In this week’s tutorial, we’re going to take a break from learning how to query and develop SQL Server databases and instead talk about something else that could definitely boost your career: A programming blog.
There are several reasons why you should a programming blog. First, if you are writing tutorials or how-to guides like I do, it honestly helps you become a better programmer as well as helps the people reading your blog.
They say a true test of whether or not you know a topic is if you can adequately teach the topic to someone else. I’ve been working with SQL Server for nearly a decade, yet I still learn new things about SQL Server through the research I do for my blog posts. Things I did not know before!
A blog is also a great way to give back to the tech community. I honestly think the best way to live is in the pursuit of enriching other people’s lives. A programming blog that helps people learn new skills and gain valuable knowledge is a great way to do that.
If you’re interested in starting a programming blog, but aren’t sure where to start, a great place would be John Sonmez’s FREE email course on creating a blog.
John Sonmez is the creator of www.SimpleProgrammer.com. He is a very successful entrepreneur in the field of tech and programming, as well as fitness and personal development.
I signed up for John’s email course and it gave me A TON of great information that helped get my blog up and running. The course can be found at www.SimpleProgrammer.com/blog-course.
In this review, I’d like to talk about the highlights of the email course and provide my feedback. My hope is that after reading this review, you’ll be inspired to go through the course and start up your own blog! Here are the highlights from the course that we’ll discuss:
- Coming up with a theme for your blog
- Step-by-step guide for creating your blog
- Deciding what to write about
- Consistency
- Gaining traffic
- Final thoughts
Let’s do it:
1. Coming up with a theme for your blog
Of course, before starting a blog, you need to know generally what you want to talk about and who your target audience is going to be.
John talks about how when deciding what to talk about, it’s important to niche down. For example, my blog is dedicated to teaching people how to query and develop SQL Server databases.
I’d say that’s pretty specific. There are many database providers out there (MySQL, Oracle, MongoDB, etc), but I only focus on one: Microsoft SQL Server.
Also, I might teach a thing or two about database administration here and there, but that’s not my primary focus. I want my readers to learn how to query and develop databases through my how-to guides and tutorials.
When coming up with “what you want to talk about”, make sure you think small. You wouldn’t believe how specific some blogs are. Here is a blog about Train Photography for crying out loud!
Think about your “content tilt”
Also when thinking about blog content, you need to think about your “content tilt”. There is a great book called One Hour Content Plan by Meera Kothand that discusses the idea of your content tilt. Basically it’s the defining factors that sets your blog apart of others.
I think my “content tilt” is using simple analogies, plain and direct speaking, and engaging writing to help my readers understand a topic.
I know first-hand how complicated some SQL Server topics can be. It is not easy sometimes to find answers to the questions you are asking. Or sometimes the answers to your questions are presented in a format that is not very beginner friendly.
Also sometimes, while researching a SQL Server topic, I’ll find an article where the author is clearly not a native English speaker. The words are full of typos and grammatical errors, which makes it difficult to understand what the author is trying to say. The SQL Server topic is complicated enough without throwing in typos and poor sentence structure into the mix.
(Just to be clear though, I don’t have a problem with non-English speakers. I am just being honest!)
My blog introduces engaging writing and humor for my readers
Folks, I understand that SQL Server is BORING.
Many of the tutorials you’ll find on other SQL Server blogs make you feel like you’re basically reading a textbook. Personally, I want to be engaged when reading. I don’t want to feel exhausted while reading.
My blog offers that engaging style of reading, through the use of colors, bolded and italicized words, short paragraphs, pictures, and most importantly, HUMOR!
Think about your target audience
John also talks about how you need to know who your ideal reader is in order to write great content for them.
For example, my ideal reader is probably in their early-mid twenties, and fresh out of college. Maybe they learned a thing or two about SQL and databases in school, but it was mostly theory. They don’t have much real-world experience.
After college, they enter into a job that directly works with Microsoft SQL Server. Maybe they work with an application that integrates with SQL Server, or maybe they took a junior database developer position.
Either way, part of their job responsibility requires them to have a beginner to intermediate understanding of SQL Server databases. But again, they don’t have that experience from school. They need to learn the basics of SQL Server, and they need to know what topics are worth their time and provide the most value.
My hope is that they will find my blog, and find that my tutorials and digital products will give them everything they need to succeed!
2. Step-by-step guide for creating your blog
The task of actually hosting and creating a website might seem a bit overwhelming to someone who has never done it before ( like me 🙁 ).
Thankfully, John very simply walks you through the process of signing up for the hosting and software you need to get your blog up and running.
