I stopped dreaming a long ago. Took me years, but I woke up, maybe I overslept a little, but I’m glad I eventually woke up to realize that I am never ever going to get famous through blogging.
When a person takes their first step into the blogoshpere, the first and foremost factor in their mind is fame, because it is something attainable if you have a blog. Not every one can be a film star. Not everyone can be a rock singer. Not everyone can be a tennis player or golf player. BUT, everyone CAN be a Blogger. It’s the fast and easy track to fame. Then fortune. Maybe. All they need is a blog. A simple little blog.
So they started to blog. Started to read lots of blogs. Started to (learn?) How To Blog Successfully. They believed and lapped up every bit of information churned out by the ever fertile minds of A list Bloggers who surprisingly are never short of “Good” and “Useful” blogging tips. After digesting all there is and more, they start to develop a false sense of “knowledge-hood”. Imagining themselves to be a master blogger now, they shanghai-ed themselves to the platform of a blogging guru, ditching out tips learned elsewhere, but by now is so entrenched in their minds that it has become their own, to other ignorant newcomers.
Fortunately or otherwise, not many is going to learn about their “tips” because their pathetic little blog has no more than 50 visitors each day. Nevertheless, they plough on, pinning to the fat hope that one day, just one day, someone, somewhere or something will come along and give them their big break and pinnacle them to blog stardom.. In the meantime, they are happy to be a guru in their own right. Telling people to do this and to do that to have a successful blog with their imaginary tips that they themselves have never tried out.
I downloaded yet another free report the other day. What else, but another eBook about Blogging and this time it is “How I Got 100,00 Subscribers In Two Years” by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits fame. This time, it not so much of wanting to find the magic bullet of becoming a famous blogger, (I woke up from that dream, remember?) but rather trying to find the magic bullet of how to get more subscribers to my eBook marketing site. The way I am running the site, getting subscribers is, I feel, better than having an opt-in form to collect email addresses, but i will not go into detail about this and go off course with this post.
So I read the report. All 16 pages of it. Word by word, from start to finish. I read how in the beginning, Zen Habits started with nothing. I read how in two years time, the site has garnered more than 100k subscribers. I read how he went around commenting in blogs to get his initial traffic. I read how he got his big break when the blog got a link from a A lister who had more than 75,000 subscribers.
Yes, I read everything and yes, it was a stale story that I have read umpteen times before. Rags to riches. Started with nothing, ended with millions. It’s a feel good read, inspiring even, if you seldom read stories like these. If I sum up this and everything I have read before, it all boils down to 2 things. You have to write great articles and you need that first big link if you want to be a famous blogger. Who on earth doesn’t know that already.
Can you write great articles? Are you as well read as our friend here? Are you as well informed? Did you do in depth research before coming up with your supposedly “great” article? Can you convert what you have created in your mind into words which flows like a crystal clear stream that have that thirst quenching effect just by looking at it? Can you? canyoucanyoucanyoucanyou??? CAANNNN YOUUUUU????????????????
NO, YOU CAN’T. Sorry, but that’s the way it is. The average person just cannot write articles like these. No matter what the A-listers tell you. No matter how easy they make this skill out to be, if you don’t have it, you don’t have it. The best you can do is to come up with an article that has no grammatical or spelling errors. It would have scored a perfect 10 if it is an English Essay test, but it will not be entertaining and intriguing enough to trigger a backlink from a A List blogger with 75,000 subscribers.
Furthermore, these top bloggers do not read blogs anymore. What more new blogs. You can link them, bait them, scold them, bad-mouth them or even hurl insults at them. Their immunity system is so well oiled that all these negativity have no more effect on them. Further furthermore, all top bloggers nowadays have multiple projects on their hands, leveraging on their popularity and their massive readership to make money from the fame that they are enjoying. Do you think they will even look at you? Even if in the rare case that do, do you think what you have written will justify a mention by them?
Wake up, my friends. We are never ever going to be famous bloggers. We just simply don’t have it in us. The earlier you wake up, the better it will be better for you. Be a blogger by all means, but stop dreaming of ever becoming a famous one.
