100 Things I’ve Learned About Blogging

This is my HUNDREDTH post. 1-0-0.

While it may seem like small potatoes to all you bloggie veterans out there, for me it’s huge!

You see, I started this blog in the middle of my second pregnancy after months of worrying that if I started this thing, that I’d be doomed to one day post the ubiqutous “Sorry I haven’t posted lately…” I’m proud to say that I haven’t needed that (yet), even when I gave birth to Little Roo, to which I give no apologies for not posting for a week. I figured you guys would cut me some slack there.

So, now that I’m here at 100 posts, I easily have 100 MORE posts crammed up there in my brain. Unfortunately, they aren’t leaving much room for remembering where I placed my keys or what to buy at the store.

I’m stoked to keep writing. I’m thrilled that you keep reading. And, in honor of the occasion, I wanted to share with you 100 things I’ve learned about blogging (and all that goes with it).

1. I’m really glad my blog name starts with A and not Z. I wish I could say this was on purpose.
2. I had no idea I would ever have to introduce myself as “Adventuroo” instead of Melissa.
3. I am grateful my original blog name choices weren’t available as a domain name.
4. People just aren’t going to magically find your blog. You have to work your A off to promote yourself (even as a professional marketer, I underestimated this).
5. Everyone said running a blog takes LOTS of time. I didn’t know how right they were (another underestimation).
6. I really, really love getting comments.
7. Correction: I really, really love getting comments, EXCEPT the ones that say “Great blog! Come follow me at www.itsallaboutme.com!!!!”
8. Sometimes the posts I spend the most time on are the ones that get the least comments.
9. A photo, even a stock photo, makes a post all that more interesting.
10. Tinker: what a blogger does to their blog all the time.
11. Daydreaming: what a blogger does when they aren’t tinkering but want to be.
12. CommentLuv is my favorite plug-in and I love when other sites have it too.
13. Plug-ins get updated every 1.5 seconds.
14. Installing a favicon sounds like it’s easy, but somehow I’ve made it difficult.
15. My blog took a different direction than I originally thought it would but one that I thoroughly enjoy.
16. My family reads my blog less than “strangers.”
17. I find great joy in using tags to cleverly add extra thoughts to my blog posts, like tags that say “things that don’t make sense” or “as if you wanted to know.”
18. I enjoy reading others’ funny tags even more.
19. You’ve gotta pick and choose what communities to be involved in; otherwise, you’ll be overwhelmed.
20. An RSS reader is the only way I can even REMOTELY keep up with my favorite blogs.
21. Dividing my blogs into categories within my RSS majorly helps me accomplish #20.
22. Apparently, getting a nasty comment means you’ve “made it big.” I’ve only had nice ones so far.
23. Spam is humorous and annoying at the same time.
24. A spam filter is ESSENTIAL, unless you want posts like “The dear author, thanks you for a vital topic!” on your comments.
25. There are so many bloggers with FAR superior writing than me.
26. I am still a stickler for spelling and grammar, even in an online world of TMI, IRL and kthxbai. KWIM?
27. Meme is pronounced MEEM.
28. I can spot another Thesis themed blog a mile away.
29. I feel automatically bonded to other Thesis bloggers. I hope they don’t have a problem with this.
30. Linking a post from Twitter a few times a day (with varying teasers) drives more traffic.
31. Twitter is where I learn the most… about everything.
32. It’s easy to get obsessed with looking at Google Analytics.
33. I never thought someone would find my blog by typing into Google: “married having kids and wanting to bar hop instead of taking care of kids”
34. Or by searching “melissa secret love sandal worldwide buy”
35. Or my personal favorite: “pictures of little 10 year old boys fattening up over time quickly in timeframes”
36. #Blogchat on Sunday nights on Twitter is worth jumping into.
37. My professional experience in marketing comes in handy.
38. Even so, I still have a lot to learn about the blogging world.
39. There are so many AWESOMELY awesome bloggers out there that I’d love to meet IRL.
40. I have met many LOCAL bloggy friends and they are just as kick ass in real life.
41. I regularly choose blogging over working out. This is bad.
42. Twitter is the best way to make new blogging friends.
43. BlogFrog is a close second.
44. Ideas for blog posts come to me at the most random times.
45. So I don’t forget, iPhone Notes, post-its and a good ole pen and paper come in handy.
46. The #playoutdoors group on Twitter always has the best articles about getting kids outside.
47. Having a topic you’re passionate about goes a long way.
48. You’ll get crappy pitches from PR firms who have never even looked at your site.
49. You’ll get awesome pitches that turn into great partnerships.
50. I’m proud that I said no to those in #48.
51. Some of the recipes passed on from fellow bloggers have been some of my favorites.
52. I didn’t know that nicknaming my hubby “Daddy Roo” would get him called this at his office.
53. I find myself referring to my kids as Big Roo and Little Roo.
54. You don’t need to try to be all things to all people.
55. Blog in a way that shows off your personality.
56. Conferences are all the rage in the blog universe.
57. Some bloggers get really nervous about going to conferences.
58. You apparently go to conferences for the mingling, not the sessions.
59. Maybe I’m a dork, but I’d still be interested in the sessions.
60. Incorporating Flickr into your blog is hard (still haven’t figured out the best way to do this or even if I want to).
61. The SITS girls is a great way to increase the number of comments you get on your blog (and to discover new blogs to comment on yourself).
62. Interacting genuinely with your readers makes them want to return.
63. Giveaways are time consuming to promote.
64. But they’re very rewarding when some who truly deserves to win does.
65. I don’t enter giveaways that REQUIRE me to subscribe to something or to annoy my Facebook friends by posting about their contest.
66. Simpler is better… a good mantra for just about everything blogging related.
67. It’s OK to unsubscribe to a blog if you don’t enjoy it anymore.
68. You’re not going to want to blog every day. This is ok too.
69. Recommending great blogs to your friends is a great way to pay it forward.
70. Discovering a cool blog is like finding the best local hangout in a tourist town.
71. Sometimes writing a post about something you want to achieve is a great motivator.
72. Other times, it doesn’t work so hot.
73. Laying out what posts you want to make for the week helps you draw a blank when you’re all frazzled mid-week.
74. Parenting comes before blogging.
75. I’m most creative in the evening after the kids or asleep.
76. It’s easy to stay up WAY too late to get a post just right.
77. The kids don’t care you were up late blogging; they will still wake up at 6:15 am.
78. Blogging with a newborn in the house is kinda hard, not to mention insane.
79. But it’s a great way to preserve a birth story.
80. I still haven’t gotten the hang of being an affiliate through share-a-sale or others (and I’m not sure if I want to).
81. I can’t quite figure out how to use StumbleUpon to drive traffic either.
82. Vlogging would be kinda cool to do, but that word is just heinous-sounding.
83. Sometimes posts take a lot longer to write than you ever think it will.
84. This post is one of them.
85. I learn something new about blogging every day.
86. Sometimes you have to surprise readers by doing something unexpected in your posts.
87. Like not having a list of 100 things.

Tagged as: 100th post, blogging ninja, what i learned about blogging