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256 Bloghacks
TL;DR This book summarizes my experience of blogging for two and a half years and growing from zero to 60,000 unique visitors a month at www.yegor256.com; all dirty secrets revealed.
- GenresWriting
211 pages, Paperback
Published November 6, 2016
About the author
Yegor Bugayenko
6 books167 followersYegor is a software developer in Huawei; a CTO at Zerocracy, an AI-based software platform for management; a VC at SeedRamp.com; a regular blogger at www.yegor256.com; a co-author of EOLANG, an experimental object-oriented programming language; a proud holder of PMP and OCMEA certifications; a hands-on Java developer and a lead architect of Rultor.com and Takes.org. Yegor lives in Moscow, Russia.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 19, 2019
Let me preface my preview with this: 256 Bloghacks is not for everyone. Yegor doesn’t pull any punches - he hits it off with a swift sambo kick in the balls right on page one:
“If you have nothing to say to the world, this book is not for you.” (this is literally the first sentence of Preface)
“… there is a huge chance that your blog won’t be successful, because of _you_. Yes, because of who you are - a person without interesting ideas or a talent for writing” (Chapter 1.2 “Be yourself”)
Told ya!
I’m sure more than a few readers of this review are thinking ‘thanks for pointing that out man, no way I’m going to pay $40.96 to be lambasted by a… - oh wait, why did you give it 5 Stars then?! Are you one of those guys who like to be kicked in the balls (no, I’m not, btw, but thanks for asking!)? Isn’t there a controversy here?’
No, there is no controversy. It’s true that Yegor has a larger-than-life personality combined with an in-your-face writing style (that work together like vodka and cucumber). However, after reading the book (twice already!) it’s crystal clear that he is passionate about what he does and he gives it his all to share his hard-earned wisdom with the reader in an honest, raw way.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s concentrate on the book!
Yegor is the quintessential geek (“256 Bloghacks” for $40.96, right? I’m glad he didn’t make it $81.92) and the writing style is geeky throughout. Loved it!
There is absolutely no filler here, which is refreshing in the sea of non-fiction books. The ones that expand a blog idea into a 400-page tome, prompting you to squirm with exasperation, screaming ‘Just get to the point!!! Please’.
Not Yegor - his wirintg style is Spartan, in the best sense of the word. (Case in point: there is a chapter titled “No puppies, no kitties”. Content: “Just no!”. You get the idea).
The book consists of 9 Sections - here are my cliff-notes for each:
1. Attitude - possibly my favorite chapter, because the correct attitude outweighs tools, processes, marketing and all other necessary components of creating a blog. This idea resonated with me deeply: “… a combination of average programming skills and an ability to write is my winning point. … If you are _good_ at something (not excellent, just good) and you can write, you can have success.” I concur - I’m the same way, and good writing unlocks way more doors than being good at the actual field you are in.
2. Content - the meat of the book. This chapter is worth the price of the book alone: no stone is left unturned here: what, how, why, why not, when, to whom etc. It would be difficult to find an aspect that hasn’t been discussed. Section 2.33, “Learn how to write” is my favorite - 21 ideas that are not included in your typical ’21 ways to turn your blog into a money making machine’ clickbait article. Those are like fast food - you eat it, somewhat enjoy it, but won’t remember it the next day. Yegor serves gourmet food here, which you won’t forget anytime soon.
3. Community - Instead of telling you to create a blog for the wrong reasons (money, fame, vanity metrics, boredom), Yegor argues that “The community you build around your blog is valuable, and it’s the most important thing you get from it”. It’s a short, yet essential chapter on dealing with building, engaging with and nurturing your community. Although not stated explicitly, there are some great ideas to reach “1,000 True Fans”, a concept popularized by Kevin Kelly, the founding editor of Wired Magazine.
4. Routine - “Just writing is not enough.It’s absolutely not enough. It’s not even close enough. You must promote your blog, regularly, systematically, and methodically. You must have a strategy and tactics. Without this, it’s all for nothing.” Enough said!
5. Video and Audio - “If content is king, then video content is queen. They should go together. Just blogging is not enough-they want to watch”. The shortest chapter in the book (a mere 5 pages), yet Yegor still manages to offer a few gems here.
