The Zen Of Blogging
February 24th, 2008
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Ladies and gentlemen, today I’m very happy to announce the release of my first ebook, The Zen of Blogging. It’s completely free, with no affiliate links or email opt-in.
This is the story of an aspiring blogger who sets out on a journey to discover the secrets of blogging. What will he find at the top of Mount Blogmore? Will he learn how to become a great blogger, or will he get his head cut off? You’ll have to read to find out!
From page 2:
If you’re into Zen and you’re into blogging, read and share this ebook.
If you’re into Zen but you’re not into blogging, share this ebook.
If you’re not into Zen but you’re into blogging, read this ebook.
If you’re not into Zen and you’re not into blogging, read it twice.
Download your free copy of The Zen of Blogging, and be sure not to skip ahead to the end! (Also be sure not to give away too much in the comments below.)
Table of contents:
| The Zen of Blogging | 1 |
| What is the Sound of One Hand Clapping? | 2 |
| Table of Contents | 3 |
| Up the Mountain | 4 |
| Day 1: Getting Started | 6 |
| Day 2: Choosing a Niche | 7 |
| Day 3: Domain Names | 8 |
| Day 4: Blogging Platforms | 9 |
| Day 5: Themes | 10 |
| Day 6: Plugins | 11 |
| Day 7: Blogging Voices | 12 |
| Day 8: Posting Frequency | 13 |
| Day 9: Post Length | 14 |
| Day 10: Images | 15 |
| Day 11: Monetization | 16 |
| Day 12: Comment Management | 17 |
| Day 13: Guest Posting | 18 |
| Day 14: Social Media | 19 |
| The Last Day | 20 |
| Down the Mountain | 22 |
| Acknowledgements | 23 |
| Final Words | 23 |
| About the Author | 23 |
Versions available in other languages:
Дзен и Путь Блоггера (Russian translation by Олег Сатов)
Das Zen des Bloggens (German translation by Jan Tißler)
Le Zen Du Blogueur (French translation by Jean Lançon)
February 25th, 2008 at 1:23 am
Hi Hunter.
What a phenomenal ebook. You are definitely meant to be a writer.
I loved the story, and how it held my interest, all the way to the end. It was well written, captivating, and contained tons of valuable information for anyone interested in blogging, or anyone who questions what make a good blog.
Another thumbs up to you!
Barbara’s last blog post..Blogger Exposes Herself – Traffic Soars
February 25th, 2008 at 5:45 am
Hi Hunter – what a great idea. I’m sure this ebook will be useful to many new bloggers and I’ll make sure I let people know about it. Catherine
CatherineL’s last blog post..11 Star Quality Customer Service Tips
February 26th, 2008 at 1:38 am
Thanks, ladies. I’m glad to have some positive feedback right off the bat from two of my regulars!
February 27th, 2008 at 12:42 am
Just discovered your blog through Scott Young’s. Nice, I’ll download your ebook!
February 27th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Hunter, I wish I had this book a month ago when I first launched a blog. Glad to have it now.
I love the Mount Blogmore story with the old Master. Fun and entertaining way to present the information.
Just curious, do you practice zazen?
thank you much for the free eBook!
February 27th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Hunter,
I’ve been taking a break from blogging. I had a little mountain climbing challenge. Forgot to bring rations so went back to base camp to stock up.
Happily though, I’ve spent an enjoyable few minutes reading and digesting an excellent foray into a world I didn’t really know I was in.
Replete with wisdom, I have shared it because in case the odd person somehow thinks I’ve changed the habit of a lifetime and picked up some wisdom too.
So thanks for giving me a glimmer of a chance of being seen as wise.
Unless they visit my blog and dispel that temporary illusion.
Ian Denny’s last blog post..Ordinary People Taste Ubericious Small Business Success: My 3 Tips
February 27th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
@ Amir, thanks for stopping by. I just discovered Scott Young’s blog the other day, and he’s certainly wise beyond his years. Passion-based learning…now there’s a nice concept!
@ Sterling, that’s funny that you mention zazen. I just heard about it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. No, I haven’t tried it yet, although I’m starting to learn about Zen, and I’m attempting lucid dreaming. Glad you liked the ebook!
@ Ian, sometimes it’s tempting to use up all our food and oxygen tanks before we even start climbing. But in your case I think you’ve been up and down the mountain several times. Taking an occasional break can be very helpful. It lets you build up the courage to endure comments like those you received on your left-handed blogger post!
February 29th, 2008 at 10:23 am
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March 17th, 2008 at 9:58 am
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March 20th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Utterly and inimitably perfect.
