Once upon a time there were three little blogs. They collectively decided that it was time to leave blogspot.com and move on to their very own domains.
The first little blog was very lazy, and had somewhat of a “get rich quick” mentality. He quickly chose a hosting company that was too expensive, and after getting the automatic install of WordPress 1.0.2 and using the default theme, began to post. The very first thing he did was put lots of Adsense on his site. He wrote two posts every month and was quite happy, if a bit puzzled by the lack of cash flow.
The second little blog put a bit more effort into his work. He customized his header and even downloaded a few plug-ins. He posted a few times every week, on whatever he felt like writing about at the time. His place was charming and sometimes even interesting. Now and then, he would carefully craft a post that he could insert an affiliate link into, although at times, this made him feel a tad guilty, since he knew nothing about the product. Overall, he drifted along happily, and was pleased with the $20 ad revenue that he earned each month.
The third little blog was a serious sort of fellow who in another fairy tale would have went to business school. He carefully chose a hosting company that many other blogs had recommended. After looking at many themes, he chose the one that would best meet his needs. He then sat down and proceeded to write many, many pages of quality content, making certain to include cornerstone posts that would provide flagship content forever.
The third little blog worked late into the night. He realized that in addition to working on himself, he’d better network and make some blog friends and partners. He joined social networks and visited and commented on many other blogs. He looked for opportunities to monetize his blog in meaningful and profitable ways. He rapidly became one of the most popular blogs on his street.
Of course, life doesn’t usually meander along in such a peaceful manner. After a while, the big bad blog came along. This big blustery blog looked ready to mow down anything in its path, and indeed, it did.
The big bad blog stumbled upon the first little blog.
He did not bother to knock politely at the door. Instead, he huffed and puffed, and pretty much obliterated the first little blog, who was quite overwhelmed, and canceled his hosting arrangement before he had even finished running all the way to the second little blog’s place.
The second little blog held his ground for a bit, but soon became chronically depressed and had to be admitted to the Rehabilitation Center for Ambitious But Clueless Bloggers.
When the big bad blog paid a visit to the third little blog, he was in for a surprise. Although he huffed and he puffed, and the third little blog ended up with a severe but temporary case of writer’s block, the third little blog persevered. In fact, the third little blog felt a bit inspired by the big bad blog, although personally he was a nicer sort of fellow.
As it turned out, the third little blog’s two brothers ended up working at Walmart and Starbucks, respectively. The third little blog kept on posting and keeping current in his niche, and was soon able to quit his day job selling watermelons. The big bad blog lived happily ever after, which pissed the first two little blogs off immensely, and they harbored a lifelong resentment towards him, which expensive therapy never remedied.
The end.
I had insomnia last night. It scares me.
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Information Improvisation
Decoration without lighting specific corners and painting seems very dull. A house must be furnished with well lit surroundings, table lamps placement on the side tables and chandeliers on the ceiling adds to the beauty of the house. With innovations and the coming of latest technology in the lighting history new light bulb models are discovered which take up very minimal amount of energy to light. Thus providing for both decorative and energy efficient purposes.
Nice post - love it
[...] Originally posted here: Michelle [...]
Which little blog are you?
Great post - I don’t know how you keep pumping out this awesome content
[...] Bloggrrl had insomnia last night and so write herself a great little bloggytale - The Three Little Blogs: A Cautionary Tale - very creative. [...]
[...] Bloggrrl had insomnia last night and so write herself a great little bloggytale - The Three Little Blogs: A Cautionary Tale - very creative. [...]
I dig, ma’am. I dig. Hopefully I’m the third.
Insomnia… Some ribs, a beer, and cheesecake should do the trick.
See ya,
Jason
Fantastic stuff. I wonder which little pig I am?
I think we all hope to be the third little pig.
http://www.tastelikecrazy.com
I’m definitely not the first little pig, I use DreamHost :p Good post!
Wow.. nice one
It would be safe to assumme that everyone who read this is either the 2nd or 3rd pig. hehe.
