Mind Mapping for Blog Expansion & Making Smart Mistakes, Part 1 Photo by Matilde B.

Mind Mapping for Blog Expansion & Making Smart Mistakes, Part 1

by Derek Jensen · 34 comments

When it comes time to expand our blogs we need to take many things into con­sid­er­a­tion and use cau­tion along the way. We can do this while in the process of expand­ing our blogs through mind map­ping in the begin­ning stages. This prac­tice surely does not elim­i­nate any mis­takes for build­ing our blog, but instead smart mis­takes will be made. I’ve learned to mind map the expan­sion of my blogs instead of just “going with the flow”. Here’s how to get started and expand your blog better.

There are many ways we can build our blog. Yes, we can just “go with the flow”. Yes, we can just expand how­ever way or into area we want. We have so many options, oppor­tu­ni­ties, and meth­ods of expand­ing our blogs, but we can just hope right into what comes to our minds ini­tially, or what we even see for an idea initially.

We can for­get our pur­pose when think­ing about the future

I know when I want to expand a blog I get so much energy in this process that I tend to lose focus or regret how or what I’ve done in a very short time. I’ve per­son­ally been through many blogs since I first began in 2008 and all of them went under due to it not being my true pas­sion and because I did not make smart mis­takes while expand­ing. They were just mistakes.

Smart mis­takes are ones that lead you down a path that turned out bad, but after the fact they helped you out while look­ing at the big­ger picture.

Here’s how I’ve trans­formed my blog expan­sion and build­ing strategy.

Begin­ning Steps

Hav­ing That Passion

First you must have that pas­sion every­one talks about. With­out this you will find your­self not want­ing to really expand because you don’t have the drive to know how.

Estab­lish­ing Your Tagline

One of the most over­looked items on a blog is the tagline

A sim­ple tagline can say a lot about your blog. For exam­ple Blogussion’s tagline is “Next Gen­er­a­tion Blog­ging”. What does that tell you as a vis­i­tor or reader here? This reac­tion or thought should be fig­ured out and acts as a good foun­da­tion for your blog.

Pur­pose and Mission

What are you and your blog about? How will your pas­sion and tagline go out and be that blog out to kill the com­pe­ti­tion? With no defined pur­pose and mis­sion there is really no busi­ness model so you really can’t con­tinue on.

Define Your Community

Who are you striv­ing to attract, please, or change? You need to fig­ure out and define your com­mu­nity so when things come up or ideas come to mind you are able to quickly ana­lyze each and see which ones fit with your com­mu­nity and which ones don’t.

Your estab­lished com­mu­nity might change over­time, but you can’t change the estab­lished com­mu­nity over­time. If you are, then you need to go back through these begin­ning steps.

With the begin­ning but cru­cial steps out of the way, let’s begin mind map­ping our blogs.

1. Brain­storm­ing + Orga­niz­ing Thoughts

Brain­storm­ing is where we dig deep into our pas­sion, pur­pose, and start think­ing about the intial work­ings of our expan­sion. This is where you grab a piece of paper, a white­board, or use some soft­ware such as MindNode for Mac users.

I per­son­ally use MindNode and the iPod Touch ver­sion to do my mind map­ping that can also be used when writ­ing each of your posts to keep you on guard with your pur­pose and tagline.

Where to Begin in the Brain­storm­ing Process

All of these are just some thoughts and ques­tions to think about while begin­ning your brain­storm­ing process. Be sure you are record­ing all of these thoughts. Please don’t limit your­self to what I have quickly came up with.

The above video is of Dar­ren Rowse talk­ing about a brain­storm­ing activ­ity.

Orga­niz­ing All Those Thoughts (Reality)

The time has come now to orga­nize all of these thoughts or ideas you’ve brain­stormed. Orga­nize them in terms of real­ity and the true you.

Here is where you refer back to those begin­ning steps I pre­vi­ously talked about and these same steps are going to help you through­out the whole mind map­ping process. Remem­ber we are out to make smart mis­takes while expand­ing your blog.

We’re not done. We’re are really just get­ting pre­pared for the real action. This is part one of two and part two we will start break­ing every­thing apart, look­ing at ana­lyz­ing our imme­di­ate action, and imple­men­ta­tion of the thoughts.

With this only being part one, what are you look­ing for­ward to in part two and what have you learned thus far?

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Article by Derek Jensen

Derek is a 21-year-old student that is full of ideas and can't help it. He uses this great ability to help others truly stand out from the crowd. You will also find him spreading ideas worth advertising to the world. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.

  • Summary

    When it comes time to expand our blogs we need to take many things into consideration and use cau tion along the way. We can do this while in the process of expanding our blogs through mind mapping in the beginning stages. This practice surely does not eliminate any mistakes for building our blog, but instead smart mistakes will be made.

    Here’s how to get started and expand your blog better.

    In part one we talk about the beginning steps and brainstorming.

