9 Simple Blogging Secrets  TYPICALLY, when you first start a blog, family and friends are excited for you, and leave encouraging comments. Then suddenly, all too quickly, the honeymoon ends, and they stop reading your blog. You may feel dismayed, ready to hide your head in the sand. Don't take it personally, though, because your friends and family thought they were doing enough by checking out your blog once or twice initially. Truth be told, you are really blogging for new friends and readers who are truly interested in your topic, although some old friends or family members might continue to read your blog occasionally. But be honest--is your readership pitiful? Are your stats so low that you feel like the least popular kid at school? My own stats were nothing to brag about until I learned a few basic things about blogging. So don't be depressed, get motivated! It's not that your blog stinks, it's that you need to know a few of the secrets to successful blogging. Don't give up, just keep on reading! 1) First and foremost, BELIEVE in yourself! If you don't believe in yourself, no one else will. This may sound like a simple cliché, but it's true. Step one is to have confidence in your self and your words. You should feel like an authority on whatever you're blogging about. If you're unsure, your words will reflect that. You don't have to be pompous or arrogant, just confident. Do the research you may need to do to be accurate and authoritative. Furthermore, your blog should be about what really interests you, and is worth the extra effort you put into it. Be ORIGINAL, be YOU, and be inspirational to others. This will make you a success! 2) PUBLISH as frequently as possible. Every day is ideal, but challenging for those with busy schedules. I try to post every few days, or at least once a week. Commit to frequently publishing original content that's well-written and heartfelt. Here's your chance to tell your stories--make them interesting! Edit as much as you need to, even after you've published if necessary. Quality and uniqueness are really important. My favorite blogs are one-of-a-kind and keep me coming back for more. You want people to look forward to reading your posts, not consider it a boring chore. Encourage comments, too, which make people feel more involved with your blog. 3) LINK to other blogs and websites. Eventually others will link to your blog. Include a blog roll on your blog featuring related blogs. For more information about this, go to Writing Space. Encourage people to read your blog by commenting intelligently and courteously on other blogs. That's the quickest way for others to find you. They may become interested in you, because you showed interest in them. All they need to do is click on your name and they'll arrive at your blog. It's the start of many reciprocal relationships between bloggers. 4) GOT ADS? In a flash, you can put related ads on your site from Adsense or other advertisers if you want to earn some money from your blog. Personally, I like AdSense, which gives you ads related to content and a great deal of control. In fact, you can choose the size, amount, and the placement of your ads, and many other aspects are customizable. Go to AdSense to find out more and sign up. 5) LISTS are a wonderful addition to your blog. Blog expert Chris Brogan says it's best to have a list which contains an odd number of items. For some reason, this seems to draw the most readers. In keeping with this, I'll attempt to have this list contain an odd number of items, although I may add to it when I get more good secrets from readers, so it could have an even number of items temporarily. Be sure to check back for future additions to this list. 6) More advice: STOP COMPLAINING. Don't make your blog a site for complaining about your world. You don't need to sugar-coat everything, but on the other hand, who wants to hear about all the tedious personal problems of others? I don't! Do you? People want to be entertained, inspired, intrigued--not feel like the local complaint department--so air your grievances elsewhere. Help others to get motivated in some way--don't be a downer! 7) HIT THE BOOKS. There are many terrific books about blogging, packed with useful tips and techniques for building a successful blog which gets lots of traffic. I couldn't resist ordering a copy of The IT Girl's Guide to Blogging with Moxie for myself. I still need to learn more about blogging!