Blogging – is it a hobby or a job? Well, that depends on how much time you put into maintaining your individual blog and what content is being created.
The art of blogging is fascinating because there are so many creative outlets to choose from. Bloggers all have their own unique visions; you’ll rarely find blogs that look EXACTLY the same. I have spent countless hours visiting other blog sites to grow my network of bloggers and enjoy others writing.
Blogs are original works of their creator. Typically, starting up a blog takes a lot of time and dedication. Trust me, I know. Starting Bianca Blogs took longer than I expected because I wanted it to look just right. After trying dozens of headers, layouts, and toying around with blog ideas I developed the blog I write today.
The one thing many aspiring bloggers don’t expect is the amount of time it takes to update and maintain your blog site. It can be time-consuming and frustrating if you’re unfamiliar with web layouts and widgets.
Using sites like WordPress makes development easier for the “newbie” blogger. WordPress made formatting my site very simple… I’m the one who made it difficult (oops). There are many other websites available for blog creation, but I suggest WordPress to anyone looking to start their own blog.
Have you been dreaming about writing a blog? Do you love to write, create, and enjoy communicating with others? Then blogging is the perfect option for you! Be ready to put in the hours it takes to begin and maintain your blog. Once traffic begins to grow you will need to start planning ahead of time.
Here are some of my recommendations for the upcoming blogger:
- Find your ‘vision’ and roll with it. Once you decide on a design for your blog and have a solid vision of where you want to go you can get started. Finding the initial idea can take some time. Start to design what you want the website to look like beforehand and brainstorm ideas for pages, articles, etc. The more you can put your idea into words and pictures, the easier it will be to piece them together.
- Discover techniques from others. Are there bloggers who you connect with? Check out some of their content and understand what compels you to read it. By recognizing the content that appeals to you, you can take ideas and transform them into your own unique blog. NEVER copy another bloggers work.
- Be creative and open-minded. By finding flexibility in your ideas, you will create more possibilities for your blog. Over time you may notice that there are changes to be made and that’s okay! Change isn’t always a negative. These changes can greatly enhance your blog and make it more engaging to readers. Embrace it!
- Be a social butterfly! I can’t stress this enough. Create pages on popular forms of social media or it will be very difficult to promote your blog. With so many bloggers on the web, you need to stand out. By having captivating and engaging social media pages you will draw more people to click on your blog link. This way you can promote new posts to readers and respond to their comments, compliments, and feedback!
- Stay uniform across channels. Keep your blog title and social media handles the same. If the name isn’t available, find one that is similar. You want people to search you on all forms of media under the same name, so they can find you. More people will connect with you and you’ll be branding yourself. This being said, do not change your usernames over and over again. It is important to stick to one so readers don’t get confused when looking for your pages.
- Reach out and stay connected. By reaching out to companies and other bloggers you build a network FULL of possibility. Stay connected, stay social, and be friendly. Respond to other bloggers and companies on social media or via email if you’re interested in collaborating or have ideas for them. Most will be very open to hearing from you and appreciate the time you’ve put into reading their site.
- Honesty is the best policy. Don’t let yourself become too forced in your writing. We have all been guilty of this from time to time. Readers can tell when you aren’t being natural. Being too factual can take away from the fun of your blog. This is especially the case for a lifestyle blog (like mine). Adding your own tone and personality into posts is what allows readers to connect with you.
I am always open to speaking with bloggers, companies, and readers regarding new ideas or advice. If anyone is looking to start a blog and needs help, please feel free to reach out by commenting below or emailing biancablogs@hotmail.com.
Blogging is the perfect job for college students! You develop writing, reading, and social media skills through the process. In addition, you are always working to learn more by reading other blogs and articles on the web! You connect with others and learn a lot about promotion. You won’t regret it.
Once you create your blog you will be thrilled! I am so happy I took the time to create this blog page. It’s my baby; my work of art. You really appreciate the time you put in once everything is complete. I try to expand my expertise and outreach along the way and am always working to grow my site while helping others.
Happy Blogging.