Blogging Basics: Why?

Recently I’ve been asked by several people to offer guidance on starting a blog. Apparently, I’m doing something right, if people are coming to me for inspiration.

Let’s face it: there’s a lot of blogs out there. It’s hard to know which ones to emulate, imitate, or eliminate. I like that Frankly, My Dear… is a “small” blog: by that I mean, it’s still personal. It’s a two-person operation. My web designer fixes the glitches and comes up with some amazing designs. I dream, create, cook, craft, photograph and write.
That’s not to say I wouldn’t love to have thousands of followers each month with more paid sponsorships, but I’ll take what I can get. Because I love being a Blogger. I’m in it for the love of the game.

Who can forget the Grand Reveal of the new blog design with this post just two months ago:

Baseball on Pitcher's Mound. Frankly My Dear, If You Build It, They Will Come.

Field of Dreams

So yeah… I must be doing something right.

There’s a lot of advice to offer someone who’s thinking of starting a blog. The most important thing I can tell you is this: Take that first step. Ask yourself why.

My dear friend Chuck told me just tonight [paraphrasing here], “What are you afraid of? You have to put yourself out there. People aren’t going to hand you what you want until they know you want it.” And he’s right.

I’m a big fan of magical thinking. But the problem is just that: it’s only thinking. And I don’t really believe in magic. So. Back to the basics. Remember the TGIF: One post? It all starts with One. One idea. One step. One goal. One accomplishment. One foundation.

For those of you thinking of starting a blog, my first question to you is

WHY?

Never mind if others don’t get it. If you can satisfy yourself with the answer, you’re on your way.

There are many reasons to write a Blog. Some want a creative outlet or a place to vent. Others are looking for recognition or perhaps another avenue to promote themselves (writers, especially). Large companies and small mom-and-pop operations blog now and then to personalize their business.

There are Food Blogs, How-To Blogs, Craft Blogs, Family/Parenting/Mommy Blogs, Political/Religious/Viewpoint Blogs. Is the sky blue? There’s a Blog for that. Why is the grass green? Do you want the physical, environmental, creative, or religious perspective? There’s a Blog for that.

Knowing why you want to blog will guide you in designing your blog and how you promote it. But don’t feel you’re limited to just one theme. One overall idea, yes. One theme? Stagnant.

A traveler can blog about so many things: the different foods, customs, jet lag, environment.
Food blogs not only have recipes, but great kitchen product reviews and giveaways.
Photographers share their images and the stories behind them.

There’s no wrong reason to want to blog.

Do you have something to say? You can blog it!

But if you want to blog for fun without a sense of a Blog theme, I caution you to think about it first. Your Blog name will be your Brand. And if you don’t have a direction for your Blog, what you name it on a whim may end up not being at all what it’s about.

When I first started “Frankly, My Dear…” everyone expected me to write with an “I don’t care” attitude. And I can honestly say, that’s still me. Yes, the Blog has transitioned from a social experiment to a personal “here’s my day” recap to something much more fulfilling and substantial: my tales of Faith, Family, Food, Fun, and everything in between. But it’s still Me. And I don’t sugar-coat much (ask my best friend Julie. We pull no punches with each other). So whether it’s a new recipe or a movie review or a video of my cats, I blog because I’m a writer. And I can’t not write. I was born with ink in my veins. I have to write. Does it make a difference if others like my posts? Of course! I love the likes, shares, clicks and comments. Who wouldn’t? But I write what I write the way I write it. Because that’s me. And if I didn’t write the way I am, how could I authentically ask you to read my blog?

Blogging can be an adventure. A daily diary of your journey through life even if you never leave your chair. It can be an eclectic collection of poetry and prose that you’ve dusted off from the corners of your mind and want to share with the world at large. Or it can be a story, your story, on a continuing basis. Because you have something to say. And each day that you’re alive, you have more to share.

In future posts I’ll discuss ways to start a Blog and basic design options as well as posting Do’s and Dont’s. So if you have any questions about blogging, leave them in a comment below. Share this post with your friends who you think would make great bloggers. And be sure to subscribe to both the Blog (look in the column on the right) and the monthly email newsletter (click here) to stay updated with Frankly, My Dear… and New Inklings Press.

Here’s a Bonus Bit for today: Don’t be afraid to share yourself with the world. Whatever you write, write it authentically. Readers know what’s trite and what’s true. Don’t underestimate the worth of how you tell your tales.

