So You Want to Be a Blogger? Are You Sure? - International Bloggers’ Association

So you want to be a blogger???Are you sure?

Debunking Some Blogging Myths.Welcome to the world of blogging. For a moment let’s imagine what you probably are thinking your life will be like now that you have started your blog. You probably think that just by starting a blog and writing on it people will find it. You will be making loads of money and living the high life full of freebies and tv show appearances.

First Myth of blogging:

It will be easy.Blogging is not easy. There is a lot of work that each blogger does each and every day to aid in the success of their blogs. Blogging is not just about writing a post and pressing publish. Blogging if done correctly is a full time job. You have to have consistent content, social media updates, sharing, contacting brands, networking, and still find the time to plan your next post… You are only as good as your last post.

Fact: Blogging is HARD work and takes time and dedication.If your ready to put your heart and time into the blog than your ready to be a professional blogger. You probably think that success will come quickly now that you have made the leap into the blogosphere.Second Myth of blogging:Success happens quickly.Success is relative to what you are looking for. There are different levels of success and ultimately it is up to you whether you feel successful where you are at. If you reach your goals than you can count that as a success. Successful blogging will take time as does anything great. You will have a learning curve to adjust to your style. You will have to find your own way of blogging and your own way to be uniquely you. Don’t expect to be in the top 10 the first few months. Grow gradually your style and your blog will grown as your knowledge and community grows.Fact: It takes time and effort to find success.Third Myth about blogging.The money will come quickly.I don’t know how to break it to you but it doesn’t. There is money in blogging and if you are good you will get to the point of making money to blog. It will take time and effort and it isn’t always consistent. If you don’t love what your doing that it is not worth it. The fact of the matter is there are far to many bloggers trying for the same money as you will be. You won’t get every campaign. You won’t get every affiliate sale. Ads don’t pay much. Don’t feel like it’s personal, it’s just sheer mathematics. When I started getting the sponsored posts I was so excited because I felt a high of being chosen like they liked my work. Then they started to not come as often and I thought it was me. I began to wonder what I had done or didn’t do. Than I realized it wasn’t about me at all, it was the fact that there are just too many others looking for the same opportunities. Fact: Dollars and cents are not going to rain down on your head.Fourth Myth about blogging:It costs lots money to succeed.
If you really wanted to, you can blog without spending a dime. Actually for the first 6 months of my blog I didn’t spend a dime on anything and even now I’m only around 7 dollars in which I have made back. Fact: You can get started blogging for free if you put your mind to it. Eventually there will be costs such as a domain name or costs for materials for posts but the amount of those costs depend on you.Fifth Myth about blogging:You need to post everyday.It is great to have a new post published and if you can publish quality posts on a daily schedule the more power to you. As with anything in life it is better yet to have quality over quantity and if you can’t devote the time to a quality post on a daily schedule, it’s okay. It’s okay to post two times a week if those posts are high quality. Just remember you are only as good as your last post and that post is the most powerful when it’s new. Fact: Quality posts that are consistent are better than daily rushed posts.Sixth Myth about blogging:A good camera is all I need to take good pictures.An expensive camera is great to have but not all that you need to take great shots for your posts. You need to know how to use that fancy gadget. You need to concentrate on the shot and takes lots of pictures at lots of angles. You need to pay attention to lighting, background, and the picture as a whole. Read your manual. Get a good graphics editor and learn how to use it. (Gimp is a free full fledged graphics editor). Take your time. To be honest if you have a good eye and a good photo editor you can use a point and shoot and get great shots. It’s more about the photographer than the camera, trust me. Read some tutorials and become familiar with taking better pictures and you will not regret it.

Fact: Educate yourself on the proper use of photography equipment. Education is never a bad thing.

Now you kind of know what to expect. I also have a few tips for all that aspiring newbie baby bloggers out there.

Don’t let blogging take over. You don’t want to wake up one day and realize your life has just become one blog post after another. There is always a chance to find a blog post in every situation but don’t spend all of your time searching for it. Live first and then blog later.

Blog for the love of blogging. Blogging is a wonderful exciting hobby if you have the heart for it.

If you blog for work treat it like work, if you blog for fun have fun. Don’t let the idea of making money turn your fun into work unless that is your ultimate goal.

Enjoy your kids and make memories with them that you don’t share with the world. I often wonder if when my kids grow up there will be a new syndrome for all these blog kids we are raising. The Bloggy Syndrome where as adult they stop and pose for pictures randomly and expect new packages to arrive magically at the door once or twice a week. They have learned to live with out privacy so they have become over sharers worse than our current crop of young adults. Not only do they take pictures of their food or themselves in the bathroom but they also share pictures of their individual foot steps, opening of doors, every chair they sit in… and every mundane tasks they do.

Don’t get me wrong. Blogging is great and I know that every time I think I am going to stop deep down I know that I can’t give it up. It’s my addiction and it’s just as powerful as any drug. To me blogging is part of what makes me me (there was a sentence with the word me in it three times, I better stop that before I get tagged as a narcissist.)One more tidbit of advice.

Networking is EVERYTHING in the world of blogging.

The blogging community is a warm inviting and friendly place that is wonderful to be a part of. We are friends and support each other. Together we can help each other succeed.

So you want to be a blogger?

This post was written by Becka Mellon of Probably Crafting.

About Becka: I’m just a multi-passionate Christian mom of three, who sews, crochets, crafts, and creates printable and educational materials. I love working in photography, digital art, graphics, and all things crafting. The LORD is my guide as I blog about my life.

Related IBA Articles

About Brittany