Posts Tagged ‘bloggers’
You’re NOT Only As Good As Your Last Blog Post
I’m not sure if I’m spoiling the illusion for you, but stand-up comedians don’t write new jokes for every performance. In fact, most rarely update their acts much at all over the course of a year. Sure, we’ll tweak and tinker with a few things, yet fresh brand spanking new material is kind of a “zen” experience that doesn’t happen too often.
Maybe a comic will come out with 10 solid polished minutes of laughs after a year of hard work testing it on stage. (writers like Louis C.K. who can churn out a full hour in this time frame are the very rare exceptions)
When you see an unknown, but professional comedian at a local comedy club, you’re likely getting the “best of” medley of his entire career. Unless you happen to have stumbled upon clips on the internet or have seen him before, you don’t really know when that hilarious joke you just laughed at was written, do you?
It could have been something he jotted down on a cocktail napkin just the night before. It could have been something honed, tested and perfected almost 15 years ago. As an audience member, there’s really no way of knowing for sure.
But does it even matter?
‘New’ and ‘latest’ are always relative terms.
As a comedian, why on earth would I ever choose not to do my very best on stage? Imagine if I walked in front of the microphone and told people “this is just the latest 45 minutes of material I’ve written, let’s see how it turns out!” Do you think that would play over very well? Of course it wouldn’t. The audience doesn’t care when I wrote my material. As long as it’s relevant and new to them, that’s all that’s required.
Yes, getting rid of that bit about the Monica Lewinsky scandal would likely be prudent.
Yes, retiring that two-minute chunk about the “Where’s the beef?” commercial is more than a good idea.
But, leading your comedy set with a general ‘driving in traffic’ joke – why not, even if you wrote it 12 years ago?
Are we structuring our blogs to showcase the ‘latest’ and not the ‘greatest’?
Back in the day, when blogs were primarily used for personal online journaling, I can understand why they would be organized in a chronological fashion. The purpose was indeed to chronicle someone’s life, so without a time-based linear structure, it wouldn’t make much logical sense to readers. That type of endeavor was essentially a single person writing a “story” and blog posts were like new chapters of their life’s “book”.
But how many bloggers out there are using their platform like the good ol’ days? At least from the thousands of blogs I subscribe to or read every day, this number is very small. Most of them are writing and producing pillar resources as content marketing for a business. So why are they still stuck in the antiquated model of displaying posts from newest to oldest?
Maybe your 73rd post is the best sample of your writing. Maybe your 114th post is a great lead generation tool. Maybe that five-part series you did last year is a better resource that many paid products available on the market right now?
Yet barely anyone is looking at them.
They’re buried in your archives collecting dust. No matter how many times you interlink posts, display a “popular” post widget, create a showcase page and so forth, the most visible work on your blog will always be whatever the “latest” thing you’ve put there. It’s your own damn fault, though. You’re still stuck in the mindset that a “blog” somehow has been divinely ordained to be displayed in chronological order. Why is this so?
Wouldn’t you want your first impression to be the best you can possibly make it?
Tell me this right now: If you had the choice of what post you’d like them to read first – is it currently the first thing someone sees when hitting your root index page? Probably not, right? Then change that.
I’m not only as good as my last blog post and neither are you. Everything I produce on my blog adds to an overall body of work. Some posts are good. Some not so much. Some are downright amazing. Although I will be judged by all of my creation, I choose to lead with my brilliance, not with my filler.
Your blog isn’t just a series of 800 word writings in a hodgepodge order. But that’s what it looks like now.
Nor is a comedian’s act just a series of 30 second jokes told in order by date. But that’s what your blog is now.
What are you doing to change this perception? How are you giving your best work the spotlight it deserves?
I’ll give it a shot.
Not A Pro Blog Acquired By ProBlogger
For Immediate Release:
NEW ALBANY, Indiana. (April 1, 2010) – Not A Pro Blog, the web’s worst blog tips site, today announced that it has been acquired by ProBlogger.net.
This acquisition will be a part of Darren Rowse’s extension of the ‘ProBlogger’ brand and a precursor to his new paid forum for the hopelessly unsuccessful, NotAProBlogger.com – where broke bloggers sabotage each other.
“Blogging continues to grow in popularity, but since no one actually implements my advice – I might as well hedge my bets.” said Rowse on one of his horridly boring UStream chats today. “Not A Pro Blog will put an amazing array of obstacles in front of those copycats wanting to overtake my market dominance.”
“What better brand to align these fundamentally flawed concepts with than Jordan Cooper, a blogger that has consistently taken my advice, yet thoroughly parodied & ridiculed me and my colleagues for just under five months.”
