To subscribe or to follow? That is the question.

Every blog in the blogosphere (including mine) has a little button that allows people to subscribe. That means you will get every new blog post in your e-mail. I follow several blogs, but I learned the hard way that following is not the same as subscribing. First of all, when you follow a blog, there is the assumption that you will click on it, from your own blog, and read it with some regularity. I am really bad at that. So, when I became enamored with CopyBlogger, I just clicked on subscribe. Immediately, I was deluged with blog posts—as in drowning in them.

CopyBlogger is one of the best blogs out there on the subject of blogging. I never knew there was that much to say about the subject, but apparently, there is endless material. At first, I could picture Brian Clark, founder of CopyBlogger, slaving away night and day, churning out long, expert, information-packed missives on everything from “Don’t Let Your Blog Readers Touch that Remote” to “How to Be the Cool Kid (Even if You Weren’t One in High School).”

Pretty awesome, if you ask me. But, wait … the author of “Don’t Let Your Blog Readers
Touch that Remote” is not Brian Clark; it's Melissa Karnaze. And “How to Be the Cool Kid (Even if You Weren’t One in High School)” was written by James Chartrand. Therein lies the secret of how Brian Clark can drown me and 38,152 other people who follow CopyBlogger on Twitter. He has other people—really good people—help him. They are either staff members or guest bloggers, but man, they are terrific!

After this little exercise, I was overcome with guilt at all the blogs I follow but neglect; I decided to visit a few. One of my favorites is Remarkablogger, a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is site, post after post. The latest one is called “Why you are not a service provider,” which of course, I stopped to read. What was interesting was that it opened by crediting Chris Brogan with the idea for this particular post. “Chris is so damn productive, I have given him a nickname,” wrote Remarkablogger founder, Michael Martine. “Henceforth, he is “The Broganator.” High praise from someone who is listed on ask.com as the blogosphere’s leading blog consultant. Before I went back to my list, I had to check out Chris Brogan. Wow. He’s good. No surprise there. I immediately added him to blogs I am following.

Next stop, writetodone by Leo Babauta, who also writes Zen Habits, which I do subscribe to. There he is, sitting in his favorite coffee shop with his a MacBook, writing “15 Basics of Insanely Useful Blogwriting.” Wait … I have to read it.

OK, that’s all pretty serious stuff, I know. So, I checked my other blog, which, in case you missed it, is called PRISM: Reflections on the many colors of life. There, I follow bloggers who are not writing about blogging but are reflecting on everything else. One is Engel’s Ensights by a former St. Louisan and a guy I truly admire. Marcus Engel is funny, profound, and positively inspirational. I never leave his posts without some new take on life.

Riehl Life, founded by artist, writer, poet, and musician Janet Grace Riehl, defies description. It is just plain beautiful, international in flavor, and mind stretching. You just have to go there to understand what I mean. Janet has enough talent for 20 people and fascinating friends all over the world. All of this is reflected in Riehl Life.

My House History is a charming blog by my charming and multi-talented friend, Kim Wolterman. I have a special feeling for this one, which began as an idea in one of my classes and has matured into a great website, blog, and a soon-to-be-published book (It’s at the printer as we speak). The book and the site were designed by my favorite graphic designer, Peggy Newman, so it’s a winner all the way around.

The newest blog on my follow list is Daysteps, a project conceived by four St. Louis women who are so busy they can hardly breathe. So, they asked themselves and each other, how can we live our best day every day and help other equally busy women to do that as well? Kelly Wagner, Cecilia George, Bobette Kyle, and Laura Thake started a company and created the most unusual, practical, beautiful daily planner I’ve ever seen. I’m a Franklin-Covey girl, but I must confess: I bought Daysteps for 2010.

So, what’s the bottom line here—subscribe or follow? In not sure I have the answer yet, but I am still intrigued with the question and plan to do some research. In the meantime, check out the ones I've mentioned.

The who, what, when, where, and how of blogging

When I started my blog, I had no idea what I was doing. That would seem to imply that now I do, which is not quite accurate. But high on my list of marketing tactics for 2009 is learning everything I can about successful blogging and then applying those lessons to The Writing Life and PRISM. To that end, I have been diligently researching, reading, making lists, and trying out one lesson at a time. While there are dozens of blogs on blogging, I have tried to condense some of the best of the best tips into one list to share with those who may need a map for this strange new territory (I sure did!). Here are the basics.

Who (is your target audience?)
1. Readers who are interested in what you do
2. Potential customers or clients
3. People you can help in some way

Why (should you have a blog?)
4. To provide value to your readers
5. To inform, teach, guide, entertain, or all of these
6. To develop a following of loyal followers and raving fans
7. To create and reinforce your brand
8. To sell ideas, services, or products

What (should you do in your blog?)
9. Tell success stories — yours, your clients’, or your readers'.
10. Answer questions you have been asked in the past.
11. Write about what you know.
12. List useful tips on how to do things.
13. Recommend books and resources.
14. Tell great stories.
15. Do your best writing; don’t post until it’s perfect.
16. Interview colleagues and experts in your field.
17. Reprint other blog posts; always ask for permission or cite sources.
18. Reprint other articles; always include the author’s descriptive blurb.

How (should you go about it?)
19. Stick to your subject; be consistent.
20. Remember: delivery, packaging, and presentation count.
21. Feature others; write profiles.
22. Develop a survey, questionnaire, or online interview; post responses.
23. Solicit guest posts.
24. Ask your readers what they need; then, provide it.
25. Let yourself experiment; use some creativity.
26. Comment on other blogs.
27. Submit posts to other blogs.
28. Offer to be a guest blogger.
29. Link to other blogs; request links from them.
30. Read great blogs; subscribe to them.
31. Put a link to your blog in your e-mail signature, every page of your website, all outgoing correspondence, your newsletter, your author’s blurb, business cards, brochure, and flyers.
32. Include RSS feeds so people can subscribe to your blog.
33. Use trackback links when you quote from or refer to other blog posts.
34. Carry a little blog idea book around with you. Jot down ideas; create a backlog.
35. Write articles; include a link to your blog in your authors blurb.
36. Respond to comments readers make on your blog.
37. Create a “best posts page” category on your main page; link to your best posts.
38. Create tags for every blog post.
39. Let your personality shine through; find your “voice.”
40. Talk to your readers; have a conversation.
41. Remember, you’re a resource; always give your readers something.

Where (should you submit or post your blog?)
42. Submit your blog to blog directories: BlogCatlog, Masternewmedia.org
43. Recommend great blogs: copyblogger, remarkablogger, writetodone.
44. Check out biztipsblog.com, coachezines.com, JTPratt's Blogging Mistakes, and pingomatic.com.
45. Visit Marketing Strategy Thoughts for ideas.
46. Use TwitterFeed to link your blog posts to twitter.
47. Submit your blog to MyBlogLog, BlogCatalog, Bumpmee, EntreCard, weblogs.com, digg.com, myweb.yahoo.com, stumbleupon.com, blinklist.com.
48. Link to del.icio.us.com.
49. Sign up for an account on Technorati.

When (should you post?)
50. Regularly and often