Today marks one full year of blogging. I know I've said it before, but I seriously can't believe I've stuck with it that long. It's not that I usually give things up quickly, but more that when I first started I didn't really plan to keep it up this long. I thought I'd blog for a couple of months, find a real job and stop. I saw blogging as a way to fill my time and keep my mind off the fact that I had zero job prospects and was miserable about having to move home. I assumed at this point in my life I'd be living somewhere else doing something else and always busy with all the new friends I'd have made since graduating. Boy was I wrong. Blogging started as my personal form of therapy, but has really grown into something I can't picture my life without now. Through blogging I've realized something very important about myself; I love writing. I always knew I was good at writing (hello I do have a journalism degree), but I never realized I loved it until I started this blog. Thank you to each one of you reading this. Taking the plunge and joining this community was one of my best decisions of 2013.
Today I want to share a few things I've learned about blogging over this year.
1. It's not the end of the world if you don't post everyday. Yes it's nice to keep to a schedule, but sometimes life happens and you don't get around to hitting publish on that post.
2. Prescheduling your posts is the biggest life saver in the world. Whether you write them a week in advance or just the night before, knowing your post is ready to go live in the morning so you don't have to wake up early to post it is the best feeling in the world.
3. Take some time before deciding on a blog name. Check and make sure there isn't a very similar sounding one out there already. Also check to see if the corresponding Twitter and Instagram handles are available; you think you won't need these but you'll change your mind.
4. Some bloggers are great; others not so much. Just like in high school there are cliques of bloggers, but just because they're a really popular blogger doesn't mean they're snotty about it. I've had some really great experiences with bloggers much bigger than me who were really cool and down to earth. Unfortunately this is not the case with all bloggers, big or small.
5. If it's in your heart, write it. When you start just writing things because you want to get a bunch of comments on it, that's when blogging stops being fun. If you always write for yourself you'll never burn out. For me, some of my favorite posts are the ones that I wrote with a heavy heart and didn't receive many comments. They may not have been popular with my readers, but they were with me.
6. If you see something another blogger is doing that you love, imitate them. That doesn't mean copy posts but if you love that your favorite blogger does an OOTD post every week then do that; if you hate reading posts about recipes than don't write any posts like that. The same goes for being a reader; nobody likes to get spammed with 50 "great post" comments in a row; don't be the blogger to leave them on someone else's post - they're just about impossible to respond to.
7. If there's something you want to learn how to do - create a button, redesign your header, make a signature- just google it. You don't need to spend $80 to have someone else do something for you. Luckily the blogger community is great about writing posts about how to blog, so chances are you'll find about 15 posts to answer your question.
8. This is going to be controversial, but you don't need a picture with every post. Yeah it's nice to have a picture with every post but honestly you'll just feel dumb slapping a photo of you in a field with flowers when you're talking about how much you love the Harry Potter movies. I know "a picture is worth 1000 words," but sometimes when you choose the right words they're all you need. But if you do use a photo please make it extra large so I don't have to strain my eyes to see it.
And what would any project be without goals
Goals for my 2nd year
Reach over 100 followers on Bloglovin, Twitter, and Instagram
Make a blogging BFF
Meet someone in real life that I connect with through blogging
Create some partnerships with other bloggers or companies
Host my own linkup
And finally I'd love to know what you'd like to see more of in this 2nd year! Leave me a comment and let me know what type of posts you think are my best or types you think I might be good at writing.