Blogging Mistakes to Avoid

Posted on August 25, 2006

You can improve your blog's performance and avoid pitfalls by learning to avoid mistakes that thousands of other bloggers have already made. Randy Morin's RSS blog has made a collection of ten items for bloggers to avoid. The list includes some good advice about google juice, feeds, a-list blogs and ego. Here one of the tips about broken RSS feeds.

Invalid RSS Feeds
I've known quite a few bloggers who's RSS feeds were broken for months on end. Now, don't get me wrong, even my RSS feed is broken from time-to-time. Software has bugs. You can prevent your feeds from breaking by simply subscribing to your feed in various RSS readers (especially the one you use) and double checking from time-to-time that you are getting stuff.

You can also test your feed in feed validators. A couple feed validators can be found here and here. The RSS Blog also sides on the full feed side of the RSS debate. Randy writes, "My argument is simple; the more words you inject into an RSS search engine, the more referrers you'll get. Some of those referrers will become readers and/or link back to you. End of story."

Another good suggestion from Randy Morin is to link to a wide range of blogs instead of trying to get noticed by linking constantly to a-list bloggers.

Well, it's true if they actually link back to you, but most a-listers have 100 people linking to them daily and it's highly unlikely your post will catch their eye. Instead, try linking to a broader range of bloggers. When you link to a d-list blogger, you're likely to gain a reader for life and several dozen links in return. I'm the ultimate d-lister and I make certain to return all Google juice in spades.

Controlling your ego (sometimes known as blego) is also important according to Randy Morin.

9. Putting Yourself on a Pedestal
This problem doesn't happen too often, but from time-to-time a-list and b-list bloggers lose control to their egos. They start posting about how great they are and commenting negatively about their own readers. I'm not sure if that works for other people, but I'm pretty quick to unsubscribe when a bloggers puts himself on a pedestal. If you are already heading down this path, then simply posts a few entries that make fun of yourself on a regular basis to keep yourself grounded and off that pedestal

If you have found some blogging success keeping the gloating and boasting down to at least a dull roar would probably work best. No one wants to read an overly boastful blogger.