“Some have called me a ‘traitor’ for even considering selling my soul to ProBlogger,” said Cooper, the founder of Not A Pro Blog, “but I’d be a fool not to allow the my brand to seep in, eat away and completely destroy one of the world’s most influential blogs. I’m excited to see how far Darren will fall going backwards.”
The acquisition of Not A Pro Blog will allow Jordan to concentrate on his other projects including his main site – FM-Britain, which peddles worthless digital products about a video game that poor British kids become addicted to quite easily – and an upcoming project – NonScalableBlogging.com with Chris Brogan.
Jordan Cooper will remain a part of Not A Pro Blog where he plans to launch a product with Rowse entitled “31MWWW” – 31 Minutes to Write the Worst Weblog – an alternative to the successful series of a similar name, but geared for those who have no clue and like it that way.
Last minute update:
Upon hearing the news of this merger, Google has immediately voided their purchase of ProBlogger from earlier today.
“Unfortunately, Darren Rowse’s haphazard acquisition of Not A Pro Blog significantly undermines our positioning with his brand”, a representative of the internet giant stated. “Competing against ourselves is not in our business nature, as we already have a firmly planted presence in the ‘fail whale’ marketplace… with Google Buzz and Google Wave.”
How To Build A Powerful Blogging Alliance
Bloggers are inherently self-made entrepreneurs – rogue entities living the internet lifestyle on their own island. Loving the ability to succeed completely on our own, it’s important though to admit that help may be needed to reach our goals. If you’re willing to do this, maybe you’re the perfect candidate to build a powerful blogging alliance.
At this point, you must think I’m crazy to suggest that you don’t know it all. You’ve been blogging for a whole 5 weeks, so you obviously have all the answers already.
Why would you want to collaborate with competitors in your field?
Of course you don’t. It would be silly to actually help your mortal foes. I’m not suggesting that whatsoever. What I am implying is that you start a blogging alliance as a well-disguised ploy for purposes of espionage. Just like the famous Sun Tzu quote:
“Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”
So form this “alliance” based on trust… and then use that to your advantage. Find a handful of blogging competitors on the cusp of attaining success and reel them in. At the start, help them out with tidbits of useful advice. Visit their blogs, comment and contribute. Make it seem like you actually care, you know? Of course, you don’t really care – but your goal is to earn their respect. Once they value your opinion almost more than their own, you’ve got them!
After this tipping point is reached inside this “alliance”, you now have the opportunity to chip away at your competitors. Exploit their gullible little minds by passing off the worst advice and incorrect information as gold.
Show them why it’s a great idea to have 146 widgets active on their sidebar. Convince them that e-mail marketing is highly overrated and they should focus on getting thousands of Twitter followers (even offer your $97 service to do just that!). Tell them how beneficial it would be to rank high for tasteless asian bondage porn. Be as nefarious as possible. Whatever you can do to derail their success, it will benefit you!
What types of bloggers should be part of your alliance?
A-Listers: These bloggers are the cream of the crop in your niche.
You fawn over them and their success constantly. Although they will be impervious at your attempts to corrupt them in your “alliance” scheme, it will be imperative to have at least one vouch for your credibility. Invite them in for a chat for a few minutes. The rest of your group will hang on every single word they say – so giving them an impression that you’re “cool in their books” will earn you much needed trust very quickly.
B-Listers: These bloggers are those that appear successful to you, but really aren’t.
You see them guest posting on major blogs. They release products seemingly every month. It looks like they’re indeed making a full-time living blogging – but they’re nothing more than hype. Exploit their “fame” for your own selfish purposes. They’re going to be much more accessible since their latest e-course only has 3 paid students.
How do you usurp them? Weasel your way into as many joint ventures with these bloggers as you can… then use that leverage to step on their heads, leaving them behind in your wake. There’s only room for one spot at the top, so why share the spotlight whatsoever?
C-Listers: The level where you think you reside, but your 7 subscribers say otherwise.
These bloggers will make up a bulk of your alliance. Other like-minded individuals with the same philosophies, goals, strategies and methods as yourself. These similarities and compatibilities are the reason why you need to quash their rise up the ladder. Your niche is saturated as it is – so, who needs people embarking in the same optimal techniques that you’ve figured out? They’re standing in your way!
Slowly veer them off track, rationally question the effectiveness of their methods and eventually you’ll steer them into the direction of impending failure. Of course, you’ll be smart and keep plodding away using the original agreed-upon avenues while your “alliance” competitors are bogged down for weeks utilizing worthless tactics.
D-Listers: Bloggers who are actually making money, but you scoff at their niche.
These are niche bloggers that write about anything from video games to college lifestyle tips to vegetable gardening. Many are making quite a good chunk of change doing what they do, but you laughably put aside that notion in your head. You blog about blogging – you’re supposed to be the expert at it, so what they hell do they know?
