When I look at this photo, it reminds me of blogging.
The probloggers stand on top of the steep mountain, and the wannabes are still climbing. If we could see the complete picture, we would probably see some who are just getting ready to make the climb. Their challenges will be many, but if they play their cards right, they’ll have a lifeline to help them along the way.
Blogging has it’s share of challenges. Challenges many aren’t aware of when they make the decision to start a blog.
Today’s Lesson
When I look back to my beginning days of blogging, I didn’t understand what I would be up against. In many ways it was probably good. If I had known what I was getting myself into, I may not have started a blog. Fortunately, the challenges were spaced out and I could conquer one before meeting the next.
Listed below are challenges I faced and I’m guessing I’m not alone.
1) Coding.
I had no concept of what HTML or CSS coding was, nor why I needed to learn it. As time passed I realized knowing coding is a necessity.
2) Staying motivated to write
In the beginning, I had so many topics to write about, I felt I could fill a book. Unfortunately I didn’t realize I’d have dry spells or days when I would lack the motivation to write.
3) Finding and/or designing the best theme for our blog
I changed my theme fairly often during the first six months of blogging, but when my readership began to grow, I felt it was necessary to stick to one theme so as not to confuse my readers.
4) Time.
Time has to be my biggest blogging challenge. With so much to love about blogging, it hard to stay away from it. My biggest struggle has been finding a balance.
5) Blog Maintenance
No one told me I’d have to spend so much time behind the scenes tweaking things, Unfortunately if we don’t, we may find our blog isn’t performing like it should when visitors show up.
6) Building Readership
Writing to an imaginary audience worked well when I first start blogging, but I didn’t start a blog “talk to myself” nor to see my name published online. Learning how to get others to come and visit my blog left me scratching my head for some time.
7) Engaging in Social Networking
We hear it said over and over. We need to “get out there”. I was a little slow grasping this concept, but learned it’s a necessity in order to build our reputation and to gain recognition in blogosphere.
8.) Building Community
When I started visiting other blogs, I often observed an interaction between the author of a blog and their commenters. Sometimes it appeared they have developed a friendship and I noted they were also frequenting each others blogs. I decided I wanted that, too. Although building community is another time consuming aspect of blogging, it’s the most rewarding part of blogging for me.
9) Learning and applying SEO (search engine optimization)
This is something I KNOW we all need to do more of, but where I often fall short. Writing search engine optimized material changes the way I write, and I often forget to consider it when I’m publishing. Not getting found by search engines means our blog will experience slower growth and for bloggers who hope to make money with their blogs, search engine traffic is vital.
Whenever we hear “blogging is easy”, anyone who has been blogging for any length of time knows better. The actual writing of blog posts may come easy to some, but in order to embrace the complete blogging experience, it’s often a steep climb.
Today’s Assignment
What do you feel are, or have been, your biggest blogging challenge(s)?
How do you approach blogging challenges? Do you meet them head on or do you procrastinate?
I often find other bloggers become my life line, what do you think?
~Barbara.
Photo Credit: ground.zero
And some people decide not to climb anymore. They find themselves a little platform and just sit there. Maybe they are tired, or maybe they enjoy the view from there and decide that continuing climbing is overrated.
Something I did not expect is how up-to-date you need to be with your
WordPress to keep out the hackers. It’s a popular platform and that also leads to more people attempting to hack them. That fact definitely made me a lot better at backing up different versions and detecting suspicious things though.
Kelvin Kao´s last blog post..Voiceover Gig
Actually Barbara – when I saw that picture, I thought he was going to jump, because blogging was so hard! (I also thought it might be Australia, but it is Brazil)
I like the way you said that you didn’t know what you were getting into, but that might be a good thing or you might not have done it – I pretty well feel the same way – it’s much harder than I thought (or perhaps I didn’t actually think anything).
My biggest challenges are finding the time and staying focused while on the computer – it takes me a long time to read someone’s post and comment on it – I laugh (or shudder) when I see big bloggers advise people to spend 10 minutes a day writing lots of quality comments on blogs – it can take me 30 min to do one!
Robin´s last blog post..Life And Teaching Of The Masters Of The Far East
I am brand new to the world of blogging and could relate to a lot of the items in this post, but there were a few that stood out:
1. Time: OMG! So much time! I keep telling myself that the hours I’m spending now are simply the initial investment and that things will level out over time. Am I right, fellow bloggers, or am I just deluding myself?
