I’ve been neglecting you. For the last two weeks, my attention has been on building a new blog called The SMB Collective. This project, officially 14 days old tomorrow, has been consuming me and proudly so.
If anyone remembers my trials and tribulations to launch this blog with no prior experience, it was painful. I launched this second blog and first post with three pages in less than eight hours — from scratch — a blank screen. For those who knew me back when, this is a laudable accomplishment! Why?
- Blogging takes perseverance, and blogging takes confidence. There’s a definitive need to disengage from fear. If you back up your blog, you can get it back. Experiment with themes, design, plug-ins and more. Stick your neck out and try something new once a week or faster based on your comfort level.
- Blogging voice is as fleeting and illusive as a butterfly seeking non-existent nectar. Now that I see the quantity of content bloggers are putting out, I also am noticing a fluctuation in voice. Where I’m going with SMB Collective is down an educational path to provide current topics relating to small-and-medium businesses’ daily life. By gathering experts, screened by Twitter engagement, each with distinct capabilities into one blogging community, I’m hopeful our voices will offer rich perspective that can help solve and address small business problems with solid solutions.
(I think what I just said there was more oriented to goals/objectives versus voice? I’m thinking to get to voice you need to state blogging objectives.)
- Blogging takes time! Managing a collection of writers/bloggers and guest authors is nothing short of time consuming. Last night, I had no idea it would take me 2.5 hours to upload three posts with links I had to find, images I had to include, bylines I needed and more. Basically, that was time needed, but not budgeted.
- Never regard blogging as a chore. When you don’t feel “it,” then don’t write. Anyone who blogs understands what I mean by “it.” For writers, it’s the inspiration from a Sun Chips bag or Gap logo that provides great fodder.
- Embrace failure as a teachable moment. As adults, failing is so much harder to handle/manage. Although a time waster, it’s necessary to fall flat on your face so you can pick yourself up with less inhibition to try it again.
So, these are my tips to keep the blogging thing going and growing. What else might you add?
Blogging would really take time and effort, but these both would be more rewarding if you already bring in more effort and increase your income.
There are hundreds of blogging tips which you need to know before starting a blogging business such as learning how to define your blog’s purpose, how to build a blog’s plan, about writing a more interesting and attention getting contents, and how to encourage readers to respond.