What I Learned from Three Years of Blogging

After three years of blogging, I have learned some things that I would like to share today. Not that these things are new. I’m sure that there are lots of other bloggers out there who already know these things. I guess I’m writing these down not only in behalf of newbies (welcome to the blogging world) but also for my own.

After all, isn’t it what blogging is originally about? Journaling thoughts that you would like to remember so that after a while as you read it again, then you would be reminded, “oh yes, I’ve written this”.  So here’s what I’ve learned so far, which hopefully will help me as I begin this new blog.

Blogging is wearing your heart or a piece of your heart on your sleeves. Because the posts are there for everyone to see, they reveal something about you – your likes, dislikes; your passion; your dreams, ideas, experiences – visitors and especially followers of your blog are bound to discover something about you, unless you are blogging for a phony reason (example, for SEO purposes?).

No matter what kind of blog you own: be it an opinionated blog or a photo blog; or what category your blog belongs to: fashion, interior design, home living, garden, pets, technology, business, photography, weddings, etc.; you are revealing something about you to your audience.

When I created my first blog, I didn’t really know what I wanted to blog about. I didn’t know much about blogging except for the fact that I can earn a few extra bucks online. A former workmate introduced me to blogging but I think I would’ve eventually found my way to it sooner or later because of the nature of my work, which is online writing but that’s another story.

Anyways, I can honestly say that although I am delighted to get offers from advertisers who want to sponsor my blog, it’s not just about that. I want my blog to be something I can be proud of. If someone asks, I want to be able to say that “I’m the owner of that blog and I am responsible for its content”.

You can blog about anything but not everyone would read you. If you want to increase your blog readership or to build-up a following, it’s important to offer something of value to your audience. What would a visitor learn from your post today?

It doesn’t really have to be something that has never been heard of or nobody knows yet, but it has to be something valuable.

Would it make someone smile? Would it make someone think? Would it spark an idea?

If your blog post can at least remind someone of something good, informative, useful, practical, or inspiring, then you can be sure that your followers will increase. 

This proves to be true even if your blog does not contain much text. I myself have been inspired by so many amazing photo blogs on the web.

Photos can make a huge difference. Photos are much like the icing on a cake or the garnishing on a plate of a delicious meal. True, your content can be very good, informative and inspiring, but with the right images, your content will be a lot more appetizing, so to speak. Aside from beautifying the page, you can use photos to emphasize a point or to illustrate ideas. 

One important thing to remember about using photos for your blog is to respect other people’s copyright ownership.

You may find the perfect photo to go with your post but if it’s not yours, you must always give proper credit to its owner. Be sure to direct your readers to the original source by linking it to the appropriate page.  Better yet, ask permission to use the photo to make sure that there won’t be any problems later. Of course, this applies not only to images but even to texts, videos, and ideas.

Observe the proper rites. I can’t help but remember this dialogue from the Little Prince and the Fox.

“It would have been better to come back at the same hour,” said the fox. “If, for example, you come at four o’clock in the afternoon, then at three o’clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o’clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am! But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you . . . One must observe the proper rites . . .”“What is a rite?” asked the little prince. “Those also are actions too often neglected,” said the fox. “They are what make one day different from other days, one hour from other hours.”

Posting regularly is expected of every blogger, that is if you don’t want to lose your audience. If you can update your blog every day, then great for you but if you can’t really live up to daily posting, you must decide how many times per week you can post and what specific days you will be posting. You should inform your audience about your blogging schedule so that they’ll know what to expect in case they want to come back.

Personally, I am guilty of not posting regularly. As much as I want to post daily, there are more important things that need to get done in the real world that makes it difficult sometimes.  Now that I’m starting a new blog, I’m thinking, would it be so bad if I commit myself to post at least once each week regularly so that people would know when to come back just in case they want to?

The most successful blogs post daily but if you can’t do that, I don’t think it would be so bad to post once a week as long as your weekly post is of quality. I mean, there are a zillion blogs on the web as of this moment and I don’t think my readers would mind not having to check my blog daily. This way, they can have other days enjoying other blogs too and me on my part, can have more time to prepare a post worth the read. What do you think?

Do you have a blog?   How long have you been blogging and what have you learned?  I’d love to know your thoughts. Thanks for the visit:)

this is an old blog post reposted from one of my blogs: Simply Subtle  

To make life easier, I decided to gather all my writings into one place.