And I still don’t have a half decent blog template!

When I first started planning the blog, I did realize that affiliate and internet marketing is a pretty competitive area to cover, but at the time there wasn’t an affiliate marketing blog that fit well with what I was looking for (at least that I was aware of at that time).

I wanted to create a blog that I’d enjoy reading, had a personal feel to it but wasn’t ‘too personal’, wasn’t a bitch board (but bitchiness is allowed of course), had a wide variety of resources (not just affiliate marketing but web dev too) and wasn’t a product pushing or branding machine.

I wanted to be a resource like ‘the days of old’ that wasn’t afraid to link out to good information or interesting topics. I refused to look at other blogs as ‘competition’ and wanted to stay on course by providing a rich and informative blog. I think that’s the key to SuperAff’s appeal, readers know they’re getting the full deal here.

I loved the simplicity of the domain name: SuperAff.com - but didn’t want to come across or present myself as something I wasn’t: A Super Affiliate. The intention of the domain name was to point to the goal - not the current reality. I setup my ‘About Me’ page right from the start that was clear about the ‘affiliate level’ I was at, but didn’t understand how to create a blog static page so it ended up being a blog entry that no one could find :lol:. Took me several months to realize ‘that needed to be fixed’ and how to do it.

I really didn’t understand what a blog was at the time, took some directions that I thought I had to take (why does that not make sense), but after several months - I finally found my groove for SuperAff.

I discovered:

• I don’t have to post everyday
• I don’t have to post every news flash
• Original topics fulfill me more than talking about the same stuff everyone else is
• Discussing the ‘hot topics of the day’ is fine and fun - but put my own voice to it
• I don’t need connections or link buddies to grow

Although I do have affiliate links peppered a bit throughout the blog, I’ve intentionally kept it at a minimum. I know that causes confusion to some ;). Money from SuperAff has never been its focus - and good thing too because I aint gettin much :lol:.

So why label it as an affiliate link when it’s mainly affiliate marketers reading the blog - they know exactly what the link is!

I know the popular opinion is to post affiliate links without labelling them as such, but I feel it’s wiser to label them when you’re an affiliate or internet marketing type blog. We’re assaulted on so many levels with affiliate links (newsletters, blogs, emails) that we’ve grown a third eye that watches out for the ‘full throttle sales pitches’. Are they just trying to sell me something, or do they genuinely recommend this product?

I hope this past year has established SuperAff as a blog with genuine intentions. I love tools, gizmos, scripts and gadgets and I link freely and often to them. Some with affiliate links, some without. Some free, some commercial. But all with the intention of providing good, solid resources or feedback that are hopefully helpful on some level.

Big question:

Can a new blog establish itself without a network of linking buddies? You bet! In the competitive area of internet/affiliate marketing, SuperAff has gained a readership slowly but surely. Sure I don’t have the participation or traffic that Threadwatch or ProBlogger have, but it aint too shabby and I’m proud of the traffic levels this blog has achieved this past year.

There have been some great blogs this past year that have sent links and traffic my way, a sample (and thank you):

BuildingMyEmpire.com
Stuntdubl.com
Revenue Today

And for examples of how to be professional & link to a source:

Graywolf on GoogleBowling
FantomNews

Yup, I’m very amused that I coined the term GoogleBowling :lol:.

It’s been a great year learning to blog. But I’ve had some ‘not so great’ moments too.

It’s hard keeping the posts & momentum flowing, especially once you decide to try keeping to original topics and not following the buzz topic blurbs of the moment.

I had my first rude commenter and that was a no-win situation right from the start. Piece of advice for fellow bloggers: Wipe every trace of their butts off the blog at the first sign of trouble. It’s not worth the aggravation.

I’ve had some who lift my stuff, SuperAff Wannabes, but refuse to give acknowledgement. I believe in kharma though - so good luck to them ;).

Comment Spammers & Referrer Spammers: WHAT IS THAT ABOUT? I mean why target a blog that is obviously active and monitored? You post your spammy link - it gets deleted. You post your spammy link - it gets deleted. It just seems to me to be such a waste of time. The spammy links are getting better too, they’re becoming part of the blog conversation and not just the generic: Thank you for the informations, I will tell all my friends. Ugh.

SuperAff Goals for 2006:

Stop with so many smilies and winks - I do so much of it that when I look back on some posts I see a laughing, crazed lunatic. Truth is: I do laugh a lot and have fun here for the most part.

Post less frequently - but with more punch. More original topics. You’re like me - we’re busy bees trying to establish ourselves and earn an income online. You’re too busy to read the same stuff you’re reading everywhere else.

As I wrote above, SuperAff is not intended to be a money maker for me. It’s more a resource blog that I’m proud of. I found myself spending more creative energy on ‘what I was blogging about’ rather than building up my online portfolio. With the intention of posting more informative, original and quality resources and less ‘duplicate blogging topics’ that most everyone else is - I figure it’s a win-win for all of us.

Pay more attention to who I’m consistently sending link love and traffic to - with nothing in return. There are so many great people that participate here on the blog, send me feedback through the contact form or send links my way that I’d like to put more focus on them and build more on those relationships by linking to them or participating on their blogs or both!

I’m not going to stop linking to good resources or discussions because I’m not getting anything in return - that would defeat my intention of providing and linking to good info - but I do need to focus more on building relationships with those who are showing an interest in SuperAff and not give ‘all’ my attention to those who can’t be bothered.

Continue to cover all kinds of topics related to affiliate marketing, earning money online, webmaster resources and all that jazz in my own voice & style. Since I ‘unstiffened’ and became more comfortable blogging, the feedback that I’ve gotten over the past year has been pretty consistent: “Love how your personality shines through”. I’ll stick with that approach since it’s more in tune with who I am and how the blog is being responded to ;).

And finally:

One year under my belt. And I’m not going anywhere, SuperAff.com is only going to get better ;).

PS:

I did order a new blog template last month that I hoped would be ready in time for today - but it isn’t. Since I’d rather have a template I really like than have something that’s just ‘ready’, I figure that’s ok.

And yup - I cringe too everytime the header loads :lol:.