The Three Rules of Blogging (The Blogathon Begins)

I’m going to try WordCount’s blogathon. Because daily posts for the whole month will be a challenge for me.

And we all know I’m a sucker for a challenge.

So for May 1, here are three essential rules for blogging. Just about every new blogger I know screws these up. Most of them let those mistakes kill their baby blog.

Be smarter than that.  

1. Don’t apologize. I know you want to. You started your blog and you’re not posting in it as often as you want. Stop. Do not draw my attention to how long it’s been since you posted. Shut up and say something worthwhile instead.
2. Don’t rely on words alone. If you don’t have anything to look at, I won’t enjoy visiting your blog. If you use a crappy theme, I will think less of you. If you don’t add a picture to your post, I won’t be able to pin it – but more importantly, I just won’t find it as interesting. Statistical truths. Find me something pretty to draw me in.
3. Don’t aim. Don’t start blogging with some calculated plan of attack. Unless you’re part of a very few very dedicated people, all that’ll do is give you an unpaying time suck that makes you miserable and gives you nothing in return. Start blogging because you have something to say and you’ll pop if you don’t say it. Start blogging because you have ideas that need to go somewhere. Start blogging because you love it.

And if you’re like me, you’ll wake up someday and realize you’ve been doing it for nearly ten years because you still love it.