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Let's start with the basics:
Before you become a blogger you should take time to determine if blogging is right for you. Although starting a blog is a huge step, maintaing a blog can take on a life of its own (Let the church say amen!). When contemplating a blog, you should consider it like you would a job. You MUST consider the minimum qualifications before you begin your journey. Thus, it is imperative that you are honest with yourself when you answer the following 10 questions:
1. Do you enjoy writing? Blogging is primarily a writing venture. It is essential that you enjoy writing or your blog will seem more like work than play. You do not want your blog to become tedious. If you do not like writing, chances are blogging is not for you. Which leads me to...
2. Do you have time to blog? Blogging does not start and stop with posting. You will have comments to moderate, emails to read, reader questions to answer and other bloggers to interact with. You may have to fact check yourself and you may decide to research topics that interest you and your readers. You should plan to update your blog regularly and post daily. This leads me to...
3. Can you handle criticism? Everyone will not read your blog for positive reasons. Some will criticize what you post and others may twist your posts to start rumos. You may be faced with more negative criticism than compliments. Your readers may get out of hand on controversial posts and attack you. You must develop tough skin in order to deal with such situations.
4. Are you good at forging virtual relationships? Interacting with people in real life and interacting with people online are two totally different things. I've met people who are excellent virtual people but they suck when it comes to interacting with people in real life. The opposite is also true. Blogging requires you to understand interacting with people online in a way that allows you to forge long standing "virtual relationships." If you are unsure, join a social networking site like Facebook or twitter (follow @HUSLToday shameless plug) and observe how your friends and followers interact with each other. Take note of what works and use it.
Find out more when you read the rest.
5. Do you enjoy reading? Even if you want to blog about personal experiences, blogging involves a lot of reading. You may look to books for advice on situations you have yet to face or you may read several articles in search of angles on a topic that have not been covered. Keep in mind that you will find yourself reading more than you post.
6. Do you have a thirst for knowledge? Blogging is no different from the real world in the sense that everyone has unique knowledge & skills but no one has everything. You must open your mind to the possibility of learning in unconventional ways. You must be open-minded regardless of your religious, political or social views. You may be a dog loving Republican t-shirt designer from California but you can learn from a cat loving Democrat fisherman from Alaska. Get my drift?
7. Are you disciplined? Blogs require a lot of attention. No one will be there to wag their index finger when you dont post. No one will be there forcing you to wake up an hour early to submit your posts. Doing these things requires you to be disciplined & patient.
8. Do you have technical ability? While services like blogger are fairly straightforward, you will need at the very least, basic knowledge of computers, imaging software and the internet to get started. You will be working with software that is internet based and you will occassionally need to edit and tweak your blog. This point goes along with 6 as you must be willing to admit your lack of knowledge while being open to learn more. Reach out to your friends who are more technically savvy than you are.
9. Are you an effective communicator? When it comes to disseminating information many people confess that they prefer one over the other. Some people proclaim that their writing is much better than their verbal or face to face communication. I used to say that I am better at writing than I am at speaking. I got tired of saying that so I challenged myself to become better at public speaking. You should do the same. If you are a great orator but a not so great writer, work on your writing. Your blog may be your way of improving your writing but you will have an advantage if you already have the skill. Remember you are only as strong as your weakest characteristic. Find it. Fix it.
10. Do you take yourself too seriously? Bloggers need to find humor in their actions. You must be able to laugh when you make mistakes. You should be able to check your ego and let your hair down. Your blog should be a place where you can express yourself in ways your career may not allow you to. Be proud of your accomplishments and your credentials but stay humble. Take advantage of things you believe make you wierd-they will help you stand out from other bloggers. Balance your ego with your humor.
Don't expect to rush into blogging & be welcomed with open arms. It takes patience and tenacity to continue blogging. There will be moments where you feel like you are writing to a brick wall. There will be moments where you question your decision to blog. There will be moments where you wonder who REALLY reads your content. You may post for months before you get your first comment.
I know these questions do not represent a complete list of things you should contemplate when starting a blog so feel free to share yours or ask me more. I look forward to your responses.
*My use of these adjectives is meant to refer to how outsiders see us. It is by no means an accurate description of my colleagues.
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