potty train

1. Revise, Edit and Proofread: Every blog improvement site I've read mentions good content. Write well, and they will come. But as an English teacher and writer, one thing I can say with confidence is that the good reviser is what makes the good writer. My top revising strategy: save your posts and come back to them a bit later with a fresh perspective

2. Use Entrecard: I first read about Entrecard on Problogger and never expected when first trying it out to bring so much traffic so quickly. In a nutshell, you sign up and create a "card." You drop (click) on other Entrecards and earn credit for doing so. Using those credits to buy space on blogs, it essentially amounts to free advertising on sites you may not normally get exposure on. Look the entrecard on Cool Baby Kid for instance (left sidebar). You'll see a blog who "bought" space on my site by earning credits and "purchasing" the spot. Cool huh?

3. Read Problogger: Darren Rowse makes a living blogging. I've been reading Problogger faithfully since the first month I started out. I've learned more from his site than you can imagine. Warning...the sheer amount of information can be overwhelming. Start with his article "Blogging Tips for Beginners," subscribe to the site and learn what you can whenever you have a few extra minutes to spare.

4. Read Other Blogs: It is important to begin building blog relationships which means reading and commenting on other blogs. Though my personal blogroll isn't huge, I read those on my list regularly to get ideas, add to conversations and get to know the authors.

5. Commit to Constant Improvement: There's just no easy way to build a great blog overnight. And because there are so many different facets to blogging--SEO, design, networking--it's easy to become overwhelmed. (Notice I mentioned that twice!) I've build a list of resources I use, so set aside some time each week, get away from the daily tasks such as writing posts and sending emails, and work on improving your blog. And have fun doing it!

Submitted by Jamie