Last night I registered the domain and started writing the first few articles as dreamhost (yes that’s my reference link) set everything up. It only took about half an hour before I could see the site and I used their one-click install to set up wordpress. Piece of cake. I went to bed happy knowing that I just made the first steps, and did so with no problems.
This morning I wanted to add some stat measures and change the layout a bit, and to my horror, the host couldn’t be found. Panic.
Did someone attack the site? Did it get banned for some strange reason? I went into the dreamhost panel and everything seemed legit. I checked the server status and again things seem ok. Then I reread the email from the registration and it said:
Hello,
Your registration of … has been processed.
It will probably take 1-3 days for your domain to begin to work as the new dns information propagates across the Internet!
“1-3 days” – Perhaps there’s no need to worry yet. I submitted a report just in case, but I guess I can still take a shower and eat and attend to other business while everything gets set up. There’s nothing else I can do there anyway.
Found on del.icio.us, an fantastic article on Blogging from ProBlogger: 18 Lessons I’ve Learnt about Blogging. I have a lot to learn from it and will try to use it on the site I’m about to launch. Here’s a breakdown of the rules, although I’d really recommend reading the article‘s in-depth explanations.
Be Lucky – “The key I’ve found with luck is to run with it and to make every lucky instance last as long as possible. So when you strike it lucky enjoy it but also ask yourself ‘how can I capitalise on my good fortune?’”
Work Hard – “Work alone is definitely NOT everything (I’ve seen many hard working bloggers who have not had success) but it is one element that I think is essential.”
Use the Power of Exponential Growth
Differentiate Yourself
Provide Value
Target a Niche (Keep a blog focused and don’t spread yourself too thin (8) content-wise)
Diversify (At least try a few things before throwing all your energy toward a single one.)
Don’t Spread Self too Thin — Absolutely! It’s better to do one thing really really well than a whole bunch of things at a mediocre level
Have a Backup Plan (Don’t depend on blogging alone)
Be Light on Your Feet (Opportunities come and go)
Relationships are Key — Yes!
Establish Boundaries
Don’t read your Own Press
Beware of Hype
Get a Life (Enjoy what you do, but enjoy the rest of life too)
Make Mistakes — Very important one! I couldn’t agree more
Be Yourself
There are No Rules
I feel many of these rules apply not only to blogs but to all business, and all of life in general. These rules could apply to relationships very easily as well. Target a niche? Yes, find something that special someone really likes.
If you just look at the rules, perhaps they can be simplified to:
take advantage of opportunities
get focused
help others
stay true
But these eighteen rules are perfect in the way they’re specific enough to directly apply and yet general enough to apply to all sorts of situations.