UBC final wrap up & final thoughts

Today is the 31st and final day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. Posting each and every day has definitely been a challenge, but it's also been a good experience. To wrap things up, here are a few random thoughts about this month.

1. I am happy to say I completed the daily posting goal, but I wish I had been able to find time to read (and comment) on more blogs. I tried to read at least a couple every day, but there were some days I wasn't able to read any. There were a lot of great posts out there, and I'm sorry I couldn't get to all of them!

2. The UBC was a great opportunity to evaluate the direction that I want to take this blog. While I won't be posting every day from here on out, I will make an effort to post more frequently than I did before (prior to October).

3. This surprised me: writing posts got easier! And I became faster at writing them! Things seemed a bit more effortless! And that's a good thing. Hey, even writers suffer from writer's block sometimes, or take longer than they'd like to construct an article!

4. I need to find a few more free images sites. I think I've exhausted morguefile.com, and some of the other supposedly "free" sites I had bookmarked weren't free, really.

5. Thank you to those who took the time to read my posts, and thanks again if you commented and/or shared. I appreciate the support! I have started following a few other participants' blogs and will do my best to keep up with them in the future. There are many awesome blogs out there chock full of great information.

If you participated in the UBC, how did you do? Were you happy with your results? Do you feel you made some new connections? What will you do next?

ubc favorites list (week 3)

Whew. Three weeks down, 10 days to go for the UBC!

Here is my list of favorite articles from this week. Again, I wish I could read everyone's posts, but that's pretty much impossible.

Here are my picks for week 3. I guess there's a theme--I was drawn to blogging posts (since I've been doing so much of it, I guess) this week. Maybe next week I'll take a different turn and read completely random topics. Here we go!


5 Ingredients for a Great Blog Post

Why We Need Obstacles

Repurpose Your Content

5 Tips for Developing Fresh Content on Your Blog

Attention All Writers: What to Do When Your Mind Goes Blank

UBC favorites list (week 2)

Wow! Two weeks down for the UBC already! That means it's time to post some of my favorite links from this week by other blog authors.

This week features posts on a variety of topics. Enjoy!

Kitchen Garden Recipe Book: Garlic
Do you garden? Do you eat what you grow? Do you like garlic? Check this out!

But I'm a Doctor...
This is no, "Dammit, Jim! I'm a doctor!" line. I wish it were that funny. This is a blog about domestic violence, and since October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, it's good to help spread the word.

The Amazing Power of Joint Ventures
The title says it all. This post is right on--just check out the comment section!

Don't Be Silly
I was attracted to this post initially because it featured a cute kid-ism (and who can resist those?) but quickly caught the deeper meaning: makes sure that whatever message you send--personally or professionally, in speech or in writing--it's important to make sure you communicate clearly so that others understand what you're saying.

Why You Must Have Information Filters
This one just came out a little while ago, but it's so practical and useful (for everyone who does ANYTHING online) that I had to include it now. This post will help increase your productivity if you take it seriously.

I'm looking forward to reading more great posts next week!

UBC favorites list (week 1)

I admit it: I goofed. I was planning to use Sundays to list a few of my favorite reads the past week by participants in the Ultimate BlogChallenge. To make things simple, I thought I was bookmarking blogs along the way, and that I’d review them later and pare down the list by the weekend—but apparently I didn’t do this. My bookmarks remain the same as they were a week ago.

Oops.

So…today I’m going to go back through the past couple of days and re-select some titles/subject matter that catch my interest. I know this won’t represent the entire pool of posts everyone has worked hard to publish, and I’m sorry about that.

I’ll do better next week!

Today’s picks are articles I think will most interest those trying to run a business or head an organization. Topics are content creation, social media, productivity, and reading.

22 Ideas to Create Compelling Content

Ideal infographic for writers of all types, from professional writers to anyone maintaining a blog!

How To Engage on Facebook—Leave No Fan Behind

Great post for anyone looking to build their social media community!

Bart Nash’s 9 Tips on How to Get Your Blog Noticed Fast and Easy

Make sure everyone knows about your blog!

Multi-Tasking Makes You Stupid

The post title got me to read it, and the useful information kept me reading!