It’s never too late to repent and convert to the likeness of the 3rd pig
Great post, very creative.
FT
Your technorati icon on top juggles a bit when i hovered over it.
use css to fix it - assign a unique class/id and via css, set it to text-decoration: none;
Hope that helps
btw, found you through Problogger.
Fantastic! Looking forward to reading more!
Hopefully I’m the 3rd pig, so the big bad evil Chow doesn’t mow me over.
Very funny, Awesome post!
Insomnia seems to help with great posts haha. Loved the post.
Mamma mia!
It’s obvious that you’re not experiencing writer’s block.
Congratulations on a very creative post!
Brilliant. Simply brilliant.
[...] The Three Little Blogs: A Cautionary Tale Nice story telling, thanks for not making me one of the pigs err, blogs. [...]
This has got to be one of the cutest posts!
That’s a very nice story and post!
And we were taught insomnia is bad… ha!
Great post, very creative and funny
[...] According to Bloggrrl, I am the big bad blog in the three little blogs, a cautionary tale about three little blogs that collectively decided it was time to leave the free blog hosting barn of blogspot.com and move out into the real world with their own domains. Then they met the big bad blog. He did not bother to knock politely at the door. Instead, he huffed and puffed, and pretty much obliterated the first little blog, who was quite overwhelmed, and canceled his hosting arrangement before he had even finished running all the way to the second little blogs place. [...]
Hilarious. I started out as the 1st lil’ blogger a few years ago, but now I’m at the 2nd lil’ blogger level. The 3rd guy? Wow, one day, I hope.
Great post. Too too funny.
–
Baz L
Day In The Life of Baz
Very nice. Good post.
I love this! Your blog really helped with answering several questions about my blog such as:
Should I focus on one topic
Should I do daily blog entries
Should I present a contact page
Clever post. Looks like I came late to the party and missed some interesting history here.
hak
That was the most entertaining thing I’ve read all day. I’m like the inbred second cousin of the first and second little pigs. At least they left blogspot.
This is one of the most creative posts I’ve seen in a long time.
I find that a few hours of Dance Dance Revolution followed by a hot shower is usually enough to get over even the worst bouts of insomnia. But if all else fails, a bottle of NyQuil will do the trick
nice post. it was very amusing
Do we have to be piggies?
Funny stuff - between pigs and cows, Mr Chow is becoming more like a farmer than a blogger
I love a post that has some creativity!
[...] Her latest article on three little blogs is a very good example of creative meta-blogging. Don’t forget to check out her popular post about the 11 mistakes your blog makes in bed. Once upon a time there were three little blogs. They collectively decided that it was time to leave blogspot.com and move on to their very own domains. The first little blog was very lazy, and had somewhat of a get rich quick mentality… [...]
Great post…another creative anecdote about quality Blogging. I’m all about quality Blogging and promote the same at http://www.qualityblogger.com because you can’t go wrong when you create quality content, that’s for sure. You’ve proven it. Thanks for this!
- Michael Erik
Quality Blog Critic
http://www.qualityblogger.com
“The Best Things In Life Are Free”
[...] Bloggurl couldn’t sleep, so she whiled away the night writing this amusing tale which is an interesting example of blogging creativity. [...]
Good post. Very nice analysis of blogging.
nice post…hehee
[...] Read the whole saga of the 3 little pigs at Bloggrrl [...]
There was a link to you from the ProBlogger’s blog and the title sounded so very interesting.
Hopefully I’m in the “third” category -although there have been times when I have been tempted to do things the faster way. But I don’t even want to leave Blogger.com - it suits me just fine.
Nice, I think I my blog sort of ‘evolved’ from the each of the little blogs over time.
I wish my insomnia would help me write something that good. Looking forward to more bloggy tales!
Ah, I aspire to be The Big Bad Blog.
But in a nice way.
Clever post. Now I have to go work on being a better pig, er, blogger. I didn’t see the spamblog pig in the story, though… took me about two posts for some spamblog to start ripping me off…
Hee hee hee! Give me another fairy tale–this time make it Goldilocks. I just love your spin.
