Everybody can blog.
My dad, your dad, my neighbour, your boss, their colleagues … you get the picture.
All you need is to create a free wordpress or blogger account, or get a self-hosted one, and start blogging your heart out. Really, there is no police. There is nobody stopping you. Go ahead, you can start today.
That being said, be very clear why you need to blog in the first place.
And there are a few valid reasons:
1. You want to start an online journal that you wish to share only with family and friends.
2. You want to start writing regularly and you need a place which will motivate you to do so, keep you accountable.
3. You want to share your thoughts on a specific topic with like minded audiences who will appreciate the trouble you have gone through to put out that content.
4. You want to monetize it further down the load and sell products or services through it.
However, there are times when it is probably not good idea to blog. If you are doing it for the wrong reasons then my advice: Don’t do it.
So, should you be blogging? Let’s go through some possible reasons why you shouldn’t.
#1 You have no clear purpose of writing your blog
Your blog is no more than an online diary – and that is fine. As long as you are aware of this fact.
And online diaries only interest people if they belong to high profile celebrities or incredibly successful or notorious people. If you are neither, I doubt it will work for you.
People subscribe to blogs because they give them useful content. They solve their problems and give them solutions they can implement. Or they entertain them. It is as simple as that. Be highly useful or entertaining.
And the only way to do that is to get crystal clear on your blog focus – I mean laser sharp focus. Pin point the exact problem you are solving and for whom. Identify your audience and cater to their needs.
Are you going to help them generate traffic for their website or develop content? Are you telling them tips on work life balance and productivity? Are you teaching them how to market their products or services?
The world is your oyster. Make sure you pick the right niche though. And this brings us to our next point.
#2 You are writing on a topic you don’t particularly care about
So you have heard that a particular topic is really in these days. And you decide you want to write about that. Or you think a topic makes you look impressive, or puts you on the path of making big bucks.
Rubbish!
What’s the point of having a blog if you don’t enjoy writing about the topic you have chosen? I am a freelance blogger and an online copywriter.
I have a MBA in marketing and a 8 year industry experience. When I decided to work from home to fit work around my kids, it made sense for me to write about the topics I know.
Do the same and you have a better chance of sticking to it for the long haul.
#3 You do not put any effort into writing content
There is no difference between a post published on your blog and an article published on an ezine. For all we know, a robot could have written both.
A blog embodies a personal style of writing. It is the height of personalized content. People are not following your blog only for the information you provide. They enjoy the point of view with which it is written. Your point of view.
Don’t try to hide behind the screen. Allow your voice to come through to the posts, this will only add to your appeal. The most popular blogs has a distinct style in which the content is presented. Some of them are so good that you will recognize their work anywhere.
Aiming for that is not a bad thing. It will help you stand out from the crowd.
#4 You refuse to visit other blogs
This has got to be the laziest things – or the dumbest – that you could possibly do.
I mean why won’t you subscribe to other blogs? If you are truly interested in your topic, wouldn’t you like to make friends with like minded people? Link to them, learn from them?
It just amazes me when people say ‘oh, we just write on the blogs, we don’t follow others’. Well, you should. Go out, leave meaningful comments on other blogs, subscribe to them, share their posts and connect.
That’s one of the reasons people start blogging in the first place.
#5 You refuse to learn from the experts
When I started blogging, I knew nothing about it. Duh! I was new, of course I wasn’t able to pen posts like an A-list blogger.
But that did not stop me from learning the ropes. Initially, I spent majority of my time following other blogs in my niche, taking gazillion notes on crafting effective headlines and creating engaging, compelling content.
You have to be a life-long learner, really.
#6 Your blog is your answer to get rich quickly
This one will be short. If you think you can get rich overnight, doing blogging, then you need a major reality check. And be aware of anybody who tells you otherwise.
And this ties in perfectly to our last point:
#7 You give up too easily
The final quality will ultimately determine if you can succeed at blogging. Persistence.
Blogging is not a short term game plan. You do it for fun, you do it to help others and you do it for how long it takes for it to showing results you are after.