6. Social - “You have to be present on all possible social networks, if you are serious about your blog. Whether you like it or not, you have to do it. ‘I hate Facebook’ is not an excuse.” This advice came at the right time for me, as I just wanted to delete my Facebook account, but Yegor made me re-think the decision. I’m quite active on social media, and have been running a successful blog in the past for years myself, I still found some valuable and unconventional advice here. The fact that Yegor is not afraid to knock down taboos (“Should you buy followers?”) goes a long way.
7. Technical - a Ruby programmer myself, currently building/running a static site (https://trinitytakei.io) just like described in this chapter, I was not expecting to get much out of this part. Boy, was I wrong. My head was spinning after finishing the chapter, chock full of technical details, tips and tricks.
8. Google - For better or worse, google grew into an uncontrollable beast, sneaking into every minutiae of our daily live (remember the times when their motto used to be “Don’t be evil?” I digress.) This goes double for a blogger - pleasing google, typically bringing in half (if not more) of all traffic it of utmost importance. Find out how in this chapter.
9. Money - The final chapter is about monetizing (or not) your blog, and other, perhaps less unexpected ways of bringing in money. It’s a refreshing take. Don’t be fooled by sensationalist peddlers of ‘became a blogging millionaire overnight’-style courses - it’s _not_ all about the benjamins.
To conclude, I gained a lot from this book, and still taking notes, setting up workflows and getting new ideas every day. If you are serious about blogging, you could do (way) worse than giving it a shot. If you are on the fence, I would recommend out Yegor’s other material (blog at https://www.yegor256.com, youtube channel etc.) to make sure it’s for you.
If you decide to go for it - enjoy the ride! I hope you’ll like it, it’s possible you’ll hate it and burn the book. I can guarentee one thing, though: you won’t forget it in a while!
“If you have nothing to say to the world, this book is not for you.” (this is literally the first sentence of Preface)
“… there is a huge chance that your blog won’t be successful, because of _you_. Yes, because of who you are - a person without interesting ideas or a talent for writing” (Chapter 1.2 “Be yourself”)
Told ya!
I’m sure more than a few readers of this review are thinking ‘thanks for pointing that out man, no way I’m going to pay $40.96 to be lambasted by a… - oh wait, why did you give it 5 Stars then?! Are you one of those guys who like to be kicked in the balls (no, I’m not, btw, but thanks for asking!)? Isn’t there a controversy here?’
No, there is no controversy. It’s true that Yegor has a larger-than-life personality combined with an in-your-face writing style (that work together like vodka and cucumber). However, after reading the book (twice already!) it’s crystal clear that he is passionate about what he does and he gives it his all to share his hard-earned wisdom with the reader in an honest, raw way.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s concentrate on the book!
Yegor is the quintessential geek (“256 Bloghacks” for $40.96, right? I’m glad he didn’t make it $81.92) and the writing style is geeky throughout. Loved it!
There is absolutely no filler here, which is refreshing in the sea of non-fiction books. The ones that expand a blog idea into a 400-page tome, prompting you to squirm with exasperation, screaming ‘Just get to the point!!! Please’.
Not Yegor - his wirintg style is Spartan, in the best sense of the word. (Case in point: there is a chapter titled “No puppies, no kitties”. Content: “Just no!”. You get the idea).
The book consists of 9 Sections - here are my cliff-notes for each:
1. Attitude - possibly my favorite chapter, because the correct attitude outweighs tools, processes, marketing and all other necessary components of creating a blog. This idea resonated with me deeply: “… a combination of average programming skills and an ability to write is my winning point. … If you are _good_ at something (not excellent, just good) and you can write, you can have success.” I concur - I’m the same way, and good writing unlocks way more doors than being good at the actual field you are in.
2. Content - the meat of the book. This chapter is worth the price of the book alone: no stone is left unturned here: what, how, why, why not, when, to whom etc. It would be difficult to find an aspect that hasn’t been discussed. Section 2.33, “Learn how to write” is my favorite - 21 ideas that are not included in your typical ’21 ways to turn your blog into a money making machine’ clickbait article. Those are like fast food - you eat it, somewhat enjoy it, but won’t remember it the next day. Yegor serves gourmet food here, which you won’t forget anytime soon.
