Yesterday, I looked back at the road I have walked through since I joined the booming blogosphere. I learnt a lot of things, how stuffs work and troubleshooting along the way but I surely have encountered some bad and painful experiences along the way. Let me share with you what I have gone through and make sure yourself don’t go through that path again.
Link Exchange
This technique has been claimed as the best way for a new blog to gain links, page rank and somehow traffic. Abusing this method is what I did when I started blogging. At that time, the excessiveness of doing link exchanges has brought me to a PR5, which is an astounding rank but then the traffic is way lower than Wayne Liew Dot Com.
At that time, I was nothing but a link exchange seeker. Every blogs and sites that come to me, including illegal download sites, poker sites and cigarette sites (luckily no porn sites 
) will successfully set up a link exchange deal with me. The lesson that I’ve applied on Wayne Liew Dot Com is that try using permalinking or linking in your posts rather than using link exchange. Don’t forget that Google doesn’t like link exchange arrangements.
Spamming
Due to the Link Exchange stated above, I go all out in spamming. I spammed big blogs like John Chow naively, asking for a link exchange and each and every blog that I surf through will be left with a least a comment from me asking for a link exchange.
This is why I know the trick of getting out from Akismet’s blacklist when I really want to get serious about blog contents and quality links. The most stupid thing that I have done is to spam the e-mail inbox of my high school school-mates with affiliate links, not thinking about how they will afford to buy those products
Got Booed And Called A Whore For Article
I first wrote an article, something to do with social relationship if I am not wrong and I stupidly posted up in one of the most visited discussion place in a forum. BLOG WHORING is the name being crowned on my action immediately.
I nearly gave up on article writing at that time but I kept on blogging. I continue to write articles which I think suits other people but at the same time I enjoyed writing it. Getting critiques and feedback is good. If I don’t get those at that time, I may be thinking that my writings are the best in the world.
Clicked Own Ads
I guess most of you know this boy got banned by Google Adsense and this don’t need further explanation. I have learnt my lesson and I now urge all bloggers don’t click on your own ads. The price to pay might be huge for some of you.
Royal Flush Of Ads
When I started out blogging, my blog has been acting as my journal. When I realize that I can earn some money through blogging, I started placing ads here and there. I signed up to any known ad networks, from Pay-Per-Click ones to affiliate ads.
In the end of course, I didn’t earn anything. I guess this is what most of the blogging newbies do when they know they can make money through blogging. Sometimes, it is not that they want to blog for money, it is the excitement of having ads on their blogs that made their blog had an overdose of ads.
What do you guys learnt from the above? Don’t say that I am pitiful, I am not! 
You might have laughed along the post, admit it! What stupid things have you gone through in blogging? Mind to share with me or your readers today? I am sure that after you published a post like this, you will be much appreciative of where your blog is now.
Other blogging tips that you might be interested in:
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October 29th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
I admit that I tempt to put many ads and sign up many money making affiliate ads. But now, I will only put few in my new blog layout. adverlets for sure since it boost my income. Text links ads will be left out and adbrite still in testing. Well, google adsense is way too slow….
October 29th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Actually, WHO is to say for sure what Grandma Google likes and dislikes?
October 29th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
how did u become a whore?
October 29th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
Well, at first I also tried to put adsense in my blog, but later I dropped it as i felt it actually cluttered my blogging site. Also, I am not a problogger who makes income from blogging. Blogging is just a way for me to share sth (at least for now
).
October 29th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
been using adsense for very long time….. wasn’t blogging seriously at all that time, just accumulate the adsense earnings. Very slow.
Btw, want to link exchange? lol………sorry, I have short term memory, must read your article again…. lol… kidding.
October 29th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
@ lukxiufung
You learn many things after you blog. When you bloghop, you tend to leave blogs with too much ads quicker. Learn from it. Ad placement is very important as well.
@ pelf
Their Google webmaster guidelines said so.
@ clement
Actually, I posted a blog post for reviews and opinions but in the end, I am called a whore. Darn!
@ thoughtworks
True. Try blogging about the mistakes and downs throughout your blogging life perhaps.
@ kljs
Link exchange no longer accepted. One tips for you, maybe you should write something and try to linkbait me.
How many months have you been accumulating? Mind to tell? I am not Adsense user so can tell right?