If a few set backs, or false starts scare you. Blogging is most definitely not for you. You need to have a skin of a rhino to survive in this ultra competitive medium.
But, hey, I know you, you can do it. You don’t have anything to worry about, right?
Do share your thoughts in the comments below.
Marya Jan can be found helping other small business owners revamp their blog content at Writing Happiness.
I Would Never Leave Blogging its so fun and works great for me i get to meet so many new people everyday
That’s the way to go. Go Saad.
Cheers,
Marya
I think you are right, and most of the problems come from your 6th point. Too many people think blogging is a cheap money making scheme that can make them rich overnight with no need for hard work. I hope these people DO leave the blogging world because they offer nothing substantial for readers. If your blog is cheaply written, filled with grammar and spelling errors, and spammed all over the internet just to make money, PLEASE quit blogging immediately.
Marya - Nice to see your article here and thanks to Sheeba for having you over as a guest writer.
Yes, these are some points to consider before actually continuing with your blog, do you really love writing. I just left a comment in another blog saying that my expression of freedom is to “write what I love to” without having to care about what it means or what others think about it. It is the way of expressing myself and without an ultimate superior motive or goal.
Glad i stopped by to read this.
True points Ms. Marya,
I must agree with point #2 because this is something which is happening in blogosphere. I have seen a lot of people writing about blogging and SEO etc, but their mind is empty of knowledge about any of these.
The key to success in blogging is to read other blogs and write about topics you’re a true expert in because if you don’t have passion on a particular topic than you aren’t going to stick with it for long time.
Hello Marya,
Very well said. I too feel that nobody should blog for the heck of it. After quality matters and not quantity. It is good to make your presence felt on the blog through meaningful posts but do not post anything which is irrelevant. At times, we all feel that we have run out of ideas and have nothing to write. Take your time and come back with refreshed minds and you can post something very stunning next time.
For the fear of failing, please do not quit.
Regards,
Raj Kumar
Hi Marya,
I really don’t find any reason to quit blogging. Yes, I do understand what you want to say and some of the reasons that you have highlighted are quite valid but I feel blogging is the best time-pass one can ever have and yes it is interesting too. We can write unique and fresh contents in our blog and for that we need to be creative too.
Thanks for pointing here important factors. I will follow your tips. I think most of bloggers give up blogging very quickly so they cannot create a popular blog but after reading this blog post, anyone can learn basic factors of blogging.
Morning Marya,
Before starting a blog we first need to drat out what we are trying to achieve, now if it’s just a blog for fun and random events. Sure that’s fine, but most want to make money from their blog and don’t fully understand that it’s a slow process that awaits them.
If you have Zero passion then you are not going to fully be able to give the blog the best chance in life. Oh boy, an if you don’t like visiting other blogs or learning from the PROS then you might as well save yourself the grief and disappointment and just find another hobby.
Hi Marya
I do agree with you, Blogging requires a lot of hard work, good writing skills and a self motivation to help others. If someone can’t manage to read what experts are saying and have only a vision to rich quickly doing blogging should quit blogging.
To become a successful blogger, writing helpful content is key to success.
Hey Marya,
Thats very true points!
Every newbie need to read this post, before starting a blog.
We all knew there are thousands of new blogs coming up daily and thousands of them are dropping.
This post is very helpful.
Hi Marya,
I have read many blog posts saying Why one should blog,but this one is different.I like the way you have described this issue.I guess the main issue here is to let know others that what to consider before blogging and what not to consider.
#3 is the point which really makes some sense while writing the blog.Appreciate your insights here.
Well yes, making friendship with like minded people, linking to them and following other niche related blogs are really good strategies to follow. Thanks Marya for this wonderful and inspiring post
Hey Marya,
Nice reasons you have explained. Bloggers who don’t visit other blogs and not learning from experts have a very short blogging life. Learning from others is the best part for bloggers. Thanks..
MaryaJan, I must say that you have written 7 great and valid points.
Many persons start a blog without some knowledge of what blogging is about and they often quit blogging after a couple of months.
In order to be a continuous blogger, one must have knowledge about blogging and start a blog on something that they have interest in.
Thanks for this lovely article.