What a creative way to get a message across… love the story!
Very nicely explained the concepts of blogging,
Thanks
Ravi Mishra
http://addskills.blogspot.com/
GRRL … well, GIRL would be even more greater~
Fantastic Tale!
Oh man, I was totally that first blogger back in the day. Trying to be a great #3!
http://www.dating4point0.com/
I am in the zeroth blog mode. I have not ventured out of Blogger/Blogspot yet…hopefully i enter into 1st category soon…
http://sleepidler.blogspot.com/
[...] You got it made Michelle. You have been mentioned by Problogger, Darren Rowse and The Evil one, John Chow. Those who don’t know what I am talking about, go read her latest article about the 3 little blogs. No Tags [...]
Very enjoyable
Very creative. You should stay up late more often
Cheers.
JD
Very cute, I love your creativity in this piece, as well as how you worked in the links to the other blogs.
[...] Blog Grrl tells a great tale. What kind of a pig are you? [...]
Love your stuff! Grrl, we’re all going to get together and crown you Web Queen of the Amusing Allegory… dust off that tiara and practice the modest bow, while someone gets delegated to form a exploratory committee to prepare a plan for finding someone to select a designer for a totally stunning trophy!
I just love this post, thank you for sharing. and it has ignited the blog world. Maybe you will sleep tonight
I knew that was a great post, when I actually pictured pigs all the way through
very entertaining 
Great tale, I have no plan to leave Blogspot yet, just wondering if I could follow the watermelons seller.
I had insomnia last night. Though I went to bed but sleep did not come by because I was still thinking of my Forest Gump Story, so I woke up and wrote my Forest Gump story for my readers at 1 am.
Cheers !
http://seaykopitiam.blogspot.com/2007/07/forest-gump-story.html
Jamy from Sunshine Florida !
Very Nice !
[...] Here’s something just for fun to end the weekend with. It is an adaption of a well-known story, made to fit the blogosphere. I found it interesting how effortlessly the author worked in all of the links that she did without ruining the flow of the story. Read the full story. For those who want to know where this is going to take them before clicking on it, it will take you to bloggrrl.com. [...]
[...] The email also held trackbacks and comments from Problogger and John Chow, who both dedicated entire posts to The Three Little Blogs. At this point, I decided that being on the Internet too much must be causing me to completely lose touch with reality, so I went to the pool and forgot to put on sunscreen. (Although I did remember to brush my teeth before leaving.) Three hours later, as pink as my header, I returned and saw 30 comments waiting to be approved along with some linklove from Dosh Dosh and Copyblogger. [...]
BRILLIANT Post!
One of the most creative posts I have read so far. You’re a genius to have come up with this story.
Which pig am I? I think I started off being the second pig…then few months later turned into the first pig. Now after attending the big wake-up call at World Internet Summit Singapore 2007, I now working hard and smart to become the third pig.
Thanks for giving us this Great story!
Kai Wei
http://www.InternetMarketing4Noobs.com/
Helping Newbies Find Their Way In The Internet Marketing Jungle
This post came at a great time.
My posts were getting lazy and uninformative to say the least.
Recently, a comment from one of my readers pointed this out to me. The worst way to realize this.
At any rate, great post. I need to return to my roots and offer up better posts.
Bloggirl..I hope you never sleep again
Great post. Hope your insomnia improves. I suffered it for years, and I know it sounds a bit extreme but try to miss sleeping totally for a couple of nights, then get yourself off to bed at 9am. This will get you into a pattern of getting up early and going to bed early during the week (you get a lot done if you get up at 4am).
[...] http://bloggrrl.com/blog141/three-little-blogs/ [...]
Wow, you have a very constructive insomnia!! Congrats on the nice post!
Nice reading
PS: Can I TRANSLATE this in Hindi language & publish it in my Hindi language blog?
Now I wander which piggy I am? I just don’t know. Perhap some expert here can help me out? BTW nice blog & interesting read. Have a nice day.