2. Finding Readers/Social Networking: This has, by far, been the best aspect of blogging for me. I have been uplifted, supported, and encouraged over and over again by fellow bloggers this past month. This sense of community has truly been a lifeline. In fact, most of my readers have come from these new relationships (YAY) but d@mn if this also doesn’t take up a lot of time, too. 🙂
3. SEO: If recent googles of myself are any indication, my SEO is in the toilet. Sadly, I’ve been spending so much time on everything else that this has not been at the top of my priority list. Thesis has been suggested to me as a good option. Can any of you weigh in on if this is true?
Thank you, Barbara, for sharing this post and giving us newbies (and more experienced folk) a chance to rehash these things. I’ve recently written about my impressions in this first month of blogging (think you’ve seen it) if anyone else is interested: http://chaniagirl.blogspot.com/2009/04/im-not-only-genius-what-ive-learned.html
Chania Girl´s last blog post..Animal Totem of the Week
my biggest challenge is finding the time or should i say making the time to write for my blog and being in the mood to do so. Oh I have become lazy and I procrastinate, but sometimes that can be a good thing. When I don’t feel the need to rush I write better and think clearer. I would like to get on a better schedule though and posting once a week.
Natural´s last blog post..Mirror, Mirror on the Blog….
Barbara – I’ve tried procrastination and I’ve also tried meeting those challenges head on. Nether works for me. Procrastination is just plain idiotic because then I tend to feel bad on top of not doing the work. Meeting the challenges head on is like feeding the plant in The Little Shoppe of Horrors. “Feed me” my blog says and the damn thing is always hungry.
So instead I made a decision to place my blog in the proper perspective of a “when I choose to get to it” activity. It’s not near the top professional priority in my life so I’m not going to drive myself nuts by comparing my activity or results to those who do want to climb to the top of that mountain.
I blog when I want to. It feels so good to say that. So what if my Alexa ranking has slipped. What did it give me anyway?
Tom Volkar / Delightful Work´s last blog post..What’s the Truth About Authentic Work?
Hi Barbara – Time has been a bugaboo of late. I’m dealing with it by replacing the “should post more frequently” with “shouldn’t post just to post.” Subscriber levels have grown somewhat. I’m with Tom – it’s all perspective. It’s doing the stuff other than blogging that makes us more interesting as bloggers, because then we can write about it.
Betsy Wuebker´s last blog post..THE ENEMY OF CLEAR LANGUAGE TURNS YOU INTO A CUTTLEFISH
Beautiful picture! I found that I am not a procrastinator cause the work just builds up! The need to constantly change is always high and learning as I go head on into the challenges. Sometimes I think the web is just moving toooo fast and it needs to slow down and smell a byte or two.
My biggest frustration has definitely been patience, waiting for results I know will one day be coming, but are sometimes slower than molasses out of a mug.
Writer Dad´s last blog post..7 Steps to Squeaky Clean Copy
Back when I had just a website, my motto was “There is more to life than increasing its pace,” a quotation from Gandhi. Then I discovered what you “have to do” to blog. I don’t have time to do it all, so I’ve had to accept being on that platform referred to by Kelvin Kao. I’m getting new readers v-e-r-y slowly because I don’t have time to visit more blogs and comment.
Frankly, I’ve also found it hard to read blogs whose subjects I don’t particularly relate to, even if I like the blogger’s comments and participation on my blog. So I visit their blogs, but only read what interests me. If they choose to leave my blog because of that, I’ll just have to get used to it.
This is my biggest challenge in gaining new readers — I don’t feel participation should depend on my visiting them as often as they visit me. That may be a way to become known, but reciprocal participation doesn’t necessarily make sense to me. If I wrote a book, would I have to buy your book for you to buy mine? I try to make my blog interesting to everyone, hoping that will retain and increase readership.
Barbara,
You’ve listed the challenges quite comprehensively. I changed my theme a lot during the first six months too! I’m trying to stay with what I have now. All the rest – SEO, social networking, tweaking… I know I could be better. Still, I agree with Tom that blogging is more enjoyable and therefore more sustainable in the long term if we own our blogs rather than vice versa. That’s my attitude toward blogging now. I write only when I have something to say!
