Remember the days prior to starting your blog(s)? It was pretty exciting.
Did you read how you can make money online? How some bloggers make a six figure income?
Do you recall the stories of how bloggers used their blogs as a stepping stone to becoming published authors, public speakers, and/or well known in other ways for their work?
Today’s Lesson
I remember those days. It was just over 18 months ago.
I read a few blogs, did some online research and had a mental picture of what blogging was all about.
Boy was I wrong.
For one thing, I actually thought traffic would be easy to acquire. Wrong!
I also thought I could makes buckets of money with my blog. Wrong!
And, I thought blogging would be just like other hobbies of mine. Hobbies I dabble in, “when I feel like it” or have a little extra free time. Wrong!
For one thing, traffic building is something that takes time. Whether using SEO (search engine optimization), link building, blog carnivals social networking, or other methods. people don’t come to a blog just because it’s there.
Making money? If I remember right, it was almost 9 months before I got my first check from Google. As for the other affiliate programs I signed up for, I’ve yet to meet some of their minimums. When a minimum is $25.00, and I’ve been at this for 18 months, I know I’m either doing something wrong, or all the hype is just that, hype.
Blogging as a “typical” hobby? Not so. I can’t stay away from it. In fact, I’m addicted to blogging.
The one thing I do not remember reading about was “community”. THAT is what brings me back to my computer every morning and keeps me close by all through the day, and into the night.
It’s the people who frequent my blog. The friendships I’ve built. It’s the comments and emails I receive. It’s the blogs I find and visit. It’s the support I feel in blogosphere; the kindness, consideration and compassion.
Although it was other factors that lead me into blogging, it’s something much greater that keeps me hooked. It’s something that is priceless.
Today’s Assignment
What are the biggest misconceptions you have found with blogging?
Has blogging taken you on a path you hadn’t expected?
Feel free to share you thoughts and let us know how the misconceptions about blogging has changed your viewpoint.
.
Photo Credit: AMagill’s photostream
You describe the reality of blogging very well, Barbara.
From my research into blogs so far, I have already gathered that gaining traffic and potential money-making are difficult and take a great deal of work.
Like you, however, it is the community aspect of blogging which excites me and this is what makes me want to start myself.
I think it’s good to be realistic at the outset what you expect to gain from blogging.
But, I definitely believe it’s great to have ambitious and achievable goals too.
Hi Barbara – I actually started my first blog (not my present one) so I could find out how it works so I could help a couple of friends who could write and needed money! (one of them blogged for a while, wrote fantastically funny stuff then got depressed about it then stopped. Oh well.)
I had no idea of the feeling of community, and no idea of how much time it would take!
Robin´s last blog post..Ice And Global Warming
Hi Daniel – You’re welcome. I reminisce as a way to show my readers where I “came from”. 🙂
Re: Email subscriptions – if you’re using Feedburner, they have an email option. Let me know if you need help with that.
Re: Changing your theme. I don’t see a problem with you making that change. Even bloggers who have been around for awhile will change. It seems like we outgrow or get bored with our them. Change is good. Someday this theme will change again, too.
Hi George – It is amazing, isn’t it? If we look into the future it can be overwhelming thinking of how we are going to come up with stuff to write about, but as the days go by, the ideas just keep flowing.
Hi Carla – Aren’t blogs the greatest? Just think, you’ll have people from all over the world reading your words, commenting and sharing. I find that absolutely phenomenal. And yes, we can make money with blogs, too. How cool is that?
Hi Davina – I hear you. At first we are our only audience. We hope others read our work, and when they do and comment and community starts to build, it’s like nothing we could ever have imagined. Blogosphere is a great place, isn’t it?
Hi Ajith – It’s easy to miscalculate how many readers we may get. I remember reading how Steve Pavlina had hundreds of thousands a day, but I also took into consideration he started with one, just like we did. The highs created by StumbleUpon are a great ego boost. It’s too bad they don’t stick around.
Yes, keeping a text file or list of ideas is a great idea; especially when we’re stumped on what to post next.
Hi Scott – Thank you. Having a plan and goals is actually a great idea. I didn’t do that, and sometimes think maybe I should have…but I didn’t know how to go about growing a blog. For me, this blog grew SLOW and it has worked out perfect as I’ve been able to make time adjustments in my real life to accommodate the growth.
Hi Robin – I agree, the time issue was something I was completely unaware of. I now know why some bloggers just give up. Blogging can take a big chunk out of our real lives.
