Ask Me Anything: About Blogging

~ Cristian Mihai

Hi guys,

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, and I thought it would be cool to answer some questions over the next days.

As long as you do not ask me to visit your blog and offer feedback, that is.

So, yeah, what do you want to know about blogging?

P.S. The best(or say, most interesting) questions will be rewarded with a free copy of The Art of Blogging. And probably the answers to those questions will be expanded into full-length blog posts.

So… what do you want to ask me about blogging?

84 thoughts on “Ask Me Anything: About Blogging”

    1. Thank you for your question.

      1. I started blogging in April 2012. The first month, I got some 500 views in total, and about 20 or so followers. I kept blogging regularly, and in June started seeing real results, mostly because of social media. But this was back then. Different rules.

      With this blog, I got to 5,000 WordPress followers in 3 Months. 10K in six months, I think. I don’t put that much emphasis on such milestones.

      2. Even though I was lucky enough to build a community real fast, this does not mean I didn’t want to quit. In fact, I did quit on all my side-projects several times during the course of the years.

      I did keep posting regularly on my main blog, but had long periods of time when I’d just republish older content (not as part of a strategy, just because I didn’t feel like writing new content).

      I think that the best way to keep you from giving up is to change things regularly. My love for blogging was rejuvenated when I started writing this blog.

      Also, interacting with people in the community is essential.

      If you have blogger friends, you will keep blogging, the same way you’d probably go to the gym if all your friends were bodybuilders.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

  2. As someone who is currently in the “grind” phase of blogging – and who is comfortable and confident with that, due in a large part to your own advice…my question is this:

    Is it possible to explore the deeper truths of the world in the blogging community? I mean, ultimately I don’t want a surface level grind. I accept it. But what I WANT is to reach people who need help, to learn about culture and the human collective. To study pain and self recovery. To help people self recover.

    Have you ever built a blogging community that you felt connected to beyond the practical, and is that even possible in a cyber environment? I’m not talking about a bunch of folks venting, like one of those Facebook groups where catfish post suicidal thoughts and other catfish troll them.

    I’m talking about building a group of world changers who is capable of studying adversity and how to overcome it. World changers. Progress for the human race. Can that happen here?

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Interesting question. Do shoot me an e-mail at contact[at]cristianmihai[dot]net for your free copy of the e-book.

      As for an answer, I don’t think it’s quite what you’d like to hear: being a leader means people follow you, right? Well, it also means they are usually a few paradigm shifts behind you. It means that 99.9% of all those who listen to Tony Robbins or Gary Vee won’t ever accomplish even 10 percent of what they have.

      They want to, but they can’t.

      Someone who’s just like you, won’t be easy to turn into a follower. It’s a different kind of relationship.

      Also, world changers are a dime a dozen. There is no community of guys like Bill Gates because there are only 5-6 guys like him in the world.

      My final thought would be that deep connections are not possible at a macro level. But, yes, among all those who read and follow your content, you will encounter some who think and act just like you. It happens. But not as often as you’d like though.

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

  3. How do you deal with haters on social media, even in your social circle? I’ll post the link to my new post on my feed, and that one person you can’t unfriend will have something demotivating and immoral to say about you promoting your posts.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Hi Stephen,

      Congrats on reaching 6 months of blogging. Quite an important milestone. Most give up before reaching it.

      About tags…

      You could read this post I wrote back in April:

      https://artofblogging.net/2019/04/15/about-categories-and-tags/

      But if you are pressed for time, here’s the short version: Never more than 10 tags, make them as general as possible, they are a great way to get readers who follow a certain tag in the WordPress Reader.

      That’s pretty much it.

      Good luck.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  5. Hi! Your blog is very informative and useful. I’m kind of a new blogger. I was wondering how often I should post and if I should pick a niche. Thanks. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Hi,

      A niche is a must have. You must choose a topic (or several) that are connected somehow. Topics that would be read by similar types of people.

      How often… depends. On your writing style, how long your posts are.

      A rule of thumb regarding posting frequency is this:

      You post as often as it takes to get a real conversation started in the comments section of each post. If it takes 3 days to get to 10-15 comments, you wait that much, if it’s a week, it’s a week.

      This also means that the more popular a blog, the more often one can post, because it takes less time to receive comments.

