---
title: "21 Things You'll Learn From Blogging for 10 Years"
date: 2012-09-14T10:03:37Z
modified: 2012-09-14T10:04:59Z
permalink: "https://redmonk.com/jgovernor/21-things-youll-learn-from-blogging-for-10-years/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 3879
categories:
  - Uncategorized
timestamp: 2012-09-14T10:04:59Z
tags:
  - Uncategorized
---

![](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-1HE-UIsY-7Q/UFMAjQvbYuI/AAAAAAAAFxY/9452cTV-wuo/s320/beard201029.jpg "dyers")

I was hanging out on the web this morning, looking at beard styles, as you do, when I came across a guy called John Dyers, who owns [“types of beard” as a Google image search](https://www.google.com/search?q=types+of+beard&hl=en&safe=off&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=IgFTUNORNePA0QXrkIDYDw&ved=0CBwQsAQ&biw=1599&bih=789). He is a beard blogger, arguably _the_ beard blogger. When TV news is looking for beard commentary, he is the guy. He turned the beard into what Hugh MacLeod calls [a social object](http://gapingvoid.com/so/). He went on a [quest for every beard type](http://www.dyers.org/blog/beards/beard-types/). Any good protagonist of course needs a quest.

Now- I am a relative neophyte when it comes to blogging, only having 8 years under my belt, but I certainly recognise most of this excellent list.

[A Few Things I’ve Learned In A Decade Of Blogging](http://www.dyers.org/blog/archives/2012/01/10/dyers-org-turns-10-thats-60-in-web-years/)

- The web loves lists.
- If Mother Theresa had a blog, someone out there would send her hate mail. You’re not Mother Theresa. You’ll get worse.=
- You can say 2+2=4 and someone is going to call you a conspiracy theorist who has been bought by the mainstream media.
- Most of what you hope will do well won’t, and you will shake your head at what succeeds.
- Proper tagging and promotion can more than make up for bad writing and lack of content.
- Over time, blogging will turn you into a writer with no time to actually write.
- Beware of bloggers who blog about blogging. There is a good chance that they are salesmen selling sales seminars.
- Deadlines are more important than perfection because writing is never done perfect.
- Write short, scannable text.
- The web is fickle.
- Give before you ask.
- There are secret cabals of savvy folks out there who cross promote articles for each other to drive traffic. They sometimes work.
- Blogging means that you will never be able to tell a story without someone cutting you off and saying that they read it already.
- People you’ve never met will feel like they know you, but most of the time you’ll wonder if anyone’s really out there.
- Stats can be exciting, but they really don’t matter.
- You need to promote your posts, but promoting your own posts rarely works.
- Your blog can get you in the paper and on TV. But, then what?
- You can have your face circle the web for years and no one will recognize you on the street.
- Whatever you publish in anger will be embarrassing in a couple of years.
- You can be a big beard freak at the top of Google stats and there will be people will still want to hire you.
- If your blog is not a labor of love, your going to have a hard time defining its success.

It was lovely to read the post, which felt like a message from an old friend- the old friend in question being blogging itself. I was reminded what it used to be like, before 140 character status updates on other people’s networks. John clearly became a really good writer in his ten years. What long time blogger won’t recognise the valedictory notes of pipe and slippers?

> Now that the site is in its golden years, it’s sluggish and lazy, sleeping in a recliner covered in Cheetos. It occasionally snores itself awake long enough to drop something funny or facial hair related before drifting off again…

Thanks John!