Because that’s what all of us here in the blogoshpere really want, isn’t it? I know when I first started blogging, I just wanted to carve out my own little space to set up a site, personalize it with a few pictures, and empty out my head through the keyboard. But as time has gone on and my eyes have been opened to the countless amazing blogs out there and the bloggers who created them, I’ve been spurred to try to make my blog a little better every day.
Now I don’t mean to say we’re all out here strictly trying to outdo each other and top everyone in stats or followers or have the biggest community or whatever, but I think each and every one of us enjoys the satisfaction that comes with adding a really great picture or finally getting that plugin to work or formatting our layout just so where it makes us happy each time we look at our pages.
I can’t tell you how great a sense of accomplishment I’ve felt along the way when I dug into the CSS code, tweaked something I’d never seen before (let alone actually tried to manipulate. have you seen how many random letters and symbols are in this stuff?), and when I reloaded my home page the change I made had worked and looked great! It’s the little things here people…
And if there was 1 source of inspiration and guidance that has helped me more than anything along the way, it was a virtual workbook I discovered recently. Do you remember my Week in My Life series of posts last month? Well Mel, the amazing ringleader of that endeavor, is seriously a blogging guru. She is the mastermind behind Momcomm, and there is where I found what could easily be coined the New Blogger’s Bible, her DIY Blog Critique Workbook. Ahhhh…! (picture that being sung by a chorus of cherubs)
If you are a blogger just starting out and want some insanely good advice, or a pro blogger maybe looking to do a little site tweaking or freshening up, or even a non-blogger debating making your own splash into this blogging pool, READ IT!! I really can’t stress enough how helpful that workbook is.
In working through it, I found the motivation I needed to finally do some housecleaning and try to step things up around here. My blog has gone through a couple iterations now, and I’m finally at a point where I look at my content, click through the pages, tool around on the sidebar, and think wow, I actually created all of this, and I really like it! All of that is, in no small part, attributable to Mel’s workbook.
The step-by-step lessons she imparts are invaluable to discovering so many wonderful tools in this wide world of blogging. The workbook is billed as “43 Ways to Get Your Blog in Shape!” and that is no joke. It literally comes with a checklist so you can track your progress as you make your way through the sections, if you are so inclined.
And you don’t have to do it all in one fell swoop, or even in order, either. I did a ton of jumping around when I read it, sometimes because I had either already addressed the steps she suggested, they were a little too scary for me to try to tackle right then, or I just didn’t have the time to implement everything I wanted to all at once.
And what better time than NOW to check it out? We’re quickly closing in on a new year, and who doesn’t want to start 2012 with a bloggy bang? Maybe it’s just what that blogging friend needs to kick off the best blog ever. Or maybe you need an awesome idea for a gift exchange. Why not scoop one up for yourself and one for her (or him! or them!) at the same time? You know, a little pay it forward to get in the giving holiday spirit.
You can discover all of the magnificent details for yourself right here:
The links herein to the DIY Blog Critique Workbook are affiliate links, but it should be pretty obvious that I purchased it for my own use and would recommend it to every blogger and her cousin. Now go get your own!