How Do You Help Out a Blogger?

I really enjoyed this article and I wanted to pass it along. Enjoy.

zen habits
How Do You Help Out a Blogger?

Posted: 23 Aug 2008 12:12 AM CDT

My friend J.D. Roth of the awesome Get Rich Slowly blog came out with a post today about Seth Godin’s advice to click on ads to support a blogger:

Ads Are NOT the New Online Tip Jar

I agree with J.D. completely. If you like Zen Habits, don’t click on ads just to support me. Click on them if you’re interested in what they’re advertising, sure, but don’t just click randomly.

Instead, here’s how you can help out any blogger — myself included (some of this is J.D.’s advice):

Join the conversation. I love all the input and feedback and different perspectives in the comments. Many times — maybe all the time — the comments are more valuable and interesting and lively than my posts. If you like a blog, get involved if you are moved to do so, don’t just read and move on.

Spread the word. If you really like Zen Habits, or any other blog, email your mom, your co-workers, your cousin you haven’t heard from in years, your college roommate who really needs this advice. Word of mouth is the best advertising, especially from those who really like a blog.

Link love. If you’re a blogger, and you like one of my posts, link to it! That’s always appreciated greatly.

Subscribe. Many of you already subscribe, of course, but if you haven’t yet, I’d love it if you’d subscribe to my feed so you don’t miss any of my posts.

Amazon purchases. In some of my posts, I link to books with my Amazon affiliate code. If you decide to buy a book through my links, it helps me out. You don’t have to buy anything, of course — I’m not trying to pressure you into it — and if you want to save money, definitely use your library. Another interesting note: if you click on the Amazon links (including those in the bottom of the sidebar, to the right, where I’ve shown the books I’ve been reading), and you end up buying something else, I get a small percentage. That helps out!

Donations. I accept donations through PayPal, and I’m truly grateful to those who donate.

Buy my ebooks. If you like the stuff on Zen Habits, I sell two ebooks that present the best of my content. Zen To Done is a productivity system that many people have found valuable. The Zen Habits Handbook for Life is a collection of some of my best advice for productivity, simplicity and happiness. They’re not expensive, and if you don’t like them, I’ll give you your money back, no questions asked.

Finally, I’d just like to say that I’m extremely grateful to all of you. You’ve made my dream possible, and I’m thankful every day for that. Your participation in Zen Habits, your feedback that helps me improve, your financial support … it’s all been wonderful. Thank you, all of you.

Edit: The headline had a typo at first. It sounded really dumb. I’m not perfect. :)