Look to recruit a few of these saps (if you can get your head out of the self-important echo chamber of meta-blogging) who believe you have some hidden insight. All the while, secretly learn how they’re actually able to pull off making money when you can’t. Of course, keep these secrets to yourself.
F-Listers: These are bloggers who have no clue, but they suck up to you.
“In the valley of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” Well, these bloggers are deaf, dumb and blind. Somehow you’ve been able to leave a positive impression on them as an authority – even if it’s just because you can spell “HTML” and they can’t. Unbelievably, they’ve bought into the hype that blogging about blogging can actually make you money – which, of course, is exactly what you got duped into thinking!
Exploit their fragile minds by molding their beliefs around strategies and methods that are obviously counterproductive. Denounce the importance of Google. Proclaim Friend Feed is where it’s at. Trust me, they’ll buy into anything you say no matter how absurd. These are the people who will pave the way for a new generation of meta-bloggers, so why not skew as many as you can in promoting the worst advice possible to others? This will help you out exponentially as the amount of useless content spreads to even greener bloggers entering the niche. The cycle will go on and on as you reach for glory!
What is the ultimate goal of having a blogging alliance?
You’re not smart. You have no talent. You can’t achieve anything on your own accord. The only way you have any chance at success is to knock others off their pedestal, keep the rest down, influence the masses to choose the wrong path and step on anyone that gets in your way. Living off your relative value in comparison to others is the foundation of your business model. As more and more default to failure, your mediocre abilities will shine above them all.
But first, coming full circle, you must admit you need help. Oh, not from those that can be “in” on your evil plot – but those who are gullible enough to believe creating a useful community to network, share & help each other is actually a good idea. What fools!
Get ahead by building a powerful blogging alliance today.
An Article A Day Helps You Work, Rest & Play
This is a guest post by Ian Nuttall.
The number one way that anybody who owns a blog is going to get traffic is through writing. No brainer, huh?
So why is it that so many new bloggers fall by the wayside when they try to launch their blog? It’s not due to a lack of learning materials. There is almost too much information out there. Beyond Blogging, Blog Masters Club and Cloud Living spring immediately to mind as brilliant and established products on the subject.
It’s also not because they lack passion. Many new bloggers vapidly consume all of the resources and materials available because they do love the idea of blogging so much.
So where do they go wrong?
They don’t devote enough time to writing original, unique and legendary content.
That’s it.
One article a week without any guest posts and simply a whole lot of tweeting – that’s not going to achieve much for you and your blog.
Luckily for you, I have a strategy that will… and I’ll give it away for $47 free.
Write just one article a day.
One a day. Nothing more. No groundbreaking strategies that will send shock waves to the very core of the blogging industry here. Just create one high quality post every day for the next 30 days.
Even if you’re publishing 3 times a week on your blog, that leaves you with 15-18 original and hopefully, awesome posts just ripe for guest posts on other blogs. That is more than enough to get your name out their and show people what a genius you are.
But what do I mean when I say “an article a day will help you work, rest and play?” Keep reading and all will be revealed.
Work
Nothing makes you feel a sense of accomplishment more as a blogger than when you get that smug sense of satisfaction after completing a new piece that you think will literally change the face of the blogosphere as we know it. It inspires you to continue creating content that will motivate people, change public perceptions of the lowly blogger and eventually lead to you being hailed as the Oscar Wilde of the blogging generation.
Add to that the fact that if you love to talk, and you talk about what you love, you instantly find the gift of the gab and can wax lyrical about your chosen topic for hours on end. As a general rule of thumb, if you annoy your friends and family when you continually talk about a particular passion or pastime, that is what you should be blogging about.
Rest
I am a big advocate for early morning writing. Sure, you have to get up earlier than most, but one article is not beyond the realms of possibility. Heck, I wrote one in 5 minutes once and it was, if only to me, legendary.
Even if the post takes you a couple of hours you still have the rest of the day to do whatever it is bloggers do. Unless you’re Darren Rowse or one of the big guns, I imagine you survive on lentils, beans and rice and wonder where your next gig is coming from.
Also, many bloggers can happily tap away from the safe confines of their own bed. That means that when you’re done creating awesome content, you can have a little nap.
Play
If you can keep up the post-a-day habit and make it a part of your daily life – it gives you more time to play. This means you can tweet more, connect with more people and become the saviour of the web by being ever present in times of need. If someone needs help with their .htaccess file you’re only a tweet and a Google search away from being the hero.
On top of that, once you make the big time and you’ve got hundreds of customers paying you for your expertise – you can merely outsource your business and go gravhopping on the moon. The universe is your oyster and while your loyal VA in the Philippines updates your membership site in between trips to the local fish market, you can be surfing dolphins off the coast of Fiji.
