Is that still okay?

Exclusivity is probably a must-have item. Repeated content can hurt both of us more than it would help. The search engines will see that we have the same content, probably penalize both of us, then toss one of the articles out the window in the SERPS.

I see your concern about posting original content on somebody else’s blog, as I’ve had the same concern myself prior to guest-blogging for others. The first guest-post I wrote for digital Photography School made it to the front page of Digg — which was my first Digg, and the article wasn’t even on my site! Another guest-post I did at Martin’s site also made it to the front page of Digg. Looking back, I’m not at all disappointed that the articles were posted to other blogs — the long-term benefits of those posts far outweigh the short-lived Digg traffic… and by “benefits” I mean more than just traffic to my site.

Take a look at this article about smarter blogging. Read item number 3 about the author of Skelliewag.org. Skellie has built herself up by heavily utilizing guest-posting on other blogs, and she’s even got a part-time position at Problogger.net.

Will a single guest-post bring you fame, fortune, and lots of long-lasting traffic? Probably not. It will probably get you a handful of new loyal readers, in addition to giving your site more exposure than you would have otherwise had. Take at look at Problogger’s “How to be a Good Guest Blogger” article for a few more insights on the guest-blogging thing.

Honestly, though, don’t feel pressured to do it. If you want to keep your content on your own site, you’re certainly within reason to do so.

I’m going to ask a couple of up-front questions, because I’d like to know more about how it would work and what it would mean for me as a “struggling” blogger, but please don’t be offended, I’m not meaning to be confrontational

- Do you expect exclusivity? Would you accept an article that I also posted on my blog?
- If you wanted exclusivity, would a great article that I write do me more good on your site, bringing you traffic, than it would for me on my site? You have the much bigger audience, which may be sent on to me from my profile link, but my blog needs original content to attract more readers.

Essentially I suppose my questions are selfish. As much as I love writing and want as many people to see what I might write as possible, I want my own blog to grow and giving away my work might seem to go against that goal.

I was considering emailing this to you, but there may be other small blog authors out there with the same questions. I’m interested to hear your opinion!