Typically used in the context of dating, it’s been seen countless times with women being drawn more towards the stereotypical “bad boy” while giving a perfectly polite, respectful & unselfish man the cold shoulder. The phrase has almost become a cult-like anthem of sensitive types to wallow in their own self-pity.

These lost souls go out on date after date and find themselves in the same position over and over again.

They bring flowers. They hold the door open. They choose a great restaurant and foot the bill. They even might have awesome conversation while walking down the boardwalk on a spectacular night.

After all of this, the women gives him a small peck on the cheek, a promise for a second date… and the next day fucks the guy with the biggest dick.

How many times have you heard women bemoan the fact there are no “nice guys” anymore, yet still get into relationships time and time again with complete assholes? Why? Even she doesn’t know. Maybe it’s what she thinks she wants, when all she might really truly want is a guy with a huge cock. It’s a means to an end. That’s it.

And so has this been the case for many bloggers.

You write blog posts every day. You engage with your audience. You elicit comments and respond promptly with appreciation. You network with others, support people and share the limelight without question. You put everyone else’s needs over your own on a regular basis.

Yet you’ve gotten absolutely nowhere. No money. No traffic. No success.

Although in contrast, you see countless others who don’t engage much, don’t respond to comments, don’t share many links and don’t seem to show any public appreciation whatsoever to their audience – and they have traffic numbers off the roof making 6 figures with their online business.

So you think to yourself “what the fuck is going on here?” You make a vow to combat this by out-caring everyone in your niche. You write even more blog posts. You start giving away even more content. You start webcasts, podcasts, live streams, Twitter chats, retweet clubs, guest posts, blog networks, link shares, contests, gift giveaways and everything you can possibly do outside of painting people’s houses.

That still gets you absolutely nowhere. No money. No traffic. No success.

Although in contrast, you see another blogger who doesn’t seem to do much offer a single free eBook and it ends up crashing his/her server, generating 500 retweets and 10,000 opt-ins. Everyone is talking about it. Everyone is applauding it.

And you’re still thinking to yourself “what the fuck is going on here?” How could it be that a nice guy like yourself gets kicked to the curb? How could it be that these apparent assholes have no problem attracting people and cashing in on it?

Because they’ve got a bigger dick. They have the goods. You don’t. You’ve got a pencil dick.

They don’t need to be sincere, cordial or even friendly because they have exactly what people really want. A product of value. The knowledge & comfort that it will hit the g-spot each and every time. That’s it.

Sure, many would prefer to deal with “nice guys”, but without having the huge cock in your pants to back up your exterior, it doesn’t matter. They’re going to fuck someone else. No matter how much they claim otherwise, it’s a means to an end.

So what can you do to enlarge your blogging penis?

Build something of real value. Vastly improve what you’re currently producing. Create something that’s so good, people will consume it regardless of how much you engage, solicit, comment, reply, share, promote or appreciate your audience.

Stroke it already and stop spending all your time playing with your balls.

Nice guys finish last. Those who can satisfy their readers’ true desires finish first. It’s possible to be both.

I have recently watched Star Wars again (the old episodes of course) and they have blown me away, once again. It’s such a rich and exciting universe, and there’s soo much to learn from it.

One character class shines out, and it’s my favorite one:

The Jedi, the galaxy’s ultimate spiritual warrior.

But what makes them so cool? Boy, I could give you a gazillion reasons, but I’ll start with a few: They speak with a low voice, ooze with ultra-confidence and can manipulate the world simply with their mind power. ’nuff said.

And while you don’t have to have superhuman powers to make an impact in the blogosphere (although it would help), all you need is the attitude of a Jedi to blog like one. Listen to Yoda’s tips on becoming a kick-ass blogger that’s one with the force. I know you want them.

On the moment concentrate you must

It’s tempting to do a trillion things at once, but you know it’s not useful. Jedi’s don’t multitask, and neither should you. Whatever you do online, do it step by step. Be fully present when you approach your next task, and make it as epic as possible. When you write a blog post, really just write it. Don’t watch TV (except Star Wars!) and don’t tweet. The force runs only strong in the moment. And the next. And the next.

Sharpen your skills, you must, every day

Do you think Luke Skywalker kicked Vader’s ass by playing Wii all day? Of course not. He was honing his Jedi skills every single day on a smelly swamp planet. I bet you have it better in your cushy home, so don’t complain. Train every single day. Write every single day. Network every single day. Keep and gain momentum, and flow with the force. You don’t have to do much every day, but you have to do it every day.

Abide by your codex, you must

A Jedi has true confidence because he knows exactly what he’s all about. He’s got a codex he strictly follows, and he will never – never – break it, not even in the face of death. Most people are like leaves in the wind, floating here and there. A Jedi’s core is like a rock in the water, everything around him is in turmoil, only he remains still.

