What is the name of your blog?
What is your blog about
Through free content, consulting, and training, Remarkablogger helps business owners boost their bottom line with blog marketing.
How long you have been blogging
The way Naomi Dunford puts it in her book SEO School: “since Jesus was a baby.”
How much time do you spend each week working on your blog (writing, design, etc)
Surprisingly little. I write one or two posts a week. Each post is usually more than a thousand words (in some cases, more than three thousand words per post). This is something my audience indicated to me they preferred, so that’s what I delivered. I spend about three hours per post, on average (since they’re longer than usual).
What was one of the first blogs that you read that you love
You know, I’m not 100% sure, but I think it was Boing Boing, which I still subscribe to now. Boing Boing is such a great example of how to do so much right with a blog. Anyone can learn a lot from their example.
What three blogs do you read every single week
Well, I already mentioned Boing Boing, so let me list three others. The three other blogs I never ever miss are:
- Chris Brogan: I am pretty much sick with admiration for how smart and yet accessible Brogan’s blogging is. He’s the epitome of making it look easy. He’s also real, regular, and humble as well as smart.
- Copyblogger: Brian Clark and the gang over at Copyblogger are the cream of the crop and make no mistake. If you’re involved in online marketing and blogging, you simply must not only read Copyblogger, but also buy everything he sells or recommends. You will not regret it.
- IttyBiz: Naomi Dunford is the swearing shit-disturber of the internet marketing world. She uses real stories as marketing lessons better than anyone else I know. And she’s exactly the same in real life as she is on her blog. She’s also someone who you should basically buy everything she sells and subscribe to her blog.
What is the blog post you are the most proud of
Whichever one I most recently published. I never want to write a blog post that’s lesser than any other one I ever wrote. The latest post is at the blog.
How has your blog helped you personally or professionally
Oh, man, I don’t even know where to begin on that one. Blogging is a huge personal development tool (even if you never set out for it to be one). I make my full-time income from helping others get their businesses and their blogs in alignment and get their blogs to help the bottom line of the business.
What is something you hope to do with your blog that you have not done yet
My goal is to be the number one small business blog on the planet. I’m not there, yet, but I’m moving closer to it every month.
What is the best “do it” tip you have for a blogger that is start today
Get your blog on self-hosted WordPress as fast as you can. Start an email list as fast as you can. (OK, I cheated, that’s two, but not everyone begins on Blogger or WordPress.com.)
What is the best “never do it” tip you have for blogger that is starting today
Never compromise your readers’ needs for money. Your readers’ needs come first. The money is just a byproduct of meeting the needs of your audience. As soon as you get dollar signs in your eyes and you flip those things around, you’re dead. Always put your readers first, and you will be taken care of.
Related posts:
“My goal is to be the number one small business blog on the planet.” I’m not sure how you are going to measure that but from my view, you’re well on your way. Count me as one who is learning a lot from you. Thanks for sharing Michael.
Thanks for stopping by Mike.
Thanks for interviewing Michael and posting this! I always love finding new marketing blogs to read and today I got yours and ittybiz! A great marketing day…:)
.-= Tara Jacobsen – Marketing Artfully´s last blog ..How Often Should You Post To Your Blog? =-.
Since Jesus was a baby is hilarious! Great advice. I need to start a list.
“Get your blog on self-hosted WordPress as fast as you can. Start an email list as fast as you can.”
Absolutely, utterly great advice for anyone in business, or wanting to be. Or even someone who just wants to the web to present them as they want to be seen. I’m going to quote you in my next post, Michael.
It actually took a friend’s death to shake me loose from “I’m going to create a blog soon” to actually getting it done. He’d promised to help me create it, but dropped dead at the age of 32… I dedicated my first blog to him.
Life is too short to delay doing whatever your thing is, so now I teach how to get started with WordPress on my site, for free. Take Michael’s advice, you’ll be glad you did.
.-= Karilee´s last blog ..Adding a New Theme to Your WordPress Site =-.
[...] Martine of Remarkablogger was just interviewed on Patrick Allmond’s blog, StopDoingNothing (and that blog name is great [...]
@Mike Korner – Thanks, man. I shoulda been a little more specific: I meant the #1 site about business blogging. Still a big goal, to be sure, but more realistic. I don’t think Duct Tape Marketing has anything to worry about in the near future.
@Patrick – My pleasure, man. Thanks for inviting me.
@Tara – If you haven’t really read IttyBiz yet, you’re in for a treat. Get a box of wine and keep reading until you pass out (or get to the post about when Naomi got her hand stuck in a box of wine).
@Tess – Yes, only a lush like Naomi who gets her hand stuck in a box of wine could so casually spit that out. And when I say lush, I say it with a heart full of love.
@Karilee – Wow. That is moving, and you’re performing a great service which is badly needed. Thank you for that.
.-= Michael Martine´s last blog ..Would You Like to Read an Interview of Me? Gosh, Who WOULDN’T! =-.
That was really good. Thank you, I feel like I learned something there.
.-= Jack´s last blog ..Back To The Hospital…Again =-.
Great interview Michael.
I agree with you on a daily dose of Chris Brogan and Copyblogger. Naomi’s great but I don’t spend as much time there as I would want to..
I know people who’ve had a blog for years and are not self-hosting yet. When I think about the sheer waste… sigh
.-= David Walker´s last blog ..Five Steps to a Successful Blog =-.
@David, thanks. There are some cases, like Lorelle VanFossen or Matt Mullenweg, where they don’t really need a self-hosted platform. But that’s because of what they’re doing and who they are.
.-= Michael Martine´s last blog ..Blog Masters Club: Are You In? =-.
Very true Michael. Thank you.
.-= David Walker´s last blog ..Five Steps to a Successful Blog =-.
The thing that bothers me about NOT being self hosted is the complete lack of control. While it may be OK for some people it makes me uneasy. Web companies come and go several times a week. What we know and have today may not be here tomm. If some one buys blogspot they could do whatever they want for financial and business reasons and my blogs would be the least of their concern.
I self host WP on a dedicated server. I self host openx. For awhile I was self hosting my stats with piwik. I’d like to find something that would give me the same info as Quantcast too and self host. But that comes from ISP server logs and I’d be surprised if I ever see those.
[...] of our Friday morning guest posts here at StopDoingNothing. Last week we were lucky enough to have Michael Martine from Remarkablogger. This week we get the pleasure of Keith Casey from Casey Software. Keith is one [...]
[...] })(); //]]> Patrick Allmond of Focus Consulting has published an interview of me here on his blog, which is called Stop Doing [...]