Good things come in fives … our fifth anniversary

To mark 5 years of the Birmingham Blogging Academy, I’d like to share some wisdom collected along the way …

Five things I love about blogging

1. Showing off my ideas and my writing.
2. Commiserating with fellow bloggers.
3. Collaboration.
4. Inserting the perfect image with a post.
5. Traffic spikes.

Five things I hate about blogging

1. Hunting for photos.
2. Seeing people give up.
3. The list (in my head) of site fixes needed.
4. When you bare your soul and no one reads it. sigh
5. Infinite scroll.

Five things I’ve learned about consulting

1. Get paid up front. Always.
2. Vacation? What’s that?
3. Hustle is your best friend.
4. Flexibility is your next best friend.
5. Developing sales skills is crucial.

Five things I do well

1. Ideas.
2. Little surprises.
3. Improvise.
4. Analysis.
5. Deadpan.

Five things I need to do better

1. Follow up with clients after the project.
2. Elevator pitches.
3. Listen.
4. Edit video.
5. Record videos.

Five tips to blog better

1. Start.
2. Repeat.
3. Measure.
4. Innovate.
5. Love.

Five changes in blogging in the last 5 years

1. Listicles.
2. SEO.
3. Decline of RSS.
4. Rise of mobile.
5. Responsive design.

Five traits I admire in other bloggers

1. Honesty.
2. Niceness.
3. Brevity.
4. Consistency.
5. Humility.

Five suggested goals for blogging

1. Generate leads.
2. Increase number of subscribers.
3. Sign a book deal.
4. Sell products and services.
5. Become thought leader/expert in topic.

Five ways you know you’re succeeding at blogging

1. Strangers call you by your blog name.
2. You have more ideas than time.
3. Other bloggers look up to you.
4. Your goal becomes reality.
5. It’s still fun after all these years.

Photos: (from top) Bill Bradford | Elliott Brown | Woodley
Wonderworks | Kevin Dooley | Stew Dean (CC)

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