As bloggers, there is no lack of free information available to learn more about blogging – monetizing, building readership numbers, creating killer content, etc. The BlogWorld archives alone houses over 1000 posts (and counting!), and there are countless other blogging and social media sites online that you can check out.
But you can spend every day reading or watching videos or listening to podcasts about blogging…and do you actually implement the advice these bloggers? I talked about career inaction on After Graduation last week, and I know I’ve touched on it here at BlogWorld too. We want our blogs to be better. We want to make more money. We want to help more people. We want, we want, we want…but do we actually do anything to make those wants actually happen?
Often, the answer is no – and it’s not completely your fault.
Well, logically, it is your fault. It’s not fair to start blogging and expect someone to hold your hand or blame someone when you don’t get things done. Only you can make your blog successful. At the same time, blogs that give you advice – yes, even this one – rarely give you points of action or help in implementing their advice. I don’t know about you, but I often feel so overwhelmed by the sheer about of stuff I’m told to do, that I end up shutting down completely. If you don’t have a plan, it’s hard to make forward progress.
I am getting better at making a list of actionable steps as I read or listen to advice from bloggers I respect. But it’s about to get a whole lot easier thanks to some smart dudes.
Earlier this week, I finally took some time to check out BlogcastFM. I’ve definitely heard other people mention this site before, and I knew “of” Srini and Sid (the guys who run it), but we just haven’t crossed paths in the past. I just…didn’t take action. “I’ll get around to checking it out someday.”
The other night, I happened to be looking at my to-do list while on Twitter, and I saw Sid tweet that they were hanging out on Ustream answering questions about a new service they’d be providing, BlogcastFM Premium. I barely knew what the regular BlogcastFM was about, so I wasn’t really interested in anything “Premium,” but I thought to myself, “This is a perfect opportunity to cross something off my to-do list.
I’m a bit of an introvert, so crashing someone’s Ustream party is daunting for me, but I bit the bullet and showed up, while also heading to the BlogcastFM site. As often happens when I actually take action about something I’ve been putting off, I immediately wondered what had took me so freakin’ long. For those of you who have not yet checked out BlogcastFM, the site is filled with interviews with successful bloggers, both from the make-money-with-your-blog niche and other niches. You get to hear their stories and learn about what has and has not worked for them. I’ve already been steadily working through their archives, and the content is amazing.
Amazing…and overwhelming.
Which brings me back to my original point – it’s great to take the time to learn from other bloggers, but it’s hard to take action, especially when facing a site like BlogcastFM for the first time. Over 100 interviews, each which contain tons of advice? It’s pretty hard to get motivated because it feels like such a difficult task to get the ball rolling.
Just as I was thinking that during the Ustream chat, Srini and Sid started talking about what they were actually there to promote – their premium site. I kid you not, it was like one of those moments where the heavens sign down and you here, “AHHHHHHHHHHH.”
What Srini and Sid have done is create action plans for every interview. With premium access, you can download the interview as an MP3 (perfect if you’re on the go as often as I am), but more importantly, they’ve teamed up with Mike Tiojanco to help you actually take action. With every interview (12 per month, plus access to archives), you’ll get a workbook to help you digest the interview and a mindmap to help you organize your thoughts. The guys gave me access to their premium site to check it out for y’all, and I can tell you firsthand that the content is extremely interactive and high-quality. If you have a problem implementing all the good ideas you know would make your blog better, BlogcastFM Premium is a tool you should check out.
Please note – the final link in this post is an affiliate link, but anyone who’s read here knows how important I think it is to take actions to reach your goals! I would recommend BlogcastFM even if that wasn’t an affiliate link. You can also get their free ebook here if you’re not yet ready to take the step in purchasing anything right now!
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