more people comment
- A blog without a comments facility is broken
- A site that has comments, but edits or buries them, is not just broken, it’s malevolent.
- Leave posts open ended if you want people to comment
- Leave a post at the top of your site for more than a day if you want people to comment
- Being transparent about your sources is not only good journalism, it’s good distribution.
- The search engine optimisation industry is the new snake oil. I can tell you all you need to know about SEO in five minutes
- Although it might take me another five hours to answer the resulting questions
- If you expect to make lots of money from blogging, you are either naive, stupid, or Robert Scoble.
- If you expect to make lots of money from blogging, don’t expect to make it through advertising
- Being read by a few, key, people can be worth more, professionally, than having lots of visitors
- Being frequently linked to can be worth more, commercially, than having lots of visitors
- Beware advertisers bearing text-based gifts, or generous offerings of ‘free’ articles. Understand linkspam
- Be aware that you have an ego
- Be aware that everyone else has an ego
- Unconferences are great
- There’s only so much talking you can do. Sometimes you have to do something.
- There should be more money available to do something
- Ideas aren’t a problem. Knowing which ones to pursue is
- Only 10% of Americans read blogs
- But 26% of Americans write blogs
- How does that work?
- Blogs are far more ethnically representative than mainstream media
- People may not trust the print and broadcast media, but they trust online news even less
- The 1-9-90 rule
- Rushing off a blog entry just before bed is a bad idea
- Rushing off a blog entry hours before your wife goes into labour is not a good idea either
- Some news travels faster than an aftershock
- People don’t need managers to organise them – just connections
- When I can record a video comment straight from my mobile phone, I’ll be a happy man
- Don’t underestimate the power of corporatisation
- Don’t underestimate the power of big corporations
- Don’t underestimate the power of governments
- If, after all this, we have to go back to living in caves and eating rats, it’ll be a real shame
- Lists have become the biggest cliche in blogging and the most shameless tactic for getting to the top of delicious/digg/reddit.
- But people still read them.
- Have you bookmarked this yet, by the way?
1000. I can’t count.
Wow!
-so what about Plurk,Jaiku etc
Don’t ask me.
At least one item made the lightbulb go off. Thanks for the flash of inspiration.
I totally agree.
Thank you for sharing this, as a relatively new blogger its been nice to read and a fair few of your points made me go ‘oooh yeah’. Little bit of self-reassurance and some food for thought, good post =)
Thank goodness you stopped at 100. I looked at the headline in my reader and though “I hope that mad b*stard didn’t do all 1000″…
[...] 1000 things I’ve learned about blogging [...]
Go on, give us the rest of the list
Are you trying to drive the poor man insane, Sarah?
[...] Internet ist eine Fundgrube für alles Mögliche. Anlässlich des 1000. Post des “Online Journalism Blog” ist folgender Artikel erschienen. Da ich glaube, dass die wenigstens deutschsprachigen Blogger in [...]
Great stuff and very funny. Talking about fact 17. I translated the whole thing into German.
http://www.nachrichtenfluss.net/2008/09/1000-dinge-die-ich-uber-das-bloggen-gelernt-habe/
Maybe somebody would do that with other languages.
[...] Bradshaw marks his 1,000th blog post with a lengthy list of what blogging has taught him about his profession. I especially like No. 56: [...]
I am all whoa!This post must have taken helluva lot of time!LOL!:P
Fantastic post.
Pedro Morgado, Portugal.
wow,now that is some powerful things to think about.
[...] There is some positive news to relay, however. I recently won the Trinity Mirror ‘Online Journalism Student of the Year’ award. I was very surprised when I found out I had won this award, and I’m sure this came across in the dinner I recently had with Marc Reeves, Joanna Geary, and Paul Bradshaw. [...]
great list – thanks for sharing
[...] os mil posts no seu blogue, Paul Bradshaw, do Online Journalism Blog, ‘postou’ “1000 things I’ve learned about blogging” que, de facto, são … 99. Poderemos nós continuar os itens dele, até mil…ou [...]
