5 Biggest Understatements from New Bloggers

A lot of people want to blog, and many of these people think that starting a new blog is simple stuff. If you’re doing your due research prior to launching your own blog, then please read on as I address some of the biggest misconceptions around blogging. I discuss these misconceptions not to ward off any potential bloggers, but to help them understand the process behind blogging. Knowing the information beforehand will help a great deal when they decide to blog, as they will be able to stick to their goals easier if they can create a well-considered plan of action.

Here are 5 of the biggest misconceptions I’ve heard in regards to new bloggers:

It’s easy.

Blogging may seem easy. Everyone has a blog, and they all just type about whatever is on their mind. So blogging may seem to be easy but it’s not. Millions of blogs that have been created with the best of intentions have fallen to the wayside, long forgotten and abandoned. The act of sitting down and writing a blog entry on a regular basis takes as much discipline as changing any other aspect of your lifestyle.

Additionally, any blogger looking to earn some revenue based on their content will need to take further steps to market their content and build a personal brand. Depending on your ultimate goals with your blog, it is quite likely that you will feel the strain of having another job on top of the daytime job you already have. I recommend that you sit down and have an honest conversation with yourself regarding the goals and expectations of your blog. From there you can create a realistic plan of action that won’t overwhelm you in your new pursuit.

You can say whatever you want.

Just because it’s your blog or your blog entry does not mean that you can say whatever you want. For everything you put out into the blogosphere, there is another perspective that someone else can consider, just as publicly as you have. Be prepared for any backlash you receive if your tactic for outlandish blog articles is the perception you’re going for.

This is especially important to keep in mind when discussing an individual or organization, as they can be affected by your blog entry. Ruffling any feathers on this end could burn networking bridges before you even get a chance to leverage relationships with others from whom you can get information and other opportunities that can help your blog in the long run.

Additionally, the blogging platforms themselves have interests to consider, as they cannot allow all content to be publicly available. Certain types of content must be restricted in access to those that are of age. Other times, content can get you banned from a blogging platform all together.

People will care.

Along with the misconception that if you build it, they will come, many new bloggers have a tendency to think that if they publish it, they will read. This isn’t always the case. Some people will prefer your work over others, and some people just won’t care. Even as you create and publish content on your blog, you still have to reach out to the people that are most likely to appreciate what you’ve written. Seek these people as your audience and appeal to their interests. Gain feedback from them and don’t take it personal when you don’t see every page hit turn into a return visit.

You have the greatest ideas.

This goes hand in hand with the misconception that you can say whatever you want. The ideas you have are worthwhile, but they are still your ideas. That makes them subjective, based on the information to which you have access. While it’s appreciated to include your opinion in your blog articles, it is important to respect the opinions of others.

You blog because you’re passionate enough about a given topic to publish your thoughts on the web. Instead of emerging onto the scene as a new hot shot, engage in conversation with others that are passionate about the same topic and recognize that blogging makes you part of a community. You don’t have to stand alone.

You’ll blog every day.

In order to have a successful blog through which you can build your online persona or brand, you will have to update your profiles with regular and frequent information. Be realistic about your schedule and time management when considering the launch of a blog, as the tasks and woes of every day life can quickly interfere with the time you’d hoped to set aside for daily blogging.

There are a number of tools and services that can aid in your time management, streamlining the activity around your blogging and redistribution of your content across the social web. Mobile tools and blogging platforms make it easier to write while on the go. Choose a blogging format that fits with your schedule an create a blog around these needs so that you won’t feel overwhelmed and discouraged at the inability to update your blog as frequently as you’d initially hoped.

Written by Kristen Nicole from Kristen Nicole
Posted on December 7th, 2009 and filed under Blogging
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