I have been blogging since March 2008. By no means does 20 months of blogging qualify me as a blogging expert. I do not have this whole blogging thing figured out. However, in the past 20 months I have learned a thing or two about blogging and myself in the process.
I get asked from time-to-time for blogging tips from prospecting bloggers. So without further adieu, here are the things that I have learned about blogging and myself in what I call…Confessions of a Blogger.
- My #1 blogging rule: Don’t take yourself too seriously. I’m not that special or important. I am not entitled anything from anybody because I have a blog.
- A big temptation with blogging and all social networking media is narcissism. Fight being narcissistic in blogging.
- Blogging is a discipline for me just like eating healthy, working out, Bible study, and prayer.
- Blogging is very therapeutic for me.
- I’m much better with a computer and Internet than paper and pen. Blogging is basically a journal with accountability. I was always terrible at writing in a journal. I tried many times but never was consistent. Blogging changed that.
- In 2o months, there have been over 89,300 total views, 1,862 comments, and 388 posts. I have no clue if that is good or not.
- My busiest day on the blog was Friday, August 15, 2008 with 666 views. This bothers me greatly and I would really like this number to change.
- I know blogging is very 2005 and already outdated, but I like it much better than other social networking websites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter.
- I use other social networking websites (like Facebook and Twitter) to funnel more people to my blog. I direct people from both websites at strategic times of the day – morning, before lunch, after lunch, late afternoon, and night.
- I view blogging as part of my ministry.
- You need to write consistently to have a more successful blog.
- Post lots of pictures on your blog to get more views. (Google Images will find them on searches.)
- Deep down, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE getting blog comments. They bring me joy and motivation to keep writing…seriously.
- I write about a number of different subjects. I don’t ever want my writing to be predictable.
- I am amazed at all the random strangers that stumble onto my blog. In those moments, it becomes even more clear to me that blogging is part of my ministry.
- If YOURNAME.com is available, I recommend purchasing the domain name. It is affordable (especially through WordPress). It feels a little weird, but you never know if you will need it in the future. Don’t let someone grab it first.
- While I love getting blog comments, I hate getting spam comments.
I could go on and on. However, I want you to share your confessions. I’m sure I’ll add some more of my confessions to the comment section as I think of them.
Comments? Questions? Confessions?
