I wanted to talk a little today about the blogging process for some of my readers who want to start their own blog but think they have nothing to offer. Filing this post under "Career" because I am a firm believer in the opportunity of working from home. If you're able to make a living out of blogging, go for it! It's an awesome opportunity.
We are all so unique. I love learning new things and I truly believe that each individual has an incredible perspective that sets us all apart from each other. I may see business from a point of view that could halt success if I do not team up with others to see what perspectives they have to offer. The same really goes for anything in life. I’ve spoken about the subject of motivation and how the entire term needs to be debunked because often, entrepreneurs do things even when we do not feel motivated. This was an entirely new concept to me recently but to the person who showed me this, it was probably an age old thought. That’s why I think everyone should be and can be a blogger. I’ve been blogging since I got a hold of a computer. I have a very old blog on blogspot, two on WordPress, and this one (of course). I’ve also written for other websites. So, when I question my own expertise in anything, I often think about how long I have been blogging. I don’t recall the exact hours it takes to become a professional in a certain hobby (I think it’s 10,000 hours) but I know that I have definitely put that many hours into writing. I’ve been writing before I even knew I had a special talent in it. I have stuck to non-fictional writing for the past few years but my fictional writing used to be my expertise. Are you Interested in Blogging? 1.) Get past the idea that you can’t blog because you’re not a writer. I tell everyone who wants to blog that you do NOT have to be a writer to blog. You don’t have to know how to use proper grammar (although, it does help of course). A majority of your readers won’t even catch your mistakes, I promise. People love to read blogs that write as you speak. Jot down thoughts as you would carry on a conversation with someone. People feel the warmth in blogs that convey messages as if it were a conversation. 2.) You don’t have to be an expert before you start blogging. I started this blog just this year and I'm definitely not even close to my goals, both as a writer and with my business. I was born with an entrepreneurial spirit so I figured “Shoot, why not start it now?” The beauty of blogging is meeting other bloggers who are either in your area of expertise or where you want to be. I don’t take advice from someone who isn’t where I want to be. I always try to look and aim higher. So, by starting this blog I wanted to set myself up for success to begin my own path of networking. I also know that people want to read from other's perspectives when they're living in the same situation. It helps us to see that there are many roads to take and that we can still live life to the fullest no matter what season of life we are in. Don’t lie on your blogs (of course) and allow others to assume you have credentials when you don’t. Allow others to see that you’re on your path to success and that the blog serves as a sort of guidance for you and others. I personally love to follow blogs of people who are currently experiencing the emotion of the process because often once we are on the other side of the sweat and the hustle, we forget all of the negative emotions that went into the work. I don’t want to just read the book on your business. I want to read the book you wrote while creating your business. I want to read the blog you wrote while going through your weight loss transformation. I don’t want to just see the before and after pictures. I know I’m not alone in this. And because of that, this should encourage you to start your blog now, even before your success. 3.) Remember to split your paragraphs up, rather it be with spaces or pictures. I try to use more pictures but I’m not a photographer so I don’t have a ton of material. (That's another thing. I love learning new hobbies but I will not pretend to have a talent that I do not have. I love art and photography but I most definitely am not a professional.) I don’t like to use pictures that aren’t mine either. So, I separate most of my writing with a ton of spaces. The human brain has a short attention span and I realize that. I usually skim through posts myself that don’t have spaces and get bored very quickly, no matter how interesting the content is. Keep the reader’s attention by accommodating their reading. I used to write very long paragraphs but found that people tended to steer away from that. I write a lot of poetry and learned the importance of the emotion and attention in spacing. 4.) People love bullet points, but not too many. I like to create posts with a list for people. Most of the time when I’m reading a post, I scroll down until I see the numbered points because that’s all my attention span can handle in that moment. Take advantage of that by creating your posts to have bold bulleted points. However, creating too many will certainly drive people away as we usually just want a couple of main points before we tune out. I have read several posts where they recommend longer blog posts which I’m all for. When you write your posts in an organized, structured manner to grab and keep the reader’s attention, they usually don’t even notice they just read 1500 words. On the flip side, when you’re writing about something you are passionate about, you may get to the end of your post before you realize you wrote 3,000 words. That’s normal (for example, this was supposed to be a very short post before I go work out, ha!) but make sure you are utilizing the tools to keep their attention. Just Get Started I could write a ton of recommendations for blog posts and blogging but I know that the biggest step is just getting started. Be real, be open. Allow people to see you in your process. People love honesty; it allows us to connect. So, don’t be afraid to start. You truly have nothing to lose. As for which blogging site to use, well that’s another story. Reach out to me if you’re curious about which site to use. I’ve really only used three: BlogSpot, Weebly, and WordPress. I love both Weebly and WordPress for different reasons. Let me know if you have any questions! I love helping people get started on their journey to blogging. As for monetizing your blog, I am not the person to ask yet. It is my goal to eventually get there but right now, my focus is to continue writing because it's something I genuinely love doing. If your goal is to make money doing it, you absolutely can! Happy blogging!
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AuthorHi! I'm Tabitha. I've always had this dream of managing a career, leaving a legacy, and raising children who would grow to know they are loved. Here I will share my struggles, my setbacks, my accomplishments, and my fears. Most importantly, I will share with you things that have helped me along the way. Archives
September 2019
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