As for the old ways of doing comments, “Let’s just stick a fork in it,” Scoble stated on his blog. “Comments are dead.” However, a comment left on another blog by Robert Scoble clarified that he meant “comments are about 2/3rds of the way to dying.” Still, the opinion is strong against blog comments.

Scoble is most likely of this opinion because of his ability to generate plenty of conversation on services like Twitter and, most recently, FriendFeed. Other services like Disqus and Intense Debate offer third-party solutions to commenting on your blog, but FriendFeed could also serve as commenting service to anyone’s blog (or any other posted items) as well.[2. FriendFeed offers the ability for users to comment on items posted on a FriendFeed account. For example, when I complete this article, a notification will be sent to my FriendFeed friends. My friends on FriendFeed will be able to comment on that item if they please.] However, one must question if this is a viable option for those of us without hundreds of thousands of followers.

My Thoughts

Well, let me begin by stating that I have disabled comments on OnlyJames. Why? Well, it is simple really—I don’t generate enough comments to justify leaving them on. Now, I know that several of you like to post comments on many of the articles I write, but, at the same time, I know many of you are friends with me on Twitter or know me more personally. In that case, I always invite you to write to me on FriendFeed, Twitter, email, or even on Facebook. I also love when people write blog posts in response to my content. I will surely consider writing a reply back. Nevertheless, none of the recent news has had any impacts on my decision making about this—I had been planning on doing this for weeks.

As for the thought that FriendFeed could replace blog comments, I must admit that I have not generated any comments through FriendFeed. Then again, I don’t have thousands of friends (like Scoble) on FriendFeed.[1. I have 10 FriendFeed friends at the time of this writing. If you want to be my 11th friend, check out my FriendFeed page.] It does prove that if someone is going to use FriendFeed as an effective commenting platform, that person needs a number of friends to do this effectively.

With regards to Scoble’s statements, I believe it was quite a drastic opinion to come make when considering that blogs are still experiencing a major growth period. Commenting is sure to grow in parallel. People have opinions, and people want to share those opinions as well. This is what blogging is all about. Also, new methods of commenting like video and audio are beginning to make a prolific appearance within the blogosphere.

Scoble was only trying to generate a buzz throughout the blogosphere to gain traffic—that is to be expected—but at least it gets us all thinking about this kind of stuff.

Blog readership desires new and effective ways to manage and post their comments. A service like Disqus is great for this because a user doesn’t have to sign up for various blogs to leave comments, but if a particular blog or site does not utilize the Disqus service, that user is back to square one.

To sum this up, commenting on blogs will continue to increase in popularity—Scoble was just being Scoble.[3. The best bloggers are those who can make themselves sound like geniuses but cover their ass if need be. I don't appreciate this form of blogging, but you do what you got to do.]

If anything, more blog comments will begin moving from first-party blogs to third-party services. It’s not the end of the world, and is nothing to concern yourself with. The blogosphere shall move forward.

That is the end of this story, for now.

Statistically speaking: 1.4 blogs are created every second, 120,000 blogs are created every day, and 43.8 million blogs are created every year.[1. Source: The State of the Live Web, April 2007] There are likely over 100 million blogs worldwide. That number quite possibly will double within two years. Putting the numbers aside, it is quite obvious what bloggers are working with (or against) today.

I am just one person out of the several million bloggers in the world. The only difference is that I am a professional blogger—it is my only source of income. My job, as such, is to inform and entertain an audience which gives their attention to read the opinions and insight I have to offer. Sounds easy, but at times this seemingly easy task can become quite overwhelming.

No matter how difficult it can be, I absolutely love this job—it is something I can see myself doing many years in the future. Considering the numerous times I have switched jobs and careers, it is a great relief to finally know what I want to do in life.

