Five Tell Tale Signs That You Are Not A Serious Blogger

Blog SucksI visit a lot of blogs on a daily basis, and this is one of the main reasons why the traffic on my blogs has triple since this time last year.

While I go about and browse dozens of blogs I can tell which bloggers are serious and which bloggers are not.Β  Yes, there are tell-tale signs that will give you a clue as for who is a serious blogger and whoΒ isn’t.

But ‘why is it to me if someone is a serious blogger or not’, you may ask? Well, this matters to you, because you may not want to waste your time with bloggers who are not serious.Β  You time is precious and if at all possible you want your backlinks, your time spent commenting on their blog, and the relationship you’re trying to build with those bloggers not go to waste. Do you?

So, while we can never tell what people may do one hundred percent, there are some tell-tell signs that you can spot pretty easily.Β  Once you do, it’s up to you if you want to pursue spending time on these blogs or not, but at least you’d been warned.

So let’s see. Β These are the tell-tale signs that your are not a serious blogger!

1 – Your Blog Looks Amateur

I know we all have to start somewhere, and we may have to go through a beginning phase that is not necessarily very pretty looking.Β  While I totally understand that, such beginning phase should be ONLY temporary.Β  This means that after a reasonable amount of time while your blog is looking like a construction site or worse even, a forgotten demolition site, there should be some type of progress going on that should be obvious to the reader.

If you are selling anything at all on a blog that looks very amateur, or unfinished, you can’t expect your sales to be very high.Β  As a matter of fact, you’d be lucky if you make any.

My advice to you is to take care of your blog first and worry about the other details second.Β  Even excellent content on a very bad looking blog could be a waste of your time and energy.

Your platform is important, guys.Β  It’s a tell-tell sign of who you are. YouΒ wouldn’tΒ go to a job interview wearing jeans, would you? My guess is that you would dress up appropriately, right? Well, then dress up your blog first, and then try to bring traffic to it.

2 – You are an Anonymous Admin

NowΒ I’veΒ been to some blogs where IΒ couldn’tΒ see the name or face of the blogger.Β  I had no idea what so ever who was the owner of the blog I was reading.Β  If this is you, let me ask you this, why are you online at all?

Who in their right mind is going to want to buy from you, comment on your posts, wanting to share your content, or try to build any type of relationship with you?

There are two things that I must see if I land on your blog (if you want to see me again) is your name and your face.

Anonymous statusΒ doesn’t work well online, for sure.Β  It seems that you are trying to hide because you’re up to no good. What type of success are you expecting with this type of presentation of yourself?Β  I’m sure you see what I mean, right?

3- You don’t Accept Comments!

Few months ago, I wrote a post about having comments blocked on your site, based on a post that I had read where the writer mentioned that he had blocked comments on his blog.Β  I’m sorry, but if I can’t comment on your blog I might never come back.

Your blog is your number one social media platform, you could ask just about any blogger and they’ll agree with that. So, why would you block the commenting area on your own personal social media platform? ThisΒ wouldn’tΒ make sense, would it?

If you have blocked your commenting area, give yourself a favor and let people share their thoughts or ask questions they may have about your posts. You’ll be glad you did!

4 – You Have No Contact Form

Now, let’s say you have a blog that looks great and I can comment on your post, but I have no way of contacting you, or when I do I can’t seem to hear back from you.Β  What are the chances that the person won’t get mad at you, and just leave you alone for good?

I want to be able to contact you in private if I need to; not only through comments.Β  And I want to get a reply to my request, even if it’s a β€œsorry I can’t help you there”.

If I ask you a question and you don’t get back to me you start losing credibility in my eyes because you don’t want to be bothered.Β  This won’t bring positive results for you as far as I am concern, and you won’t be someone I want to read from.

Make sure you have that contact page ready, and reply to requests as soon as possible.Β  You can get a contact form for free with WordPress plugins which offer several options.Β  The one that I use has a free and a paid version, but you can also use the Clean-Contact plugin, for example, which is another free version of contact form.

