I am so excited for this series! I enlisted the help of about a dozen bloggers whom I admire and love to share their tips, tricks and stories about blogging. I am also sharing things that I’ve learned the past three (eek!) years of blogging, mostly through trial and error.
Here’s my first post: Blogging 101: Free, User-Friendly Tools to Make Your Blog More Awesome
The first guest post is from Maria, a dear friend whom I met at Blend Retreat last year. She is one of those people you look to for real advice. On life, love, work..and blogging! She has been my sounding board many times and I’m so grateful she took time out of her busy life to write up this gem!
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I’m Maria Falls, the writer behind, get this…mafalls.blogspot.com (creative aren’t I?).
I would consider myself an amatuer blogger and a professional blog reader. I live in California with my husband where we are navigating the semi-newlywed life and figuring out where we’ll plant our roots someday. You’ll never know what you’ll see on my blog next; but I enjoy traveling, photography, eating really good (though not always healthy) food, petite “fashion” (in quotes because I what I wear is a far cry from fashion), clean sheets, Southern summers and any dessert that contains lemon.
I’m happy to contribute some of my blogging musings to Amanda’s Blogging 101 series. Amanda and I met a little over year ago and we bonded over her realistic take on healthy living, workouts, and life in general. I’m happy to call her a friend…and not just a blogger-friend, a real one. Just one of the perks of blogging that I never expected!
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How long have you been blogging? Did you have any blogs previous to your current one?
I’ve been blogging on and off for over 4 years. My first blog would most likely be categorized as a health living blog. I was planning my wedding and had a strong focus to get healthy and fit for the big day. I had also just started moderate to hardcore (at least for me) workouts and wanted to find a community to relate to. I was definitely the green monster drinking, overnight oats eating and Crossfit-obsessed blogger and at the time, it really worked for me.
But then I got back from my honeymoon and though life wasn’t much different, I was in a different mindset. My priorities changed and while health was still one of them, it wasn’t the main focus of my free time anymore. I was going through some career changes and trying to figure out who/what I wanted to be. I found new hobbies and interests, such as decorating my home, hiking, and traveling. So with that, my blog changed too…to a more personal/lifestyle blog. I loved the freedom to write about anything and everything I wanted. It just felt more me.
What do you blog about? How did you find your “niche?”
I would definitely say that I have a “niche-less” blog and yes, it’s sort of a hot mess, but in a good way! I know that research says having a clearly defined blog is what draws readers and influences top page, but those things don’t really matter to me, so I write about whatever comes to mind. As I mentioned above, it wasn’t always this way. I had a title and “catch phrase” to my health living blog and didn’t want to stray from it too often. Now, with a self-titled blog, I blog about life and the things I find interesting, whether it be a weekend trip to the mountains or how to clean your tile grout. My blog tends to ebb and flow with how I’m feeling and what’s going on in my life, which as you know, can change all the time.
Do you plan on continuing your blog for years to come or do you have other projects in mind?
As long as blogging doesn’t become a drag for me or I get bored with it, I plan to continue blogging through all phases of my life. I like keeping a diary of sorts with photos and pieces of information from that time of my life. But I can 100% guarantee you that my blog will change with the different stages of my life such as when I buy a house, start a family, etc. I don’t think bloggers should ever apologize for having a blog take a new course (i.e. from health living to mommy blogging).
In fact, I welcome the change because if you are trying to be a HLB (Healthy Living Blogger) and your real focus and interest are your children, then write about about your children for goodness sakes! As an avid blog reader, I can quickly tell when a blogger is just over their subject, so it’s actually a better idea to have a blog grow with you instead of trying to be something you aren’t.
What blogging platform (Blogger, WordPress, Self-hosted) do you use and why? Have you changed from one to the other? What was your experience with the change?