There are many ways to build and host a website, but in my opinion, the best way is to go with a WordPress website hosted with Bluehost.
Luckily, John Sonmez agrees with me (as he f*cking should)
I heard somewhere that about 25% of all the websites on the internet are created using WordPress. Folks, that’s a lot. And I’ve learned that of those WordPress websites, many of them are hosted using Bluehost.
WordPress and Bluehost understand this, and they have actually set them up so that they can integrate with each other very easily. They are in cahoots, you see.
In John’s email course, he walks you step-by-step through the process of creating a WordPress website hosted with Bluehost. He has a YouTube video on the whole thing which is exactly what a visual learner like me needs.
Great stuff!
3. Deciding what to write about
To make sure you never run out of blog topics, John recommends you do some brainstorming and come up with a list of X number of blog posts in a single sitting.
(oh, you thought I was going to give you the number? Darling, you gotta sign up for the FREE email course and find out for yourself! Did I mention it’s FREE?)
A common hesitation an aspiring blogger might have is “I don’t think I have enough to write about“. Bro, yes you do.
It took me about 20 minutes to come up with a massive list of topics to blog about. Seriously.
In fact, the list has never really stopped growing. Every time I start writing about a topic, it will remind me of something else that would be great to write about. Or maybe I’ll run into an interested SQL problem at my day-job that I realize would be great to talk about in a blog post.
Folks, if you want to start a programming blog specifically, you’ll always have something to write about. I don’t care what language or discipline it is. There are so many nuances in programming that it’s virtually impossible to run out of topics. I dare you to prove me wrong!
4. Consistency
Consistency, consistency, CONSISTENCY!
In the email course, John talks about the importance of staying consistent with your blog posts. Consistency is what will turn a casual reader into a raving fan.
Think about a good T.V. show you watch or used to watch. I always liked The Walking Dead, for example.
The Walking Dead comes on at 9:00 P.M. on Sundays. It doesn’t come on whenever they feel like it. Can you imagine if new episodes were released at random times in the week? Nobody would watch it. Nobody would care anymore.
The creators of the show understand the importance of hyping the show, and the thrill of anticipating the next episode. Folks, you need to mimic that with your blog posts.
For example, I release a new tutorial every Monday morning before 9:00 A.M. I also plan on making YouTube videos soon that will also be released on a schedule.
You should definitely sign up for my email list to get notified any time a new tutorial is released!
Also, consistency isn’t just about when new content is released. I think it’s also important to talk about the importance of showing up for your blog every single day.
By “showing up”, I mean doing something with your blog every day. It can be anything at all, such as:
- Starting a new blog post
- Creating a free download
- Writing down new blog post ideas
- Reading up on how to create and run a blog
Anything at all. It’s true that with consistency, you’ll get better at anything you try. Whether that’s blogging, or cooking, or exercising, whatever it is. If you do it enough, you’ll get better at it. So if you want to create a great blog, you need to show up every day!
5. Gaining traffic
The last topic that John talks about in his email course is how to gain traffic to your blog. The only way to succeed in blogging is to get people actually reading your content.
Of course, you want the content of your blog to be the main reason why people are coming to your blog. If you write great content that engages your target audience, those readers will come back, and they’ll tell their friends about your blog, and they’ll share your blog on social media, etc, etc!
It’s true that great content speaks for itself.
Other than writing great content, John also talks about some great grass roots ways to promote your blog. These tactics might not be the fastest, but they are the most honest in my opinion. Honesty and a win-win mentality are very important if you want to help people via your blog.
Again, you need to be thinking about how you can enrich other people’s lives through your blog. If you truly want to help people, and your products and knowledge truly enrich other people’s lives, your blog will grow.
6. Final thoughts
A programming blog can definitely help build your career and enrich the lives of others. A blog can:
- Establish yourself as an expert in your field
- Help others to start a career in tech
- Teach people the things you wish someone had taught you
- Earn extra income
- And so much more!
If you want to start a programming blog, but aren’t sure where to start, you could do much worse than going through John Sonmez’s FREE email course on creating and running a blog!
You really don’t have anything to lose, and everything to gain!
So go get it 🙂
Next Steps:
As I’ve said, this blog is dedicated to teaching people how to query and develop SQL Server databases. There are many popular topics I teach, including
If you like my style, and want to learn a thing or two about SQL Server, definitely check out my tutorials!
Thank you very much for reading!
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If you have any questions, or if you are struggling with a different topic related to SQL Server, I’d be happy to discuss it. Leave a comment or visit my contact page and send me an email!