      You do this because people prefer to comment on the latest post, and if your blog post is replaced with 0 comments, odds are no one will ever comment, and a bunch of blog posts with 0 comments does not inspire anyone to subscribe to it.

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

  6. What are the 10 most difficult questions every blogger has to ask themselves regardless of the number of followers or writing styles they have?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. 1. Why do I blog?
      2. Do my blog posts add value to other people’s lives?
      3. Who is my ideal reader?
      4. What is the type of content that my readerd absolutely love?
      5. How can I do more, contribute more, be more?
      6. How can I best utilize my time for maximum results?
      7. How do I best take advantage of the promotional tools available to me?
      8. What makes me feel alive?
      9. What is the one topic I’ve always been afraid of writing about?
      10. Am I good enough?

      Liked by 6 people

      Reply

  8. Hi Christian, I’m new to this blogging world, and I’d like to ask how important is it to have your own domain? How significant is the difference? I’m considering it but still not sure. Thanks before!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. A big, big difference.
      What is easier to remember/write down:
      yourname.wordpress.com
      or yourname.com?
      Having your own domain name also means you’re serious about blogging, you’re here to stay, you’ve made a commitment.
      For the price, it’s a no-brainer decision, and it’s one thing I recommend all bloggers should purchase.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  9. This is a great opportunity to share with you how much I enjoy your philosophy of blogging and your tips! Thanks! My question is….I have been blogging almost 2 years (in July) and I want to go back to my earlier posts and correct some things i hadn’t been doing in the beginning and check for broken links, etc. ….but I don’t want to mess anything up either!

    *One thing I want to do is change a few titles and coordinate it with my key words in the post….but will changing a title mess up anything? For example, if I’ve linked to the post will it affect that link?

    *Another question involves creating pins for a post……some of my earliest posts didn’t include pinable images….can I switch out the featured image for a pinable image or will that affect people who have pinned my post…. amd will I need to repin all those posts to my own boards?

    *I have one post that search engines seem to love and it brings more views to my blog than any other post……will going back to tweak that post affect how search engines see it or does it become like a new Post after I tweak it? I’m not sure I know enough about this to ask a coherent question!

    ***My general question involves what are the most important things I want to do when going back to fix early posts? Or….maybe it’s something that isn’t worth the time?

    Thanks for any input and for the opportunity to ask questions! I hope my question makes sense!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Hi Carol,

      First of all, thank you so much for the compliments.

      Secondly, yes, if you change the title of a blog post, any links (in other blog posts for instance, or from someone else’s reblog, or mention in someone else’s blog post) will stop working, because the URL changes. You can avoid this if you keep the permalink the same. It appears in your editor on desktop, just below title. It depends on how much you want to change it.

      I don’t think so. I suppose you reference images from Pinterest. I do not use Pinterest, so can’t be of much help there.

      If you do not reschedule it, you can add to it anything you want. As a matter of fact, lots of blogs update older posts with new and relevant information, because a small number of older blog posts will always bring the most SEO traffic.

      I read this case study a few days ago that out of 6,000 or so blog posts, about 30 of them generated 46% of the traffic. Only thirty blog posts, which is what? 0.5%? So old content is extremely valuable, and in your best interest to update with new information to keep it relevant to audiences.

      Well, I think I answered this question for you, but… yeah it’s worth doing that. Fix broken links, introductions, update headlines. Maybe change some of your call to actions to more relevant actions… Also, like I previously said, add any new information that might have come up. That’s about it.

      If you have any questions, do ask.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. Hey, thank you for even offering to take something like this on. It’s awesome when others offer help on an interpersonal level.

    Aside from purchasing my own domain, do you find that having several plugins is helpful in creating a greater web presence, or is it better to just plugging away (pun intended) with content? In other words, right now, I’m using the free mobile app for everything, but would upgrading my plan really take me up a notch in terms of creating a following?

    Thanks again.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Not really.

      Upgrading your plan to allow for plugin installs is not something that GETS you readers, it’s something you do for added functionality.

      Priorities should be the following:
      1. Content
      2. Networking with other bloggers in your niche.
      3. Formatting your posts properly.

      Then a bunch of other smaller stuff. Like a million or them. Or was it a billion? Hmmm..

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  11. I write my blog as a release, as a sort of mental waste disposal – but feel that some of the content might help other people going through the same challenges. My objective has not been to make money. Whch are the biggest ‘passion projects’ out there that grew organically because the content resonated as opposed to those where there was an intention to make money?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Most of the really popular blogs out there started out as “passion” projects.