  • Key Points

    • We can forget our purpose when thinking about the future.
    • Smart mistakes are ones that lead you down a path that turned out bad, but after the fact they helped you out while looking at the bigger picture.
    • Beginning steps to always have in the back of your mind: Having that passion, establishing your tagline, purpose and mission, define your community
    • Brainstorming is where we dig deep into our passion, purpose, and start thinking about the intial workings of our expansion.
    • Organizing the thoughts and thinking reality

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Tipspack.Com July 26, 2010 at 3:35 am

Hi…
Thanks a lot for the help from your article I’ve got here… It really helps me a lot with the problem I have… Your brief way of writting make it more easier for me to understand…
Thank you again…
I’m waiting for another articles and would like to read again…

Reply

Derek Jensen July 26, 2010 at 11:50 pm

I’m glad I could help you out! I really am and I’m sure you’ll find part two also helpful.

Reply

Nabeel | Create Your First Website July 26, 2010 at 3:47 am

Hi Derek,

You make good points. Brainstorming is essential. I think it also helps in getting new ideas. As you brainstorm new ideas, new ones are bound to come.

Looking forward to part two, in which you break down the points into actions.

Kindest,
Nabeel

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Nabeel | Create Your First Website July 26, 2010 at 3:49 am

*As you brainstorm existing ideas, new ones are bound to come.

Reply

Derek Jensen July 27, 2010 at 4:15 pm

Nabeel,

I hope you enjoy part two. ;)

Best,
Derek

Reply

Dean Saliba July 26, 2010 at 5:22 am

The passion part is the bit I struggle with because for like a month I’ll be pasionate and write regular and then I’ll become burnt out for a couple of weeks and will neglect the blog. :(
Dean Saliba´s last blog ..Would You Pay To Have WordPress Installed For You

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Derek Jensen July 27, 2010 at 4:17 pm

Dean,

I truly know how you feel. It might just have to take sometime to really figure out your true passion which will be a sign because you will want to be back blogging.

Best,
Derek

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Jason @ SEO Strategies July 26, 2010 at 6:42 am

usually, if you have the passion, expansion should be automatic. if you love what you’re doing, creative thoughts come in without unwillingness and sometimes they do come by accident. I believe that creativity alone can take you a long way with this business, however not everyone is gifted, but I attest to that idea, because every thought for a new blog post, which I think any one is capable of, is a form of creativity. We just have to feel and internalize it. Just to share some of my personal thoughts about expanding a blog, I’m actually trying to write more about experiences and experiments, since I believe that this kind of approach has more potential than the regular how to’s and lists :) and with this approach, it’s much easier to diversify the field that I’ll be blogging about in the near future.
Jason @ SEO Strategies´s last blog ..How Professional SEOs Do Link Building

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Derek Jensen July 27, 2010 at 11:03 pm

Jason,

Sounds like you have your head on straight and you will be going places. It really all comes down to having that initial passion.

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Dev - Technshare.com July 26, 2010 at 8:33 am

Hey Derek,

Nice Post. Brainstorming is really useful. I use Free Mind map for brainstorming and it’s really useful tool.

Looking forward to reading the other parts of this Post.

Thanks for sharing this great Post Derek. Great work.

~Dev
Dev – Technshare.com´s last blog ..Find Out How You Can Reap Millions In Internet Revenues Part 1

Reply

Derek Jensen July 27, 2010 at 11:04 pm

Dev,

Thanks again and its really important to make the mind map a consistent task to monitor from beginning of site and beyond.

Best,
Derek

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Gregory Cox, Think Around Corners July 26, 2010 at 9:46 am

Absolutely awesome. I myself use mind mapping for almost anything – but it goes to show you, there’s always someone thinking up another way to mm.

I like how you transform the brainstorming > you > content. That’s a simple way to make your blog be your personal brand. Thank you!

- Gregory
Gregory Cox, Think Around Corners´s last blog ..Local to CT Internet Marketing &amp Design Workshop

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Derek Jensen July 27, 2010 at 11:06 pm

Greg,
You’re very welcome and I strongly believe there are more ways to benefit from using mind maps but personal branding and expanding your blog and major. I’m glad you use mind maps!

Best,
Derek

Reply

etipz July 26, 2010 at 10:23 am

Awesome article, can’t wait to read the part 2.

Reply

Derek Jensen July 27, 2010 at 11:07 pm

And part three will be you implementing everything ;)

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Robert @ Techinfo-4u.com July 26, 2010 at 4:15 pm

I think that’s one of the main problems and reasons why some many blogs go under. People just go hell for leather trying to grow their blogs and make them successful without realising the steps they need to take to do it right.

Alot of it is a matter of organizing yourself to do out a mind map, and disciplining your self to make sure you follow it
Robert @ Techinfo-4u.com´s last blog ..5 Ways Android Kicks The iPhone And Its OS

Reply

Derek Jensen July 27, 2010 at 11:09 pm

Robert,

Exactly! Creating a mind map actually makes you go through the process of realizing what you are going to all do. Who knows after creating the mind map you might decide to do something totally different.