3. Community - Instead of telling you to create a blog for the wrong reasons (money, fame, vanity metrics, boredom), Yegor argues that “The community you build around your blog is valuable, and it’s the most important thing you get from it”. It’s a short, yet essential chapter on dealing with building, engaging with and nurturing your community. Although not stated explicitly, there are some great ideas to reach “1,000 True Fans”, a concept popularized by Kevin Kelly, the founding editor of Wired Magazine.
4. Routine - “Just writing is not enough.It’s absolutely not enough. It’s not even close enough. You must promote your blog, regularly, systematically, and methodically. You must have a strategy and tactics. Without this, it’s all for nothing.” Enough said!
5. Video and Audio - “If content is king, then video content is queen. They should go together. Just blogging is not enough-they want to watch”. The shortest chapter in the book (a mere 5 pages), yet Yegor still manages to offer a few gems here.
6. Social - “You have to be present on all possible social networks, if you are serious about your blog. Whether you like it or not, you have to do it. ‘I hate Facebook’ is not an excuse.” This advice came at the right time for me, as I just wanted to delete my Facebook account, but Yegor made me re-think the decision. I’m quite active on social media, and have been running a successful blog in the past for years myself, I still found some valuable and unconventional advice here. The fact that Yegor is not afraid to knock down taboos (“Should you buy followers?”) goes a long way.
7. Technical - a Ruby programmer myself, currently building/running a static site (https://trinitytakei.io) just like described in this chapter, I was not expecting to get much out of this part. Boy, was I wrong. My head was spinning after finishing the chapter, chock full of technical details, tips and tricks.
8. Google - For better or worse, google grew into an uncontrollable beast, sneaking into every minutiae of our daily live (remember the times when their motto used to be “Don’t be evil?” I digress.) This goes double for a blogger - pleasing google, typically bringing in half (if not more) of all traffic it of utmost importance. Find out how in this chapter.
9. Money - The final chapter is about monetizing (or not) your blog, and other, perhaps less unexpected ways of bringing in money. It’s a refreshing take. Don’t be fooled by sensationalist peddlers of ‘became a blogging millionaire overnight’-style courses - it’s _not_ all about the benjamins.
To conclude, I gained a lot from this book, and still taking notes, setting up workflows and getting new ideas every day. If you are serious about blogging, you could do (way) worse than giving it a shot. If you are on the fence, I would recommend out Yegor’s other material (blog at https://www.yegor256.com, youtube channel etc.) to make sure it’s for you.
If you decide to go for it - enjoy the ride! I hope you’ll like it, it’s possible you’ll hate it and burn the book. I can guarentee one thing, though: you won’t forget it in a while!
November 1, 2017
All in all, I think this book can be very helpful when you are trying to start your blog or even in later stages. There is a lot of useful information, which is divided into independent chapters. That means, you can safely skip whatever you already know or are not interested in, which is good. The style is fresh and concise, easy to read. The book itself is quite short, it should not be a problem to finish it quickly. I really appreciate its honesty, it does not try to convince you, that you’ll be able to turn your block quickly into a money-machine and be a full-time blogger.
While most of the advice given in the book is valuable, every now and then there are arbitrary recommendations not really backed up by any real data, evidence or reasoning. Some of them are most likely just meant to stir controversy, which is author’s usual style, which he also recommends in the book.
What’s also inconvenient is that the book is only available as a paper version, with no electronic variants available. That is bad if you prefer to read on your ebook reader or tablet. What’s worse, it makes it rather difficult to get the book from Amazon, for example in my case (The Czech Republic, central Europe) that means international shipping, which can take up to nearly two months. Or expedited one $15 and up to three weeks, or one-week priority for $40. Or getting the book through some third party service as Book Depository. All of it rather inconvenient.
Despite some negatives mentioned above, I consider the book to be very helpful for bloggers and not only if you are just starting out. Recommended and well worth the $40.
Full review here:
http://vojtechruzicka.com/book-review...
While most of the advice given in the book is valuable, every now and then there are arbitrary recommendations not really backed up by any real data, evidence or reasoning. Some of them are most likely just meant to stir controversy, which is author’s usual style, which he also recommends in the book.