Hi Michelle,
It is most probable that you won’t read this comment (because there are so many of them), but I want to thank you about this story. It is inspiring to me and I like it very much!
I am going to make a short review about it on my blog :).
Good luck!
William
[...] As I was reading Daren’s site, I read the post about the three little blogs. This increased my interest and I have visited the original site to read the story. It was a nice surprise for me not to find “just another word press blog” but a lovely and funny web site. [...]
Bravo! it’s Very original and fascinating! Thanks for sharing.
[...] If you’ve notread it already, go visitThe three littleblogs - A cautionary tale. Bloggrrl has written one of the most creative posts that I have seen in a longtime. What I particularly like about it that it has purpose and value but is done in a funny way that quite frankly makes everyone that reads it to want to be a little pig. [...]
[...] July 16, 2007A tale of three blogs… Over at Blog Grrll, she tells an amusing tale of three little blogs. [...]
Michelle, simply awesome article!
I think right now I am good little second blog..just passed first little blog and heading towards third little blog!
Great post! Ive been seeing mentions of it all over the place and finally decided to take a look. Im glad I did, youll be going on my feed reader.
This really is a great post. Thanks
Bravo! Very clever & unique. I was referred here by ProBlogging and really enjoyed that, having switched to Word Press just a little over a week ago!
Brilliant post! I liked the analogy… not sure which little pig I am yet but will soon find out I suppose. Keep the creative juices flowing Bloggrrrl!
You have the whole dream team leaving comments here girl.
Nice post
[...] I was reading the huge response that Bloggrrl received over her three little blogs post, and it got me to thinking. What do we do when we’ve hit a road bump in the everyday blogging? Do we sit up at night deliriously writing just to be goofy? Thinking that maybe our silly words have fallen into the abyss of the internet? [...]
Usually, an article about blogging pointers ends up neglected by readers. But because this one is in the form of a fairy tale, it naturally had a moral lesson that easily hits the readers. Nice job!
Really nice one, sounds like parable and that something can be learned.
Have a nice day.
[...] Michelle Cepeda tells the story of The Three Little Blogs: A Cautionary Tale. [...]
It takes one hell of talent blogger to pull something like that.. enjoy reading the post.. will definitely try to write something like that on my blog soon.. see you around.. btw, i came from doshdosh.com
Still something of a blogging neophyte, so your insomniac musings are much appreciated.
My wife thinks this is hilarious
Shows that insomnia brings out the muse sometimes. Thanks for the post.
James
I’d like to think I’m #3.
Did I just aspire to being #3?
Well, if I read a post till the end, that’s always a compliment! And I did read yours to the end and laughed. Funny. Re. insomnia: consider a (distance) reiki treatment.
Being on blogger I strive to even be a pig. But some would argue I’ve been one all along.
Good funny post.
great post. found the site via problogger. I have read through a lot of your articles and really enjoy your content and writing style. Subscribed to your feed and I will be back enjoying more in the future. No pressure
I also gave you a review and a link, even entered your little “SH-TTY” contest while I was at it. 
I loved reading this and at the same time felt really baffled because I actually played with idea of writing my post about what you can learn about blogging from reading fairytales based on The Three Little Pigs just like that.
Only was I thinking about it a week before this article was published and not because I couldnt sleep, but because I was trying to come up with a great idea for a post revolving around the number three (for a Daily Blog Tips project).
Funny how something as strange as a connection between blogging and this particular fairy tale is blogged about twice within a week.
Since I doubted that I could make it work like I wanted I chose to summarize the original and then write about what you could learn from it and how you could interpret it. Maybe I should have written it at night as you did because it is not as much fun to read as yours.
Perhaps is it however, (even) more enlightening? You find my story by clicking my name. Should you be so inclined.
I would absolutely love to hear what you think about it, how you value the differences and which you think will teach particularly new bloggers the most
Very funny. Great advice. Thanks for this wonderful post.