Why I Love Blogging

• Independence—I mean really, there are only a few jobs I can name where, potentially, you are so independent. I still rely on others for getting paid, but I love being able to write about what I want. With this comes much responsibility, but I’ve handled it well so far.
• Information—If any of you have played Sims 2, you might recall the fact you can select your sim’s life ambitions. Well, mine was always the knowledge option. After all, I love learning new things. Wikipedia, Mahalo, Instructables, and Wired are just a few of the sites I love learning from. I try my best to share this knowledge in an understandable manner with my readers.
• Creativity—I’m not much of an artist, and this is quite unfortunate as I had aspirations of working for Pixar.[2. Toy Story (1995) is currently one of my favorite movies.] I consider these very words as my work of art. Might not be as visually appealing, but, hey, you are reading this article right? It must have peaked your interest. Perhaps writing serves as a substitute for what I lack in graphic design, but I have a deep passion for what I do.
• Satisfaction—I love when people read what I write. I love knowing that people gave their time and attention. Hopefully those people respected my opinions and insights on the topic at hand. This is what motivates me over anything else.

There has been no other work which has made me so happy and motivated at the same time. Interestingly, if every blogger had just as much enthusiasm, breaking into this career would have been near impossible.

I might never reach fame like Leo Laporte or Patrick Norton (my idols since I was around 14 years old) have done. Even though the chances are slim, I will still try my best to reach that level of fame and success—we all have goals, right? I have seen a few glimmers of hope, but there is still a long way to go. However, I am completely willing to work my butt off to get there.

I was probably the most independent person back in high school, but that didn’t translate well with my arrival into the blogosphere.  It was a lonely experience at first, but I was still confident that I could pull it off. My persistence would drive me far; however, after several attempts, I soon lost motivation to continually try blogging full-time.

I decided to pursue a more interesting job of writing game reviews and feature content for Total Gamer Zone. This position put no money in my pocket, but it did give me a chance to further develop my writing skills. I really put some of my hardest work ever into my reviews and feature articles. I knew that this was an opportunity that I had to exploit to the fullest.  If not, then what was the point of even trying?

Thankfully, my hard work and dedication with this job turned into my key to a door that would end up being a full-time blogging position at Mashable.  It was a great learning experience, and I think it is amazing when I am able to say that my professional blogging career effectively began with the number one social media blog on the planet. Regardless, I eventually ended up leaving as a lack of creative freedom really drained me.

After leaving Mashable, I started Tech In Demand.  It was my third domain purchase but first self-hosted blog.  This would be my first real attempt to make a go of it on my own, and things were great after I got my feet wet.  As the time went on, it truly felt like I was going to turn Tech In Demand into a huge hit.

I was constantly getting more visitors per day on average, but I never put much effort into networking with my fellow bloggers. The most socialization I had was with Jeff Chandler of Jeffro2pt0 (also my co-worker at Performancing now). If I had more contacts, I could have made my job a lot easier than it was.  I would have been able to ask for advice with things like advertising and receive some help with sharing my articles that really deserved it. Unfortunately, I kept to myself.

I don’t gradually learn things: they just end up clicking in my mind. It truly is a euphoric moment as I finally understand something that I have been trying to figure out for so long. With most of this blogging stuff, it is the exact same scenario.

Flash forward to today, and you have a professional blogger that has changed significantly from his beginning two years ago.

Being a well-known blogger is very similar to being the most popular person within a group of people (e.g. high school). If this person is the most popular, he or she will likely be the first one to be asked on dates, complimented on looks, greeted upon arrival, etc. Well—in similar fashion—the most popular blogger wants his or her blog to be the first source visited by any reader which a desire to read about news or opinions.  Fair enough.

Again, it is very important to constantly engage in conversations with other bloggers. If even to simply get a confidence boost or motivational boost from talking to other bloggers, the time spent communicating with other bloggers is invaluable to me, and I am confident that you will find great use in it as well.

Some of you might be wondering how you can get on the road to being more social as a blogger, and there are quite a few possibilities:

• Commenting—leaving comments on blogs is a great way to network yourself.
• Social networks (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, and Plurk)
• Forums (e.g. Authority Blogger Forum, Bloggeries Blog Forum, and Blogger Forum)
• Chat rooms (e.g. IRC and Meebo)
• Email—contact your favorite blogger and ask questions.
• Skype—it is a popular chat application that is used for interviews and conversations.
• Conferences—traveling is expensive, but the networking opportunities could be invaluable.

