There is a time on our blog where we have to start planning for the future. Do you always want your blog to be “just a blog?” Sooner or later, I think that to increase the popularity of your blog and bring more visitors to it, you need to add some additional things to your blog to make it a website.
Brief Introduction to the Series
Because this is something that I have been thinking about a lot, and even working to implement here on Blogussion, I have decided to come up with a 3 part post series on adding expansions to your blog. But I don’t feel like I will have said enough if I just told you how to expand your blog. So I decided to go specific and write about the real problems of extending your blog: when the expansion doesn’t work.
The 3 parts of this series will cover the why, the risks, and the solution. This is part 1 of 3, an overview of why your expansion might fail. No solutions will be included in this post.
What are “Expansions?”
In more detail, expansions are usually other kinds of services you add to your blog. Your blog is one service, but then when you add new things to it, you open your blog up to offering more services, which will expand your blog to make it more than just a blog. Thing that are commonly added to blogs for this expansion:
- Web Forums (vBulletin, IPB, phpBB, bbPress, etc.)
- Link Directory (check out our link directory of Dofollow blogs)
- Product / Service like an Ebook, Consultation services, Freelance services, etc.
- A Mini-Blog
- So much more, but you get the idea
We even have a poll in the sidebar that asks what you have done to expand your blog. Might want to check that out.
Why These Things Fail
So not everything is successful as we want it to be. We have to remember that just because we add these new things doesn’t mean they will work. They can always fail, and will have you wondering if it was even worth it. Here are a few reasons why they fail.
1. Your Blog is Simply Not Ready
When you first start out a blog, you should take it easy. I don’t think that new blogs need to be anything but just blogs. You still will be getting acquainted with how blogging works, what’s the point of adding all of this new stuff to make the challenge of becoming established harder?
It may not even be that your blog is new, but that it is not growing. Focus on creating your blog first and getting it out there. Then, gradually add additions to it to make a website. Just map it out, play it smartly, and work slowly but surely.
2. Your Community is Uninterested
Maybe something that add to you blog is not something your readers want. Could I say that the DoFollow Link Directory I made is successful? Maybe it is something that could be more of a hit later on, and maybe my community doesn’t really want something like that yet.
3. Poorly Implemented
The thing about hype is that it can really die down as your make progress. At the start of the building of your extension, everything is great. You can get excited, over confident and over zealous about the project. But when it comes to close, you want to release it so bad that you rush to finish it instead of taking the time to make it perfect.
4. It was Over Thought
It is possible to over think things, and when you do that, you have the possibility of failing. Over thinking has some downfalls to it:
- You waste time on something unnecessary.
- Too much to understand, hard for users to use.
- Time could have been spent on something more important on your blog.
- Something goes wrong.
- Too much focus is put into one thing that it can leave you uninspired to do anything else.
It’s always good to put plenty of thought into your expansion, but know your limits. Divide all of your creativity equally on everything you make for your blog, and set focus to everything equally on your blog.
Is it a Risk You’re Willing to Take?
Do you think it is a risk that is smart to take on your blog? Obviously you will want to keep adding onto your blog to make it better, but if it fails then what have you really done? Create more work for you? It’s a little embarrassing too when you think about it, like having a dead forum or link directory.
But I think ultimately your readers will appreciate what you did. By adding new things to your blog, you show to your readers that you care about them and want to keep making them happy. I think that is the goal you should always keep in mind when expanding your blog: to keep your readers happy and appreciative!
How have you expanded your blog?
Stay tuned for Part 2, the risks. The post will be more about the risks you take in creating the addition, and whether or not it is worth the risk in the end. Stick around!
16 Discussions
Good subject. I am at this exact point, in that I am planning to sell an ebook/print on demand book from my blog in a couple of months time.
My blog is two and a half years old. I’m blogging in a smallish niche (dancing Argentine tango in Buenos Aires) but I think my niche wants what my book will offer! Hope so! I now need to start thinking about how best to handle the launch on my blog, and your post is a timely reminder to think things through carefully.
It is a whole new venture for me, and I will be very interested to see how things work out!
