A little while ago, Michael D’Agostino, of A Life Examined, brought up the idea of a new blog hop called Question of the Month. He thinks blog readers would like to know a little more about us, the bloggers. So we’re all gathering to show you guys who we are by taking part in the Question of the Month blog hop. On the first Monday of each month, we answer the question that gets posted here.
This month’s question is: “If a friend came to you looking for advice on starting a blog, what three pieces of advice would you give them?”
So, since we’ve been advised to stay away from some of the commonly applied tips of the trade such as: visit other blogs, write what you love, and link back to older posts from time to time, I’m going to try to think a bit outside the box.
Tip #1 – Find a niche. It doesn’t have to be something uber unique, just something that will help narrow your focus and tap into a specific audience. I, for one, have set myself up as a fan and contributor to geek culture. “Geek” has become so broad and popular as of late, that I’ve made a point to single out some of my specific interests, instead of trying to cover them all. I mainly talk about books and movies, but I’ll slip in some of my music interests from time to time.
Tip #2 – Embrace the culture. Many people don’t realize that blogging is a subculture and that within it, there are many micro-cultures to join in and become involved with. Joining blog hops and tours is a good way to connect to others who share your interests and learn from others. It’s important not to become overwhelmed by all the blogosphere has to offer. Many newcomers to the culture may feel the need to try everything all at once, but a little here and there should be enough to help someone find their place and feel like they are a part of something bigger.
Tip #3 – Plan and schedule. Don’t be afraid to think ahead whenever possible. Some blogs are designed to be spontaneous while others clearly work on a set schedule. In either situation, a bit of planning and scheduling can go a long way, even if it’s just setting up post for special occasions and or holidays. It’s always good to have a bit of wiggle room when posting to your blog so as not to turn the positive experience into a stressful one.
So that’s what I got. Hope it’s somewhat helpful.
Please visit the other participants in this hop and even join in if you’d like. I can’t wait to see what other tips will be shared.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
20 replies on “#Question of the Month: a #bloghop to think about. No. 12- What’s your advice on starting a blog?”
Excellent advice.
Shalom,
Patricia
Thank you.
I loved your advice and reblogged on Tumblr. Loads of food for thought.
Thanks for the reblog. Much appreciated.
Joining blog hops is a great way to get your own blogging habits and ideas flowing, and meet new people.
Mary at Play off the Page
I agree. Thanks for stopping by.
I think people should go into blogging with the idea that it is a fun thing, a sharing thing. It’s easy to get stressed out thinking you have to put out a certain amount of material, or get a certain number of comments, or followers, or whatever. (I do this to myself sometimes.)
I agree. Blogging should be fun. For me, it’s about being part of the community.
Good advice. Since bloggers have different objectives they must figure out what they want to achieve. My blog niche is “Eclecticism”–I write about a lot of different things which is what stokes my fire. Maybe not what the experts advise, but it has worked okay for my purposes.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
That’s what so great about blogging- knowing that you can try different things. Like you say, it doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for you.
Blogging is a culture. I love that! I never really thought of it in that way but that makes sense.
I have to plan ahead. My posts are all done for this year and I already know what I’m doing next year. lol
Wow, you are on top of things. I need to get there. Luckily, I’m on my way.
That is good advice to not try everything at once. There are so many ways to use a blog and social media.
It’s so true. After all the years I’ve been doing this, it seems I learn something new every year.
Hahahaha I’d forgotten that I vitoed “Visit other blogs. I put that as my first one. The link thing was an example of one you could do though 🙂
Vitoed or not, it’s good advice. As always, thanks for this lovely hop.
Planning ahead sure is a big one for us. As I haven’t wrote a word, besides comments, in a week and no one knows the difference haha planning works.
These are are all great. I never thought about the culture being a factor. I read blogs from different places. I enjoy the fact that one of my blogger friends is from Singapore, another is from India, a few are from Malaysia and many from the US. It’s fun for me to be friends with all different types of people. I have a group I follow of people that live in Omaha, Nebraska (where I’m from), and most of them have readers from here. Then there’s me. I hardly have an Omaha readers, but I do a lot other places.
I’m the same way. I have very few readers from my area (Virginia), but a few from Texas, Italy, Africa, and Austrailia.
This is some great advice! I like your Tip #2 especially. I tried out some various blog hops and memes here and there for a few months and it helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my blog and which of those I would use again.