My current job is Director of Communications at Bloggy Network. It is a career that took a long time to get to. Though long is rather relative. I have been working for Bloggy Network for nearly two years now, and I have learned so much, not only from doing the work, but also from my bosses, and the contacts I have made.

Networking

Networking is really the number one tip I would give to any would-be Problogger. Finding people that can help you in your journey is the key to success. It isn’t just enough to work hard, and write exceptional content, you also have to get people to read what you have written, give you pointers on how to do better, and talk about how great you are.

Without great contacts, there will be a plateau you will hit, and it will be very frustrating. I know what it is like, as I have been to that point before. It almost made me give up, but then I started having conversations with the people I admired online, and they helped me get past that point.

Time Management

Time management is another skill that all the top level Probloggers seem to have in common. They know that the more posts they do that appeal to their audience, the higher their stats will be. Part of my day is spent organizing a break down of time and duties that I will need to perform, both over the course of the day, the week, and the month. I strike things off my list, but don’t remove them, so that I have inspiration, and a sense of accomplishment.

Some might think I am wasting time by making lists and organizing my work, but I know for a fact that I am getting a considerably larger amount of work done than I was before. This preparation time can be very powerful, and almost as difficult as learning how to network properly, especially for those that aren’t natural organizers.

Filtering Data

Another trait that is important when working as a problogger is the ability to deal with massive quantities of data. For some probloggers, this might not be an issue, but as you grow either in a network, or on your own, you will find yourself covering more topics, or diversifying more and more. You will also be dealing with site statistics, different software, e-mail contacts, spam, advertising, and of course finding great stories for your blog.

You will have to be able to quickly filter out information that is not important, and move on. I was able to pick up this skill over time, thanks to reading through hundreds of feeds in Bloglines, in a set period of time.

and Many More…

Of course there are many other skills a person needs to become a Problogger, and the process can be filled with many roadblocks, but over the lifetime of this site, I will attempt to shed some light on my experiences in the world of blogging, as well as teach using the words of others. If you are wondering if Problogging is the job for you, continue to read eXtra For Every Person, and I will be covering more on what it takes, and what it is like to be a Problogger.

Originally posted on August 23, 2010 @ 12:52 pm