BEDM ~ Blog Chat

Today’s topic is all about blogging, suggesting that maybe I should share some of my best blogging tips. I am part of a blogging group on Facebook, and there are often people on there sharing their tips, and a lot of people looking for advice. I don’t always offer advice, more often than not I read the posts too late to offer anything new, but it’s great that there are such places where people can go to ask questions from people who are more than happy to help.

 

Five Blogging Tips

• Write about the things you are interested in. As I’ve mentioned before, since the start of the year, I have really tried to focus my blog on books, because I love reading more than almost anything else. It’s easy to write a book review, or about a list of books I want to read, because that’s what I spend my time thinking about. When I get dressed in the morning, I don’t care that much about what I am putting on, and I certainly don’t enjoy shopping in the same way I used to, so why do I think I’d be any good at writing about fashion? There might still be the odd outfit post on here (I do have a silly 32 Before 32 goal to meet, after all), but if you want fashion tips, you’re in the wrong place!

• Don’t feel bad about accepting items for review or sponsored posts. I’ve gone backwards and forwards on this kind of thing before, but here’s my definitive position on it. If you are lucky enough to be offered items for review or money for writing a post, and you feel comfortable accepting, go for it! I consider it a compliment that companies think I might be able to influence my readers in such a way. However, for my own part, I don’t read blogs where every post is sponsored or in collaboration with the brand. It doesn’t give me any confidence in the blogger, I don’t think they believe in the product or service they are writing about, I think they are just taking money for anything.

• Allow your blog to be exactly what you want it to be. If that means that you want to post every day, and you want to be so organised that you have a week’s worth of posts scheduled, that’s great. If you want to blog once a week and you just want to write a stream of consciousness and press post, that’s fine too. Blogging is, for most people, a hobby, a creative outlet, a way of connecting with other people, and if it’s not your main source of income, you shouldn’t let yourself become stressed out by it. I’ve learnt that mistake the hard way!

• Read other blogs. This is an obvious one, really, but it’s great advice because by reading other blogs, you’ll be inspired! You’ll see something on another blog that will really resonate with you and make you want to write a post. You’ll also probably see something on another blog that will make you reach for your bank card and spend a load of money online, but that’s just something you have to live with as a blogger! The big world of blogging is, for the most part, a lovely community, and by reading and commenting on other blogs, you’ll feel part of that community.

• Get involved. As I mentioned, I’m part of a UK Bloggers group on Facebook, and it’s great for sharing advice and tips, having a moan, finding other bloggers to follow and sharing links. I also connect with a lot of bloggers on Twitter, through the various hashtags (#lbloggers, #bbloggers, #fbloggers and many, many more!), and from time to time, I get involved with the chats. Of course, the more you share your link, the better your stats will look, but it’s about more than that. It’s about finding people who are interested in the same things as you, and who understand why you want to take a photo of your dessert when you go out for dinner (“It’s for my blog!”)

 

Now, I don’t kid myself that most bloggers don’t already know all of these things already. I don’t think I’ve hit upon any secret formula to make blogging as fun as it can be, but I do think that most of the time, people need to be reminded that blogging is supposed to be about writing, having fun and connecting with people. So that’s my advice to anyone who is either thinking of starting a blog, or those who have been blogging for years. Find the fun!