It’s a trap I’m particularly susceptible to, as I have far too many interests.

I wouldn’t say this is a new realization for me, but as I approach my 40th birthday, I must begin to take action to address this shortcoming.

As such, I have a bittersweet announcement to make: going forward, this blog is going to be in read-only mode. I do not plan to publish new content on it.

A few, mostly logistic, points about this:

• Blogging-wise, I’m going to consolidate by writing new content on my programming blog. Both programming and blogging related.
• The existing articles will remain on this web site.
• I’m not shutting down the mailing list. I will use it to announce the occasional sale, a new format of my book (there is an audiobook coming soon), and if I were to write a third edition in a few years. Subscribe if you’d like to receive such updates. You can also subscribe to my tech blog instead as I will announce major happenings around my book there too.
• If you loved my book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon.

Thank you so much to everyone who followed along over the years. Please consider keeping in touch.

The post Consolidating appeared first on Technical Blogging.

My publisher is making it available at a 40% discount for a few days, whether you buy the ebook, printed book, or both as a combo.

Just click here and use the coupon code turkeysale2019 at checkout. The sale starts on Thanksgiving and has been extended to include Black Friday as well.

Oh, and if you buy (or have already bought) my book and have questions about your own blog, I’m your guy.

The post My Book is on Sale for Black Friday appeared first on Technical Blogging.

Looking at the direct sales subset to date, the numbers are encouraging. So much for the waning interest in blogging!

Holding Your Book Is a Great Feeling

The book is finally in print and this week I received my complimentary author copies.

It’s always a great feeling to hold the final product in your hands after investing so many hours in a project.

When I received them, I grabbed a copy and immediately opened a random page and started reading it. I had a wow, this is actually good moment. I know the book is good based on early feedback, but I tend to be a perfectionist and hypercritical of my own work.

Yet this edition feels right. From the cover (which I prefer over the dated first edition) to the actual content and how it’s formatted in the book.

I’m Starting a YouTube Channel

Following my own advice in the book, I decided to get a little more serious about video. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do but for one reason or another, never did.

I’m happy to announce a brand new YouTube channel I’m starting, called Tony on Tech. The plan is to use this channel for both technical and marketing topics. Hence, you can expect videos on programming, tech, content marketing, and social media.

If any of these topics interest you, I recommend that you subscribe now (use the bell to get actual notifications from YouTube).

In a way, video is not the ideal media for me. I learned English in my twenties, so I speak with an accent. Unlike carefully crafted words on paper, when I speak on the fly, I’m more likely to introduce a few mistakes here and there.

Yet, I like being able to make a stronger connection with my audience by expressing myself through video. I also believe that video is going to become more and more critical in the future. Always go where the audience is and give them content in the manner they prefer. And most people binge watch video content.

My First Video Is a Promo for the Book

A nice side effect of me experimenting with video is that I’ll get to share everything I learn about producing and marketing through video with you.

Incidentally, my first video for this channel is a promo video for my book. I find this video very unpolished, but it’s a starting point. The good news is, I can only improve from here, audio and video quality wise.

(If you are the very generous and forgiving kind, a like would be very much appreciated.)

I Will Share What I Learn About Video

Truth be told, I’m sort of running an experiment in which I’m launching three channels (perhaps biting off more than I can chew).

Specifically, I’m launching a new channel for my hobbies (related to the outdoors). Plus, I’m revamping my existing personal channel, which will be about self-improvement.

It’s not an approach I would recommend to others, but there are some benefits and a method to this madness. I’ll get to see how the techniques I employ to grow these channels affect different channels on various subjects.

It’s sort of a race between the three channels and it’s possible I won’t keep all of them forever if one manages to take off in a major way.

Subscribing to this blog (and the channels) is the best way to stay up to date with this video experiment and my future comments on the subject.

Thank you, everyone, for your amazing display of enthusiasm towards this new edition of my book.

The post New YouTube Channel and Promo Video appeared first on Technical Blogging.

Where to buy it

My publisher’s website offers the option to order a DRM free ebook (in PDF, .pub, and .mobi format) as well as a paper version. Even better, if you order both at the same you will receive a discounted price.

Check out the free excerpts that the publisher put out to get a feel for the book and my writing style.

It’s also available for pre-order on Amazon, should you prefer to buy it there.

Why should you buy my book?

Every day I encounter people who have much to offer to the world. Yet, their voice is never heard. Nobody knows about what they’re working on, their contributions, or their brilliance.

The main problem is that being good is necessary, but not sufficient, so to speak. You might be great, but if nobody knows about you, your opportunities are going to be limited.

My book will teach you, step-by-step, how to receive recognition for the work that you do. Blogging and social media can offer you countless benefits. Think growth, influence, and even money. My intention is for you to maximize these benefits.

