“Should I start a blog?”
That’s a loaded question, isn’t it?
“Should I start a blog?” is what all bloggers asked themselves prior to blogging and ultimately they all answered, “Yes!”.
For some it worked out. For others, not.
Today’s Lesson
In the comment section of the “Park it, Leave it, or Say Good-Bye” post where we discussed abandoned blogs, Sergio Felix of “Marketing With Sergio shared, in part:
Well to be honest, this whole thing of abandoning blogs really bothers me whenever I see it.
I guess it’s because someone was not guided properly into fake replica rolex datejust ii 41mm custom blue diamond dial and bezel 3ct 2013 116300 what a blog or website should be for or simply because someone wasn’t meant to having a blog in the first place.
Many believe that having a blog is very easy right from the beginning just because you can write a few “Hello World” lines and publish that in a few minutes.
But it requires VERY HARD work and many people don’t understand that “small” part of the equation.
He’s right.
A blog isn’t for everyone and with the high rate at which blogs are abandoned, it’s obvious blogging didn’t meet the kw rolex pearlmaster 29mm 80299 ladies watch automatic expectations of many, became too time consuming for some and/or served its original purpose and is no long needed.
That said, there are still many others who want to start a blog, but they don’t know where or how to begin.
I think wannabe bloggers should ask themselves a series of questions prior to starting a blog.
If a wannabe blogger asked me, “Should I start a blog?”, I would answer their question with the question, “What do you believe a blog can do for you?”
Why would I ask that?
I believe blogging has wrongly gained a reputation of being a quick wholesale hermes suits replicas and easy way to make money online, get our writings noticed and/or to build a digital footprint, when in fact, blogging can be very time consuming and can challenge us in many aspects. If a wannabe blogger is not prepared to learn new things or to put in the time and effort, chances are, they will fail.
Now it’s your turn.
Today’s Assignment
What would your one question be if someone asked you, “Should I start a blog?”
Please elaborate on why you would ask the question.
Care to share?
~Barbara
P.S. I have a friend who is contemplating starting a blog. I want them to go into blogging with a good understanding of what all blogging entails. Although they do value what I share about blogging, I believe it will benefit them to hear what other bloggers have to say, as well. I appreciate you taking the time to help not only my friend, but others are considering starting a blog of their own.
“What blogs are you reading?” If the person isn’t reading any blogs, then my discussion would have to start at a completely different point than if they are already reading blogs.
Hi Mike,
You’ve raised a good point. If someone wants to be a blogger, reading what other bloggers are writing about plus how they approach site design can be beneficial.
I know before I started blogging I read Problogger and Steve Pavlina’s blog. They were different than one another, but I got a lot of ideas from each of them.
I like your article on blogging.I don’t believe that blogging is for everybody.There are some people who will make a blog write a few post and abandon the concept.I ought to know I have made several blogs in the past and deleated most of them.The blogs I have now I am sticking with them till the very end.
Hi Mike,
We learn from experience, don’t we? Oftentimes it takes a few tries before we settle on one specific blog. As they say, “practice makes perfect”.
@Mike, I ain’t agree with you. I guess everyone can blog. Only problem is that one has to choose the right niche for blogging. The main topic on which one can write easily. Am I right?
Regards,
Margarate
I’d say, sure. It’s the same as “should I play basketball?” or “should I have Thai food for dinner?” My answer will be “Yeah, do it. Why not.”
However, if their “should I start a blog?” really means “Should I quit my job and start a blog and count on it to generate income to live on?”, then it’s more like “Should I work on my basketball skills, try to get on a college team, and pursue a career in professional basketball?” or “Should I go to culinary school, open a restaurant and cook and eat Thai food for the rest of my life?”, then it warrants serious considerations about the personality fit, the drive, and the time commitment.
Hi Kelvin,
You’re right. It really depends on what a person wants to do with a blog and how far they plan to take it. Many people blog for the fun of it, but if someone wants a blog to become their bread and butter, obviously they’ll need to buckle down and learn all the ins and outs.