But…..the community on blogs makes it all worthwhile.
Although your blog is meant to reminisce, or so I think, it constantly makes me look into the future. Thanks to this blog, I realize new things every day and continue my way toward more viewership, comments, and (trying to get help on how to put email subscriptions into my blog).
I have a quick question also: my blog is five days old. Is it already to late to change the template and design? I realize I don’t want to be changing the template every five days, but if I don’t want my current blog template to be there forever I’m going to have to change it sooner or later, correct?
Daniel Allen / The Efficiancy Proposal´s last blog post..Get On The Right Path To Stopping An Addiction
Hi Barbara,
I have to say that the biggest misconception for me is that I thought I would run out of things to blog after about a week.
I find that I am inspired each day by events in my day to day routine and I also receive inspiration from the blogging community. I am in awe of all of the talent out here.
Thanks for the great post.
George
Tumblemoose´s last blog post..Yikes! I HAVE to Quit my Day Job!!
I guess one misconception I had was that no one would ever read my blog!
Also, I had no idea that bloggers can make money blogging alone. Three months ago, I would have that that sort of thing was impossible. Goes to show you how much I know!
Carla´s last blog post..LA Times: California launches broad effort to control hazardous chemicals
Hi Barbara. I hadn’t realized the strength of community behind blogging when I started. I began simply to share writing (and humour my ego) and to learn something new.
There was an initial goal of earning some money as well, but I’ve become more caught up in writing. (I do plan on revisiting the $$$ goal though.) I’ve been blown away by the incredible number of creative and supportive people in the blogosphere! In the beginning I honestly believe I was writing more for myself, but somewhere along the line I’ve found myself writing for the readers.
Davina´s last blog post..Free Spirit My Ass!
My misconception was mainly around the number of people who would read my blog in the first six months. I was expecting somewhere around 500 RSS readers and equal number of direct readers per day by the end of 6m… Now I know that it’s difficult to get that many readers consistently. Some days I get huge hits from stumble etc so I conclude that probably some of my content needs special focus, and some I should discard.
I didn’t have any misconception about making money faster, though.
What turned out to be surprise? Initially, I thought I may run out of ideas. But I started keeping a little text file on what to blog next (with some bullet points on that topic + related links etc). Surprisingly the textfile is growing everyday and now I have 20-25 topics to write about for the future.
Cheers,
Ajith
Ajith Edassery´s last blog post..Google bashing and Screw Google mentality!
Hi Barbara – As you pointed out – one of the biggest misconceptions was definitely money. I get quite a lot of traffic now – around 150.000 page views a month but things like affiliate programs and Google bring in little. And I do wonder if a lot of bloggers have exaggerated about what they’ve made.
I think, if we want to make anything we’ve got to do something a bit different. I’m considering an opt in newsletter again. I had one when I had hardly any traffic and it was easier to sell stuff then than it is now with more traffic.
As you pointed out – traffic is tough to get at first. Neither you or I joined things like StumbleUpon or Digg in the early days, so we didn’t get a traffic boost from there.
And I know where you’re coming from with the search engines. They just don’t notice you at first – even if there’s little competition for your keyphrase. I guess they want to know you intend to stick around for a while before they’re going to give you any traffic.
Cath Lawson´s last blog post..An Image Branding Mistake: I Make It But You Shouldn’t
@ Daniel – changing the template is fine. I changed mine a lot in the first few months – then I bought a revolution template and had it customized.
Cath Lawson´s last blog post..An Image Branding Mistake: I Make It But You Shouldn’t
@Daniel. It’s OK to change your theme, just don’t change it every day. Mostly because you can be confusing your readers and b) if you have customized your theme, you could lose some of your work.
@Barbara
I did not expect easy money at all. In fact I was too pessimistic, I did not expect to have somebody like you to visit my blog, much less to comment.
Miguel de Luis´s last blog post..Amorevolezza: 3 Steps to Diamonds of Kindness
Hi Barbara,
I thought it would take weeks if not months to build up any sort of readership, and I’m astounded at how much interest my blog has generated in just one month. I’m totally blown away by the generous nature of those who have offered me support, advice and the opportunity to have a really good laugh.
I wasn’t at all prepared for the amount of time blogging takes from my day. I don’t begrudge it though. I love it. I’m realistic enough to know that I can’t turn this into a job (even a part time one) but the idea is appealing.
