With so many new bloggers beginning their journeys, it had me thinking about some of the things that I experienced during those early days.
So with that, I thought I would share a few thoughts on the subject and provide a few helpful tips. A little blogging 101 if you will. 
First off, you have decided to become a blogger, but you may not know what you would like to blog about. If you do, one of your largest hurdles has already been cleared. If not, think about something that you are passionate about, something you absolutely love to have a conversation about. After all, that is a key element of blogging, having a conversation.
Decide why you want to blog
Deciding on a topic or selecting a niche, as it is known, is a key question that will impact your blogging career. You must decide if you are blogging as a hobby, to share random thoughts and news with family and friends or to build and/or promote a business.
This should be decided early on if at all possible, as the decision will determine the style and tone of your blogging voice. Readers will become accustomed to your style of writing so a sudden switch later may cause a loss in readership.
Give careful consideration to this, making sure that your topic meets your passion. When these two meet, writing becomes easy. On the other hand, if your choice is something that seems too much like work, you will likely not stay with this very long. You probably already have a job, so don’t make blogging another one.
Whatever the decision, be certain to keep your personality heavily infused in your writing.
Establish a post schedule
Once the actual writing begins, you will want to set a regular post schedule so that your readers know what to expect. It is better to set a schedule of 3 times weekly and consistently meet that goal as opposed to starting out too aggressively and finding yourself running out of post ideas or unable to maintain the schedule. It is very important that a pace is established early on, as this will become a part of your daily life. Using the 3 post per week schedule as an example, any additional posts will be viewed as a bonus.
It should be noted however, that the more you post the better, but stay within your abilities to produce.
Don’t rush your writing
Two things here, avoid waiting until the last minute to write a post because your schedule is upon you. This places undue pressure to produce and often leads to less than desirable work. Attempting to produce content under duress can even lead to writer’s block, a condition where creative thoughts are just not flowing. I will address that situation and what you can do about it in the next post.
The second and more important issue about writing in a rush is the fact that this is never fun. One of the quickest ways for a blogger to lose the desire for the craft is to find yourself not at all enjoying what you have begun. When the fun is gone, the desire will soon follow.
Writing style
Always keep the reader in mind when writing by making your posts easy to read. Be aware of long running paragraphs that cause the reader to really have to focus in to consume the content. Many people tend to scan as much as they read, focusing in on key points of interest. Your finished product should be pleasing to the eye with somewhat balanced paragraphs. Paragraphs or breaks give the reader an easy point of reference for the eye to return to.
As mentioned above, blogging is about having a conversation, so write in a conversational tone, as if you are talking to someone. Be sure to show your personality by using emotions like humor, disappointment and even a wee bit of anger when appropriate. Keep the language relatively clean as if your kid was going to read it, because they may.
As you continue to write post after post, you will find your writing voice, that comfort level of the written word.
And lastly, do not over-think what you are writing, just get your thoughts down and review afterward before publishing for the world to see.
Keep a pad and pen handy
It is something about blogging that brings about great ideas to write about. The problem is that these ideas always seem to come at a time of great inconvenience. You may be at your doctor’s office waiting for an exam, or sitting in the airport about to board a plane and suddenly a great idea will come to mind. If you don’t write it down right then and there, the thought will likely be lost.
I keep a spiral notebook handy, and over a period of time I have written down hundreds of blog post titles. I don’t worry about the actual content; the tile will lead me to produce that later, but it is important to write down those ideas or titles right away.
Learn to link
Linking is a critical skill that is required for every blogger. You may have a need to link to a supporting document for your article or to another blog post to reinforce your point.
You will want your friends and family to check out your writing skills, particularly early on, so don’t just email them and say “check out my latest post”, include the actual link so that all they have to do is click.
As you progress through your blogging career, you will come to realize the importance and the awesome power of linking and the many associated strategies employed. Links are the lifeblood of a blog or website but there will be no linking activities without some compelling content.
Be visible and accessible
People have a need to know the author of a blog so you will need to establish an identity. This is accomplished by having an passport style photo of yourself or a representative logo. If you are to build a readership you will have to build relationships and no blog will find success without these two elements.
Two critical pages needed for your blog from the very moment you launch are the “About” page and the “Contact” page. People want to know your story (a short bio will do) and how to get in touch with you.
Comments
No, not mine but those of your readers. When people read your posts many will want to add something to what you have written or provide some sort of feedback. This is the conversational aspect of blogging, which often times holds more value than the post that started it.