The real point of this post is…
While you sit around and fantasize about what could happen to you through blogging, you stop doing the very thing that will get you up the pecking order and into a position to change your life – writing.
Most bloggers could take the amount they’re writing now and double it. Unless you happen to be Ali Hale, who seems to be writing the equivalent of 20 full time virtual assistants!
I’ll be taking the “Post-a-Day Challenge” this month and I encourage you to do the same. It should take you at the very most two hours per day and the exposure you’ll get from having your ridiculously fabulous content all over the web will be more powerful than your tiny little blogging mind can comprehend.
Seriously, this is the one-a-day solution to becoming a better blogger.
Happy writing!
Leash Optional is a journey which explores unique and innovative ways to live an awesome, completely original life the way you want to live it. Ian Nuttall promotes productivity, living in the now and having the freedom to do whatever it is you want to do. He also loves to talk in the third person. He’s cool like that.
Leveraging Other People’s Audiences To Create Buzz
The following is a guest post by Jade Craven.
Recently, I did a guest post at Remarkablogger about hustling. Many people seemed to really enjoy it and Jordan asked if I could elaborate on how people can leverage someone else’s audience to create buzz. Now, I’m nowhere near as awesome as him when it comes to the humor stuff. I’m Aussie. My sense of humor is likely to get me mocked. So, I thought I’d make this post incredibly chillaxed instead!
So, what the heck am I on about?
Typically, people write a piece of content and publish it on their own blog. They then rely on their own network to spread the word. If they are feeling desperate, they will beg for attention. That’s when people DM you asking for retweets and will constantly request social media attention just so they can achieve their attention of viral.
That’s fine, but you can achieve a bucketload more success just by popping that baby on someone else’s blog.
Do you know someone in your niche that always seems to get retweeted? Or a topic that causes people to go nuts? If you guest post on that blog, you will be able to tap into that organize network.
This may be a bit geeky for some, but let me explain. If you are lucky, one action can lead to multiple audiences being leveraged. For instance, I do a number of guest posts on Problogger. Each post gets me exposure via a number of methods.
- All posts get delivered via the RSS feed. This is the main method of exposure.
- All posts are delivered to Twitter via Twitterfeed. This can lead to a number of retweets.
- Because more people see it, more people write opinion posts and mention the person that wrote the original article. This puts my name in front of more readers.
- Darren links to each post via his Facebook page. People provide additional comments and ‘likes’ via this platform.
One post can lead to five different groups of people reading your content. These are just the ones I remember while simultaneously watching a very long movie.
Tap into the right audience:
To do this, you have to look at relevant blogs in your niche. You have to:
- Check how much of their content gets retweeted. Read the associated comments and see if particular posts get retweeted more than others.
- See how many comments are on the post. This is the true sign of engagement and is where you can find fans for your own blog.
- See where else they promote their blog.
This can give you a fair idea of the potential for that post to spread organically.
You then have to check out what type of content does really well via that network. I’ve found that there are two things that influence this. The first is the viral potential of the headline. I still suck at this – you’re better off going to Copyblogger.
The second factor is how awesome the content is. Now, if you’re working your arse off like many of us you will already have a good eye for picking out the content that rocks the blogosphere. Figure out ways to replicate that.
What do you do if the post goes viral?
Let’s say, your unpolished guest post about 30 Bloggers to Watch in 2010 gets published and goes viral while you’re sleeping. What do you do then?
Firstly, you pay attention to the comment section. Encourage people to contribute to the discussion and respectfully deal with those who are picking fights. Sometimes it’s just a reflection of how much they value the community.
Second, you head straight onto Twitter. Don’t just look for straight out retweets. Look for keywords relating to that post, your name. If someone sounds like they really engaged with your content, follow them. Send a nice DM or @reply and invite them to engage with you elsewhere.
If you are respectful and give back to the community, they are likely to help you out when they see your name pop up again.
Over to you!
I’ve had so much success by leveraging other peoples’ audiences. And, while it sounds totally icky, it’s really not. I provide free content and the opportunity to earn cash in return for getting some exposure. It’s a win/win situation and gives you the opportunity to learn a lot quicker.
I understand that you may still have questions. That’s cool. Leave them in the comments and I’ll help you out.
Jade Craven is passionate about helping small businesses and solopreneurs create social media strategies that resonate with their customers. Visit her blog as she shares her stories. Jade is a guest posting ninja on many of the top blogs, so it’s an absolute pleasure to have her stop by today!
