The folks in the Alabama Media Professionals group asked me to talk about blogging in the monthly meeting tomorrow.
I do the newsletter for the group and I use one of my columns each month.
Someone asked me how I come up with ideas for columns each week and when I explained that most of the seeds of columns came from my blog, that tweaked their interest.
So I did a brief outline for the talk and the bullet points are:
Why blog?
Where?
What should I blog about?
How often?
How do you build a following?
Can I make money blogging?
I can only share my experience as a blogger. There are people making a living with their blogs but they treat blogging like a job.
They have a marketable topic, and they become known as a subject matter expert in their field.
The reason I blog is to help me become a better writer. I've written well over 3200 posts since I started in December of 2005 and my style has evolved through the years. I've found my voice.
Though I didn't realize where I was heading at first, blogging helped me to land the job as a weekly columnist in the newspaper. The columns led to producing my books. I'm now designing the cover for my third book which is due out this summer.
The books gave me credibility which helped me to get other newspapers across the south to pick up my column as well.
I love blogging but I fear some people get into it thinking they can make a fortune. While it is possible, it's like any other vocation, you get out what you put in. Being successful takes luck, and a lot of work.
.
.
I do the newsletter for the group and I use one of my columns each month.
Someone asked me how I come up with ideas for columns each week and when I explained that most of the seeds of columns came from my blog, that tweaked their interest.
So I did a brief outline for the talk and the bullet points are:
Why blog?
Where?
What should I blog about?
How often?
How do you build a following?
Can I make money blogging?
I can only share my experience as a blogger. There are people making a living with their blogs but they treat blogging like a job.
They have a marketable topic, and they become known as a subject matter expert in their field.
The reason I blog is to help me become a better writer. I've written well over 3200 posts since I started in December of 2005 and my style has evolved through the years. I've found my voice.
Though I didn't realize where I was heading at first, blogging helped me to land the job as a weekly columnist in the newspaper. The columns led to producing my books. I'm now designing the cover for my third book which is due out this summer.
The books gave me credibility which helped me to get other newspapers across the south to pick up my column as well.
I love blogging but I fear some people get into it thinking they can make a fortune. While it is possible, it's like any other vocation, you get out what you put in. Being successful takes luck, and a lot of work.
.
.
You've done very well, because it's obvious you love what you do...and that to me is success!
ReplyDeleteI blog because my memory is shot. With my blog I can look back and remember what happened in my life.
ReplyDeleteI blog as a hobby and meeting other people....I think it is wonderful your blog has opened the door to your career and yet maintained your original purpose.
ReplyDeleteBlogging is a way to improve my writing, to enjoy and express my thoughts, to meet other bloggers, and to learn about the people around the world.
ReplyDeleteBlogging is about having fun and using my imagination.
You summed up very well.
ReplyDeleteI started blogging because I wanted to bring people's attention to issues of our society, both American and of culture from India. I want to leave this Earth with less and less problems so the generation of grand children ( every ones') understands and takes care of problems. I saw a lot of unhappiness in young people at my work place.
I started blogging so friends and family could see what my days were like. Funny thing happened, they don't read my blog but I've made many friends. : )
ReplyDelete