Believe it or not, you’re an expert. If you’ve spent any length of time doing something you’ve surely learned the ins and outs. You’re an authority on whatever it is you do best, whether it’s selling real estate, stocking shelves or building Legos. It simply comes with experience.

Most people don’t realize they’re an authority. No one has ever told them they’re an expert. But here’s the thing: Nobody is going to walk up to you and tell you that you’re an expert. You have to realize it yourself, claim the title for yourself and then constantly remind yourself that you are indeed an expert. Then all you have to do is prove it to the world.

Convincing the world you’re an expert is where most people give up. They don’t really believe it in the first place so how are they going to convince anyone else? But it doesn’t have to be that hard. All you really need to do is demonstrate your expertise. And one easy way to do that is by blogging.

Blogging is an ideal way to demonstrate your expertise and show that you’re an authority. It’s a simple way to demonstrate knowledge, to show off research and build up a vast wealth of content on a particular subject. It’s a body of work that proves to the world you know what you’re talking about. Not only does it establish you as an expert, but the growing collection of content will bring in more traffic and boost your site’s SEO, continuing to add to your authority.

Simply put, you can blog your way to being an expert. And that’s a powerful way to boost your business.

The basic act of blogging can prove that you’re an authority, but here are a few tips to back up that authority:

1. Create an about page. Start with some basics about who you are and list your credentials. Focus on the things that establish your expertise. This can be things such as education (whether formal or informal) and experience. If you feel like you’re coming up short, be creative with your credentials. Reading every book in your field or being interviewed by the press aren’t thinks you’d normally think of, but they certainly establish your credentials.
2. What do others say? Sometimes you can only say so much to prove your authority. Sometimes it’s easier to let others get your back. Add some testimonies to your about page.
3. Use a photo. Your smiling, non-stock photo face is one way to prove that you’re legit. That photo says your site is backed by a real person sharing hard-won knowledge and not some spam-bot infested corner of the web.
4. Write with personality. Give your copy a real, lively voice. Don’t write in stilted, corporate speak. Just because you’re an authority doesn’t mean you need to be boring.

But I’m No Expert!
Not yet convinced that you’re an authority? Fine, then start becoming one. Research your field and share what you find as you go. Make your blog a journal of your journey to expert status. Here are some samples of the kinds of posts you can write:

• Lists of resources. As you’re doing your research you’ll come across all kinds of valuable resources. Collecting those resources into a single, scannable list is in itself a valuable resource.
• Book reviews. Providing a list of helpful books is one thing, but reviewing those books and telling people which ones are worth their time, that’s gold.
• Dos and don’ts. Giving people clear, direct advice about how to do (or not do) something is extremely helpful. And only an expert like you would know stuff like that.
• Top 10 lists. This is another popular format. Plus, it takes some wide-reaching wisdom to compile the top ten of anything. Once again, you’re the expert.
• Create a resource. Nothing cements your status as an expert like creating your own resource. Maybe it’s a PDF download or an ebook. It’s not technically a blog post, but is a valuable way to demonstrate your authority.
• Interview other experts. Another solid way to build a body of expertise is to interview other experts. It’s authority by association. You need connections to land interviews so simply doing them adds to your sway, plus it’s more helpful content.

Blogging is a powerful way to prove that you’re an expert and begin reaping the benefits that come with being an authority in your field.

Due to a family emergency, Benjamin Bradley will not be able to teach the WordPress Developers Course regularly scheduled for Jan. 13-15. It has been officially cancelled and will be rescheduled shortly. (Emails will go out to members when that new date is set.)

For those of you not on the webinar today, Benjamin’s father is in grave condition and he had to fly back to D.C. to be with his family. Please keep Benjamin and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Since the WP Dev Course has been cancelled and will be rescheduled, Lisa has graciously offered to pinch hit and offer training for Friday, Jan. 13.

Here’s what we’re going to be doing tomorrow:

• We will use the same registration link as the previously setup webinar for the Dev Course …
• Starting at 9 a.m. Central Standard Time (as scheduled) Lisa will be talking about BuddyPress most of the morning.
• Break for lunch (probably around noon)
• After lunch, starting around 1 p.m. (and know that times may change so be flexible) we will be doing Q&A with Lisa and our theme and plugin dev teams.
• Post your Q&As here on this post please!!!!
• We will end likely around 4 p.m.