Flawless Blogging with Fit Jerk
The blogger simply known as Fit Jerk has been making waves in the fitness industry with his brash cut-to-the-chase, brutally honest, no bullshit attitude. He doesn’t just exude confidence, he epitomizes it. Just take a look at some quotes from Fit Jerk’s Fitness Blog and you’ll see what I mean:
“I don’t like wasting time, I don’t kiss people’s asses, I can’t handle people who feel sorry for themselves. I tell it like it is. I don’t accept the guilt of those who chose to be mediocre in life.”
“Unlike some ‘experts’ who are out of shape and completely useless, I can help you get in the best shape of your life. Point blank period. I’m the dude that’s done it, tried it, and been through it all.”
“You either get with the program or take a hike. But eventually, you know you’ll be back. In fact I know you’ll be back because 95% of the info out there is bullshit, designed to keep you a mindless product-consuming sheep.”
Bloggers out there in any niche can learn a thing or two from Fit Jerk’s no holds barred approach to marketing. I tend to be on the same page with him on many issues and think the anti-hyperbole may be the new direction for advertising in the coming years.
Although I’ll freely admit I’m not strong-willed enough to handle a fitness regimen of any kind… why don’t you check out Fit Jerk’s Flawless Fitness Book and as he puts it, “have a body that turns heads wherever you go”. (which for me, is only a 30 feet radius around my computer desk!)
and now the raw & uncensored interview…
Q: I think everyone can tell straight off just by the name “Fit Jerk” that you mean business and don’t hold anything back.
A: Yeah, you’re right. I’m a straight up kinda guy. I actually got the name from this lady who was one of my first book customers. She wasn’t taking action so I laid it to her straight. She called me a jerk, but a fit one. I liked it and ran with it. Most authors wouldn’t raise a finger after making the sale. I’m not going to be associated with that kind of faggotry.
Q: But why should people listen to you?
A: The thing is, people don’t have to listen to me and I’m not out to convince them of shit like that. Those that are skeptical always ask me that question “why should I listen to you FJ?” and what I tell them is to go read my blog. That’s it. I don’t try and sell them some bullshit or pressure them with retarded products. I let my writing, my body and the results of the people I train do my talking. What ends up happening is that instead of me giving them reasons of why they should listen to me, then end up creating their own.
Some listen to me because I cut the crap and lay it to them straight. Others listen to me because on some disturbing level they find me entertaining. Some listen because I deliver real content. Whatever floats their boat.
See, there are too many fat ass morons running around screaming desperately so that people will pay attention to them. That’s not my style. I don’t chase. I don’t kiss ass and I don’t bend over for people. What I do is lend out my hand, if you take it, cool. If you ignore it, cool. There is a reason I model myself in my own fucking book, it’s not to show you how awesome I am (ok maybe a little) but it’s because I like to walk the talk. I find it funny when I see fitness books and the person showcasing the exercises in the book isn’t the author, because they are usually not in any presentable shape. It’s like “why?”
But the even more baffling thing is that there are some fitness authors that look good enough to be in books don’t bother putting themselves in. Pretty dumb if you ask me.
Q: So you’re pretty much an advocate of what I say – be your own expert, yes? Do you find that after people take your course and read your stuff, eventually they see that most of what you say is pure common fucking sense?
A: Not really. Ha ha, but it depends. See, if I talk to someone who knows what they are doing, they will read my stuff and say “well, of course! That’s common sense!” But what is common sense to them may not make sense for others, especially beginners. See, people make fitness both overly complicated than it needs to be or too simple and see no results. It’s neither of those things. It’s in the middle. I realized this through experience, nothing else. I’ve been to both extremes and it’s a pretty odd place to be.
Now I have a healthy obsession. Healthy because I’m not up at night losing sleep trying to read every newly released scientific study under the sun. You can’t know it all. No one can, but you can know a good amount to make shit happen. Now before I turn into a fucking monk, let’s move on…
Q: What are the “experts” not telling people in the fitness industry that you are?
A: First let me just say that there are legit people out there as far as trainers or even as far as bloggers go. In fact I have 3 categories for them. The first are the awesome sauces of the world, like Jody from truth2beingfit.com. She comes to my blog because she says I motivate her. It’s actually quite the opposite, this woman inspires me because at 52, she looks kick ass. She’s a lean, mean grandma and knows what she’s doing. So mad respect. Others that are cool are JC from JCD Fitness, Will Brink, Matt Perryman, Nate Green, Lyle Mcdonald and a few others. These people are cool. If you find my obnoxious, too abrasive for your reading pleasure, now you know you have credible options.
