16 THINGS FOR BLOG SUCCESS

Take advantage of the tools money can't buy

Think anyone can blog? Think again! While it's true that anyone can start a blog and throw one into cyberspace, the fact is very few people can successfully pull it off. If you want to truly make it as a blogger, you need to have several things. I'm not talking laptops and software, indeed those are important. Most of what you need to become a successful blogger can't be found in stores, or even blogs about blogging.

1. Passion for Your Topic
If you choose a topic you love, your passion will show through. If you choose a topic you don't know much about only because of the high paying keywords, that will be apparent as well.

2. Creativity
You're going to need to update your blog, at the very least, several times a week. A successful blogger is creative enough to come up with fresh, engaging content every time.

3. A Good Idea
Not the same idea as everyone else. Not a copycat of someone else's blog. But your own unique, good idea. If you want to make it as a blogger, you have to have great content and a fresh idea.

4. A Good Work Ethic
If you think blogging is just writing a quick five minute post and forgetting about it until next time, you couldn't be more wrong. You're going to spend hours on your blog designing it, writing it, promoting it and more. Most bloggers spend two to five hours on each blog every day.

5. The Ability to Work Alone
Most bloggers work alone. You have to be able to shut out all of the distractions of home or the coffee shop and concentrate on creating a good post.

6. A Notebook
You're going to come up with ideas at the oddest times. What if you're not close to your computer? It's helpful to have a notebook or PDA handy so you can jot down ideas.

7. A Thick Skin
You're going to be flamed, you're going to be trolled and people are going to pick your blog posts apart and call you names. You can let it get to you or you can develop a thick skin.

8. A Thriving Social Network
It helps to have people to talk to, network with, and shoot ideas off of. This will not only help to eliminate the loneliness some probloggers experiences, but by interacting with others you're sure to come up with fresh new ideas.

9. Motivation
What keeps you motivated? Passion for your topic? Advertising revenue? The adoration of your public? Whatever it is, channel it and use it to keep you driven.

10. Longevity
Blogging isn't a fly by night operation. If you want to succeed, if you want your readers to trust your name, you'll want your blogs to last through the ages. The most successful blogs have been around for a few years. It's the people who cut bait and run after two months of blogging that fail.

11. Long Term Vision
Do you have a plan? Where do you see your blog two years from now? Five years? Ten? A successful blogger has the ability to see into the future. I'm not saying you know exactly what you're going to blog about, but you'll need to think about how your blog is going to succeed for years to come.

12. The Ability to Work Odd Hours
Blogging isn't exactly a 9 to 5 gig. Ideas hit at any time. Many probloggers even work well into the night or the wake at the crack of dawn to fit blogging into a busy day.

13. A Willingness to Learn New Things
As a blogger you want to continue to feed your readers new information. This means you'll have to set a portion of your day aside to read other blogs, books, magazines and websites in your niche.

14. An Open Mind
Sometimes bloggers need to completely change their line of thinking. What might have worked a year ago, doesn't work now. Tools and techniques become obsolete. Keep an open mind, don't be afraid to admit defeat and always be on the lookout for new trends and ideas.

15. The Ability to Teach
Blogging isn't about talking about yourself. It's about sharing what you know with someone else. Many bloggers are teachers, not story tellers. Though the ability to tell a story is also something a successful blogger must possess.

16. Patience
It's been said here many times, patience pays off. Blogging isn't instant gratification. It takes time and patience to build up a successful blog. If you want an instant pay out, stick with copywriting.