March 21st, 2008 at 12:31 am
Wow Naomi, those are the best four words I’ve heard in a long time!
March 23rd, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I’m agree with the comment of Naomi Dunford. Very good e-book, and for free.
Domin
March 24th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Hi, Domin. Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the compliment.
I see that your latest post is a collection of StumbleUpon articles, which just happens to be exactly what I need right now!
April 10th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
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April 10th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
WOW! Great read. You told the story of my experience in looking for the balance in all there is to “think about” while I have a still mind in the moment. Cudos! This is easy to recommend!
Harmony
Harmony’s last blog post..Connecting In the Blogosphere
April 10th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Hi Hunter
I just read you e-book! Very well written!
I have just started a new blog, and many of the questions I had in mind were addressed by the Old Master
Especially the answers to questions on
- posting frequency &
- blogging on popular topics
Aaron’s last blog post..The Four Pillars of Success
April 11th, 2008 at 12:01 am
Excellent! “There is no blog”. Gotta love it!
Neath’s last blog post..Lost Gloves
April 11th, 2008 at 2:40 am
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April 11th, 2008 at 3:12 am
I really enjoyed this book this morning over my coffee, there are a lot of bloggers who could benefit from a trip up the mountain!!
Keiron’s last blog post..There is no blog….
April 11th, 2008 at 6:16 am
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April 11th, 2008 at 7:19 am
sound likes an interesting ebook. I just download it. thanks
samuro’s last blog post..The main players in Forex Market
April 11th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Wow, thank-you for writing such a wonderful book – and for free too!
Katy’s last blog post..Ebay one of the best websites? I don’t think so
April 11th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Didnt that “old man” tell you that you are a great writer?
And one more thing you surely were in heaven at that time coz my “vista with IE7″ crashed twice today.
om’s last blog post..Accepting Payments Online: An ECommerce Web Site Overview
April 11th, 2008 at 9:07 am
GREAT!!! you were dreaming(i should’ve guessed.. )
Hey, you had very few questions and i have too many.Will you answer few of my questions as you have mentioned that you are ready to play the old man for new bloggers like me.
om’s last blog post..Accepting Payments Online: An ECommerce Web Site Overview
April 11th, 2008 at 11:58 am
[...] einer Schlussfolgerung, die nicht dem typischen Problogging-Gefasel entspricht. Geschrieben hat es Hunter Nuttall. Ich habe ihn mal angemailt, ob er Interesse an einer deutschsprachigen Version hat… Gefunden [...]
April 11th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
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April 11th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
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April 11th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
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April 12th, 2008 at 12:16 am
Wow, 13 comments and trackbacks in one day, all from a mention on ProBlogger. I want to thank everyone who took the time to read my ebook, write a post about it, or leave a comment.
A number of people have emailed me asking for blogging advice. The best advice I can offer a new blogger is to subscribe to Blogging Without A Blog. It’s very newbie-friendly and community focused, and Barbara takes the time to reply to every comment. This is where I found most of my early supporters, and I still comment on just about every post on that blog.
Again, thanks to all my new visitors, and I hope you’ll consider sticking around!
April 12th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Thank you for this great uplifting ebook! It definitely motivated me to write more often in my blog.
OneMinutePost’s last blog post..Get Some Laugh
April 12th, 2008 at 1:45 am
Hi Hunter,
Congratulations on being showcased on Problogger. Such a great accomplishment.
Thank you for the referral.
And yes, anyone looking for help with blogging is always welcome on my site.
Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..Why Pay For It, You Can Get It For Free
April 12th, 2008 at 4:01 am
Thanks so much – well written, informative, thought-provoking.. and FREE!!
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April 12th, 2008 at 11:23 am
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April 12th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
[...] ?? ?? ?????? ? ???? ?????? ? ???????? ?????, ??? ? ????????? ???????? ??????????? ?????. ??? ?, ? ???? ???? ???? ??????????, ???????? ? ???? ??????????. ??-??????, ? ??????? ??????? ?? ??????, ?? ?????, ? ??-??????, ??????? ?????? ???????????, ???, ? ????????? ??????, ??? ?????? ??????????-??????????? ????? ??? ? ?? ?????????? ???????? ????????????? ??????????. ????, ??????????? ??? ????? ??????? ??????? — The Zen of Blogging. [...]
April 13th, 2008 at 4:51 am
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April 13th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
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April 13th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Hi Hunter,
Even though my blog is more about Golden Zen than about blogging, I know a lot of bloggers do and will drop by, and I am happy to offer your Ebook as a reference. I have referenced the book on my site as per instructions.