I used WordPress in the past and found it to be very customizable, which I liked…to a certain extent. I then switched to Blogger and found the site to be much more user-friendly and easy to post on. I just want to blog and not think about how to install a widget or thumb through HTML to find source codes just to change my blog’s font. I’ve changed back and forth a few times to each and found the change to be easy with the help of one computer-savvy husband and a few Google searches. Yes, sometimes I’d lose photos, but I just deleted those posts instead of fixing them – haha.
Do you have any advice to give to a new blogger? What is one thing you wish you had learned early on?
1. Remember why you started blogging in the first place. Chances are it wasn’t to gain a massive audience and 1,000+ followers – it was to write your thoughts and share a piece of your life. Don’t stray from that and fall into the “me too” blogging trap. Think about what you’d write if you had a private diary and build off of those ideas (sharing as little or as much as you see comfortable). Be yourself.
2. Don’t get down on yourself if you spend hours perfecting a post that gets little to no comments. It’s most likely NOT because it was a bad post, but because most commenters need to resonate with a blogger or post before they comment. Perhaps no one had the experience you had. Perhaps the recipe had an ingredient in it that they dislike or don’t care to use. Don’t let it get you down and refer to number one.
3. Readers will come and go. People change. Your blog changes. Don’t ever take it personally if a few readers drop off. There are numerous reasons why this happens and most likely, they have little to do with your blog.
4. If it’s not fun, take a break. This is not a case where you fake it until you make it. Readers will notice if you start to hate blogging, so don’t force it. Same goes if you find yourself in comparison with other blogger’s successes – just stop reading them for a while. A break does wonders and you generate so many more ideas after you return.
What I wish I knew early on?
Well, all of the above. I learned each the hard way, though I have no blogging regrets. After all, it’s just a fun hobby 🙂
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Do you blog? Pick one of the questions above and answer it in the comments for even more knowledge sharing!
Also make sure to check out my Justin’s Nut Butter raffle in support of Girls on the Run!!
*~Amanda aka Semi-Health Nut~*
I love making new friends! Feel free to comment below, or connect with me via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram or e-mail: semihealthnut AT yahoo DOT com. You can also follow posts via e-mail , Bloglovin, Networked Blogs, or my blog feed. Thank you so much for reading and God bless! 🙂
Great post! As a semi-new-blogger, I am excited for this series! My one piece of advice, is to write what you would want to read. I know it sounds obvious but it has really helped me.
That’s so true Amy! If I find myself skimming my own post and/or getting bored with the content…something needs to change!
Great post! As a semi-new-blogger, I am excited for this series! My one piece of advice, is to write what you would want to read. I know it sounds obvious but it has really helped me.
I like this series! I have been wanting to start a blog for awhile now but I’ve just been procrastinating actually doing it. I need to just get on with it. 😉 I do blog a bit at the weight loss community sparkpeople but you have to be a member there to comment so it’s not ideal.
Blogging is fun but quite a bit of work to build a functioning one that people actually want to read. It’s taken me 3 years to figure it out but hopefully since you read blogs, you can already tell what works (I never read blogs before so had NO CLUE)! And you must be a decent writer if you’re getting paid to blog! 🙂
I like this series! I have been wanting to start a blog for awhile now but I’ve just been procrastinating actually doing it. I need to just get on with it. 😉 I do blog a bit at the weight loss community sparkpeople but you have to be a member there to comment so it’s not ideal.
Love the advice, Maria! I’m writing my blogging 101 post and mine looks a LOT like this. 🙂
Thanks! I look forward to reading yours!
Love the advice, Maria! I’m writing my blogging 101 post and mine looks a LOT like this. 🙂
Thanks! I look forward to reading yours!
Awesome article!
Blogging is fun but quite a bit of work to build a functioning one that people actually want to read. It’s taken me 3 years to figure it out but hopefully since you read blogs, you can already tell what works (I never read blogs before so had NO CLUE)! And you must be a decent writer if you’re getting paid to blog! 🙂
That’s so true Amy! If I find myself skimming my own post and/or getting bored with the content…something needs to change!
Awesome article!