Chris Brogan followed me today on Twitter.  My world is complete.

I know what you’re thinking.  He follows hundreds of thousands of people.  Don’t rain on my parade, OK?

To this point I have offered ideas on how to start your new blog and what steps you can take to make the start up process easier.

Time to branch out, however. Here are four suggestions about things to avoid as you roll out your new website. Needless to say, subjectivity plays a pretty big role regarding what’s good vs. what’s bad on a website, but I think that these tips are generally regarded as being things to avoid. Feel free to take my advice or to ignore it. The choice is yours.

1. Auto Loading Music

There is nothing I like less when visiting a website than to be forced to listen to some auto loading music. In fact, it’s very likely that I will immediately leave the website when music jumps into my headphones without me asking for it. The only thing worse than auto loading music is a pop up window, and I really don’t think I need to explain those.

Aside from being annoying, auto loading music is a bandwidth hog and makes your website load slowly. Nobody likes a slow loading website. Trash the auto loading music. Trust me.

2. Light Text on a Dark Background

OK, I admit that I am not a kid anymore. In fact, depending on the circumstances, I need reading glasses to see whatever it is I am looking at close up. That being said, however, why make life more difficult for most visitors by having a website with white or light text on a dark background. Maybe it’s cool for a photography website or a heavy metal band, but if you’re not Metallica or Mike Cherim I suggest you skip the dark background.

3. Too Much Clutter

Does your sidebar look like the side of a NASCAR race car on race day? Is it loaded with links, advertisements, Adsense ads and other junk. Tell the truth. It is, isn’t it?

It’s time to learn about using white space in your design. It’s time to learn how to frame content so the user can locate and read it easier. Websites that are clean and professional in appearance do a much better job presenting your content in a manner that is likely to get it recognized and read.

4. Don’t Use <Click Here> for Link Text

Do you want your website to look like an amateur put it together? One of the best ways to portray yourself as an amateur is to use <Click Here> or something similar for your links. Not only does it look bad, it offers no descriptive information to your visitors about where the link might take them. Big mistake. Clean up those links and see how more frequently they get clicked.

A Good Design Takes Time

Coming up with a good design for your new blog takes time.  It’s easy enough to slap together a new website using the automated features that your computer and your web host put in place.  But remember this:  Anybody can start a website.  But not everybody can do it correctly.  If your new website is a business website this is particularly important.  But even if your new blog is a personal site that you put together as a hobby, don’t you want it to portray you and your written or spoken word in the best possible light?

It really is kind of scary. Starting a blog for the first time – and hitting the publish button – can be rather frightening. Let’s face it. Once that button is pushed your words are made available for all the world to see. All the world. That, my friends, is one helluva lot of people and you have every right to be a bit self conscious.

What are you afraid of? You’ve purchased a domain name and downloaded and installed WordPress. Perhaps you have even designed or contracted for a custom WordPress theme. You’ve written your first post and are all set to hit the publish button. But fear takes over and you don’t do it. What are you afraid of?

From my perspective it’s best to follow the advice of Nike – “Just Do It”. You’ll be glad you did. There is a certain sense of accomplishment when you write and publish your first blog post. Your words, heretofore largely silent, are now put on display for all to see. I agree it’s a bit scary. But it’s also a very exciting time. Obviously, you have something to say or you would not have gone through the trouble of making it happen. Don’t worry. Once you are in the pool for a while the water is no longer cold. The same thing applies to writing for your blog.

Enough said for now. Put on your swimsuit and hit the pool. The water’s fine!

Do you have a brand new blog? Do you want to increase the traffic to your new website? Here are some tips that I have learned over the years to get a quick start with your new blog. I realize it’s hard to do all these things, but the more you can accomplish the more traffic will come your way.