Sounds like you’ve learned a lot over the past 1,000 posts. Good to see some thought, reflection and good advice!
Mark
A huge nice list, when first come in i wonder, the list is 1000 but why the page a shorts….
I wonder why???
hihihihihiii…
Good list and nice reading.
What a Jip! I was all prepared to sit here and read 1000 reasons =) As somewhat of a new blogger, it’s sucks to know that there isn’t much money in it, but very good to know that others like you encourage bloggers like me to never give up! Thanks.
Hey, great and funny list.
I can’t count either, so you’re in good company. Thanks for the advice! I was getting really bent out of shape recently with not being able to get anyone else to contribute more to my site. I also felt a need for a post-a-day, no matter the quality of the content. Thanks again.
Crikey, I’ve only learned six things about blogging.
http://tiny.cc/ZGgbb
Quite a few gems in there. And a few that made me smile. Especially #1000. Good job!
you’ve given me lots of ‘food’ to feed on.
Great List. At first even I got scared of the number 1000, but after reading 99, I think I could have managed for the rest of 901 points too!
Come on…we need rest of 901 points too.
[...] I learned 1000 new things about blogging today. Check them at 1000 things I’ve learned about blogging | Online Journalism Blog [...]
[...] Und 90 weitere Erkenntnissge gibt es in dem lesenswerten Beitrag 1000 things I’ve learned about blogging [...]
[...] Das WallStreetJournal erläutert Why Most Online Communities Fail (via) [...]
[...] Bradshaw has written a very interesting article about the 1000 things he has learned about blogging over the years since his first post. This is a very good article for anyone thingking about [...]
Beautiful, thank you!
Very interesting !
I must admit I forgot some of the things you said, And I will refocus on them
Thank you for the wonderful post.
I have not written 100 posts yet this made me learn all this early.
Thank you so much for sharing your expertise – fantastic information!
I especially enjoyed the comments on WP plugins.
Traci
[...] 1000 things I’ve learned about blogging | Online Journalism Blog. [...]
[...] seem to like linking on [...]
[...] celebrate 100 posts, I’m taking a leaf out of Paul Bradshaw’s blogbook (1000 things he’s learnt about blogging) and reflecting on what I’ve learnt over the last nine months. A small thanks to Paul, as [...]
[...] 1000 things I’velearned about blogging (vía Andy [...]
[...] dashboard) at weblog tools Mark has linked to “yet another list of blogging blah blah” here is the original post/list at [...]
[...] Celebrating his 1000th post, Paul Bradshaw of the Onlinejournalismblog.com, blogs on his 1000 (well, 100) tips for a successful blog. [...]
[...] 1000 things I’ve learned about blogging http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2008/09/05/1000-things-ive-learned-about-blogging/ « előző | Molnár, Emil — 2008. 09. 08. [...]
Mil cosas que he aprendido sobre blogging…
El conocido blog OJB (Online Journalism Blog) ha llegado al apunte 1000. Lo han usado para publicar 99 consejos para bloggers. [EN] el texto está en inglés….
[...] que todo el mundo sabe. 41. Google es el mayor concurso de popularidad en el mundo, etc. Original: onlinejournalismblog.com/2008/09/05/1000-things-ive-learned-about-blog/ 3 comentarios en: ocio, blogs karma: 114 etiquetas: blogs, internet, comunidad votos [...]
[...] dela, pincei algumas coisas que achei mais interessante. Acho que vale a pena uma lida nela toda – Online Journalism Blog. Afinal, a gente sempre aprende com quem tem mais experiência, mesmo que não concorde com algumas [...]
Re #64 – what happens if most of your comments are emails (as are mine)… not still broken, eh?
Euphrosene
[...] 1000 неща, които научих за блогинга – ето например #72: “Ако очаквате да правите пари от блогове, не ги чакайте от реклама.” Не съм съвсем съгласен, но много зависи какво се влага под понятието “пари от блогове”. [...]