As a blogger, this provides an opportunity to interact with your audience and establish relationships. Every attempt should be made to acknowledge the author of the comments when they have left something meaningful or otherwise added to the conversation.
Some comments will be of a negative nature, so be prepared for that, but there are tactful ways of handling those situations as well.
Conclusion
There are many, many things to learn about the craft of blogging and you will not learn it all overnight. Be dedicated, determined to succeed and consistent in your approach and you will find that you will have many allies helping you to reach your goals.
Knowledge is power and you cannot have too much knowledge. Enroll in a training course and enhance your blogging education. Training is one of the best things you can do to shorten the learning curve in a writing career.
There is a great deal more to blogging than writing articles, as you will discover, but this is where it all begins.
For a free blueprint report on how to become a professional blogger, earning real money you may want to pick up a copy of the Six-Figure Blogger Blueprint by David Risley, a friend of mine and a pro blogger who has been doing this for a good number of years.
I hope this article provided some valuable insight for you. If you have any questions regarding a career in blogging or the use of the internet in general, you may send me a message via my Contact Page.
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30 Responses to The Early Days of a Beginning Blogger
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" @sbc111 That's quite a thrill ride. Great that you have that skill. " — JimiJones
Hey jimi another home run post. I think the final words are the most important though, “Keep Blogging!” That is the most important thing I have culled from all of the info out there. I am only 1 month into this and I am loving it!
I, like you have tons of small snippets or lines that I used to use as story ideas but are great for blog posts. I usually keep my digital recorder in my pocket and record everything I think of.
Thanks for being around for me to pick your brain!
Justin
.-= Justin Matthews´s last blog ..February, Fishing and my Alexa Ranking. =-.
Hey Justin,
good to see you, man. Thanks for the compliment.
I am so happy that you are enjoying your new blogging life.
You’re smart to keep some sort of recording device or paper handy.
Hey, drop me a line anytime if you need some help on anything.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Case Study Review – Lanzarote Information =-.
Good advice not only for newcomers but for more established bloggers who need to revisit their original intentions now and again. In my blog niche I thought I’d keep everything techie, but a mobile phone can be a PITA to make copious notes so I now cary a notebook with me. The shame
.-= Kevin Tea´s last blog ..From Zero To Full Income In A Year – A Blogger’s Tale =-.
Hi Kevin,
LOL – sometimes technology does get in the way, I agree. That cell phone for notes is a good example. By the time you banged it out on those keys, you could have just written it down. I have a voice recorder built into my phone, so it gives me a reason to talk to myself now without the straight-jacket showing up.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Case Study Review – Lanzarote Information =-.
Perfect advice for those new to blogging. Actually, like Kevin said, old-timers can benefit from a recap every now and again too. Thanks!
.-= Anne Moss´s last blog ..Managing the Content on Multiple Blogs =-.
Hello Anne.
Nice to see you again.
We all (including me) need a little reminder now and again, Blogging has so many elements to it you can lose sight on something rather easily at times.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Case Study Review – Lanzarote Information =-.
Good stuff Jimi. In the first days of blogging it’s good to just keep going, writing content and learning while at it. When starting out (and even today) I found it useful when I wrote all my ideas down (just like you suggested) and saved them all in one big text file (I use Google Docs for that).
I can then organize the topics in the idea file (and brainstorm some more while at it), forming series of posts that are somehow related, and even start drafting some of the articles if I get the flow on. And I can always pick a topic or draft from the document and never run “out of post ideas”.
p.s. You should definitely add Twitter to that bookmarking plugin, would make sharing great posts like this easier
.-= Antti Kokkonen´s last blog ..Blog Like an Expert in 31 Days =-.
Hey Antti, how are you my friend?
That’s a great point about the content. That is the thing for new bloggers to realize, they will get better as time goes on. Not many start out as great writers, I know I can recall a few that I wish I had left in the draft bin. LOL
Taking note of those ideas and getting the, somehow collected is a great benefit. I write down a lot of titles and just by reading the list, I get all sorts of post ideas.
Will do on that Twitter bookmark, and thanks for the reminder. I was just replying to Anne, stating how we all need reminders.
Thanks for that, man.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Case Study Review – Lanzarote Information =-.
The Early Days of a Beginning Blogger | Jimi Jones Dot Com…
With so many new bloggers beginning their journeys, it had me thinking about some of the things that I experienced during those early days. So with that…
Absolutely agree with those that have said it before me, this is a great collection of tips for the newbies out there and those that are more experienced but need a bit of a recap.