Wish me luck, and thanks again Blogussion. SC
sallycat´s last blog ..And the first ever Absolutely Bloody Brilliant Barbie Award (ABBBA) goes to…
Perfect example right there! Thanks a lot for posting that, it fits into this post so perfectly.
There are plenty of great resources around the web for launching Ebooks. This post I wrote a while back:
http://www.blogussion.com/blog/promoting-and-advertising/creating-interest-community-ebook (an article here, covers some decent points)
covers some basic ideas of an Ebook. I too am going to be writing an Ebook to release here. It’s going to be hard work, but I’m determined!
I just though about this this morning. But I think just to keep my blog as a blog for now. I’m afraid if my readers not interested of the changes I made to my blog =)
That’s smart! You can’t rush these things, you just have to use that inner guru in you and know when the right time comes on your blog!
Alex´s last blog ..Maximize Your Earnings Through the Thesis Affiliate Program
You bring up a great point. Some add ons are easy like offereing services or adding a directory. The hardest thing to pull off is adding a forum. You will need serious traffic to pull that off.
Tycoon Blogger´s last blog ..Giving Adgitize a second chance
Yeah, totally. This link directory is really annoying actually because more spammers than real people submit their link.
I’m going to do some upgrades to it, hopefully check out any ways to prevent these spammers!
Alex´s last blog ..Maximize Your Earnings Through the Thesis Affiliate Program
Cool article Alex
Personally I’m thinking of adding a little something to my blog, so hopefully I can get it successful with the community I have. Will you be doing a post in the series about implementing these additions in the best way?
Simon | Teenius´s last blog ..Interview With Michael Dunlop of IncomeDiary and Retire@21
Yeah Simon, your community is really active. You get like 25+ comments a post, that’s really great! Maybe you want to think of offering some sort of service?
Yes, the implementing part will probably be covered in part 3!
Alex´s last blog ..Maximize Your Earnings Through the Thesis Affiliate Program
Cool subject. I am personally working on an Ebook. I also will release a forum in a few months.
Jake| Web Journey´s last blog ..50 Tips to Improve Online Writing
Ohh, tell us a bit more about this ebook Jake!
Simon | Teenius´s last blog ..Interview With Michael Dunlop of IncomeDiary and Retire@21
Before you release a forum, I would personally suggest that you compare the benefits that it would bring in, and what you would have to go through to get there. (The work it requires isn’t even close to blogging, I’ve experienced this)
Abdul´s last blog ..Content That Will Keep Visitors Coming Back
As am I Jake! I still have to give you a quote for the motivation. I will not forget, and will get to it tomorrow!
Alex´s last blog ..Maximize Your Earnings Through the Thesis Affiliate Program
I am a big fan of expanding things but their has to be more than just and idea. I generally will take two months to plan and implement changes. Those done more quickly have not worked out very well.
Boris@ Niche Phoenix SEO´s last blog ..The 109 Day Link Building Explosion Day 100
So many things, as I say in the article, can be over thought and poorly executed. Just be careful that you don’t put too much thought into it that your addition becomes unrealistic!
It’s really tough I think, but it seems like you’re giving yourself plenty of time to get this thing right!
Alex´s last blog ..Maximize Your Earnings Through the Thesis Affiliate Program
Interesting, i have just added a forum to one of my sport blog few weeks back with the aim of increasing the community activity and interactivity because a forum provides a better opportunity for multiple users to interact, and ultimately to create a new community area. But really building a successful online community is hard work.
I hope it works out greatly because success with a blog does not mean success with a forum. Forum on a site, it bring visitors, adds content and can attract links, but really its hard work!
Web Hosting Blog´s last blog ..SEO for Google Local Business Listing & Google Maps
Actually from the beginning, I’ve only seen my blog as part of a bigger picture, as a piece of the puzzle in my business. At least that’s what most internet marketers do.
As bloggers, we should have bigger plans in our minds from the beginning, if not, then we need to start thinking bigger.
Charles´s last blog ..Are you Brain-Dumping or Communicating?