5 Things I Wish I had Known When I Started Blogging

First of all, I am not and will not ever claim to be an expect on blogging.  I’ve done this on and off since 2009 and some days I feel just as clueless as I did the day I wrote my first post.  However, through trial and error, reading approximately 3 million articles on the subject, and through my awesome North Iowa blogger friends I have picked up a few things that would have made my life easier had I know them from the get-go.

#1 Figure out what your blog is about.  Yes, this can change over time, but what’s reason you are writing at all?  I didn’t know that myself for some time.  But, as I stated in my previous post “What’s a Knotty Thing”   /http://beckypalmer.thecomputerguy.bz/2016/03/whats-a-knotty-thing/   I’ve finally settled on the things that matter the most to me- relationships, social issues, and current events- and I present them from a viewpoint that I don’t often see- a childless, Christian, nerdy, Midwestern Gen Xer.   I don’t limit myself, this just came about naturally for me.  Of course this is only for my Monday posts- my weekly “fun holiday” posts are just for fun!

#2 It’s OK to ask for help.   Ask other bloggers why they like (or don’t like) Word Press.  Ask who hosts their websites and why they went with that provider.  It’s OK to admit you don’t know something- that’s how we all learn!  If you are the shy type, as I stated above there is an almost unlimited amount of information online that’s never more than a Google search away.

#3 Consistency is King.  Decide when and how often you are going to blog and do your damnest to stick with it.   Not only will this help build your readership, it helps keep you focused.  If this is difficult for you, there are many, many tools available to help you manage/ schedule your posts so you can write when it works best for you and still post when your readers have come to expect it.  I’ve recently started using the simple scheduling tool that’s built into Word Press and it’s changed my life.

#4 Don’t be afraid to be yourself.  I struggled with editing myself too much for ages.  I didn’t want to offend anyone so many of my posts were watered down versions of what they could/ should have been.  I finally realized that the posts where I AM the most passionate and I AM the most “in your face” have become the ones I’m the most proud of, and also the ones that garner the most positive responses.

#5 Have fun!!  If you aren’t enjoying the experience, why are you doing it?  I’ve loved writing all my life, and so this just makes sense as a hobby for me.  Yes, I will admit there are the Sunday or Monday nights where I’m staring at a blank screen wondering why on EARTH I ever thought Mondays were going to be my writing day.  But once the post is finished and sent out into the blogosphere I have this great sense of accomplishment and happiness.

As always, thank you so much for stopping by here at Knotty Things.  I appreciate each and every one of you so much!  Please feel free to post your thoughts in the comments sections and/ or share my posts with your friends with the convenient buttons visible on my home page.  The more the merrier!