I don’t know of anyone who quit their job to blog full-time, however I’ve heard of many who, because of their blog, were able to quit their day job. (Of course, it took time.)
Before I started my blog, the one question that I asked myself after lots of my friends suggested about starting a blog was “Do I have enough passion to remain committed to do this for the rest of my life?”
It is one thing to set up a blog. In fact, that’s probably the easiest part of it. But once that is all set up, that’s when the work begins: doing research for keywords and topics, adding unique and high quality articles on a regular basis, promoting your blog, establishing a network, maintaining the blog, etc. That part takes a lot of dedication, discipline and commitment. It’s these three qualities that will help you to keep going.
Hi Adeline,
You’re right. Setting up a blog is the easiest part. Then, as you mentioned, the work begins.
I was telling my friend how it can take me twenty minutes +/- to write a post, but then I can spend another two hours on the back end adding tags, search engine optimization, finding photos, etc.
And to echo what you said, there’s also the marketing of our blogs. It’s really never ending.
Barbara,
This is a very interesting point and I would be interested in reading a blog post from you on this subject. Can you tell us more about the process you go through when you write a new blog post?
You mentioned search engine optimization. What do you do in order to achieve this? It seems that you have quite a broad readership, so your tips would bring the rest of us a lot of value.
Hi Barbara – Echoing everyone who has already responded, my answer would be, “Yes, but . . .” What is the objective? Business or personal? If business, what does treating the blog like a business mean to the individual? Will it supplement existing business activities? If so, there are specific activities and focus the effort needs to have. Will it stand alone – meaning, will it generate its own revenue? If personal, is it a creative outlet, a journal? What sort of expectations are behind the notion of starting the blog, whatever type it might be? Has the person done any research into the items Adeline mentioned? Could they be more enamored with the idea of blogging than the actual blogging itself?
Hi Betsy,
Great questions!
I agree. Even before we start blogging, there’s a lot we should consider. Plus, if we don’t plan, chances are we’ll have to change course down the road. Not that changing our mind is bad, but it can also mean we change who we’re writing for. If we’ve already built up an audience, we also risk losing them.
I never thought of how someone could be enamored with the idea of blogging, but hasn’t considered what all it entails. Good point.
I think I would ask the same question as you Barb, and also what are they going to blog about. It needs to be something they like writing about, and it needs to be something their target audience wants to read. I see so many business blogs fail badly, because instead of focusing on their readers, they focus on their own business.
Hi Cath,
Definitely! Our blog topic is SO important. As we know, although we might think writing about “xyz” is what we’re best suited for, if we’re not passionate about it, we can quickly run out of motivation to keep posting.
Plus, when we’re new, we all feel like we’re talking to ourselves because no one is visiting and/or commenting. I think that’s the true test, but if we can make it past those days when we feel we’re not being heard, chances are we can go on to succeed.
That’s a good point about a business blog. Like you, I’ve seen my share of business bloggers who only write to promote their services/product and never consider what their audience wants to hear/read.
Hi Barbara .. Mike, Kelvin, Adeline, Betsy and Cath have really said it all .. do you have something passionate you want to write about, are you prepared to work hard, be committed, join in (essential ingredient), learn the technicalities … and stay with it .. (in both senses – sane and with the blog!) … I’ll be interested in others’ replies .. cheers Hilary
http://www.positiveletters.com
Hi Hilary.
Blogging and passion go hand in hand, don’t they?
As you mentioned, if we’re not passionate about that which we’re sharing, not only will be have a harder time finding our voice, but we’re more apt to lose our motivation more quickly.
Plus, readers know if we enjoy what we’re sharing. If they don’t feel the passion in our words, chances are they won’t stick around.
Barbara,
I would ask “how much time do you have to devote to this activity?”
While it might seem that whipping out 500 to 1,000 words on something you are passionate about doesn’t require that much time, doing it consistently and regularly requires a commitment to getting it done even when the ideas stop flowing.
Plus there is a lot of ancillary activity, reading and commenting on other’s blogs, website maintenance, twitter, facebook or linkedin activity, etc. that needs to be done as well. It all adds up quick.