You said it kharim, have the knowledge as well as passion. Thanks for your comment.
This is great I was thinking to stay away from blogging as I am very bad in writing but after reading this article I can say that its not hard to write something from your life. Your thoughts can be converted into words and you can tell other so those words could be helpful for others so they can get help.
No arguments there, Paul. Thanks got commenting.
Marya
Hey Praveen, good to hear from you.
I agree it’s about expression but you do have to consider whether you have other goals such as monetization etc. Being crystal clear in your purpose will take any blogger in the right direction. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I am glad you dropped by.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Ehsan. No arguments from my side.
Here’s to never running out of ideas! Cheers
Hello Marya 7th point fits to me i giveup easily when i loose interest and gain more interest in other things but for my blog i planned to stick almost for 1 year minimal and see the results.
All points were valid learning from other experts is something great you will learn new things gets ideas and you can make contents for your blog.
Overall awesome post Thanks.
Blogging has become hobby for me and one of the emerging income platform for me. I agree that each blogger must have his own writing style and through contents he must share some valuable information.
Their are few things which I just don’t agree with you. Blogging doesn’t only means SEO, money making and bla…bla
I think blogging is a passion. Their are millions on web who do blogging, but share their blog posts with only relatives and friends. Since they aren’t learning from expert, so it means they should leave blogging. I just don’t agree.
Hi Marya,
Till now I learnt many things, But blogging is something different. In starting it is quite interesting but as time goes you feel like quieting it. But it is something which makes you learn new things daily and you will meet many people in a way.
This is why I don’t wanna quit Blogging
You’ve written an awesome post here Marya, I can’t agree more, many people blog without focus, they blog just for the purpose of making money and when they did not see the money in few months, they will give up and thats because the passion and interest is not there.
Thanks for sharing
I can totally relate to no.7, I have good focus when I need to and am able to not become easily distracted but I do looses interest and “wander” very quickly if something isn’t catching my interest.
This is such a great article. Everybody who is even thinking about starting a blog should read this. If you’re not passionate about your blogs subject matter then you’re doing it for all the wrong reasons.
Dude every post of you blog is just awesome. Any way I’m ur new reader and now want to stay connected
Thnkx
Welcome to my blog Hassan. Stick around
Hey Jean,
You have explained some awesome points to stop blogging. I guess blogging is not for one day. You can not get earning from your blog if you do not have any kind of patience in you. Blogging is merely a name of patience. You can not get traffic on your blog in one day. You can not get traffic to your blog without promotion , You can not make money from blogging in one night.
Thank you
Alex
I totally agree with you
especially when it comes to make money blogging. In blogging, value goes first, money comes after. There isn’t any quick and fast way to make money without any efforts
Jessica says
Tip 6 is spot-on. Blogging can certainly be an avenue towards a great income (or at least an income boost), but it’s almost never going to happen overnight. That kind of thing only really happened in the earlier days of the internet, when there were only a handful of popular people writing on any given topic. With all the content that’s out there now, you’ve really got to put in the work to set yourself apart. That certainly starts with your topic - it’s got to fit your passions AND appeal to a very specific, niche audience. I also think guest-posting and connection-building is pretty much essential if you ever want to attract a large enough readership to make some money.
Hi Marya, Many people start blogging with a quick money in mind and leave it as soon as they understand it’s not about that…It does require some determination and constant efforts to get success…
Hi Marya,
I cannot even dream to quit blogging. My studies once forced me to leave blogging for a year and I did, but that was the boring time of my life.
If the feeling arrives in ones mind to quit or leave blogging, then I suggest to get off from PC for an hour or two and refresh your mind by a long walk in the woods or interaction with friends.
You definitely hit the mark here, Marya. It’s so easy to set up a blog. Everyone wants to do it. A lot of people go around claiming to be bloggers. But if you look more closely, a lot of these are just online diaries. But the most shocking thing to me is how many of these people refuse to get the advice or even try to establish relationships with fellow bloggers, especially those that they can really benefit from their years of experience in the blogosphere. I could personally say that much of the success I’m enjoying in my blog now is because of the more experienced bloggers I’ve met these few months. Because of the relationship I’ve developed with them by visiting and helping spread the word about their blog, they not only taught my valuable insights. They have also helped me spread the word about my blog. Thanks for setting the record straight in this great post.
