Best Blogging Advice

Thanks to those who asked questions to help me get over my blogging slump. If you haven't had a chance to ask me a question that you are dying to know the answer to, feel free to your question on this post.

The first question comes from Tracy, and Miriam said "ditto." They asked for my top three words of wisdom regarding blogging and making money with a blog. I am not an expert. I can share what I have learned in the 2+ years that I have been blogging. (Can't believe it's been that long!)

To be totally honest, I make about $25 every 4-6 months through the ads on my blog. Not a lot, but I call it my "ice cream money."

The way to make money is to build up traffic to your blog. You can do this artificially by hosting giveaways and contests and making one of the requirements that they subscribe to your RSS feed. Blergh. I hate that. Those followers won't stick around unless you are so over the top informative or witty.

In my opinion, the best way to build a loyal readership to your blog is network. Comment on other blogs. Participate in blog carnivals. Connect with people. Get on Twitter and find great people to follow.

Also, make your blog reader friendly. Allow full RSS feeds. Most people don't like partial feeds and will unsubscribe simply because it's annoying to see only a partial feed. Also, DO NOT have auto-play music on your blog. This is one of the biggest pet peeves of most bloggers, especially moms who might blog hop while a kiddo is taking a nap.

And one more piece of advice that has really helped expand my readership and increase page hits (on which my ad revenue is based) is that I link my blog feed to my Facebook. I reserve Facebook for IRL friends, family, and bloggers who I would like to meet IRL, so by linking my feed there, people who KNOW me now have easier access to my blog feed. Make sense?

Above all else, be genuine. Blog about your passions. I'm not into blogging for the money. Some people are. But whether you want "ice cream money," or additional income for your family, be yourself. That will draw people to you and your blog and help them to stick around and become long-term readers.