Before I began blogging, I knew nothing. And I kind of like it that way. Everything I've learned in the six years since, about everything from content to memes to writing prompts to design to sponsored posts, I've figured out on my own as I've gone along. I own what I know, and it makes me eager to learn more!
Before I joined Twitter, I wish I'd known how addictive it was! I started my account a year ago, because I thought it would be the easiest way for my family to keep people updated throughout the day of my kidney transplant. I set the "Tweet by Text" number in my cell phone and handed it to Jamie with instructions to "Send a text to that address with updates please" and that was it. I think he tweeted only two or three times the whole day! I wish I'd known more of the etiquette; hashtags, Twitter parties, #FF... all of it. But, like blogging, I also like that I'm learning as I go along!
If a real life friend approached you and said, “I want to start a blog. Can you give me a list of helpful tips?“, what 10 (or more) things would you tell your friend?
- Start small. It's OK to have a basic template at first. Don't get so caught up in making it pretty that you forget about the...
- Content. You will want to post constantly at first, and that's normal. It's really easy to schedule posts, so you can write a bunch at once, and then have them go public over a few days.
- Turn. Off. Captcha. Word. Verification. Immediately.
- Ignore the trolls and assholes.
- Don't write anything you aren't prepared to stand behind. If you take a strong stand for or against a potentially controversial topic, there's a good chance someone else will have an equally strong stand on the other side of the aisle.
- Aim for a balance of pictures and words. The occasional "camera dump" is fine, but really, only you and your mom want to look at a dozen pictures of little Suzy eating Cheerios. Show me one picture, and use words for the rest of the story!
- Don't be afraid to take a break. You aren't a "bad blogger" if you don't post for a few days, or even weeks! Sometimes real life gets in the way, and that's OK. Unless someone is specifically paying you to blog (See #8) it's a hobby, not a job with a real commitment.
- Get your feet wet before you start searching out advertisers and paid blogging opportunities. Spend some time building a community of readers and THEN look for some dollars.
- Have fun!
- Join Twitter. It's an amazing tool for building both your readership, your brand and your knowledge base.
As a graphic designer, I look for a clean, easy to read layout. I'm skipping over purple text on a lavender background. If there are a thousand flashing ads and crap, I'm out. Music? It wouldn't be possible for me to close that tab any faster!
When I visit a blog for the first time, I'll read whatever post brought me there, and then usually the About Me page. I love having a face to go with the voice I'm reading, so I love a few photos and some bonus info about the person behind the blog. I'm also a sucker for those "Suggested Reading" widgets at the bottom of a lot of posts (I should TOTALLY add one of those here!) And can get lost for quite some time reading over those.
I don't seek them out, but if I see a button for a group (Clever Girls, The Red Dress Club etc) I'll take note and maybe seek out a post related to that, since we have something in common.
What activities, practices, features or events have helped you most in terms of blog or social media growth?
If I was going to link it to a single event, it would totally have to be joining Twitter. Last Novermber, I heard about a project called Reverb10, which was a daily writing challenge for December. I'd been wanting to do more writing and less camera dumps, so this seemed like the perfect thing; I had half the month off still, post-transplant, and a slow time at work, allowing me to write.
And I was hooked! After meeting some Reverbers on Twitter, I was introduced to #wineparty and The Red Dress Club, and through those two things, I've met 98% of my new blog friends, and it's because of Twitter that I'm going to BlogHer next week.
It's allowed to me build an audience outside of people I know in real life, and the amazing people I've met there have changed me in a million ways. As a person, as a writer, as a mom.
So yeah, Twitter.
I'm linking up with Liz from A Belle, A Bean, A Chicago Dog and Jessica from Four Plus an Angel for this Summer Blog Social; she provided the prompts and I'm writing on as many of them as apply! Click below to join!
