Blog, Inc.: Blogging for Passion, Profit, and to Create Community

I picked this up on a whim during an Amazon sale, and I’m really glad that I did. I recommend this book to everyone who has a blogged or is thinking about starting a blog. This is a wealth of information. This book was like taking a 101 college class about blogging. The book suggests thinking about what makes your blog special. It asks if this is your hobby, outlet, or possible career, and then offers tips for each of those choices. To quote: “What makes it unique? The best blogs are ones that add their own unique twist or style to a topic. What ideas do you have that will make yours different?” And, “a succinct description of your blog that tells others why you started it, what you blog about, and why it’s fun and different.” I learned that some of the types of posts I most enjoy making are “Updates: In addition to seeing your newest work, readers often like to see pieces that didn’t make the cut,” and “Updates Similar: behind-the-scenes details from the building of your (novel), special discounts for blog readers,” and Reviews. It defines Trackbacks, Categories, and Tags. (I knew about Tags, but I never considered using “Google’s Keyword Tool or Wordtracker to find the optimal words or phrasing to use.”) It explains, in detail, how to write your Bio and the function of having one. It mentions trademarking your blog’s name. (Which I never thought about spending money on before.) It talks about a blog’s bounce rate, which I had never heard of before. The made me wonder if I give enough of myself, if I have enough of a “real person” angle to inspire people. A great quote from the book: “Building and maintaining your community is just as important as coming up with a great new post and should be given the same care and attention.” To me, that part of the book reminded me of the #AtoZChallenge. That feels like the very definition of what we do in April.

I'm writing this from the perspective of a blogger, someone who has blogged since 2008 with a moderately successful blog (relatively speaking). I'm always on the lookout for books on blogging so as to improve my website for readers, try new techniques. This book by Joy Deangdeelert Cho is more of an introductory guide to blogging. It covers topics like picking your niche, choosing a blogging platform, how to behave online, and monetizing your blog. They are mentioned in a rather general way, very informative to new bloggers but lacking the depth that experienced bloggers look for. I like the interview series as they look at other bloggers. It gives a nice overview of blogging from the perspective of other bloggers. However, if you want to get more technical, I would recommend checking out Blogging Heroes and Clear Blogging Blog, Inc is just one of the many books on blogging that are out there, just that this one's from the perspective of the author. Most blogging books talk about similar techniques at building a successful blog, with the difference usually being the story of how the author started her own. I may sound critical but I've read too many books on blogging. If you're a beginner, you might also want to check out Blogging for Creatives . If you're into changing your mindset, you can try Click Millionaires .

I thought that Blog, Inc. was going to be a self-promotional book about Joy's blog mostly, like you see so many bloggers do these days. I could not have been more wrong. I was a skeptic and found that this book is actually an extremely credible, accurate and helpful resource for anyone trying to break into the blogging community, or for bloggers who have been in the blogging ecosystem for years. I have been a (mostly) silent, but ever-fascinated, observer of the blogging community at large. I have started and stopped blogs of my own but will be reinvigorating a new blogging venture in the coming weeks and was curious about this book. This book not only provides personal interviews with some of the most successful bloggers on the Internet today, but it also offers helpful tips that will either spark an idea for a blog post or spark some further thinking on something you may have thought about before but never fully explored. If nothing else, reading this book will fill you with a new desire to better commit to the blog you started out of love in the first place! I was expecting a book that wouldn't tell me anything I didn't know already. What I got was a book that gave me a fresh perspective on some of the things I thought I already knew. Knowing that Joy is a hugely successful blogger, her years of experience and successes only add to the credibility of each page. I am enjoying this and thrill myself everytime I write a note in the margins for a blog post idea...which is about every page. Highly recommend. (Disclosure: I was not paid or compensated in any way to write this review and I purchased the book myself through Amazon.com.)

Well, if the title of my review doesn't say it all... This is an excellent book on blogging, and I do not just say that because I tend to like other people named Joy. ;-). Joy Cho takes you through every aspect of blogging using clear, concise writing. Her interviews with other bloggers are extremely engaging and informative. I so badly wish I'd had this sooner. It would have helped me with my vision for my blog and the content and... Well, the whole thing. There have been so many hinge about blogging that i've wished were clearly explained in one place, and this is. i highly recommend it to other bloggers, or those thinking about starting blogs. It's that "If you get one book on blogging..." kind of book. I just hope I can use this material, and it didn't come too late for my blog!

