Oct 6, 2014 / Intermediate

Ready for a new challenge? Time for Blogging 201.

Let’s dive deeper into branding, traffic, and growth to build your blog. Blogging 201 starts Monday, October 20.

Please note: the content of this edition of Blogging 201: Branding and Growth is the same as the challenge offered earlier this year. If you’re looking for something new to tackle, more Blogging U. courses will roll out this fall and throughout 2015.

Blogging 201: Branding and Growth is a two-week challenge to build on the great foundation you developed in Blogging 101 and give your blog’s growth a serious kick start. We’ll help you:

  • Define your blog’s brand and make sure it’s effective and consistent.
  • Build your audience both within WordPress.com, and without.
  • Understand and use your blog’s stats to grow your traffic.
  • Make the most of your existing posts, to bring them ongoing attention.

You’ll get a task each weekday, along with links to helpful resources and our best advice on how to tackle the assignment. Weekends are time to catch up, explore a new tool further, or just blog. As with all Blogging U. challenges, you’ll also have access to The Commons, a private, staff-moderated space to chat with other participants, share works-in-progress, ask questions, and give feedback.

At the end of the two weeks, you’ll have a strong sense of your blog’s brand, some new readers, and a to-do list you’re excited to attack. Most importantly, you’ll have more focus and motivation to keep your awesome blog going! (And if you’re worried about doing it all: this challenge wraps up before NaNoWriMo and NaBloPoMo begin.)

You’re welcome to join Blogging 201 whether or not you participated in Blogging 101 — there are no prerequisites at Blogging U. It’s also open to any blogger, whether you blog on WordPress.com, have a self-hosted WordPress site, or use another service entirely.

Interested? Fill out this quick form to register. You’ll receive a welcome email before the challenge kicks off:

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  1. Yay another 201 blogging challenge. I wonder if we will learn where we can check all the links that we have put on our blog since we began? I know that 1 of mine is no longer valid, but I cannot remember which post it is on. Hope we find out where these things might be hidden on a dashboard somewhere, save me looking. Namaste x

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    1. I had my blog shut down for a few days because of a link WP did not approve of. After and email explaining things I deleted the link, deleted the image, and found a new one and updated the post. I asked if there was a way of submitting links before publishing so that wouldn’t happen again. Got no answer one way or the other. Sadly, the blog shut down within 10 seconds of hitting publish so I figure there must be a data base the links are checked against. I’d rather submit links for approval than be left in limbo wondering why my blog was shut down. They just send you to a page with “all” the reasons your blog can be in violation to the TOA but no hint. After a day, or two, or three, or more you finally get an email about the specific issue. Meanwhile you are worrying if you blog, content and comments are toast. There must be a better way. They were very polite about it, but the trauma of wondering of all is lost results in a lot of needless anxiety.

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      1. Thanks Dan. My “checking links” was more about reminding myself where in my blog I had added a link, which now appears to be defunct because the website that I directed my reader has changed it’s URL. Have a great day. Namaste

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      2. I understand. I just wanted to share my “bad link” experience on the Commons to make you and other bloggers aware of the vagaries of WP and the need for change in some areas. You can also become a lost link in others posts if you migrate from wordpress.com to your own dot com.

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  2. Really looking forward to this one! I traipsed my way through Blogging101 at the beginning of the year and learnt loads… now I’m almost finished with Writing101, so this will help fill the void I’m sure I will feel next week! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Blogging 101 was really Zero to Hero. I knew nada about blogging and now i am really good at what i am doing, and enjoying it as well . So cant wait for Blogging 201 to begin.

    Liked by 2 people

  9. I am currently in a Public Relations class at Indiana State. In my class we cover a lot of social media based work. I am interested in being apart of blogging 201 to help better my blogging skills. I have never really written for different age groups so that is a skill I am looking to acquire from this.

    Liked by 1 person

      2. Great, I have some friends in an upcoming creative writing class, that I will promote your site to. Lots of seniors are really getting into blogging. Promote your site in some of the senior centers in Florida. Even I’m surprised with the vast number of seniors, I encounter who function very well in the tech world of online activity.

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  12. Love blogging101, for sure I’ll do blogging201 too. I hope that many of my classmates will join, and that I will also meet a bunch of other bloggers in The Commons!

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  13. Having trouble connecting to the form. Message said “error: service certificate not be valid. improve.wordpress.com may not be valid and personal info could be at risk”….umm, wierd. Please help, Daily Post. Thanks.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. it did something similar to me too wen I clicked on the ‘view poll’ link in the email. I closed that page and went pack to the email and clicked “like” down there by the comment button. That opened up this page that has the ‘survey’ questions at the bottom. Try it that way.

        Liked by 1 person

    5. The link in emailed posts sometimes does that. You have two options:

      1. Remove the “s” from the “https” in the signup form address.
      2. Fill out the signup form that’s embedded right in this post instead.

      🙂

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  15. Glad this is repeating, I didn’t have time to participate the first time around. I’ve signed up and will make sure to stick with it.

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      2. Whew Whew…Got it working! It may have been my internet connection at the time. I was in the mountains last week and the connection was pretty spotty. I’m officially ready for action now!

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      1. I clicked on “view original” and the survey was attached to the blogpost. Let me if still can’t find it and I can walk you step by step lol

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  23. Bring it on! The challenges aren’t always easy but in the end I guess we’ll be better bloggers… Nothing good comes easy anyway!

    I’m so glad I started with WordPress- I don’t know if other hosts offer developing courses like this?! Thumbs up to the WP team!

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  24. OK, I’ve tried several times and the survey isn’t working – it’s telling me it isn’t a real site and hackers are gonna steal all my stuff. What should I do?

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    2. Yup, the link in emailed posts sometimes does that. You have two options:

      1. Remove the “s” from the “https” in the signup form address.
      2. Fill out the signup form that’s embedded right in this post instead.

      Like

  30. I tried to get to that survey yesterday many times with no luck and since then my iPad notifies me several times a day that it cannot download the item. I don’t know how to turn it off.

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