Those who follow the plan that I present in my book and put it into practice will achieve significant results. I challenge anyone to prove me wrong.

I read the first edition, what’s changed?

If you haven’t read the first edition, you can safely go ahead and order the second edition now.

The question becomes a bit more challenging if you read the first edition.

This is not your college professor doing cosmetic changes to push out a new edition of a textbook. I spent more time writing this updated edition than I did writing the original from scratch.

Yet, this is an update and not a new book. The structure of the book remains roughly the same as the first edition. Roughly because there were some structural changes.

I included a chapter on time management and personal productivity. I added many tips (shy of 100) and collected them in an appendix. My SEO recommendations have been updated to the latest best practices. And I extensively expanded the social media strategy chapter.

In truth, I ended up writing a lot of new content throughout the book. I think I updated pretty much every page.

The blueprint I present in this edition is definitely more focused and streamlined. I spent less time focused on ways to monetizing a blog. In the process, I actually carved a clearer path on how to make money from your online presence (if that’s a goal for you).

There is no doubt in my mind that this is a better, more polished version of the book.

If money is not super tight for you, I would encourage you to invest in this second edition. Both SEO and social media have changed quite a bit in the past seven years, since the first edition. Otherwise, consider simply following the first edition to the best of your abilities. Outdated as it might be, it will still offer you some guidance.

What’s next

Now that I completed the book, I’m excited to revamp my own blogging on the three main blogs that I run (I sold my math blog a while ago). A newly launched personal blog on self-development, a programming blog, and this blog on technical marketing, of course. Stay tuned.

Finally, my heartfelt thanks to everyone who already purchases the 2nd edition. I’d love to hear your take on it anytime.

The post Technical Blogging, 2nd Ed. Is in Print appeared first on Technical Blogging.

If you haven’t read the first edition, grab this second edition now. This version is virtually complete (minus one chapter on social media) and it will give you a blueprint to achieve your goals by sharing what you know. I believe it has the potential to transform most people’s careers.

Differences from the First Edition

If you’ve already read the first edition, you might wonder if it’s worth updating. I’ll be very straightforward with you. This is not a rewrite or a brand new book. It genuinely is a second edition. I think of it as a more polished version of the existing book. It removes all the obsolete content, replacing it with my latest, most up-to-date recommendations.

A lot of the existing content is still there, but I think this edition is much more focused on the goal of getting you to take viable action. In fact, I added a Take Action section to each chapter to summarize what you’re supposed to do after reading its content.

I added a larger number of tips to each chapter and collected them all in a final recap appendix. I also added a chapter on productivity and time management, that some folks may find very worthwhile on its own.

Re-reading the book, as I edited it, I was surprised by how relevant most of the content still was. So I didn’t get rid of the existing good stuff (though I tried to further clarify and improve the existing text when applicable).

However, there were quite a few things that made the first edition obsolete and no longer something that I could comfortably recommend to people, six years after its publication.

Blogging in 2019

This second edition fixes all that and I’m proud to publish an updated book on blogging in 2019. At a time when people might think of blogging as dead, I’m releasing a book that can be your secret weapon for 2019. I honestly believe this can be a game changer for most people.

In a recent post, David Heinemeier Hansson (of Ruby on Rails and Basecamp fame) wrote on his blog:

Traditional blogs might have swung out of favor, as we all discovered the benefits of social media and aggregating platforms, but we think they’re about to swing back in style, as we all discover the real costs and problems brought by such centralization.

— DHH in his post Signal v Noise exits Medium

I couldn’t agree more.

As soon as the book is completed, I look forward to implementing much of the advice from my own book myself, as I shift my focus from writing the book back to blogging. I’m genuinely excited about blogging in 2019 and sharing what I know with all of you.

If I’ve piqued your interest, feel free to investigate the 2nd edition here. You’ll find the table of content for the book, as well as some excerpt to help you judge whether my book is your cup of tea. As always, if you have questions, feel free to reach out to me here or via email.

The post The Second Edition of Technical Blogging Is in Beta appeared first on Technical Blogging.

On the evening of Thursday, October 13, 2016, an 18 year old girl having a domestic dispute with her mother allegedly set her own house on fire. The fire spread quickly to the whole fourplex, which included our townhome. (The girl has since been arrested by the police.)

My wife and I managed to rescue our dog, Annie, in the process. She came close to dying, but she is doing okay and is expected to recover.

Despite trying for several minutes in black acrid smoke, we simply couldn’t find our beloved cat of 8 years, Stella, anywhere in the house and she is sadly presumed dead in the fire.

We lost everything we owned as the flames fully engulfed and gutted our home. It took firefighters the whole night to subdue the flames and smoke. In a twist of irony, this went down on our 12th wedding anniversary. Not how we expected to celebrate it.

My large collection of programming, computer science, business, photography, outdoors, and math books went up in flames. Including copies of my own two books.