Great post! I appreciate getting my constructive criticism in the form of humor…
-working my way up to second little blog status, but dreaming, still dreaming of third little blog world
[...] Bloggrrl had insomnia and wrote The Three Little Blogs: A Cautionary Tale which is a tale about three blogs with different concepts for their blogging. The story also includes the big bad blog. It is an interesting way to explain what works and what does not work. [...]
Man, I didn’t know money could even really be MADE by blogging. I’m quite comfortable in my little blogspot for the mo!
Generally enjoyed the post, but I have to break up the self-congratulatory bubble most comments seem to be caught up in.
You see, there were OTHER little piggies that just aren’t even part of the story. Some went off to a totally different forest that the big bad blog wasn’t even interested in. Some never cared about monetizing their blog because it really WAS just a part of pursuing their own personal bliss (which was part of the what blogging was SUPPOSED to be about originally anyway). And some weren’t “piggies” at all– perhaps they were themselves even “wolves in “piggy clothing”– with bigger fish to fry than worrying about where they sit in an arbitrarily determined “three-tier” pecking order.
If the fable mirrors an individual “piggy’s” aspirations and objectives, it is indeed an EXCELLENT and even inspiring cautionary tale, indeed. However, there are a LOT of non-piggies living in the forest too…
I am very impressed. You explained so many key elements of blogging all in one little story. I love learning information in a non-traditional way and I think this story certainly achieves this goal. I am sorry that you were suffering from insomnia when you wrote this, but hopefully the end result gives you at least a little comfort.
Cute and inspiring. I would have liked to know how the big bad wolf blew the blogs down but I guess the wolf is time? Great job though : )
Wow! This was a great post, that encapsulates many of our fears.
[...] Bloggrrl created an allegory for blogging: Which little blog are you? [...]
You deserve every bit of attention that you’ve gotten. I think this is one of the best blogs I’ve found, and I mean that.
Very cute blog. I notice that after the piggy blog you have a weight loss blog. lolo.
[...] Like I said earlier, her site has been the talk of many as of late and this is due to her article, the three little blogs- a cautionary tale, which is a spin off of the three little pigs. It was clever enough to catch the eyes of John Chow, the Copyblogger and Darren Rouse of ProBlogger. It just goes to show you when one person of notable fame picks something up, many start have to take a look and see what the buzz is about. [...]
HAHAHA!
I guess I’m currently the second little blog, although trying to move myself to become the third little blog as soon as possible.
Hopefully I’ll make it soon enough.
oink oink !!
Your three little pigs blog post is great and exciting, added you in my technorati!
I have to say that i am the second one
That’s a great story! Too bad I read it at work, I feel kind of like I need a nap now.
Hmmm, from the above categories I guess I am pig 2.5. I definitely started as pig 2, but quickly realized that if I wasn’t having fun, and engaged, with my posting the whole thing wasn’t worth it. Now I post on a focused set of subjects, and post only when what I have to say is authentic. The funny thing is, I fond myself posting a lot more frequently, and energetically, as a consequence.
hilarious! loved it! and the moral of the story is….
DON’T. EAT. PORK
Pig 2.5, that’s funny.
–
Baz L
Day In The Life of Baz
Mr. John Chow referenced this article and called himself the big bad blog. I just have one question. Was he the inspiration for your big bad blog or is he just associating himself with it of his own accord??
I was wondering the same thing as cmanlong right above me–what’s the history with you and John Chow? Anyway, great post. Very often, a children’s story is a great story for a reason. The Three Little Pigs contains great wisdom, such as you’ve shared with us here as it applies to bloggers.
That was a really cool post!
Hopped over from AhPek’s site.
really hilarious and enjoyable post!! and more enjoyable was they both came running here and gladly agreed with their titles =)
This was a great post. Believe it or not I had never heard of John Chow. Now I subscribe to you both.
[...] The Three Little Blogs: A Cautionary Tale [...]
Very good!!! I am the first little piggie, but the big bad Borg/blog has not come along and added my distinctiveness to The Collective. That and I am too busy with school to post anything right now>
[...] Her latest article on three little blogs is a very good example of creative meta-blogging. Don’t forget to check out her popular post about the 11 mistakes your blog makes in bed. [...]
