Blogging Answers Community

Guest-Posting and Guest-Hosting: Best Practices

Last updated on April 20, 2015 by Greg Narayan | 39 Comments

Guest posting. What is it, and why do it? What are the pros and cons? What qualities do great guests and hosts have? What are the rules? Who makes them up? These are some of the questions you may have…

Enter Our Holiday Giveaway!

Last updated on December 20, 2013 by Greg Narayan | 6 Comments

Dear Readers, Happy Holidays and welcome to our giveaway! You’ll be happier than a 4 year old in a jumpsuit… One more throwback picture below, courtesy of my Mum and her blog. So what’s the deal here? Three bloggers have…

Ante-Up Post #1: Share Your Story with Adsense

Last updated on March 21, 2016 by Greg Narayan | 42 Comments

Dear Reader, Strategy updated: I’m now running two more ads (3 total) on the case study blog as per a reader’s comment. The holidays are an important time to set goals. As such, I usually blow it and just end…

So, You’re Back at it: How to Take Advantage of a Post-Holiday Blogging Buzz

Last updated on October 27, 2014 by Greg Narayan | 16 Comments

Another vacation is in the books and that means you’re fired up! Guess what, your readers are too! Here are 10 best practices to write your usual amazing content AND seize the buzz that comes right after a vacation. Note:…

Video CASE STUDY: 4 Bloggers Show Us if WordPress.com or WordPress.org is the Right Version for You

Last updated on October 27, 2014 by Greg Narayan | 17 Comments

In the 1971 epic film “Diamonds are Forever” James Bond is faced with a slight dilemma – his villain comes in two versions. Bond must kill one of them to avoid a global oil crisis and millions of dollars in…

Five Flawless Ways to Start a Blog Post (with a Surprise!)

Last updated on October 27, 2014 by Greg Narayan | 26 Comments

It’s a problem we all face. Unless you’re a super confident writer with an endless coffee pot full of creativity, you might face it quite often. Starting blog posts is challenging. You’ve got that idea in your head – it…

A Checklist (and the Woman Behind it) that Toppled Dear Blogger

Last updated on February 26, 2014 by Greg Narayan | 29 Comments

Quick note from Greg – When I launched Dear Blogger way back, I remember telling all the writers and advertisers “sorry, this blog is too fresh for guest-posters” (cocky, eh?) Unlike my blogs that employ 50+ authors and interns I…

The Ultimate Guide to Making a Personal Email Address

Last updated on December 11, 2013 by Greg Narayan | 20 Comments

What’s the first thing you should do after you setup a blog? Hint: Most people forget to do this and get less gigs, less sponsorships, and less feedback on their work because of it. Experts will tell you to create…

The Content Waterfall

Last updated on October 27, 2014 by Greg Narayan | 2 Comments

Dear Readers, Do you experience a content waterfall on your blog? Picture this: A bit of water (ideas) backs up in a small pond (your blog). The water trickles down from a mountain. It doesn’t exactly go anywhere, because there…

When PageRank Abandons a Blog: What To Do When You Lose Google PageRank

Last updated on October 27, 2014 by Greg Narayan | 38 Comments

Dear Readers, For two years I built PageRank on my college community blog. When I awoke Monday to check the Gmail, my PageRank was a zero. In this post I’d like to explain what happened and how to protect yourself…

Guest Blogging Guidelines: Dear Blogger Style

Last updated on October 27, 2014 by Greg Narayan |

Dear Reader, No more excuses. No more polite rejection emails. It’s time to start publishing the work of a few Dear Blogger readers. That means you! And on a blog where the best knowledge usually comes from you guys, the…

“Search Engines Follow People” and Other Reasons I’m So Happy With Year #1

Last updated on December 4, 2013 by Greg Narayan | 33 Comments

Dear Reader, This blog turns 1 year old this weekend! (The weekend of September 29th, 2013, but don’t worry it’s not too late to congratulate us!) And while I have little to complain about since we launched last year, that…

How Mega-Brands Choose Domain Names

Last updated on July 22, 2019 by Greg Narayan | 14 Comments

Problem? Yes. Answer from Dear Blogger? Of course. Google's amazing. I often Google long tail gibberish only I could possibly understand like "2004 Digg feature Business Week quote about blogging future" and Google fetches it. But in this case we…

Eliminating the “Nobody Cares” Effect on Your Blog

Last updated on September 11, 2013 by Greg Narayan | 19 Comments

Dear Readers, If you’re in your middle ages of blogging, you might be in a lull. Happens to everyone. People…your readers…care. Really they do. But if you haven’t realized by now that blogging is a consumer driver environment, where visitors…

Road to Glory: What Blogging Milestones Have You Reached This Summer?

Last updated on October 27, 2014 by Greg Narayan | 16 Comments

It’s the end of the summer now and I’m going to take the odd calm I’ve felt in the blogosphere as a sign folks are working away on their own blogs and projects. Dog days, where the long-nights are dwindling.…

The Longest Post Ever on WordPress

Last updated on October 9, 2013 by Greg Narayan | 33 Comments

Dear Reader, No revolutionary blogging strategies here, but I do need your help. See, when I present the idea of WordPress to new bloggers, many cringe. “That’s the hard one!” This is why I’m opening up today’s post to you.…

Waste of Space: Are Ads Good for Your Blog?

Last updated on October 27, 2014 by Greg Narayan | 15 Comments

Nothing to do with my love for social media, for about 6 months The Social Network (2010) was my favorite movie. The dialogue is amazing, and I still get goosebumps watching Mark launch theFacebook. Plus, the friend vs friend business…

Why a Simple List Post Ranks in Google’s Top 10

Last updated on October 27, 2014 by Greg Narayan | 7 Comments

Dear Readers, Ranking in Google is impossible. Bloggers will never be able to compete with the Yahoos, Ask.coms, About.coms etc etc etc so don’t even bother! Yeah, right. If you run a blog or personal website, you’re going to need…

Penguin + Panda Survival Guide: Everything You Should Know and Do

Last updated on October 27, 2014 by Greg Narayan | 10 Comments

Dear Readers, I dropped by a G+ hangout last week to listen to some bloggers chat about how to blog now after Penguin and Panda. Boy were they mad. These guys were talking about how Google has passed so many…

3 Steps to Picking the Right Topic for Your New Blog

Last updated on October 27, 2014 by Greg Narayan | 10 Comments

Dear Reader, I was at the local coffee house with my two best buds this past weekend discussing how important blogs have become. One a signed musician and the other an optical scientist, these gents are considered far smarter than…

4 Reasons You and I Might Consider Closing Old Comments

Last updated on October 27, 2014 by Greg Narayan | 28 Comments

Dear Reader, If you drop by here on the regs you probably enjoy our sense of community. There is a lot to talk about at Dear Blogger. Lots of blogging answers, and lots of places to add your knowledge. But…

Why Understanding Opportunity Cost Might Help Your Blogging

Last updated on October 27, 2014 by Greg Narayan | 8 Comments

Dear Readers, On errands this weekend to fill my home office, I ended up at the television store. As I browsed through LGs, Samsungs, and the rare Toshiba, the concept of opportunity cost crossed my mind. Was I spending my…

Why My Colleagues and I Trust Aweber

Last updated on June 5, 2018 by Greg Narayan | 13 Comments

Dear Readers, I’ve gotten this question a lot lately: “Where do I start building my email list?” Hmmmm. *Sits back in rocking chair and takes long pull from pipe as he ponders the answer* Well, I guess it’s time to…