This is the companion blog to “The Rough Guide to Blogging,” available now (Fall 2006).
Well, it looks like I’ll be blogging more over at jonyang.org now than here. It’s been a fun run, but I’ve got a million blogs and the theme of the day is “consolidation” so I’d like to keep everything on one blog. So head on over there for a treasure trove of information — blog and non-blog related. Thanks guys!
Honestly, how many people care about the byline in an article? Unless you’re a semi-famous author (or celebrity), the public is more concerned with the article itself than who wrote it. Writers, you want to change that don’t you? The most obvious way is to force your way into the story; forcing yourself into what you write. That’s the gorilla way. Here’s the guerilla way: brand yourself. Check out this article: “How to Effectively Brand Yourself through Blogs.”
By getting your name out there, people will start to follow your work. You want to write about ketchup versus mustard, the dog whisperer, and what’s flawed about the Ivy League admission system? You also want to get people to read all the above? Then be Malcolm Gladwell, author of “The Tipping Point” and “Blink” but also renowned writer and media critic. Gladwell has branded himself so that his name is bigger than his work, which means that people will want Malcolm for everything because he has name recognition (as well as skills).
Freelance a lot, brand yourself, and get pseudo-famous; it’s the dream of every small town girl.
A few interesting articles:
How to become a Freelance Blogger
Blogging is Easy Money, Right?
Hey, remember that time I was on TV talking about the book and blogging? Months later, I figured out how to get the audio up (click here)!
Of course, anything to be done should be done half-assed so I only have the audio and not the video/audio synced together.
If you want to, as you’re listening to the soothing sounds of my verbal stumbling around a television set (I inserted some beats so you can jam or work out to “my track”), you can imagine me using lots of hand gestures and doing weird things with my hands. That’s apparently what I do when I’m speaking in public; I gesticulate.
I have no idea why my voice dropped two octaves. Television adds ten pounds and makes girly men sound like they have deeper voices apparently. Enjoy.