Get Real with the original Blog Bloke (BB)

No fluff, no bull from the original Blogging Bloke

Brian Blake
Keep it Real with Blog Bloke. I dig a little deeper. So if you’re not reading Blog Bloke then you’re not getting all of the news. Yes, I’m that Bloke who created the Blog Tips niche. My name is Brian Blake but my friends call me ‘BB’ cause I shoot from the hip.

Subscribe to BB and I’ll send fresh brewed content to you the moment it’s published. Your Privacy is Guaranteed & will not be shared with anyone.

“Being REAL isn’t a popularity contest, recycling old content or giving up your rights and privacy like the doctrine of social media promulgates. It’s about intellectual honesty to yourself and to your readers. Being true to your values, listening to your inner voice and standing up for what you believe regardless of what everyone else says.” Words that I live by ~ Blog Bloke

Not Your Average Bloke

Authoritative tips and entertaining commentary on Blogging, Social Media and Technology (with just a little attitude).

Hi there Blokesters! It’s time to Get Real with the original Blog Bloke.

Veteran Blog Pioneer, Tech Author/Editor, Social Media Authority.

Blog Bloke makes sense of your digital universe one tip at a time.

Less Blog Zen, More Social Kung Fu

No, I’m not an internet marketer trying to sell you something or mislead you with a bunch of hype and half-baked promises. I don’t recycle old stale information and all of the content that I write is authentic and original with a splash of humor to entertain as well as inform.

The purpose for this blog is simple. To educate and enlighten bloggers, social media users and lovers of technology. So stick around awhile and let’s have some fun while we’re at it.

BLOGBloke is a labor of love. I am bullishly pro blogging, social media and an outspoken advocate for online rights, enjoying the wonders of technology and debunking popular myths that run rampant out there.

I live by the credo talk is cheap and if you claim to be an expert then be the expert. I’ve been online since the 80s and worked in the computer industry before anybody had heard of Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. Nuff said.

While you’re here I hope you will join countless other Blokesters who make this blog their home and subscribe to the Better Tips Newsfeed so you won’t miss another blog tip.

If you don’t know what RSS means you can read all about newsfeeds here. You can choose to subscribe by RSS or by email and you will find more of these options in the right-hand sidebar.

Bragging Rights

1. I worked in the computer industry before anybody had heard of Steve Jobs or Bill Gates.
2. I was a pioneering blogger and foresaw the future potential of blogging and social media before those other gurus had even heard of the term.
3. I coded my RSS newsfeeds from scratch before they came built-into blogs and shared my knowledge free of charge with fellow bloggers.
4. I was the first to blog about blogging and created the Blog Tips niche.
5. I designed, coded and built this blog from the ground up without any help.
6. Even all of the graphics you find on this theme are my own design that I created in Photoshop from scratch.
7. I have written numerous technical tutorials that are completely original that nobody else had written or been able to figure out.
8. Founder of BlogTips on Twitter.
9. Founder of BullySWAT on Twitter and Facebook. A group investigating the phenomena of cyberbullying.
10. There is a lot more I could mention but I don’t want to be accused of bragging. (^_^)

ASK Blog Bloke

Got a question about Blogging or Social Media? Don’t waste your time on the copycats. ASK Blog Bloke and take it to the next level with the original Blogging Bloke.

If you need to get a hold of me you can use the contact form. Who knows, you might even inspire Blog Bloke to write a post and I will add a link to your blog as well.

When I’m not blogging here I’m usually hanging out at @Twitter so be sure to follow me there and discover the hottest News, Tips, Trends on Blogging, Social Media and Technology (with lots of attitude).

Don’t forget to check out the Blog Tips Network, and you can Facebook or Google me too.

No charge.

The REAL Blog Bloke

Yes, there is a real person behind the caricature. I’m your friendly neighborhood Blog Bloke, the guy who started the “Blog Tips” niche. There may be imitators out there but there is only one original BLOGBloke.

BLOGBloke is not your typical “blog tips” blog. You won’t find any hype or useless fluff here. Just real world, practical tips without the mumbo jumbo.

A recognized expert in blogging platforms including Wordpress and Blogger, I do all of my own coding (I designed this blog myself) and write expert how-to tutorials that will tweak your blog to the next level.

You can be sure that all of my content is original and not copied from someone else’s work. In fact I am one of the most copied bloggers out there, which can be flattering or a curse depending on how you might look at it.

I don’t over-intellectualize or try to impress you and raise myself to celebrity status either. I cut through all the BS to keep things simple and give you clarity and perspective.

But I don’t stop there. I entertain, make you think and challenge the norm. So let me be your guide through shark infested waters as I explore this amazing technology with new ways that will help you to be an even better blogger.

Don’t just take my word for it. Read what others have to say…

Reader’s Comments

Always keeping it real. That must be why I dig you so much. Keep doing your thing as you do it very well … You have changed my life for the better and for this I am eternally grateful! … Your story is inspirational and I want to follow your footsteps. I am a newbie blogger and I want to learn the ropes from gurus like you. Thank you … A Bloggers Natural Resource … This Bloke knows Blogs … A knowledgeable, witty and fun conversationalist with both feet in the honesty camp … You write with passion, candor, and authenticity. That is why I enjoy your posts … Like the sense of humor in the articles … You are way better than all those self proclaimed marketing and blogging gurus who just yell BS … This site is a literary masterpiece … High quality sites like yours are an inspiration … I like your style of writing man! It’s just great and yeah, you seriously kick ass … This site is capital, constantly providing fairness in reviews and information … We would like to thank you for maintaining such a reputable blog. We know that it takes time, effort and commitment to keep such a blog and as such, we have added your blog as one of the top Blogging Blogs … You are indeed not just any average bloke!