Interestingly creative post…great writing… that is what blogs should be made of.
[...] De-construction 3: Read this blog post: The Three Little Blogs: A Cautionary Tale. It was linked by several bloggers within a short span of time. It was one of the hottest blog post of last week. Do you think that that post would have spread like wild fire without the negative slant and linking “big bad blog” to JohnChow.com? [...]
[...] It is over there hiding near the bottom of the sidebar because I learned something about Chitika that is interesting. You know how you have to have at least 10,000 page views a month to join the program? Well, shortly after posting this little bloggy post, I met the criteria. I immediately applied and was accepted. Now, the thing is, once you’re accepted, you can put Chitika on your other blogs, even the ones who have three page views a month. So I thought it would be a good thing to have around, kinda like that Drimmel that I bought to make earrings out of hazelnuts and have used once. You never know–someone might stop by here and suddenly get an urge to buy one of those 58YHSLD7 things. [...]
[...] This is the famous Three Little Blogs post by Bloggrrl which is what first led me to discover Bloggrrl.com! If you somehow have not read this yet, definitely check it out! You’ll learn a lot and have a good laugh! [...]
[...] This blog is a mix of funny and informative stuff and it does exactly what it says - rocks your world with really mad tips and tricks while keeping you entertained for hours. Michelle, the author of the blog has a unique writing style. I would recommend you definitely read her post The Three Little Blogs, a Cautionary Tale that reflects how talented she is! I guarantee you will have a good laugh and end up loving the article and her site! [...]
Absolutely brilliant….loved reading every bit of it, well put together :o)
[...] To enter, Bloggrrl wants you to deal yourself a hand and play a solitary game of strip poke while you check out her site . . . then mention her contestand your favorite Bloggrrl post on your blog. My favorite is her post on The Three Little Pigs. [...]
[...] I’m sure I’m not alone with experiencing highly variable traffic. I got thousands of page views for a couple of days after my Three Little Blogs post was linked to by several other bloggers, but usually my stats look more like this: [...]
[...] A cautionary tale about three little blogs. [...]
[...] believe it or not, strawbale houses don’t mean you are like that dude in the popular but terrifying children’s story. Turns out they are pretty safe during [...]
[...] “12 Best Forums For Bloggers Who Want Bucks“. And there’s the one called “The Three Little Blogs: A Cautionary Tale“. I remember that one. It’s one of my all-time favorites. It was brilliant. I remember [...]
[...] wrote an interesting post today on Comment on The Three Little Blogs: A Cautionary Tale by Captainâs …Here’s a quick [...]
Just found your blog on another blog…
That’s an awesome story.
Is there a follow-up story to this one (related or not that targeted) ?
If you have any other suggestions
or comments, let me know
Cheers,
Codrut Turcanu.
“How To Succeed Against All Odds!” Break The Ice!
[...] bloggers in your niche in the best way (one of the best ways I’ve ever seen do this has been Bloggrrl Blog Archive The Three Little Blogs: A Cautionary Tale). __________________ Bid Directory UK | Get Your Blog [...]
Well thanks for the incentive. I have been dragging my heels writing new posts but I think I got your message and I will try to persevere.
Excellent post!
I love it!
It’s actually quite insightful on how blogging works.
And I love it how John Chow is the big bad blog and Darren Rowse is the nicer sort of fellow. lol!
(I personally don’t follow John Chow)
[...] of a woman wearing a cow costume. In fact, although she has other humorous articles such as the Three Little Blogs, the Cow Patty Bingo one is my favorite, partly because of that [...]
This is really funny, and true. It’s been nice to watch blogs come and go and see what goes on as I learn more and more about internet marketing. Keep up the good work!
Isaac Wilkins’s last blog post..Just a Quick Update
Nice story
[...] had a burst of inspiration that is reminiscent of The Three Little Blogs and is worth a [...]