Daphne @ Joyful Days´s last blog post..8 Lessons from the Lindy Hop
Barbara,
I agree with your comments and the mountain that blogging can be. I also dealt with challenges from inside. I needed to address:
1) my inner critic more fully
2) my inner wilting flower who was afraid to take certain risks and succeed
3) my self care, to find more energy even though I’m caregiver for my mom
4) my desire to rely on my husband’s tech knowledge instead of taking care of it myself
5) my own love/hate relationship with writing — knowing I could improve something with “forever editing,” but then letting that Publish button win out instead.
Hi Barbara. My greatest challenge is following the advice to “find a niche.” My blog is about life. My life, my kids’ lives, memories, funnies, things I’m learning,… You get the point. Therefore no one is going to say, “Let’s head over to Val’s blog and see what she has to say today about _____.” So I’ve not built much of a community, but I still want to keep my blog going, as it is a powerful record and place to organize my thoughts.
For me, the most challenging thing about blogging has been finding time. Blogging — and building a community for my blog — has been very time consuming. I keep telling myself that this is just the beginning and once I get into a routine, it won’t take up as much time, but I don’t know…every day I find more and more things I want to do that are blog-related and very time consuming.
Despite the challenges, I love my blog and I love blogging. I’m so happy that I’ve stumbled on this online community of people. I had no idea I would come across so many wonderful, supportive, and interesting souls when I started blogging. My blog teaches me a great deal about myself as I open up more and more to my readers. It truly is a wonderful experience and totally worth the time I spend on it.
Positively Present´s last blog post..rainy days and mondays…
My biggest lesson was learning there were things I would have to pay for. Well, not *have to* pay for, but choose to pay for. At first I was reluctant to spend any money on something that wasn’t making me money. But then I realized I had a) zero interest in coding (and this from a former programmer) and b) zero interest in website design. In the end, I bit the bullet and paid for those services. And I am very glad I did. The dollars I paid more than covered the stress I was experiencing thinking I had to do this stuff myself.
Urban Panther´s last blog post..Putting it into perspective
I agree that time, and finding the balance between blogging and other pursuits, is the biggest challenge.
Vered – MomGrind´s last blog post..If You Want To Sell Something To Women, You’d Better Make It Pink
Excellent summary Barbara and thank you for sharing. I think I am still working for less than minimum wage for my blog. However, it’s what I love and the experience is definitely worth it.
Pinyo´s last blog post..Office Etiquette: Making the Right Steps to Fit In
You seem to be reading day and night looking for good stuff to post lol
Honestly, I skimmed the list because when I think too much about it, I get overwhelmed and not want to do anything even though I do a little bit of each every day…
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog post..The World Owes Me Nothing: Glen Allsopp Interview
A steep climb indeed!
I should have taken @ Alex Fayle’s advice and just skimmed the list. Like Alex, I do my best to scale the mountain on a day-in, day-out basis, Barbara.
Thanks so much for such a thorough reference list of all the key ingredients that must be included in a blogging success recipe. 🙂
Thanks for this post. Yes, the social networking element of blogging was probably what came latest to me as well. It became easier for me when I made it a matter of leaving the comments I really felt inspired to leave, as opposed to making my rounds and making sure to comment on all the high-traffic blogs or something along those lines.
Time and motivation are mine. Some people seem to have a natural ability to pump out multiple posts in a matter of a couple hours. Multiple posts for me take all day, and I typically don’t have all day to dedicate to just blogging.
I approach my challenges by creating a schedule. Sometimes I’m not so great at sticking to it! 😉
John Hoff – WpBlogHost´s last blog post..Landing Page Optimization: Make Your Links Stand Out To Get More Clicks
So true…I wonder why I do it but I MUST!
Marya´s last blog post..Did I See What I Think I Saw?
Time is such an issue for me also and I just do not seem to be able to learn how to code – so the background work has to be done by my IT person who right now is extremely busy – extremely and she makes more money than I do!.. I buy her Kindles and Wii/Wii fit to pay her so I don’t have to have an employee…
I am even having problems finding time to write…so many distractions, but I have never had so much fun and pleasure from anything I have ever done before in my life…Thank kind of sums it up!
Patricia´s last blog post..Examining the Role and the Rules
Hi…
The photo looks to me like the fellow is contemplating jumping… not someone who is happy to be at the top.
