It’s day 30 of the 30-day Ultimate Blog Challenge. My results exceeded my expectations.
No, I did not become the #1 blog in the blogosphere – go figure. I don’t think I want that. I certainly don’t expect that.
Blog Boost
I learned some valuable things from the Ultimate Blog Challenge.
Here are just a few.
1. Daily blogging was easier than I thought
I really expected to struggle with blogging daily for 30 days. The challenge gave me the kick in the rear I needed and I found it was not a problem.
Going forward, I do not plan on weekend business blogging. That’s my quest for a better life balance, but I will blog Monday through Friday. That’s my goal.
Before the challenge, I blogged 2 – 3 times a week. Now that I learned daily blogging is possible, I want to keep it up during the week.
2. Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours
I created my tagline because I always had a knack for making the complex simple. I like it simple.
Another lesson learned was that others appreciate simple, too. My posts that received the most response were those that had simple how-to instructions or tools for making it simple.
This lesson helped me narrow my target. I am going to review my categories and create simple how-to posts or share great tools and blogs that make it simple.
I would love to hear from you about what topics you’d like to see. If I don’t know the answer – I am no techie genius – I will find out for you – and me.
3. Guest blogging is more than a fad
Guest blogging seems to be the topic of the day. During this challenge, I did a guest post at Danielle McGaw’s blog and she contributed a post to mine.
Danielle asked me to combine my freelance status with my 30+ years in the health care industry. Although it had me thinking I had better practice what I preach, it was a fun departure to write Health and the Freelance Writer – the Novel!
Here are some of the lessons learned from guest blogging.
- I wrote on a topic I probably wouldn’t have come up with – so thank you, Danielle
- It was a pleasant relief to know I had my post covered for the day Danielle’s post was published
- I used that “free time” to write my post for the next day – a nice bonus – I had been creating them the day of the post
- Even I get tired of my own voice – guest posting is a nice change of pace
4. It’s all about sharing
I have always been a Pollyanna and a glass half-full kind of person. So, this wasn’t a surprise, but just a happy affirmation of how many generous people there are in the social media world that are more than willing to share.
5. Stop trying so hard
I think many of us agonize over producing the next brilliant post. Through the Ultimate Blog Challenge, I found we need to stop trying so hard. Just let it be, and write. You will never please everyone, and that’s okay. If you go in it with the idea of helping others and sharing experiences, it all works out.
Time to Share
When I started this challenge, I hoped for accountability – check, promotion of my blog-check, and an increase to my knowledge base-check. I gained all that, plus so much more.
If you participated (or are participating) in the Ultimate Blog Challenge, what lessons have you learned?
What kinds of things would you like to see made simple & clear?
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Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours – contact me for help with your business writing needs.
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This is Day 30 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge – blogging every day for 30 days. I hope you’ll stop by often and offer your suggestions for topics and offer your comments. You can add the RSS feed or sign up by email to receive new posts. Thanks for stopping by.
I learned quite a few things and found many benefits through the challenge as well. I can really relate to #5 (stop trying so hard)!
Leanne Chesser recently posted..By- LeanneChesser
I couldn’t believe how quickly it went by. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Leanne.
Congrats on completing the challenge, Cathy. I still think everyday is a little ambitious for me! It was interesting to read the things you’ve learned and am going to take a look at using this advice to help me out. Congrats again and thanks!!
Jen Turi recently posted..Should Providing Outplacement Be A Corporate Social Responsibility
Thank you, Jen. You are one of those sharing persons I appreciate.
I was surprised at how quickly and how easily it happened-kind of a “just do it” mentality.
I do know that my Health Care Tuesday takes more time due to all the research involved. The same would be true of your blog so I understand the challenges there of blogging daily.
Thanks, as always, for stopping by, Jen.
Hi Cathy. This was a fun blog challenge for me too. It was my first experience with blogging and one thing I learned was that it was fairly easy to post a blog every day. I never thought I could do it, but now it’s a habit and part of my work schedule.
Jeannette Koczela recently posted..Your Personal Success Formula- Part 3
Congratulations, Jeannette! I was surprised, too, how easy it was. Just shows when you assume you HAVE to do it, it’s not as bad as you thought.
Thanks for stopping by and continued success!