And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!

You may also enjoy reading these blog samplings:
TGIF: A-P-P-R-E-C-I-A-T-I-V-E-L-Y
TGIF: One
Kitchen Craft: Aromatic Mason Jar
Destination: Mission Inn, Riverside, CA
Feta Tomato Spinach Salad in a Jar
Writing Prompt: Songs
When I Get to New York
Mojo Movie Review of the Week: “Eat, Pray, Love”

 

 

 

Sweeten my tea and share:

Meet the Gilmans

…so this is love… is one of my favorite Blogs. She’s also on twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook. We connect a lot.

We connected through BlogHer’s NaBloPoMo over a year ago. Since then, I’ve followed her touching stories of being a child therapist, her struggles with infertility, and her amazing adventures in life. Right now, she’s in the middle of a cross-country journey with her husband Casey, her mom Sandy, and their two dogs.

And yesterday, she drove through my part of the world. How awesome is that?! I may live in a little nowheresville-type place, but it’s on the direct connect from L.A. to Vegas. When I heard Jenn would be driving by, I insisted they detour off the freeway and we meet up for coffee!

Being calm and subdued as usual.

It was just like meeting up with an old friend. There was no awkwardness, no debilitating silence. Just a great hour spent with a great friend and her family.

Blog Family: Sandy (mom), Casey (husband), Jenn

We started by mixing up our Starbuck’s. At the appointed time, we both texted each other, “Here”, only to find “here” was about five miles apart. I quickly drove to their location and entered the store. I recognized them immediately, which was a great comfort. I was nervous there might be the pretense of a public persona vs. private, and I wasn’t sure which I’d be encountering.

On my way there, I thought to myself, “I should have warned her I’m a hugger.” But there was no need. I stepped in to the ‘Bucks and there they were. She rose immediately and embraced me like a long-lost friend. Hugs, handshakes, and how-do-you-do’s all around, and we sat down with our lattes and started talking.

There was no “get to know you” chatter. No deep questions. We already know so much. We’re connected nine ways to Sunday. Meeting in person was just the icing on the cake.

New Old Friends

What’s better than wonderful? Terrific? Heartfelt? When they left, there were hugs all around, and I felt a little sad. I was mentally scheming of ways to follow them to Las Vegas. Now that would be a fun pin in the map!

I loved hearing about their trip so far. Favorite moments? Too many to mention. Plans gone awry? They go with the flow. Expectations? Exceeded. Adventures? By the Bucket Load.

I love living vicariously through her posts: the visits to places I’ve been (The Henry Ford Museum). Photos of places I’ve yet to see (Hershey, PA). But my favorite so far is The Story of Road Warrior.

Abundant with photos, her Blog documents the little moments in her life as well as the big ones. Today she posted on Instagram: her dog Skeeter was checking out a picture of us on Facebook. Not to be outdone, Little Cat is now on Instagram, checking out Skeeter, checking out us.

Stalker

Because we do things thoroughly, me and Jenn. That’s why she’s such a great friend. And I’m pretty sure this meet-up was just the first drop in the bucket.

And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!

Sweeten my tea and share:

Pour Your Heart Out – Link Up

You really should read some of the stories over at Shell’s link up. This was only the second time I linked up. I added this morning’s post, “What’s the Word?” Wednesdays: Blog Hop because her topic and mine are similar. But she has a way of writing that inspires me. It’s so heartfelt, so honest. Like she’s opening the doors to her house and allowing us to snoop in her medicine cabinet.

I want to be that transparent. But I’m just not. Partly because my family doesn’t really want me writing about them (go figure), but partly because I guess I don’t think my transparency matters. I write more of what I want instead of who I am. Unless it’s fluff.

Not Shell. She really gets it. She doesn’t even know me, doesn’t know how her blog influences me. But I hope she finds out. She really needs to know that she’s not writing into empty space.

I know sometimes it can feel that way. As a blogger, we put our “schtuff” out there, and then edit it for public consumption. There are basic rules, you know. Be nice. Be fair. Don’t be mean or belittling. Don’t over-expose yourself. Keep your guard up. It’s a complicated relationship: that of being a daily public blogger and being a private person.

So anyway. I really admire Shell and her posts. And I think I’m gonna try to be a little more like her.

And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!

Sweeten my tea and share: