It has been a year of blogging for me and no I’m no expert in the subject. Still have a long way to go…..so many things to learn. This post is my take on blogging, my experiences that could be of use to anyone who is toying with the idea of starting a blog.
So, if you’ve been thinking about starting a blog or renewing the focus of/ revitalizing your current blog, first question to ask yourself is;
- What are you going to blog about? What are you going to focus on?
Then
- Whatever it is, do you feel strongly about it? How much of the ‘topic’ is part of your daily life now?
- Is your interest in the field so strong that you will stick to it no matter what?
If the answer is YES to all of these then you have to decide (or at least have a general idea) on how many times a week you will post. Yes, doing all this ground work before you actually zero in on a platform or registering the name of your venture will help you out in the long run. The frequency of posting depends on your time and comfort level.
The moment the blog idea hit me I knew that I wanted to post all five days of the week. Why? Purely based on my experience as an avid blog follower for the last 3-4 years.
My policy as a reader is, “If you have got me hooked then you have to keep me hooked”. And most of the prominent bloggers have set a precedent of posting 5 days a week. So once I’m fed on a diet of 5 posts a week and I visit another blog where I read the same post from last month or even from 2 weeks back I’m devastated. You check a blog to see what is new.
To me it is like checking the newspaper the first thing in the morning and seeing the same old news. I wouldn’t want to see that in my newspaper so I decided 5 days was the right schedule for me. I know a lot of folks do not agree with me. That is ok. All I’m saying is my opinion. Also, it is just hard for me not to think with my Marketing cap on. You know, I was just a course short of a dual major in Marketing (with Finance) for my MBA. Reading a new post every week day (I think on weekends folks are usually too busy with their activities to check blogs) becomes habit forming pretty soon akin to reading the newspaper. This in turn translates to repeat/loyal readership.
Then comes the most important task. In an excel sheet jot down your list of first 100 (yes, you read that right 100) posts or 3 months worth of post inventory if you plan to blog less than 4-5 times a week. This is actually a litmus test. If you cannot come up with 100 post (3 months of inventory) ideas then you will have to go back to the drawing board about your topic and pick something that you really really feel passionate about. Yes, before I went live on New Year’s day 2012 I had made a rough list of my first 100 posts, all the way till March end. I still have running log of post ideas for 3-4 months down the line.
Once you have your list think of a name that best summarizes your blog’s ideas and goal. Now it is time for all the technical stuff like choosing a platform, deciding on whether to self host or hosting it elsewhere, design template etc. More on that later (in a different post).
Another thing that helped me a lot was to write the posts for the first few weeks ahead of time (before you actually launch the blog). My repository of posts for the first month was a boon as I did not get overwhelmed with all the work in the beginning itself and I had enough time to work on projects, photos, and write posts for the next month.
When you are writing your posts, pick the tone and style that you are most comfortable with. For some, it maybe formal (supposed to give a more authoritative feel), semi formal (like in an editorial), or informal (the way you speak). As you have guessed by now I’m most comfortable writing exactly like how I would speak to you if you were in front of me.
One thing to understand from the start is that as much fun as it is, blogging is a lot of work. A lot of work! More than you can imagine. It is almost like having another baby. So if you want to be good at it then you will need a lot of commitment.
Ready to start your own blog? Or are you happy just reading through my experiences? Check back tomorrow for my list of don’ts once you start the blog. 🙂
You can read the rest of the Blogging 101 series here.
Blogging 101 – Part 2
Blogging 101 – Part 3
Hi Vidya,
This is indeed a good series and it would certainly help understand how you really manage 1 post a day with so much consistency… This post did give a peek into how you managed that. The planning that you seem to have put in much before even you started shows how much you wanted to be committed to this journey. Good luck with it and am sure there is gonna be more in store for 2013.
I think one post a day is going to be quite a daunting task for someone looking at starting a blog. The self imposed pressure can get onto them and result in compromising on quality. As much as it is a need to sustain reader interest, it can also work otherwise if the posts are not up to the mark. I see blog posts that merely say “Happy Weekend” or “Have a great week” week after week after week… and all for keeping the blog alive. I have also seen bloggers digress from their niche for the same reason. And eventually I had to unsubscribe.
Five posts a week should not be the focus for a beginner and quality over quantity is what should be stressed upon, because not everyone can write posts with so much quality and consistency like the pro-bloggers do… which is something I find quite challenging.
The likes of RSS, Email and Facebook Pages can help prevent the disappointment readers may face when they visit a not updated blog. If they are assured of good blog posts, they will subscribe and will happily visit when there is a post. That said, I am also against not having a schedule / frequency. It kills the purpose of having a blog when one does not have the intent to update it regularly.
Just my opinion. Will look forward to more on this series 🙂
Cheers,
Somu.
Thank you Somu for taking the time to comment. Yes getting the posting frequency that works for you is the key. There is no point in stretching yourself and churning out posts just for the sake.
Vidya
Hello Vidya I wish you all the best and I am confident that you will do good …I love your blog posts…happy new year
Happy New Year to you too!
Nice article Vidya!!! hopefully I can follow atleast few points which you have mentioned specially about 100 posts 😉
Thanks Shruthi. I’m trying to get back into the groove after the break. It sure is not that easy once you fall of the routine.
Vidya
I am really glad that i found this post ..Lots of information and useful tips specially a new blogger like me .Thanks a lot Vidya.
Thanks for dropping by Deepa. Love your jewelry designs, especially the latest necklace.
Vidya
Hi Vidya, it was just last night that I decided I’d like to get in to the bandwagon of blogging. I have been following a large number of bloggers for over a year now. I love tweaking my home and creating art. I love cooking and gardening as well. I just feel blogging is a great way to document what I do rather than share it with friends and family over whats app.
I chanced upon your blog from Saved by Love Creations and was totally excited to see a fellow Indian already doing what I so want to do. Thanks for this inspiring and informative post and I will be subscribing to your RSS feed – I find that works best for me.
Btw, I live in the suburbs of Toronto.
Wow, thank you Urmili! That’s a huge compliment. Would love to see some of your projects too. Go ahead, blogging is fun! Can’t wait to see your blog.
Vidya
There’s good advice in here but it’s misguided. Suggesting a newbie blogger develop 100 blog post ideas or 3 months worth of content and posting five days a week is a recipe for disaster. Many bloggers give up within 3-6 months because they follow rules that say they should be super organized and have months worth of content planned out well in advance in addition to posting 3-5 times a week. Too much pressure!
I think the better advice is to experiment and learn what works best for you. Don’t be dead set on deciding your niche/focus because then you run the risk of pigeon-holing yourself into something that may not work six months down the road. It’s a lot easier to change direction and focus after you’ve experimented a bit than it is to get established in one niche and then discover it’s not really right for you.
Very valid points Kim. Ultimately you do what works for you. That said I 100% believe that for anyone considering blogging as a full time profession either now or down the line the initial 100 posts calender is critical to keeping them sane. Even now I have post ideas lined up all the way till Memorial Day. Nothing is set in stone but it helps me prioritize between projects and general planning. The way I see it is more like let us say running a restaurant. If you decide on offering 5-6 cuisines at your place then you’d find it a lot hard to get going. I’m not saying you cannot do that but it is gonna take a lot of work. On the other hand if you offer a particular cuisine it is easier to define your target market, your goals, your marketing etc. Good luck!
Vidya
Great ideas here, though I think they would have definitely intimidated me when I first started!
Ooops…wasn’t the intention. 🙂
V