Become a Better Reader: Identifying With a Character

This is targeted toward helping kids read better, but since just about everyone reads, I think everyone will find the content interesting. Plus, I’m a huge advocate of reading so I had to feature this!

Oh, and a side note: I feel this list would be fairer if I could actually read ALL the posts that have been shared on the UBC each week—but unfortunately, my reading time is limited. As much as I’d love to read everyone’s content, there’s often a three-year-old calling for me, or I have to run my older daughter to gymnastics or girl scouts, or I’m on deadline for a paying project.

Keep up the great work, everyone!

why blog?

So...today is it: October 1st. A brilliant, fresh new month perfect for setting new goals.

What sort of goals have you set for the month?

In my last post I mentioned that I'm taking on the Ultimate Blog Challenge. This is where participants post 31 times in 31 days...preferably once each day, but it's been noted that if we fall behind it's ok to toss a couple of posts out on a "late" day to catch up. (Whew!)


Anyway, I figure this is a great way to invigorate this blog, and I'm really looking forward to the challenge.

How about you? Are you up for a challenge, too? You can blog about anything you want: family, work, gardening, social media, golf, furbabies, politics...the topics are endless! Why not join in the fun?

If you're already a blogger, that's awesome! But if you haven't yet tested the blogging waters, now's a great time to start. First, however, ask yourself why you want to have a blog. That's sort of an important question, especially if you are writing for a business.

Are you looking to get noticed?

Want to extend your web presence beyond your website?

Do you have valuable information to share?

Want to boost your credibility? (Via that valuable info mentioned above.)

These are all great reasons to jump on board the blogging train. But before you start spewing information, keep a few things in mind:

1. Don't just type your post and hit publish.
After writing, leave your post for at least a day in a draft folder, then come back and re-read. You may decide your point wasn't as clear as you thought, or you may discover typos. You want your message (and your grammar!) to be as perfect as possible if you want your readers to take you seriously.
 
2. Provide great content.
Always make sure the information you are providing is useful for your target audience. (I.e., the readers you hope to attract--and keep!) There are so many ways to keep your content fresh--and don't feel like you have to stick to the same format all the time, either. Consider posting interviews, case studies, how-to lists, instructional information, etc. As long as you offer valuable information, you are providing a service to your readers. They'll appreciate that.

3. Create clever titles.
Maybe I should have said "don't forget to title your posts." (Because sometimes I get so excited to have worked a post up to meet my publishable criteria that I hit "publish" and forget to add a title. Am I the only one who does this?!) But really, a stellar title will help your post get noticed. Here are some tips on how to do that.

Whether you're on board with the Ultimate Blog Challenge or not, best of luck to you as you begin--or continue--your blogging efforts!

the ultimate blog challenge

You'd think that--as a writer, and one who focuses on promoting businesses and organizations to boot--I'd be a blogging ninja. My own blog would offer updated content throughout the week and it would all be stuff you'd want to share with your friends, associates, and clients. Wouldn't that be smart?

I can do all that, and I have done all that--for my clients. But like many business owners, I tend to let promoting my own business slide a bit. There are a number of reasons for this:

• I've got three projects due the same day and I'm working (bleary-eyed, on little sleep) to deliver to my clients on time (or better yet, a bit ahead of time!). 

• The kids have a crazy amount of activities this particular week and since my laptop battery is on the fritz (not to mention the gymnastics place doesn't have wi-fi) I can't bring it with me (no outlets in the waiting room...what's up with that?) hence no work.

• I'm in Hawaii on vacation and don't WANT to work. (Yeah, right!)

I realize these are all excuses. They may be justifiable (to an extent) but when it comes down to it, ALL they are is excuses. And that's lame.

So I'm upping the ante. I just signed up for The Ultimate Blog Challenge. It starts in October and is hosted by this notable duo: Michele Scism and Michelle Schaeffer. 

I've followed Michelle Schaeffer's blog for a while now, and she's always got thought-provoking ideas and awesome tips for business owners. M. Scism is new to me, but I like her tips in the free guide I received when I signed up for the Challenge, so I'm sure I'll be following her, too.

Want to invigorate your blog, too? Sign up for the challenge as well and we'll go at this together. Let me know how you're doing and I'll let you know how things are on my end. After all, we're supposed to post every day in October, so there'll be lots of opportunities for updates.

Let's do this thing!