02
Feb
2008
Posted by Bill as Blogging Tips, Lessons on Blogging

If you have been blogging for very long then you might already know how difficult it can be to generate content day in and day out. There are many theories on the subject pertaining to posting frequency vs. quality of posts etc but the bottom line is this, if you are going to be successful then you need a plan to generate content.
Content is the lifeblood of your blog and without it you will quickly lose visitors, feed readers, advertising dollars and quite frankly your own interest will likely dwindle. I see dead blogs everywhere I go, week long lapses between posts are not uncommon and many of these turn into months and years.
I have a simple system that I am working on that helps to keep me focused and on topic. I am one of those bloggers who needs to build up a draft file so I have something already written when I simply don’t have time. I travel extensively during the week so maintaining a regular blog schedule can be a challenge. I’ll share my system if you share yours.
Flow Charts:
I use flow charts, mainly because I use them often in my business so it seems like a natural transition into my blogging endeavors. You could maintain these flowcharts on a whiteboard if you wish but I personally use a simple notebook. Being mobile often necessitates the use of something mobile and a whiteboard doesn’t pack very well.
Let me share. I start out with a Foundation topic. Something that is aligned with the mission of your blog, in this example we will use “Ways to Make Money With Your Blog”. I put it in the center of my flowchart like the picture below.





In case you haven’t already figured this out, you could still again develop a sub topic off one of your sub topics. It’s an endless supply of content topics. Of course, this is kind of the easy part, you still need to write prolificly in order to flesh out these topics with valuable content.
That’s another challenge in itself, but it’s also one I can’t help you with.
If you put a bit of time and effort into this system you can quickly lay out a plan for your site for weeks and even months down the road. Like any other tool, it will only work if you use it. Get Started Today.
This is the system that I use but I am always open to reading about yours. Anyone have any better ideas?
7 Responses
bloggingzoom.com
February 2nd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
1How to be a Content Generating Machine | The Blog Entrepreneur…
Writing Content and staying on topic can be a significant challenge for most bloggers. We tend to wander sometimes with no set plan but with the advice in this article you can easily generate blog topics for weeks and even months in advance. …
Tim
February 2nd, 2008 at 2:59 pm
2Bill - Great post,
I never have had a plan of attach in regards to blog topics, luckily I could always come up with ideas everyday - but this system will be a great way to stay focused and give my reads a vision too.
tim
Heather
February 2nd, 2008 at 3:56 pm
3This is a great post and way of organizing your blogging ideas. The flowchart really helps visualize the idea.
Most often I can find topics to write about, but I can see how using this method would bring more of a flow to for the reader as well.
Heather’s last blog post..By: name
CommentURL.com | A world of interesting web pages
February 3rd, 2008 at 8:58 am
4How to Be a Content Generating Machine | CommentURL.com…
theblogentrepreneur.com
If you often find yourself straying off topic or at a loss for something…
Erica DeWolf
February 3rd, 2008 at 3:52 pm
5Great post. This is a great way of organizing your thoughts and giving yourself a list of topics to blog about.
Thanks!
Erica DeWolf’s last blog post..Guest Post Available- Emails for bloggers
AndrewPavelski
February 5th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
6Definitely a nice post! I usually make lists of topics to blog about… I’m definitely going to try using a flowchart! Thanks for sharing.
AndrewPavelski’s last blog post..Maximize Blogging Forum Success
Bill
February 5th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
7@Tim - How fortunate that you can come up with great content on a daily basis. You are lucky or gifted…probably both.
@Heather - Amen…I am a visual person so the flowchart method works great for me and helps me relate posts to each other and tie them together.
@ Erica - Thanks
@Andrew - Thanks…let me know if it works for you. A lot of people use lists but for me the visual presentation helps me relate to it better. I don’t know why…it just does.
RSS feed for comments on this post · TrackBack URI
Leave a reply
previous post: What Have You Learned From Your Blogging Mistakes
next post: How Do Your Blog Stats Stack Up
to top of page...