5 – You are Writing Sales Content

No matter what you are using your blog for, selling a service, a product, a membership, an affiliate program, or the network marketing business you’re in, youΒ shouldn’tΒ use your content to sell, but to inform.Β  If you are a serious blogger and you’re here for the long run, you need to be aware, by now, Β that sales content is not what is going to attract traffic to your blog.

Sales posts are boring, and no one is interested in reading them or sharing theme. Most smart bloggers won’t even want to link to your blog if all you have is sales content.Β  The selling part is done on your sales page, but not on your blog.

So, there you have it! The 5 tell-tale signs that you are not a serious blogger. Β I really hope that’s not you. But if you do recognize Β yourself here, make the necessary changes and you’ll be ready to roll!

 

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64 thoughts on “Five Tell Tale Signs That You Are Not A Serious Blogger”

  1. Hi Sylviane,

    These signs tells that whether you are serious or not in blogging. One more thing that a reader can depict is inconsistent posts in your blog. I mean if you are not updating your blog regularly, then reader can depict that you are not serious in blogging.

    Thanks
    Vipin Pandey invites you to read..How to convert an image to jpeg in php?My Profile

    1. Hi Vipin,

      Good point. Well, I couldn’t mention them all and since I’ve written about not posting regularly before I wanted to point out other areas that I see a lot.

      Indeed, if you post when you feel like it or think about it, you a most likely not a serious blogger.

      Thanks for your feedbacks πŸ™‚

  2. Hi Sylviane, I hope you enjoyed Christmas & New Year and now are back into the “work” mode for 2013 πŸ™‚
    I can’t understand why anyone does not have a gravatar as they are free, it shows everyone who you are! I did not know how to get one when I first started out but there are always people who will help, Adrienne told me, she is so wonderful πŸ™‚
    Your other points are very important so thanks for sharing.
    Have a great week
    Pauline
    Pauline invites you to read..Forum MarketingMy Profile

    1. Hi Pauline,

      You’re right avatars are free and that’s a great reminder for those who still, in 2013 don’t have a gravatar!

      As a matter of fact, I have someone who just commented on this post with no gravatar. Interesting, right?

      Thanks for your input and have a great week!

    1. Hi Paul,

      I’m glad your real avatar is showing now!

      I had not approved your comment earlier because of this. I do accept some “non-avatar” commenters but only after I checked them out and made sure they are genuine.

      Thanks for rectifying this, and for your first time visit. Hope to see you again soon πŸ™‚

  3. These are all great points Sylviane. I know that they are all things I look for too. Sometimes a blog looks amateur because someone just didn’t know what they were doing and decided to try putting every widget everywhere on the page. Or they use a lot of different colors, fonts, size, and it it difficult to read. It would help to pay attention to what some successful blogs look like first!

    I also don’t understand the anonymous thing. If I can’t figure out who writes on a blog or even who wrote a post, I don’t bother to read it. Why would someone want to do that?

    And forget turning off comments! That drives me absolutely crazy. Sometimes I read a blog and then I want to engage with the writer but… NO COMMENTS! I tell you what, if I can’t comment on your blog I’m probably not going to bother to read it.

    There are so many blogs to choose from that one would have to be really amazingly good for me to want to spend time there if I didn’t know who wrote it and couldn’t communicate with someone. Otherwise there are plenty of other people who would appreciate it.

    I can’t even think of anything to add! You covered the best points right here. Now if only we could share this with all those bad blogs!
    Carol Lynn invites you to read..On The Bookshelf: Boost Your eBook Sales Success by Marquita HeraldMy Profile

    1. Hi Carol,

      I came up with this post because I’ve found every one of the situations I am mentioning here, and I’ve got a bit tired of it.

      As you are saying, there are too many blogs out there to bother with those. So, just in case such bloggers want to know what’s wrong with their blog, here it is!

      Thanks for coming and have a great week!

    1. Hi Atish,

      Yes, username as “Admin” is down ridiculous and there’s no excuse for that at all. An body can do better than that, can’t they?

      Thanks for bringing this out!

  4. Great advice Sylviane!

    I just go crazy when I go to a blog and search for a comment section. After spending time to read it, I assume there will be a place for me to comment and there isn’t. What’s up with that? I don’t understand why someone would do that unless they are unaware of the importance of engagement on a blog.