There are surely more examples, but this list should serve as a starting point to becoming more social.

With time—even if it is not your intention—you will become a more social blogger. So, therefore, why not take the steps to do it today instead of making the mistakes I did?

This will be the first time in a few months when I am back to writing about technology.  I absolutely love writing about technology, and, understandably, I am looking forward to it.  This Dawning Valley position, as a likely after-math, might motivate me to fix up Tech In Demand.

My first post will be about the future web.  I will be envisioning the future 10 years from now.  This article was initially going to be around 8,000 words, but I think I will have it down to 3,000 or 4,000 when I’m done with it.

Anyways, check out Dawning Valley.  The site still needs a few tweaks, but, soon enough, it will be completed.

Motivation

A big part of it is motivation. After all, if you are not motivated to do something, then chances are you will not put in 100% to complete it. I know that even the best bloggers/writers in the world have to go through the same things I go through. I just sometimes feel like I need a break from it all. However, when I take a break, it is also the time when I come up with my best ideas.

Consistency

While I wish this applied to my personal blogging habits, I must say that consistency can really pay off while trying to write. When you get into a rhythm, the words just seem to come easier, but when I take a day or two off, it is just difficult for me to sit down and write. This is why I think it is important for me to keep on writing, regardless of whether or not I am “in the zone.”

The Zone

What is this zone?  I have no idea, and I really don’t know how I ever get here.  I seriously wished that I knew how to at least trick myself to feel like this at all times, but I have yet to find a way.

Perhaps, with time, I will train myself to better understand my blogging habits. Right now though, I still find myself learning new things about myself, but that is just a part of life.

Yesterday is irrelevant, and tomorrow is insignificant—but the present is nothing less than extravagant.

It was only a few hours ago when I opened up my blog’s administrator interface and was greeted by the new 2.5 version of WordPress. First thoughts? I was shocked they upgraded WordPress.com so quickly after the release. I figured that the WordPress.com team would wait until the public played with the 2.5 version of WordPress for a few weeks just incase someone could find any serious issues.

Matt Mullenweg, the creator of WordPress, stated on GeekBrief.tv that this release of WordPress is “probably the largest release of WordPress in about two years.” He continued by making everyone aware of several other improvements to the WordPress content management system:

• A redesigned back-end
• Richer media features
• Built-in image galleries
• One-click plugin upgrades

Regardless, everything seems to be going smoothly so far, and while it might require a few people to get adjusted, these improvements appear to be for the better.

Unfortunately, it appears that there are still some issues with Mac operating systems not being able to properly resize images, but perhaps this issue is going to be fixed soon.

Overall, I’d say that the community and developers are pleased with the results. WordPress continues to grow.

Anyone can create a website and claim they are an “expert” on any subject.  People—I must make a reference to my general theory of almost everyone being a stupid consumer—will accept anyone as an expert as long as they act as such.  If I went on my technology blog and started asking people what a URL was, I would instantly lose credibility (by the way, the answer is universal resource locator).

Why I consider myself a technology guru in particular, is because I spend many hours of the day researching topics on technology.  The technology sections on Wikipedia read like the Bible to me.  It just fills my thirst to know more about everything.  I love doing this stuff.  I dedicate myself to it.

It all raises a question of what an “expert” or “guru” is.  It just seems odd how people will give anyone authority on any subject without doing the proper research on them.  Whenever I read an article from someone I like, I want to know if they really have the experience and dedication to have their opinion be worthwhile.

After all, when I could write an article about how I think the moon is going to collide with the earth one day, and it makes it on the front page of Digg or Reddit, I think those people should understand that I have almost no knowledge on the subject.  Yet, many people might respect my opinion as if I am a rocket scientist.  It would be stupid of those people to accept my theory!

What is the point of this post?  Well, it is to inform you that all these “experts” and “gurus” are just people.  Anyone can claim to be an expert, but how do you actually qualify someone as one?  You should get to know authors you read constantly, and while every opinion matters, if someone represents himself or herself as an authority, it should be up to the readers to scrutinize them heavily as such.

