Sure, I could give the typical (and critical) advice that all bloggers need a top notch spam blogging plugin. But here is some equally important advice:

Don’t just delete spam. Be sure it is tagged as spam!

Akismet, the plugin I use (and recommend) finds 99.9+% of all spam on my blogs, but occasionally something slips through. And when it does, you should be sure that it’s identified as spam according to the procedures of your software. Doing so (at least with Akismet) added that commentor to the larger spammer list shared by everyone using that software. As part of the blogging community, you are doing your part to clean up the Internet graffiti (well, graffiti minus the artistic value).

UPDATE: Wow, there were 44 new spam comments since I wrote this post 10 hours ago!  Have you seen an increase in spam on your blog?

[PhotoCredit:BennyYap]

I recently found just this thing while visiting Bruce Lawson’s blog.  Bruce has been working as a web developer in the United Kingdom for a large business for the past several years.  While working on a new website, Bruce decided to put into words his own contract with the website users.  He called his agreement A Constitution for a New Website.  In Bruce’s own words, “websites designed by committee serve nobody’s interests, especially not the users’.”  His Constitution lays out exactly what’s important in developing any website.  The Constitution is simply written and clear in it’s message; websites are all about the user, not the owner, not the designer, and not the programmer.

Bruce has already extended an invitation to readers to amend the Constitution for use on their own websites.  It’s a great way to keep focus when developing or writing for your blog.  Create your own constitution or adapt Bruce’s (with linked credit, of course).  And start viewing all you do from the user’s perspective.

[PhotoCredit:Laszlo]

1) I need a custom logo to replace the generic template typographics. The big orange title (now white) is simply part of the original theme design. But it is neither eye-catching or memorable. I want a logo that adds to the branding of the site. So look for new logo in the future.

2) I want the Popular Posts section in the sidebar to automatically populate with the most popular posts. This requires adding a plugin and placing the proper code in the sidebar. I recently installed the Popularity Contest plugin by Alex King, and I highly recommend this plugin to all users of WordPress. You will find it here along with several other Alex King plugins. Now I simply need to enter the correct code in the correct location (for me, this could take months).

3) I will be replacing the Adsense advertisements from the top of the sidebar. This, like the title format, is part of the original theme design. I want to replace this prime real estate with something more beneficial to my readers. I have been looking at some products and services for advertising, but I only want to promote stuff I know is good. I hope to make this change in the next few weeks.

4) I will be adding some valuable resource lists to the blog. I’ve been working on a number of exciting lists that I will be adding either as posts or as pages tabbed at the top of the blog. I want to make Blogging Startup the first place new bloggers go for resources and information, so these lists will add a lot of value to the site. Of course, it’s a lot of work to find great resources, so it has been taking me some time. I hope to have the first list published in the next two weeks.

5) Finally, I want to start doing more blog reviews. Every few weeks I will review a blog that is just getting started. Each blog will receive a review of both content and design with a list of strong points and areas for improvement. For an example of one of my reviews, see the Push Standards Review. My hope is to provide some encouragement, advice and a wee bit of traffic from my readers. I will write more about this later, but if you have a new blog (less than six months old) and would like a review, drop me a note.

Finally, I have a question. Do you like the text color for this blog’s hyperlinks? The orange text is not my favorite, but I want to know what you think? Should I change the color to a more traditional blue or another color…or just leave it orange? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think?

[UPDATE: Well, with two votes counted, it's unanimous.  I've changed the link color to blue.  Thanks Shari!]

[PhotoCredit:Davichi]

Use the new “Archives” page at the top of this blog. This page lists everything ever posted at BloggingStartup.com. By the way, the page is created with a wonderful plugin called SRG Clean Archives 4.2 from GeekWithLaptop.com.

Use the wonderful search feature in the upper right corner of the blog. It’s big, pretty, and very functional. Give it a try…you know you want to.

Check out the list of popular articles in the right sidebar. This is where I list the most popular posts as rated by Good Housekeeping.

Use the list of Recent Posts in the right sidebar. This is a list of the last five posts appearing on this blog.

Finally, find what you are looking for by category. The category list in the right sidebar is a great way to find articles by topic area. For example, click Blog Contests to find all the contests that I have reported about.

So there you go, five great ways to find what you are looking for at Blogging Startup. So quit sending me emails asking where to find stuff. I have no idea where you put the T.V. remote!

[Photo Credit:C.P. Storm]

I would usually go to Blogger to get my fix. It was easy and free…I think just to get me hooked. But soon I was doing WordPress…on my own domain! I know, I know…that’s really dangerous. But hell, it was amazing! I loved it. I could do anything I wanted while blogging. ANYTHING!

Finally I started making my own blogs, I mean, mixing code and stuff. New blogs that I could share with others. Nah, I never sold the stuff. I just used it myself and shared with others. Now I’m blogging two or three times a day…on multiple blogs. I can’t stop. I don’t WANT to stop!

Well, that’s it. That’s why I’m here. I’m addicted to blogging.

So, you’re turn to share. What is your name, and why are you a blogger?

[Photo Credit:Tyreseus]

So the answer to the question is NO. You are not obligated to put anyone in your blogroll just because they have done the same. Well, unless you agreed to exchange these links beforehand. So if you’re not obligated to put their link in your blogroll, what should you do when listed in someone’s blogroll?

Of course, the first thing you want to do is visit the blog. When you find out that you are linked in someone’s blogroll, visit the site and read some of the content. If you like what you read, then you might consider putting the blog on your blogroll. It’s not an obligation, but there is no reason to not consider adding a blog you really like.

Then, send the blog owner an email (or at least a comment) thanking them for adding you to their blogroll. If there was an unwritten rule, this should be it. Always thank those that link to your blog.

I strongly believe that blogrolls should reflect the blogs that you read and consider among the best. If I like a blog, I will often check out their blogroll in hopes of finding additional blogging gems.  So put your favorites in your blogroll as a treat for your readers.

[PhotoCredit:Rusvaplauke]