    Oh That Anonymous Admin! Not only doesn’t it look good, but it can lead for someone to “pirate” your blog. It is dangerous territory.

    As for content, If I go to a new blog and hit a sales page, I will dig and see if I just happen to hit that 90/10 rule whereby 90 percent is good content and 10 percent is a sales offer. Sometimes that happens.
    BUT…If it is all sales, I’m out of there so fast!

    Our blogs are the only real estate we have. Everything else can crumble, but our blogs are ours forever. We need to keep them up-dated and keep creating content.

    Thanks Sylviane,
    Donna
    Donna Merrill invites you to read..Fear of SuccessMy Profile

    1. Hi Donna,

      I know, isn’t it upseting when you read a post and can’t even communicate with the blogger with a comment? I wouldn’t even be motivated if I didn’t know who is reading my posts. I know that not all traffic is going to comment, but at least the one who do are proof to me and even social proof to search engines. What’s not to like with this?

      Thank you for you input Donna. As always, very appreciated.

  5. Sylviane,

    Right on the money! The lack of being able to comment, share, as well as ease of navigation are some of the issues I see with bloggers who are not in the business of blogging.

    Now I know a bunch are only here to blog as a hobby…even if they wish to make money, they are still in the hobby phase of it all. And like you said, we all start somewhere. But the points you outlines say it all.

    The only thing I would add are categories and a little organization. I’ve seen a fair amount of blogs where their posts are all mashed on the home page. Sometimes you’re not sure where one post ends and the other one stops.

    I know this is mostly an issue for the platform and or theme, and the general lack of knowledge. But it’s a huge turn off when you see blogs that have this amateur look and feel to them.

    Thanks for highlighting these points.

    Ken Pickard
    The Network Dad
    Ken Pickard invites you to read..Mindset Monday 2013 New Year’s ResolutionsMy Profile

    1. HI Ken,

      I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes when I land on blogs, even if it’s not the first time, and I’m still not sure where the blog post actually starts, because they have a bunch of stuff ont top of it.

      As a personal taste I like things clear and simple, so I would never do that on my blog, but I guess it’s a matter of taste. However, common sense is needed, and one needs to ask himself/herself how does that look for my visitors?

      I have noticed the type of issues you are mentioning as well.

      Thanks for you valuable feedbacks πŸ™‚

  6. Sylviane –

    Key point…sales posts are BORING! Yet, so many bloggers are hell bent on promoting themselves constantly.

    In my opinion, it is no different than if we are having a live conversation. If all you ever talk about is you, you, and more you, I am going to run away as fast as I can.

    Talk to me about something that you think might interest me and I’m yours.

    Cheers,
    Marc

    1. Hi Marc,

      You’re right that’s a very good comparison here. Who in the world and in their right mind would want to talk only about them all the time. That’s exactly what such blogger are doing.

      Thank for your interesting input.

  7. Hi Sylviane,

    Great information!

    5th POint is really an irritant and whenever I find these type of blogs I really get upset, are these fellow bloggers writing for readers or for Ad companies.

    For #3, I would say, many very well established bloggers don’t have comments area their reasons could be understood but why New bloggers are doing like this, it means they are not interested or just having fun with their blog.

    I’ guilty of not following to your point #4, but I will surely create contact form.

    Thanks for sharing these great info.

    Sapna

    1. Hi Sapna,

      I’m glad that you came here and read this blog πŸ™‚ yes, you need a contact form, because anyone that doesn’t know you at all like not even on facebook, twitter or other avenues would need to contact you through your blog at least if they wanted to ask you something.

      I had not notice that you didn’t have a contact page. I’m going there now πŸ™‚

  8. Hi Sylviane. Of course new bloggers are always learning. All of your advice is great advice and all in the learning curve for someone who is learning how to blog and be a serious blogger. All are great points! So I have a question. Should you have a sales blog or a sales page when you want sales and then don’t you have to manage two websites? That is sometimes extremely hard although I know that you do have multiple sites. Just curious…how do you handle this? Your advice is always dead on and I’d be curious how people should handle affiliate marketing and sales (another blog topic for you?) πŸ™‚
    Thanks,
    Barbara
    Barbara Charles invites you to read..How To Grow Your Business In 2013My Profile

    1. Hi Barbara,

      Well, when I was doing a lot of affiliate marketing, my blogs were a mixture of info/sale, but it was not what I was interested in pursuing in the end. Basically, I was attracting traffic with my articles on directories such as EzineArticles which were non selling articles, and then people would land on my blog post which was kinda sorta selling them.