I’m going to work hard to keep telling my story as it unfolds, and I’m going to be brave and experiment a bit with content and layout (when I find the time).
I like what Scott said above. The community is one of the things that first attracted me. And like Scott, I got found myself enjoying making comments on other people’s blogs.
Scott: If you were to blog I suspect you would do very well. You’re very supportive of others and I feel certain the support would be reciprocated.
Dave Fowler´s last blog post..Why I Want To Feel Hungry
Oh Barbara, where do I start with this one? In fact there are many misconceptions, and of course those pioneers of blogging fuelled these misconceptions.
I think one of the common misconceptions is that there is not much work with blogging. I read in many places that you just click post, publish and you are done.
While blogging is in fact is not very difficult, but it takes commitment and passion to make it work. Look at you, you are addicted to blogging. I believe that most bloggers spend at least 4 hours a day doing work associated with their blog. And often more. Of course, you have to think of the content of your posts and so forth. So it is certainly a matter of clicking publish as is often assumed!
Just like most people here, I also did not expect much readership but was blown off by the support I have received.
For me blogging is much more my way of expressing myself to the world and the whole experience has been more than great. I find that I have so much to write about but just have not got the time to put ideas onto paper.
Barbara, you are a great support to many bloggers, and it is people like you who make the blogging experience very welcoming and friendly.
Hi Barbara,
Didn’t think I’d find enough to say. Ha! That was delusional.
Didn’t think anyone would want to read. Ha! We have more sycophants in my life than we realized.
Didn’t think anyone we didn’t know would want to read. Happily, it’s not the case, as we are building subscribers.
Never thought it would be a way to meet new, delightful, interesting, knowledgeable and caring people. You and others have grown to mean very much to me in a very short amount of time.
Betsy´s last blog post..OUTSIDE, SEEING
Actually, I came into this fairly realistically. I broke my blogging/writing plan down into 1 year, 5 years and 10 years. At 6 months, I have already surpassed my 1 year plan. Do I want to make money at blogging? Of course! Would it be nice for blogging to lead to other, potentially more lucrative, writing projects? Of course. Does building a viable and sustainable business happen overnight? NEVER! It takes long hours, hard work, and years of effort before a business carries itself.
What drives me to slog away day after day at blogging? COMMUNITY! If there was something I didn’t know about blogging going into it, it was the incrediable high one gets out of interacting with fantastic people all over the globe. I’m addicted!
Urban Panther´s last blog post..A lesson in logic
I thought at first I would be more of a columnist, which I’ve done before, but I’ve found opening up the dialogue more interesting than being just the one-way communicator and journalist. As Urban Panther and says, it is addicting to connect and interact with people online via comments. I had no idea I would find such funny, insightful, motivating, interesting, and upbeat people.
As for the money, yes, I heard about the big possibilities, but then I kept reading over and over again that it takes more than writing skills, or tech skills, or having something to say to create posts people enjoy enough to return. I’ve been having fun trying to find what that “more” is.
SpaceAgeSage´s last blog post..Fall’s memories, melancholy, and magic
Well, Steve Pavlina was my inspiration for starting a professional blog, and he made available his early growth curve: http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/01/2005-traffic-adsense-revenue-growth/. So far my blog has been just as expected in terms of the financial front.
On the traffic front, I do wonder what Steve did to go from 0 to 85k visitors in the first 6 months or so. I’m almost at 6 months mark, but I’m not anywhere even close to that. But then, I’m not working on it full time like he did. So, perhaps my site’s growth is reflective and appropriate of the time I have available to put into it.
I remain optimistic about my growth, all that said. Patience and persistence, I have in abundance — I have done many things that seemed much more overwhelming and hopeless than this! Now that I am secure in the knowledge that blogging suits me, I’m just going to buckle down for the long haul. A year or two is nothing in the time span of building a business.
ari
Ari Koinuma´s last blog post..The Only One Who Can Teach
I researched a lot before starting with blogging. Hence there weren’t a lot of surprises.
I plan to focus on earning after a year of blogging. This year focus is only on creating content and traffic. I know generating traffic is difficult (otherwise success wouldn’t be so sweet over here).
Two factors which I didn’t think of –
1. The obsession with everything related to blogging. It’s difficult to compartmentalize it to some hours of a day. It’s taking over entire life.
