Ten Blogging Lessons

Markus Urban Mindaugas is a lifestyle designer, travel show host, self-proclaimed cat herder, and entrepreneur. He runs a series of sites about blogging, technology, photography, and unconventional living.

In December 2009, Markus decided to undertake a lofty challenge—"to create a website/blog in one week and get 100,000 unique visitors within a week of launching it. I knew it was possible, and the sheer enormity of it was exciting enough for me to go ahead with the project." Markus's plan was to launch the photography site Hot Shot Photo and blog about how to build a world-class blog from scratch in only one week on Art of Blog.

On February 25, 2010, Markus blogged about his failure to achieve his goal and the lessons he learned along the way for Write To Done, a site created by Leo Babauta about the craft and art of writing.

1. It doesn't matter where you start, just start:
All there ever is...is to start. Start somewhere. Start with something that inspires you.

2. Timing is crucial:
Be aware of what's happening within the time frame that you set out for yourself. Avoid predictable distractions and conflicts.

3. You know a lot more than you think you do:
Become aware of what you know and realize that you have a lot to share with the world.

4. Get people involved:
Ask people for feedback along the way, attribute their contributions, and they will be more likely to help you spread your message.

5. Put yourself out there:
Just put yourself out there. You are great just the way you are. And you’ll be surprised at all the positive feedback people will give you.

6. Keep it simple:
Define your purpose or goal in super clear terms, and keep it simple, right from the start.

7. When you fail, own up:
Own everything you do, whether it’s positive or negative.

8. Failure is never failure:
Failure by itself never really happens. It is only when you accept that something failed, is it ever failure in reality. Action begets opportunity. Even action that "fails" ends up opening more possibilities and opportunities that present themselves.

9. You never know where it will end up:
Keep your mind open and embrace the opportunities that present themselves along the way. Embrace new directions.

10. Don't take it all so seriously:
Win or lose, have fun and remember why you're doing this in the first place. Don't take it all so seriously.

To this list, I add my one point...

11. Don't expect to be brilliant all the time:
Don't set your expectations too high and don't be ruled by too many shoulds and musts and other people's expectations. Take the pressure off yourself and enjoy the process of blogging.

For details about each of Markus's ten points, visit his full blog here.