Flogging (Fake Blogging)

I have always wanted to start a fake blog. You know, one where you blog under a fake identity about fake occurences in your fake life. Sounds just like writing a novel, but more personal and in real time. Of course, I would include a disclaimer on every post to make sure there are no legal issues.

People get very upset when they find out they've been fooled. And if it involves asking for money or false advertising, then that's no surprise. However, people get upset about fake blogs that are just meant to be a joke as well.

Does anyone here write a fake blog or have one that they like to read? Please include a link as well as your thoughts on "flogging."

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Daily or Weekly Themes

Do you like doing themes for certain days of the week? For example, every Wednesday posting a picture. The only one I do is my comment of the week. I always feel like having a theme will box me in, even if I don't do one for every day. However, I know lot's of bloggers who have a theme for almost every day. The idea is that it gives you a starting point, and from there it is easier to come up with ideas. What does everyone here think?

Attracting Viewers

As blog writers, I assume many of us are also active blog readers. This is very beneficial as we can look at our blog posts from two perspectives, one of which is more objective than the other. If you are not following a considerable number of blogs right now, go do it! Starting with this one!

While getting your name out there is relatively easy (see my post on advertising for some ideas) getting people to read, and continue to read is different. I do not read every blog that show up in my news feed. Some just don't appeal to me.

The best way to get regular readers in my opinion is to first have a way for your readers to get to your blog, or even better, for them to see when it has been updated without going to your blog first. Since only the title and the first few sentences will probably be shown, it needs to be eye-catching. Include a photo as well. Finally, update regularlarly so that your readers will not forget you, reply to comments, and make sure your writing is worth reading. Also, consider a statistics meter. I recomend Google Analytics. This gives you a count of who is coming to your site, how they are getting there, even how much time they spend there and how many pages they view.

What makes you want to keep reading a blog?

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Amazon Associates

I've decided to try out Amazon Associates on this blog, because lately I've been lacking ideas. This is why my updates are no longer regular. Who here has tried an associates program? What kind of success did you have?

Pictures

On almost every blogging site I look at, they all tell me that pictures are the best way to attract people to your blog. Most of my blogs do not have pictures, just because they are hard to find and I've been having trouble with my camera. If I do have pictures they all come from Zemanta. Soon though I am going to test this theory and share with you my results.

Do some pictures work better than others? Are some posts better off without a picture? What are your favorite sources to find pictures?

Advertising

Today's post is just a simple question. What do you find is the most effective way to make your blog known? Blog directories, forums, commenting on other blogs, or something else? Please share your answer in the comment section. Feel free to elaborate on your answer.

Maintaining Multiple Blogs

Does anyone keep more than one blog? Currently, I have three, although one I do not do much with. There is this one, of course, and my other blog, Don't Let Higher Ed Eat Your Soul. Now, however, I feel like I'm getting all kinds of ideas for more blogs that I would like to start. The problem is, I do not think I would be able to keep up with more blogs than I already have. coming up with ideas is not an issue to me. My biggest problem seems to be advertising. I have found several sites that work well for advertising my first blog, and since in this blog I talk about blogging, that's pretty easy as well. Still, writing good comments takes time, and I don't want to be spending all of my time sitting at a computer, browsing the internet. Andd what about ideas that don't have a simple niche or other blogs in their niche?

I mentioned that coming up with ideas for blog posts is not a problem. Sitting down to write out a decently lengthed and well-researched blog is. Checking facts, finding links, and of course, finding a wide enough angle to blog from takes time and sometimes I just don't have the motivation.

Also, do all of my ideas for new blogs really need their own blogs? Couldn't some of them be combined?

What do you think, readers? How many blogs do you maintain? What are the biggest challenges that come from having more than one blog? How about the rewards?

What This Blog Is

A few months ago, I decided to begin blogging. My blog is a guide for current and future college students. In writing this blog, I've learned that there is a lot I don't know and a lot of problems that I've ran into. I started complaining about these things on a second blog I have, but I don't advertise it because it is mostly for random rants. I wanted to actually getting answers, so now, a third blog is born. Anyways, I'll be using this blog to ask questions and share tidbits about blogging that I've learned. I hope to grow this into a community.