My first impression.

I’ll be honest – I didn’t think Bloggers Bible would succeed. The information was for free elsewhere and if not, people could access the course over a period of a year. I barely read the free emails I got and just filed them away.

When I got a review copy of Bloggers Bible, I was really surprised. It was structured really well and you could really see the connection between the various lessons. This material is best read in the ebook format and devoured on a module by module basis.

You can also get the content as free weekly emails.

The content

This e-book contains 12 modules that build on the previous lessons.

Module 1 – Introduction

  • Lesson 01 – Welcome to the Bloggers Bible
  • BONUS – Selecting the Right Topic For Your Blog
  • Lesson 02 – Defining Direction For Your Blog
  • Lesson 03 – Initial Blog Planning
  • Lesson 04 – An Introduction to SEO For Blogs
  • Lesson 05 – An Initial Post Repository

This is a really solid module and a really useful introduction to the ebook.  She could have easily just launched into the technical aspects but instead, she focused on giving you a decent overview. This is really useful as it prevents you from getting overwhelmed from the information.

Module  2 – Technical Setup

  • Lesson 06 – Blogging Software & Hosting
  • Lesson 07 – WordPress Plugins
  • Lesson 08 – RSS & Analytics
  • Lesson 09 – Contact Form & Archives Page
  • Lesson 10 – Final Technicalities Before Launch
  • Lesson 11 – Launching the Blog
  • BONUS – Tweeting Your Blog Posts

All of this is second nature to me, but it still is really useful module. She has a very informal writing style and managed to convey complex information with ease. I would have liked her to include some more aspects of the technical set up, but believe she did a fine job of not bogging down the readers.

Module  3 – Basic Content

  • Lesson 12 – Creating Great Content For Your Blog
  • Lesson 13 – Effective Use of Images
  • Lesson 14 – Pillar Post Ideas
  • BONUS – Showcasing Your Best Content

This was a really cool module and one that a lot of my friends would learn from. Most people wouldn’t understand how to use images to make your blog really stand our; nor would they understand how to showcase your content. I’m glad she chose to expand on the pillar post ideas in the later section, as it is something I know many have trouble with.

Module 4 – Basic Monetization

  • Lesson 15 – Contextual Advertising
  • Lesson 16 – Your RSS Feed
  • Lesson 17 – Direct Advertising
  • Lesson 18 – Affiliate Marketing Part 1
  • Lesson 19 – Affiliate Marketing Part 2

I believe there are more topics she could have spoken about – both here and in the advanced section – but that could have confused the readers. She wrote about some of the more accessible forms of monetization. While I have had more success with others, this is still useful for those in the experimenting stages of their blog.

Module  5 – Traffic

  • Lesson 20 – Introduction to Traffic & Paid Traffic
  • Lesson 21 – Blog & Forum Commenting
  • Lesson 22 – Guest Posting
  • Lesson 23 – Poking Other Bloggers
  • Lesson 24 – Analyzing Your Blog Traffic

I do think there are many other forms of traffic she could have covered, but really appreciated the detail she gave in this section. The only part I didn’t like was the section on guest posting. It was useful, but as a serial guest poster I felt that a lot more information could be included.

Module  6 – Basic Link Building

  • Lesson 25 – Introduction to Link Building
  • Lesson 26 – Social Bookmarking
  • BONUS – Blog Carnivals
  • Lesson 27 – RSS Directories

I really liked this section – it was comprehensive, but not overwhelmed. I’m not sure if the section on blog carnivals is as relevant as there are far quicker ways to build links these days.

Module  7 – Social Media

  • Lesson 28 – Introduction to Social Media
  • Lesson 29 – StumbleUpon
  • Lesson 30 – Micro Blogging
  • Lesson 31 – Facebook
  • Lesson 32 – Social News Sites
  • Lesson 33 – Bookmarking Revisited

I believe this section is a bit dated, as there are new platforms are available, but the information is really solid. It gives you a decent overview of some of the more popular forms of social media. Again, Caroline focused on making the information easy to understand. I wish she would discuss this more on her blog.

Module 8 – Readership

  • Lesson 34 – Encouraging Comments
  • Lesson 35 – Showcasing Your Readers

I think there are many more ideas she could have spoken about in this section but again, they may have overwhelmed readers. Both of these ways of two of the best, and easiest to encourage a community around your blog.

Module 9 – Maintenance

  • Lesson 36 – Blog Maintenance

I’ll admit – even after two years, I still find blog maintenance quite daunting. While basic, I think this module is both a useful reminder and decent guide for those looking at keeping their blog efficient and relevant.

Module 10 – Advanced Content

  • Lesson 37 – Advanced Pillar Post Ideas
  • Lesson 38 – The Pillar Series
  • Lesson 39 – Audio Content
  • Lesson 40 – Video Content

I’m a content geek. I would have included most of these in the basic content section but I’m biased.

It was useful to place the information here so the reader could build up their knowledge. The pillar series concept is quite basic, but may seem daunting to the new blogger. Also, creating video and audio content often requires more technical skills so it gives the reader extra time to experiment and learn.

I really liked the audio and video content sections. She provided a lot of basic information that could allow the reader to experiment and learn a lot more. I was really impressed.

Module 11 – Advanced Monetization

  • Lesson 41 – Selling Your Own Product
  • Lesson 42 – Building an Email List
  • Lesson 43 – Creating a Digital Download
  • Lesson 44 – Membership Sites
  • Lesson 45 – Creating Your Own Affiliate System
  • Lesson 46 – Pitching a Service

This was my favourite module of the ebook. This is the good stuff – the type of blogging information that I love. There are so many of my friends that get confused when I discuss advanced monetization strategies and Caroline made the concepts a lot easier to understand. I really appreciated the effort she put into it.

Module 12 – Advanced Link Building

  • Lesson 47 – Article Marketing
  • Lesson 48 – Web 2.0 Properties
  • Lesson 49 – Press Releases

I prefer these methods of link building and believe that the two modules should have been combined. However, I can see why she put them here – it gives the reader a chance to build up to this knowledge.

I do wish she had gone into more detail about other techniques, but that may have defeated the purpose of this being a beginners course.

My recommendation.

If you are new to blogging and want a comprehensive overview to basic and intermediate strategies, then this is for you. I think it is a bit overpriced at   , but can understand that it can save loads of time for some people and may be worth the money. My bias is probably due to my existing blogging knowledge.

There are cheaper products for entry level bloggers – such as Probloggers 31 Days To Build A Better Blog e-course. I’d recommend you do your research and buy this if you are a fan of Carolines style and want to learn more about her specific experiences.

You can also get it as weekly emails.