Hi David,
Yes. Time! Time flies when we’re blogging and doing all it entails, doesn’t it? Before we know it, hours have passed and if we stop to access what we accomplished, most times the answer is, “not enough”.
As you and others have mentioned, blogging is more than just writing. I don’t know about you, but I’d say it’s the behind the scenes “stuff” that takes up the most time and unfortunately it’s stuff that needs to be done in order to maintain and build a blog. 🙁
I started my blog to make money, what a joke, didn’t really know what blogging entailed, just thought I could make a buck or two. Then I discovered I liked writing about anything and everything that took my fancy. So, I am not sure what I would sayd to someone thinking about starting. It does entail a lot of work, maybe I don’t do enough, I’m not sure, and there are days when I think “what on earth am I going to write about” or “where can I find a good recipe today”. I am unusual in that I write a blog 6/7 so I do have a commitent to blogging but would a potential blogger be prepared to put in sufficient time. I have read a few others blogs which have disappeared over time which was a pity but I guess the writer just didn’t care any more.
Hi Jo,
I agree. It does entail work, and if someone wants to do what you do, it’s constant work. I’m guessing you eat, live and breath blogging. 🙂
I know when I first started I posted six days a week, then dropped to five, four, three, two and now once a week. Although I probably could have kept up, for me it became too overwhelming. Plus, I wanted to branch out into different avenues.
Hi Barbara,
Yes this is something most newbies never really consider and here’s what I ask people when they ask me this question:
“What’s it going to cost you?”
I want them to understand what blogging is going to cost them.
Many times they already understand why they want to start a blog (make money, socialize, bored, etc.)…
But what they don’t know is what ultimately blogging is going to cost them.
The answer I always look for is TIME.
Time is one of the most precious things we can have. Blogging will cost you, me, and everyone else out there time away from their families and just about anything else you want to (or should) do.
Once they understand this fact, they then can make an informed decision on whether or not they should start a blog.
By the way, I just put up a new “trailer” for the launch of my “How to start a blog” site (LOL). What do you think?
Hi John,
It’s good to “see” you. 🙂
I’m glad you brought up the topic of cost. Even though blogging may not cost us a lot financially, like you said, it can cost in terms of the time it takes us away from family, friends, real life or our careers/businesses.
I checked out your “trailer”. It’s awesome. Great job, John.
I asked myself that question 9 months ago, and I’m glad I decided to start a blog. I still am not making money off of it, but with all my hard work I put into it I’m bound to start making money off of it soon. Plus, it is very fulfilling. I love doing it, so it just has to work out.
Hi Katie,
I like your attitude. You are well aware some day all of your hard work will pay off. Blogging takes a lot of determination and patience, doesn’t it?
Hi Barb! I guess I would have to ask what the long term motivation would be? I say long term because anyone can start a blog, but not as many people seem to really stick with it with any regularity. What would be the purpose of the blog? If you were going to use it just to chronicle your daily life, I’d advise the person to just journal. Oh now there is a good question to ask somebody! Have you journaled daily? I have for 40 yrs. I think I’m a stick to it kind of person. But I sure wouldn’t share my journal on the internet! I’m shocked so many people do that frankly. Spare me the personal fights with your husband, ya know?
In the end it could all come down to purpose. If there isn’t one, forget it.
Hugs
Susan
Hi Susan,
Yes. For anyone starting a blog, having a long term goal is important if they hope to make something of it. Otherwise, as we’re all aware, the blog will just become another abandoned blog on the web.
For someone who journals regularly, blogging *should* be pretty easy, but as you pointed out, sharing personal stories such as fights with a spouse are best left offline.
((Hugs)) back at you.
I absolutely agree – one needs to ask, “what are you hoping to accomplish with your blog?” – depending on the answer, it would be easier to decide if starting a blog is a good idea for that person.
Hi Vered,
That’s true. Our answers can determine where we should go next. For some the road may take them into blogging, but for others it might be best to choose a different path.
I would ask the person what I asked myself: “What have I got to give that may be of interest to other people?”
