Yan from thou shall blog asked me the following:

I’d appreciate if you’d take the time to share your wisdom with us on “What’s one blogging tip you’d give to a beginner?” in one simple sentence.

Since this is quite similar to a question that was posed to me in the interview for Blog Blazers, I thought that I’d share my answer as a post for all of you to read. Boiling it down to one sentence, I am going to use an extremely popular slogan from a well-known company.

Just do it.

In the book, I did elaborate a little more than that, as I said:

I’m going to take a slogan from one of the most well known companies in our time, just do it. Don’t spend so much time worrying that everything about your blog has to be perfect before you get started. Let your blog be a living creature that you build and nurture over time. The important thing is to start writing great content and building a sense of community.

Hopefully you recognize a few points in that answer, as I had mentioned the same ideas the other day when we discussed the question about how much content you need to start a blog.

It is far too easy to get stuck in the mode of “analysis paralysis” or “paralysis by analysis”; basically you spend so much time researching everything and wanting it to be perfect that you never actually take action and get started.

While there are certainly some decisions that are best to think through before starting - domain name, hosting, blog platform - you won’t get yourself in too much trouble even if you make a wrong decision. You can always register a new domain name, get new hosting, or change blog platforms - assuming that you actually took that first step and got started!

Whether you are a new blogger or a seasoned professional, one thing holds true: none of your blogging goals are possible until you get started.

So yes, I have used a slogan, which some might say is a bit cliche, that many of us have been familiar with for years and years. Looking back to the time before I started my first blog, I remember doing a fair amount of research and then deciding that I needed to just take the plunge and do it.

As you progress from the earliest stages as a beginner, you might adjust this piece of advice to be “Just do it - and test.”

Thinking about a change to your theme? Do it and then monitor the response. Thinking about introducing advertising? Do it and see what people think. Thinking about changing the placement of your ads? Do it and test each placement. Asked to provide advice to beginners? Do it and ask people what they think.

So…what do you think?

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Social media in the context of business has been on the minds of many lately, as you will see in the handful of posts included in this edition of Speedlinking. While I continue to plot my strategy to introduce my employer to the possibilities of social media, take a look at the following posts.

1. Chris Brogan introduces us to Bob, an employee of a Fortune 500 company, and tells us a story about how Bob was told to shut up - you’re helping the customer. As I read the next chapter about Bob, I could not help but see numerous similarities between Bob and myself. Good luck Bob!

2. Frank Reed shared some insight from a session at PubCon that has turned him into a social media believer. Frank shares five bullet points that explain the reason that many that try their hand at social media, fail. Reading these points, I cannot help but think of the post from Shana that I mentioned last week.

3. Teresa Morrow, one of my fellow Sparkpluggers, gives some food for thought to those of us that are using social media with 10 things to remember when promoting your business. Again there is a common theme that comes through, focus on building a genuine relationship with people and let the rest fall into place naturally.

4. Terry Starbucker, who I had the privilege of meeting at SOBCon, is someone that understands social media. With that understanding, Terry gives us a view of social media from the inside and discusses a few of the questions his company is answering to determine if social media is right for them.

5. Over at The Lonely Marketer, Patrick Schaber shares a true story about a chair that demonstrates the idea that social media may not always be the appropriate vehicle, but that listening to your employees, as well as your customers, is essential for success. As much as we might all like to apply technology as the solution, sometimes the most basic of elements is all that is really needed.

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As I opened the housing on the garage door opener, I noticed an interesting bug that was stuck in the housing and had died. The thing that really caught my attention was how the wings were extended and it was in an interesting position.

Naturally, I thought it would be interesting to bring the bug inside and capture a few pictures of it. While I still have much to learn about my Nikon D40x, I thought a few of these turned out well enough to share with all of you.

Note: Clicking each photo will show you a larger, more detailed version.

My personal favorite is the third photo with the leg lying in front of the bug. As I had been moving the bug around, one leg fell off. In this picture, the bug seems to be looking at its leg lying there and thinking “WTF! That’s my leg!“.

What do you think of these photos?

Last week a new book on blogging hit the shelves - the digital shelves - and it features interviews with 40 top bloggers as they share their secrets to creating a high-profile, high-traffic, and high-profit blog.

Blog Blazers by Stephane Grenier provides insights from some of the most successful bloggers on how to avoid common blogging mistakes, as well as things like what the top blogs have in common.

You’ll learn from people such as Seth Godin, Aaron Wall, Yaro Starak, and Derek Semmler.

Wait a minute…Derek Semmler? That’s me!

I am so happy to tell all of you that Steph had contacted me awhile back about this and asked if I would be willing to be interviewed for his book. It is quite an honor to have been included among this group of bloggers, as there are some true superstars included in this book.

Inside the book, you will find the collection of bloggers providing tips and advice on topics such as:

• What’s the most common mistake new bloggers make?
• What’s your best tip for writing a successful blog post?
• What’s the best way to make money from your blog?

If you’d like to pick up a copy of the book, you can purchase it on Amazon or directly from the Blog Blazers website.

Or…you can win a free copy!

