Blogging Tips

I wish I had blogging tips for you, but I don't - not ones you don't already know, that is. I'm actually looking for yours this time.

I think this will be my final post saying I am new at this. I think it's pretty obvious when you come to my site. I only have a handful of followers, and a some wonderful fans on Facebook..but it's apparent it's a new hobby for me. So, I'll stop saying I'm new (it sounds like something someone says when they suck at something as if that makes it better) and let my readers come to that conclusion themselves.

But, I said this would be my final post.. meaning, I am gonna talk about it today.

I started this blog just before Lucas was born in February. I've changed the background 15 times and love to play with templates to make them a little more like I want. I expand the columns - because I can not fathom why you have to have everything squished in the middle of the page to have 74 in margins on each side?? So, I figured out how to do that. Then, I change the colors, because I'm picky and because that's something else I figured out how to do.. sort of. And then there is the delete skill I picked up on. I find things I don't like in the code, and I delete it. Come to find out, some of the stuff I was deleting (like the template designers information), you're not supposed to delete. Oops. So I left that crap  interesting stuff on with this new one.

And that about does it for my html-editing skills. Yup, that's it. I'm learning. I've figured out how to add some advertisements (the ones that prolly annoy everyone, but I thought they looked cool). And then I have been going crazy reading other people's blogs and stealing  adding their friends to my blogroll or following them on Twitter hoping they'll follow me back (some of this seems so childish, and yet I'm still drawn to it).

I've read enough articles now that I'm pretty sure this won't be my get rich quick moments (bummer), but I'm interested in learning what others are doing to make a little cash on the side through blogging. I'm game for a few quarters at this stage or free products - I'll happily do reviews, I have LOTS of opinions :)

So, this is a call out to all of my to-be followers to let me know what got you where you are. Where do you blog? What communities have you joined? How'd you learn HTML tricks? What do you do to make some extra cash? And anything else you might think come in handy to increase traffic flow and make my blog better. All constructive criticism welcome (but, please be nice!)

Thanks!