Updated presentation from "Blow Me Away Blogging" at #SMX West 2013. Originally from #SMX Social Media Marketing. Check out the blog post version here - http://www.swellpath.com/2012/12/smx-social-8-takeaways-for-blogging/ I'll be going over not only why I personally love blogging, but what makes it so damn hard. Mainly, I'll be sharing 8 takeaways from SwellPaths' 800% year-over-year traffic growth for our blog. Official panel summary from SMX - "For many, a blog is the hub of a company’s social media marketing efforts. But building a consistently high-quality blog is a challenge. How do you keep your blog updated with fresh and appealing content? Is there a way to get more comments and build a community of readers? Can you use your blog to generate leads and increase sales? This session will cover those questions and more with actionable ideas for new bloggers or those looking to make an existing blog even better."