1. Write a new post every day: I realize that this is difficult to do. Heck, I can’t even do it on my blogs. But you should always strive to write something new each day. Remember, though, that content is king. Writing something just to say you did it is not very useful. Make the content genuinely interesting to your readers.
2. Comment and post at popular blogs and forums: The more time you spend posting and submitting comments to blogs in the same niche as yours the better. Needless to say, people who read those blogs will also be interested in reading yours. Make sure your profile gravatar or name links to your new blog.
3. Participate in blog carnivals: You will reap the rewards down the road. Trust me.
4. Link generously to other blogs in your niche: Sometimes it’s better to give than to receive. Link to as many other blogs as you can if they are in your nice market. Don’t ask for links in return. As time goes by the other blogs will come to appreciate and accept your new blog and the reciprocal links will come in time.
5. Write good content: What else can I say. We all know this is the key to gaining and retaining readers. Give them what they want – something useful.

I hope these tips are of benefit to you as you move your new blog forward. Come to think of it, I gotta go. I need to implement some of these suggestions myself!

Update: I am sad to report that Noah died several days before Thanksgiving. Many thanks to everyone worldwide who sent more than one million Christmas cards to Noah prior to his death.

The five year old son of a friend of mine is in the very last stage of Nueroblastoma Cancer.  Noah has been battling this cancer for 2 1/2 years.  The family is celebrating Christmas six weeks early and will be having their celebration next week.

Noah’s request is to get “lots of Christmas cards”.  Let’s all do a good thing and send Noah a card.  Please pass this information on through any means possible, be it Twitter or Facebook or any other choice of social media.  We can make a small difference in the life of a child and help provide him with a great early Christmas.

Send your Christmas card to:

Noah Biorkman

1141 Fountain View Circle

South Lyon, MI 48178

USA

Thanks for sending a card and for spreading the word.  Let’s really show Noah that we care!

The first time I purchased a domain name and struggled through the process of setting up my new website was both exciting and frightening at the same time.  There were so many decisions to be made and the process seemed so confusing.  Through trial and error – and learning from my mistakes – I have decided on the whom I consider to be the best registrar and hosting companies.  They suit my purposes and I have been very pleased with them.  Your mileage may vary, however, but here’s my suggestions.

Domain Registration

I use goDaddy for all of my domain registrations.  I have found them to be competitively priced and easy to use.  The web interface that goDaddy uses through which you access your account is clean, straightforward and easy to navigate.  If you need to make changes to your account it’s easy to find your way to the proper place.

In addition, goDaddy is one of the most widely used registrars and as a result transferring domain ownership is usually simple as many potential site buyers also have a goDaddy account and expect that the transfer can be accomplished directly through goDaddy.

Web Hosting Account

Through much trial and error I have finally settled on HostGator as my choice for hosting my domains.  I also own 1955 Design, a web design and consulting business and I always recommend HostGator to my clients.  I have used HostGator for several years and have never been disappointed with their service, support or pricing.

From time to time I have had to contact HostGator to resolve and issue or to ask a question.  I have always used their Live Chat customer support.  On most visits I have been answered immediately by a customer support representative.  Once in a while I have to wait a minute or two for a representative to become available.  In each instance, however, my problem has been resolved to my complete satisfaction (or my question answered in full) by their support staff.  Based on experience with other hosting providers I can say that HostGator stands out above all others that I have experience with.

In Summary

Choose your registrar and domain hosting provider carefully.  The relationship you are about to establish with them is key to the success of your new blog.  It’s also key to maintaining your sanity as you navigate into the world of domain ownership.  Good luck!

This is the second post in a series about choosing your blog theme template. Please read Choosing a Blog Theme Template – Step #1 to get up to speed on the series.

1. Custom Features – Worth the Investment?

As you take steps to get your new blog up and running – and monetized – you are probably concerned with keeping your expenses to a minimum. While I certainly understand the need to economize, I also think that now is the time to add custom features or a custom look to your blog. In my experience it’s always better to have your final theme in place before launching your new blog rather than to change the look and feel after the blog goes live.

