What I’ve Learned About Blogging {during my first year}

It’s hard to believe I’m going on a year of taking this blogging thing seriously.  Although this blog has been up since 2009, it wasn’t until last August that I felt the urge to turn it from strictly a scrapbook/hobby/online journal to a source of  part-time income.  I have a very long way to go, but I’ve been thinking recently about some of the things I’ve learned along the way.  

Here is my list at this point in the journey.

Blogging is not as easy as it looks.

If you read blogs the way I do, you may have a tendency to click quickly to and from different posts and articles of interest without taking much time to consider the work that goes into it.  Anyone can blog {which is part of the beauty of it}, but it takes a TON of time, effort, and behind-the-scenes work to author and run a successful one.  Success can be measured lots of different ways {depending on your reason for blogging}, but for the purposes of this conversation, I’m talking about one that generates an income.

The work that goes into all of those things means countless hours of brainstorming ideas for posts, networking on social media to encourage people to actually read your posts, finding ways to monetize in a way that makes sense for you, and trying to make your site look good {that can be really hard for people like me who get lost in coding}.  It can be really overwhelming if you think about it.

Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint.

As I mentioned above, there is so much that goes into blogging.  It can be really daunting for someone like me who is trying to grow a small blog while juggling my other responsibilities at home.  I could literally be working on blogging every moment of the day if I wanted to and still not get everything done.  Almost every big blogger out there will tell you that it’s a marathon and that they didn’t reach “success” overnight or without help.  I have found this to be so very true.  

While my blog is still very small and has a long way to go before generating what I would consider a true part-time income, I’ve seen growth as I continue to put in the time and try to learn from others who have been at this a lot longer than I have.  I’m further along now than I was back in August and I hope to be further along than I am now at this time next year.  

Blogging burnout will happen if you don’t LOVE what you write about.

I’m passionate about my faith, family, motherhood, and frugality, so I genuinely enjoy writing about those topics.  Sure, it can become a little stressful at times to brainstorm new ideas, but overall it’s fun for me to actually sit down and write about the topics I love.  

Because the results of all your hard work don’t always comes right away, blogging burnout will happen if you don’t love what you write about.

Blogging can be lonely.

This has been one of my greatest struggles with blogging.  I don’t have many friends in real life who blog, so it can get a little lonely. A lot of my friends and family {as dear as they are} just don’t understand blogging – why I would want to do it, how it can actually be considered a job, and how much work it really requires.

I would love to connect with more bloggers – to learn from them and brainstorm ways I can improve – but it has been hard for me to work on that with all the other demands of just writing content and trying to drive traffic to my site.  If you know someone who blogs, I’d encourage you to ask them questions and try your best to encourage them along the way!

Bloggers love social media {but especially Pinterest}.

One of the ebooks I read about blogging titled How to Blog for Profit (without selling your soul), talked about the importance of utilizing social media…but primarily Pinterest.  Once I started becoming more active on Pinterest and joining group boards, I saw an immediate increase in my traffic.  One of the hardest parts about blogging is finding ways to get your awesome content out there to readers, but social media and Pinterest have been invaluable.

Blogging is a reputable way to earn money.

When I first started reading blogs, I had no concept of the fact that many people use it as an opportunity to earn an income.  I was also totally naive and oblivious to the fact that people all over the world earn large incomes through blogging.  

I have no ambitions to get rich from blogging, but I’ve learned that it a reputable way to generate an income from home.  I haven’t earned much at this point, but I know it is possible.

Overall, I really enjoy blogging.  It’s a fun way to keep my mind active and learning new things, write about the things I love, and to connect with other people from all over.  There’s so much to learn, but I’m excited to see where this journey takes me! 

* * * * * *

What have you learned about blogging or from reading other blogs?

Linking up with:
Cindy for Made By You Monday
Sarah for Homemade Monday
Kristi for Inspiration Monday
Emily for Create Link Inspire
Kathy for Titus 2 Tuesday
Kelly for Whimsy Wednesdays
Rachel for Wednesday Whatsits
Ruth for Thrifty Thursday
Carrie for Think Tank Thursday
Allison for Handmade Hangout Party
Wendy for Frugal Friday
Cheryl for I’m Lovin It
Jerri for Friday Favorites Linky Party
Jen for Link Party Palooza
Six Sisters for Strut Your Stuff Saturday

photo source 

photo source

  {Note: This post contains affiliate links.  Thanks for supporting this site!}