A friend who was already blogging liked my writing and knew that I loved to write encouraged me to start one. I asked her why people blogged. She told me that people have blogs for reasons ranging from having an electronic scrapbook to finding some way of making money.
Neither of those ideas turned my crank, but saw some middle ground. I liked the idea of sharing stories that had purpose.
So, that would be my question: “What do you have or want to give?”
Thanks, Barbara. Although this is helpful to wannabes, it really is good for self-assessment, too!
You’re welcome Amy,
I like your idea of asking what we have to give. I actually think that can be the key to having a successful blog. If we’re wiling to share what we know or what we learned for free, and feel it can benefit others, that can be just the motivation we need to continue on.
I think when bloggers sport the “it’s all about me” attitude, not only do they drive readers away, but they’re also more apt to become disappointed with blogging quickly.
A lot of information about blogging assumes that the blogger is going to do it to make money. To do this, you’re guided to choose a subject on which you feel sufficiently informed and interested, to sustain a prolonged series of high quality content posts. In practice, this really means approaching blogging as if it were a full-time job. You need to know what you intend to achieve and have a really robust plan to get there.
However, if income is not your motivation, blogging as a means to express yourself, find a community, travel the world from your computer – and lots more – is also a wonderfully fulfilling activity.
It boils down to ‘what do you want blogging to do for you?’ – no two answers will be the same. I think people become disillusioned when their expectations aren’t met – so it’s important to know what you want and have a realistic view of what it will take to achieve it.
Hi Anny,
You’re right. If someone wants to blog to *hopefully* make money, they need to be informed, not only about all aspects of blogging, but all aspects of search engine optimization plus whatever else Google (bots) looks for in the content (to get ranked high in the search engine results pages SERPS).
Although blogging for fun can be fulfilling, what I’ve seen is those who blog with little or no desire to make an income from blogging, often end up making money because blogging has lead them to a passion which has long been buried.
It’s a fascinating journey, isn’t it?
In my case, my answer to the question would be a very cheerful yes, plus a wagging finger: “But blog not for the sake of money. Blog for the sake of sharing what you know with the rest of the world. Those who blog for the sake of money will burn out soon, especially if they write about stuff that their hearts are not into.”
Hi Erich,
Isn’t that the truth? Those who go into blogging with only the thought of making money, soon find themselves filled with disappointment because their expectations weren’t met.
Not to say we can’t make money blogging, however, as you mentioned, we also have to be willing to give.
Truth, yes. The truth is that karma exists. Not sure if you believe in that, Barbara. I do. I’ve experienced it a lot of times. Kindness always begets kindness, often several times more than the kindness that was originally given, although not necessarily in the same form. If that is true in real, human life, I suppose that is true in digital life, no?
I completely agree Barbara. Unfortunately, there is this misconception about blogging and how easy it is, especially when it comes to blogging and making money with it.
I mean, it really takes a lot of hard work and patient to get there. I actually believe, you will have to work even harder to make a successful blog than to keep an offline job or even build an offline business.
Hi Satrap,
Yes. There are a lot of misconceptions about how easy it is to make money with a blog, and a lot of books being sold stating such. Unfortunately, it’s often the book author who’s making money on the sale of the book and not from the process of blogging itself.
You’re comment made me think. We’re self employed and even though we put a lot of hard work into our real life business, I’ve probably put more into blogging. Part of that is because I’m a self taught blogger, but then again, I don’t know of any bloggers who haven’t learned blogging through trial and error. 🙂
What do I want the blog to do? for me? for others? for the world?
I think this is a vital question and it has been repeated numerous times in the comments here with lots of variation.
I started with a personal blog because I wanted connection and a place to share ideas….I am glad I started here because I used it to learn how…and how much work it was – all because It Girl thought it was a good idea.
I have learned so much.
Now with starting a business blog I have different expectations…and wow learning how to do a newsletter on line has been very difficult…because I am a gifted listener, but not a good techie…Whole new place to begin…
Wow more to learn!
Hi Patricia,
You’re right. It’s not just what we want a blog to do for us, but what we feel our blog can do for others.