As you can see in the picture, I’ve got my hands on a copy - multiple copies actually - and I am pleased to tell you that I will be giving them away!

On Thanksgiving Day, I will be selecting 5 winners that will each receive a copy of the book Blog Blazers.

Contest Rules

Entry requirements are extremely easy - simply leave a comment on this post explaining what question you would ask these top 40 bloggers and you’re entered for your chance to win!

• Comments will be accepted until 11:59pm CST, November 26th, 2008.
• Only one entry per person will be counted.
• Winners will be selected at random using the Random Integer Generator on Thursday, November 27th, 2008 (Thanksgiving Day).
• Winners will have seven days to respond with their contact information. In the event a winner does not respond, an alternate winner will be selected.

Bonus Entry: Write a new blog post about the book - feel free to mention that you read the blog of one of the coolest guys in the book, ahem - and you will receive a bonus entry. Be sure to send me an email with the URL to your post so I don’t miss it.

Anyone and everyone is eligible to win, as I will ship the book world-wide. Also, while I am not the author of the book, I have had a few people ask me if I would sign the book. If you’d like it to be signed by yours truly (aka Chapter 15), all you need to do is ask.

Good luck everyone!

By the way…for those that know about my participation with Movember, you can see I still have not yet sculpted my ’stache.

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Some people will tell you that it is best to have 10-20 posts published on the first official day of your blog; others will tell you that there is nothing wrong with simply starting with post one on day one.

My preference is for the latter, as I have started all of my blogs by publishing the very first post on the very first day and never looking back.

Now, I do believe there is a distinction to be made between the act of starting your blog and promoting your blog. It is not recommended that you begin the promotion of your blog until you have established a handful of quality, often referred to as pillar content, posts. However, that does not mean you should hide your blog until that pillar content is ready.

Lets face it, in the beginning there will not exactly be a rush of traffic to your new blog whether you have one post or thirty posts. Often times there is a desire to not have your blog “live” until everything is perfect. That is an easy way to drive yourself mad and end up delaying the launch of your blog much longer than necessary.

In my opinion, your blog should be treated as a living creature that you will build and nurture over time. Now that does not mean your first few posts should not be quality posts, as you do not want to discourage any readers that may stumble across your blog. However, being live from day one allows you the opportunity to bond with your very first readers.

That is something that I have had the opportunity to do, as there are a handful of people that commented on the first few posts at this blog that are still regular visitors. As a matter of fact, I have had a chance to develop a relationship with these people far beyond simply being an anonymous reader and that is what makes all of this worth the effort.

As a reminder, I would urge you to develop more content before you begin any true promotion of your blog. Before you begin to promote your new blog, work through these 10 techniques to find blog readers and you will maximize the effectiveness of your promotion.

But don’t be afraid to open the doors with your very first post, you never know what will happen.

What do you think?

Should you not publish your site until you have a predetermined number of posts published? Or should you start your blog with the very first post?

This week the focus will be on family as we explore the blogosphere. From celebrations to tragedy, childhood values to child-appropriate videos; there is a little bit of everything - much like the makeup of every family out there.

1. Damien Riley from Postcards from the Funny Farm is a long-time blogging friend and someone I am grateful to know. Damien and his wife, Sarah, recently celebrated their 6th wedding anniversary. As someone that recently celebrated my 9th wedding anniversary, let me say congratulations to you both!

2. Shana Albert shared a post over at Search Engine People that explores the idea that her mom planted the seeds for her to succeed at social media. It seems so simple yet not everyone seems to understand; follow the values you were taught as a child - honesty, respect, kindness, etc. - and social media success will not be far behind.

3. Lizzie from Rippin-Kitten has been experiencing a rough sequence of events, possibly the worst week ever as she lost a member of her family in a motorcycle accident. As a fellow member of the motorcycle community, I feel for Lizzie during this difficult time. Lizzie, you and your family are in my thoughts.

4. When I mentioned my participation with Movember, I had been hoping a few of the guys would join the movement. Little did I know that two ladies would be the first to join the Mo family. Sara from Suburban Oblivion, who I met at SOBCon, shows that even the ladies can rock the ’stache - and she has the pictures to prove it. Andrea from According to Andrea, who many of you already know, stepped up and joined the effort as a Mo Sista. Thanks to both Sara and Andrea!

5. As a father to two boys that have learned that YouTube has an endless supply of videos that they find interesting, I was certainly interested in the mention of Totlol by Erick Schonfeld over at TechCrunch. Totlol is a collection of thousands of child-appropriate videos from YouTube, chosen by parents, that also provides members with extensive parental controls.

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Well, it seems that Michael Kwan has tagged me with another meme and I have decided to participate. The nice thing about this meme is it will hopefully give you a little additional insight into the person behind the blog.