2. Stress for coming up with ideas and creating good content (I guess it’s stress to perform generally).
Both are killing. And new for me. Because usually I don’t have a problem with switching on and off on work, I rarely worry about anything or take stress for that matter.
Good for me, will learn some new skills.
Avani-Mehta´s last blog post..Honor Your Anger Style : Anger Management Series Part V
The bloggy community has just been amazing. The supprt and friendship has been such an important thing in my life especially now.
Suzie´s last blog post..And On and On It Goes
*Six-figure income*
Yes, wouldn’t that be wonderful?
But at what price? That’s what I have to ask myself a lot.
I’m not sure what I expected from blogging. A scrapbooky sort of place to show family and friends, I suppose, not this wonderful outlet to meet interesting people on.
Pink Ink´s last blog post..Rekindling the Magic
I believe how much money you make blogging is the biggest misconception also. Once you stop trying to make money and realize you just enjoy it is usually when you have your most success.
What are the biggest misconceptions you have found with blogging? I don’t think I had any misconceptions or expectations when I started blogging. I didn’t expect to get paid and I surely didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I do. It’s great to put it out there and get instant feedback. I love my readers!
Natural´s last blog post..Filler Post
I am finding the blogging expereince is one that connects.
Faith Popcorn, a very well respected trend forecaster, spoke of the coming need for people to connect while incapsulated waaaaay back in the 1980’s. I think our lifestyles have left us vague and wanting human interaction, albiet behind a screen. Funny how the love comes through!
Although I do have a money model for a blog, my blogging is mostly around connecting and allowing the network to bring possibillities. When I see what it takes for those sights that are making money to make their money off blogs – I would have to live only in front on the computer, and that would keep me from connecting with the rest of my life.
Harmony´s last blog post..Market Your Customer – Explode Your Sales
Before I started blogging I’d heard Google Adsense was a great way to monetize a blog. But the minute I put them on I realized it was a mistake and removed them. The ads conflicted with my blog’s theme and even included my competition’s ads!
I was also thought it’d be easy to acquire new readers with minimal effort…but it hasn’t been!
But I still enjoy blogging, because my ultimate goal is to share my creative journey so that others may be inspired.
Mark – Creative Journey Cafe´s last blog post..You Are Now Entering The Creative Zone
What a great and very true post! I am new to the blogging game (started in June). I just added an amazon widget on my page of things I actually own and love…and seem relevant to my blog (but I don’t have high hopes of making money). What started as a “hobby” is now my career! Wish I got paid for it. As far as networking…I find 5 new blogs a day and leave comments. I do this everyday. It’s work…but I love it is a sick way. On the upside, I blog so much now that I am no longer going to Target and spending money on cute, but useless stuff…
Caroline´s last blog post..Milk and Molasses…
Biggest misconception: That it would become as “personal” as it has. And that’s in a couple of ways. One is how personal this begins to feel because of community (what many have mentioned). The other big “personal” for me has been how much I’ve allowed myself to open up to people I haven’t known at that long. And, for me, I think that’s because, since I don’t know “you” (the collective you) in person – there aren’t barriers there that might come up because of what “you” say, how “you” look, where “you” live, etc. Maybe I’m wrong for having these barriers in life – I try not to – but sometimes they are there – even if I don’t want to admit it. On a blog, I don’t see these barriers…
Lance´s last blog post..A Helping Hand
I’ve made no effort for monetization outside direct sales, but I know if I were to try it would be a waste of time (at least at this juncture). The biggest surprise, as well as the largest reward, has definitely been the community. For that, Writer Dad has not the words.
Writer Dad´s last blog post..I Said Stop.
I thought it would be mainly about writing. I didn’t know about commenting, social media and other types of networking.
Vered – MomGrind´s last blog post..Saw “Burn After Reading”. Non-Botoxed Actresses. Awesome.
I didn’t have any goals or expectations. I was trying to distract my mind and I thought I could use it as a sort of online resume when I started to look for a new job. But it has ended up becoming so much more for me …
Like Vered, I mostly expected it to be about writing and am pleasantly surprised by the other aspects, such as community and networking. I have met the most amazing people.
Kim Woodbridge´s last blog post..WordPress – How to List Recent Posts from One Category
I had no idea this much kindness existed in the blog world. That has been a a very pleasant surprise to me!