If you need to look down to know that you are at the top then maybe you also need to look up to realise that you are never at the top.
There is no top…. it’s just an illusion.
best wishes
cheeky Ribbon 🙂
My biggest blogging challenge is time. It’s not one specific thing. For instance, I remember once when I had a problem with a post I’d created, and had to contact my hosting company because of this. Or another time when I was setting up the sidebars, and lost everything I had already – and I didn’t know how I had the code setup behind the buttons. Both of these were unplanned things that took a lot of time – and with this – it just felt like it threw off any schedule I had already planned. So maybe it’s not just time, but more unplanned things that lead to more time needed.
Lance´s last blog post..Mission Possible: Be A Rebel
Hi Kelvin – That’s true. Some bloggers do decide to give up, go on hiatus, or like you said, realize the climb is overrated.
That’s a good point you brought up. For those on WordPress it’s important to keep up with the updates so as to have a secure site.
Hi Chania – You’re welcome. In answer to your questions. 1) Time. In the beginning you may find you’re spending more time due to the learning curve. What I found was there were times when I devoted large chunks of time to the blog, and other days when it “ran on it’s own”. Just be careful not to burn yourself out.
2) Yes. Social networking can take up a lot of time. I would say pace yourself and set time limits. Remember also to live life. The blog will always wait.
3) With regard to SEO, I didn’t concentrate on it very much in the beginning, and still have a ways to go. For a new blogger, I would suggest the first priority be producing quality content. Google is often slow to index new sites, so until that happens, spend your time on other aspects of your blog.
Re: the Thesis theme. I’ve heard nothing but good about it although I don’t use it myself.
Thank you for sharing the link to your post. It describes what many new bloggers go through.
Hi Natural – I agree. Making the time and being in the mood can affect our posting schedule. What I found worked for me was making a commitment to myself to post three times a week and letting my readers know my posting schedule (in my about page). That step has helped to keep me accountable.
Hi Robin – Haha. That’s true. Some bloggers do “jump” ship and give up.
I hear you about leaving comments. It’s pretty hard to read a lot of posts and leave quality comments in a 10 minute time span. Like you, I have to stop and think.
Hi Tom – You have provided fabulous advice. Putting our blog in the proper perspective can change how we approach it, AND how we feel when we sit down to write. Whenever we add pressure to publish on top of our already busy lives, it not only stunts our creativity but creates undo stress.
Hi Betsy – That’s true. When we post, just to post it doesn’t benefit us nor our readers. Taking time to live life, observe what’s happening around us and then contemplating that, like you said, produces more interesting material on our blogs.
Hi Linda – LOL. Yes. We do need to slow down more. Even though the web is moving so fast doesn’t mean we have to try and keep up with it.
Hi Writer Dad – I hear you. Patience and perseverance are key in any goal we set for ourselves or our blogs. Time usually rewards us.
Hi Dot – Commenting on other blogs often gets to be a “tit for tat” mentality. Is it right? Probably not, but in blogging it seems to work that way. I hear you when you say you’re not interested in the topics on some blogs. I don’t feel we need to read them, nor comment. Bloggers have to realize their content is not for everyone.
Hi Daphne – It sounds like you’ve developed a healthy attitude toward blogging. And I agree with you and Tom. We should not let our blogs “own” us.
Hi Positively Present – Oh yes. Blogging can become addictive and time consuming. Who knew by starting a blog we could meet so many wonderful and caring individuals? It’s a great social medium.
Hi Urban Panther – That’s a great point. When we encounter blogging challenges we don’t understand or care to deal with, hiring a pro is a great way to check it off our list so we can concentrate on the joy of writing.
Hi Lori – Those are great points. Reflecting on #5, that’s a great reminder to all bloggers to get a post published instead of worrying it’s not good enough.
Hi Valerie – Niches, to me, are overrated. I say, stick to what you’re doing and don’t worry about being in a tight niche. When you write from your heart, others will find you and your readership will grow. Keep in mind, your blog will also be a fabulous reference for your children when they get older. It’s like a journal of their life through your eyes.
Hi Vered – Yes. Finding that balance is key, and often is a work in progress.
Hi Pinyo – Haha! I think most of us work on our blogs for much less than minimum wage, but how can we put a price on something that brings us so much joy?
Hi Property News – That’s true. We often spend endless hours trying to find things to post about.
