Hello! So it turns out my blog is three & half years old this month.
I’m not sure I’ll still be here in another three years time, or another three
months come to that, but hitting three years feels like a good
opportunity to look back.
Over the years, I’ve written around 100 posts (which is v little i know due to pregnancy i've missed away one year's posting & of course shared about
45,000 tweets and during that time I’ve learned a few things about
blogging. Some of these things I’m still working on, and they may not
all apply to you.
Here are the 15 points i'd learnt thru out the years, just to share (:
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1. Understand why you blog and hang on to that for dear life. It’s so easy
to get distracted by reviews and sponsored posts and giveaways but when your blog is a few years old, what will give you a warm & fuzzy feeling is reading posts about the stupid conversations,
games and special memories. Don’t get so busy making money you forget
what makes your blog priceless (for those famous blogger).
2. You can blog without giving a stuff about technology. If it’s your
hobby, then by all means learn the ins & outs of hosting, CSS & templates. If not, hire a developer. My last blog redesign took me about twenty minutes..
3. There are a few basic, core skills that you’ll never regret investing
the time to learn. They are – editing and posting a basic video;
resizing and cropping images; linking your blog and social media
accounts; setting up an email subscription/newsletter for your blog.
4. Don’t write to a schedule. Write when you have something to say.
Schedules are for jobs and chores and many other things that are "Not
Fun". You might not blog for three weeks. Guess what? Nobody will really
notice. And that’s a good thing.
5. Blogging is social. While there’s no law that says you've to
become part of any online community, my experience is that some bloggers
will become real friends, in a world where they’re pretty hard to come
by. That’s pretty special, so don’t miss out just because you’re shy.
6. Don’t always get fixated on, “Are you paying me for this?” If you’re flexible & open to new ideas then your blog can take you amazing places and reward you in ways you never imagined.
7. Don’t get upset if another blogger steals your idea. Face it. We’re all
part of the same zeitgeist & the likelihood is that someone just had a
similar idea to yours, at a similar time. And even if they did copy
you, so what? Did you just invent nuclear fission? A new cure for
cancer? No. It’s a blog post. Write another one, and bask in the warm
fuzzy feeling of knowing you did it first, better, and with more class.
8. Use your own pictures on your blog – it’s critical to giving your blog a
distinct personality. But for goodness sake make them big, bright and
in focus.
9. If you don’t resize images and expect readers to load 5MB
images on their iPhones, then there’s a special circle in hell reserved
just for you.
10. If you’re going to write opinionated, provocative blog posts, then people will disagree with you. The more passionately
they disagree, the less articulate their blog comment is likely to be. Take it as a compliment that your words moved
someone to feel something so powerful. That’s a gift.
11. Don’t sit around waiting for the world to discover you. Wallflowers tend
to die undiscovered. Tweet your posts to people you admire who you
think might enjoy them. Link out to blogs and people who inspire you.
Add your blog to your email signature. Half the fun of blogging is in
the conversation your blog creates – go make it happen!
12. Being a parent blogger means a LOT of free stuff comes your way. Try and
teach your child to be gracious and appreciative – saying thanks for
free product, introducing yourself to the host at events, passing along
freebies to friends and family. Involve your child in creating
reviews so they understand this is something that – in some way – you’re
earning. While i'm waiting for my chance to come to share with my daughter too.
13. Answer comments on your blog. Manners matter.
14. Lots of people will tell you to blog “honestly” but honestly? I’m not
convinced. My blog is true, but it’s far from the full story. I pick &
choose the parts of my life that I feel comfortable sharing and I blog
honestly about those. I don’t feel any need whatsoever to share anything
else. It’s none of your business.
15. Comparison is the thief of joy. There will always be someone with a
bigger, better, more successful blog. By all means be inspired and pick
up tips, but if your blog makes you happy, then it’s good enough.
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. M O N O C H R O M E .
Top // MDS
Collutes // ASHINCANS
Shades // RUBI
Shoe // TAIWAN
Hair // FRANCISANDJEAN
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