Get Real With Blog Bloke

Blog Bloke has been an internet persona since at least 2002 and I’ve been online for two decades. I’m the first to blog about the niche topic of blogging/social media. In fact I created the niche, and I’ve been blogging tips before there was even such a thing as Wordpress or RSS newsfeeds for blogs.

I’m sure when you visit this site you won’t realize what a marvel of engineering it really is. It’s complicated. I designed this site myself and when I say that I mean I made all of the images, created the layout and did all the coding myself. So I hope I don’t sound too arrogant when I say that I’m darned proud of it.

I love a challenge and strive to stretch the technology and make this blog the best it can possibly be. Not only with great, original content .. but also a showcase of what a little imagination and technical know-how can accomplish. On the home page alone there are at least six separate sections for delivering content, each with their own purpose. It took a lot of PHP coding to get it right.

Back in the good ole days when blogs didn’t have newsfeeds I coded my own RSS from scratch (XML Extensible Markup Language) and gave away a free ebook teaching bloggers how to make their own feed long before RSS came built-in to blogs. Which should tell you how long I’ve been around.

I blog about things like Blog Tips, Blogging Technology, Tools and News, Social Media, Web 2.0, Social Networking, Business, Marketing strategies and more.

I’ve been quoted in the Washington Post, New York Times and CBS News. I worked in the computer industry, business, journalism, music, audio, law and politics. I’m also a featured writer for Blogcritics and Political Gateway.

Hopefully that qualifies me to be your expert guide to the world of Blogging and Social Media.

Straight Shootin’ BB - Keeping it Real With a Little Attitude

A Road Less Travelled. My reputation as a maverick straight shooter is well deserved. Besides providing you with useful blog tips and tutorials, I also like to debunk the phonies.

Not one to mince my words or worry about political correctness, I don’t pull any punches and say what I mean and mean what I say. I’m not beholding to any person, network, organization or thing so if you want the unbiased truth about Blogging and Social Media .. I’m your guy bloke.

Blog Bloke? What the..

Well why not? I know it’s a dorky name but that’s the point. Blogging should be fun so if you don’t like it then please accept my apologies and get over it.

A friend of mine came up with the name and it sorta stuck. It seemed a perfect fit for me because I’m not the stuffy type. I don’t talk down to you or try to impress you with buzzwords, and I write about technical stuff in easy to understand non-technical jargon.

You won’t find any cliques here at BLOGBloke Central. Just nice down-to-earth folk who share a passion for blogging.

I’ve been around long enough to accumulate a wealth of knowledge and experience about blogging that I want to share with you.

This blog is about giving you useful information about blogging. I believe in quality vs. quantity and I take time to research interesting stories and craft my articles. So if I haven’t got anything intelligent to say I won’t fill your inbox with junk and waste your time.

BLOGBloke is a public service and a labor of love. I’ve been around longer than those other wannabes and unlike my imitators I’m not in a competition to see who can spew out the most drivel. Neither do I copy information from other bloggers, Google or old Help files, take silly polls, make useless lists, run contests, trick you with affiliate links or sell you a bunch of hype.

What I do write is original content that will empower your blogging experience. So if you are looking for a down-to-earth no BS professional in the world of blogging then I’m your guy.

I search the internet to provide you with interesting, practical information about the new media, social networking, blogging technology, reviews, blog tips and commentary (to satisfy my need to vent). So why waste your time looking when the Bloke can do the heavy lifting for you.

Ultimately this weblog will show you how to be a better blogger and get the most out of your blogging experience, with a splash of humor along the way.

Quick Bio

I am Technical Editor and soon to be book author. My profession is mediation, advocacy and blogger/geek.

A former litigator/tribunal member who finally saw the light. My case/win average was better than 97%, so why did I quit? Call it a revelation or a moment of clarity, but my success was bittersweet because I realized that it wasn’t justice I was getting for my clients. It just so happened I was the better schmoozer who could throw the most kaka-poo that stuck on the wall.

In my past life I was an entrepreneur and small business owner.  I started my computing career programming mainframes before there was such a thing as Microsoft, Apple or desktop computers.

So there I was working for a Japanese personal computer company when along came a freckle-faced geek named Bill Gates who made an unholy alliance with IBM and a borrowed operating system called MSDOS.

Despite the fact it was an inferior product (what else is new) it became the de-facto operating system. One morning our hardware techy announced that our architecture couldn’t accept DOS and we were summarily given our walking papers.

Millions of dollars of computers became worthless toasters overnight. It was then that I decided to make computers my hobby and to find a profession that was a little more stable (if you can call law and professional blogging stable).

Conflict Resolution

I quit litigation and took one of the best courses in the world for conflict resolution/mediation at the Justice Institute in Vancouver Canada. The course is outstanding and I highly recommend it.

I am a firm believer in mediation which is a far more civilized way to resolve conflicts. The beauty of mediation is that it strives for a win/win as opposed to the winner takes all mentality of litigation.

Married with Children

No, I’m not Al Bundy and my family isn’t nearly so dysfunctional (although at times I wonder). But truthfully I’m blessed with one biological daughter and 5 terrific step-kids - 2 boys and 3 girls who I see once in a while when I take a break from blogging.

Now aren’t you glad you asked.