That’s a good point about starting a business blog and newsletter. It’s really never ending. Just when we become comfortable with one aspect of blogging, we encounter other challenges.
Although some will not have the tenacity to push through those learning curves, what I’ve found is, in the end it’s all worth it.
Like you Patricia, I love to learn new things. 🙂
In my opinion, if someone wants to start his or hew own blog, then he/she should be first of all, a person who reads a lot of blogs every day and has not only general notion about it.
Hi Amanda,
Definitely! Reading blogs can be a huge deciding factor for a wannabe blogger. Not only do they get to see what other bloggers do and how they write, but they can read the comments and meet other bloggers, too. Actually, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for a wannabe blogger to comment on blogs, as well. It would be a great way for them to get their feet wet, plus help to build their online presence.
Blogging is not an easy task to do, it requires investment of your time, money and efforts. Starting from making choosing your templates , lay out , designs etc. Well, for my personal experiences, it took me around one month to complete everything before I have made mt first post. The story does not ends there, you need tons of work to do from making your site maps, making your meta tags, description and even getting more techniques in posting. Oh its a tiring job and I felt always nervous every time I worked on HTML, I might accidentally change something which eventually ruin the entire template. Blogging is serious business, otherwise your website will result to failure and will be a victim of abandonment. So those who wants to try blogging, make sure to consider a lot of things before going nto this business but mind you, if you do have those dedications, you’re making lots of money in blogging.
Dammit, I took the effort to leave a nice insightful comment, but I had mistyped my email address, and now I lost everything I wrote.
Sorry.
I’ll leave a better comment next time.
Blogging needs a heart and passion to survive. It’s not easy but its fulfilling. I’ve learned my lesson well and now I am committed to it. Your post is great and this will be of help.
Hi Barbara! Great post as always. You always get me to think and I truly appreciate that. 🙂
What I would tell your friend about if they should start a blog or not? To be perfectly honest, I don’t think I could guide them whatsoever.
I started two years ago and I fell in love with blogging the night I hit my first publish button and didn’t sleep. It is a bit of a thrill, a bit addicting, and sometimes disappointing. I think that it’s very similar to life, that there are ups and downs.
BTW, I also read Pavlina and ProBlogger before starting.
I’ve seen three or four friends start blogs after me that soon quit. I keep writing because I keep seeing friendly people stop by from all corners of the earth. I’m still in awe of technology and the possibility of being able to communicate with anyone who has internet.
Also, you know I paint pictures. Well, I put up some of my paintings in my art gallery and I like having a place where people can look at them.
I think that’s the reason I blog.
Julie
Now a days,blogging has become a very good medium for online promotion.Blogging is not only helpful to increase traffic but also helpful to provide quality backlinks and increase link popularity.But content plays a very important role in blogging.So always try to useful, fresh and unique content.
BTW awesome blog post on blogging and I hope all blogger will like it.
Thanks
I think the most important thing is the topic about somebody wants to blog. If he/she isn’t competent in the topic, the writing about it will be difficult and full of stress. That’s why – i think – the topics must be selected carefully, maybe from the hobbies or other favorite activities or scenes, and then it could be easier. There are bad days sometimes, but than we need to be strong and find something what is really interesting and we’re really in.
I would ask “What do you want to call your blog?”
I started a blog not too long ago and was amazed at how many of my “unique” blog titles had been taken. Apparently I’m not as creative as I thought. A good name is worth its weight in gold.
It should be well thought out and something to be proud of.
As a new blogger myself I loved how you pointed out that blogging is a lot of work. More than I had ever expected. To answer your question, I would tell anyone starting a blog that most importantly they are going to have to put in a ton of time. If they do not have time then they will be wasting their time.
Thanks for your advice, its dead on!
I would definitely have more than one question. The leading question would be “What are you going to blog about?” When starting a blog you shoudl have clear and defined goals on who your audience is, what they are willing to read about, and do they spend a lot of time online.
