I had originally planned to write today’s post as an instructional manual on how to be the world’s shittiest neighbor. And I assure that’s coming later in the week because really, who doesn’t need that information and also, I’d be a terrible person to withhold it from you now that I know all the secrets. But when I saw today’s prompt from Helene and Taylor’s #Blogtober14, I had to get on it.
Today’s prompt is “10 Things You’d Tell Yourself When You Started Blogging”. This one is a big one for me because if I were starting a blog now, I’d probably do everything different than when I started 3 or so years ago. I mean, I’d still write and all that, but I’d have a completely different focus and I’d approach it in a different manner. I’m also confident I’d have a different attitude towards blogging which would probably change everything.
The good news is that blogging is fluid and you can change direction anytime you want. So I’m working on that. And as I talk to myself as a new/old blogger, here’s the lessons I learned and what I keep reminding my new blogger self.
- Bloggers are friendlier than you think. Even though someone has a huge audience, they will still take the time to talk to you. Reach out to them and let them you know you like what they do. You never know what can happen.
- Not everyone will like what you have to say. That’s fine. There’s enough readers to go around and some are bound to enjoy your writing.
- Be considerate to your readers. Respond to their comments. Engage with them. Post regularly. And if you need to abandon you blog, write a quick note thanking everyone and letting them know you appreciate their months or years of support.
- Have a life. Blogging can take up all the time if you let it. But you can’t let it. You still need to enjoy life and have experiences and not ignore all the real people even though blogger friends are usually way better. In fact, doing all of that will make you an even better blogger.
- Stats don’t matter as much as you think. Yes, likes and shares are indicators that what you’re writing resonates with readers. But they’re vanity metrics. The real value is in the community and the relationships and the content you create. You can’t always measure that in numbers.
- Be authentic. Even if you’re writing as a caricature or fictional version of yourself, be honest in that voice. Readers can tell when you’re bullshitting them. So don’t do it.
- Never share anything you’re not comfortable with. There are people who will want to work with you but only under certain circumstances or they might try to pressure you to write about a topic or a person you don’t want to. It doesn’t matter. Don’t let them bully you. If you don’t want to share or write something, don’t. Your blog, your space, your rules.
- Set some ground rules. This is a follow-up to number 7. How do you want your blog to look? What do you want to write about? How often do you want to write? What’s your commenting policy? What social media channels do you want to use? How do you want to interact with readers, bloggers, and brands? How do you want to brand yourself? This will certainly all evolve over time but always keep this in mind. This is how you’ll present yourself and your blog to the world and it’s okay to have complete control over it.
- Define your purpose for blogging. Everyone starts blogging for a different reason. Some do it for fun, some do it for work, some do it for platform building, and some do it because they think it’s a way to make millions of dollars. All of those are fine (albeit maybe not entirely realistic) reasons. But you need to know what your reason is and who you’re writing for. Once you establish that, everything else will eventually fall into place.
- Have fun but don’t pressure yourself. If done right, blogging can be one of the most fun choices you make. You’ll interact and form relationships with people you never thought you would. You’ll have weird, interesting experiences. You’ll learn all kinds of new skills and tricks and vocabulary words. You’ll get free shit! But if you start taking blogging too seriously, or if it becomes more of a chore than fun, it’s time to take a step back and reevaluate.
I could definitely add another 10 items to this list, and maybe I will one day, but I’m curious. Other bloggers, what would you tell yourself if you had a Deloreon and could talk to your new blogger self?
