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Posted: 11 Dec 2008 01:53 PM PST

This is a guest post by Musing, cataloger of great blogger sayings

My blog is nine months old. You’d think I wouldn’t have had time to make too many mistakes. Wrong.

Though, overall, it’s been an awesome experience, if I could go back and do it again here are three things I’d do differently:

A helping of planning to go with that passion, please

When the idea for my blog first hit me I was 1010% excited. Which was great. But, it would’ve been good to match that enthusiasm with the same amount of preparation.

Instead, the timeline went like this: Saturday morning have the aha moment, for two days work like a woman possessed, Monday morning launch the site! I jest not.

I wish, now, I’d channeled some of that energy into planning—like setting a few goals first!

You can judge a blog by its cover

Black background, no real header, undefined layout. Could I have done anything more to create a poor first impression?

Now, I must say I actually like black backgrounds (I’m weird that way) but when readers told me it made their eyes twitch I got rid of it, along with a lot of other things.

I took my time with the new look, though (I’m learning!) and it was worth it. My readers love it and I do, too. Still, I can’t help but wonder how many potential readers I turned away with that first template.

Oh, another reason I should have given more thought to the design—that eye-crossing black template was shown on sites like Technorati for weeks (and is still showing on StumbleUpon), even after I’d updated the image through Snaps.com.

“If you build it, they will come”… Not

Though I’ve read ProBlogger for years and should have known better, I guess I thought that somehow I’d be the exception. My idea was so awesome, so original, so entertaining that it would naturally attract a huge following.

The first months have been encouraging, but I think the response would have been much greater had I introduced the site better. Like networking with other bloggers and putting social media in place…beforehand!

So, when you get that next great blog idea STOP

Think about your vision for the site. Write down some short and long term goals.
Create your design carefully. Looks really do matter on the web.
And consider how best to share your blog with others. Don’t just tiptoe in through the backdoor. Make the grandest entrance you can.

Musing a.k.a. QuoteHunter is a freelance writer who highlights great blogger quotes at Blogtations. She also got the title idea for this article from her friend JD’s blog.