October 29th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
I won’t laugh on you but salute you for your spirit. You even know how to do spamming to other people’s blog, this is so coOL to me~!
October 29th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Lol! I only did 2 out of 5 things you mentioned above, guess I am not a adventurous blogger like you.. I am a lazy one.
October 29th, 2007 at 11:56 pm
around 2 years accumulating.
linkbaiting….. hmmm…..
October 30th, 2007 at 12:59 am
See, like I said - you’re very active in promoting!
Well at least now you share to many. One way to NOT having to go through what you went through would be to read more about others’ experience.
I’ve not gone by any of your mistakes, however I’ve only been doing blogging for about 5 months.
October 30th, 2007 at 9:13 am
good point wayne mainly the royal flush of ads. Seriously talk I’m trying to minimize all the ads from my blog because I know all the ads will block readers eyes - some readers don’t like that.
Don’t want to be advertisement park also
October 30th, 2007 at 9:40 am
No.. I do not laugh at all. I respect your patience on going through a lot of blocks during your blogging period.
And I learnt a lot from you about the tips on blogging..
and learnt from your mistakes..
Again, you are a smart boy !
October 30th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Haha. You hit me right in the face with this article Wayne. Especially in the spamming part. I spammed bloggers with comments and link exchange requests before. I even got blacklisted by Akismet before but luckily got removed too.
I guess all bloggers did it on their first time blogging.
October 30th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
I am new in the blog world and learning a lot from you, thanks.
October 30th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
This reminds me of what I did in the past : I created MFA sites praying to earn a decent amount by spamming other blogs, the result ? US$2.62 after 3 months… Since then I never put any ads nor affiliate links on my blog, just focus on writing good post…
October 30th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
@ Sean
Ya, even though I spam, I spam politely but some just don’t like politeness and submit my comment to Akismet.
@ yung .
I am sure most of us did link exchanges but what is your other one? Can tell?
@ kljs
Dude, I don’t really understand what you are trying to say…
@ goldfries
I guess these are what I’ve done with my previous blogspot blog. I am sure the forum incident is the time when I first met you. You explained to me why I am called a whore.
@ dott-com
If you yourself don’t like it, your readers won’t to. Seeing things on your blog in the shoes of your readers is very important.
@ keeyit
Thanks for the complements. I love to share and as you can see, this blog is not a guide but it is more of a sharing site which I share what I know with you all.
@ Carl
Young guns have a lot of energy to do things. At least you are a good boy blogger now. Or you still have some evil roots like me?
@ Philip
Just drop by any time you like and have you subscribed to my feeds?
@ Edward
Don’t do that any more. Contents are gold for a blogger and I hate those MFA sites. Try to produce more quality contents and everything should go up nice and steadily.
October 30th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
That’s an interesting post. I’ve learnt a lot too since I started blogging very late last year. Oh yeah, I’ve been obsessed with putting up Google ads, checking out where are the strategic places to place them and also constantly keeping track of my earnings, which unfortunately, do not increase dramatically.
Anyway, that’s an insightful post. Keep on writing!
October 30th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
Me and you started blogging at about the same time, dude.
An advice on ad placement for you, having a square ad right after your title won’t give a good impression to your readers. Moreover, do you see the white patch that does not match with the background because of the ads? Try changing it to a horizontal size or something.
October 30th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Thanks for the advice! Hmm, yeah you’re right. I do think that a huge ad right at the top would put readers off (and scare them away too!) I’ll just try putting a smaller ad up there as that’s where many of the clicks come from. =D
October 31st, 2007 at 12:20 am
me blogging for fun
October 31st, 2007 at 10:54 am
nice tips…it is the very basic all bloggers who wanna earn money learn…..but as i made the list with top commentators…i seen why you had PR4…but it is hard to maintain…..as commenting in a lot of blogs to be the top few is taking much time…at the mean time i only stop by a few blogs while i like
October 31st, 2007 at 5:38 pm
@ Josette
I found your dot com and I guess the response was quite good right? Good job!
@ encik su
Blogging should be fun. I blog for fun as well.
@ Rice Blogger
I don’t comment with a purpose. I bloghop to learn and to learn something which I don’t know. When I feel like asking something or voice myself, I will comment.