I am doing a complete re-vamp of website, blog etc. for the new year.  What would be the one thing you did or didn’t do that you would change?

Thanks so much @katiecavanaugh and @Kristihines!  I am going to use Aweber, would you suggest anything else?Consistency was my downfall, and as with the New Year, my new resolution to do it 2x’s a week at least…How many times would you suggest?Thanks in advance!Charlyn

@Kristi Hines OMG I am so glad that I put an AWeber Opt in box on my Wordpress site. What do you and @charlynshelton-socialmediainterpreter think about using my sites “HOME” page as my blog post?  My intention is to put up a weekly video (more consistantly!) with related copy about subject I teach/train/coach on.  I am working toward it being a q&a style blog that I hope will engage my audience more deeply.  Your thoughts!

I am actually planning a redesign for my blog, something I had in mind for about 1 year now.

I plan to move all my articles to /blog/, so I can use the first page to present myself, the site and capture subscribers to my list.

On the content side I will move from 1 article/week to 3 and if I get enough time I will push to 5 when possible.

I would have started writing from the heart earlier.  For the first year I worried about how my message would be received.  That led to watered-down content.  I don’t let myself do that anymore and I think it has improved my writing.

Thanks for asking this great question.  I’ve enjoyed reading the responses.

Susan

@Dyane Bradley, that is what is so awesome about this community…people helping people!!! 

Thanks to this thread, I just set up a mailing list signup form with MailChimp. Easy and fast. Wish I’d done this when I first started my blog! 

I agree with the “write from the heart” suggestion. I try not to blog unless I really have something to say, at the expense of “regular” blogs. My readers seem to appreciate the quality over quantity approach.

When I started blogging, I started a personal, crafty blog on Blogger and a business blog on TypePad. My focus on the business blog was to write “how to” articles on blogging for Blogger and TypePad, so I had to have both.  The reason I didn’t start with WordPress, is a fellow business associate had that covered and I pass her WP customers, and she passes me Blogger and TypePad customers, etc. So we were like a team w/o conflict.  However, now a few years later and in writing my 2nd book on blogging, Creative Blogging, I am now very comfortable in WordPress and now assist my partner with Wordpress setups and design.

So…if I had to do over again, I would have made my business blog a WordPress blog.  There is better SEO, so many cool plugins, a great user and help community, etc.  However, I do continue to use the other platforms as my business is to support them as well – so to best support them, I have to use them, know them, grow with them and continue to write “how to” articles on them…now I’ve just added WordPress to the mix

Heather

I think hands down the biggest mistake I made was not focusing on building a list and engaging with people on that list. I’ve learned that people who comment on your blog not often the most accurate representation of your readers.I think you need to cater to the silent majority. 

I agree with Katie about being consistent so it becomes part of your schedule and you don’t have to think about it. I would also have started with a content plan because I notice you can get side-tracked or feel burdened not having enough content in the pipeline. Playing catch up all the time makes you less inclined to blog when it is competing for time you need for other tasks.