The 2nd type of people are the “fakers”. These tools don’t exactly claim to be “experts” which is ok, but what gets me going is when they try and sell fitness advice, and yet don’t know jack shit. They blog because they think blogging is cool. You can tell by the way they write that fitness is just some “make quick cash” scheme they are dabbling in. These fuckers really annoy me. Fitness and writing about fitness is my craft and I take this seriously. There are nights I’ve been up reading studies and books till my eyes bleed… or till my contacts get dry enough to resemble a shriveled prune… and then you find some schmuck who recommends the latest diet pill and backs it up with broscience. Lame.
The 3rd type are the sellouts and/or the marketing fairies. Take Christian Thibaudeau for example. I’ve read his books and articles and respected this guy… all up till the point where he helped tmuscle.com push some bullshit supplement that promised like 20lbs of muscle in like 2 weeks (or something equally ridiculous). Not even steroids can give you these types of results… and this just pissed me off. I mean here is a guy who I respected, but now I have to lose all respect for him, just because of this move. On top of that he was all like “I dont even get paid to praise this awesome supplement”. Heh, first I think thats bullshit and even if that was true – what a stupid move. If you’re going to sell out like that, at least demand a higher price, dude!
Oh, then there are the acai berry scams etc. Don’t even get me started with that shit.
So what am I doing different? Well, basically I’m cutting through the noise and getting back down to Earth with a realistic and effective approach. If I tell you to do something it’s because it works for me and countless others. When I tell you to take something, it’s because I’ve taken it in the past and has proven to be effective. Truth be told, I would love to slap the morons spreading the ridiculousness out there, but unfortunately shit splatters.
Q: Are you annoyed more at them or the fact there are a ton of dumbasses paying them money for it? Have you ever had an “encounter” with someone you thought was full of shit? I’m almost afraid to see what you’d be like to their face…
A: Good question, but you can never blame the customer. Money is earned, so when they plunk down their cash they probably believe that it will bring them some benefit, some kind of valuable return on investment. The only reason they believe that is because the douchebag “expert” gave them a complete mind fuck. But at the end of the day, I somewhat need these god damn cupcakes running around scamming people, because that’s when they come running to me.
I make it a goal to be the end of the line when it comes to someone’s fitness goals. What I mean by this is that they shouldn’t need to go diet hopping or living in a state of confusion after FJ has graced some truth upon them. They can certainly learn more but a good foundation is what I set out to do.
As for in-person… Yeah, I’ve met some idiots in person but not anyone who runs a useless blog. I think they avoid me, which is a wise decision.
Q: You seem to give very practical tips on your blog that virtually anyone can understand.
A: Yeah, my writing philosophy is smack-your-face-simple. Step 1: Make it useful. Step 2: Make it simple. So when I start writing, I end up with this massive, sometimes confusing web of thoughts and ideas, but it’s all useful stuff. Sometimes it’s gold and the next day I’m like “damn I wrote that?” What I do then is edit, structure and simplify it all down so that even a complete tool with zero skills can understand it. In fact I want people to be able to read an article, then that very day go apply whatever they learned.
It’s a process I call “spit first, shine later”. I also call it verbal diarrhea but that doesn’t sound nearly as appealing.
Q: This is actually quite good advice for any blogger. You’ve made quite a name for yourself on the ProBlogger.com forum – especially since you seem to have more of a grasp of blogging than even some of the “blogging bloggers”. How do you think your fitness niche uniquely differs than some of the leading advice given by the blogging gurus?
A: Heh, yeah, Problogger is a cool, tight forum. But it’s not been all sugarcream and honey rainbows. Lara (the mod) consistently gave me fucking hell in the beginning. Two infractions and a shit load of PM’s. At one point I was apparently on the last stand and she said I’d get banned if she heard another complaint. Not her fault though… all these retarded people were bitching like little girls. It’s a damn forum, don’t read my stuff if you don’t like it, know what I mean? No one was forcing them yet they kept on being douches.
Whatever. I can’t change who the fuck I am and so all I kept doing what what I knew best – bring value to the forum and connect with cool people. But I also respected the place so I decided that after writing, I’d go back and edit my spice and throw in a little bit of “nice” so I can hang around.
As for the question… Well, one place where it differs is that I can be diverse. A lot of the blogging gurus will say “stick to your niche”. Well for me, I don’t have to since fitness is universal. It doesn’t matter if your’re an accountant or a fucking race car driver. Everyone wants to live healthier and so what I do is “spread my seed”.
I’ve guest posted for Men With Pens which is a freelance writer site. I’ve also guest posted for Marko at How To Make My Blog and have done other non-fitness related interviews. Why? For one, I like what I’m talking about and two, it gets me known. So when these people ever need to seek fitness advice, that little “seed” has been planted and they will think of the one person that has established trust and knows what he’s talking about. Me. Now a bunch of marketing geeks will drool over this technique and use it just to get exposure and “to plant seeds” and hey, to each their own. I don’t write for anyone I don’t like. I read Men With Pens on a consistent basis and I’ve gotten to know their editor, so it works for me.