Harmony
Harmony’s last blog post..When The Student Is Ready The Teacher Appears
April 13th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
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April 14th, 2008 at 8:00 am
I really enjoyed that. Couldn’t stop laughing when I got to the Windoze bit. Thanks.
Robin’s last blog post..Moments
April 15th, 2008 at 10:23 am
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April 18th, 2008 at 10:57 am
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April 24th, 2008 at 4:27 am
[...] dem Leser einige Tipps zu vermitteln. Angelehnt ist Jan Tißlers Kurzgeschichte an Hunter Nuttals eBook, das den Leser in englischer Sprache das Blog-Zen entdecken lässt. Muss man mögen, solche [...]
April 24th, 2008 at 5:34 am
[...] denn der Schüler soll sie selbst finden. Es dauert bis zum letzten Tag. Aber lest selbst. Original von Hunter Nuttall: The Zen of Blogging (PDF) Deutsche Ausgabe in der Übersetzung von Jan Tissler: Das Zen des [...]
April 24th, 2008 at 7:10 am
[...] könnt das e-book auf deutsch bei UPLOAD beziehen, das original (in englisch) auf der [...]
April 25th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
[...] nicht nur etwas über Bloggen, es ist zudem, eine wunderbare Zengeschichte. Geschrieben hat esie Hunter Nuttall, und in die Deutsche Sprache, wurde die Geschichte von Jan Tissler vom UPLOAD Magazin übersetzt. [...]
April 26th, 2008 at 11:58 am
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April 27th, 2008 at 4:23 am
@ OneMinutePost, glad you found it motivating. Sometimes a little boost is all we need.
@ Barbara, that’s what’s great about your site–everyone feels welcome there.
@ Nantucket Art, you can’t beat free, can you? Thanks for reading.
@ Harmony, thanks for referencing my ebook on your blog. Your readers should appreciate that you’re making an effort to provide some extra value for them.
@ Robin, a few people have commented on the Windows part here, on ProBlogger, and on other blogs. It seems a lot of people are having trouble with Vista!
April 27th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
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May 3rd, 2008 at 7:47 pm
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May 4th, 2008 at 2:43 am
Thank you, for writing this, it’s a very nice little book, so I posted the link to the german- translated- version on my site. (Also your site and the original- version.)
May 4th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Thanks, XiongShui. I tried to translate your German with Babel Fish, but it didn’t do so well. Anyway, I’m sure what you said was nice!
May 6th, 2008 at 4:16 am
So, I’ll give you an better translating:
“On UPLOAD I found a PDF- Book (24 sites). The question is: “How to be an excellent Blogger”.
So tells Hunter Nuttal, on a very “zennish” kind to his followers, to go the way to be it. But naturally they must find out it by itself. Simplificated: “Don’t make you worry, sweethart” (H.P. Kerkeling). But this wouldn’t be so nice and instructively.
Very important for all those, who aren’t sure, what to do about “blogging”.
You may take a lot of delight, when reading it!
German translating: Jan Tißler, many thanks therefore.
May 6th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Ah yes XiongShui, that’s much better. Glad it was zennish!
May 9th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
[...] Hunter Nuttall hat ein eBook namens “The Zen of Blogging”, was soviel wie “Was macht ein großartiges Blog aus?” übersetzt bedeutet, geschrieben. Jan Tißler hat dieses übersetzt und bietet dieses auf seiner Webseite “Upload-Magazin” zum download an. Teile und genieße [...]
May 24th, 2008 at 6:18 am
Thanks for sharing this great ebook
Joe Cole’s last blog post..deltawebhosting.com
May 25th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Glad you liked it, Joe!
May 25th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
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June 3rd, 2008 at 7:13 am
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June 19th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
[...] e-book is translated in German and Russian. You can donwload the e-book at http://hunternuttall.com/blog/2008/02/free-ebook-the-zen-of-blogging/ . You don’t need to give an emailadrdess. Published in: Uncategorized 0 [...]
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:16 am
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July 3rd, 2008 at 6:42 am
Gosh. Now then I found this book!
Downloaded, and would read it after my dinner.
Thanks Hunter for sharing this!
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Hey Daniel, nice to see you found it. It’s good, but it’s not worth rushing through dinner!
July 19th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
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July 22nd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
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September 24th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
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September 25th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
I love the idea of this Hunter, I’ve just downloaded it so look forward to reading it!
Glen Allsopps last blog post..You Don’t Know What You Truly Love
September 26th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
@ Glen, hope you like it. If all goes according to plan, I’ll have another ebook out next week, on a not-yet-revealed topic!
November 26th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
[...] Nutall took a story and turned it into an entertaining ebook on blogging. The Zen of Blogging is full of analogies between blogging and climbing a mountain, he starts out with some questions [...]