I will definitely convince you to start blogging now. You can make your blog as your online diary or a portfolio of your works and other stuff that you are interested in. Plus, you can make new friends of different races and personalities! Sounds cool right?
Great topic. I remember I started my first blog on Google Bloggers for my school fest 😀 But then I slowly got the taste and have been blogging ever since. Seriously you cannot escape from this once you are in it.
I was never thought that I will make a blog.Internet addiction made me to start blogging as a hobby but later I realized the power of blogs.
It is really bothering and sometimes frustrating to see blogs being abandoned. I agree with you on that part. Blogging can really be beneficial to those who know exactly how to make a good use of it.
If someone would ask me that question, I will ask in return, ” Are you in for some disappointments at first?” Blogging is never an easy way to earn money. You’ve got to work hard for it and exert effort.
Thanks for a wonderful post, Barbara. Way to go!
Great post and I absolutely agree with you, blog is for people who have patience and know what they are doing.
Hello Barbara, I love this post because i am starting a video blog and I can use the tips here so that I will have a great youtube channel. I know that these tips refer s to blog writing but I can also utilize them in producing videos. More power !!!
Barbara, I believe that before starting a blog a would be blogger must have a subject they are passionate about.The whole reason to start a blog is to air your views, start conversations and maybe be exposed to different points of view.These people who go into blogging only to make money from their blog are most usually disappointed.They tend to forget that the money only comes after a blogger has built an audience that trusts them,and that wants to read their posts,as they have something interesting to say
very nice post even i am facing this problem like few of my friends use to see me while blogging and use to ask me why you do blogging? when i said i use to give my view and help people by placing my own experiences till that time they are not at all interested as i said i do make few buks with that suddenly they start ohhh wow can we start blog? we want to make money by doing nothing. i mean those people dont knw blogger make money coz of their effort and research on tht subject. few people think it as a fun
I think blogging is one activity that is fun and hobby to relieve strees due to the tedious routine activities.
Blog content can reflect the emotions and feelings when he posted a blog.
The motivation for blogging every person is different. There are just to fill my free time, hobbies, and there is also for the purpose of making money via the Internet.
Haha, a newbie (me) is giving advices to an other newbie :). Anyways, with some months’ blogging experience, I would surely ask what he/she was going to have the blog for. Whether it is only going to be a private blog or a commercial one. Does he/she have any kind of products in his/her mind already? I yes, then I think it is really important to have all the goals set in advance and to make a good market research too.
I am often advising people to blog but also make sure they understand what a commitment it is. So many people think that they will be able to scrape low quality content from other sites or just jot something down once every few months. For a blog to become successful it not only needs new content posted regularly but also it needs active engagement with the community. We need to nurture our readers, reply to their comments, comment on their blogs etc. This blog is a shining example of best practice!
Very good point Barbara, while blogs are used mainly to let people know what you feel, your extension in helping people or just to share information. However, nowadays, most of the blogs are mainly used to make SEO. Having the passion to write is a big advantage, having a goal on what your blog will also put your feet on what you need to do to make your blog successful and I feel Robin i s right Barbara, your blog is a shining example of consistency, passion and success. Cheers to you!
Hi Barbara.
Everyone has made some good points here. Time, cost and writing topics stand out for me. Another thing to consider is whether to start a WordPress.com or a WordPress.org blog. The first choice of course being less costly and less involved in terms of blog maintenance.
It also helps to start “blogging without a blog” 🙂 What I mean by that is to start reading blogs to get a feel for what people are reading/writing/talking about, and just to experience blogging. Get to know other bloggers; then, when you start your own blog you will already have folk who are familiar with you. Starting a blog can be disappointing in the beginning when you don’t receive many comments.
And one more thing; be careful to not compare your blog to other blogs. Just be yourself!
I hope your friend enjoys blogging. Good luck to them.
Barbara,
My question to them would be: “Do you have a passion, that you wouldn’t care sharing with others for free?”
I think way too many people start a Blog with the goal of making money. If such is the primary goal, they soon abandon because the process of building reader trust is one long-long road.