And oh, did I find the magic bullet of getting 100,000 subscribers after reading the report? Naaah… interesting read as it might be, it is just another prelude to another something which will probably cost me my right arm. That’s what A listers do these days. They give you a free report, full of something about nothing and in the end, when your curiosity is aroused, gets you to part with something that you have hard earned. I’m over with these kind of soap opera. So sincere about helping out like what you have professed? Give it to me FREE then. LOL, how I wish. Gotta stop dreaming….
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It sounded like a journal, but guess what, this is the first post in the week that I’ve read from start to finish. I grinned here and there (esp. in the beginning). You where right.
The only thing I have to say for now:
keep faith and have fun (as to not be overwhelmed).
My best,
Liane
Agree with the “have fun” part, but these days, I blog more for monetary gains than fun. LOL.
Faith? As in “my day will come”? Naaah..
Lost that long ago.
My food blog is my sole “real” blog. The rest of my sites are solely to make money. And no, being famous is not a goal but churning out the next site to make more is the real goal
Pablo,
I can’t differentiate what’s real and what’s not these days. LOL. Even for this blog, I’m more into promoting WordPress Themes for my affiliates. Rarely do you see me posting some personal rants like this.
Maybe I should do this more often. Releases a lot of tension. Hehehe..
Real happy for your food blog and if those latest images are done by you, your photography skills have improved by leaps and bounds!
LOL! Yeah, those photos are taken by me using the same camera, albeit with better know-how on angles, lighting and props. See what difference it makes without changing the camera
I still keep a personal blog at my name sake for “melepas geram” sessions. Though I must say, it’s been ages since I melepas geram. Maybe too occupied with other stuffs
So you did download leo babauta’s report. remember i used to tell you about this guy with huge followings, who writes lots of thing about nothing; about how to wake up early, spend frugally, how to do simple exercise,and all those no-brainer stuff.
Yea.. I’m a big sucker for anything free.. LOL
Like many you have mistaken MFA blogging to niche blogging. For niche blogging you need be an expert or at least become one. Skin care is a niche while acne can be an MFA subject.
Your tips holds good for both niche and MFA blogging only difference being you get a lot of subscribers and comments and links for niche blogging.
Most often people targeting niches (take a look at beauty blogs) ignore the importance of links and keywords which the internet marketers with MFA blogs takes care of. But when these internet marketers target niches they cleverly implement all the SEO which they use for their MFA blogs apart from writing authoritative posts. With this method, they get lot of subscribers, links, comments along with thousands of SE traffic to click on the ads.
MFA (made for adsense or other affiliate programs)blogs makes you money but niche blogs with expertise and SEO makes you rich and famous. This is what I learned from Grizzly reading his blog religiously for the past two years.
Did I write anything about niche blogging and or MFA sites here???
You’ve missed out the most important point my friend. Yes they write good stuff (and no, it wasn’t always great) and yes there was usually some “thing” that gave them a break.
But what all the A listers have in common is that they worked like absolute dogs for a year or two before they got their break. Pete Cashmore churned out 17 to 18 posts A DAY from his parents house in Scotland. Darren Rowse worked three jobs when he started blogging.
Every single one of the guys and girls you call an A lister now, went through that phase. And the reason the vast majority of bloggers won’t join them on that list is because most people are not prepared to do that, to put that work in until (as Vaynerchuk says) their eyeballs are bleeding.
Hi Mike,
Reluctant as I might be, I think I have to agree with your point that hardworkers will have their payday. IF they are lucky to get that big break.
I am sure if Darren Rowse or any others like him comes across this article they too will be giving me a piece of his mind about the hard work he went through before he is what he is today.
However, this article is aimed at the average blogger like me, which makes up the majority of bloggers out there. It’s a wake up call for them to realize their weakness, make them aware that not all are born alike.
Many worked their butts out for their whole life without achieving anything. Why, because they do not see their own weakness and they believe in what they read from all those inspirational articles. That you will succeed if you work hard enough. They did not look deep enough into their own abilities to see of they have what it takes. Thus, it becomes a never ending chase for them.
If they had taken a deep look into themselves and came to the realization that they simply are a level below those high achievers, they could have channelled their efforts and hard work into doing things that are within their capability, maybe they would have achieved much more albeit on a lower scale.
Now back to blogging which this article is strictly about in the first place. There might be tons of people who are doing real well in their lives but find that they can’t do the same for their blogs.