If you are not well versed in modifying PHP, CSS or XHTML code then you probably want to involve a custom WordPress theme developer to help you customize the look or feel of your new blog. If you are relying on a theme template that you have already chosen your web developer should be able to make minor changes to the layout or functionality for a modest cost. On the other hand, if you expect a major revision of the theme then these costs can certainly increase quickly.

2. Layout Decisions

How do you want your blog to look? The choices are really endless. Aside from the overall appearance, however, you need to be concerned with some practical issues as well. Do you intend to monetize your blog with advertising? If so, then a fairly standard two or three column layout will probably be advantageous and will allow you to easily insert standard advertisement links and images in the future.

If your blog is going to be photo intensive, then you should explore and investigate a theme that is designed from the ground up to include photos and photo galleries as part of the theme design. Adding a photo gallery feature can certainly be done after the fact, but to be honest it’s much better to start with a theme that was designed to accommodate multiple images in a structured format.

Most blog themes are structured to show a chronology of posts in single file. If your needs are different, you may want to consider a magazine style theme that lists content in a more visual and less chronological manner.

3. Choose a Theme Designer Carefully

Your choice of a blog theme designer is terribly important to the success of your new blog. Some things to consider when choosing a theme designer:

• Is the designer experienced in custom WordPress blog themes?
• How does their own website look, feel and perform?
• Is there a portfolio or other list of reference work?
• Does the theme designer adhere to accepted web design standards?
• Will the blog theme work correctly on multiple operating systems and multiple browsers?
• Is the theme designer easy to reach and communicative?
• Are you emails or phone calls answered promptly?
• Will the designer support the theme and resolve issues after the install?
• Does the designer also provide support services such as WordPress installation, database setup, future upgrades, etc?

There are literally tens of thousands of theme designers available from which to choose. By following these simple tips you can help insure that your final choice is well suited for your blog theme needs.

You’ve finished with your brainstorming and decided on a niche market for your new blog. Keyword research is complete and you have downloaded the latest version of WordPress and are ready to install your new blog. Now it’s time to decide what you would like your new blog to look like. It’s time to find a theme for your blog.

You will want to consider the following factors in finding the best theme for your situation:

1. Your Budget

Your first basic decision is to either use a free theme, a premium theme or a custom theme. The obvious advantage to a free theme is the cost – which, of course, is free! There are literally tens of thousands of free WordPress themes available for your use. Deciding among them will be the hard part.

If you decide to move up to a premium theme you will find that for only a modest cost, usually in the neighborhood of $20.00 to $100.00, that you will have a much more customized theme with added features that will make your blog easier to use and more effective.

The disadvantage to either a premium or free theme is that there will be many other sites using the same theme as yours. If you are concerned about having an absolutely unique look to your blog, and your budget allows for it, then you might want to consider a custom theme design for your new blog.

Experienced web developers familiar with WordPress and with PHP coding develop custom themes from the ground up. A custom theme will have a one-of-a-kind look singular to your site, and generally speaking will have many features not present on a free or premium theme. Needless to say, the cost of a premium theme may vary from several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars or more. If budget is not a concern, a premium theme is definitely something you should consider.

2. Functionality

Depending on the goals of your blog, determining how much functionality you want in your theme is an important step in the process. If you expect to grow your blog you will probably want enhanced functionality and flexibility that is best offered with a custom theme design. For instance, if your goal is to ultimately include advertising on your blog then make certain that your theme is a two or three column theme so that you will have some option about where to include your future advertising.

3. Future Investment in Additional Customization

It’s hard to predict the future and many bloggers find that their needs change as their new blog evolves. You may need to add some features or functionality to your blog to enhance the user experience or to begin monetizing your website. Remember that any WordPress them can be customized quite easily by a web developer familiar with CSS, XHTML and PHP. If those terms are meaningless to you then you should consider hiring a web developer to customize your theme.

Next in the series – Choosing a Blog Theme Template – Part 2.

