Don’t Forget: Even Big Blogs Started Out Small
Would you believe it that two years ago, a good post on John Chow’s blog would be lucky to get five comments? Would you believe it that even after being up and running for five whole months, Problogger.net was averaging only three our four comments per post? Even TechCrunch, a blog that now has has over 700,000 RSS subscribers, was seeing 2-4 comments on a good post after being open for a few months. (Note: if you go back to look at some of TC’s old posts, they show having more comments than 2-4. Check the dates though, the majority of the comments left on those old posts came years later)
If you’ve been trying to make your blog big and you’ve been trying long enough, you’ve probably thought of giving up. Maybe you haven’t considered giving up blogging, but you’ve probably considered (or even decided on) the idea that there’s no hope to ever get big no matter how hard you try.
“But Surely,” you ask, “There’s no hope for a blog that’s been open well over a year and is lucky to get even one comment, right?”
Wrong.
Don’t ever let yourself think that you’ve gone too far in the wrong direction with your blog to have a chance of success. It takes time and it takes work, it doesn’t matter how well you’ve done in the past.
It’s so sad to think about how many people out there would have become big if they had just kept at it, but were discouraged to see that their blog still seemed small even after a year of hard work.
What truly sets those “big blogs” apart from the rest is that they keep trying, even when things don’t look great. They try new ideas countless times until they find something that works (Not one of those blogs is using the same layout they started with), but they keep trying nonetheless.
What is success to you?
It’s also important to note that becoming as popular as any big blogger shouldn’t be important to you unless you want it to be. Success in your blog should not be determined by what other people call success. On the other hand, you can’t let yourself push your expectations down based on what you think you can and can’t do. Be realistic, but don’t limit yourself. If you’re truly happy with 10 visitors a day, then that’s awesome, and I’m not being sarcastic here. Nevertheless, if you really wish that your site could have thousands of visitors a day, then go for it.
No can stop you except yourself.
Kathy Said:
It was good reading this today. I’ll never be huge, but it is nice to see little improvements here and there in my blogs. Seems like while I concentrate on one blog, my other two dangle there. Gotta figure out a system for that! Keep up the good content!
March 21st, 2008 at 7:25 am
Yong Said:
Cool post. I don’t want my blog to be a big thing. But if it has potential later on, I’ll be glad if it does.
March 21st, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Yong Said:
Oh, and I forgot to tell you, look up my site on Google! You will find something
March 21st, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Irene Said:
Great article! It is nice to be reminded that even big bloggers started small….makes me feel better! After reading your article,I feel a bit more energized and motivated, so Thank-You!!
March 21st, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Getting My Blog On » Blog Archive » Zero and Up-A fine blog about blogging Said:
[...] one for this blog), and my favorite post which happens to be his most recent one, titled “Don’t Forget: Even Big Blogs Started Out Small“. It is nice to know that even Problogger and John Chow started out with small blogs that got [...]
March 21st, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Irene Said:
oops..corrected email address!
March 22nd, 2008 at 12:00 am
Irene Said:
trying again.
March 22nd, 2008 at 12:02 am
Agent 001 Said:
Quite impressive.I do agree with your words.
March 22nd, 2008 at 7:32 am
Douglas Slingerland Said:
A truly inspirational piece of work that gives every blogger the motivation to keep going. Never forget; you can be anything or do anything you want, as long as you want it.
March 22nd, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Cooking by the Seat of my Pants | Blog populrity Said:
[...] coincidence, I was just reading a post about the same subject. It’s a short article titled Don’t Forget: Even Big Blogs Started Out Small from Zero and Up. I think it’s well worth a read if you are looking to “Make [...]
March 25th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Jessica Said:
I am thankful for your post. I am new to blogging and your positive remarks are very helpful. I know it is important to not loose sight of the fact that anything is possible and failure is not an option.
Thank-you
March 25th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Blog populrity | 8ZU Said:
[...] coincidence, I was just reading a post about the same subject. It’s a short article titled Don’t Forget: Even Big Blogs Started Out Small from Zero and Up. I think it’s well worth a read if you are looking to “Make [...]
March 27th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
How To Maximize Exposure From Guest Blogging by Online Opportunity Said:
[...] write a post on your own site. Don’t be worried with the idea that your site is too small - even the big guys started out small. If people truly like the style that you write with, they won’t care how big your site is; [...]
April 16th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Agent 001 Said:
Damn I am still a small blogger.May be or may be not. You can guess.
April 22nd, 2008 at 2:40 am
Tip For Bloggers: Use Title Case - Zero and Up Said:
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April 27th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
May Checklist - Zero and Up Said:
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May 1st, 2008 at 11:52 pm
Rohit@sitegorge Said:
that was a great post.Truly inspiring..
May 16th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Alan Said:
Rohit - thanks, I am glad that you were inspired by the post
May 16th, 2008 at 10:40 pm