Hi Alex – Good point. If we think too much about all there is to learn or to do concerning blogging it can be overwhelming.
Hi Mary Anne – You’re welcome. What you said is very true. When we scale the mountain one step, one day at a time, we give ourselves time to enjoy the journey.
Hi Chris – It works when we follow our heart and not do what we think we should do. By commenting when we feel inspired results in more value based comments than commenting because we feel we should.
Hi John – Like you, I can’t pump out multiple posts in a short time. Knowing ourselves and how we write is often key to setting a workable posting schedule.
Hi Marya – *smiles* Yes, we do, don’t we?
Hi Patricia – Blogging is a real joy, isn’t it? Who knew we could find such pleasure in just sharing our thoughts and feelings? Blogs are a great outlet for that.
Hi Ribbon – Good point. Where is the top? And are we ever “high” enough?
Hi Lance – Isn’t that the truth? Even though we might schedule “X” amount of time for our blogs, when the unexpected happens, the schedule goes out the window and we end up further behind. That’s a good reason to have a backup post or two ready in our drafts.
Hi Evelyn – Yes. Time is the biggest challenge with blogging. We all have busy lives, but I think when others find our blogs, if they like the content they’ll subscribe and patiently wait until we publish something new. Putting undue pressure on ourselves can often take the joy out of blogging.
Well, it is very hard to get started. There are many issues that have to be thought through and skills learnt. I’m finding the best way to learn and sort things out in my head is by reading and commenting on other blogs. What makes me anxious is not having a specific niche (yet).
Paisley (Paisley Thoughts)´s last blog post..Would You Display Your Creative Writing On A Personal Blog?
Like Lance, I have to agree that time poses the biggest challenge for me. My girls take up a lot of my time. Also, I spend a fair amount of time in emotional healing, meditation, attending talks, sessions, spiritual studies. It has been quite a challenge for me to manage them all! Social networking and building a community takes time. I suspect that I am not spending enough time to promoting my blog posts as well. Hopefully, readers return because they resonate well with what I have been sharing on my site.
Evelyn Lim´s last blog post..Intuitive Messages To Who I Am
Indeed… Who said??
It’s been a huge — and ongoing — challenge to define and focus the theme of my blog. I’ve taken the “organic” approach until recently. Now I’m starting to weed and prune.
It’s been hard telling myself to focus on one thing, but when I look back with perspective, at posts from over the past year, I can see the areas I address the most and it isn’t as limiting as I thought. I think in some strange was I was shy about defining the blog!
Thanks for a thought-provoking post. There’s always more to do *sigh*
Jeannette´s last blog post..April’s Statistics
Hi Barbara,
in terms of challenges I’ve faced, just copy and paste your points in the post right *here*
Wow, you really nailed this on on the head. Blogging easy? Yikes. I’ve never had a job that found me working 7 days a week ranging from 5am EVERY day until sometimes as late as midnight.
But, I do love it. I love the community, the feel, the interaction – I may be addicted!
George
Tumblemoose´s last blog post..Six tips to avoid being an overworked writer
Beautiful post and reflection.
I remind myself that blogging is getting up to bat. Don’t always go for the home run. Make it a chance to improve your skills and master your craft.
The most important thing I did was internalize success. I focus on sharing the best lessons on life I can find. I test the results with people online and off line. I also play with my approach. When it’s not working, I go back to the drawing board. I’ve varied how I post and how I write so that I can find the best trade-off between what works for me and what works for my readers.
I also remind myself there’s more time ahead of me than behind me … and that I have to enjoy the process or it won’t last.
J.D. Meier´s last blog post..Outsource Your 80 Percent
Tom’s comment is so funny it could be a book title “So what if my Alexa rating has slipped, what did it get me anyway!” LOL
And writer dad “Slower than molasses out of a mug!” Ha!
Dot has a very good point. I don’t reply much to people who leave me comments when I’m not interested in their blog. No hurt feelings involved this would be fake to me. It’s OK if others feel the same about me. I understand that.
Completely agree with Positively Present.
I like JD example of sharing the best lessons in life he can find.
This was fun reading all answers. I think it takes a huge amount of time. I visit lots of blogs that never comment on mine. Never have and never will. I still go back because I love theirs.
As soon as I don’t post 3 times a week. I lose readers. I keep writing. Keep getting frustrated but keep doing it because if I didn’t I’d feel like I wasn’t participating in my future. Who knows where all of this will lead. Where ever it does I can say I’ve been there.
Tech knowledge? Ha I used to live in a 2 story house and so many times I wanted to drop my computer out the window. I still think that would make a great cartoon!
Now I just don’t take it so seriously. I love my new friends. I love writing and I have time.
My biggest challenge is compartmentalizing the “need to’s” in a way that doesn’t overwhelm me. Time, and the choices for how to best use pieces of time, are part of it.
Do I write or do I paint? Do I write a painting tutorial or article, or do I write a blog post? Do I read and comment? Do I take another class? What about creating one? Build community? Study stats? Figure out in words what my blog is about? Study SEO?
The more I learn, the more I realize there is to learn yet — hence the overwhelm.
It’s nice to read that I’m not the only one………………………. 🙂
Barb Hartsook´s last blog post..Why Does an Artist Paint? Or a Writer Write?
For me, I think the real sticking point is confidence…the confidence to be unique, to stand out, to sing your own song and to hell with what other people say.
There are zillions of droning boring blogs online; it’s only when you trust yourself enough to BE yourself that you’ll break out of the typical blogger mold.
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach´s last blog post..Star Trek Marketing Humor
I so get this one. I have read a fair amount about SEO and I’m still not sure I understand the whole concept. I added the SEO plug-in and etc. and so all I do is add a few more lines after I’m done typing my post. I’ve received a fair amount of visitors from google so I really feel it must be working. Not a huge amount now really just enough to encourage me that it’s working well so far. 😀
I really appreciate this blog for your information!
I feel like I’m still at the very bottom of my climb. I feel like I get stuck on one type of post and then have trouble moving away from it. My blog is about family life in general so I cover most anything you could think of.
I’ve found joining meme’s has helped me not to feel so pressured to ‘perform’ posts. 😀 Like right now, I feel like I’m having issue with not having anything to say but I can still crank out the posts because I have joined a few meme’s or mr. linky’s that really interest me (not just something to do) and when I can’t think of anything to post I at least have that. 🙂
ITA that the social networking thing is how to get ahead now. If you can comment on other people’s blogs they almost definately comment back. But man, that takes a long time, especially when you want to really post something and not just a quick line or two. *shrugs* I just need to keep plugging along and reading your blog here. lol. 😉 Thank you Barbera!!
Sarah .aka. Mamalotsoftots´s last blog post..Writers Block?
Yes, other bloggers are totally my lifeline. Not that I’ve forgotten my Real People. But I have come to love, respect and generally have a great time with my buds.
Procrastinating? Yes, still have not upgraded to the new WordPress. But I will soon!
Biggest challenge? Getting the code right. Kim Woodbridge helped me with a lot of it. But a lot I just got in there and went for.
Next biggest challenge? Trying to manage my time with blogging. I’ll sit down for 30 minutes and an hour and a half later I’m still typing away. Yikes.
Jannie Funster´s last blog post..The CDs Have Landed!
My biggest blogging challenges revolve around time.
Time to write.
Time to comment and socialize on other blogs.
Time to build relationships.
Time to maintain relationships.
Time to collaborate.
Time to twitter and facebook and stumble.
Time to shift my target market/niche.
Time to market my blog and services.
Time to build my products and services.
Time to build readers.
I approach my timing challenges with a warm heart. I recognize my blog and dreams move in baby steps. These baby steps give me the balance I need, however, to enjoy my blogging journey.
I’m another one who struggles with not having the time. Everything else is a challenge but I love it. Perhaps it’s because I don’t work outside the home, so learning all of the technical and promotion bits to blogging fulfills my need to “job”. (I would have said work, but taking care of a house and kids is certainly work!) Lack of motivation or ideas hasn’t been a problem yet, but my blog is still relatively young.
My goal is to get to the point where I can get enough blogging and writing work to earn an income and work full time at it while my kids are in school. I just can’t imagine what bliss it would be to get to work for 3 hours straight without interruption at something I love! Then I’d have lunch and nobody would stick their fingers in my food and I could work for a couple more hours, maybe go sit in a coffee shop or something. I have big dreams, don’t I?
Other bloggers have been a lifeline and I enjoy the community aspect of it a lot.
