It's touted as the wave of the future, with enough history to have proven it successful and not too much history so as to create tremendous competition. Blogging is a great way to reach out to friends, family, fans, industry coworkers, and more. You can get jobs, change your life, learn and teach, and do so much more from the deceptively simple platform of a blog - your first blog, even.
Here are three tips to help you get started with your first blog and become successful at it.1. Choose a topic and stick to it. Years ago, when blogging first started, people tried two different techniques for blog topics. Some people chose to create blogs about their lives, and all the different interests and activities they took part in. Others chose to make their blogs centered around one particular interest or hobby.
As time went by, it became clear that the first type, personal blogs, primarily appeal to your friends and family, while the second type appeal to a broader audience - whoever is interested in this topic.
If you want to create this first type of blog, keep in mind that unless you're already a celebrity, you're unlikely to become famous for being a person with a variety of interests, so this type of blog is best suited to keeping your friends and family updated about your life. The second type is better if you plan to become a recognized industry expert. (Neither type is the "right" one; this depends on your goals and what you want to do with the blog.)
2. Keep it going and learn more about blogging. The first few months as a blogger are exciting. You get ideas for blog topics from everything that happens, and if you're prudent, you write them down in a notebook so you don't forget any. Eventually, however, inertia will catch up and it will be tempting to skip a scheduled update or slow down your blogging pace.
This is when you have to make the most effort to keep the blog going. It's only fun so long as you keep a positive mindset about everything you've learned and gained from the blog. And speaking of learning, there's so much to learn, too!
As a beginner, you're fine with just making blog posts however you like, but as time goes on, you will start to learn the best formats for blog posts, the best days to make posts on, the way to format your posts, how to add images, and so on. Always strive to learn more and you'll keep the process of blogging fun and interesting.
3 Promote your blog, but don't be a jerk. In order to get readers, you can start to network with other blogs. When you leave comments on other blogs, include your URL in the web address box, and put your blog address in your signatures on forums, etc.
Always be sure to follow the rules of the blog, forum or place you are leaving your URL, however. You don't want to become known as a spammer.
By following these steps, you can help ensure that your blog becomes successful for as long as you want to maintain it, and perhaps longer!
JAY TRUMANE - long-time blogger, and technical wizard! If you are a little daunted at the technical challenges in getting your first blog set up, I will do it all for you, completely FREE of charge! |