      But that was 2 – 4 years ago. Today, I’m not sure that this works at all anymore. Today I would have a sales page that I would link to my blog, but I would not try to sale on my posts at all anymore. No more than a review type of post, but that’s about it!

  9. This is so funny Sylviane but this is the third post today that has written about this same topic. One guy lost some subscribers from his list because his title came across in his message to inform them of his latest post and they though he was talking about their blog.

    I have to agree with you on all of these accounts I must say. I recently had a guy email me to ask if I would accept his comments because he didn’t have a gravatar set up with his face, only his logo. I told him I much prefer his face and then I stop by his blog and his name appears nowhere on that blog. He writes as admin. Well, you can just imagine how that conversation went.

    If people just realized that this is a relationship business then they may be more in tuned to how to set things up and why it’s important. Obviously a lot of the new people coming online now just aren’t receiving the right information and that’s really very sad.

    No fear though right! We’ll rescue them! lol…

    Great post Sylviane and have a great week.

    ~Adrienne
    Adrienne invites you to read..New Rules for Facebook In 2013My Profile

    1. Hi Adrienne,

      I have to admit that I was one of the people who got the wrong information on this subject when I started working as an affiliate. They encouraged us to stay anonymous and even have “fake names” which they give the more attractive name of “pen names”. This is why I still have articles out there on the Web that are my own, but under a pen name (I regret it).

      I think that this is just not the way to go. I wouldn’t want to go back there anymore.

      Now who in there right mind wants to have an anonymous blog? What the heck does that serves?

      Thank you for coming, as always, Adrienne!

  10. Hi Sylviane

    A great post for people just starting out. I agree with you on all points but not sure I do on the sales content.

    As you know I occasionally do a review of a product or service and do have my affiliate links in there. I know a lot of bloggers have a mixture of content and info with the occasional one that sells something.

    For example a Rob Fore who is heading to the 7 figure a year mark writes mainly to sell. Adrienne and I did his course Posting on Purpose for Profits last year. He does a review but the intent is to sell. He is also always on the first page of Google.

    So I am mixed on that one.

    Sue
    Sue Price invites you to read..Christmas and it is hot in AustraliaMy Profile

    1. HI Sue, and welcome back πŸ™‚

      No, Sue, I have nothing against the occasional review. I do it too, and I will do it again from time to time. There is nothing wrong with that.

      What I do criticize are blogs that are only about that. The guy that you mention and another one that we both know can somehow afford to do this because they have like a million followers that are expecting this in a way, but if most of us did that, we would have no traffic.

      I remember, when I analysed Adrienne’s traffic not long ago for a post of mine her least commented on blog posts were the ones she did a review on a product that she was selling.

      So, again, nothing wrong with a review, but I don’t care who those people are, if all they write is sales posts, I’m not interested.

      You are not one of them, Sue. I wouldn’t mind at all a review from you, because that not all your blog is about. As a matter of fact if you did a review I would trust you, but frankly I wouldn’t necessarily trust those guys. You know what I mean πŸ˜‰ ?

      Thanks for you honest feedbacks πŸ™‚

      1. Thanks for the clarification Sylviane. You know I only visit Rob Fore’s blog if I want to know what he thinks of a product because I do trust his opinion. And even though he is selling it is always very detailed and valuable. Yes you are right I am sure he has many many followers.

        See you tomorrow.

        Sue
        Sue Price invites you to read..Christmas and it is hot in AustraliaMy Profile

  11. Very Nice Sylviane,

    I’ll take it one step further and say look for “consistency” – one post per month is NOT serious and “congruent” – does the person know their target audience and serve them. I drop in on some online diaries and while that is okay for the author we usually go to websites with WIIFM in mind. If we can’t see “What’s In It For Me” right up front or if it seems all over the map, I for one am outta there.

