Simple Steps Towards Positive Change

Welcome to the first article in The Next 30 Blogging Heroes series. Inspired by the book Blogging Heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World’s Top Bloggers by Michael A. Banks, this series will draw attention to the next 30 blogging heroes.

A blogging hero is someone who is making an impact in the blogosphere. These are the people who are getting their messages out there and having their voices heard. These bloggers have long-term goals and are working very each day to reach them.

Blogging heroes create quality content and build a loyal, and very large, base of readers. This series will center on their best blogging practices as well as tips and advice.

To kick-off this series, Tina Su of Think Simple Now is our next blogging hero. Tina’s blog focuses on finding clarity, motivation, productivity, creativity and happiness. Her elegant and captivating writing style provides simple steps for positive change to occur in our lives.

She is gaining a lot of attention and building a very large subscription base of faithful readers. Think Simple Now is a great reminder of the value and importance blogging has in our culture today.

What prompted you to start Think Simple Now?

I saw zenhabits and was hit by a stroke of inspiration. These are topics which I talk about all the time with my friends. It felt like almost every conversation I had, I would be talking about motivation, inspiration and finding happiness. It just occurred to me then that others online may be interested and may benefit from my experiences.

All the topics I talk and write about are ideas that I’ve spent considerable amounts of time reading and thinking about. I’m so glad that I’ve been able to find a ground where I can meet friends who feel connected by this common thread.

Are you achieving what you set out to do with the site?

Absolutely. I am so happy with how everything is turning out. The most important measuring stick!

What do you find to be the more difficult aspects of blogging?

Let’s call it challenging instead of difficult. I believe that if we labeled something as difficult, it will be. I know that if I start to worry about how difficult it might be, then I’ve already failed before I even start.

What’s most challenging will be different with each blogger. For me, it is balancing out my time writing and having a life outside sitting in front of a computer. I work in IT and am already in front of a monitor all day. I don’t read RSS feeds and do not read online news. Many of the topics I write about are the challenges that I am facing that week. This week, I really need to reduce time spent on email and the temptation to browse aimlessly.

What do you find gratifying about blogging?

I love seeing the heart-felt comments people leave or email to me, and connecting with such amazing people. There’s nothing like hearing from someone who felt motivated, inspired or happy from the words in one of my articles. Every night, when I list out things I am grateful for today, I always include my readers, and other bloggers who’s helped me. It’s a deeply gratifying feeling which is hard to express in words.

In summary: what I enjoy most is the ability to connect with other human beings and being able to contribute back in some way.

Do you do anything special to increase your readership?

I spent almost all of my time focused on generating value-packed, quality content. Each article takes around 8-10 hours to produce, from writing, to editing, to re-writing, to matching images, to layout styling. When the content is as good as you can make, not only can you help more people, but also your chances of being linked, talked about, Dugg, Stumbled, and bookmarked increases.

I also spend a small amount of time networking with other bloggers. Reaching out and introducing myself. Offer a lending hand if they need. Everyone wins in the end.
Success in the blogging world is really a community effort. You cannot get far without friends and harmony with others.

Was SEO a part of your blog development in the beginning?

Yes, but very little of it. When the template was designed, it was done with SEO in mind, but other than that, I’ve spent no time on SEO. I’m not a fan of link exchanges and do not promote it, but I hear it helps with SEO. I much prefer focusing on generating articles that people may consider valuable, and then getting links organically that way.

What advice can you offer other bloggers?

• Focus on generating value packed content – we’ve all heard of this before. Always put yourself in the reader’s shoes. Recall articles you’ve really liked, what are some things you really liked about it? Why did you continue reading it? Why did you bookmark it? Take those answers and incorporate those characteristics into your own writing. Always write with the reader’s best interest in mind.
• Meet other bloggers – not just limited in your own niche. Don’t be shy to drop someone an email (Just don’t harass them). I don’t recommend emailing someone requesting for a link exchange as an ice-breaker. Leave a sweet and short note to introduce yourself. Feel free to email me tina[at] thinksimplenow.com any time to introduce yourself (you can practice on me).
• Participate in social media – Join StumbleUpon and/or Digg (there are many, but these are the only two I use extensively). Help your blogger friends succeed by stumbling or digging their stories that you liked. I like the saying, “To get what you want, help others get what they want, first.”. Work on building a power-user profile.
• Minimize digital noise – Practice reducing time spent on email, reading other blogs and browsing. Try to batch tasks up in one sitting, rather than spreading tasks out. This will save you time in the long run, so that you can include more tasks that will give you real value for your time.

Please join us next week when John Wesley of Pick the Brain joins the series. If you would like to be considered as a next blogging hero, please contact me at calexblackwell@aol.com.

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