What a great way to live life, especially a digital one. When you blog, use your true voice, and express exactly what you think. It’s tempting to wash down your style, but you shouldn’t. Leave that to the gazillion other bloggers out there. Make it a daily choice to speak up. You will lose some (fake) followers, but you will attract the right ones.

Afraid of the future, you are? Trust in the force, you must

A Jedi can’t see the end of his destiny, he can only trust in the force. A Jedi doesn’t worry about tomorrow, who knows what will happen? He’s busy making an impact today. Shouldn’t that be true for a blogger as well?

Your traffic goes up, or it goes down. You got a lot of comments yesterday, and nobody bothers leaving one today. You had 4 Twitter followers last week, you last have of them today. It doesn’t matter – you are just doing your thing. Concentrating on the moment, improving every step, trusting in the flow of things.

Take care of today and tomorrow will take care of itself. Embrace the force with arms wide open, and make every new blogging day your best one ever. You are here for a reason, and while you never will be able to throw stuff with your mind, you can still make a ruckus in the digital universe.

How about now?

Mars Dorian is a digital entrepreneur who wants to change the online world through personal branding and creative marketing. Join him on Twitter and grab his feed.

You’ve heard of this blogging thing, you’ve been introduced to social media and now you’re hooked. You get to experience meeting new bloggers around the world and sharing what you know.

Only problem is, what are you doing about it?

Knowing is great but if you’re doing nothing about it, you’re just wasting your time, others’ time and ultimately killing your own blog.

1. Poor Content

You may post content to your blog but is it any good? Are you really putting any effort into it? You want people to come back to your blog but if you’re not producing kick-ass content then you’re not giving your readers anything worth coming back to… And aren’t they worth the time it takes and the energy to write something amazing? If not, you’re just killing your blog.

2. Laziness

No one is really lacking time because time is the same for all of us. Sure, we’re all in different situations but we have control over how we use our time so that can’t be it. That only leaves us with being completely lazy. This is sad because we’re not going to get very far if we’re lazy. We just think of how great it would be to post amazing content and do all these things and then never put any action towards it. How sad… Solution: Don’t be lazy!

3. Becoming Fake

If you’re fake, people will surely find out fast. It’s not hard to tell who’s real and who just doesn’t care. Become someone who no one likes and can trust and you’ll surely completely kill your blog. After all, if your content blows, people will know, and if you’re not putting any effort into replying to your comments, then people will know. Just be real because otherwise you will eventually blow your blog to pieces before your own eyes.

4. Leaving Spam Everywhere

I don’t like it and I don’t eat it and it’s up to you whether or not you really want to spam people but if you do this, well, say goodbye to a lot of great potential fast. Go to all the forums you can find in your niche (or others, because at this point it really doesn’t matter) and leave linkes to everywhere you like or don’t like. Make sure you don’t leave anything worth while to anyone there because after all, we’re trying to add spam here, not value, because doing so will destroy your blog.

5. Linking Everything

I’m not actually sure if this would annoy some people but it sure as hell would me. Write your entire blog post and then count the number of words you have and find that many websites out there completely unrelated to each word you write. This makes no sense to do and if you actually have time to do this, God help us all, but link each word to a different blog/website and I guarantee no one will come back to visit or stick around even 5 seconds on your blog.

What ways can you think of that would completely kill a blog?

Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking you’re just one great article away from fame.

This is the exact type of mentality I see all the time in the comedy industry (as well as my previous experience in the music industry) where people just are waiting for the “big break”. Waiting for that one show, that one time, that one “right place at the right time” moment where an influential big-time producer or agent “discovers” them – and it all comes together in one fell swoop.

So they work on their act continuously and improve their performance as much as they can. They get on stage over and over and over again. Now, this is obviously a worthwhile investment of time in some extent… but too many times I see brilliant performers that should be household names working the same crappy one-nighter gigs in the middle of nowhere. For years. Forever.

Wondering why it hasn’t happened yet.

Getting jaded that less talented individuals are succeeding and they’re not.

Blaming everyone else but themselves.

Always starting out their sentences with “If only” and pointing to external sources.

Convincing themselves that great content will always be found on it’s own.

A screenwriter can write a script, send it out unsolicited to studio executives and film agents, move on to his next project and no matter how brilliant his work is, he easily can end up going absolutely nowhere. No one will ever find out about the Academy Award winning masterpiece as it’s shuffled in with a thousand others piling up on someone’s desk.

Yes, I agree that talent will ultimately decide whether or not his script will be picked up for production once seen, but if no effort is being made by him to actually get it considered, then what can he possibly expect to come out of it barring a complete fluke miracle?

At some point, even a little amount of “marketing” needs to be done. Some way to show his brilliance to those strangers who can help his career and make his work stand out from the crowd. Through utilizing contacts, connections, exposure, press, whatever it takes to increase the chances of great content being found.