Key questions you might have:

• Yes, we will be live streaming via webinar
• Yes, we will be recording and posting the workshop today and tomorrow’s to the membership area along with slides early next week.
• Saturday and Sunday sessions are cancelled and will be rescheduled.
• Customers will be sent emails when the WP Dev Course dates have been set (likely in a month from now)

Thank you for being the kind and patient community you constantly prove to be. And in the meantime, again, please remember Benjamin and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

On Wed. February 16th, Chris Garrett was back for Part 2 of his 3-part blogging series at WebDesign.com. This second session focused on “How to Build a Sticky Blog”.
(WebDesign.com members can view the webinar replay in your members area. )

Be sure to check out the Insights From Part 1, as well.

The way to create a “sticky blog” is to build relationships and community, and an environment that encourages people to come back – by making them feel safe, like they belong, and that supports them in achieving their goals.

What’s the big deal about having a sticky blog?

Well, remember, this whole series is about how to make money with your blog. With a sticky blog, a blog people feel like they are a part of, you will

• sell more
• reduce refunds
• get better case studies & testimonials
• learn what your customers really want
• build trust
• and create advocates (the kind of people who bring their friends!)

All of that adds up to more revenue for you, because “happy, loyal customers are much more valuable than one-time buyers.”

Chris G. talked about a number of ways to increase the stickiness factor of your blog.

• Build an environment that encourages comments
• Develop a sense of belonging for your readers – according to Chris, this will help any blog.
• Build community
• Watch out for the pitfalls – no or few comments, personality clashes and/or rude behavior in comments, not providing structure or accountability to help people get what they want, not engaging with your readers.

How do you create an environment that encourages comments?

Chris had a number of pointers:

1. Make it easy to comment.
   Don’t make your readersjump through hoops, like having to register before they can comment. Comments are more of an “in the moment” response from someone. The more they have to do in order to comment, the less “in the moment” they are, hence the less likely they are to comment.
2. Respond to comments.
   People want to know they are being heard and valued. They want to belong. Respond to every – or virtually every – comment you get. This helps create a safe and welcoming zone.
3. Be friends/social.
   Let people know something about you. Share about yourself when you reply to comments. It helps them know you, which helps them like you, which helps them feel good about spending time and money with you.
4. Comment on other blogs.
   Not only is it a great way to get people to visit your site as well (assuming your comments are valuable), it role models for others how you want them to participate with you. If you don’t ever support someone else by commenting on their blog, why would someone support you?
5. Ask questions.
   In your post, ask questions the reader can respond to. And ask them to respond in the comments section. Also, to make it even safer for people, don’t ask questions that have a right or wrong answer. Ask opinion questions or curiosity questions.

These are just some of the lessons Chris Garrett shared in Part 2 of how to make money with your blog.

Part 3, the final webinar, is on Wednesday, February 23rd at 11am central time.
In this webinar Chris will get even deeper into the nitty gritty about how to monetize your blog. Chris loves answering questions, so you can count on there being some great Q & A time as well.

It’s free to attend, but you must reserve your seat.

Reserve your seat today – https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/621950154

We’re very excited to welcome Chris Garrett, co-author of PROBLOGGER: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income, to WebDesign.com to teach a 3-part series on how to use your WordPress blog to build your business.

This series is for bloggers wanting to make money with their sites, as well as designers and developers who want to provide additional value to their clients.

The first webinar, How to Build an Audience and Attract Traffic with Your Blog, is this Wednesday, February 9th, at 11 a.m. (CT)

The webinars are free but you do need to sign up for each one: http://webdesign.com/events/. Recordings are available to WebDesign.com members.

Reserve your spot for Part 1: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/731016010

Data loss. It happens. No matter how great your web site is, all it takes is a site hack, hardware failure, personal error or a physical disaster near the servers (before you laugh at that last one, just know it’s happened before) and it can all be gone.

BackupBuddy, from PluginBuddy.com, can safely and easily prevent data loss, as well as restore and migrate your site.

We are offering a FREE webinar on BackupBuddy basics Friday, January 28 at 1 p.m. (CST).

This is a reschedule of an earlier seminar that was moved due to technical difficulties. This means that you have another chance to tune in live while WebDesign.com professor and web guru Benjamin Bradley shows you how to use BackupBuddy to save your site.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED, even if you registered for the first session: gotomeeting.com/register/852003707.