November 30th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Dear Hunter Nuttall,
Nice writing. I have downloaded it, read it and really loved it. Made me thinking, that everyone can be a blogger the way he/she likes. Like me, I’m learning, improving and being me. I wish you all the best and will visit your page again.
Thank you.
Regards.
Niczous´s last blog post..I’m on Twitter
December 1st, 2008 at 12:18 am
@ Niczous, I think you’ve summarized it pretty well in just a few words: “everyone can be a blogger the way he/she likes.” Good luck being the blogger you want to be!
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Hi,
just started with my blog last week and I am very excited to read you ebook. I am mid-forty, but all this blog business is getting my adrenaline up and I feel much younger, though very tired as to some night in front of the PC.
Will leave another message after I read the book, promised.
Love – Ursula
DictionaryNet´s last blog post..ICCF&D Fashion Glossary
December 6th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
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March 20th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
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March 24th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Hunter, I just did a post on five ebooks to check out including yours. I also added it to my download section at bloggertalk.net I hope it will bring you some traffic.
Rose´s last blog post..Vanity publishing- International Society of Photography
March 24th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
@ Rose, thanks! I left a comment on your blog.
July 7th, 2009 at 5:47 am
Hi
Great reading – I am new to BLOGS – would certainly folow your guidelines !
July 11th, 2009 at 9:39 am
I just found your blog and downloaded Ebook and I need sometime to read. However, I read the table of contents I suppose your Ebook would give me ideas and things to do to make my blog better.
I will be get back to you after I finished reading your book. Thank you very much.
July 11th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
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July 21st, 2009 at 2:37 pm
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August 17th, 2009 at 5:49 am
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August 18th, 2009 at 4:45 am
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August 19th, 2009 at 4:41 am
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August 19th, 2009 at 10:17 am
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August 21st, 2009 at 7:17 am
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August 23rd, 2009 at 6:03 am
“Though his sins were scarlet / His blogs were read”
(rephrasing some author’s quote).
I love to read everything written by Hunter, and this book is no exception! It is informative and insightful (two attributes that are rare in most published writings today).
Read it to the end, especially the end.
I won’t give away the ending except to say:
Life is short, why waste time blogging? Live life authentically, but not in front of the computer screen. The lucid, simple, authentic life is all that matters.
[lucid, simple, authentic = All your thingking is clear, all your decisions are simple, and everything you do is sincere and genuine]
And if you have any interesting thought, any idea or insight that you want to retain for further contemplation, jot it down on a diary or a spiral-ring notebook (the kind made of paper). There’s no need to be an unpaid reporter (which is essentially what most bloggers are).
In 2000, way before the term blogging came into being, I too began my personal diary jottings which I placed online using the hosted Homestead.com service (jottings.homestead.com). But since it’s my own thoughts, I have placed a password protection on it.
I used to be a newspaper reporter once — very well-paid — so I can’t figure out why people are willing to write and write and write, essentially for nothing other than the satisfaction of being read and appreciated.
My father used to say that without cash, everything is hypothetical!
Here’s my opinion on blogging:
http://bystander.homestead.com/letter-to-the-world.html
August 23rd, 2009 at 9:04 pm
@ Francis, you have some good points. It’s always better to be one of the overpaid bloggers than one of the underpaid ones!
August 24th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Having commented on blogs that almost no one reads, I must point out a growing phenomena in Singapore of certain not-so-young girls (probably overaged teenagers in their 30s) writing blogs filled with vulgar phrases and four-letter words and semi-intimate descriptions of themselves.
They attract a lot of attention from very young girls (and dirty old and young men), and eventually advertisers. Sooner or later, these bloggers began mentioning or recommending products (without any acknowledgement that they have been paid), and finally their blogs become one giant product endorsement site.
A very successful example is http://xiaxue.blogspot.com/
The blogger, “Xiaxue” (falling snow) is said to have made a fortune capitalising on her self-made notoriety. What a clever, cunning way to make money, although there is absolutely nothing in her blog except trash.
How would one describe her? A blogging whore? An online parasite? (Maybe “parasite” is not accurate since advertisers find her useful…) I wonder if there
August 29th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
[...] many blog posts a day is too much? In The Zen of Blogging, by Hunter Nuttall, Nuttall alludes to blog posting frequency as dependent on the blogger, that there is no posting [...]
September 6th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
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October 11th, 2009 at 8:45 am
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January 29th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Great, can’t wait to get a chance to read it.
February 6th, 2010 at 11:33 am
[...] More by hunter can be found on his blog. [...]