Maya´s last blog post..The key to happiness and balance is right with you, just learn to use it – Part 1 of the thinkmaya framework
You are so correct on every aspect of blogging. While I didn’t think that buckets of cash awaited me when I first developed my sites, I was hoping to make more than I am. I also agree that the social network of amazing people I’ve discovered though this “hobby” keeps me going.
My other “hobbies” have taken a backseat to this one, which is a paradoxical good and bad thing.
peace,
mike
livelife365
Mike Foster´s last blog post..Streeeeeetch Your Life
I make mine all of your misconceptions! lol!!!
But there has to be a way to make money out of blogging without becoming a blog whore!!
if someone does it then there is a way! 🙂
I think it helps writing useful stuff… but again… I’ve tried that and nothing… 🙂
but you know what makes me happy??? when someone new comments on my blog!!
that’s cooool! 🙂
Barbara,
I guess I was lucky. I had NO pre-conceived notions about blogging. I got a call that said “my friend needs somebody to write a blog, wanna do it?”
I asked, “what do I have to do?”
The answer: “Write between 500 and 800 words a day. He’ll do everything else.”
EVERYTHING ELSE? Did HE get me an audience? Did HE pay me? Nope – this was bringing in no money for either of us!
BUT – the community! Nothing could EVER replace that. After being out sick for a few days recently, and reading the comments I got, I knew I would never stop. And, I am now a half-owner who does HALF the work. I write – he handles the back-end. And ANOTHER friendship was born.
On those rare occasions when I ask myself “why am I doing this,” the answer comes to me immediately: IT’S THE COMMUNITY, STUPID!
Rita
Hi Catherine – I agree, we were at a disadvantage. I don’t know if was lack of knowledge on our part, or what. I did join Stumble early on, but didn’t understand it. For search engine traffic, Google and the other search engines make us work hard for it.
Hi Miguel – Blogging is all full of surprises, isn’t it? 🙂
Hi Dave – You are fortunate your blog is taking off as fast as it is. Part of the reason is you are getting out there and commenting on other blogs. My problem was, when I did comment, I commented on big blogs. Forming community with smaller bloggers will result in much faster growth than on big ones.
Hi Betsy – Aren’t other bloggers the greatest? Who knew starting a blog could gift us with friends from all around the world?
Hi Panther – Another vote for community. I agree, interacting with our readers is a joy only a blogger can understand.
Hi Rarestone – Welcome to the BWAB community, and thank you for your kind words. Yes, blogging is often “advertised” as a 1-2-3 punch. It’s not until we actually start getting involved we realize it’s time consuming, sometimes mind boggling, but in the end, very rewarding.
Hi Ari – Yes, Pavlina was one who I read, too. One thing we do have to remember about Steve Pavlina and Darren Rowse – Problogger, they started blogging when the competition wasn’t as stiff as it is now. With that being said, it may explain how Steve went to 85K visitors within six months.
You’re right, when building a business, a couple of years is nothing.
Hi Pink Ink – Blogging is full of surprises, isn’t it?
Hi SpaceAgeSage – Oh yeah! Those two way conversations are addicting. Like you, they keep me coming back for more.
Hi Natural – “I love my readers” – I agree!
Hi Harmony – It does make us wonder, doesn’t it? What does it take to really make money off a blog – enough to live off? Like you, if it means sacrificing living my life, I have to pass.
Hi Avani – I love how you put that – “…generating traffic is difficult (otherwise success wouldn’t be so sweet…” That is so true. When we work hard for something, we certainly appreciate it a lot more.
Hi Mark – You’re right. Google AdSense doesn’t work on all blogs. I tried it here, and took it off.
You’re doing great at sharing your journey. It’s inspiring for your readers as you give us great ideas.
Hi Suzie – Welcome to the BWAB community. Yes, the blogging community great. They ban together and willingly help others.
Hi John – Welcome to the BWAB community. I hear you. Trying to make money can take away from the joy blogging can bring. How can we put a price on that?
Hi Lance – What a great observation. We do open up to “strangers”, don’t we? Blogging definitely takes away a lot of the judgmental attitudes we may have in real life.
Hi Writer Dad – Can we ever say enough about how community changes us?
Hi Vered – Isn’t it a pleasant surprise when we find writing is actually only a small part of blogging?
Hi Caroline – What a great idea – to find five new blogs a day to comment on. That’s a perfect way to build a community of like minded people. Haha. I hear you about the shopping trips. They don’t seem nearly as important anymore, do they?
