10 things I've learned about blogging by actually doing it

Some blogs give you tips on what to do and what not to do. But sometimes they miss vital details, and some topics don't seem to come up much. Here are some things I've learned from blogging not by reading other people's blog tips, but by maintaining blogs of my own. Hopefully you'll learn from this post, too.

1. You need to choose a topic you know and like.

Blogging is easy! You can create a blog in a matter of minutes, and get started very quickly.
The problem is, if you jump right in before you've really thought about it, you may find that you stop posting once the novelty wears off.
Before you start, you need to think of a topic that you know and like - something you can write about on a regular basis. Can't think of anything? Give it some time. Don't just start blogging anyway. Think about what you want to do first.

2. You need to enjoy writing.

One thing a lot of blogs seem to miss is that blogging isn't something that absolutely anyone will want to do. Following a tutorial can help you with the technical side, but if you're not interested in writing, you're going to come unstuck.
Can anyone be a writer? Well, is everyone good at everything? Of course not. If writing sounds unappealing, I'm not going to tell you that blogging is right for you. But if you're not sure, you could try planning a few posts, then write the detail, and see how you get on.

3. You don't have to reply to every comment individually.

While I do think it's important to reply to comments, it can get increasingly difficult to do this if you get a lot of them.
Threaded comments can help to show who you're replying to, or you could post one comment and reply to several previous comments at once. Replying to a few comments in one reply is my preferred method.
But you don't have to reply to every single comment, especially if they're short comments saying "great post!" without asking questions. You don't have to say "Thanks!" to everyone. A general "thank you" for the comments works just as well, and won't bog down your blog with lots of separate replies.

4. You shouldn't rely too heavily on one traffic source.

Whether you get most of your traffic from search engines, subscribers who read your feed, social media sites, other blogs or forums, you shouldn't rely on one source of traffic too much.
Things can change quickly. The service might go down for maintenance or be permanently closed.  Your account could be closed. Also, you may end up forgetting about other traffic sources and not spreading your efforts between several different methods.
Don't be lazy. Make the effort to branch out and try different sites. Measure how well they do. This will help you to bring in people from a wide range of places on the web.

5. You shouldn't worry about a high bounce rate.

If someone arrives at your blog but only looks at one page before moving to a different site, that counts as a "bounce". Many blogs view a high bounce rate as a problem. It really isn't.
Different people may arrive at your site in different ways. They might start at a post, read it, then bookmark your site and decide to come back later. Or they might start at the home page, read the latest post (if you display the full content of each post on your home page), and go away again.
It's not necessarily bad if this happens. What's more important is how long the person stays on your site, and whether they come back. Some people just won't be interested in your blog no matter what you do. That's fine, not everyone will like it.
Bounce rate tells you a lot more if you review it alongside other statistics. However, when isolated from other statistics, bounce rate alone does not tell you much.

6. You don't usually get links by asking for them.

Your blogroll is a list of links on your blog that point to other blogs. So, how do you get on someone's blogroll?
My advice is to put this question out of your mind and instead, focus on building relationships with other bloggers. If you like someone's blog and you want to link to it, put them on your blogroll. If they like your blog, they might put you on their blogroll too.
It doesn't have to be a reciprocal thing, and it shouldn't matter who puts the link up first. I think there's a lot less value in a blogroll where everyone reciprocates, than in a blogroll where the owner added the sites he or she enjoys and finds useful.
If you think it's a good idea to link to anyone who asks, see if you change your mind once you have a few hundred links. A really long blogroll is not particularly useful to readers.

7. You don't launch a forum when you have very few readers.

Before I got into blogging, I was keen on web forums. Back then, a lot of people had their own multi-topic forums - communities with various different sections for a wide range of topics. I'm sure there are plenty of active forums still out there.
But because they've been around for a while, I've noticed it is now a lot harder to get a brand new forum off the ground. Starting a blog is a lot of work too, but the barriers for new readers are far lower on blogs than on forums, because you don't usually have to register to post a comment.
Some blogs are now trying to run a forum alongside their blog, so their readers can join in with some discussions. The problem is, most of these forums end up being too quiet for people to participate in. I've tried setting up a forum for bloggers in the past, but it didn't work as I had hardly any readers. However, when I gave it another try with the CMF Ads blogging forums, people started to participate. This is because I had more readers. Also, it helps if you can collaborate with other bloggers, as I did with CMF Ads.
If you're all set to run a forum with your blog, don't do it until you're getting lots of comments and you have lots of subscribers. I'd say you need at least 10 comments per blog post before you even consider running a forum, because it shows people have something to say.

8. Your posts need to be different.

It may seem easier just to write the same posts as others, especially if some of those people get lots of comments, but it doesn't offer anything new to potential readers.
An opposing viewpoint or an unusual topic will attract more attention than writing what everyone else is writing. Write original, compelling content and you're well on the way.

9. You can waste a lot of time on social networking sites.

How many blogs suggest using StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit, Twitter or Plurk to get your blog noticed? Granted, these sites have large communities that you can leverage to a degree - but some people spend more time "networking" than writing new posts!
Don't lose sight of your goals - try to limit the time you spend on social networking sites. Make sure you spend your time productively, in a way that works for you as well as the people you're interacting with. Don't spam, or any effort you put in will most likely be wasted.

10. You'll meet some great people.

I really enjoy blogging. I like writing new posts, otherwise I wouldn't keep on doing it. But it wouldn't be the same if there weren't so many great people out there.
Blogging is a really good way to meet people with similar interests or opposing viewpoints. It can help you to build personal and professional relationships. Whether or not it's easy to set up your first blog, regardless of whether you make money online, bloggers are a thoughtful, creative group of people and there's always someone new to meet.

What have you learned about blogging that you didn't know before you tried it?