In our most recent post, I mentioned I’ve been away from Balanced Dividends for a while due to some changes occurring. Among other things, I disconnected from email and social media to self-reflect. I’m still playing catch-up. But one email from Feedspot, a site I frequent to read consolidated things of interest to me, brought this to my attention:
The Surprise
Balanced Dividends recently broke into the top 100 dividend blogs on Feedspot. I’m very surprised. How could the site continue to attract additional readers while I had not posted in nearly two months?
Did I forget that I did an advertising or marketing sprint? No.
Perhaps a semi-viral [note: very, very limited, semi-viral] post? Not really.
Was it luck? Yes, perhaps to some extent.
The Answer
The readers, of course! While true, the relatively consistent drive to get better helped. But I struggle with this frequently.
Fortunately, the motivation to continue producing content after over 14 months came from others in the dividend and general investing (as well as fitness) community. The Balanced Dividends Blogroll lists a number of them. However, I want to give a special call-out to (among many others):
- Tom at Dividends Diversify
- Bert and Lanny at Dividend Diplomats
- Zach at Four Pillar Freedom
There are so many great sites out there. These three continue to inspire me with their passion, dedication, and focus.
Things That Made Me Feel Stupid
I still have a long way to go on things I would like to accomplish with Balanced Dividends. It can be frustrating at times. However, to find some encouragement, I started this list of lessons learned about 10 months ago. They seem obvious looking back, but I do get a brief laugh thinking about them now.
1. There is a difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org besides the internet address.
One of primary differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org is where your blog is actually hosted. Bluehost hosts this blog and the site utilizes the installed software from WordPress.org. With WordPress.com, a blog is actually hosted by WordPress.com.
I spent nearly 30 minutes trying to log-in to my WordPress.com account that did not exist; I was thoroughly confused and saying what the hell? How could I log into my WordPress dashboard for my site but not into WordPress.com?
A simple google search solved that personal conundrum.
2. Jetpack and Akismet are made by the owners of WordPress.com – Automattic.
Automattic is the company behind WordPress.com, while Jetpack and Akismet are WordPress plug-in tools. You need to have a WordPress.com account to activate and utilize Jetpack or Akismet (see item number one above). This blog uses both Akismet and Jetpack.
3. Don’t use 2 spaces after a period; your blog – rather you, as the blogger – will look stupid.
When reviewing one of my first posts, my sister, who is a professional editor and online content manager, yelled at me for doing this again and again. Literally, as I type this right now [10 months ago], I need to force myself to consciously avoid double tapping the space bar on my keyboard. Damn, I just did it again.
If you do have more than one space after a period, your text will not be aligned and almost appear slightly indented along the left side of the text. Apparently, over two decades of behavior is difficult to change overnight.
4. There is a draft status option for posts that are still in draft.
I’ve published items many times in error. Enough said.
5. Use the publish button for when you’re ready to publish a post (what a concept!).
Admittedly, I already knew this seemingly obvious feature. But I still kept screwing up. I’d hit the publish button instead of the save button. When reviewing what the post looked like on the actual website, I was surprised to see one of my posts out in public when it hadn’t been fully edited and completed.
Make sure you hit save as draft if you’re not ready to publish the post.
6. Googling stuff is helpful (and free) but not always the most effective use of your time.
I’ve googled countless terms, items, and questions on WordPress, blogging, plug-ins, email services, and who knows what else (well, Google does). But it helps to find a reliable source of information. Whether it’s a site you’re potentially trying to emulate, but in your own original way, or a site that you’ve reviewed to apply some best practices, it’s worth considering paying for good material.
I’ve saved some money by scouring the web for a number of different “how to” articles and sites, but I’m considering paying for some content now that I’ve acquired some basic skills and knowledge.
7. You need to enable your SSL Certificate to utilize your SSL Certificate
My site came with a SSL Certificate as part of the purchase of the domain. However, I spent a few hours trying to figure out why my site’s web address – www.BalancedDividends.com – didn’t have the prefix “https://” – it’s because I’m an idiot and didn’t activate the SSL Certificate.
I actually did activate it (or so I tell myself), but it didn’t work until I utilized the plug-in Really Simple SSL which made it, well, really simple.
Looking Back and – More Importantly – Ahead
I’m excited to get back into the site and continue to connect with other readers and content creators. The recognition via Feedspot means a lot.
More to keep coming soon across personal finance and fitness on Balanced Dividends. Thank you very much for your continued support.
Readers, do you have any examples of something that seemed so overwhelming at first but now is a part of your routine? How do you continue to stay focused?
Related:
Balanced Dividends Blogroll Spotlight #1: Dividends Diversify
3 Lessons Why “Assumption Is The Mother of All F*ck Ups”
Balanced Dividends Blogroll Spotlight #2: Four Pillar Freedom
StarCraft: My 20 Year Addiction – 9 Things I’ve Learned
Balanced Dividends Blogroll Spotlight #3: Dividend Diplomats
Our favorite free financial tool is Personal Capital. We use it to track our net worth, manage our spending & savings, and to monitor our investments. It’s simple and free to use.
Glad to have you back! (and back in the groove). And congrats on the ranking. Well deserved based on your informative postings with a thoughtful, unique perspective.
Thank you for reading!
Congrats and welcome to the list! I know what you mean by life getting in the way and not having time to keep up on writing new posts. I have only been able to get like one post out a month which is an income report. Just need to focus on your goals. As for me, building up the dividend portfolio and increasing my passive dividend income is the main goal. So I am always working on that, and the blog gets more use when more available time opens up. Hard to find a good balance. But nice to see you back!
Thanks DD! Good points, too.
As you also mention, finding balance can be hard (let alone maintaining it!). It’s never never ending…