Hi UrbanVox – Oh yes, getting new commenters visiting our blog is special. It means we’re growing.
Hi Kim – There are a lot of amazing people in blogosphere, aren’t there? Now we just need to make time to meet them all.
Hi Blogger Dad – It will be interesting to see what happens to your blog when you capitalize on the comic readers. It might also be a great niche for a second blog.
We are “family”, aren’t we? It’s a new definition of what a family really looks like.
Hi Ricardo – You nailed it, as a community on a blog grows, it is more time consuming to maintain. Without interaction with your readers, they’ll soon move on.
Hi Maya – Hey, you got your avatar up. I like it. Yes, there is a lot of kindness in the blogging world.
Hi Mike – LOL – “My other “hobbies” have taken a backseat to this one” – I know all about that.
Hi Sara – Haha! We do know we’re hooked when we start dreaming about blogging. We must be on the same wave length. Last night I had a dream we were having a seminar and all of my blogging friends were showing up. They didn’t look at all like their pictures, but the names were right.
Well, I’m still in the early stages of blogging, so I suppose my misconceptions are not yet realized. However, I had few perceptions going into this. I know money is difficult to make online. In fact, I haven’t even thought about making money with my blog.
I suppose I thought I would have more readers than I do. I draw a comic which is far more popular than my blog, so that has been an adjustment. However, I’ve also not really tried to bring my comic readers to the blog, so I haven’t capitalized on whatever synergy can be had.
The big surprise is how quickly I would come to consider the small group of regular posters as family. It’s been awesome. Also, I am surprised at how friendly so many bloggers such as yourself have been at welcoming me.
Blogger Dad´s last blog post..Taking a moment to reflect
Well Barbara, you are spot on with everything you’ve pointed out! I find that most people think that blogging is going to be the solution to their lead generation problems (I’m referring to those individuals who blog for business; whether it be to sell a service or product). As you very well pointed out, driving traffic to your site is going to be one of the hardest things to do!!! (I put 3 exclamation points for emphasis, hehe…).
The bigger the community gets, the more difficult it becomes to manage. The community is there because you’ve taken the time to build it and nurture it. The second that you step away, it starts to deteriorate so you need to find a way to be present.
Ricardo Bueno´s last blog post..What is a blog?
“I thought blogging would be just like other hobbies of mine…” Yes! Here’s me: “Oh, I’ve got a spare hour or so each day. Why don’t start a blog as a fun hobby?” About three weeks in or so, I was addicted and it was constantly running in the back of my mind.
The biggest misconception for me was that I’d be able to compartmentalize this “hobby” into small, neat spaces of time. Now it even creeps into my dreams! (I seriously had a dream last night that these uber-famous bloggers crashed at my house. I’m losing it…)
Sara at On Simplicity´s last blog post..Weekly Links: No Excuses Edition
You know Barbara, I had a website for a couple of months before I set up my blog. I had sitemeter set up on my website but it took me about a month or two to put sitemeter on my blog. When I saw the amount of traffic I was getting to my blog I couldn’t believe it, because it was so much more than what I was getting to my web site. It’s infinitely easier to get traffic to a blog than it is to a web site.
I’m a little frustrated right now since I was growing at a pretty good rate (in terms of numbers of subscribers), but during the month of September things suddenly slowed down considerably. I’m beginning to think that my blog tracks the Dow. I hope it’s just the Dip you have to go through before you emerge victorious on the other side 🙂
Marelisa´s last blog post..Four Outstanding Thoughts on Innovation
Hi Marelisa – That’s interesting how your blog got better traffic than your website. With regard to the slow down, can you track that back to anything you did behind the scenes?
Hi Evelyn – I can’t imagine going into a niche and not have a passion for the subject. Aren’t you glad you’re passionate about your topics now?
A misconception I had was that it was easy to make money. Apparently not. I was also told that it was okay to go into niches with an interest in and not necessarily passion for. Geez…what bad advice!
Evelyn Lim´s last blog post..How Would You Cross The River?
Hi Glee Girl – What a wonderful story. I love the fact blogging has brought you back to a previous love of writing. When you look back, do you think it was the deadlines that took away the joy? Life if full of surprises, isn’t it?