Bloggers are starting to get messy, and if you are a blogger, I must urge you to check your facts.  Voice your opinion, but back them up with facts as well.  Learn what a journalist is, and try to make strides in telling the truth.  I hate nothing more than seeing someone straight up lie on a blog post.  It makes me feel like my credibility is being shot as a fellow blogger.

I love the topics I talk about.  I love writing.  I love technology.  However, it is not up to me to decide if I am an authority, but it is up to you.  Keep bloggers honest, and keep the industry alive.

1. Mentally Blogging Like A Pro
2. Technically Blogging Like A Pro

First, let me get the credentials out of the way so you understand where I am coming from.

I am James Mowery, and I was formally a contributing writer and social media analyst for Mashable.com—it is currently the #1 ranked social media blog on the internet today. I left Mashable last year to pursue my own technology blog appropriately named Tech In Demand. It covers topics including technology, gadgets, web 2.0, and games. It is where I often express my insights and provide analysis about tech industry.

Before getting into blogging I worked as a proprietary financial trader.  I primarily traded stocks and futures.  It is during this time when I really got a sense for managing risk, as having millions of dollars under my control (without even having that much money to lose) could shake even the most mentally stable men and women on this planet.

After that, I took some time to join a gamer site called Total Gamer Zone. It was there where I finally understood what I wanted to do with my life. My ability to write amazing articles that people appreciated motivated me to write, and write I did.

I wrote articles that probably would have taken the average person days to write, and I did it in a matter of a few hours.  The words simply came to me, and having fast fingers helped as well.

All that was my into Mashable, which solidified my status as an authority on the topics I am so determined to write about. I hope this article proves useful and inspirational to all aspiring professional bloggers everywhere.

Part 1: Mentally Blogging Like A Pro

Let’s Get Busy

Blogging is an art form—no question about it. While many of us might lack the ability to rock on a guitar, paint a masterpiece, avoid destroying someone’s ear drums, or get jiggy with it—writing a great article is something that most people can do with some motivation and a willingness to learn.

I am only 21 years old, and even though I have only recently started blogging professionally (within the past two years), writing has been a part of my life since the first day I was able to spell my full name.

This is a guide for helping those that are looking to get a head start or get some new insight on blogging like the professionals.

The Essential Blogging Skills

The way I would sum this up comes out to two simple skills. The first, and maybe most important skill, is the ability to inform your audience. You are giving knowledge to all your readers in some way. In my particular case, I inform people with facts, but my opinions—in many cases—serve a different purpose.

Entertainment. You also must be able to entertain your readers. The ability to entertain your audience is a crucial part in blogging, and while you might be able to get away with only informing your audience, it would be beneficial if you could entertain them as well.

With my blog, Tech In Demand, I voice my opinion on what I am discussing as a way to entertain my readers, and leave the facts to do the informing. My most popular articles are those when I voice my opinion in a passionate manner. Both of these skills are valuable, and you should make every attempt to use both in all your future writings.

Read other blogs that inform and entertain you. Take notes and learn from those who are more experienced than yourself

Know Your Audience

Understanding your audience is a valuable way to influence new and current readers into coming back. This will make it easier on you for targeting your content—you want people to actually read your content. You don’t want to blog about physics if your audience is primarily female teenagers, and you don’t want to blog about video games if your audience is primarily working moms. Makes sense right?

Here are a few things to learn about the majority of your reader base so you can properly target your content:

• Age
• Gender
• Education
• Interests

You might be asking yourself, how do you find out this information? It is simple really—communicate with your readers! Use polls, comments, or emails to talk communicate. I am also sure that some of your readers will have blogs, and that means you should read them to understand your audience better.

I know that the majority of my readers have gone to or are currently attending college and are also very tech savvy. That works for me—after-all, I do blog about technology. It is not difficult to figure this stuff out with a few days of getting to know your readers on a more personal level.

