Where goes Website In A Weekend? Another Week in Review

(Reading time: 6 – 9 minutes)

A blog should have a purpose.

Website In A Weekend was started to promote a small seminar. Most of the early articles were written as parts of the seminar curriculum. The seminar didn’t work out, but all that material is still good.

After the seminar “lesson,” the focus on Website In A Weekend changed. The new focus was to demonstrate expertise and build credibility as an authority on blogging with WordPress. That goal is more or less met. I’m not the world’s WordPress blogging expert by any means, but it should be clear from daily posting over almost 6 months that I can get around WordPress fairly well. And as long time readers know, some of that material is heavyweight.

During this time I’ve also worked on some small information products and developed a couple of plugins for WordPress.

Now, it’s time to change the focus yet again, but first let’s poke around a bit to check the state of the blog.

Under the hood at Website In A Weekend

I’ve been watching my traffic closely over the last couple of months, and it’s really grown. The more I comment on other blogs, the more traffic I get.

Unfortunately, my percentage of traffic coming in from search results is shrinking.

And that’s no good.

I don’t have hard numbers on this, but my hunch is that traffic coming in from social media, commenting, etc. is driven more by curiousity or general interest and entertainment.

Whereas I’m almost sure people coming in from search are looking for specific information. I can see that in my statistics.

While it’s gratifying to have a large number of comments and high traffic, without sales blogging is just a hobby. A very time consuming hobby.

There’s a lot of great material on Website In A Weekend, some of which must be marketable as products. The Whitepapers are the first step down this road.

Time to take another step.

Making it happen

Ok, products…

I have a lot of irons in the fire. Maybe too many. I could keep an army busy. Choosing what to do next isn’t all that difficult… it’s figuring out what NOT to do next.

I’ve decided to crank out 12 screencasts the first week of December.

These will be for the first 12 Practical WordPress Tips. They won’t be very long, only a few minutes, but it does take me a while to script them properly (about an hour). And it’s hard work for me because I’ve only done a few screencasts ever.

Now, every single book and probably half the blog posts and articles I’ve ever read on productivity and Getting Things Done states emphatically that accountability is a key factor for project completion.

The problem with accountability is that it puts a burden on the person to whom you’re accountable.

Accountability is a two-way street.

Friends can sometimes help. Spouses and “significant others” can sometimes help as well.

But it is an imposition; there needs to be something in it – a carrot – for the other person. And there has to be consequences – a stick – if you don’t complete the task.

If I asked you for accountability, I would expect to compensate you for your attention.

So I will.

Here’s the deal: If you’re the first person to sign up for the newsletter (or contact me if you are already subscribed)…
…I’ll send you a post-dated check for $100 US,

which goes live at noon PST December 4th if I don’t have 12 screencasts 3-4 minutes long posted for your examination.

That’s the stick.

If I don’t make the deadline, you cash the check and enjoy $100 US, on me. If I make the deadline, you rip up the check.

In return for this responsibility, you get access to all 12 videos (only 3 will be posted as blog posts).

That’s the carrot. It’s win/win for you.

Conditions:

• Weekenders only. If you aren’t a Weekender, sign up for the Weekender newsletter over there at the top of the right sidebar (or on the Newsletter page).
• Limited to first respondent only. (Everyone signing up November 20 will get a Whitepaper of their choice though. You really can’t lose.)
• US residents only, because I’m sending you a paper check.

As usual, I’ll post your name and a link of your choice in the next Week in Review.

I got this idea from one of Eben Pagan’s products. I don’t have any affiliation with any of Eben’s companies – he has several – but I recommend any of his products that interest you. I’ve purchased several, they’re all excellent. In this case, a friend of mine used this strategy to create 26 weekly podcasts of 45 minutes each. He said it was powerful motivation: he had $200 on the line every week. He only missed one week.

Now back to our usual programming.

New articles

At some point I’ll write an article on exactly what kind of structure I’m building with the Week in Reviews. For now, consider the purpose two-fold: 1. convenience for readers who are new or may have an interesting article, and 2. internal linking to help search engines get around the website. Every article on Website In A Weekend since the start of the Week in Review series has internal links to it.

• John E. Kennedy’s Reason Why Advertising – 100 Years Old and Aging Like Fine Wine. The advertising principles outlined in John E. Kennedy’s Reason Why Advertising are just as important today as they were when written. Now online, check it out.
• DIY WordPress: 3 Reasons You Should Learn To Code. WordPress coding isn’t for everyone… but it might be for you! If you’ve ever wondered – or just need an excuse to start – Blake Waddill gives you the scoop.
• When the Web Was Young (What went wrong, what went right). Understanding the nature of the World Wide Web will help you quickly and easily design websites and blogs that are both reader and search engine friendly.
• Website In A Weekend Whitepapers – Series I. Each Website In A Weekend Whitepaper is densely packed with accurate information to save you time and effort, all at an easy-to-afford price. Get yours now.
• Practical WordPress Tip #18 Deep link to internal anchor. Deep linking adds blog value by exposing more content to both readers and search engines. Learn a little used technique to expand deep linking opportunities.

Upcoming

Art!

Deacon is launching Woodblock 101 on Tuesday November 24, 2009.

I’ll be supporting that launch here with an article here on how Deacon has been using WordPress to build his own storefront to sell his art.

I’ll also have some information on how you can score one or more of his unique fine art woodblock prints. Art isn’t everyone’s interest, but if it’s yours, watch for this blog post.

The Week In Review Series

Last WIAW Week in Review

News of the New – Another WIAW Week in Review. Lot’s of new bloggers roaring onto the scene. Prize winners too! Check it out, another WIAW Week in Review.

Next WIAW Week in Review

Holiday Season Kicks Off – 2 Weeks in Review! We take on Smashing Magazine, boring blog posts and render an opinion on WordPress comment plugin snarkery. It’s that time again: the WIAW Week in Review.

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Tagged as: Accountability, Week in review