Blogging has taken me on a path I didn’t expect – it helped me to rediscover my passion for writing. Yeah, I know that sounds back-to-front, but bear with me. I started my working life as a journalist writing business newsletters, but after 8 years I was retrenched and changed careers. I didn’t miss writing one bit…or maybe it was writing to tight deadlines I didn’t miss? In any case, I didn’t write a thing for several years and was quite happy about it
Then I dipped my toe into social networking and started out writing a few random things on my Myspace blog, with no real expectation that anyone would read it or enjoy it, or that it would lead to anything. But people did read it and enjoy it and I got such a buzz out of that and the sense of connecting with people that I couldn’t stop and I regained the love of writing that I had had since I was a kid. Yay! I still write my blog on myspace, and have only just launched myself into the “real” blogosphere. I’ve even been thinking about starting another blog too…
I never expected when I hung up my journo hat that I would end up where I am.
Glee Girl´s last blog post..Cupcake quickie…and tax
Hi Grace – Isn’t that great how blogging does confirm we have a voice. Even if others don’t agree, it’s ours. You’re right, blogging does define what’s important to us.
Hi J.D. – There is no ONE formula, is there? And yes, as in the real world, it is what you know and who you know. I like how you put that, “we can redefine our success as we go”. 🙂
Hi Bamboo – No truer words spoken – blogging is hard work.
Hi Mitch – Welcome to the BWAB community. There is a lot to learn about blogging, isn’t there? Although we read about blogs that “hit the jackpot”, they’re often the exception instead of the norm. It’s good to know things are turning around for you.
Barbara,
Get rich quick schemes are just that–pyramid platforms that make money for the first ones in the door. Sigh!
I had done a personal blog for a spell on blogger.com and then branched out into my own domain as of August.
Surprises? So much new stuff to learn. Audio files and plug ins and social media and wordpress.
That it is so much fun to poke about discovering new things and then sharing them with the world.
That I am discovering I really DO have a voice and AM very opinionated by my passions.
Blogging has helped me define what is important to me. $ would be GREAT, but it would definitely just be the icing on the cake. 🙂 G.
Grace´s last blog post..What is 400 feet tall and goes whoosh?
The biggest misconception I had was how non-formulaic success is. I was also surprised by how much it’s what you know and who you know. The cool thing is you can redefine your success as you go and make the most of what you got.
J.D. Meier´s last blog post..Strengths and Weaknesses vs. Personality Profiles
“What are the biggest misconceptions you have found with blogging?”
I’m not sure. But I will say this – an entry and blogging in general can be very time consuming. In short, it’s work.
Many people may not realize this.
Bamboo Forest´s last blog post..7 Things That Happen in Movies – But Probably Not to You
Brother, join the team! lol I thought kind of the same thing when I first started blogging, and I talk about it on the blog I’m writing this from now all the time. It literally took me 16 months before I got my first Google Adsense check, and pretty much that long a period of time before I started to realize that I was going to have to write more often if I expected anyone to come to my blog at all.
I’m nowhere near where I want to be, but things are starting to pick up a little bit, and I don’t only mean money, and, as you said, that’s what makes it worthwhile.
Mitch´s last blog post..$100 Million Dollar Challenge
“When you look back, do you think it was the deadlines that took away the joy?”
I think it was a combination of things – a heavy workload and tight deadlines which often required weekend work, and writing about topics that held little interest for me had me feeling like a word factory. Journalism – hard news, anyway – can be formulaic so not so much room for creativity. I was also working in quite toxic environment, which didn’t help.
Glee Girl´s last blog post..Cupcake quickie…and tax
@ Daniel Allen – Change your blog now. When you’re new and no one really knows about your blog is the best time to do it. If it concerns you, consider paying a company to professional design you a great looking template you’ll be happy with for a long time instead of going with a basic free one. Also, if you need any help with that email subscription, let me know, though it looks like you might have it figured out.
@ Barbara – My biggest misconception was how much time it would take to maintain and grow a blog. It hasn’t taken me down a path I didn’t expect, it’s actually doing what I did expect which was to drive traffic to our site, however it still has yet to produce a sizable amount of customers. I think it’s brought in maybe 4 hosting customers.
Misconceptions about blogging
This is a big one from a business standpoint. My last 3 blog articles have sort of dealt with this issue, not specifically about blogs, but how people think they can create a 6 figure income from sitting at home in their PJs.
Possible, yes. Likely, no.
If you take a look back at how your blog and goals for it has evolved, it seems you first were in it for money and then over time it shifted more for community. I think it’s important for bloggers to realize a community of nice folks does not equal profits.
