Blogging is probably the closest experience I have had to reporting for a daily newspaper.

I say that because your latest post goes on top with the date it was posted. There’s a lot of pressure to post frequently to build an audience and to keep search engines happy.

Once when I was covering businesses in Wilmington, Delaware a reader reminded me that it’s the one position where everyone can see your productivity. If you fail to post to your blog for awhile, people are likely to think you aren’t working. Not true.

I have been silent for a month or two, but I have been hard at work: 

• Building a couple of websites for clients
• Learning more myself about affiliate marketing with two powerful products: Commission Blueprint 2.0 and Affiliate Launch Blueprint (I plan to review these products soon)
• And learning how to be a better blogger by improving my knowledge of WordPress.

In my quest to be a better blogger, I have been studying some of the best bloggers I know in my niche — people like Lynn Terry, Clicknewz, who I mentioned in my last post and blog sites such as ProBlogger.

Click on the cover to order from Amazon.com

I am reading a book by April Hodge Silver and Hasin Hayder, WordPress 2.7 Complete to find the answers to all the questions about blogging that are hard to find in one place. And I have downloaded several blogging products which I will tell you more about in the future.

I’ve always preferred XSitePro, which I use to create static websites. It makes page design a snap (for non-technical types) once you know how to use the software. Although I am a trained writer, I enjoy the creative process of building my own pages — by adding graphics and other elements to enhance the reader’s learning experience.

Still, there comes a time when you cannot ignore the benefit of two-way communication. And blogs allow your readers to talk back.

Writing can be a lonely process. You learn, of course, from the people you interview while doing your research. But nothing compares with hearing from your readers. Nothing is as valuable as getting immediate feedback when something you write connects with your readers. 

For that reason alone, you may decide to blog.

So in future posts I will share some of what I am learning about blogging as I struggle to be a better blogger myself. Stay tuned.

Marcia Ming

P.S. Now that you know how much I value two-way communication, please leave a comment and tell me about your marketing challenges or experiences with blogging.