Tracy´s last blog post..How Life Coaching Helped My Blog
I have a day job, but I find myself clocking as much hours into blogging. When the initial stage fright wore off, I have found myself getting sucked in deeper and deeper into the blogging routine.
I don’t think it’s a black hole of sorts. I quite enjoy the challenge of nailing an elusive idea into the page and interacting with readers who have liked what I wrote. Dropping in other blogs is a challenge, too. But only because there’s only so much time in a day. And I love investigating what other bloggers are up to.
So for me, it’s a strange mix. I need to wean myself away from spending too much time on by blogging routines. At the same time, I feel I’ve not been putting in much time interacting with other blogs. And there are amazing number of them out there.
SEO and coding – these are in the lowest rungs in my priority. SEO is something I need to master and I’m moving it up my list because I know it’s very important. Coding is so beyond my comprehension so perhaps I’d have it outsourced when I’m able to pay for it.
jan geronimo´s last blog post..I Have a Confession to Make…
Hi Barbara. Well, like most of your other commenters have said, time, time, time. I have some days where I can comment on 20+ blogs and other days, 1 or 2.
I check my stats every day because I’m curious. But if I was worried about them, I’d have stopped blogging a long time ago. I too had no real idea of what blogging entailed before I started. As you said, had I known, I probably wouldn’t have started. I’m glad it worked out this way.
Blog maintenance was not something I had a clue about either, but thanks to your referral to John Hoff, I’m in good hands in that regard.
Davina´s last blog post..Positively Breathing — Affirmation 1
Hi Paisley – Yes. When we start blogging, it can be difficult and time consuming to learn all there is to learn. What you’re doing by reading and commenting on other blogs is a great idea.
Hi Jeannette – You’re welcome. That’s true. After we’ve blogged for awhile we begin to see a trend. Defining your blog will help to keep you on target.
Hi George – Those long hours are killers, aren’t they? So much to do (because we enjoy it so much) but so little time. *sigh*
Hi J.D. – Thank you. That’s very wise advice. If we don’t enjoy the process, it won’t last.
Hi Tess – Your comment makes me wonder if any of us truly knows where our blog will take us. The mystery of it all helps to keep us going, doesn’t it?
Hi Barb – You’re right. You are not the only one. In fact, I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t get overwhelmed with blogging to some degree.
Hi Barbara – Great point. By being confident in being ourselves and not copying others, we stand a much better chance of being noticed – even though it might take a little longer.
Hi Sarah – You’re welcome. You worded your comment so well, I’m wondering why you would ever have trouble finding something to blog about. What I would advise any blogger – new or old – is to blog from the heart. Write like you speak and just share your thoughts. That type of authenticity resonates with others, and little by little the blog grows.
I hear what you’re saying about commenting on other blogs. It does help us to grow our community, but is another time consuming process.
In the meantime, stay true to yourself and enjoy the journey.
Hi Jannie – I agree. We can “get lost” when blogging and totally lose our sense of time. I’ve heard that happens when we’re doing something we’re passionate about, so hopefully it’s all good.
Hi Stacey – That’s right. It is about baby steps. I don’t think any of us need to be in a rush to get to “wherever”. It’s the journey that brings us the most joy.
Hi Jan- Yes, we do get sucked into blogging. When we’re enjoying the process, it’s hard not to blog, not to check out other blogs, and/or not to add a little more to our plates. Even after two years, I find it really doesn’t let up, so finding balance remains key.
Hi Tracy – Your dream is doable, so don’t give up on it. Having a long term goal is giving you something to look forward to and in the meantime what you’ve done thus far will act as on online resume for your business. I see a bright future for you.
Hi Davina – You’re welcome. John Hoff is a great guy for those who need help with different aspects of blog maintenance.
You’re right. Who knew what all blogging would entail? It’s a lot, isn’t it? But the joy it brings far outweighs those bumps in the road. We can give it our best and see what comes out of it.
I think the hardest part about blogging is picking the right template. I would always get my blog setup and later see a really cool template. I would redo my blog only to find that inorder to update my blog I had to change a bunch of code. I think I have finally realized that less is more and the content means more than a flashy theme.
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Hi Jojo – I know EXACTLY what you’re saying. Changing a template is not the hard part. It’s that recoding.
You’ve said it well. “…I have finally realized that less is more and the content means more than a flashy theme.”