My Unsolicited Advice to Newbie Bloggers
Hi! Koach here writing for WebGeek Philippines. After resigning from my call center job my brother introduced me to the world of blogging. I was excited when he told me that I could actually earn money from blogging about my passions. So I went into Google.com and did my research. I signed up for a blogger account. I also registered a domain with GoDaddy and signed up for hosting with HostGator. I learned about Google Adsense and I signed up for that too. Amazon, Clickbank, Commission Junction….. The list goes on and I found myself swimming up for air. There is so much stuff out there about blogging and making money online that my head is begging me to stop or it’ll die of information overload. I ended up knowing a lot of stuff about blogging but had no blog to show for it. Sigh! So let me share to you what I believe, from personal experience, some do’s and don’ts when you’re starting out.
- Make it your goal to blog at least once or twice a week – While it’s fun learning something new by surfing the web, don’t fall into the trap of analysis paralysis. Avoid this by applying what you’ve learned right away by blogging about it… right away. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. It’s probable that somebody has already blogged about your chosen topic. Bear in mind however, that it is your unique perception of the topic that would make it interesting and a must read.
- Don’t get all worked up on the probability of harsh criticism – Being criticized is always good. It gives you an idea on what your target audience level of interest in what you have to say. Don’t be afraid of critics. If they criticize you, it means that they care enough to let you know what’s wrong with your post.
- Blog about your passions. Don’t blog for the money – I got into blogging because of the promise of making money out of it. But as it turns out, it’s not fun to blog about topics you’re not passionate about. Discern your passions and blog about it. Blog because you enjoy talking about your passions. These are what people are looking for. Blogging should be fun. It shouldn’t feel like a job.
- Make it a goal to improve with every post you make – There are a lot of sites out there that offer free advice on grammar and creative writing. Read up.
- Don’t procrastinate - This is self explanatory. But what the hey, just blog it! *wink*
One final note… I’m sure there are better blogs out there that give better advice than what I’ve given you. But why do I bother blogging about the subject if I know someone has a better post about the topic than I do? I bothered, because it is my experience. It is my honest view about the subject. I want to help and I want to share. The urge to help and share your knowledge should be your number one motivation when it comes to blogging. Once you developed good habits based on this motivation, you’ll be ready to pursue blogging as a profession. Well that’s my 2 cents… I wish you well.