This book goes more in-depth then some of the other books I've read about the subject. I also enjoyed the interviews throughout the book. And there's a nice helpful resources part in the back that I'm going to work my way through. I appreciated a lot of the talk about businesses, taxes, paying employees and things like that. But there wasn't anything particularly new. Even in the interviews with the successful bloggers what I took from what they were saying was mostly it came down to luck and timing as much as skill. Also almost all the bloggers had a heavy design element- photography, crafts, things like that so I was looking for something with a bit more of a writing element to it. Is it weird to say I was hoping for something a little bit more... creative? But it's still a good and helpful read through that gave me some things I need to think more carefully about.

As a new blogger I was looking for books to read to help me. I came across this one and am glad I did. This book is chock full of information. What I enjoyed the most was all of the links provided to help a blogger get their blogging life in order. The different bloggers that contributed to this book were obviously knowledgeable and gave current information. I once read a blogging tips e book that had to of been written when America Online was the only thing available. I used this book to revamp my "About Me" page. I go back to this book frequently actually. I have to say I would highly recommend this book to all new bloggers and all bloggers of any level.

When I ordered Joy Cho's book, I was expecting it to be geared towards the beginner level of blogging. However, I devoured that book from front to back, and I soon realized it is both for the starter and the pro. I was taking notes the whole way through. She offers some very practical tips on everything from the start of naming your blog to making it a full time business. I love how organized and easy the book flows.Other topics she tackles: Blogging Etiquette, Social Networking, SEO, and What to Charge for Sponsorship. These are topics that are hard to find facts and realistic tips on, and every blogger needs guidance with at some point in their experience. In between chapters there are fantastic Q & A's with successful bloggers that I really enjoyed. Very honest, helpful, and inspiring perspective on their blog journey. It's the best all in one resource for both aspiring bloggers and experience bloggers alike! When I get emails with questions about different aspects of blogging, I will now direct them straight to Joy's book! :)

Like many Chronicle Books they are great at pep talking into a believing even "YOU can DO IT" attitude. But the pages fall flat when you research these interviewed 'bloggers' for examples of their work. MANY of the bloggers don't even have websites. Some bloggers have embarrassingly turned into infomercials. It makes you wonder if blogging has a place in our society or should we all stick to instagram? Possibly the only encouraging blog that is still running is Color Collective. Overall, this was a quick read that gives you OUTDATED basics of blogging. I would suggest buying the book used to save some money and then search online for some UPDATED information about blogging.

O melhor livro para blogueiras que eu já li. Tem muitas dicas, uma linguagem fácil (porém, no idioma inglês) e dá aquele incentivo que faltava, sabe? Recomendo a leitura.

This was a wonderful book to start with for looking into blogging as a hobby that may lead to a career. Anyone looking for a well rounded manually on do’s and don’ts for blogging if they’re brand new to the game will learn just about everything they need to start in here. And anyone who has already been a blogger for some time may benefit for the tips and insights into how to manage a blog as a small business if they’re trying to move it from a hobby or pet project into a more lucrative money venture. My fave with this series is the included references at the back for numerous resources from blog platforms, conventions, online business tools and more. Was well worth the read and purchase!

Ich habe das Buch gekauft, als ich mit dem Bloggen anfing und weder wusste, wie es genau geht, noch wie weit ich gehen will. Ich habe einen sehr guten Überblick über die verschiedenen Plattformen, Themen und Möglichkeiten der Bekanntmachung bekommen. Auch die immer wieder auftauchenden erfahrener Blogger haben mir sehr geholfen. Insgesamt aus meiner Sicht ein sehr gutes Werk um einen Einstieg in das Thema zu finden. Sobald die Blogs laufen sollte man dann auf weiterführende Literatur zurückgreifen.

The book is interesting and easy to read, a great position for a blogger-to-be. Joy discusses different aspects of blogging and gives useful advice concerning posting on the blog, time management, taking part in the community. The interviews with some popular bloggers sharing their stories are inspiring and show that it is possible to become successful and even earn a living by simply following one's passions.

I really like Joy Cho and her blog, but this book is very basic and really wasn't worth the read. Such a shame.