History will decide the fate of 2009. Happy New Year! A new year means a new start and new opportunities. I am looking forward to a great year both personally and professionally.
Take advantage of the new year by updating your blog. Make a new years resolution to blog more often.
I tried blogging several times but never got the hang of it. 2008 was the year for me after trying 3 or 4 times at blogging.
You can make 2009 the year for you. Blogging can be time consuming. If you failed at blogging in 2008 it’s ok because it’s 2009. After failing at it several times I have realized several things the new blogger should think about. So here are 5 pointers for the “new blogger” or the “try again blogger.”
- Personal Look and Feel. – Your blog is yours and yours alone. Choose a theme, layout, and look that suits your taste. Change it as often you like. Do not listen to anyone telling you what it should look like. Do not listen to those that preach a consistent look. That really is not important. Look and Feel is personal and should be what you want. I totally recommend WordPress as a blogging platform. A multitude of themes are available. I just updated this blog to a theme called WP-Bats that I custom modified to suit me. Its suits me today. If one day it doesn’t then I will change. WordPress is great because most themes do not require modification they just work.
- Realistic Goals. Set realistic goals for your blog. Look most of have full-time jobs, families, activities, and many other things to take our time. If you want to blog its ok to be realistic. Set a goal to post once a month. If it works out then maybe twice a month. Pace yourself. The web is not going anywhere and your blog will probably still be there. If you want an audience just know things take time. Content is important but just do your best. It is your blog.
- No pressure. – Blog because you want to. Blog for any reason. Blog because you feel like it. Blog when you want to record something or broadcast something. If you fail at a goal it is ok. It really does not matter. Do not read, listen, or hear, the naysayers about how to blog or what to do. Do not feel pressured that there is a right way to blog. You blog in your own way.
- Fun. First and foremost have fun with it. You should enjoy what you are writing or posting about. Your enjoyment means the blog will probably get more attention, more content, and most all more time in your busy schedule. Second, audiences (readers) generally like to have fun also. Blogging is about enjoyment through words, pictures, audio, or video and it is a 2 way street. So if you are having fun the audience probably is too.
- No Rules Just You. I believe this more than anything else about blogging. Forget the rules, forget the blogging formulas, forget the rhetoric pushed out out by the large blogs telling everyone what to do. You see they are laughing all the way to the bank. They are making money by telling lots of eyeballs how, when, where, why, and what they should blog about. Write what you want when you want.
2009 can be the year of the blog. If at first you don’t succeed try, try again.