Competing against a 100+ scripts being sent to movie studios daily to be read and considered, it’s as simple as finding a way just to get his work to the top of the pile.

Sometimes that’s all it takes… but also takes a load of time, energy & work to accomplish.

Are you just pumping out blog posts waiting for the “right place, right time” moment?

Or are you doing to something to get your blog to the top of other’s piles?

When you combine all the hoo-haa from the big time names in blogging (Seth Godin, Gary Vaynerchuk, Darren Rowse, Chris Brogan etc), you start to see things differently. You start to believe in blogging. Hell, you start to believe that that YOU can blog and MAKE IT! These guys and gals pump you up, they motivate you and tell you to get your word out there and be successful.

So off you go, starting your own blog in hopes of becoming “pro” and after some time a grave realization comes up on you when you find out that… No one gives a flying poodle shit about what you have to say!

Now we obviously know why this is a problem. So I decided I’m gonna do something about this and help out the ones that are being ignored. I have taken the time to pint-point five areas in blogging where you might be weak (it could be all of them) and then provided a little cure so you can turn it into your strength. Don’t get all offended if I nail the problem in the head about you or your blog… it happens. You’ll get through it, I promise… Maybe. Let’s get on with it.

1. You suck.

I mean, plain and simple… you just suck. You couldn’t string words together into a sentence if your life depended on it. In fact, if humanity’s sole survival depended on you writing a half-decent paragraph, you’d be responsible for wiping out our entire fucking species. That’s a lot of sucking.

BUT… luckily for you, it’s not the end of the world. Why? Well first of all, humanity doesn’t depend on you (thank the lord). And second of all, if you suck, you can do something about it. You can either switch mediums to get your message across (like Gary Vaynerchuk… he is a terrible writer so he dictated his book to someone who could write and is a video blogger himself) OR you can learn how not to suck… and blow shit outta the water instead. This is what I did. I was a sucky-ass writer, so I decided to read, learn and practice till people went from “WTF is this dude?” to “This is half decent” – and to me, that was good enough to start with.

And now just look at me, I’ve made it in life! I’m all prestigious, world-famous and guest posting on… Not A Pro Blog! Damn, never mind. I still love you Jordan.

2. You fail to make an impression – people forget you.

Or to put it in other words… you’re boring as fuck. You couldn’t hold the attention span of a tied down sloth. Technically you can write, but your content reads like a math text book. It puts people to sleep and causes zero emotional excitement. I think the authors of this type of content should pay ME to read their crap. Id rather look at dull gray skies and watch King Of The Hill… at least there’s a small chance I might have a good time.

If you fall into this category, then the first thing you need to do is start living a more exciting life. I don’t give a shit if you’re an introvert… so is Darren Rowse, yet he found a way to write compelling content for the masses. So why can’t you?

Then go take some improv lessons… or better yet, tell Jordan that you’ll give him sexual favors in exchange for some comedy training. Also, reading content by other authors who are considered to be “good” or “great” isn’t a bad idea. And no, reading my shit doesn’t constitute it as being “great” content.

… Its actually constitutes as be phenomenal!

3. You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.

This one is almost incurable… simply because these people can’t accept that they’re wrong and keep talking out of their asses. I mean, the truth could come and whack them on the ass with a 2×4 and they’ll just find that kinky as hell. What really bugs me is that sometimes these people don’t suck at writing and actually have a personality… but if they only did some god damn research before opening their pie hole, I wouldn’t want to punch them in the face.

But, I did say “almost”. If you happen to fall into this category… it’s OK to accept it. I forgive your ignorant ass, just move on and better yourself. Don’t keep spewing out the same nonsense over and over again, change it up. Be more real. Be thought provoking… then see how people actually pay attention to you.

4. You can’t promote for shit.

As in, if you were a club promoter… that place would be out of business faster than the Betamax. If you don’t know how to put your content in front of eyeballs, then forget it. How the hell do you expect anyone to pay attention to you? No one… NO ONE will come knocking on your door willingly. At least not at first.

You need to have a basic understanding of marketing and how to leverage eyeballs and traffic so you can get people to read your shit. If you are having trouble in this area, may I suggest my in-depth article – 4 SEO Laws Of Online Success. This article is “evergreen” which means no matter how many times Google changes their top secret search algorithm, following my tips will never go outta style. It’s like a classy black dress – party, family gathering, funeral or slutty bar night… it’ll always work.

5. You have no patience.

Ok, lets say you’re a half decent writer, you have a personality, you know what you’re talking about and you started to do some social media marketing along with a few other methods. Yet, you realize the number of people paying attention to you is almost insignificant. What’s wrong?