Best,
Derek

Reply

Julius July 26, 2010 at 8:50 pm

Very good introduction to the power of mind-mapping for your blog. I also think this task also applies to product launches and other business projects. In addition, it’s a good idea to save all the mind maps we’ve made.
Julius´s last blog ..Assistive Technologies for People with Epilepsy

Reply

Derek Jensen July 27, 2010 at 11:11 pm

Julius,

You bring up a very good point in that it’s good to keep all mind maps. This will allow us to use them as a resource when starting something new. For instance, say you start a product, create a mind map and well you are now starting a new product. Now, you can analyze and adjust for the mistakes or things that could have been better.

Best,
Derek

Reply

Gregory Cox, Think Around Corners July 27, 2010 at 1:56 pm

I know this is a bit self-serving, but anyone interested in sharing some visuals of the process?
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4854119&id=335727456087

- G.

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Bob McCluskey July 27, 2010 at 3:44 pm

I use mindmapping software for almost everthing I might do again in the future and I continually update my maps based on my experience. On potential use of the documentation is for writing articles or e-books in the future!
Bob McCluskey´s last blog ..Make Money on the Internet with a Homebased Business- Sell Internet Advertising

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Derek Jensen July 27, 2010 at 11:12 pm

Bob,
Very good! Let’s see if we can spread this to more people! ;)

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Jasmine Henry July 27, 2010 at 5:15 pm

Whenever I’m on the go and don’t have access to a pen, paper, or the Internet, I always use EverNote on my iPhone to jot down any post ideas that I come up with. It’s taking these ideas and going the extra mile by mind-mapping them that’s most important if you ask me as they can help you to see how that idea can be developed and that you can possibly create an entire post series or spin-off post from one single idea.
Jasmine Henry´s last blog ..Impressions – Medal Of Honor Multiplayer Beta

Reply

Derek Jensen July 27, 2010 at 11:15 pm

Jasmine,

I have really seen the advantages of using Evernote. Maybe I need some direction or tips… ;)

Tweet me @byderekj

Best,
Derek

Reply

Dee's Music Guide July 28, 2010 at 12:21 pm

Just what I needed.. a kick in the bu** to get organized..

I completely forgot about the importance of a tagline. I believe the recommended size of a tagline is not to exceed 8 words.. :)

thanks for the inspiration!
Dee’s Music Guide´s last blog ..Cirque Dreams Tickets

Reply

Derek Jensen July 28, 2010 at 2:03 pm

Amazing! Let me know how things are going about a month from now. Sound good?! ;) Tweet me @byderekj

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Colleen@Kennewick Homes August 1, 2010 at 9:18 am

I really like the article, and the video from Darren. I REALLY like the video from Darren for a couple reasons. His challenge for one, but for two, we need to place more video in our content.
Colleen@Kennewick Homes´s last blog ..Tri Cities Washington New Real Estate Listings July 31- 2010

Reply

Derek Jensen August 1, 2010 at 4:47 pm

Colleen,

I’m glad you like the video and having a video in this content. I agree there needs to be more video in content.

Best,
Derek

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Murlu August 1, 2010 at 12:43 pm

Mind mapping has always been very beneficial to my projects because it helps give an overhead view of the entire process.

Tip: Sit on an idea for a little while to see what new things you can add but don’t forget that action is more important than theory – take it!
Murlu´s last blog ..7 Ways Social Media Is Destroying The World

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Derek Jensen August 1, 2010 at 4:50 pm

Murlu,

The tip you just offered is very good. I personally have failed many times on the action. But, after taking action right away I’ve seen better improvements.

Best,
Derek

Reply

Ian Tomlinson August 2, 2010 at 12:29 pm

My blog is a long way from the mind mapping stage and I realise I need to bring it back there. I tend to blog a bit randomly rather than plan things out. RIght – off to get paper and pencil and start mapping! Great article :)
Ian Tomlinson´s last blog ..How Imago Couples Therapy Can Transform Your Relationship

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Derek Jensen August 2, 2010 at 11:54 pm

Ian,

Trust me it will only help you and your community. I’m glad you are taking the initiative! :) If you need anything hit me up on twitter @byderekj

Wish you the best,
Derek

Reply

Reza Winandar August 9, 2010 at 6:15 am

Tagline, I just learned how to create remarkable tagline, which is the easiest way to make it is to let your readers do it.
Reza Winandar´s last blog ..5 Types of Comments That Attract Attention

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Derek Jensen August 9, 2010 at 1:38 pm

Reza,

I looked at your blog and it seems you don’t have a tagline?

Best, Derek
Derek Jensen´s last blog ..UniqueBlog Audio Introduction and a “Mission Statement”

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