    Thanks Again!
    Oh Hale Yes!
    Hale invites you to read..Productivity Tip to Combat Large Project OverwhelmMy Profile

    1. Hi Hale,

      I agree, consistency could have well been on my list, it’s just that I couldn’t mention it all, so I stuck with 5 that annoys me when I run into them.

      If you are not consistent with your posts that’s not good for you because people don’t know what to expect and they might get tired to trying figure it out.

      Thanks for your input πŸ™‚

  12. Good article, Sylviane. I remember a blogger who had no comments on her last posts. I commented on one of her posts, got a thank you reply and guess what… after a few days I noticed that she blocked further comments on all her posts LOL Some people just don’t get it πŸ™‚

    Adrian

    P.S. I shared your article on Twitter and I also tweeted you something that I didn’t want to post here. Check it. If it helps you, it’s fine. If I’m wrong, no harm done πŸ™‚
    Adrian Jock invites you to read..Targeted Solo Ads: Do You Really Know What They Are?My Profile

    1. Hi Adrian and nice to meet you here.

      I’m sorry to be so blunt but a blogger as the one you mentioned here is just an idiot! No risk that I will do that, so you can come again and find me here replying to my ever growing comments πŸ™‚ LOVE that!

      OK, I’ll look for your tweet πŸ™‚

  13. Hi Sylviane,

    I enjoyed your post well enough to leave a comment; I feel guilty of a few things you mentioned and I’m trying to correct them as we speak;

    I disagree a little with the fact that you can’t write promo articles. I don’t recommend doing it all the time but every once in a while you can inform your audience about a great product and get a small commission for it ’cause a blogger’s got to eat.

    It has to be done with taste, without being pushy and just inform your readers about something that excites you. If you write about something you’re passionate about, it will translate into better content. Just my two cents.
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    1. Hi Ioan,

      Well, my post doesn’t condemned every single review you’ve ever written. As I was mentioning earlier to another comment I have and will again write reviews of products that I’ve tried and liked once in a while. I wasn’t talking about this.

      What I don’t appreciate are bloggers who write ONLY sales content . I don’t even want to link my blog to such type of blogs as it’s no good backlinks.

      Thank you for your input.

  14. Hi Syvianne,
    Great blog post on what “Not To Do.”
    The one that is most irritating to me is the comments area. You spend the time to read really good content and then you get to the bottom of the page and find no comment area ugh! The other is they have a foreign comment box that you have to subscribe too in order to leave your comment.
    It’s such a relief to be able to comment with comment luv and most of the “serious” bloggers seem to be on the same page with that one.
    I also went through the Posting on Purpose class, I try to leave a sales link in the most polite way possible and as it relates to the content.

    Tonya
    Tonya invites you to read..MLM Success | 10 Steps You Can Take Now!My Profile

    1. Hi Tonya,

      I know what you mean, but now that this has happened to me enough times. Before I start reading a post, I go all the way to the bottom and look at the comment area. If I see that it’s a no comment blog, then I decide if I want to read the post or not. But at least no bad surprise!

      As a mention on the post, our blog is our own private and MOST important social platform. Why in the world would you block the comments? in one word it’s just stupid!

      Thank you for your feedbacks on this πŸ™‚

  15. Hi Syvianne,

    Thank you for explaining what should not be done to be a successful blogger. I believe the above mentioned tips would help lot of people who are new to the world of blogging.

  16. Hi Sylviane,

    You are hitting the nail on the head dear πŸ˜‰ Wonderful indeed and I’ve seen bloggers with such mistakes and gladly I can’t remember such a blog I usually visit. I don’t know why someone wanna be an anonymmous on their own blog and sometimes they just use brand names instead of personal names. If we dig more deep, even there’s no about page πŸ™‚ Ugh… Is it blogging? You are very true. They are not serious enough πŸ˜‰

    Sales content? Ohw… Not for me either. I was always enjoying reading blogs with wonderful information written for the purpose of helping or so. Else I wonder how could they be blogs. They are just simply abuse the meaning, no dear? πŸ™‚

    You are pointing out a very good one there ~ Contact form. Sometimes folks think they don’t need to be contacted. But the worst is, it’s not true. For a one on WordPress it’s just a matter of a click to install contact plugin. Let’s hope bloggers take your advice to implement on theirs now on Sylviane πŸ™‚

    Have a GREAT week dear πŸ˜‰

    Cheers…
    Mayura invites you to read..Monitor and Manage Multiple Social Media Accounts with HootSuiteMy Profile

    1. Hi Mayura and thanks for your feedbacks.

      It’s nice to see that you basically agree with those no-no’s. As you always give good social media advice on your own blog, yourself.