Needless to say, blogging videos are a very popular method for supplying variety in your blog posts.  With the advent of small and cheap video cameras, not to mention built in web cams on laptop computers, just about anyone can make videos these days.  Oh, I almost forgot:  most of us also have video cameras built right into our cell phones.  We all have the potential to be both movie stars and a movie director. A blogging photo no longer suffices – users want blogging videos.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Surprise, surprise, surprise.  AmateurBlogger.net is no exception.  Although I am new at video recording and editing and video blogging in particular, I really want to start implementing a mixture of video blogging and content blogging in the same blog post.  What you see here is the result of my first attempt at integrating video with AmateurBlogger.net.

Stand By, Here’s the Video

I use WordPress to control this website, which in my opinion is the best blogging software around. It’s easy to insert your video code from YouTube into your posts just like I did below.

What Do You Think

I am very interested in feedback from my readers and particularly interested in your thoughts about:

• Do you like video blog posts?
• What type of blog is best suited to video posts?
• What type of blog should avoid video posts?
• Should AmateurBlogger.net continue to explore this as an option?
• Would replacing my smiling face with someone much better looking be a good idea?

Please take the time to leave a comment.  Go ahead, be harsh if you want.  I can take it!

Writing a successful blog posts takes effort. Anyone can peck away on the keyboard and hit the publish button. It’s easy. Next thing you know you’ve published an article for all the world to see.

But is the world looking? Is your blog post engaging enough to attract attention from your target audience? It makes no difference if your target group is ten strong or 100,000 strong – without engaging and useful content you are going to miss your mark.

1. An Engaging Post Title

Your post title is the first thing that a site visitor sees.  Regardless if the visitor is visiting your site directly, regarding on a third party reader, or using a direct RSS feed, the title of the post is what the visitor will see first.  The title needs to lead the visitor, by the hand, into the content of your post.  Asking the reader a question is a tried and true way to gain their attention.  Of course, they need to be inquisitive and the question needs to strike a chord with that inquisitiveness.

Another method often used to encourage further reading is to have the title of your post indicate a list of items will follow in the full article.  In fact, that’s just what I did with this post.  The fact that you are reading this paragraph is living proof that this technique has some validity.

2. Connect with the Reader

Your blog post needs to connect with the reader.  You are a real person and the reader needs to understand this.  Readers who feel engaged with the author are much more likely to return for a second visit or to subscribe to an RSS feed for your blog.  Nobody wants to be lectured to, and blog readers are no exception.  Make your reader feel as though the two of you are having a discussion in the same room.  If you succeed at this you are well on your way to having a successful blog post.

3. Comments are a Two Way Street

People who leave comments on your blog do so for many different reasons.  Some people just like to hear themselves talk.  Others believe their words have value and they wish to leave an impression on others who may follow later and read their comments.  Some people just like to be heard.  Whatever the motivation of a commenter, one sure-fire way to discourage them is to never hear any feedback from the post author.

Although it’s often not possible to respond to every comment, a blog author who takes the time to connect with their readers and comment back, establishing a conversation of sorts, is far more likely to retain and improve the readership of their blog than someone who ignores the readers.

4. Be Professional

There’s no excuse for poor writing.   Before you push the publish key, make sure you have checked and double-checked what you have written.  Sloppy work and poor writing can do nothing to improve your blog’s status.  That much is obvious.

On the other hand, a well written article may very well attract the attention of a reader who otherwise would have scanned and walked away as soon as they realized that they were reading something that the author did not care enough about to produce in a quality fashion.  That’s human nature.  If you can’t be proud of your writing, please don’t expect others to be.

5. Keep Your Cool

There will always be times when a commenter gets under your skin.  Depending on the subject matter of your blog, this may occur regularly or hardly ever, but suffice it to say it will occur at some point in your blogging career.

My advice: never let them see you sweat.  If they want to act a fool, then so be it.  Engaging with them in a similar fashion is unlikely to bring credit to your blog, unless the content and makeup of your site is designed to solicit this type of response from your readers.  When possible, be nice.  Everyone usually wins in this scenario.

As always, I welcome your observations and suggestions and encourage you to leave a comment.