Dude it is ultimate list. I am first time here but you have really good stuff.
[...] 1000 things I’ve learned about blogging – Online Journalism Blog "To mark 1000 posts on this blog, I thought I’d reflect on what I’ve learned since post #1." (tags: internet socialmedia journalism blogging tips) [...]
…
RE: # 58: Do what you do best and link to the rest
So linking to this post would be a _good_thing_..??
…tom…
[...] menos para Paul Bradshaw que listó unas 99 cosas que aprendió del blogging. Siguiendo la Huella llego a su traducción al español, así que de ahí saco algunas que también [...]
[...] 1000 things I’ve learned about blogging ← Anterior | Inicio Comparte esta anotación [...]
[...] 1000 things I’ve learned about blogging. Yes, that is a scary title with all those zeroes. And, yes, Paul Bradhsaw’s list is worth plowing through because it’s about more than just blogging. (And parts of it are funny, too.) [...]
I totally dig how it feels like there’s a conversation going on even though your talking in numbered points.
…and I honestly dedicated 20 minutes to sit here and look through 1000 points.
Good, really liked it.
But this: 64. A blog without comments is broken, may be not.
There´s a spanish blog called Microsiervos, they deleted the comments some years ago, and they´re the most famous spanish blog, the most read one.
[...] Pueden leer mas en el post original aquí [...]
@ # 63 – Yet your comments are still down here
Thanks for the tips, they seem pretty down to earth and were interesting to read. I’ll be sure to keep them in mind with my blogging endeavors…
[...] 1000 things I’ve learned about blogging | Online Journalism Blog :: First knowledge, then analysis, then ideas. [...]
[...] at the UK’s Online Journalism Blog are celebrating the site’s 1000th post with an entry on 1000 Things I’ve Learned About Blogging. It’s a pithy romp through all the ways in which our writing has been influenced by trends in the [...]
Ooops, where is the rest of the list? Thanks for sharing these by the way, these can help me in blogging since I am a newbie blogger.
Just a little comment about “a blog without comment is broken”. Isn’t it “a blog without visitors is broken”. Thanks ;0
[...] a good link that talks about 1000 things a blogger has learnt. Click Here to view that [...]
[...] 1000 Things I’ve learned about blogging. 2. Your popular stuff should go on mondays. 3. Do you show Appreciation to your favorite [...]
[...] -Don Paul Bradshaw, en el punto 56 de las 99 cosas que aprendió blogueando [...]
“# Only 10% of Americans read blogs
# But 26% of Americans write blogs”
That isn’t possible, if 26% write they at least read their own blog, which counts !
…
Adam S: “That isn’t possible, if 26% write they at least read their own blog, which counts !
…smalllol…
Are you sure..?? I have read some posts (including my own) that make me wonder..!!
…tom…
.
[...] Este post me llevó a pensar cuantas cosas yo también he aprendido de mi corta experiencia con los [...]
[...] En Alt1040, blog que aquí leemos seguido salió, este post, sobre lo que se aprende en este “oficio” de blogger, que sale de las 1000 cosas, que enumeraron en OnlineJournalismBlog. [...]
[...] seu blog, Paul Bradshaw, do Online Journalism Blog, escreveu um post com o seguinte título: “1000 coisas que eu aprendi sobre blogar” (na verdade são 99 coisas, mas tudo bem). Deixo aqui os cinco primeiro itens, no [...]
Great article.
[...] 1000 things I’ve learned about blogging : From the Online Journalism Blog [...]
[...] puedo leer en ALT1040, Paul Bradshaw, a través de Online Journalism Blog, escribió las cosas que ha aprendido a través de los años sobre los [...]
Paul,
1,000th post – what a feat – I’m inspired, so much so – I’m considering to finally start my own blog… watch this space – or should I say watch my space, blog, twitter, rss, etc!
