I’m branching out! I’ve contributed a guest-post to one of Flexo’s sites. I’ve written about how not to blog: self-defeating behaviors. …

Another important point which many people miss is to not be too clingy with your readers. If you have an email newsletter, make sure it’s easy for people to manage their own subscriptions or, gasp, leave. Even big companies make the mistake of trying to make it impossible to unsubscribe…what, exactly, do they think the person who no longer needs their service reaction is going to be to receiving their unwanted email or solicitation? Instead of a positive feeling or at worst a “meh” feeling about a company, they are now actively avoiding your products and bad-mouthing you to anyone who they can. It’s stupid to be clingy.

This is great advice. In fact, I’d go a step further and advise that if you intend to blog about a certain topic, you should deliberately avoid reading similar blogs. Better to find your own way. Blogs tend to acknowledge each other and either compete or pat each other on the back, and either way it’s boring. The most interesting blogs are written by authors who don’t appear to read blogs.

Remember to seek renewal away from the computer.

Amen. As an author, I try to observe this “sharpen the saw” principle by maintaining a 2:1 ratio: For every page you write, you ought to have read at least 2 pages. Your intake should vastly outmeasure your output. Added to which, as JD says, you’ve got to live a life: go to restaurants, visit museums, and collect the variety of experiences that inform engaging prose.

I agree with Roger about trying to milk your site, too. I read a handful of sites that feature ads, and I’ll occasionally go out of my way to click on them — because I recognize it’s a nice perk for the blogger, and it’s a small way I can show appreciation. By contrast, if I see ads littered all over your site, I probably won’t visit again. I’m immediately skeptical of your motivation. Blogs have established a place for amateur writers lacking editorial oversight, but I think it’s a small niche. If I want to read articles written purely for profit, I’d rather buy a magazine.

As for the “Ramit Sethi being the product” that’s great! It works for him because he uses his real name and people Google him to find that he’s knowledgeable. I’m anonymous, so there’s no product other than what you see. I think it’s still good to limit the ads. One of my regular readers praised me for that recently which is probably the best compliment I’ve gotten in two years. :-)

Here’s one thing that’s an issue for me: Generic templates that I recognize from my own use of Wordpress. For example, the header image at Get Rich Slowly. It’s a generic one that I’ve seen on multiple blogs. Rightly or wrongly, it gives me the impression that the blogger’s not really serious or in it for the long haul. It doesn’t take much effort to replace a header image. (Just a minor nit.)

As a blog-reader I agree with all of your points. In particular, over-monetization turns me off so quickly. I’m usually outta there when I feel like there are ads and promotions everywhere.

Looking forward to more!

Oh yeah, I’ve been clicking my adsense toolbar to refresh every 20 minutes or so. I have 7 times the normal impressions (partly because I added some more ads). I need to stop looking at my stats. I’m not guilty at worrying about others though.

Since I write more about things that are offline (marriage, home, etc.), it’s definitely best for me to get away from the computer. However, I read other blogs to see design, voice and methods. I’m still trying to perfect my site design and layout, and I’m seeing how more successful blogs do it. I want to keep my own voice, though, so I’m not emulating any one blog too much.

Thanks for the tips!

loss of hair is something you can threat…