The Who, What, When, Why, & How of Blogging

I never thought I would be a blogger.  In fact, thought it was pointless and secretly made fun of blogging.  The next thing I know, I have been blogging for 6 months and this is my 70th blog post!  Here is the Who, What, Where, When, & Why of blogging.

WHY blog?  There are countless reasons to blog.  Here is why I do it.  There are lessons that I have learned that have changed me for the better.  By blogging, I can share these lessons with others so that they may be changed for the better as well.  Share the things that make your life better.

WHAT to write about?  Blog about what you know.  Everybody has something they know a lot about and enjoy talking about.  Whatever that is for you, why not take the conversation online?  You don't have to be an expert, just write what you know.  A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer.  It sings because it has a song.  Start singing! 

WHO reads blogs?  Blogs are the new magazines.  Eventually you are going to attract some followers.  Maybe it's friends and family but maybe it spreads to people you've never met.  These people are reading because they not only like what you have to say but enjoy the topic.  I have learned this the hard way by blogging about some random stuff and losing people's interest.  Just stick to what you know.

WHEN to blog?  Often.  If you want people to read your blog then it is helpful to blog regularly.  When I first started, I blogged about every other day.  Due to some writers block and a busy schedule I have been blogging about once a week.  Because of this, my blog traffic has been cut in half.  Learn from my mistakes and blog consistently. 

Tip - Just Write.  There are times when I feel like writing and sometimes I don't.  Sometimes I feel good about a post and sometimes I don't.  The interesting thing is this:  Some of the posts that I feel good about get zero response while the ones I feel bad about get a lot of comments.  The point of this is that you never know who might need to hear what you have to say.  So stop trying to make it perfect and just write!

HOW to advertise?  Share it on Facebook and Twitter.  Over 80% of the people that read my blog do so via Facebook and 10% via Twitter.  Without sharing my blog on Facebook and Twitter I would lose 90% of my readers. Enough said.  However, even if nobody reads your blog, you will be surprised at the benefits you will personally receive by going through the process.


Do you blog?  Why or why not?