I started blogging around October last year. I never meant to be a blogger, nor a dedicated one. I simply posted a “mini review” of my new phone, the HTC P3600i in an Australian PocketPC forum. The post received a good feedback, especially to those who were thinking to buy the phone. I thought of myself, “Hm maybe if I put it on a site/blog, it can help other people around the world to decide whether they want to buy it or not”. Since then, I became a dedicated blogger.
So what are the things that keep me motivated to blog up till now?
How to keep you motivated to blog
- Blog out of passion, not for the money
If you know that blogging can make you money (from John Chow’s blog or other blogs) and started blogging because of it, you’ll lose interest in the first months, especially if you find out that making money is not as easy as they said. Some are luckier than others. Some can’t even make a dollar a day. If you blog because you love sharing ideas and info to people, you are good. The money can always come later. - Blog the thing that you are familiar and passionate about
If you blog about parenting but your spouse is the one who actually does the parenting of your kids, then ask him/her to blog instead of you! Or if you heard that blogging about health and mortgages can make you more money, don’t do it unless you are familiar or at least an expert in the area! Because at difficult times, you’ll tend to give up and just let your blog dies. - Install or use some analytic tools to your blog
I’d recommend using Google Analytics as it requires a minimal effort and it certainly works for me. When I started blogging, I found out that I get about 5 visitors a day, reading my first article about the phone. I couled even check the keywords that people use to get to the post. I was excited. I thought, even if there is one person reading my post, it’s still worth it. - “Even if there is one person reading my post, it’s still worth it”
That’s the attitude that you need to have in mind. Once it’s “glued” to your mind, no amount of traffic can make you sad or feel down! - Don’t let the criticism brings you down
When I asked a comment about my blog a few months back on a forum, I got this reply:
“There is something about the coloring of the blog template that makes me want to die….” Well at least he/she liked my content, in which he/she explained next (I cut-off the next positive sentences). You may get a much harsher comment about your blog, but think of it as a step to improve your blog even more. You can’t make everyone happy, but you should at least hear what they say. - Visit other blogs and if you like the posts, comment on them
..and don’t expect anything back! Comment because you like the post and you want to comment. If they visit and comment you back, good. If not, move along. Having comments on your posts is good. It shows there is “life” on your blog. This brings us to the last point….
- Connect with other bloggers/people
I always wondered why nobody wanted to comment on my posts before. The post receives hundreds of visits a day, but not even one single comment?? I even double checked whether there’s something wrong in the code. I even went further and put a fake comment on one of the post (ahem) just to see if there is another life out there! The problem is: how do you expect people to comment on your posts if they don’t even know about you? Now, I write comments on blogs even though I don’t know the owner. However, if you do know the owner, you’ll always want to write something as a form of communication to the owner. By connecting with other bloggers, you’ll make friends. “Virtual friends”, I call it
You don’t see them but yet they are real. Sometimes you don’t know their names, or don’t even know if they look like what they claim to be. I can put a photo of a model and you won’t even know it’s me I can even claim I’m a 10 years old or even claim to be a nice sexy looking hot chick. Once you start commenting on their posts, exchanging emails or messages, you’ll find out what kind of person each of them is. Some of them are nice enough to encourage you and you’ll need that kind of encouragement. Not to get you cocky, but to keep you going! And you should do the same to them too!
There are more things that can keep you motivated and these points are just some of them. One thing that you need to know, you are not alone. There are people who care about you and about your life. They may not be your best friends, but they are real enough to be considered as your friends.
Happy blogging!
NOTE: This post was also my guest post at blogengage.com a few weeks ago.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
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Happy Blogging!
How come you get plaster your own guest post back here? They allow you to do that is it?
A blog is like a virtual extension of ourselves in the cyberspace, our representative.
Make money? Well, I intend to use mine as a shop front to market my products and services in the physical realm so that should be easier to achieve I guess.
Passion? Yes, I love to write about the stuff that I am interested in, stuff that I wanted to share, and interact with others.
Before becoming big like John Chow or Darren Rowse, a blogger starts off small, small bloggers interact with one another to build up their network.
If they are lucky, they might come out big. Right?
Deimos Tel`Arin’s last blog post..How to download Flash Games from Flash Games Sites – Step by step Tutorial Guide
Thanks for keeping me positive.
I just started blogging now.
Nice tips. In the blogosphere, it’s always a two-way-communication. If you browse through my older posts back in January – Apirl 07 archives, you will realize that I seldom get comments for those posts (even some seem to be useful). After I start spending time more on blogging, I learn that, in order for people to interact in your blog, you have to reach out to others first. Promoting your blog to the public, let others know about your blog existence.
Happy blogging
Apple’s last blog post..Disposable Chopstick Experiment
@I Review You: Thanks for informing, hope I win
@Deimos: Yeah, Brian from BlogEngage told me I can put it up here after a certain period. He’s a nice dude, we’ve talked for a while through emails.
@Thiago: You’ve got some nice info on the site, keep it up and spread the word!
@Apple: Your statement is so true. I remember the days when I was so happy when someone made a comment on one of my post (Well, I still do now , although the excitement is a bit different)
Happy blogging! hehe
Thanks for the good advice. I’ve tried blogging for money in the past, and got tired of it really quick! I have begun to start blogging about the that I enjoy, and I find it to be much easier. I hope everyone takes your advice.
You’re right .thanks for the tips.
Really decent and useful article, I always like ur articles,
PS: What about my blog? I put everything into it … and more than 2 thousand people visit it everyday … maybe I should make the blog into a CMS …
Life on Marss last blog post..Top 8 Crazy Video Advertisement By Microsoft Ever, Most Crazy Gathering!
After 3 months of blogging, I almost forgot about the money thing.
I realized I loved blogging even more, and in exerting efforts to hone my blogging skills, and just forget about the making money thing. But its great. Slowly, I got more frequent visitors now, and still some money coming in. Blogging is awesome. I should go on with it.
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Hi Michael:
Great article. I’ve been blogging since November 07 and so far I thoroughly enjoy it. I have lots of things to talk about daily but nothing really specific. Mine is more personal. I’m really surprised though that I’ve lasted this long. As each day goes by I find myself thinking of more things to write about and share with the world.
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It’s great to hear your thoughts and personal experiences.
Money should have come second. I make enough now to pay for this blog’s hosting per month, so it’s good. If I can get more, why not?
Just make sure that those rich guys by making money online do not discourage you
PS: I notice most of you don’t have a gravatar (display pic next to your comment). Haven’t you guys read my post about it?
(Get your own gravatar in less than a minute: http://www.cravingtech.com/blog/2008/04/get-your-gravatar-in-less-than-one-minute.html)
I started blogging, by writing reviews on CIAO. But i found it too restrictive. You need to write in a certain way to get the community to appreciate you. I knew i could do better than that so i started my own blog 7 months Ago. And i love blogging. Occasionally i go blank for a couple of days but it comes back to me eventually.
I could not agree more with you, especially on # 7. One thing that keeps me motivated is to talk to other bloggers, and read their blogs. That’s one of the reasons I like EC so much. It is a goldmine to mette other bloggers.
Remis last blog post..The Future of IT Outsourcing
I think the most important point is to enjoy what you do.
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@Alfred: Yeah, it’s important not to restrict on what you want to say or do to a certain extent. I always want to go for those paid post reviews, but most of them want you to say nice things about the products/services. Bah!
@Remi: Yeah, I guess most of you who read and comment on my blog, come from Entrecard
@TSlice: Not just blogging, but even on anything you do in life, if you enjoy doing it, you’ll get the best out of it!
Nice tips on blogging
nice tips !! thx u