      I liked when you said “I don’t understand why someone would want to be anonymous on their own blog” πŸ™‚ Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?

  17. Hi Sylviane,

    Once again you’ve written another excellent article. First I want to discuss the first 4:

    Your Blog Looks Amateur
    You are an Anonymous Admin
    You don’t Accept Comments!
    You Have No Contact Form

    These are really important things you need to tend to on your blog to appear professional, show that you know what you are doing, and your
    are a serious blogger. I have visited many blogs that are missing one or all of the first four. It is good advice to get through the beginning phase and move on.

    I really like your advice. “My advice to you is to take care of your blog first and worry about the other details second.”

    As to #5:

    You Are Writing Sales Content

    There is a fine line on this one since I am an internet marketer. My last post was written about affiliate marketing with a link at the end to my partner company. I also provided a link to a non-promotional eBook about affiliate marketing for those who are interested in learning more. I published it this morning. After reading your post, I thought I was doing one of the no no’s! So as you know I contacted you and here is our conversation:

    Raena Lynn: So I’m on your blog about the 5 blog mistakes…I want to ask about #5. When you are talking about sales…did I just do that with my last post? The last 3 posts have done have been non-promotional…now I’m feeling guilty because it’s boring.

    Sylviane: OK, I’ve just read the first two paragraphs and this post is great. This is not a sales post. It’s informative and tells people what affiliate marketing. You have nothing to worry about!

    Then I said “Whew!” Thanks Sylviane. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the fine line of blatant selling and passive promotion. You make a great point in your post and I will always keep it in mind as a guide.

    Raena Lynn
    Raena Lynn invites you to read..Don’t Have Your Own Product? Can Affiliate Marketing Be Your Answer?My Profile

    1. Hi Raean,

      Wow, you’re the Queen of blog comments. You ALWAYS have those great comments and I just start laughing, when you included our facebook conversation πŸ™‚

      You don’t have to worry about your blog posts. I’ve never read a sales post on your blog, this is not what we call sales post. You are telling people about affiliate marketing and point them to some resources that they may buy, but that’s fine. In the mean time the post was very informative.

      The person we talked about on that same chat, however, has non-informative all sales posts. That’s the difference! I read few of his post, they have nothing!

      Thank you for your excellent comment πŸ™‚

  18. Hi Sylviane,

    Great Post as always! I am so glad I read it.

    Although I am a new blogger but I already ran into a couple of those “DO NOTs”. I have been to a couple of blogs where after I write the comment, it’s gone with no return and it doesn’t give you a reason why it is not accepting the comment. It is really irritating after taking the time to read and craft your comment and then you discover that it is not accepting it.

    Another thing is the blogs where I commented several times and I never got a reply on my comment. I never went back to that blog. I didn’t feel welcomed.

    Great information and I hope all the bloggers will heed the advice laid down for them clearly here in this post.

    Thanks Sylviane for such a great informative post.

    Be Blessed,

    Neamat
    Neamat Tawadrous invites you to read..3 Tips To Survive The Ups and Downs of Network MarketingMy Profile

    1. Hi Neamat,

      I know that you are a new blogger, but I can confirm to you that you’re blog has everything together. The last time I was there, I did see that you alerady have a contact page and everhting looks great on top of your excellent content πŸ™‚

      I can’t stand those blogs where you CAN’T post a comment. I don’t know who would be attracted by those blogs. And same goes for those that have a comment area, but won’t reply to you.

      Thank you for your input.

    1. Hi Michael,

      Well, I first wanted to tell you that I’ve been thinking about you and wanting to go see you at your blog, but you came here first πŸ™‚

      a sloppy blog is another tell-tale sign that you don’t take your blog seriously and it doesn’t represent you well, that’s for sure.

