Starting a Blog

I was asked a question recently About starting to write a blogAnd did I have any tips for someone who wanted to create a blogThis is a really good questionAnd I wish I had had someone to ask when I was starting mine
I started writing my blog April 2012I knew very little about blogsAlthough I had been reading a few about eating disorders and recoveryIt seemed like such a great thing to doAnd a great way to connect with others in the same situationI was up to my neck in my EDAnd I desperately craved to be around others like meSo I decided to start writing my own bloI knew very little about blogsAnd I am not the most technically minded person in the world So it was baby steps all the wayMy blog now gets about 15 000 unique visitors a monthAnd it's always exciting to get comments and emails
SoWhy blog?Well first and foremostIt is just a really good hobbyIf you love to write and connect with othersThen blogging is definitely got youI have made some amazing friends through bloggingAnd I am as close to them as I am to people in my real life
NextBlogging is fast becoming one of the post popular ways to communicate informationI was reading an article just yesterdayHow bloggers are taking over the worldSo it is definitely a good way to stay in the loop of what is happening right now
I had to decide what the theme of my blog wasI think it's good to have a themeSo people know what your blog is aboutIn my case I chose addiction and EDs and trying to overcome themBut yours could be about anythingCookingDogsPhotographyThe possibilities are endlessAnd there are always others who will have the same interests as youThat is the great thing about bloggingThere is a whole community of people who are in the same situation as youAnd they will welcome you with open arms
So now you know what you are going to write aboutTime to create your blogFirst you need to choose your blogging platformThis is the site that will host your blog and there are manyBloggerWhich is probably the most user friendlyWordpress which is the biggest platformTumble which is a really interesting way to postI choose bloggerAlthough I have used Wordpress in the pastI definitely found that blogger is the easiest to use
Then I had to create my blogChoose a URLYour blogs addressYour blog title And your user nameI would keep your URL short and catchy and too difficult to rememberFor your user name you can choose your real name or a pseudonym I choose Ruby TuesdayAs Ruby is close to my real nameAnd also because I love the song Ruby Tuesday
Now it's time to design your blogAnd figure out how you want your blog to lookThere are many free templates on blogger and WordpressSo I am sure you will find something that suits youAnd they are easy to useEven for a technophobe like me
So now you have created your blogIt's time to write your first postBut first you need to decide whether you want to write anonymously or notThere are pros and cons to bothFor the first few monthsI wrote anonymouslyAnd that was great as I could write anythingSafe in the knowledge that no one new who I wasBut then I decided to make my blog more openAnd started posting photosSo my blog is no longer anonymousI would also think carefully about who you give your URL to in real life As then that person can read your blog whenever they likeSomething to think about
SoIn your first postYou will want to introduce yourselfI would make it short and snappyTell everyone who you areWhat your blog is about And maybe a few tidbits about yourselfAnd of course always leave people wanting more.....
Then you will want to decide how often you post I used to post on Mondays, Wednesday's and FridaysBut now I tend to post everydayI think posting regularly is great as people will then anticipate your next post
If you have started a blogYou will obviously want people to read your blogSo how do you do that?Well you read and comment on other blogsThen people will get to know you are your blog nameAnd will most likely check out your blogAnd when you leave comments Write thoughtful and considerate ones No just 'Hey follow me and I'll follow you back'And comment on blogs that are about a similar subject to yours That way people will be curious about yours
As you knowBlogs have followersBut don't write just to get followers and commentsThat won't workAnd you'll just drive yourself nutsWrite from the heartAnd the traffic will follow
I hope this post was helpful to those of you that are thinking of starting a blogDo let me know if you have any questionsAnd please do comment if you have any other tipsHappy blogging!