Interestingly enough, when you first start blogging, you should be attracting users to the topics you want to write about. As long as you stay on topic, people which are interested in the topics you write about should flow to you.

Also, if you share more personal information about yourself, you are likely to encourage those who are reading about you to subscribe.  It creates a level of trust that people appreciate. Make yourself accessible (safely) to the public and your readers.

Find Your Niche

There are some exceptions to this, but in nearly all cases, it is better to blog about one specific thing instead of many. The more specific you are, the better chance you have to become the most popular authority for any particular subject.

Blogging about technology is a tough task.  Chances of becoming popular are very low. It is by hard work and determination that I have been able to get Tech In Demand to where it is at.

Everyone should hammer down on something more specific to find your niche. Consider blogging about Nokia cell phones, PlayStation 3 action games, PHP programming, or Mac OS X software. These specific niche topics will result in more traffic.

Researching your niche is also extremely important, but it requires more than a paragraph to explain how to do this. I will cover that topic in another article at a later time.

Voice Your Own Opinion, Not Someone Else’s

You have a blog—so voice your own opinion on the topics you write about. Simply posting a link to another article stating that “you should read this great article on [whatever site] about [whatever topic]” is somewhat counter productive. While some bloggers get away with this, it would make much more sense—in the long term—to have people visiting your site for your content, not other people’s content.

If you are going to link people to other content, the least you could do is share your thoughts on what the author wrote. This way, when the person who went to view the other article comes back, your readers will understand your opinions and find value in the time invested visiting your site.

Not shockingly, from personal experience, I notice that the articles I write where my opinion is prevalent throughout are the most popular. These articles are the ones that gain you subscribers. I might even land a few subscribers as a result of this article alone, and while that wasn’t the intent, it is simply an after-effect. That is what you want to happen.

Do the work for your readers so they don’t have to. I would never read a blog that only sent me to other places to do the reading. I went to that person’s blog to read what they had to say. Don’t make this mistake. It could become a bad habit.

Have Fun

Last but not least, have fun with your blog.  When readers see that you are having fun and passionate about your writing, it will keep them interested in following what you have to say.  Make a connection with your readers.  Relate things to your readers.  If you can’t have fun, then it is not worth it.

To Be Continued…

I focused primarily on the mental aspects of blogging in this first part. The next article in the series will focus on the technical side.

I hope you will consider leaving some feedback.  Subscribing also couldn’t hurt. I also hope this article will serve as a great resource and inspiration to those of you who are trying to take your blogging to the next level.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

Right now, I want to write 20 – 25 articles per week. I want at least three featured articles, and the rest can be analysis, reviews, previews, news, and whatever else I come up with. I will try my best to pull that off.

I am still waiting on purchasing my new domain name for my actual name, James Mowery. Some kid from Texas already took http://www.jmowery.com/, so I have to go with something else. I already have it in mind.

That site will serve as my personal blog and general self whoring all around type thingamabob. The entries here might be moved to that.

I have also been considering creating a few new blogs that covers web 2.0 products and services, blogging, and the game industry. I would obviously do some research to find which blog could earn the most amount of advertising revenue.

Before all that though, I still want to finish the new site design for Tech In Demand. It relies on Drupal 6 being released, but I would prefer them to have a stable release–instead of being rushed out. It will be released soon though as development on Drupal 7 is already being discussed as I speak.

WordPress 2.3

WordPress 2.3 is quite a step forward. On my technology blog, Tech In Demand, I just upgraded this past week. The upgrade went smoothly. I have no complaints really.

I do enjoy the integrated tagging support, the improvements to the editor, and all the other improvements. So in the end, I am glad that I upgraded.

WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a great site. This is one of the best and easiest ways to get a professional looking blog of your own for free. There are still some improvements that are needed to be made, but for right now, the service is doing well. I would be interested in trying out TypePad to see how that service compares to WordPress.com.

There are some caveats: space is limited, customization options are lacking (unless your willing to pay), and generating money from your blog can be difficult. These are only minor issues though. WordPress.com also has another great benefit: if in the future you decide to get your own site you can easily export all your posts to your new blog.