You put yourself out there.
If you’ve taken the time to start a blog, you are most likely passionate about the subject. The time that goes into running a blog, managing the updates, comments and putting out consistent content is long. Trust me, it becomes a full-time job.
It gets worse if you actually care about the blog. If it isn’t just a way to make some extra money, but it is a way that you can express yourself and build relationships with people…it gets personal. Every photo carries memories, every typed word carries experiences and every comment helps spread the word.
The saying goes “if you haven’t picked up some enemies along the way, than you aren’t standing for anything”. The larger your blog gets the more critics you get and the louder they become. This is where you have to grow some thick skin. They will nitpick at your blog and your ideas…looking to tear you down. They find pleasure in finding your spelling errors and incorrect photo caption. Don’t let them get to you (I do sometimes).
If you are one of them…get over yourself.
On being a small fish in a big ocean
Don’t be overwhelmed by the obscene amount of information on the internet and don’t expect to be on top of the charts overnight. Blogs take work and if you are looking to make money, it most likely won’t happen. Small blogs can make it big, which is why I love the Internet, but you do have to be willing to put in the work.
Write about what matters to you
Don’t stand on the fence. If you have an opinion voice it and do the research to support it. Your voice and your attitude are why your readers continually come back and if you change that to try to keep everyone happy it will be a losing battle. If you turn to current events to draw traffic the passion won’t be there and the readers will be as bored as you are writing the posts.
Make a schedule and stick to it
This is one of the most difficult parts of blogging. Continually updating your blog with fresh, interesting content that engages your readers. What I have found easiest is to pick 3 – 4 times per week and commit to getting a new post up. Even just one post a week is all you need as long as you are consistent. Your readers will know when to expect new information and you won’t be overwhelmed by trying to post 2x a day (which some people suggest!)
Moral of the story?
Keep writing. Your skill will only improve. Write for yourself and 2 or 3 of your best readers. Don’t worry if you have 5 subscribers or 500, just keep writing for those 2 or 3. Write past the naysayers and ignore the critics. Write your funniest thoughts alongside your strongest-held beliefs. Write when you are angry (ok, maybe wait an hour or two to calm down) and write when you are sad. Let your sarcasm show, and most importantly when you press publish…do it with pride!
Do you have your own blog? What is the toughest obstacle you have with writing?
What’s been most helpful for me is having an editorial calendar that I just keep on the Gmail account associated with my blog. That way, whether my idea is for tomorrow or for an event 5 months away, it’s there and I don’t forget to write about it.
Alex – I am working on getting my Gmail calendar organized to work with my blogging schedule – love that tip!
I just keep on writing, even after realizing I do it mostly for myself. And then, when I least expect, somebody shows up saying he/she read my blog and liked a post there. The difficult part is to maintain a determinate subject. I write about whatever cross my mind, even though it keeps coming back to trips, books and music. I try to leave work out of the blog.
Too bad my blog is in portuguese, so you guys probably won’t ever read it.
I have read your blog before! (Thank you Google Translate) 🙂 It’s true that at some level, regardless of your intended goal, your blog is written for yourself. It does get difficult to ignore people who just don’t understand what you are doing.
We just ought to realize that some people will like it and some won’t. Simple as that. But only if we keep writing we’ll become better and reach more people.
keep on hitting that keyboard! 🙂
Well said. I had some really nasty comments about my blog design once. It really upset me at first, but then I had a look at their blog and theirs was even worse. As long as you are passionate about your blog you should be proud of it, doesn’t matter what anybody says!
I agree about being proud of your own blog! Everyone has their own opinions, you have to do what is right for your writing!
I’ve escaped nasty comments so far, I guess I’ve got that to look forward to. Joy. I cover homeschooling ( and travel), there are a lot of people that don’t like it, but none of them have made any nasty comments, yet. If they do, I’ll stand and fight. Nice post, I need all the bloggy encouragement I can get!
I also enjoy bloggy encouragement.
I take comments personally, even if they aren’t intended to be nasty – sometimes they just come off wrong. But I am working on my blogging backbone! 🙂
You make some wonderful points. Bloggers should always write for themselves and because they enjoy it. I think it comes through when someone is writing for money instead, and it’s just not as engaging. This is social networking after all.
Which leads me to what I often struggle most with: how personal to get. I often hesitate to say too much about my husband or my kids because I feel like I’m not respecting their privacy if I do. Not that they would be upset with what I write, but my husband and is very private. So I struggle with that. Sometimes I feel like I’m only telling half the story as a result. And sometimes I can’t help myself – I just have to share!
I have a few blog posts I wrote that are still sitting in my drafts folder because I know they are too personal.
Usually I will let them sit in drafts for a few months until the emotion is out of me… and then I will re edit them and hopefully still post them up!
Great advice at the end. Try not to become disheartened by the numbers, ignore and enjoy writing for writing’s sake.
Thanks Marco! It helps when we have such great commenters to balance out the negative feedback! We love writing for you guys.
Great advice! I have just started and am trying to find a voice and a schedule that works but I think I am in the right direction. Controversy will win you fans and enemies I guess!
Thank you for this great post! As beginner bloggers, we need all the advice we can get. We are looking forward to immersing ourselves more into the community of travel bloggers. Cheers!
Getting involved in the travel community has helped us immensely and opened doors we never imagined! Good luck and let us know how we can help!
I’m new to blogging and i’ll be sure to take on your advice! Just waiting for some bad comments to start coming in as my writing isn’t the best. Ah well, see how things go. Keep uo the good work on the blog!
Writing is a skill and the more you do it, the better you get! I am constantly reading and practicing my own writing also!