What’s also inconvenient is that the book is only available as a paper version, with no electronic variants available. That is bad if you prefer to read on your ebook reader or tablet. What’s worse, it makes it rather difficult to get the book from Amazon, for example in my case (The Czech Republic, central Europe) that means international shipping, which can take up to nearly two months. Or expedited one $15 and up to three weeks, or one-week priority for $40. Or getting the book through some third party service as Book Depository. All of it rather inconvenient.
Despite some negatives mentioned above, I consider the book to be very helpful for bloggers and not only if you are just starting out. Recommended and well worth the $40.
Full review here:
http://vojtechruzicka.com/book-review...
April 16, 2018
I think it is one of the best books about blogging. I wanted to read 50 pages every day to finish it in 4 days, but once I started reading, I couldn't stop myself and read the whole book within 5-6 hours with pauses between every chapter. It is easy to read and has quite a lot of useful tips and tricks. But, there are some ideas that I do not agree with. For example, the author doesn't recommend writing a series of blog posts. If a topic is big for one post and small to write a book, I don't see any disadvantages of dividing it into several posts and provide links for the previous and next ones. Overall, it is definitely worth reading.
October 17, 2017
I liked that book. There are some "dirty" secrets I wouldn't follow, but all in all it gives a huge number of useful tips on creating own blog, I haven't found anywhere else yet.
So if you run your own blog - and you want to position yourself as an expert - that should be a must read for you. Especially if you work in "software" industry.
So if you run your own blog - and you want to position yourself as an expert - that should be a must read for you. Especially if you work in "software" industry.
March 8, 2018
The books is easy and fun to read. Very helpful. Some points are definitely controversial but that's how every book ideally should be, in my opinion.
November 23, 2017
Opinionated but practical advice on 2 things: writing about something you actually know about, and self-publishing that writing on the internet. Yegor's style will make you laugh out loud if you have a sense of humor about yourself. One gets the impression he is not even trying to be funny, but rather avoiding the lukewarm ambiguity which corporate America and the "blogosphere" treats as a virtue. Yegor doesn't mess around.
July 16, 2019
A very practical book about tech-related blogging. A must-read for a developer who runs his own blog, or writes on, say, Medium, or just tweets something related to his profession. Some of the hacks are controversial (like 100% need to learn about static site generators), but: 1) the author is known by his controversy and sometimes "radical" thoughts, 2) the book expresses authors unique experience and 3) the book, as I've mentioned, is targeted on a tech-savvy readers. Most of the hacks are not "rocket science", but having them in one place is good.
The book is easy to read. It has a simple structure with clearly defined short and isolated chapters. It makes it easy to use the book as a "cookbook" for blogging. Just look up for the aspect you're interested in and read the "hack".
I like the honesty of the author: he reveals some unpleasant facts about blogging (time, effort, outcome), about buying subscribers, his thoughts on whether one should continue or stop blogging, etc. He does not hide his intent: the book is a part of his personal brand, PR and selling processes.
To sum up: definitely useful book for a blogger despite a few controversial or to-much-personal hacks. But I guess those were introduced to make up a round number: 256 is the power of two and Yegor definitely likes the powers of two.
The book is easy to read. It has a simple structure with clearly defined short and isolated chapters. It makes it easy to use the book as a "cookbook" for blogging. Just look up for the aspect you're interested in and read the "hack".
I like the honesty of the author: he reveals some unpleasant facts about blogging (time, effort, outcome), about buying subscribers, his thoughts on whether one should continue or stop blogging, etc. He does not hide his intent: the book is a part of his personal brand, PR and selling processes.
To sum up: definitely useful book for a blogger despite a few controversial or to-much-personal hacks. But I guess those were introduced to make up a round number: 256 is the power of two and Yegor definitely likes the powers of two.
September 17, 2018
Great book! Practical, easy to read and... Honest.
If you are seasoned blogger or consider starting a blog – buy it.
If you are seasoned blogger or consider starting a blog – buy it.
December 23, 2023
The book is full of good but rather obvious advice on blogging, although it’s impressive what the author made out of his blog having little experience beforehand.
An easy read for the Russian speaking audience, since the language is very simple. I read it to learn more about the author, not for the blogging advice, no complains here.
An easy read for the Russian speaking audience, since the language is very simple. I read it to learn more about the author, not for the blogging advice, no complains here.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews