So you wanna start blogging?

I'm gonna start out by saying I'm no Darren Rowse. I'm not Seth Godin or any of those mega-blogging stars that make millions of dollars off of their blog. I don't have millions of followers. In fact, in the world of blogging, I'm probably pretty small potatoes.

But let me tell you what I do have: I have a small audience that is highly engaged. I have blog posts that perform strongly YEARS after they've been written. I have built a social media presence that is thriving and growing. It's not uncommon for my Facebook postings to get more than a hundred responses, which is actually pretty impressive given the size of my audience.

It's also not uncommon for my Facebook posts to keep performing days and even weeks after they are posted. All indications point toward the fact that people actually seek out my blog page on Facebook and the top search term used to land on my blog is my blog name which means this: people come to my site not just looking for A blog, they come looking for MY blog.

But I think the thing that qualifies me to write a blog about blogging is this. I'm still learning! I'm getting better at what I do. Each day I have a new realization, a new discovery or, at the very least, come to acceptance on some classic blogging truth against which I'd been rebelling up to that point.

I wanted to start this blog because I see a lot of people out there trying to blog. Trying being the operative word. But as many other things in life, blogging falls under what I call the Yoda clause. "Do or do not. There is no try."

So what do you do? That's what this blog is gonna be about! I'll start out by sharing what I've learned so far. Then I'll just report out what I'm learning along the way. I don't contend that I'm always right. I welcome healthy debate. But what you'll always get from me is the truth as I see it. I am a professional writer by trade (yes, I actually collect a paycheck for writing) who is also studying to be a professional marketer. So I'll also bring any advice I pick up along the way.

Well then. Now that I've done the tap dance let's get started, shall we?

The first thing you need to do is decide WHY you want to blog. Yep. Right here, right now. In my estimation there are two core reasons anyone would want to blog:

1. Just for yourself/your close circle. And if that's the case, this blog might bore you to tears.
2. To build an audience for any number of reasons.

You #2's have a variety of reasons why you want to build an audience. Perhaps to push your personal agenda. Maybe some of you want to make money. Perhaps others want free stuff or notoriety. 

Only you know why you want to blog but I will say this. If you are a #2, or even think you are, notice the words "build" and "audience." That's your task. You can write all the compelling content you want and if there's nobody around to read it, you're not going to be satisfied. And I hate to break this hard truth to you but I must rip the band-aid off early: nobody is going to think you're as great as you think you are. At least not without some convincing. And that takes a lot of effort, a lot of learning and, alas, a lot of time. 

So, why do you want to blog? If you are a #2 be prepared to make a time and effort commitment. Few things worth doing are easy. But if you want to build an audience - and I mean really build an audience - you can. And I'm going to help you!

I think that's about enough for one post. Stay tuned for future posts which I will TRY to do with some regularity although with two jobs, two kids, two pets, studying for my master's degree AND running a successful and growing blog that might be a challenge for me. But I love a challenge, don't you?