Who Do You Get Blogging Knowledge From?

I began blogging in 2008.

A guy not too helpful told me: blog. That was it. I got my blogging knowledge from someone who told me to blog. He did not go into blogging. He gave me no reasons. He gave me no insight. I knew nothing about blogging. I had no knowledge. I did not go to experienced, pro bloggers for blogging knowledge. Perish the thought! Nope. A guy who claimed to mentor me told me to blog. My sum total of blogging knowledge was listening to a guy who told me to blog. I purchased my domain and hosting. I do not need to intimately explain why I struggled blogging for a while; I had no blogging knowledge. I did not get blogging knowledge from anyone. Being armed with no blogging knowledge, I winged it, struggled, failed and slammed into resistance for a while.

But I did wake up. Eventually. I began slowly but surely acquiring blogging knowledge from professional bloggers who vibed with me. Pros seemed to know what pros talked about, blogging-wise. Pros offered advice quite different from my blogging style but that was because pros had successful knowledge to offer while I winged it with ignorance, possessing no blogging knowledge. All of this sounds insane now, looking back on my blogging career, scanning the rear view mirror. I admit; it was foolish of me. But I see bloggers make the same mistake in great numbers every time I venture outside of my blogging circles. Heck; I see some bad blogging knowledge being passed around IN my blogging circles, many times complements of spammy ways or, or questions bloggers ask me via interviews.

For odd reasons, a growing collection of bloggers believe asking you for an interview request means the interviewer deserves my endorsement or at least deserves an ask. But I stopped giving blogging endorsements for this very reason. Blogging endorsements from me are earned after years and 1000s of hours of blogging the right way, in my eyes. Blogging endorsements are not earned because you emailed me an interview request I agreed to complete. Someone out there – or some group of bloggers out there – is offering bad blogging knowledge in terms of teaching bloggers to ask for endorsements or testimonials after you ask a pro for their interview. Bad form. Bad taste.

Most bloggers do not understand the definition of a testimonial: a statement claiming someone’s character and qualifications. So because someone asks me 10 interview questions, I will make a statement claiming the blogger is of the highest character, with flowing, endless qualifications, based on the 10 minutes required to write 10 questions and to hit the “send” button on an email? Humans learn of fellow human’s character and qualifications over 5000 hours; not 10 minutes.

Guys; I love all of you very much. I love the bloggers who interview me with a follow up question asking me for a testimonial. That is why I tell you the truth directly! I would lie to you if I offered bad blogging knowledge, or if I swept this endorsement mistake under the cyber rug. I care about you. My care seems manifest by me telling you the truth.

Who do you look to for blogging knowledge? As for the blogging strategies you use now, what blogger offered you the knowledge upon which you base your current blogging strategy? Look long and hard in the mirror; much bad, failing blogging knowledge circulates the web, highlighted by a disgusting obsession with Google, email lists and Google Adsense.

Traffic flows to you billions of ways. Google and lists are 2 of 50 billion ways to get blog traffic. Google Adsense is 1 of 50 billion ways to make money online. But doing stuff other than driving Google traffic, building a list and prospering through Adsense feels highly uncomfortable because you will be stepping away from the blogging herd to do these things. Human beings are generally foolish enough to find safety and comfort in numbers, when free, wealthy, powerful people step away from the herd and their comfort zone.

eBook

Do you want to find ways to prosper online?

Buy my eBook:

15 Ways to Make Money Blogging

---

If you haven’t joined Allrounder Blogging Community yet, do join ASAP and follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get exclusive content on a regular basis.