      Thank you for adding this to the list.

  19. Hi Sylviane,

    I saw the title to this post and tiptoed in with trepidation in case any of them applied to me, but I think I’m ok – I’m fortunate in having had very good advice when I was setting up my site.

    I’m glad you put ‘looks’ at number one because you’re so right – no matter how great your content, if the first impression people get is that it looks like a load of rubbish, who’s going to bother to read it?

    I’ve often been very irritated by the things you mention – there’s nothing more infuriating than searching in vain for a name or contact page. I don’t understand it really, those bloggers are just shooting themselves in the foot. As you say, it’s no way to get people’s trust and respect.

    As for not accepting comments – what’s that all about? I jumped for joy when I got the first few on my site, and I still find it thrilling when people respond to my posts. Bloggers who won’t accept comments want their heads testing.

    I also agree with the points other people have made about regular posting – but I suspect some of the blogs out there that haven’t been updated in a while might just have been abandoned.

    These are great tips, Sylviane – thank you!

    Sue
    Sue Neal invites you to read..Is This Mistake Ruining Your Chance to Make Money Blogging?My Profile

    1. Hi Sue,

      Don’t worry, I have not observed any of such problems on your blog πŸ™‚ and I suspect that over time your blog will go far, because you’ve got great valuable content on top of it all.

      Gosh that makes me think that I’ve got to correct a couple of typos I have here, and haven’t done it yet, while people keep coming to this post πŸ™‚

      Thanks to you I’ve just got a new visitor named Debbie today. Thanks so much, Sue πŸ™‚

      1. Hey, thanks, Sylviane – and I’m so glad Debbie’s found your site. She’s a lovely lady (into dogs, so can do no wrong in my book!) – it’s good to know that my social media sharing is not in vain!

        So easy to miss those typos (I didn’t notice yours, by the way!) – I find I go blind when I’ve been looking at a post for a while. My husband often points out my mistakes.

        Thanks for your kind comments about my site – the feeling’s definitely mutual!

        Sue
        Sue Neal invites you to read..Is This Mistake Ruining Your Chance to Make Money Blogging?My Profile

        1. You’re right, Sue, even though I am more of a cat person, I love dogs too. My neighbor’s dog begs me for treats every day πŸ™‚ I love all animals and I think that if you love dogs, cats, etc… you can’t be all bad. I agree.

  20. Interesting and very good points. I found this through a Facebook share by Sue Neal at Write Clever. Can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t permit comments. Aren’t they one of the keys to successful blogging? I may not be a pro blogger yet, (it’s on the future agenda), but, hopefully, I can be considered a serious blogger. Think I’m okay, by these standards, with one small grey area. I never use my real last name, (long story).
    Debbie invites you to read..WORDLESS WEDNESDAY BLOG HOP 9.1.13My Profile

    1. Hi Debbie,

      Thank you so much for letting me know how you found me and thanks to Sue Neal for this πŸ™‚ I recognized right away that you were a new face, and I will definitely come visit you at your blog over the week end.

      It’s OK if you don’t want to use your last name, there’s no law that says that you have to, as long as you have at least your first name and your face.

      To tell you a little story of my name. It happens that my first name being French and my last name being Italian, plus neither my first or last name being very common in both their respective country of origin, makes my name pretty much unique. As a matter of fact, I have NEVER seen another Sylviane Nuccio, not even since the web exist, so my name is really MY BRAND, and when people Google my name it’s me all 10+ page of Google. I just can’t hide πŸ™‚

      Thanks for coming, Debbie and welcome!

  21. Wow! This is such as informational post.. Thanks for sharing.

    Since I opened my blog back in December 2012, I always thought it looked childish and non-professional. I’ve talked to my mentor, whom is a graphic designer and she said there is no need to redesign so quickly.

    I tend to push the “x” button on blogs that don’t accept comments. Sometimes I read their entire posts and there’s no button for me to comment, ugh.

    I’m definitely not an anonymous admin. I have my face on the gravatar icon and all my visitors know me pretty well.