Kodjo
I guess I would ask them whether or not they were willing to put time into promoting it. You can blog all you want, but they key is getting people to read it–getting some exposure. That can be so difficult. I struggle with it, and I am writing a blog for an already established company, so I have resources available to me. So, it will be extra hard for a random individual starting out.
The first thing one should ask is , does writing is her passion? I have been writing since I was in third grade, I placed everything on a scrapbook, until I get married I still have a journal for any unforgettable event of my married life, that is why when I heard about blogging I just love to learn about it, it is sort of a virtual journal for me. I didn’t know at first that I can make money on it but primarily I just want to create it for myself.
Excellent post. Many times, some people ask me how do i make that much money. And, they also think that i do almost nothing. But, they don’t know that it is actually a hard work.
I think there are several reasons to start a blog, it could be to make some money, because you have something to say and want everybody to know it, simple practivce to get better in writing and receive the brutal and honest feedback of the crowd. I think all reasons are eliglable, thouhg I´ld go for the second one!
Hi Barbara,
You can certainly pick out the seasoned successful bloggers in this comment section. With the ease of setting up a blog more and more people are jumping into it thinking, money, money, money. As a newbie, I read everything I can find about every thing!! I think their expectation is the most important thing. What they expect to give or get. It’s a double whammy – creativity, self-discipline, creativity, self-starter, and vast knowledge!! As usual, another great post from you!
Blogging is a science that keeps changing because it is connected with technology. As time goes by different approach to blogging will continue to prosper. Your post just shows that blogging can be easy when you follow certain rules that is already guaranteed. I enjoy your post and advance Merry Christmas.
I would advise them to find a niche and blog about it. If they just want to blog about themselves, 99.9% of the time they will have to settle for only a few visitors reading their stuff everyday.
If they find a niche like a video game, a product etc. now they are talking.
Blogging can be time consuming and needs to be treated very carefully to make yourself known to the wired technology and drive potential followers and viewers..If you have the time and the affection to make money online, then you should start creating your blog now because success is not a one day job, but a continuous growth..
Nice point. Every year i start a blog and discontinue it after i lost interest in it. It not that i don’t want to blog, but a lot of time i find it difficult to create new content. Everything that i try to blog about is already on web. It not only with me i found lot of people that just abandon their blogs because they cant find something new to blog about.
I completely agree with you before starting a blog people must be motivated and dedicated for it.
I was a great fan of one of the bloggers in my niche and recently he has quit blogging. And now as I was a regular reader of his blogs am feeling bad.
Blogging is a science that keeps changing because it is connected with technology. But blogging also can be very time consuming.
Before I started blogging I kept putting it off. Then one day I started a blog which wasn’t any good. Even though I made many mistakes in writing that blog, It taught me so much, much more than I would have learnt if I’d just spent my time thinking about blogging. Blogging has taught me that you should get out there and do something if you want to be any good at it. Who cares if you fail, every failure is another lesson learned. Great article by the way!
Exposure is so difficult, I’ve never sweated so hard over one or two google rankings. But fortunately, the payoff is definitely worth it, simply in a sense of achievement, if not for any monetary cause!
Hi Barbara,
Just wanted to come and thank you personally (even if it is ‘virtually’) for featuring me on your article.
Really honored, thank you and I hope you have amazing holidays in company of your loved ones.
Take care and speak soon! 😉
Sergio
Time is one of the most precious things we can have. Blogging will cost you, me, and everyone else out there time away from their families and just about anything else you want to (or should) do.
Once they understand this fact, they then can make an informed decision on whether or not they should start a blog.
Hi Barbara
I believe that blogging is time consuming when you don’t even have the passion of doing it. Its best when you create a blog, make some deep searching on yourself and ask your self why you should start blogging and what really interest you a lot that will drive you to be more passionate about your work. Understanding what and why you blog can really help you become successful.
Ruth Sayson
You’re asking a right question, because often people really don’t think too much before starting a blog and finally they end up quitting blogging after some time. I wanted to start a blog for so many times, but I’m not determined enough to all this, so each time I’m afraid I’ll quit soon. The best bloggers I have ever met are those who blog not for making money, not for just personal amusement, but to build solid reputation in their niche and strong connection with their audience. Usually these are blogs of individual professionals who want more engagement with their potential clients.
