I get asked often if I have a formula for writing viral blog posts since I’ve been lucky enough to have many of my posts go viral.

My answer is absolutely not. I learned long ago that I can’t plan a viral post. Any post I thought would go majorly viral tanked. Every viral post I’ve ever had was one that I didn’t think was any big deal at all, or that I was scared to publish because I thought it might be “too much” and actually hurt my blog.

The key to going viral is to just put your best work out there every day, no matter what flavor it is. The ones that will go viral will go viral. The internet has a way of bringing the best stuff to the top.

The answer is rarely. I have deleted less than 30 of the more than 150,000 non-spam comments that have been left here on Single Dad Laughing.

The only comments that get deleted are those that are attacking, flagrant, or full of vitriol.

I don’t mind people debating with each other or strongly disagreeing with me. I’m thankful that it is able to remain civil most of the time.

This is a very common question that I get. I answered it in this post.

Of course I do. 100%. But let me ask you something. Does that really matter? What matters is if you believe it and what you do after you read it. Sometimes I write something and my opinions change with time or additional perspective, such as with my A Better Way, Mr. Pearce post. I hope that everybody can ditch their pride long enough to consider when they might be wrong. I know I need to do that far more often.

This is the number one question people ask me. The answer is simple.

It got big by a few incredible people finding it, then more incredible people finding it, and then even more incredible people finding it. There’s not really a better answer because it’s mostly all been word of mouth. I have been very blessed, and am always extremely thankful every time you share something I’ve written or done. Every good thing that has happened here is because of you.

One of the most unexpected realities of big blogging is that to run Single Dad Laughing, it takes almost all of my work time and free time. I get several emails every day from people asking me to visit their blog or to share their blog, many of whom hint that I really need to since they’re following Single Dad Laughing. Unfortunately I don’t have time to visit very many blogs, and the ones I do visit are usually recommended by people who aren’t associated with the blogs.

I get a lot of requests from publishing houses and authors to send me books for review or feedback.

At this time I am not accepting any books for review.

For the functionality of Single Dad Laughing, I used a service called PageLines. It is a powerful platform from which you can build your blog. It’s a lot better than almost every other option I could find. I’d highly suggest using them to build your blog.

For the look and feel, I customized the CSS and did my own graphic design.

Maybe! I’d love to hear your suggestions of what I could write about. Just click here to contact me.

No. I have many of my own causes that I’m passionate about and support. I understand that the world is full of incredible causes. It’s also full of incredible people. I can’t cover it all, so be one of those good people and make things happen where you see a need! I had to make the decision some time ago to focus on entertainment and discussion on this blog and save my “good cause efforts” for what I can see and do near to where I live.

Occasionally I will bring my causes to my readers, and I am always so thankful for the way we all are able to reach out together for each other.

I am dating someone that I’m pretty fond of at the moment. But I’m uber-flattered that you’d think I was datable.

Yes. Absolutely. Whether the future will line that up for me is TBD.

Maybe! Contact me and let me know who, what, when, where, why, how, and how many listeners/viewers you have, what kind of show you do, etc.

Maybe! I get a lot of blog interview requests, and I only have time to do them here and there. Contact me and let me know specifically what your purpose is, the link to your blog, etc. I’ll let you know if I can squeeze it in. All blog interviews are done over email.

Good question. In the non-summer months I generally get anywhere between 1 million and 5 million page views each month. In the summer months that drops down considerably. And that makes me happy. It means you’re all out enjoying your kids and the sunshine.

That’s a good question for which there is no easy answer. For the daily blurbs, musings, and rants I sit down and I type whatever nonsense rolls off this crazy brain of mine. For the more introspective power posts, I take time to really think through what I’m going to say. I meditate and usually try to go to a different place with it. I don’t publish those ones until I’m convinced that what I’m trying to say has been transcribed fully into writing. Even then I often come up short.

No. I don’t think that’s possible. The world is spinning too fast for that to happen.

This question is funny. If you were to ask me if I’ve ever regretted writing anything I’ve published, the answer would be no. If you were to ask me if I’ve ever regretted publishing anything I’ve written, the answer would be yes. But that doesn’t happen very often.

I don’t ever get writer’s block (knock on wood). When I’m in the writing zone, I pound out as many quality posts as I can and then schedule them in the future. When my brain isn’t in the zone, I work on other aspects of running a big blog that need my attention. This way I rarely have to deal with the pressure of coming up with something on the spot. It also gives me the added benefit of moving posts around into a way that makes more sense to those following along.

Yes. Don’t.

Unless you want to be awesome!

Actually, I do have advice for you. Write what needs to be written. Say what needs to be said. Be honest to what’s inside of you, and you’ll attract people looking for your honesty.

Don’t be politically correct all the time. If you never say anything that people will strongly agree with or disagree with, there will never be a reason for people to come read your blog.

My secret formula is this. 1) Write something honest or different. 2) Write something that people will want to share. 3) Ask people to share it and then make it easy for them to do so.

I’ve also written my 100 blogging tips that hopefully will help you get going!

I recently joined the BlogHer publishing network, so there is no easy way to run ads on my site. However if you run ads on BlogHer, they will end up on my site.

Currently I am not accepting new product for reviews.

I was raised LDS, and even though I tried to believe in the religion, I just never could so I eventually left the church. I have my own very personal spiritual beliefs that are important to me. I do not belong to any organized religion. Do I have a problem with religions? Absolutely not. I love when any individual finds spiritual fulfillment through their personal religion or through their own endeavors. Religions just aren’t for me.

I get asked this question a lot. I can’t answer it for you, but I attempted to answer it in my Single Dad Laughing post “Should You Get Divorced?“

Due to the nature of this blog, I get a lot of emails asking for advice in certain situations. Sometimes I can reply, sometimes I can’t.

It is my experience that most people who write to me looking for advice are also people who want a second opinion to confirm to them that the “higher road” is the better road. You already know it is, so find the courage to take it without needing the consent of others first.

It’s possible! Contact me and let me know the who/what/when/where/why/how much.

I try, and usually I can read most of them. Sometimes it’s all I can do to write my post for the day, but I am always extremely thankful for every comment. They are so important to the success of any blogger.

Just remember, I’m not the only one your comments benefit. Every time anybody posts a comment, it has the potential to help another reader. It has the potential to make another person smile. It has the potential to validate somebody else. Please don’t hesitate commenting. Many people follow for the comments as much as they do for what I post every day.

I am sorry. I wish I could get to all of them. Every day I get dozens and dozens of them. There are some days when I have received 500 or more, some of them as long as 5,000 words in length. My suggestion is to make the subject of your email very specific and to keep your messages on the short side (believe me, I know how fast something can get really long). I also understand that many people simply feel better having written and sent their feelings, and are not really looking for a response as much as an outlet. If this is the case, please make them as long as you like! Just know that I get to as many of them as I can, and it is nothing personal if I can’t get to yours.

I don’t keep up with everything! Sometimes I feel like that cartoon character with my thumb in the hole of the dam wall. I’ve had to learn that I can’t do it all, and that’s okay. My readers are generally supportive of me anyway.

When I can find time, I love getting sucked into pointless twitter banter. I hope that when I can afford an assistant, I’ll have much more time to do things like tweet and giggle with my readers.