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago

1. Celebrating the birth of my first son
2. Contemplating the idea of marriage
3. Changing jobs - the client I was at lured me away from consulting
4. Paying off consumer debt
5. Vacationing at Disney World (with my then pregnant girlfriend)

5 Things on My To-Do List Today

1. Smile at least five times
2. Update my month-end financial statements
3. Enroll in health care plan through my employer
4. Write at least one blog post
5. Phone call with a recruiter

5 Snacks I Like

1. Beef jerky
2. Cheese stick
3. Handful of almonds
4. Cold orange out of the refrigerator
5. Cheese stick (hey - it is one of my obsessions)

5 Things I Would Do If I Was A Millionaire

1. Pay off my mortgage
2. Setup a non-profit to help educate people on debt elimination and debt management
3. Purchase a vacation home in the mountains
4. Have a motorcycle custom built just for me
5. Continue blogging - yes, I love it that much

5 Places I Have Lived (for various lengths of time)

1. House in Oswego (current residence)
2. Apartment in Downers Grove
3. Apartment #1 in Bloomington (while in college)
4. Apartment #2 in Bloomington (while in college)
5. House in Naperville (parent’s house)

5 Jobs I Have Had

1. Sr. Software Engineer
2. Worked in a cigar shop (smoked my entire shift each night)
3. Assembled and delivered furniture
4. Lawn maintenance in a cemetery
5. Store Greeter at Venture

5 People I Tag

1. Dave from DavePit.com
2. Danielle from MsDanielle.com
3. Nick from romandock dot com
4. Andrea from According to Andrea
5. Charlie from Nobody asked me, but…

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Fast forward to Tuesday night when I took a look at a friend’s political blog, Pivot Politics and noticed a link to a site called The Big Picture.

Little did I know at the time, but I was about to lose over an hour of time as I clicked through picture after picture each more stunning than the next. This site presents relevant news items, such as the recent Presidential election, in photographs with corresponding captions.

Take a look at a few of these samples and then head over to check out the site for yourself. Let me know which pictures catch your attention.

Photo from REUTERS/Jason Reed

Photo from AP Photo/Rob Griffith

Photo from JOERG KOCH/AFP/Getty Images

Photo from MANFRED DELPHO/AFP/Getty Images

Photo from BARBARA SAX/AFP/Getty Images

Haven’t heard of Movember?

Movember (the month formerly known as November) is a moustache growing charity event held during November each year that raises funds and awareness for men’s health issues. That’s right - grow and groom a ’stache so you can mention the cause when people question why you have stepped back into the 80’s.

I’ve committed to growing the Mo and I have to say that my wife is not all that happy given that she despises facial hair, although she is supportive given that this is for a good cause. At this point, I am undecided on the style of Mo and am simply letting it all go until I close in on the right look.

Do you want to help?

As a Mo Bro, my responsibility is to help raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer - which currently affects one in six American men and claims the lives of more than 28,000 men annually. This post is serving as part of the awareness and I would also like to take a moment to ask for your financial support (any amount would be helpful, even $1.00).

To donate to my Mo and the Prostate Cancer Foundation you can either:

• Donate online using your credit card or PayPal account, or
• Write a check payable to the ‘Prostate Cancer Foundation’, referencing my Registration Number 1890151 and mailing it to:
  

  Prostate Cancer Foundation
  Attn: Movember
  1250 Fourth St
  Santa Monica, CA, 90401

All donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Strapped for cash?

With the current economy, I completely understand that not everyone will be able to donate but that doesn’t mean that you cannot be involved.

You can join me as a fellow Mo Bro or Mo Sista, as I have created a Mo Team named The Man Page Mo Brigade that you can join. For the guys, that means you too would be tasked with growing a Mo and trying to raise funds for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Ladies, you’re exempt from growing the Mo but can still help spread the word and raise funds.

To join my Movember team, register online and follow the steps provided. You will need these details to complete your online registration:

• Captain’s Registration Number: 1890151
• Captain’s Email Address: me[@]dereksemmler.com

As I mentioned over at TMP, there will be a nice giveaway in the coming weeks as I have been communicating with a representative to land some nice prizes courtesy of Canadian Club whisky!

To sweeten the pot a little for readers of this blog, make a donation and I will display a 125×125 banner to advertise your site for the month of December. Simply leave me a comment here indicating that you made a donation and then send me your banner ad to be displayed.

Please take a moment to make a small donation, join my team, and help spread the word to your family and friends.

Thanks for your support!

Oh yeah, please feel free to share the style of Mo that you think I should rock!

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Personally, I made it out to the polls last week during the period of early voting to cast my vote - which if you have been tuned in for my Q&A sessions, you will know how I voted.

In the race for the President of the United States, one could say that the hopes of Barack Obama hinged on his ability to win at least one of these key states: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Virgina, and Florida.

Based on the reports that I have been watching, Obama has been projected to win both Pennsylvania and Ohio at this point. Further, it is interesting to note that no Republican has won the White House without winning the state of Ohio. Given that note, we are certain to see history made tonight.

The current analysis is indicating that the rally scheduled to take place in Chicago tonight is quickly taking on the atmosphere of a celebratory nature. Given my vote, I certainly hope that holds true and that we will be welcoming Barack Obama as the next President.

Regardless of how you have voted in this election and regardless of who does in fact win this election, let us all hope that the next four years bring positive results for the United States and beyond.

What do you think of Election Night 2008?

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