It's been nearly 5 months since I went live with my blogging site, I feel like it's gone well so far but it hasn't gone by without lots of on the spot learning, so I thought I would share with you some of those learning kerbs:
What is a blogger?
A blogger is someone who writes regularly on all manner of topics & interests. A blogger will usually be found with their own website or can be a journalist writing for their company's site. You can give advice, information or just an opinion on a specific niche or like me a personal overview on different things. It's all about connecting and knowing what your specific audience wants.
High social media following
I have found that social media is a big part of promoting your blogs. It is also a great place to find support from other bloggers. Twitter has been amazing, the writing community on there are really helpful and the followers are active daily too. Which means sharing your posts will happen regularly by others. There are those who find photography is more their way of blogging, this is found on the Instagram forum or Pinterest. And then there is YouTube, best for those who record live, gaining a lot of followers quickly.
I use Twitter mainly and I post on my Facebook page, but I think because this is my personal page, you really will need to have a huge support from your friends and family to enable that to enrich your blog with new ideas & take on board any critique. All of the platforms require regular postings in order to keep your fans interested.
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Asking for help
There are bloggers of every age, every gender, every religion and in every country who have something to share, so when it comes to experience, these people definitely have it, remember asking for help from other bloggers is ok.
Photo on pexels.com
Editing
Without explaining its obvious this is really important proofreading everything more than twice has to be done. For me there would be nothing worse than my readers scrolling something that either doesn't make sense or worse, had spelling mistakes in it, I am really lucky that my partner has the final read for me before I post.
Website
I have my website all laid out how I want it, I can create blogs and add my own images, text and even tally charts if I wish. However, I have recently learnt that 90% of fellow bloggers use WordPress, meaning they are self hosting. I do struggle with IT so changing now would be a scary change. This is definitely something I need to look into though. Is there something you can suggest that may need changing or adding on my site?
Planning ahead
I now understand so much more about organising the release of my posts, with different events that happen during the year such as Summer, Halloween and New Years, you need to be a part of the party. As the saying suggests ‘don't be late to the party’. This is something that just spurs me on to write. I will need to start scheduling to make this happen.
Being patient
Unfortunately this word doesn't usually sit well with me, it doesn't appear to be a part of my vocabulary in everyday use. But becoming popular on blogging searches is a goal I have set and it will happen, just not yet. Having spoken to a couple of fellow bloggers that have 4 to 7 years experience between them, this will not happen overnight, I just have to keep working as hard as I can to evolve with society and the needs of my readers.
On the subject of guest posts, would you be interested in reading the views of a blog editor?
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Comments
A good read Jeanette, I love your opinion on different subjects and realising you say what we’re all thinking! keep it up.I’m always looking forward to the next blog.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Just my telling my story I see it, lots of love x
Great read, you’ve been going a bit longer than I have (this time) and I identify with a lot of the things you have mentioned. I’m not a savvy IT person either!! I find Wordpress really easy to use, I actually did a poll on this before I started my last blog, to see what others suggested. Good luck for the future, are you doing blogtober? X
Thank you. Its good to know I'm not alone on this journey. I won't be partaking in blogtober it might be a too soon for me unfortunately. I may aim for blogmas though. Good luck for you also. Here any time as support x
Congratulations on your past 5 months - it sounds like you've learned so much! Best wishes for your next 5 months and beyond!
That's so lovely thank you. I am truly overwhelmed by all the warmth and encouragement x
Hi Jeanette,
Congratulations on your first 5 months of blogging. It’s quite a steep learning curve initially but it does get easier so stick with it :)
I'm discovering scheduling to help now, and that has got me more interested. Thank you for your kind words
Congrats on 5 months! Blogging is always a learning experience but it can be lots of fun. I have similar thoughts especially with being patient. Great post! xx
Hi, thank you, it has been ups and downs but more highs, just excited still and have so much more to give xx