21 mistakes for a blogger: do they apply to me?

Darren Rowse published a post which lists 21 mistakes a new blogger have to avoid. I saw thousands of posts like this in the last years, but this is the last I read. So, I asked myself: do those mistakes apply to me? Surely more than one are errors I did or I’m doing right now. As always: my English is bad, I know.

Ok, let’s start that check:

1. Giving up too early. It’s not my case: I have many blogs and I learnt how much important is to stay on a blog for month before decide if it is a failed project.
2. Putting off starting a blog. I have so little time that when a new idea comes I only follow those steps: choose a domain and register, install wordpress, install seo pack, hyper cache, post layout, xml sitemap, register to google webmaters, install header and footer, add google analytics code
3. Echoing others talks. Sometime, but I prefer to write my own stupid things. It’s not the better way to make money, by the way.
4. Not have your own domain. Never really done: I try free blog services, like Blogger and other Italians, but they will be submerged under tons of other posts.
5. Irregular post rythm. I never had regular post rhythm. So I failed this point. Last December I decided (my last son born…) to stop writing for a month. My incoming had beed almost equals…
6. Too apologetic. ???
7. Focus on traffic than readers. Not always is the way, it really depends on what you want from your blog. There are blogs focused on high traffic and not caring the loyalty. Loyalty can mean low ads click throught. Two of my blog are totally focused on traffic: they may fails abruptly one day… now they are giving me enough to keep on this way.
8. Too many click-able things. It’s true: when a blog grows, link and button will be added to try out new affiliations, for example. This is confusing. From time to time (I do it) a clean up is a good thing that gives the blog a refresh in look and usability.
9. Not topic defined for the blog. Even if all say it’s better to have a topic, do not give up if you have not. Sticking on a generic blog can give satisfaction and can help on finding a topic you can develop deeply. I have a generic blog (like a magazine) which makes as much money as other more specific.
10. Horrible titles. A good title is for readers and for search engines. There is no need to consume hours every time to find out the right title, but my brother in law always do a research on keywords befoe choose a title and this research pays!
11. Topic no within your interests. A narrow topic requires competence about it and ability to find/create content. I’m on the right way.
12. Too many ads. It depends on the kind of readers. Just experiment. Kind of ads is important too (but that is a my secret…).
13. Forget there are other bloggers. Writing well is not the only key. Write half and comment double (is that English???). I regularly stop blogging and start to navigate new blog and comment on them.
14. Blogging on make money. See point 11. I tried and failed.
15. Not being useful. We can discuss a lot about that. I see totally usefulness blog which earn (I know they earn ’cause I know the authors incoming). So I can say that exist usefulness things to write about that make you earn.
16. Writing for search engine. See point 15, it’s a business that can pay.
17. Checking stats more than once a day. It’s true, checking stats doesn’t help you to find content or traffic. Do your blogger job and find different objectives than see a stats graph to grow. But from time to time look at those graphs… they are nice or… depressive!

The points were 21 but I’m too tired tonight. You can read them on the Darren post: 21 mistake. Now I add the point 22: do not write in a language you don’t know, like me. I have to do it to share my plugins but I don’t rely on a english blog to be famous… or to earn money (from ads, I mean!). It can be a sort of exercise, by the way.