.description).find(util::toLower(key));
      if (pos!= std::string::npos) {
        append = append.substr(0, pos) + "[" + key + "]" + append.substr(pos + key.length());
      }
      else {
        append = "[" + key + "] " + append;
      }
      summary += append;
    }
    legendsummaries[scope.first] = summary;
  }
  std::string all = legendsummaries[KEYSCOPE_ALL];
  if (all.empty()) {
    return;
  }
  for (std::map<int, std::string>::iterator it = legendsummaries.begin(); it!= legendsummaries.end(); ++it) {
    if (it->first!= KEYSCOPE_ALL) {
      it->second += (!it->second.empty()? " - " : "") + all;
    }
  }
}

std::list<KeyBinds::KeyData>::const_iterator KeyBinds::begin() const {
  return keydata.begin();
}

std::list<KeyBinds::KeyData>::const_iterator KeyBinds::end() const {
  return keydata.end();
}

bool KeyBinds::hasExtraScopes() const {
  return scopes.size() > 1;
}

void KeyBinds::disallowKeybinds() {
  allowkeybinds = false;
  generateLegendSummaries();
}

void KeyBinds::useAlternateKeybindsButton() {
  alternatebutton = true;
  generateLegendSummaries();
}
In my case, I probably wouldn’t put the domain on chrisguillebeau.com. If you have chrisg.com, that works—but Chris Garrett got to that one first, and for some reason, a lot of people have a hard time with Guillebeau. Oh well.
But the more important question is self-reflective: how can you start something?
My advice is to find a few leaders you respect, go back to the very beginning of their project and see what they did as they grew.  You will almost always see an evolution as they figure things out and gain their footing. With that in mind, here’s what I’d do if I were starting today.
I would pay $10 for a domain, get a cheap hosting account, and use WordPress for my blog.
I would post on a regular schedule, even if the schedule was only once a week—in other words, I would prefer consistent attempts at creativity to sporadic bouts of genius.
Every day I would ask questions of those around me and try to be helpful.
I would follow back everyone who follows me on Twitter, unless they gave me a reason not to.
I would start a Facebook Page early on and make a big push for it. (Personally I like Twitter better, but I find Facebook “fans” to be more active than the average Twitter user.) However, you also want to be careful – a page with 10 fans doesn’t look so good.
Unless the project was in a tech-heavy industry, I would focus on email instead of RSS, since most regular people have no idea how RSS works, and even the people who use RSS often get behind on reading their feeds. Therefore, I would develop some kind of content that is only sent to my email list, and gently encourage readers to join the email list.
I would think about monetization (i.e., getting paid) from the beginning. It’s OK to evolve carefully and organically, but you want to have some idea of how you’ll actually make money if that is part of the goal. The best time to introduce paid products or services is after you’ve gained some initial influence but before the project is widely known. Do it too early and you won’t make any money because no one cares. Do it too late and the transition may be awkward, because the community isn’t expecting it.
Mistakes are normal and expected, so I wouldn’t worry about never making them; I would just try not to make the same mistake over and over. In fact, I would tell my community about the mistakes whenever possible, because they like to know what doesn’t work as much as what does work.
As explained here, some people are good at the craft but not good at the talk. While that may be preferable to the other way around (being good at talking but not about work), it’s better to do both. “Building relationships” is in danger of joining “be authentic” in the category of overused social media advice—but if you can really build relationships and focus on how you are actually helping people, that’s how your project will become successful.
So every day, I would focus on exactly that—creating something worth talking about, and then trying to get the word out wherever I could. Everything else is irrelevant, or at least subservient to those two strategies.
If you do that every day, then every day the work will get better and you’ll get better at promoting it. And sooner or later, momentum will kick in and you’ll be along for the ride with everyone else.
One more note: on book tour I’ve been hearing from a lot of people with ideas for projects. They often wonder: Am I too late? I wish I had done this earlier. Someone else is already doing something similar.
Well, I wish I had started earlier too. I thought the marketplace was saturated and I had no idea if what I wanted to do was actually unique. But despite the uncertainty, I’m glad I finally managed to take a leap. These things have a funny way of growing once you move from thinking to action.
So now the question is … when are you starting? Because it’s not too late.
I think that spending 6-12 months to get a better understanding of your readers is much better than doing nothing. That’s part of the process and that’s being willing to make mistakes. I still haven’t figured out where I’m going either, but I feel that I’m much closer to finding my path than 6 months ago. And I believe that this process is worth a lot. Thanks for the inspiring advice.
My own site really took off after I realised how important the relationships aspect of it was – even for those talking about something completely different, we can all help each other.
I’ll add that starting NOW is definitely the best idea. I didn’t start earlier (even though I had a good message to share) because I was worried that I wouldn’t be a good enough writer. That’s BS and people should start a blog immediately and discover their own writing style.
Excellent post! I’ll refer people to it who need some encouragement to get started.
I’m starting to write. I’m not a great writer, perhaps not even a mediocre one, but I believe that consistently can beat any adversity.
P.S More importantly and more exciting is what I’ve decided not to do…pursue an MBA.
I’m going to start trying to build a business/blog (or more realistically fail to build a business/blog but learn a few things) and then pursue business full steam after I graduate college.
Thanks Chris (along with Seth Godin, Tim Ferriss, and Josh Kaufman) for giving me the courage to not be another sheep-walker, blow 70 grand, and another two years of my life on dated meaningless text book drivel.
And just as a tactical extension on figuring out your readers, I’d suggest KISSinsights, a cool question-asking tool for websites. I’m not affiliated with them in any way, but I’ve been testing on a couple sites and like the results so far (especially on product pages). Something to check out.
Fabulous article! I think the “it’s too late” thought process can be pretty debilitating for emerging bloggers and knowing that others have not only made a name for themselves, but flourished, is encouraging.
I had someone ask me recently how I had so much to write about when my blog was relatively young. I had to think for a minute- and then it smacked me on the head- my blog is young, but I’m not! Our stories, the lives we lead and the relationships we build are what fuels our writing. Seems obvious, but relevant. I think we overlook that sometimes. Keep up the wonderful work, Chris!
Thanks for the reflection! It’s quite a statement, “Trying to improve your weaknesses instead of capitalizing on strengths is usually a losing battle.” Ya, play to your strengths for sure, but there is also something profound about taking the ugliest room in the house and making it the most beautiful, especially with a fixer upper.
Solid stuff Chris. Thanks for the transparency to help us newbies avoid some pitfalls.
I agree about posting regularly. I used to not post regularly. You (Chris!) were one of the people who, by example, encouraged me to set a schedule. Now I post every Thursday. So every Wednesday I have to write a post. And actually, knowing that I “have” to get something up on Thursday usually spurs me to write something cool on Wednesday.
Wow, I needed to hear this today. If I looked on my birth certificate, I’m sure my true given name is “I wish I wouldda