Other than that, the rest of the advice is standard as usual. For anyone that’s looking for something “fancy” – don’t bother. Get a blog. Start writing. Invest in yourself so you better your craft. Promote it, connect with others and always remember content is king. It’s not difficult, it’s just tedious work… and too many nipple nuggets forget that.
Q: Do you look more to help everyday average people that may not want “rock-hard chiseled abs”? Or is your attitude that if you’re not going to be 100% passionate about your fitness, you don’t want to waste your time on them?
A: I help anyone that wants to be helped, regardless of their goal. Point blank period. The people that I don’t want to waste time with are ones that are always bitching, whining and complaining. I don’t care what your goal is. I don’t care what you think of me and I certainly don’t care how deep your pockets are. As long as you put that head down and do what I’m telling you, things will start to happen.
This is one of the reasons why I have so many articles under the motivation category of my site. There isn’t a lack of information out there (in fact there is actually too much info and people get paralyzed), there is a lack of action. People read and read and watch videos and listen to podcasts, then just sit at home and bask in the newfound knowledge that they gained without doing anything with it.
FUCK THAT.
You want to know the one place where I had always had the biggest learning experience? No it wasn’t school. It was the fucking gym. The lessons that I have gained from helping others and training myself was worth more than the weight on the bar. The reason is because there is a gap between theory and reality. This is why transferring information from the head to your hand results in a different experience. You can go read about some cool new workout you read in a magazine but when you go try it, you realize it’s completely useless. The iron is king. Nothing is above it.
Q: You talk a lot of smack talking shit against supplements it seems. Is it just certain “magical” ones in general or virtually all of them?
A: Yes and no. A huge pull for my site is the fact that I review supplements, and if you’ve ever read my supplement reviews, you’ll see that I can be quite an ass (when justified). A few companies have blacklisted me from sending future samples because I bashed their shit so hard. But think about this for a minute… you are a supplement company and are off to send your product to a dude who runs Fit Jerk’s Fitness Blog!
If your product is blows chunks, How do you think I’m going to express myself? A fucking monkey could answer that question. I guess some of them feel that I owe them something because they sent me free samples. I don’t owe them shit. The only person I owe anything to is myself first and my readers second.
The truth is I like supplements. I’m a fan. But there are just too many insane products that use so much fairy marketing lingo, it’s crazy. If you want a good laugh, go read the sales copy for Muscletech’s Anabolic Halo. That shit belongs on a comic book, not in a store.
Q: I’m also assuming the new FTC regulations haven’t affected you one bit then. You’ve been hardcore straight up from day one so there wasn’t a need to change. Are you secretly hoping they crack down hard on some of the fakers in your niche?
A: No, I’m too honest for FTC to violate me. If I take the effort to write a deep and detailed review of a supplement (or product) and it happens to be good, I’ll legitemally want to help the company spread the word and sell it. So at the end of the review I’ll say “if you liked what I wrote and if you want to support the site, pick up this supplement from the link below”
So I’m disclosing the link, and hey, if they are going to buy it anyway, why not support the site that told them all about it? I know I would.
Q: I’m a scrawny guy with almost no muscle whatsoever and I sit in front of my computer working for hours on end. What fitness advice would you give to someone like me? Like a full-time blogger?
A: I consider myself a full time blogger by day, yet I still hold another job (coaching gymnastics and martial arts) that I do in the evenings and I can still find time to hit up the gym. So first, I’d say get a membership. It doesn’t have to be all frills, but if you want some mass, you will need to lift heavy, and then eventually, heavier. I’d create a 6-week plan with tons of compound movements and tell you to progressively overload your weight every week. I’d also focus on volume. Hypertrophy favors volume at 75-80% of your max intensity. But all of this is only accounts for 30% of the success.
The other 70% is your food intake. If you’re scrawny, then chances are your body fat is already low (I’m guessing since I’ve never measured yours), so there is no real point in trying hard to stay shredded. A 45-30-25 ratio (protein-carbs-fats) would be a good way to go. To make things accurate, I’d calculate your base metabolic rate (the # of calories you burn just to stay alive). Then I’d factor in your activity level… which I’ll consider null. Then I’d take this number and slap on another 1500 calories on top and you would have your daily intake.
I’d also tell you to take fish oils, creatine, whey protein & a solid multivitamin. Nothing fancy, just stuff thats tried and true. Those are the basics. Of course, as a client we’d go into more detail… which is why I do something called E-Training.
Q: A much more detailed reply than I expected. I figured it would be “stop smoking, eating pizza, drinking 4 cups of coffee a day and go for a walk once in a while, you fucking idiot!”
