And Sometimes You Hit The Jackpot...

[TimK]

Well, maybe it's not a jackpot. And maybe it is. We'll have to see.

But I did get you to click through. I think I'm getting better at writing headlines.

Here's the story. November 2005, I started a podcast, be the story, about stories and telling stories. In December, I started blogging, too. The site seems to have settled on around 35 visits per day, which I can grow slowly if I work at constantly marketing it. Over this time, the site has earned an average of $1.80 per month from AdSense and affiliate sales. Since April 5, it's earned $2.38.

What's so significant about April 5? That day, I started another blog, a professional and career blog, about software development, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Why? Because I'm a Senior Software Engineer, looking for leadership opportunities, in preparation for running my own software business. This is not a strange mix of topics, at least not among entrepreneurially minded software developers.

J. Timothy King's Blog has averaged 170 visits per day, peaking at over 1000 for two days this past week. From AdSense, the blog has earned $5.75 over its first 25 days. I have done little marketing of this blog so far, though what I have done I learned about over the past 6 months. Most of this traffic has come from reddit.com, to which I submitted a couple early pillar articles. (I have not yet tried digg or any of the other social bookmarking sites.) I also have gotten some traffic and links from blog carnivals, several of which overlap with my topic area.

Unfortunately, none of these marketing vehicles work well with bethestory.com, as that site's audience gathers in online forums, email lists, and certain popular blogs. So it requires a different approach. But I haven't given up on it yet, and I don't think I will, as it's one of my passions.

One thing I want to try is cross-promotion via simultaneous blogging. That is, I'm preparing a pair of posts, both on the same current event, that the creators of Gilmore Girls are leaving the show. One post looks at the event from the business side; the other, from the creative side. The two link to each other. I'm trying to see if I can convince people coming into one blog to try out content on the other. Of course, before I can do that, I'll have to finish writing these posts. So...

-TimK

[Yaro]

Interesting stuff Tim - it might be worth elaborating how you worked reddit to your advantage as well. Did you just submit the articles and sit back and watch?

[TimK]

Hi, Yaro. Firstly, I followed the customs of reddit. That is, I submitted links to original material that I thought reddit users might be interested in, and I did not post a large number of links from my site. The first day, I actually submitted only one link, to a pillar article entitled "Eight Things Leaders Never Do."

The link did not get a large ranking, but it did get picked up by several blogs. Twenty people have also bookmarked it at del.icio.us, and I am not one of them. The link also got submitted by a user of joel.reddit.com, where it ranked more highly. All in all, this article was viewed more than 2,000 times.

I did the same thing with a few other posts. It's really not much. The key as always is to understand the rules and culture of the forum, and be a useful contributor.

-TimK

[Yaro]

So you, besides following the rules and submitting a solid pillar article it's pretty much luck from there? You just have to hope people want and enjoy your content?

[TimK]

Yes, there is a certain amount of luck involved, as in anything. But at root, it's just going where the customers are in order to market to them. Then market to them effectively.

Note that reddit lists only the headline with a link to the article. So the headline is extremely important. It will determine whether someone clicks through in order to read even your first sentences.

-TimK

[Tylor]

Originally posted by TimK@May 5 2006, 02:09 AM

[snapback]813[/snapback]

whats with the mustach h34r:

[TimK]

Originally posted by Tylor@May 5 2006, 03:10 AM
whats with the mustach

[snapback]815[/snapback]

I once tried shaving it off. Not gonna do that again.

-TimK

[burty]

Tim, I've always wondered why Americans like to place an initial before their name? Is it to convey a sense of professionalism? If so, it simply doesn't work.

That one little detail is enough to put me off your blog. Here you are Tim K. Nice short, not up itself. There you are J. Timothy King - that sounds pompous, and self important.

I'm not sure if there are any other countries that use one's name in this manner - maybe it is normal everywhere else than the UK? Enlighten me!

[Blaine Moore]

Originally posted by burty@May 5 2006, 09:58 AM
Tim, I've always wondered why Americans like to place an initial before their name?Â* Is it to convey a sense of professionalism?Â* If so, it simply doesn't work.

That one little detail is enough to put me off your blog.Â* Here you are Tim K.Â* Nice short, not up itself.Â* There you are J. Timothy King - that sounds pompous, and self important.

I'm not sure if there are any other countries that use one's name in this manner - maybe it is normal everywhere else than the UK?Â* Enlighten me!

[snapback]823[/snapback]

My mother changed her middle and last names and went by her middle name, because she doesn't like her first name. The only reason she kept it was for her mother. She wishes she hadn't though, because for 12 years she had to go around signing everything with that first initial. She doesn't have that first name anymore, though, which is nice for her.

[TimK]

Hi, Burty. I've always been called Tim. My first name is Jonathan. So the "J" really is my first initial. This is pretty common, at least in the U.S., for a person to go by his middle name. It has nothing to do with pomposity.

So, why not just use "Tim King"? Well, if you Google for "Tim King," you'll get a long list of people, and I'm not even on the first page. If you Google for "J. Timothy King," I am the first page (save one or two links). So for a by-line, I always use "J. Timothy KIng," which is also what's on my business cards. But just call me "Tim."

-TimK