Why Blog?
There are lots of wonderful reasons for getting your own blog set up and published. In today’s world, having a blog is almost like having a business card. You can use it for any number of things. Some good reasons that pop to mind include journaling your life, creating a special place to tell the world about family events, self promotion, selling physical or informational products (making money), becoming a part of a larger community you are interested in, showing off a favorite collection… the list goes on and on. There really is not much down side to creating your own blog. The problem? Not knowing where to start. It stops people dead in their tracks. This site’s purpose is to help you through that fear and to get you up and running with your own blog before you know it. This example of a blog will be your “go to guide” as you enter the world of blogging. As the site grows, we’ll also take a look at some top examples of famous and not-so-famous blogs that do a good job of exploring specific niches. It will be fun and you’ll get plenty of examples and inspiration to keep you moving forward.
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Why Haven’t YOU Started a Blog Yet?
In case you haven’t noticed, a LOT of people have already started blogs. Some people write about very specific interests, and some prefer to keep things general. As a rule, if you want to get noticed by the search engines, you’re better off starting with some type of focus, but if you prefer to go general, there’s certainly nothing stopping you except possibly your fear of the unknown. When you are just toying with the idea of starting a blog, it’s very easy to talk yourself out of starting. Most people are pretty resistant to change and to trying unfamiliar things. That’s completely natural. The thing is though, you’ve got to be willing to stretch your boundaries a bit and to explore new areas that seem intimidating as you move forward. I happen to prefer (and recommend) building your blog on a domain that you own. (I’ll go into reasons for this in another upcoming post). The truth is though, if you want to, you can start a blog for free today and it won’t cost you a dime. There is some considerable downside to this plan though, and I’ll post about it shortly, but the fact remains that you can start a blog for free if you really want to get your message out to the world.
Blog Questions and Getting Unstuck
Sometimes we over analyze things to the point of paralyzing ourselves. For some reason, we think that every new project we take on has to result in perfection. I think this is a big reason why many potentially wonderful bloggers end up passing on the opportunity to set up their own website. So many questions come up and there is no one trustworthy to ask. I’d like this blog to be a source of quality information that you can trust, but I’d also like it to be the motivational kick in the pants you need to get you to stop questioning every darn thing you consider trying.
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Something Personal for Visitors to my Blog
I started creating websites back around 2005. I’m not a techno geek type at all, but I was able to figure things out and get some profitable sites set up. Many friends and relatives have shown an interest in my projects over the years. This is mostly because they noticed that I was making some money from my ventures. I willingly explained every step of setting up a site to them, but most of them are scared to get started because they don’t know where to start. This website is being built as an example for my friends. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words (at least). I’m hoping that this sites will provide the motivation, direction, and instructions they need to get themselves up and running with a blog of their very own. If anyone else happens upon this site, I’d love to hear about what you found useful and what you think could use a tweak here and there.