They do not realize the fact that they, like me, simply do not have that talent to put ideas into attractive words. (refer to the paragraph below the image of the lake) but they keep dreaming because that is what those A listers tells them. They tell them to “Keep blogging and you will make it.” “Work until your eyeballs bleed and you will become famous one day” But they did not tell them to look into themselves first. Are they as talented as them? Do they have what it takes?
So this article is what this is all about, Are you as talented as all those A listers? Look deep into yourselves and give yourself a honest to God answer. If the answer is yes, then by all means keep that dream to become famous. Go get them bleeding eyeballs.
If the answer is no, then it is time to wake up from that dream and do what you do best. Have a blog, blog away without the stress of wanting to become the next Darren Rowse. One day, you might find your kind of success in another way. I think I have found mine here.
But then I guess most live in a self denial mode. They would rather live in a dream.
Thank you for your comment, Mike. Gave me a chance to say something that I had wanted to say for a long time. LOL.
This is actually the first article I will have to disagree Costa! I am a highly positive person, and I do believe that anything is possible!
After all, anyone that achieved anything impressive, had Tons of examples why he won’t make it and why he should quit! Yet they were stubborn enough to continue their path, taking “the impossible” for an opinion, not a fact!
When Ford said he is gonna invent an engine with inside fuel burning everyone said it’s impossible. Yet he didn’t care! Year after year he kept on spending money for researching!
After five years they found what they wanted to achieve? Impossible, yeah right! People can’t do something themselves, they tell u u can’t do it! <– that's by the way from the movie the Pursuit of Happiness, which is another great example that a person is as big as his/her dreams!
Is it easy to achieve your goal, probably not! Will a lot of people fail, of course! But not because of the lack of talent or skills, or knowledge, but because of the lack of persistence!
A well known phrase is Persistence is the key to success, wasn't just made up to sound good! It's there for a reason. I truly believe that probably 99% of the failures in life are due to lack of persistence!
Thank you very much for reading!
Hi Mitco,
It’s good to see you disagreeing.
Positive thing is one good thing.
Persistence is also a good thing
Perseverance is another good thing,
BUT,
Knowing your true capabilities and weakness is the BEST thing before all those good things.
There’s no magic pill aside from being smart and working hard.
If you can’t write, hire someone to write for you…make a video…make a podcast.
I worked for 10 years before I figured out how to do this. Not all of the time was spent blogging, but I started dozens of businesses. I don’t think it’s luck, it’s simply a combination of hard work and determination.
Hi Nathan,
Strictly speaking on blogging, if you hire someone to do the job for you, the fame and glory will never be truly yours.
BUT, if you are into a brick and mortar business, then that is called working smart.
And I AM talking about dreaming to become a famous blogger here. Everyone seems to be getting out of context here. LOL.
I’m not so sure of that…
Look at Brian Clark, who hires Sonia to manage Copyblogger? If you hire someone like Sean Platt to write as a ghostwriter…no one will ever know.
Now, if you want that satisfaction of being able to say “I Did It…” and you aren’t good at doing it…then you’re just forcing a dream. Sometimes what you think you want and what you actually want aren’t always the same.
First part, Brian Clark did not hire Sonia before he got famous. He had that natural talent to write good copies himself. Not everyone can write like him even if they spend thousands learning the art of copywriting.
Second part. That is exactly what I was trying to say all along.
Yeah I think I get the point!
I was actually talking about a successful blogger making let’s say 5000$ per month! Not really about a famous blogger that’s like a celebrity
True… so true..
Picture me clapping and giving you a standing salute … I see how you reel in the readers, brake them slowly, take what little hope they have and spit it out right back at them.. its like a tender slap on the face that nothing is real ..but I know that your article is simply getting some attention your way ..like you have mine right the only difference with me is that I do exactly what you do only with a little pink in it… People blogging is just a journal you keep, a fun way to keep a diary that keeps the mind going. Not everyone is looking for stardom, some are looking for a little attention or keeping busy .. I stop writing in my journals to write on a blog … only because I have collected in journals over 85 and my closet is loaded ..I started with a diary at the age of 14. Your post was funny, entertaining and simply ok. Take care and others along the way… evie.