      Money from blogging is more of a side-effect.

      It’s difficult to keep going if your main goal is to make money.

      Took me 3 months to get to 5,000 readers, but more like 6 to earn real money… It might not seem like a lot of time, but it is.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Yes.

      Go on Twitter, search for topics relevant to yours, and join the discussion.

      Find Facebook groups and do the same.

      Comment on the best blogs in your niche. Add to the conversation.

      Readers don’t come to you. You have to go after them.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  13. Hey! I want to expand my blog. Earlier, I just wrote fictional content like poems and short stories. But now, I want to write about other topics as well. My question is: Should I start a new blog for that or should I continue with this one?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hi Rachel,

      Fiction and poetry are so strange… I mean they usually don’t even work together. Like, I like short stories, but rarely read poetry (there are like 3 poets in the world that I actually love reading).

      So, clearly, a different blog.

      When trying to figure stuff like this out, ask yourself who the ideal reader is.

      What kind of person reads fiction? What kind of person reads about health&fiction?

      They are not the same. It can happen, but in most cases they are not.

      That’s why a bookworm is usually depicted as scrawny, weak, always wearing eyeglasses. He’s not sporting a six-pack.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      2. That’s a tricky question.

        I don’t know… depends how often you update your blog with either fiction or poetry.

        Ideally, you’d have different blogs. You’d also mention in your bio that you share poetry on that blog, and fiction on the other one.

        Though similar, the audience differs a bit.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Yeah, I did notice that the audience differs…But I have already published a considerable number of poems. Should I continue with just fiction now? And what about the previous posts containing poems? Should I delete them from this blog and publish them on the new blog?

        Like

  15. I have another question, too.
    I’m still a kid and my parents have forbidden me from using social media. But I do enjoy blogging and would like to increase my followers. Is there any other way to do it?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Of course.

      Go to the WordPress Reader. It’s on the top right corner if you’re on your computer. Then, follow tags that are relevant to what your blog is about: fiction, poetry, etc…

      Now, read blog posts. And comment. Give thoughtful comments. Try to genuinely make friends with those bloggers and writers.

      That’s about it.

      Aim to comment on 15 different blog posts every day. That’s one of the best strategies out there, even though a bit time consuming… that amounts to at least 1 hour every day, more like 1 hour and a half.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    1. It depends. On your topic, on the length of your blog posts…

      And how long it takes for one of your blog posts to receive a few comments, just enough to get the conversation started. This is the main rule I use and endorse: wait just enough to get a conversation going in the comments section; let’s say 8-12 comments, then you can post.

      And, yes, this means beginners post less often/focus more on promotion, while more popular blogs can post more often.

      I used to post a blog a day on this blog, now it’s 2-3, depending on the type of content I share.

      Like

      Reply

  17. Hi! When you start a social media account what should you post and should it be more frequent than your blog posts?
    Should social media posts be micro blogs or just advertisements to your blog?
    Or do you merely use as a platform to network?
    Very much appreciate your blog!

    Like

    Reply

    1. I use social media to share my content. It’s not ideal.

      Ideal is this: to figure out what TYPE of content works best with your target audience. Maybe on Facebook it’s videos, on Instagram it’s photos, on Twitter a set of micro blogs…

      Experiment, have fun, figure out what it is that your target audience wants on each platform.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  18. Hi Thank you for all your answers to the above questions. Very helpful. My blog is certainly a “passion project” but getting some more readers would be nice. All of my readers love my posts and I’m often surprised when I see people and they bring up a blog post — like my hairdresser!! And I have had readers that are professional writers comment on how well-written it is and yet, not a lot of followers. I’m astonished when I read some blogs in my space that are such poorly written, mundane BS and they have like 9000 followers. WTF? But I’m realizing from some of your answers above that I need to work at it a little more — less time on Facebook, more time on WordPress. 🙂

    Like

    Reply

    1. There’s more to blogging than just content creation. A lot more.

      Headlines make or break a post, no matter how good the writing is. Also, introductions. There are certain rules to writing content online.

      And, of course, networking with other bloggers, making friends with others in your niche, promoting your content.

