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I started blogging in December 2013. It’s been a year of blogging and I'm still here - so I must be liking it! ;) Now it is the end of 2014 and the time is perfect for a post on my personal development in blogging and that’s why I came up with this list:
6 things I learned in my first year of blogging
1) Blogging is actual work
It is a nice hobby and a good way to express creativity, but there is also a lot of work involved. You need to find inspiration, take a lot of notes all the time, put your hands on it, take photographs and then write everything down to be in a position to share it with the world.
2) It takes more than couple of minutes to come up with content
Yes, I do find inspiration at the weirdest places and sometimes from people that I never would have thought about (my grandma for example), however, it’s one thing to have an idea and a totally different thing to actually go through with the idea. In my case, it's usually some DIY project or trying out a new recipe. This usually means that I have to plan in advance so I have all the material/ingredients I need at home.
3) Don't wait too long between posts
Obviously, following a blog only makes sense if the blog has additional content that is of interest. Having a routine for publishing posts helps to engage followers and to persuade new ones to join. I do have a full-time job so an easy excuse would be that I don’t have the time to write a lot. It is true that when I get home I’m usually tired and can’t be bothered to do anything but I think you can always make time for things that are important to you. As I don’t want to give up blogging I try to do my best! I’m also going to try something different from now on: dedicating about two Saturdays/Sundays a month to blogging. I’ve heard from a couple of bloggers who do it that way and it makes sense to me… It’s easier to keep going once you’ve already started. So from now on, I’ll be writing a couple of posts in advance - we’ll see how that goes.
It is a nice hobby and a good way to express creativity, but there is also a lot of work involved. You need to find inspiration, take a lot of notes all the time, put your hands on it, take photographs and then write everything down to be in a position to share it with the world.
2) It takes more than couple of minutes to come up with content
Yes, I do find inspiration at the weirdest places and sometimes from people that I never would have thought about (my grandma for example), however, it’s one thing to have an idea and a totally different thing to actually go through with the idea. In my case, it's usually some DIY project or trying out a new recipe. This usually means that I have to plan in advance so I have all the material/ingredients I need at home.
3) Don't wait too long between posts
Obviously, following a blog only makes sense if the blog has additional content that is of interest. Having a routine for publishing posts helps to engage followers and to persuade new ones to join. I do have a full-time job so an easy excuse would be that I don’t have the time to write a lot. It is true that when I get home I’m usually tired and can’t be bothered to do anything but I think you can always make time for things that are important to you. As I don’t want to give up blogging I try to do my best! I’m also going to try something different from now on: dedicating about two Saturdays/Sundays a month to blogging. I’ve heard from a couple of bloggers who do it that way and it makes sense to me… It’s easier to keep going once you’ve already started. So from now on, I’ll be writing a couple of posts in advance - we’ll see how that goes.
4) I wanted my blog to be a place to let my own creativity flow - and it still is!
Although blogging feels like a lot of work sometimes, it's also a good channel where I can share my ideas and projects with the world out there. It gives me the little push I need sometimes to not only come up with original ideas, but also to go through with it and make the project happen.
5) Engaging with other bloggers helps
It is a big community out there and there are a lot of opportunities! For example, I sometimes take ideas of other bloggers further (e.g. making alterations to their recipes). For them, it is a good feedback that what they are doing is good, for me, it is valuable content to my blog and sometimes draws new readers over to my blog. All is fair, as long as the blogger who had the original idea is quoted, I guess. At least I made good experiences with that. I always really like to hear about others trying out my recipes or following my DIY instructions!
6) Knowing to code is not a must but an advantage
I didn't know a thing of coding when I started last year. But the development of my blog and my personal interest led to some introductory courses on HTML and CSS. It is true that you don't really need to know about these things when you want to start a blog as many of the blog hosts provide a very friendly user interface. It is also true that knowing a thing or two about coding will help you understand the dynamics in the background better and let design your blog more individually.
Have a great start to the new year!
C
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