-Claire
“Hi barbara! 🙂 happy holidays!
“”passion for profession,”” three idiots(movie), right?
i think anyone can write a blog, but not everyone can maintain it. Its a time consuming task (but rewarding)so before starting one make sure your commited.”
There are a lot of blogs that have been abandoned by their owners because, just like what you said, some blogs work and some don’t. You have to decide who your target is. My friend posts love quotes on her blog and she acquired PR 1 in just a few months.
Abandoned blogs never last anyway, certainly no more than a couple of years, as the owners decide not to pay for the upkeep. And it isn’t necessarily through a lack of reader interest that they move on. Once you have a dedicated following it’s not difficult to re direct them to a new incarnation, whilst being able to attract a new following.
The biggest mistake people make is not having a clear understanding of why they are creating a blog. If you don’t have an audience to blog to you are most likely are going to burn out. Successful blogs are carefully thought out. And it requires allot of time and thought to post daily.
Real Estate IDX
My brother introduce me to blogging a couple of years back. Im lucky he insisted I focus first on topics I am truly interested in. So I started to share most of my hobbies which include tech gadgets, my travel exploits and entertainment celebrities and shows that I really adore. I was proud that people came to read my articles. I never made so much money from blogging, but it became another hobby. And just like any other hobby of anyone, I am paying for it to be online with pleasure.
You’re right. It really depends on what a person wants to do with a blog and how far they plan to take it. Many people blog for the fun of it, but if someone wants a blog to become their bread and butter, obviously they’ll need to buckle down and learn all the ins and outs.
I don’t know of anyone who quit their job to blog full-time, however I’ve heard of many who, because of their blog, were able to quit their day job. (Of course, it took time.)
blogging is tough work – I’ve been working on mine for almost a year – with only about 20 hits from traffic a day. I’m working hard to get this pumped up in the months to come. 2012 goal, here I come!
My first question will be”Would you be able to keep consistency?”
Yes, fro me consistency is the key of every blogger to own a successful blog. I’ve seen many blogger who started with a great speed, courage but only due to lack of consistency, they lost from the web.So, I suggest all to become more consistent and do hard work after starting blogging.
By the way, the template of your blog is just awesome. I really liked it. How can I find one like you?
I think blogging is one of the best method to make money online. But yes it takes time to get expertise in this field. Quite easy to learn but practically it’s bit tough. Overall, it demands effort and hard work initially.
You are right. It really depends on what someone wants to do with a blog and hoe we promote that one. Many people use blog for personal use and many want to use them for business purpose.
I used to be a wanna be blogger, but now after years of eperience I know what I was doing wrong and now I can help others when they are starting a new blog, it feels great!
It could be that some bloggers just give up too easily. They go in thinking that they can earn money in just a matter of weeks and when they realize it could take months or years to really make good money, they just leave.
If there’s one point here that I want to emphasize, it’s that there is no get-rich scheme or magic formula in succeeding online. Just like everything else, blogging success is the product of hard work and long hours.
Blogging has a very high impact on marketing strategies and a great help to their websites to. But aside from blogging, I do blog commenting too. Just what I’ve did today.
Thank you all for the comments.
I wrote this post prior to my blogging break in December and although I won’t be answering each comment individually, know that I read what you shared and appreciate your contribution to the topic.
I hope to see you all on one or more of my future posts. 🙂
most of my friends ask me to for should i start blogging or not but now i have the answer for then, i have shared this post with then and i hope they will get some tips from here.
Hi there,
I am new to the blogging world and am looking to get the very most out of my posts and my site. I LOVE to blog but admittedly would like to make some money at it. Ideally I would like to be a stay-at-home mom with income solely from my freelance writing work and my blog.
I’ve read from other sources that bloggers don’t like other bloggers who have ads on their pages or in-text ads. Is that true? If so, how does anybody make any money at this?
Thanks so much!
-Erin