Every once in a while, I like to remind people of one simple truth. “Bloggers can be wrong, many are, and most things on the Internet are wrong.” (Hm, what a paradox, because if you take that line to heart, then I could be wrong)
I’ve noticed that many bloggers, come off with an attitude, of “I’m always right, don’t question my authoritay”. But, truth be told, that’s not usually the case.
Reading blogs for advice, and tips is not wrong. I highly encourage it, since you gain a new angle of looking at things, and maybe a hidden gem here and there. However, blindly following advice is not only stupid, but could be potentially disastrous.
When you decide to follow someone’s advice, you have to be careful that you don’t misinterpret it.
You need to remember a few key things about the blogger. Always keep in mind their background. How did they start? What are they doing?
Without knowing this, you can’t properly assess if their information is good for you. If they started their blog in 2000, and you’re starting one now, their advice might not be the best for starting a blog. I’d definitely consider their ideas on maintaining and running a successful site, but not for getting one off the ground, too much has changed in the time that’s past.
Also, when reading advice, you should be wary of any ulterior motives. With affiliate links, and the lure of financial compensation, someone may decide that money is worth more than reputation. They may be willing to sacrifice their reputation by pushing a less than useful product. (I’ll never do that, I know that my reputation and your trust is worth more than any sum of money.)
When taking advice it’s usually a good idea to follow the rule of twos. If someone else, that you trust, suggests the products, it’s a safe bet.
So now you’ve come to a dead end. The advice is useful, and trustworthy, but now what?
It’s important to remember that even though most people advertise their information in such a way that makes you assume you won’t have to think, you do.
People use words like “check list, all inclusive, everything you need to know” to convince you that they’ll do all the work for you. In the end, though, you’ll have to work just like everyone else.
Most advice is written to be general. The blogger can’t know that you’ll be coming to his site, and he can’t custom tailor the post to be just for you. Instead, he’s given you a framework, to take the idea and apply it to your situation.
That’s when you have to start thinking. (If you can’t do this, you should reconsider blogging or Internet Marketing. Success relies greatly on your brain.)
Not all advice will be applicable, and stuff that seemed promising at first will fall apart when you try it out.
In the end, it’s important to remember the writer’s point of view, how they used it, and what were their goals.
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