BloggersWalk

BloggersWalk didn’t start with a big bang or anything. Still, I’m getting some feedback via email, messenger, and PMs on various forums. One of the things that many of these people said was, “Wow, is it working? Do you think I can do that too?”

The first time I read that type of a PM, I was about to make a quick reply saying, “Sure. All it takes is setting one up.” But then, I halted and thought a bit further. Instead, I sent a reply asking a question, “I don’t know, but do you think you’ll love blogging?”

Let me be straightforward now, since I rambled around already. Blogging is not for everyone. Now, don’t take this as an offense, as it isn’t. It’s the same thing as how soccer is not for everyone, how math is not for everyone, and how playing the piano is not for everyone. Each individual has different talents and blogging is one of them. Blogging is a form of writing. Thus, before setting a blog up, you need to first ask yourself if blogging is really your thing.

Do you like writing?
The very basic of blogging is writing. There’s no way to get by it. You certainly don’t need to be a Tolkien or a Rowling and you don’t need to absolutely love writing that your future dream is an author, a journalist, or a reporter. However, you can’t hate writing. If you don’t like writing, blogging probably isn’t your thing. Maybe vlogging might be your thing.

Can you meet deadlines?
If you want a successful blog, you need to meet deadlines without a boss behind your back. There are some professional bloggers out there who do this for a living. In fact, I hope that I become just as professional as them, as that is my goal with BloggersWalk. However, at this stage of BloggersWalk and myself, blogging is really a hobby. Nonetheless, I have publicly stated that I’m going to at least make two posts a week on Tuesday and Friday. I haven’t missed it yet. You can always do more, but you shouldn’t do less when there is a deadline. With blogging, deadlines are crucial as that is when your subscribers will come and check out your blog. If you can’t meet it, I won’t say don’t blog, but it might be kind of hard to get your opinion out.

Can you reach out?
This may not be so big to you, but in my opinion, it is. I blogged about how a big portion of blogging is about creating a community and getting people to comment on your views. But to do that, you need to take the initiative. Can you invest your time in trying to connect with other bloggers? Can you put effort into really getting to know your visitors? A healthy and an active blog is one where the bond between the blogger(s) and the visitor(s) are evidently strong. If that is too much, or your not the type that likes taking the initiative, maybe you could rethink about the idea of blogging.

Can you be different?
This is one of the biggest questions you should ask. Can you stand out from the rest? Can you be the one stepping left when everyone is stepping right? Take note that people like Darren Rowse and Jeremy Schoemaker could only be who they are right now because they were different. What’s the biggest part of being different? Showing yourself. It’s as simple as that. I’ve noticed a lot of bloggers “imitating” successful posts and tactics. Okay, I believe that “imitating” is a way to get started as you really don’t know a thing at the beginning. Even with subjects like math, you first see an example of how a problem is solved, and then you solve a problem that is nearly identical (except for numbers) with the example that you just solved. Eventually, you start solving variations and applicable questions. Blogging is like that. You can start out following a couple or a few, but eventually, you need to be original. You need to be different. The best way is being real and being yourself. So what if John Chow thinks that his dinner he had last night was the best dish in the world. If you think it stinks, say it!

Can you keep it up?
This one is for those looking to make money through blogging. You’ve probably heard it before, but you’ll hear it again. A lot of bloggers start to pump out a lot of content at the beginning. However, soon, they lose the gas and you start to see a very promising blog fade away. If you’re looking to earn money from blogging, you may be able to earn $2 USD from a quick link sale, but you won’t earn a lot unless you’re willing to stay alive. Even if you’re writing the most beautiful content ever, if you’re in this thing for money, you need to be consistent and persistent. Small money can follow cheap tactics, but big money follows reputation. There’s a reason why big companies like Nike and adidas in the sports equipment industry make way more than some of the smaller ones.

Note that I am not discouraging anyone from blogging. Blogging is really an awesome way to improve in many ways. In fact, a few days ago I was really happy by the fact that my book-addict and movie-addict brother started a blog about books and movies. It’s a rewarding activity and everyone should certainly give it a try. Nonetheless, as much as I enjoy seeing people jump into blogging, I also feel slightly sad when a blog is abandoned, especially some promising ones.

Also, not to forget, maybe you’ll begin to like blogging as your blog more and more. I’m one of those types who didn’t like it at first, but as I forced myself more and more into it, now I can’t wait to publish my next post. I’ve also seen it happen with quite a few people on various blog forums that I participate/visit/lurk in. This could be your scenario too.

Again, you may prove me wrong and still go at full throttle with your blog even if it may not be your thing. However, these are just a few questions to think about if you’re on that line of whether you should start a blog or not.