The Personal Blogging Degree

I’ve been receiving several emails and questions from Frugal Pinoy readers about how to start a blog and make money blogging. Instead of repeating myself, I’ve decided to create “The Personal Blogging Degree”, which was inspired by the Personal MBA and the Personal Web Design Degree.

What is The Personal Blogging Degree? I’ve collected several articles from trustworthy, no-BS bloggers and organized them to form this list. True, one of these articles are from me, but I’m not promoting myself. I’m not selling anything through this blog (many experts will see that as a “mistake”), but the goal of Frugal Pinoy is strictly for spreading information (Click here to read more about this blog). Get-rich-quick or pyramid schemes have no place here.

I’m sure that many of you will be intimidated by the length of this list, as well as the extensiveness of many of the articles included. But if you don’t have the diligence to read and learn about blogging, then I very much doubt that you’ll have the diligence to run a successful blog. I encourage you to read, analyze, and apply whatever you’ve learned from these mentors.

You might also notice that some articles will contradict each other’s points. Don’t worry, it’s not a mistake. The truth is, there is no singular tried and tested way to run a successful blog – mostly because we have different definitions of what success is. Use your own judgment and measure the ideas based on your own values and priorities.

Other things you need to know:

The “Content Creation” section is the longest. Guess why.
Some of the articles aren’t about blogging per se, they are general articles that I think are relevant even if they don’t discuss blogging.
So far I haven’t included anything about specific tools you should use (WordPress vs. Blogger) or specific monetization programs (Adsense vs. Amazon vs. Clickbank, etc.) Why not? Well, because they’re not as important as the theoretical stuff. The best blogging tool or monetization technique won’t be as good if your blog was planned poorly or if you only post mediocre content.
I may modify this list from time to time.
You might not get a certificate or diploma after you go through these resources, but they will give you all you need to know about how to start your own blog and turn it into a success.

Now, let’s get started:

Planning

What is a Blog? FAQ (Andreas.com)

What Makes for a Good Blog? (43folders.com)

How to Make Money Blogging: 7 Strategies to Help You Get Started Immediately (DoshDosh.com)

Escaping Niches (Skelliewag.org)

How to Dominate Your Niche (Copyblogger.com)

Content Creation

How Users Read on the Web

How to Blog (excellent video presentation by Merlin Mann – do not miss this.)

Killer Flagship Content (free ebook from Chris Garrett)

Why Value Rules the Attention Economy (Skelliewag.org)