Robert, there are quick and fast ways to make money without effort but those are illegal. I personally dislike the fact that nowadays many bloggers blog without having a passion for it.
Spot on with this post. What is amazing about us is how easil;y we convince ourselves to quit. No matter how much effort we put in, soon that negative voice appears, the sound of wisdom telling us to just give up because we’ll never make it. Advice like you offer can help people on the right parth, and i do assure your readers, you can make a big success out of blogging, you just have to keep going, keep develoiping, you’ll get there!
I believe that - a path without any problem will never make you successful.
In each and every field, one faces a new problem. And its LIFE !!
Instead of quitting and choosing another thing, one should focus on its advantages!
Also, a particular reason for “WHY?”
Once you find the answer to that “WHY”, you will love it.
Also, exceptions are always there!
lol, your pretty much explaining basic human behavior. When I started blogigng, according to your post, I should have quitted. But now I am not doing the same anymore -because those were the newb problems. I think all new bloggers will have these problems and if you kept doing it for a while you would know the routine.
You are right,
When I was a beginner in blogging I use to big follower of your #3, #5 and #6. I was started blogging to make some quick money. I aim was just to make money. But now it know the secret of writing an article. Blogger should have a focus area in which he/she want to write. Only write on those topics of which you are expert.
If you are going to quit in the first year, then might as well forget about blogging or getting any online success.
It can be a very long process till you see any results that will stick with you.
very well said, anybody can blog but blogging without a clear motivation may go wrong. But i think having a blog at least free blog is kind of helpful unless until there are no ambitions associated with that.
Well at the start of my blogging career i was to quite it due to lack of time but somehow i cannot leave it because its my passion and i want to be full-time pro blogger.
Like what they all mention if you love blogging you are willing to strive
for success.Blogging has many other things worth learning and doing. Blogging also shows how big the online world is and how many opportunities it can offer.
Awesome article Marya.Tells people clearly what they must qualify in If they want to be a blogger.
Marya, loved the crisp and the neat points you have mentioned. To be a blogger we have to surely adhere to these points!!
Ya, but i would never love to quit blogging !
These are great points you have made here. People tend to start blogging but many of them are not able to keep up with it. A blog started without purpose is bound to fail. Thanks for this share.
blogging is fun and addictive. getting started might be little difficult
Wow Marya such a nice post - though i won’t quit blogging :p . Your post gives a straight forward message to all those who join blogging just because they believe that they can get rich overnight.
Consistency fuels an endeavor and is responsible for making it prosper. If you are really determined to be a successful and well-recognized blogger, you must be determined, versatile and dynamic enough to withstand trials and tribulations
Thanks for the insightful share!
I completely believe in drawing motivation from the specific niche that interests you most and this should be of utmost importance to any blogger who is determined to establish a successful, lengthy and fulfilling online career. Thanks!
Hi marya to me blogging is what you make of it. It is like anything in life if you want to do it bad enough and are motivated. Then theres a good chance that you can succeed at it. Your article is good reverse psychology to get us geeee up.
So for that and very valid points thanks lee
Hey MaryaJan,
I don’t identify with any of the points so I’ll continue blogging lol
Seriously, one worst thing bloggers should do is point #4. No blogger can succeed as an Island.
If you are not networking and collaborating with other bloggers, it’s better to quit early enough to avoid future failure and disappointment.
Great post. I have felt that “blogging is not for me” numerous times in my career. But I kept motivating myself to come back up and do it again and again. I have been little successful but as much as some of you are. The only reason why I keep coming back is because I absolutely love the niche I blog about, and I cannot stop talking about that.
Hey Jane,
Great list compiled out here, Am new to the blogging world and reading such an article will be really crucial for me in the upcoming months where i have to give all my hours to blogging , I’ll surely avoid goof ups with such a wonderful blog post of yours!
Hey Marya!
I love your posts! This one particularly was very reassuring