M
[...] en: citas, internet — Vitor @ 1:48 am Tags: blog, citas Sacado das 1000 cousas que aprendin co blog. 82. Só o 10% dos estadounidenses le blogs 83. Pero o 26% dos estadounidenses escribren blogs 84. [...]
[...] 1000 πράγματα που έμαθα για το blogging: Για την ακρίβεια δεν είναι 1000, αλλά 100 και επίσης δεν [...]
[...] 1000 things I’ve learned about blogging [...]
[...] post on 1000 Things I’ve learned about blogging (actually 100) has attracted some attention, with quite a few people wanting more. So for those who [...]
@Gmasatasquirrel @Navjot and @Malcolm – I will continue to post ’1000 Things’ via Twitter – you can find them at http://search.twitter.com/search?q=+%221000+things%22+from%3Apaulbradshaw or subscribe to an rss feed at http://search.twitter.com/search.atom?q=+%221000+things%22+from%3Apaulbradshaw
@Michael thanks for the translation! Have updated the post to include a link higher up.
@Anne re: comments widget – the recent comments ‘widget’ is in the second column at the top of the page – that’s different to post-specific comments which are also displayed at the end of each particular post.
[...] En Online Journalism Blog publican una lista de lo mejor de ser blogger y consejos para serlo… ALT1040, un clásico en la blogosfera, destacó algunos puntos. Yo me quedo con otros: [...]
[...] Online Journalism Blog (inglés) Paul Bradshaw ha publicado un post donde comparte todo lo que ha aprendido blogueando. Algunos de los puntos que enumera son realmente [...]
[...] πρέπει να είναι ένα καλό blog; Τα πέντε στάδια του blogging 100 πράγματα που έμαθε ένας blogger για το blogging Πόσο συχνά πρέπει να postάρεις; Πώς το κάνει ο Τζέισον [...]
[...] חגג את הפוסט האלף באונליין ג’ורנליזם בלוג שלו, וכתב 1,000 דברים שלמד על בלוגינג. ביקשתי ממנו רשות לתרגם לעברית, והוא אמר יאללה בכיף. [...]
[...] al español de la anotación 1000 things Iive learned about blogging de Paul Bradsahw hecha por Silvia [...]
I got this link from Mike of http://ourtable.wordpress.com I’ve only started this a month ago. Thanks to this list, I’ll know what to do (whether I actually do it is another matter, of course)
Nice post. I’d rescue what I consider the best ones.
http://prixma.com.ar/2008/09/rss-imgenes-y-calidad-la-clave-del-blog.html
[...] y calidad, la clave del blog periodístico Online Journalism Blog (OJB) publicó las 100o cosas que aprendió sobre bloguear. Si bien, los tips que ofrece son 100, pone de relieve varios consejos interesantes para tener en [...]
[...] Setembro, 2008 Posted by Fabio Malini in Sobre o virtual. Tags: blog, jornalismoonline trackback Post engraçado – e sério ao mesmo tempo – sobre 1000 coisas aprendidas ao se blogar, publicado no [...]
Great post. I translated it to brazillian portuguese here:
http://ksilveira.blogspot.com/2008/09/1000-coisas-aprendidas-sobre-blogar.html
What about posting while drunk?
[...] 1000 things I’ve learned about blogging | Online Journalism BlogTo mark 1000 posts on this blog, I thought I’d reflect on what I’ve learned since post #1. [...]
[...] You can read the post here. [...]
Nice addition of humour at the end there dude..
[...] тргна приказнва. Го читав посот на Paul Bradshaw – 1000 things I’ve learned about blogging и меѓу многуте корисни работи (некои веќе познати, [...]
Found this post really interesting, some great points made here. Thanks
[...] Bradshaw listed what he learned from blogging. The list is impressive and shows how important it is to blog if you want to succeed [...]
[...] stroom user-generated content (die deels zijn weg vindt naar Dumpert) vormt een bewijs dat ‘conversation is king‘ op [...]