I know that sounds harsh, but it’s the cold hard truth about business and I don’t think some people want to hear it.
I mentioned something like this on my blog and someone replied, “Well I’ll lose sleep then because people matter.”
That comment kind of upset me because it implies that I don’t think people matter. Of course they do. That’s the backbone of how eVentureBiz is different from other hosting companies. I was just pointing out that if your goal in business is to make money, comment swapping to build comments on your blog probably isn’t the most effective means.
Fun, yes. Nice, yes. Profitable, maybe not so much.
Like any business, I think the first ones who got into blogging were able to generate a profit much easier than we can today. Today it’s not as easy as there are millions of blogs.
I think to generate money bloggers should not concentrate on trying to sell to other bloggers as much. They should concentrate on thinking of their blog not as a blog, but as a website normal people doing searches will find answers to their problems.
It can be a product or service of yours or an affiliate. And usually to get the traffic quick, you need to utilize a PPC campaign.
Again though, it all boils down to what your plans are for your blog as to what you’re going to do. If it’s community building more so than profits, networking with other bloggers is great.
If it’s to generate money, you need to think of your blog more as a tool and website that solves problems for people with BIG problems.
John Hoff – eVentureBiz´s last blog post..The Pros and Cons of Social Media Marketing and Does It Teach Us Bad Habits As Entrepreneurs?
Barbara:
You make some interesting points here. I’ve been blogging since April 2006.
It’s taken a LONG time to build my subscribership. I’m always amazed how quickly others have built theirs to the thousands in no time.
But I’m in blogging for the long term. I’m in no rush to build a huge list., I like taking my time, write from the heart and make some solid connections.
I use my blog as an indirect way of making money. I’m an inspirational speaker and some of my clients and prospects are on the mailing list. It’s a good way to keep my name and face in front of them.
Blogging has also connected me with many wonderful people whom I might not have otherwise met. So it’s all good!
Stephen Hopson´s last blog post..Stephen Hopson Interview with Jennifer Abbott of Principles of Peace, Part I of II
I think I’m in agreement with most other readers; I had no idea how involved I would get or how much time I would spend! Harsh reality has hit me this month with a new job that takes a lot more of my time and I can’t quite figure out how to do it all . . .
Vintage Mommy´s last blog post..Adoption Book Review: The Day We Met You
Misconceptions about blogging? The time factor which you’ve already covered here has me in a pickle. It takes me longer and longer to jump into conversations and to read the blogs I want to read and comment on. With other priorities like building a business and delivering on that business, being a full-fledged community member is challenging. Unfortunately my support of other bloggers is what has to be let go of occasionally.
I like what John Hoff is saying about commenting and it’s value. We really ought to question everything that takes so much time.
I’m surprised to read so many limiting comments here about our ability to earn money blogging. If you think it’s hard it will be for you. I’d rather continue on my optimistic trail and know that the right joint venture projects will surface with the right partners at the right time.
Tom Volkar / Delightful Work´s last blog post..Why Don’t We Use What We Already Know?
Great post. The biggest think that surprised me is how much more interested I get about the topics I blog about. I find myself reading much more on those topics and learning a great deal of interesting things. I figured gaining readers would be hard – and it is, but by providing good content, over time, they will come.
Hi Glee Girl – Thanks for coming back and answering my question. I see what you’re saying. How nice it must be for you to now use your creativity and write on topics in which you have an interest.
Hi John – Yes, that’s right. For me, I had two goals in the beginning, but when the community began to form on this blog, the thought of making money dissipated. Now, it’s all about my fellow bloggers, and that’s priceless.
Hi Stephen – Blogging does keep out name “out there”, doesn’t it. With you being a motivational speaker, your blog becomes your resume. How great it is when you can tell your clients, “Want more of me? Check out my blog”.
Hi Vintage Mommy – Sometimes we can’t do it all, and admitting that to ourselves is the first step. For me, it mean setting priorities and doing the best I can.
Hi Tom – Yes, sometimes we do have to slide on showing support for fellow bloggers. With each of us having full schedules and our blogs being a part time hobby, time needs to be spent where it will benefit us the most.
I see the life coach coming out in that last paragraph. Being optimistic can make a huge difference.
Hi Lindsay – Welcome to the BWAB community. Yes, you’re right, we do begin to get more interested or curious in what we’re blogging about. The more we can share, the more value our blogs will have. Keeping that in mind, success will come.