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Ultimate Blog Challenge – Benefits and Thoughts

Ultimate Blog Challenge

Here we are at day 31 of the January 2013 Ultimate Blog Challenge.   The challenge was to post every day for 31 straight days.   I thought I’d finish the month with some thought and benefits.

Benefits of the Ultimate Blog Challenge

• Probably the biggest long term benefit will be the badge I can add to my blog and being able to add “challenge winner” to my About Me Page,, my 30 second commercial etc.  Most readers will not really know what it means, but it is good marketing material.
• It certainly showed me that I could blog every day.  It also showed me what it would cost time and energy wise.
• It improved my blog traffic.   My traffic has just about doubled during this month.  Now considering that I started  at 10 to 15 a day, this is not a hug achievement, but it does make me feel good to see things moving.
• I made some new online friends.  I certainly have some people I want to talk to some more.
• I was exposed to quite a few new people who are outside my current mastermind group.
• In addition to posting and commenting on two people’s blog every day, I also put the post on my Facebook Fan Page, my Google Plus Page, My Pinterest Blog Post Board, and my LinkedIn status page.   On some days I did more.   These pages now have “weight” in that you can scroll down and it shows post after post.   This is great credibility.
• For me a real benefit was validation of the training I have been taking part in.  I was able to see things on other blogs that I would never have noticed last year.   Things like I can’t see your name/  Who are you.
• I certainly learned some things as I researched the various topics I posted on.  One of the most important was “how to comment Effectively” on blog posts.  I learned I really needed to use my whole name in the NAME field (this is the anchor text for a link.  It should refer to me, not everyone who has my first name.) and put a full post link in the the WEBSITE field.  Google ranks each page separately .  I don’t need more links to my home page, I need links to my most recent post.
• I learned how to run a challenge like this.
• If I had needed it I’m sure I would have learned somethings from the “Topic Ideas” emails that the hosts sent out.
• I got to finish several series that I had started and that needs some research and a post or two to finish.
• I was exposed to some parts of the Internet that I would not have seen.  The challenge to comment on the two posts right above yours took me to some places that were very strange to me – Purple Hair ( a very fine post on Being YOU), high heeled shoes, art work and poetry.

Those were the benefits and they were VERY Worthwhile.

Now for the negatives.  I tend to write longer posts.  In many cases longer than I probably should, but I’m an educator, what can I say.  The Ultimate Blog Challenge kept me up VERY late many night last month.  If they had another one for the month of February, I probably would not participate.  I intend to post regularly.  I see the benefits there, I’m just not sure that I’m ready to post every day again for a while.  I did have a concern about responsiveness of the hosts.  I asked a few questions and never saw a reply.

It was interesting that the vast majority of the  bloggers involved were female – It seemed like 95%.

As I mentioned I never opened the emails, but the rest of the system was NOT a pitch-fest.  That was one of my concerns when I started.  Was this a thinly disguised marketing campaign that I had voluntarily stepped into.   The Ultimate Blog Challenge was NOT that.   Thank Goodness.

I would like to thank the two ladies that run the Ultimate Blog Challenge Michele Scism  and Michelle Shaeffer Yep.  Two Michelle’s and two different spellings. 🙂

Thank You, I’ll be back and I’ll post the badge with pride!.

Until next time, you have a Great Day!

↓ ↓ If this post gave you some ideas – Go ahead & comment below.  ↓ ↓

Hale Pringle Ed. D.

Hale Pringle – Hale Yes!

Skype hale.pringle

Email: HaleYes@HalePringle.com

P.S. If you are working to move your business online and it all seems overwhelming, I can help!  Take a look at http://HalePringle.com, or sign up for the free coaching call. You can email me or give me a Skype call. I’ll give you the benefit of my years of experience and many thousands of dollars in training and searching the rabbit hole called Internet Marketing and Network Marketing. I can help you with Lead Generation, the feeling of overwhelm, blogging, and even career change. Add that to the finest mentoring on the Internet (Ann Sieg’s Team and Inner Circle) and you have a Winner!

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