A: Yeah, actually that’s not bad advice and a good way to start. Now all you gotta do is look in the mirror and say that shit out loud a good dozen times.
Find out more about Fit Jerk by checking out Fit Jerk’s Fitness Blog. You can also follow him on Twitter @FitJerk. Just don’t piss him off!
7 Things Bloggers Can Learn From Watching Dexter
I’m aware that many bloggers reading this right now don’t watch television at all. Of course not, you’re too busy writing list posts comparing your niche to a popular TV series or a movie character! If I had to suggest one show to check out, though, it would be Dexter.
The Showtime series is based around Dexter Morgan, a serial killer who works as a forensic blood spatter analyst for the police department. Harnessing the darkness inside only to kill those “who deserve it” (primarily other killers), the series shows Dexter trying to balance an everyday life with his secret identity while still appearing normal to all those around him. A very entertaining show in it’s own right, watching Dexter can also teach you a fair bit about blogging. Let’s take a look!
Be aware that the following may contain spoilers, so read at your own peril!
1. Learn the tools of your trade hiding within plain sight.
Freely comment on other’s blogs, engage people on Twitter and generally play nicely with the community. In the process though, absorb their quality content and mooch off their resources as much as possible. It’s not like you have feelings for these bloggers, so who cares if you’re just playing a rouse to get traffic and feeding your darkness?
2. Clean up all evidence of your crimes and leave no witnesses.
Turn your blog into a kill room. Moderate your comments relentlessly and delete those that can show others who you truly are. When in doubt, make your comment section nofollow and dump links on Squidoo, since no one will think of searching there.
3. Jimmy Smits is available for guest posts.
The fact that the former NYPD Blue star chose to play a supporting character for a season on a cable channel obviously shows that he’s desperate for work. Feel free to send him $15 via Paypal and I’m sure he’ll write for your blog.
4. Need help coming up with post ideas? Just talk to your dead father!
He’s the one who gave you the code to live by – the blueprint for ‘killer’ success. Keep him white listed in your spam filter though. He pops up all the time.
5. When you find someone that seems perfect, visit their house. It’s probably a facade.
Every blogger looks up to guys like Darren Rowse and Brian Clark, putting them up on a pedestal as a shining example of what they’d like to become some day. But how much do you really know about them? Visit their house on Thanksgiving and you might find them beating their wife, breaking their son’s fingers while caressing the urn holding their dead sister’s remains.
6. If you get caught lying, pretend you have a drug problem.
No one will fault you then because the blogging community cares deeply about your private life, right? Even if you do get ostracized, publicizing your demons will cause a boatload of self improvement or lifestyle design gurus to come out of the woodwork and attempt to be your savior. If they get too close for your liking, be like Dexter and pin a crime on them!
7. It’s totally okay your wife is dead. That just means you can finally blog in peace!
Google Updates Pagerank, Blogger Intelligence Remains Unchanged
I’m going to freely admit something here. Not too long ago, I had no idea what Pagerank was at all. In fact, when I started this blog, I mixed up Pagerank with my Alexa ranking. Boy, did I think I was king shit for a day! After seeing that my site did not actually place higher on Google than Google itself, I asked myself an important question:
What does it really matter? If I can’t even come up first for my own damn domain name then why should I fight the fact that Google hates me? It’s not like I can hire a lawyer and sue them over it. I’ve only got $1.17 in my Paypal account. Google has at least ten bucks in theirs. It’s an uphill battle I can’t win.
I’m not even sure why I can’t rank for my own domain name. Have I wronged you, Google? I swear, it wasn’t my idea to install the Ask.com toolbar on my browser! Recently though, I tried to gather further information on what determines your search engine rankings. Wouldn’t you believe it? It was on Google’s site itself. Very sneaky, sir.
We use more than 200 signals, including our patented PageRank™ algorithm, to examine the entire link structure of the web and determine which pages are most important. We then conduct hypertext-matching analysis to determine which pages are relevant to the specific search being conducted. By combining overall importance and query-specific relevance, we’re able to put the most relevant and reliable results first.
Thanks, Google. I understand it perfectly now.
From what I gather, your technology is approximately seven times as powerful as eHarmony’s 29 dimensions of compatibility. A dating site that for some reason matches me up with middle-aged Latvian women who enjoy competitive bog snorkeling. I’m so glad the entire world has put our collective searches in your hands.
Seeing that no one will ever really know how Pagerank works, what should bloggers do? Well, I have the answer. We should do what we do best. Brag or bitch about it.
Not A Pro Blog is now ashamed to be PR2. For all the sites back linked here, I apologize for weighing you down. For all of those who would actually benefit from it, well… you’re not real bloggers. Google says so.