      A million things that need to be done.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  19. I blog simply to practice writing. I don’t necessarily want to write, I just want to create stories. I’m not sure how I would create stories, whether it be through the big screen, graphic novels, or books themselves, but I just know I want to. I enjoy all of them and were wondering if I am tangling a dangerous rope when I blog? Am I wasting my time with blogging? Should I focus more on a singular subject that attributes more to who I am, or do you think blogging can boost an all around skill level for creators?

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Blogging IS writing. The two are incredibly close, and maybe one day they’ll become one and the same.

      Storytelling is at the foundation of every great blog post ever written, and our desire to tell stories is what made blogs possible.

      So, no, you’re not wasting your time blogging.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  20. I’m strongly considering going down the path of WordPress.org/Bluehost but is its worth it? At the moment, blogging is a hobby, I don’t make any money from it, and it’s the first blog I’ve set up. It would be great to increase my following and even start making money from it but I’m only a few months in. What do you think?

    Like

    Reply

    1. Depends on how much you want to get your hands dirty.

      Contrary to others in this niche, I don’t really recommend WordPress.org unless you know what you’re doing, and you have prior experience with setting up WordPress, using plugins, hosting, and all that.

      Otherwise, WordPress.com is just fine, and you can monetize either way.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  22. Oh great timing, thanks for doing this. I was just wondering about grammar issues for blogging. Like do you capitalize words in the title like you do in a book title or does it really matter? My grammar is a bit rusty these days. lol Thanks.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yes. Grammar is essential. Not that strict, but you must do your best.

      It’s not necessary to capitalize all letters in a headline, but be consistent about it. Either you capitalize all letter in all headlines, or not at all.

      Like

      Reply

  25. How many topics can a blog successfully include? I have been writing poetry, flash fiction, and articles relating to parenting on my blog for the past year but I am feeling as if the mix makes it more difficult to attract readers.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. It does.

      Even poetry and fiction usually don’t work well together.

      But all that and parenting?

      And example: I love fiction, don’t care so much for poetry, but have no use for parenting blogs/articles because I am not a parent, and don’t plan on being one any time soon.

      The thing is that, you could say I can just ignore the parenting posts. I could. But there are millions of blogs out there, I can find a lot of blogs that are not about parenting at all.

      As for how many topics… There is no limit, as long as they are addressed to the same audience.

      On my main blog I write about motivation, personal development, success, and psychology, and I am also venturing into fitness/health.

      My logic? Someone who wants to better themselves are usually into living a healthy life so they can be as productive and efficient as possible.

      This is quite an interesting topic for a blog post. I will write one about it. Thank you.

      Also, do send me an e-mail at contact[at]cristianmihai[dot]net, so I can send you an e-book copy of The Art of Blogging.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  26. I’ve written two or three blogs as a form of therapy. It’s been very helpful in my restoration in self-awareness. I wrote one blog from the creation of my autobiography by which I met my wife. She read my blog and emailed me and we met and after ten years of which we’ve been married four years this July and we are still going strong. My question is how can I turn it into a source of income. I’m an ordained minister as well.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  27. Hi! My question falls more along the technical but also format related. I just started writing content for my new blog that I have not officially launched yet. While the subject matter is pretty specific, it is also very broad, meaning there is A LOT of stuff I can write about over time…literally I could write a substantive post every day for a year and not run out of things to write about. My question is: should I post on a single page or create categories? I am still trying to figure out WordPress, but I am leaning towards categories and posting to specific pages. Can this be done gradually over time or should I go ahead and set up my categories (and their pages) and only publish/republish them as such once the content reaches a certain level? Since the permalinks would have to be changed due to having to move the posts to it’s own page, would it make more sense to just post them originally on their respective pages? I feel like I went around in a circle, but I think you may get what I’m trying to ask.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Categories first. Always. Even before posting any type of content. You start with the categories that would most suit your readers. Think of it as a better way for your readers to navigate around your blog. Categories and tags are extremely useful.

      Like

      Reply
  28. Pingback: [CASE STUDY] Here’s How I Chose The Topics for My Blogs – The Art of Blogging

    1. Wrong question.

      There is no recipe. Blogging does not work like that. You need great content, and you need to be consistent, and then you need to network with other bloggers as well…

      You can become extremely successful and only post once a week, just as easily as you can post daily and never even reach 100 followers.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      2. It takes time. You need to keep writing content, and you need to figure out what your target audience wants to read. Also, it helps if you read as much as possible about blogging, and about your own niche.

        Like

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