I read an amazing article on August 4th, 2 days before my one year anniversary of when I started this blog.
So I thought I’d share what I’ve learned after one year of blogging.
First, blogging everyday is a lot harder than it may sound. I don’t know how it sounds to you, but to me, it doesn’t sound daunting to writing a post everyday about something you find interesting or a conversation you can contribute to. But life gets a hold of you and it’s sometimes very difficult to stay locked into writing that frequently. One solution I’ve found is to cut yourself some slack and remember why it is you chose to start blogging in the first place. I started because I wanted to contribute something valuable to anyone who wanted to listen. Sometimes it’s going to feel like pissing in the wind, like no one is listening and you’ll think “why bother?” I continue to bother because I enjoy blogging and I know that sometimes I’m going to write something great and other times I won’t. The goal is to get better and better, because simply by being engaged you will learn more.
Second, writing original can be tough. There are more people contributing content than ever before in the course of human history. It’s only in the last 2-4 years really that anyone with a computer could have their own lifecast by way of smart phones and microblogs. More people are blogging, facebooking, tweeting and whatever else just came out today. It’s easy to read Seth Godin’s blog and rephrase it or see what Chris Brogan’s take on social media is and spew it in your own words, but that’s just shuffling content from one place to another. Given how hard it is without all of that to write something truly original it is now even more tricky. But don’t get discouraged, there’s one thing you’ve always still got: your perspective. When you think you’ve run out of things to say, or think you are just regurgitating what thought leaders are saying, stop and think about what the conversation is, do some research (even a little bit) and build the conversation. Comment on their blogs, add your thoughts…engage. I’d like to thank Valeria Maltoni for her feedback when I found myself getting stuck.
Third, find great content, educate yourself. I read 4 blogs everyday: Seth Godin, Chris Brogan, Conversation Agent (Valeria Maltoni) and ProBlogger. Find a blog that tickles you and makes you think. The best way to learn is to observe those you respect and admire.
Lastly, don’t forget to have fun and write about what you’re passionate about. I know I’m not the best blogger in the world. I don’t get the inside scoop all that often and maybe no one cares about my opinion but I always remind myself that someone out there might get a lot of value out of something I’ve written. I’m particularly proud of my blog post on using RSS to find a job, I think that could’ve really helped someone. It’s been a great 365 days and I’m really looking forward to the next year of blogging. This past year I brought 46 posts to these tubes we call the internet. This year I’m hoping to at least double that and maybe even triple it. I hope you’ll stick with me.
Happy 1 year to me!
Thanks to my readers. Any comments or suggestions for year 2?