    I really need to add a contact form on my website. I mean I have contact information but a form would be much more professional. Thanks for mentioning this!

    I know a lot of people who blog about product reviews… I don’t do this at all. Never thought about doing it either.
    Carrie invites you to read..FarewellMy Profile

    1. Hi Carrie,

      Wow, your blog is new and I am glad that we met now, so I can become a veteran visitor of your blog from it’s infancy πŸ™‚

      I’m glad you enjoyed the tips here. Writing a review once in a while is not bad, I have done it a few times, but no one wants to read only reviews, so a balance is needed.

      Thanks for coming Carrie πŸ™‚

  22. Hello Sylviane – Another topic right on time for me to read. You and the other ladies of our “Superstar 7” Mastermind have been writing perfect articles for me. I mean the timing has been impeccable considering the fact that I am beginning my WordPress journey.

    All of your points in this post are so valid and very good for my to make sure that I don’t fall into any of these pits. I again thank you for hammering them into my thought process.

    1. Hi Michael,

      I’m so glad that this could be valuable information for you, especially as you are starting a brand new WordPress blog.

      Thanks for coming and sharing this here.

  23. Yikes! I read this blog very nervously! OMG… what if I’m one of the amateurs’ Sylviane is referring to! Having read your excellent top 5 tips, I have now wiped the sweat from my brow… and fingers crossed… I think… I’m OK! *smiles ~Robin~

  24. When I read the title in my reader I was like… is she talking about me! LOL!

    I am still working on the look of my blog and I really don’t have a contact form of my blog. I don’t know why. I had a contact form some time back and I got a lot of crappy email from spammers all the time. And I just ask people to send me a tweet or message me on my blogs FB page.

    Still working at becoming more serious! πŸ™‚
    Hajra invites you to read..I don’t need youMy Profile

    1. Hi Hajra,

      I do receive a few sale messages through my contact form, but not very often. For the most part it’s really people trying to contact me, mostly for my services.

      At this point you may not really have reasons to be contacted, but that’s something you need to think about if you want to blog for the long run.

      Thank you for coming πŸ™‚

  25. Hi Sylviane, Great list of essentials for serious bloggers. I’m happy that I passed all of those. Phew!

    I would also add one of Adrienne’s pet peeves, which is also mine: not including your Twitter ID in your Twitter sharing button. So often I will go to share an article but when the blogger’s Twitter ID isn’t included automatically in the tweet, chances are I won’t bother to find it and tweet it out. Including the ID helps my Twitter followers see the author of the article and alerts the author that I have shared their article.
    Carolyn invites you to read..Kickstarter – Get an Edge on Cutting Edge TechMy Profile

  26. Very informative, readers can tell especially with your content if you are inconsistent with what you write. For example, you may give a view on a topic, and give another view on the same topic sometime later. Readers need to feel like they can trust your judgement and not see you as a flip flopper.

  27. Hi Sylviane,

    I just wanted to say hello, I found you via the lovely Adrienne.

    Well onto your post. I read it and of course with each point I was thinking “do I do that”?
    I hope I’m on the right road anyways.

    I know I don’t know you or your situation at all. BUT I didn’t wanted to just pass by your comments when I read that you were grieving. I too lost my mother aug 2012 and with other pretty emotional events happening at the same time found myself deep in depression for pretty much 24 months.

    Writing has been almost impossible, and to be totally honest I only started again last week! I’ll be coming back to learn and hopefully hone my skills.
    Do have a wonderful week Sylviane, there are those around you that love you.

    Tony.B
    Tony B invites you to read..Jaaxy 2.0 Enterprise Edition ItҀ™s The DogsMy Profile

    1. Hi Tony,

      That’s interesting. I think I’ve just seen you somewhere and I’m wondering if it was at your blog. Not sure, but will figure it out.

      So sorry about your mother and I so well know how you felt (feel). I’ve been some kind of a mess for the past couple months and it’s been HARD, to say the least, to write. Plus as we all know one challenge rarely comes alone, so like you I’ve had other stuff to deal with and my brain has been feeling like a pressure cooker and all of that has prevented me from writing much lately.

      I really hope we can get to know each other better. I will make an effort towards that.

      Thanks for passing by.

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