Regards,
Karl
.-= Karl Foxley´s last blog ..Brand Your WordPress Admin Area (Ideal For Multi-Author Sites) =-.
Hi Karl,
thanks for visiting, man. I have to come by your shop, as I have not been there in a bit. I am glad you came by.
I am working on the Posting schedule aspect of things for the next two months in an effort to train myself to stick with it.
Eventually I would like to post daily, but for now I am shooting for M,W,F.
.-= Ms. Freeman´s last blog ..Don’t Let Go of Your “What If?” =-.
I think you have been smart not to overwhelm yourself. You can always increase the frequency later. I’ve noticed that you have been quite busy lately, like to see that.
Another great post, Jimi, and good reminders too for those of us who’ve been at it for a while!
.-= Erica Mueller´s last blog ..Announcing: TweetHeartCards.com =-.
Thanks, Erica.
I appreciate the RTs as well.
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Hi Jimi,
The writing voice is really important. As it happens in our real (or offline) life, this voice may change according to how we feel while we are writing. It is important to try to keep the same voice for every post we publish. On the other hand, these small changes it suffers because of our mood, give us the opportunity to show our personality.
Hi Isaac.
True on both accounts. People like to see a little of the human side, no need to be perfect always because no one really is.
[...] mentioned this in the previous post and promised to expand on it here just a [...]
The Early Days of a Beginning Blogger…
A timeless post not only for beginners but including intermediate/veteran bloggers on some insights to successful blogging….
Jimi,
Great post. I try and stick to a schedule. I try for a large post once a week and smaller ones throughout the week. I try and post Monday through Friday and research / schedule the posts on the weekends.
Keeping a note pad on you to take notes on new ideas is a great idea as well. There are times I get an idea and I forget about righting it down. I normally email myself when I find something to write about when I am at work. Now writing on paper might help when I do not have access to a computer.
.-= element321´s last blog ..Tips to Help With Time Management =-.
Hi James.
I like that schedule you have, I do something similar.
I would be lost without that notebook or some other means to keep track of ideas and such.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..Social Media Branding – Tips To Break From The Crowd =-.
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I’m still up in the air on what I want to blog about. I have started about 4 blogs and two aren’t very active at all. I’m still looking for that one thing I love. I’m sure it’s music but I haven’t been playing much of that. I picked up my guitar on Monday and it was the first time I played in many years.
I always enjoyed writing music so perhaps I can make a blog and write songs on it with guitar lyrics.
.-= bbrian017´s last blog ..I’m working on my e-book everyone =-.
I had a time making up my mind as well, finally landing in the branding arena. Interesting you mention music, I often thought about a jazz music blog, which I am going to convert my Blogging Wire site into. This can be difficult to monetize, so I did not go that route as a main blog.
Guitar playing, you’re quite a talent dude.
I always wanted to play one but never pursued it.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..The Crossroads of Life Bring Opportunities =-.
A perfect post with gems all over. I’d gone through David Risley’s Six Figure Blueprint and its really great. The important aspect of the ebook I found is the tools and ways to use those tools he presents in his report.
But after I subscribed to his mailing list to receive that ebook, I started getting repeated emails almost everyday, this is something irritating.
.-= Suresh Khanal´s last blog ..How to add favicon to your blog (WordPress) =-.
Hello Suresh.
Thanks for the compliment and I am happy you enjoyed the post.
Risley’s Blueprint is a fine ebook full of great info for sure. Near daily emails from him sounds out of character, maybe some special promos or something was happening. He a good guy and definitely not a spammer.
Thanks for visiting, and come back soon.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..The Crossroads of Life Bring Opportunities =-.
Jimi,
Great post, I am agreement here. You need to set schedules and not run to many posts a week. For me, I tried posting everyday, but that was a bit much, plus I ran out of steam very quickly. Now I generally post Wednesday through Sunday and spend the days I am not posting on researching, working some of my larger posts and guest posts that I will be working in the near future.
.-= element321´s last blog ..How Add Author Bio to WordPress Without a Plugin =-.
Hey James.
Good to see you, dude.:-)
Posting everyday can be tough at times, I generally post 5 or 6 times weekly. The important thing is to be consistent so your readers know what to expect.
.-= Jimi Jones´s last blog ..The Crossroads of Life Bring Opportunities =-.