As well as high-end electronics, laptops, passports, and everything else. I made it out with my wallet, phone, and car keys only. My wife lost everything too, including countless irreplaceable items as well as her business, in the process.

Unfortunately, due to the extreme circumstances I’m forced to put this blog and others on a temporary, potentially long hiatus, as I focus on slowly rebuilding our lives.

The only silver lining is that we’ve received an incredible amount of support from family, friends, colleagues, and readers during this difficult time.

If you’d like to contribute to the campaign setup by friends to help us get back on our feet, please consider a donation here:

https://www.youcaring.com/jessica-cangiano-antonio-cangiano-672285

No amount is too small. Anything helps, even just your thoughts and sympathy. It’s amazing how helpful this has been.

Thank you so much for your support and understanding in this incredibly challenging time.

The post Technical Blogging Will Be on Hold Due to Tragic Circumstances appeared first on Technical Blogging.

This should come in handy if you’re launching a new blog or trying to improve an existing one. In it, I made sure to only include services and tools I trust and have used myself.

The list is not meant to be exhaustive, but it should get anyone well on their way. Please feel free to let me know if I’ve accidentally overlooked any key categories of tools or services, and I’ll update the page.

In fact, I plan to keep the page up-to-date and regularly add/remove links as needed.

The post Check out the New Blogging Tools Page appeared first on Technical Blogging.

Q: On a scale from 1 to 10 how would you rate TechnicalBlogging.com’s content in terms of usefulness?

Overall your responses were quite positive. Most, in the admittedly small sample, found the content to be quite useful.

I would love to hear from the person who rated it a four. I always welcome feedback, especially if it’s constructive criticism.

Q: Do you find TechnicalBlogging.com’s posting frequency of one post per week to be…

I have come to the conclusion that posting once a week is indeed a good compromise, especially when juggling multiple blogs. Thankfully none of the survey responders found the frequency to be too low.

Q: What type of posts are you MOST interested in?

Pie charts suck when it comes to so many options, so I’m reporting the data as a list of top 5 instead.

• 30.4% Writing and content advice
• 21.8% Other
• 17.4% Making money with your blog
• 17.4% Technical how to (e.g., how to setup WordPress)
• 13% Managing your time as a blogger

My takeaway here is to focus on how to come up with content ideas, how to monetize it, and the technical aspects of running a blog. Not surprising, but it’s nice to have confirmation.

Q: Do you currently have a blog?

It’s great to see that well over 70% of respondents have a blog already, and 17.4% are looking to start one soon. I can work with that.

Q: What blogging platform do you use?

WordPress was expectedly the most common option, but static generators and home-grown blogs were surprisingly popular as well.

Q: What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to blogging?

Some of the most common answers to the question are summarized below. It was an open question, so similar answers have been grouped together.

• Finding the time to write
• Coming up with content ideas
• Figuring out a blogging strategy
• Sticking to a schedule
• Technical difficulties in setting it all up

These answers were quite useful to me. I’ll have appropriate content in response to this soon.

Q:  What’s your number one reason to blog or for wanting to blog?

The top two answers dominated the responses. 54.5% of respondents said that they want to promote themselves or their career. And 18.2% of respondents see blogging as an outlet to express themselves. The rest of the answers were quite fragmented and none stood out.

Q:  Which of these online courses that we may develop would you be most interested in buying?

1. 26% Making a second income with blogging
2. 21.7% Blogging to boost your career
3. 8.7% Mastering Amazon Associates for profit
4. 8.7% Blogging for startups

About a quarter of respondents weren’t interested in any of these courses.

I’m seriously considering creating an online course that either focuses on monetizing your blog, or using your blog to boost your career. I’ve been asked to write another book, but I might turn that down in favour of this course, which would include the best step-by-step information I have ever given on the subject. Stay tuned.

As a side note, surveys are a great way to solicit feedback. You can use professional services, or simply create a Google Forms survey like a did for this survey.

Thank you, everyone, for your feedback. I will use it to make this blog more interesting and useful.

The post Technical Blogging’s First Survey Results appeared first on Technical Blogging.

TAKE THE SURVEY

The post Please take my brief blogging survey appeared first on Technical Blogging.

noIf you’re also on the hunt for some top-notch cold weather reads and/or if you’ve been considering picking up a copy my book, Technical Blogging, then you’re in luck!

Today is the last day that my publisher is offering a very substantial 40% off of all the books in their catalog, including Technical Blogging. Sales like this don’t come along everyday, so now really is a great time to pick up those titles from The Pragmatic Bookshelf.

To save a hefty 40% off of your purchase, use the coupon code TURKEY when you checkout.

Happy shopping, reading, and start of the winter holiday season, everyone.

The post Cyber Monday deal: Get Technical Blogging for 40% off appeared first on Technical Blogging.