Nothing! You need to realize that this is NOT an overnight process. Quit your bitching, keep your chin up and keep working, networking, promoting etc. Or if you’re me, a lil bit of harassing as well – it goes a long way. In all honesty, don’t expect traction for a minimum of 6 months if you are serious about gaining something from your blogging efforts. Say it with me “MIN-NI-MUM OF SIX MONTHS”

The ONLY way you can flip your blog “overnight” is if you have like $10,000 to spend on AdWords and you promote the living shit outta your blog or site for 5 days straight – buying every possible ad space on every possible site related to your niche. Truth be told, this is not a bad strategy… but unless you know what the fuck you’re doing and/or have a proper business model in place, you will lose your money faster than Lindsay Lohan lost her virginity.

So there you have it…

Truth be told, not everyone pays attention to me either… and that’s just dandy with me. I’m more of a polarizing writer, which means I cause either black or white emotions. For example, just think of your opinion of me right now, after reading all of that. You probably hate me, or you love me… but I doubt you’re like “oh he’s ok”. And if you do think im “ok”… then screw you. Stop messing up my examples!

The point is, it’s not that hard to get people to listen to you. Specially not in today’s world with all these social applications that keep popping up. You just gotta apply the tips and be willing to put in the work.

While he has a passion for writing and oozes the entrepreneurial spirit, FJ is a Fitness Expert first, and focuses on impeccably accurate advice that is delivered it in a straight forward, No-BS style. Check out his Fitness Blog and E-Training program!

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.”

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.

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.

It’s a business cliche that has been around for ages. While it’s debatable whether the accuracy of this exact statement is true, it definitely highlights an omnipresent point that cannot be refuted. Your customers are your business. Without them, you’d be out of business.

It’s a no-brainer that any business or anyone involved with making money should treat their customers like gold. They’re the ones paying your bills, feeding your family and hopefully, maintaining your comfortable lifestyle. There’s no question it’s important to care for them, nurture them, provide support, foster a relationship, communicate and establish a continued positive environment for them to purchase in the future. I think we all understand this… but this begs the question, just who exactly are your customers?

To get clarification and answer this simple question, I did a quick search on Google for the definition of the word “customer”. Here is just a sample of the results:

Customer – a person who buys.

Customer – one that purchases a commodity or service.

Customer – a person who purchases goods or services from another.

Customer – one that buys goods or services.

Customer – one who purchases or receives a product or service from a business or merchant.

What is the one thing all these definitions have in common? A customer is one that buys something. If you even want to broaden the scope a bit more: a customer is someone in which a business makes money from in a transaction.

Your blog readers are NOT your customers.

Sure, maybe some of them are. Maybe some will turn into customers. Maybe some never will. But just because someone is reading your blog, it doesn’t automatically make them a customer.

It also really depends on your business model. Are you even selling any product or service? If so, are the bulk of your blog readers part of the target market and demographic you’re even selling to? If you have nothing available to purchase, then how could anyone you encounter even be considered a customer?

Your peers are NOT your customers.

Sure, maybe one or two may buy something from you – that is, if it fits a very important need for them and you’re an expert on the subject. Otherwise, they will most probably never purchase anything and make you any money directly.

Peers are business associates. Peers will likely visit your blog quite often. They’re great to have as a resource for help, support and future business opportunities. It’s definitely a good idea to foster a good relationship with them, but when it all boils down – they’re not your customers.

Your friends, followers and fans are NOT your customers.

Sure, many of them can be. It’s quite possible a whole bunch may have bought something from you or will in the future. But out of the hundreds, thousands or even more “followers” you have (many of which are faceless names, non-engaging types or downright spam automatons) – what percentage of them are truly buyers?

Platforms like Twitter and Facebook are an absolute must for any business to get the pulse of the market. There’s a definite benefit in engaging with the community centered around your niche, but it is just that: a social network. It’s not necessarily your consumer base. Just because someone retweeted you, @replied, posted on your wall or gave you a “poke” – that doesn’t automatically make them a customer.

Pay attention to everyone, but focus more on your customers.

Everyone repeat these three words with me. This. Is. Business.

If you’re looking to make money online through your blog, it’s imperative that you really grasp this concept well. You’re creating and maintaining a business. You want to make money. There’s nothing evil about this! It’s just cold hard facts. Everything you do should lead towards to your ultimate goals. Prioritize accordingly.

Should you try to reply to e-mails in a timely manner regardless of who it’s from? Sure.

Should you make it a point to thank those who help promote your business? Absolutely.

Should you encourage discussion within your community and on your blog? Of course.

But when it comes down to business, real dollars and tangible, sellable assets… the actual customers, whoever and wherever they happen to be, should always be at the forefront of your attention. No questions asked.

Not readers. Not peers. Not followers. Not fans. But customers.

Repeat those three words again. This. Is. Business.

Maybe after hearing the cliche of “the customer is always right” being used time and time again, we should update it to a more accurate 2010 version: the customer is always first.

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!