[...] dalykų, kurios Paul Bradshaw išmoko apie blogo [...]
see thing (99)
Yes
REALLY A SUPERB INFORMATIVE POST.THANK YOU THANK YOU VERY MUCH.BY THE WAY HAVE A LOOK ON THE FOLLOWING SITE.
—————————————————————
blogging for a living
I´ve learned blogging that I can understand better my costumers and also give them information about my services faster and cheaper.
Great post!
gr8 resrch bro
It was fun reading this hundred points..
And Yes.. Conversation is the King.. Content must be the queen alleast..
Oh, poo! I wondered how you’d ever get to 1000! And I was hoping you would. Great post! All 99! I liked “Do What You Do Best And Link To The Rest”. I’ll remember that one.
I was glad it wasn’t 1000, but disappointed only 100. Maybe you can spoonfeed it to us a little at a time? I’m a newbie and trying to be like a sponge..
TY 4 some gr8 advice
Cherie
This is outstanding! Thank you for your lessons learned on blogging!
Tony V
[...] is always good to learn from experience. The Online Journalism Blog has put together 100, (I know it says 1,000) things they have learned since starting out with post number 1. I think I’m on the same track as OJB [...]
It’s a biggest list of things about blogging I’ve ever read. Thanks for your time to make this list.
Now, THAT is a great list. I gotta disagree about “Content is NOT king”. Content IS key to a successful blog. Like your post–it’s awesome content. That’s why you got so many trackbacks and commenters.
OJB??? What kind of name is that first of all. Second, who the heck cares who you are or what you think…and supposedly you think
My favorite is “Google is the biggest popularity contest in the world”
This is probably one of the nicest post I’ve seen for a long time.
Content is not the king,couldn’t be more true,i often notice some crappy posts on some blogs with thousands of comments but you know how it is for some can be crap for others gold.
Loved your post,saved on delicious.
Your site is very useful and nicely done!
Thank you very much for your work.
thanks paul, your post help me to generate my mind to make a valuable posting.
[...] Lists are enormously popular on the web, frequently topping websites’ ‘most shared’ lists. It may be anything from ‘5 ways to tie a knot’ to ‘The 100 best albums by women’. A good tip for your first [...]
OMG! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this list from the top, right through to the bottom. It was absolutely delightful … and I really have to agree with all the experience, the concepts, idealistic manner behind it all. LOL at 1000. Love lists!!! Thankyou. Blogging is a great way to go!
OMG. Thoroughly enjoyed reading the lists and LOL nearing the end to 1000. Really great pointers. I want to blog now! Wonderful humour!
OOOPS!!! I apologise for repeating myself. Couldn’t see my comments anywhere. Now it’s repeated. Is that a sign that I will be an annoying blogger not knowing where it all goes?LOL. STOPS HERE!!!
I really thought the list would go up to 1000. What a catchy title!
I lost with that of 1-9-90%…What’s that?
Well you didn’t arrive to 1000…but a hundred is lots of things to learn!je,je
Click on the link. The 1-9-90 rule is that, of people visiting your website, 1% will be active contributors, 9% occasional ones, and 90% will just read.
I think that ‘family over blogs” sums up the deal. + WP roolz
Thoroughly enjoyed reading the lists and LOL nearing the end to 1000
[...] 1000 things I’ve learned about blogging [...]
thanks for some of the practical advice on blogs,
I have to start one for a class and knowing where to put the comment widget is probably useful
#37 indeed. We all hate twitterspam..but… isn’t everything on Twitter a bunch of Twitterspam?
Keeping comments open is a must. Why do some people close them down so early. This blog has great information and is still relevant 3 years later. Some people close comments down in just months. Weird.
[...] enormously popular on the web, frequently topping websites’ ‘most shared’ lists. It may be anything from ’5 ways to tie a knot’ to ‘The 100 best albums by women’. A good tip [...]