My Thoughts on Blogging in Action
Blogging in Action is the package that gets us the most excited. It’s rare you find a book that’s ‘not too hot, not too cold, but juuuust right.’ The author, Shaun Taylor, has certainly outdone himself — but what you really care about is how the book and resource can help you, so let’s get to it!
The thing you notice first when you start reading the ebook is that is it tips the scale at 258 pages! This is a huge accomplishment in the world of ebook publishing. Some people might be concerned that it’ll be too much information in too small a space, but the organization of it all makes that a non-issue.
Shaun starts out by outlining his goals for the book. He wants it to be current and up to date, covering different topics appealing to those of different levels of experience. He breaks down theory into action steps that create a roadmap for individuals who want to become a successful blogger. Two words — he succeeds.
As much as we like to give impartial reviews and tell you about the good and the bad — it’s really hard in this case. Even with a critcal viewpoint, there isn’t anything that screams out to be changed here. Sometimes we thought, “wait a minute, he should have…oh, he did!”
For those who are concerned about having to dig through a pile of information they already know or aren’t interested in, Shaun takes a unique approach to solving that problem. He not only has the standard table of contents, he also has ‘tags’ that indicate when you should and shouldn’t read. For example, if he includes non-essential information he marks it with a tag! For those who haven’t a lot of time to read this is a welcome addition.
Everything is covered here from A-Z, and it’s all explained so that anyone can grasp the concepts. The different sections in Blogging in Action generally start out with an overview of that particular section, but then they quickly move into action steps. This is great, because becoming a successful blogger isn’t just about reading the information, it’s about actually doing something with it. If this book doesn’t convince you to do that, nothing will!
The table of contents for things you’ll learn is too large to list, but here are some of our favorites:
- Choosing a platform
- What is a blog?
- Configuring your blog for readers and search engines
- Backing up your blog
- What is a niche?
- How to do keyword research (comes with a tool!)
- Building your brand
- Creating compelling content
- Mistakes to avoid (this goes against what is taught in our least favorite blogging book)
- Which directories to submit to
- Article marketing
- Finding .edu and .gov links!
- Using social networking sites and strategy
- Monetization strategies
- Quick start videos for every step of the way
Clearly, Blogging in Action is the definitive guide for anyone who wants to get started with blogging. It is a very well designed, well edited ebook. It was created for readers of all skill levels. If you want to make sure you get the right book on how to blog and make money the first time, this is the one you should get.
