I Hate The Word “Newbie”

I am not a newbie!
I am not a newbie!
I am not a newbie!
I am not a newbie!

Keep repeating this sentence, until you “get it”.

Hearing the term, “I am a newbie”, in blogging, reminds me of how some women will say, “I’m just a housewife”, or others who say,i.e… “I’m just the janitor”. It projects a “less important than” attitude.

In life, it doesn’t matter what your job is, you are “someone”. Whatever your “job” is, it’s is important. Without you, things wouldn’t go quite as smoothly.

If you have a blog, you have the right to voice your opinion, just as much as the person sitting next to you, or a person half way around the world.

If you are a blogger, you are an author. You are a writer. You are a journalist, of sorts. You are not a “newbie”.

Don’t get me wrong, I did the same thing when I started blogging. I called myself a “newbie” blogger. Granted, I had to learn the terminology and techniques of blogging. But, I had already spent many years, sharing my thoughts, and helping others. I just didn’t “share”, online, with the world. So in essence, I have been “blogging without a blog”, most of my adult years.

If you have just started a blog, or plan to start one, you’re doing so, to share what you know. If you are willing to share what you know, in a blog, you are more than likely, a very giving person. You are not a “newbie” on the subject you’re blogging about; you are somewhat of an expert.

If you’re composing your first post, it’s not necessary to admit that it is your first post. Write that post, like you’ve never written anything before. Take your time to get the spelling and grammar correct, and write from your heart. Show your readers your soul.

Calling yourself a newbie, is like saying you’re not as good as a seasoned blogger. Granted, the computer geeks, gurus, and probloggers, who willingly share their knowledge with us other bloggers, will always know more than us if we are not educated in computer technology and terminology. But…can they, for example, write a post about how to: How to Import Without Worrying About US Customs, how to knit a sweater? How To Stage A Home For Sale, or a post with a catchy title of: Building A Brand, All You Need Is A Kamikaze Attitude and Bad Hair, etc… Not likely!

Keep in mind…if you write a post, and begin the post, by admitting you’re a “newbie”, you are instantly sabotaging your credibility.

The same language applies to your “about” page.

Remember, you are an important person, in a world, who has the right to be heard. Don’t ever forget that.

So, from now on, drop the “newbie”. To me, you are my “fellow blogger”, a potential lifetime, cyberspace “friend”.

BTW: Looking over my site, I see I have several posts that use the word “newbie”. Since they get viewed on a regular basis, I won’t change the terminology. Apparently “newbie” remains a semi popular search term.

Posted on September 27, 2007
Filed Under Archives, Blogging Language, New To Blogging, Posting, Writing Tips |

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9 Responses to “I Hate The Word “Newbie””

Catherine Lawson on September 27th, 2007 12:43 am

Hi Barbara - Thank you for linking to my post, and for your very kind words.

I’ll be checking through my posts the whole morning now to see if I’ve used the offensive word. And I know I must have somewhere.

My son was actually banned from runescape for a day for calling someone a newb, as they found it offensive!
Jaseem on September 27th, 2007 3:14 am

Your post is for me and someone like me. Everything in the post is about me. But I am proud to say I am a newbie.
Barbara on September 27th, 2007 10:51 am

Catherine,

Thank you for your return visit.

I’ve been enjoying reading your blog…and the catchy titles

Jaseem,

Thank you for your comment.

I’m glad you are proud to say you are a “newbie”. That makes me believe you have confidence in yourself. Unfortunately, as your blogging experience increases, you may have to “give up the title”.

But… with a blog by the name of http://blogofnewbie.blogspot.com/ “Blog For Newbies”, let’s hope the term “newbie” never dies.

In actuality, I think it’s here to stay.
Fabián Sepúlveda on September 27th, 2007 9:32 pm

I liked your post. I can compare your comment with something very common between us the humans: the comparison with others. Maybe it is a good way for sabotage your road. It’s hard to fight with this thought, but it’s more hard to live without seeing it. A good beginning for all of us, is that we start without comparing ourselves with others, and enjoy the process.

I hope that my English has been understandable.

Regards!!
Barbara on September 27th, 2007 10:34 pm

Fabián,

Thank you for visiting, and for our comment.

I agree, we should not compare ourselves with others, as we are all unique.

Even though you are concerned about your English, your message is clear, we need to “enjoy the process”
Asako on September 28th, 2007 2:04 am

Hello Barbara,

I do not think the word Newbie undermines your great content.

I think the word Newbie was created among the community of experts of “making money from blogging”.

There are some blogs I often visit around health care and politics, etc. They often have no ads, their blog formats are primitive, and they seem to not be paying attention to SEO. They seem oblivious of any problogging discussions. But they have huge readership. And they have great contents.

I am also thinking to move away from “making money from blogging” and focus on the quality of content, and getting the right readers.

Borrowing your most recent post, for example, my focus seems to be quite a niche among the today’s blog readers. Recently, I did some statistics research and found “small business” is really not the most popular topic in the blog world. “Making money from blogging” community would say I should change my style, content, and approach to get more traffic and have readers click on ads.

I do not think I will follow their advice. I have a belief my niche will grow in the future, and I just stay patient. And when we know our niche, we are definitely not Newbies.
Barbara on September 28th, 2007 11:49 am

Hello Asako,

I think that using the word “newbie”, in the wrong context, can deter readers from exploring your writings. A lot of online searches are being done for credible information, or information others can use in reports, stories, school projects, etc. If someone says, “I’m a newbie…….”, it may be construed as information that is not reliable.

Plus, how long is a person a newbie? A day? A week? A month? We have to remember, our posts are timeless (unless we update them).

And….a lot of readers do not understand even though a blog is written in chronological order, on our home page, the posts are listed in reverse chronological order. So, what I’m getting at is, if a reader links to one of your first posts, and you say, “I’m a newbie, blah,blah, blah….”, but you have 160 posts since then (and you’re no longer new to your subject, or blogging), they could very easily click off of your blog, and never come back….thinking yours is not a creditable site.

I’m not saying I have never done the same thing, but I am going to go back over all of my old posts, and see if I am sabotaging my own credibility.

With regard to your blog, Asako, I do believe patience will pay off for you. You have a great concept that you appear passionate about, and it’s an idea I haven’t seen elsewhere.
Kekoa on October 1st, 2007 10:01 pm

Really excellent point, Barbara!

Too often people sabotage themselves before they start. I especially liked your parallel with “blogging without a blog.” Indeed many people have been blogging without a blog for years, and they’re the last people who should refer to themselves as newbies.
Barbara on October 1st, 2007 11:23 pm

Amen to that, Kekoa,

I don’t think anyone is truly a newbie. We all have something to bring to the table. What one person blogs about may not attract everyone, but I’m sure it would help thousands (or more), who have the same interests.