IGTB Turns a Year Old: What I Learned

First off, I'd like to start by wishing you all a happy Halloween, and happy birthday to my mother. (Hi Mom!)

I can't believe a year has passed since I first started IGTB! (I'm a little late in posting this, actually.. the official birthday was Oct. 20th)

I've learned so much since first starting this blog. I've faced so many ups and downs while writing here, and although I'm bound to encounter many more problems, the hardest part is over. Finally!

Today, I'm going to share with you some of the most important lessons I've learned about blogging over the past year. Some were pretty easy to figure out, and others had to be learned the hard way. Put them to good use. 

It's not easy.

Some of you may be thinking something along the lines of 'Duh, you moron!' But hear me out a minute.

By choosing to take blogging seriously, you are making a commitment to something that is going to take up a lot of your time and energy. Be prepared for frustration, and writer's block, and dealing with all the other little problems that come along with having to update on a regular basis, and trying to build an audience and keep it.

And if you're paying for your own domain and hosting, you're investing money into something that you may not profit from. That's a risk you're choosing to take, and it's up to you to make it work. You must learn to spend within your means.

And sometimes life will throw you a few curve balls, and still, you've got to keep up with your blog or risk losing your readers. You may be forced to reconsider your priorities, and the logical choice may not always be in favor of your blog. You may have to choose what's most important to you and vital to your well-being.

Like I said, it's not always easy.

K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple, Stupid

The vast majority of your blog's readers are not going to be reading every one of your articles word-for-word and analyzing it to death. Most people will skim an article, and concentrate only on the points that interest them, so keep it simple. There is hardly a need for elaborate sentences (in most cases). Blogging is a more laid-back form of publishing, so just get your message across and don't 'beat around the bush' if you can help it.

Also, to appeal to a wider audience, you may not want to use words that someone of another nationality probably would not understand. If you're speaking to the entire world, write as if you are. 

Write like every post counts.

Whether you have an audience of two, or two million, write the best you can. Really make it count. You just never know who is going to discover your blog.

A person may find one of your posts via Google, and subscribe because he or she really enjoys what you have to offer. Or that person may be unimpressed and move on. Which would you prefer?

Don't take it too seriously.

Yes, blogging can be a lot of work and you do have a standard to uphold, but don't take it too seriously. Don't be afraid to have some fun. When writing becomes more of a burden than a relaxing activity, your blog is going to suffer.

Don't obsess over your stats.

Don't get caught up in that stats addiction crap. Write as if you have no idea how many people are reading your blog, as if it is all purely for fun.

If you have a blog about dogs, try to cover everything anyone could possibly want to know about dogs, and then some. Concentrate on creating the best website you can, and promote it, and your readers will come. When you begin obsessing over your stats, and then neglecting your blogging duties, you're headed for a big letdown.

Leave room for others to contribute.

Don't think of it as a 'less work, time to get lazy' sort of thing. Think of it as building the community around your blog. If you've got a decent-sized readership, there's a good chance that some of them will want to take part in activities on your blog, whether you're hosting contests, asking for guest bloggers, offering free blog reviews, or just asking for their thoughts and ideas in your comment space. And don't simply encourage your readers to interact with you alone, encourage them to interact with one another as well.

Keep raising your standards.

This is the most important part of blogging, I think. Keep learning. Keep improving. Every time you accomplish a goal, set another one. Keep striving for something better, for something more.

A lot of us have a natural competitiveness about us, so when we meet a goal we had set for ourselves, we feel good. Use that. Keep building on top of what you already have. That's the only way you're going to 'make it' as a popular blogger, if that's the path you chose to take with your writing. Don't be afraid to move forward.

What lessons have you learned about blogging?

P.S. I also want to say THANK YOU to you all for reading, commenting, and supporting me and my blog. I wouldn't be writing this today if it wasn't for you.

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Comments

[Mary]

You posted some great tips ... I liked the idea of writing as if you had no idea who - or how many - is reading your blog.

[Corey Freeman]

Really awesome blogging story! Thanks for sharing. I definitely agree with the "keep it simple part." Once I stopped freaking out about and just focused on writing content, things got way easier to handle.

To contradict one point, I don't necessarily think you should completely ignore your statistics. Should you be obsessed? No way. However, sometimes making small adjustments can make a big difference.

The last point is my favorite! I think if you don't push yourself and head anywhere, nobody will follow you. The more you push yourself and raise your standards, the more you learn. That's why I love running experiments on my blog. Really great story!

[ElegantCelebBlogger]

Thanks for a great article. As I have gained blogging experience over the last four months, the KISS and don't take it too seriously points have really hit home for me. Especially the KISS point. I've had to downgrade my perfectionist standards and get to the point in my posts, simply due to lack of time. Thanks for summarizing what I had learned!

[Blogging For Novice]

Great summary for what you have learned during one year time. You got the points there. Nice write up. And congrats IGTB for turning one year old. ^^

[Blogging with WordPress]

Congratulations! One thing I've learnt is to be proactive in promoting your blog via commenting, social bookmarking, etc. No matter how good your blog is, it's not much good if no-one reads it.

[Blog for Beginners]

Don't take it too seriously.

I'm subscribed to the idea that I "blog to live" and not "live to blog". There is more to life than blogging alone.

Anyway, congrats on 1st year anniversary and here's the toast to a better year ahead. All the best and thanks for sharing your insights.

Yan