{"id":8720,"date":"2009-09-09T00:55:22","date_gmt":"2009-09-08T14:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/?p=8720"},"modified":"2009-09-08T21:44:18","modified_gmt":"2009-09-08T11:44:18","slug":"brainstorm-10-ways-to-expand-your-blog-homework","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/brainstorm-10-ways-to-expand-your-blog-homework\/","title":{"rendered":"Brainstorm 10 Ways to Expand Your Blog [HOMEWORK]"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this post I’d like to share a simple exercise that helped me to grow ProBlogger beyond being just a simple blog {image by deserttrumpet<\/a>}.<\/em><\/p>\n

How are you planning on expanding your blog?<\/h2>\n

\"brainstorm\"Yesterday as I was going through some files on an old computer I stumbled upon a brainstorming document that I’d written 4 years ago about this very site – ProBlogger. I wrote it almost exactly 1 year after I started this blog.<\/p>\n

In the document I’d set myself the task of brainstorming a variety of ways that I could expand ProBlogger beyond being just a blog. While I knew the idea of a blog helping bloggers to make money from and improve their blogs had potential – I also knew that there was potential to build something more successful and profitable by going beyond just having a blog.<\/p>\n

For this task I gave myself permission to dream big and to come up with things that I may never implement.<\/p>\n

Here’s some of the possibilities that I’d jotted down:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • ProBlogger Forum\/Community – where readers can interact with each other – possibly a forum<\/li>\n
  • Job Boards – a place where bloggers looking for work can find jobs and where advertisers can find bloggers<\/li>\n
  • ProBlogger Training\/Speaking – develop training modules to do with groups of bloggers<\/li>\n
  • ProBlogger TV – a video section of the site<\/li>\n
  • ProBlogger Shop – selling merchandise but also tools for bloggers<\/li>\n
  • ProBlogger Services – a consulting service for bloggers<\/li>\n
  • ProBlogger Ad Network – an ad network for bloggers to join to make money from their blogs<\/li>\n
  • ProBlogger Books – self publish a book about how to blog for profit – perhaps a downloadable book.<\/li>\n
  • Start Related Blogs – starting blogs on topics related to blogging (SEO, different platforms etc)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    There was a lot more in the list (in fact there were about 40 ideas) but these were the first on it. I wrote a paragraph or two on each idea – fleshing it out with extra details.<\/p>\n

    Of course there’s a variety of things that I’ve done and not done with these ideas:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Some became a reality (Job Boards, Writing the ProBlogger book and starting TwiTIp for example)<\/li>\n
    • Some I’m still planning on doing (our Community Section will hopefully launch next week)<\/li>\n
    • Some I tried and abandoned (for example I tried a shop where I sold T-shirts for a while but it never really worked)<\/li>\n
    • Some I evolved into other things (the TV idea evolved into semi regular video posts)<\/li>\n
    • Some I plan to do in future (those ones are in my secret file)<\/li>\n
    • Some I’ve never done and probably never will try.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Whether I’ve done all of the things that I dreamt of back then doesn’t really matter….<\/p>\n

      What’s important (to me at least) is that I put some time aside in the very early days of my blog to dream, brainstorm and come up with ideas of how to take my site further than it was.<\/p>\n

      Your Homework<\/h2>\n

      Today I’d like to invite you to do this type of exercise for yourself.<\/p>\n

      How might your blog look in 4-5 years time? Create a list of 10 ways that you might one day expand your blog.<\/p>\n

      OK – I know this seems like a pretty crazy task for some of you because I know for a fact that many ProBlogger readers are just starting out and are still in their launch (or even pre-launch) phase – however I do think that this type of exercise can be helpful even if you don’t do much with the ideas you come up with.<\/p>\n

      For me this type of brainstorming has not only led to concrete ideas and plans but even just the process of dreaming has inspired me to keep growing my blogs. I also think that having some bigger possibilities in mind can sometimes help you to shape your blog in the here and now.<\/p>\n

      So open up a document or grab a pen and paper or a whiteboard and start to dream and brainstorm about how you might one day expand your blog.<\/p>\n

      While I don’t want to limit your brainstorming by giving you too many ideas – you might like to think about some of these:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • different mediums you might like to add (video, forums etc)<\/li>\n
      • other related blogs you could start<\/li>\n
      • services that you could offer<\/li>\n
      • new categories that you could write about<\/li>\n
      • new sections of your site that you could add<\/li>\n
      • new features that you could offer readers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        If you’d like to share some of what you come up with please feel free to share some of your thoughts in comments below.<\/p>\n

        In the coming weeks I’m going to share a variety of ways that I see blogs expanding that I hope might give you a little further inspiration on this topic – but in the mean time do the exercise for yourself and see where it might lead you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        In this post I’d like to share a simple exercise that helped me to grow ProBlogger beyond being just a simple blog {image by deserttrumpet}. 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