Yesterday started the Bloggiesta event. Today we are asked to talk about the best blogging advice we’ve received. Although I haven’t actively sought advice before, believe it or not I’m a really shy and quiet person when it comes to talking to people I don’t know, I have come across other bloggers giving out advice to fellow bloggers.
Do it for fun and be you!
This is the most important to me. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, regardless of what it is, it will show in the finished product. Not only will your readers not enjoy it, but it will soon make you resent your blog. Sure, there are a lot of blogs out there with cool websites, mega followers, and the most sought after ARC’s arriving on their doorstep every day. However, trying to be them is going to make you miserable. Stay true to your passions and blog about what makes you happy. Blogging shouldn’t be a chore. If you start to feel overwhelmed or stressed, it’s time to take a little break from blogging and do something fun for yourself.
Don’t get bogged down by numbers!
Sure it would be insanely awesome to have that mega following but don’t stress yourself into an early grave over it. Again, this is supposed to be something you enjoy. There’s nothing fun about fretting over follower numbers or the number of comments you receive on a post. Do I do a happy dance when someone leaves a comment on my blog? You bet your butt I do, but I don’t work myself up waiting for comments. I simply write my post and move on to other things. Life is far too short to be stressing over numbers.
Make a schedule!
If you are going to request review books or blog more than once in a blue moon, you will want to have some sort of scheduling system in place. A way to know when reviews should go out and when events you want to participate in start. Plus, it’s a great way to see the diversity (or sometimes lack of) of posts on your site. When I started blogging I had a notebook where I wrote down all the electronic arc’s I’d received and the date of their release so that I knew when to post my review. However, once I started blogging more and getting more review books I switched to a day planner and a multicolored pen (like the ones from the 90’s) so that each color means something different to me.
I’ve heard of bloggers using google calendar but that didn’t work for me. I kept forgetting to check it and found it much easier to have something physical on my desk that I would be reminded to look at every morning. Everyone has their own way of keeping a schedule, you just need to find what works for you.
There’s a lot of great advice out there but these are just ones that I try to live by. I blog because it’s fun. I enjoy having the opportunity to chat with bloggers, readers, publishers, and authors who share my passion and love of books. The moment it stops being fun for me is the day I walk away.
What is the best blogging advice that you’ve been given?
“Make a schedule” – interesting. Whilst I do keep a schedule, I havent included it in my list. Hmmm. Off to look!
That’s one thing that I had to learn the hard way. Now I don’t know how I’d get anything done without it. It helps keep me in line. 😉
Yes, yes, yes! All of this is so true and so good to keep in mind. 🙂
Thanks. I know there’s a lot of advice out there but these are just the ones I go by every day.
It’s nice to see someone else talk about how scheduling makes their blogging life easier. It helps make me stress less about what to post because I have time to think, and work on it, and get ideas for future posts etc. Great advice 🙂
My schedule rarely looks like the one above. I try to give myself a day between posts to either walk away for the day or visit other blogs. But with that being said, I don’t think I’d get much done if I didn’t have a schedule telling me what to do when. 🙂 Plus I like seeing what I’ve been doing and can throw in a meme or a different genre review to switch up the pace.
These are some really great nuggets of advice, thank you! I’ve got a diary that I keep with me wherever I go to jot down post ideas or keep track of what I’m posting when and it’s helped me so much!
It’s really imprortant to keep things fun 🙂
Yeah. I definitely need a schedule. Otherwise I will just put off posting for another day… and then another. LoL
Great post. For me, trying not to get bogged down with numbers is the biggest thing. I try to remember this is for fun!
That’s the toughest one for me. I sometimes get discouraged when I try to do a link-up and only a couple people sign up or when I go to a blog that has tons of reviews and I have none. It’s important that when I start to feel that way that I walk away from the computer and do something else.
Like you, I’ve never given or asked for advice, but I’ve seen a lot of it out there. One thing I started last night was a schedule/calendar, just using a 2015 wall calendar. Best advice I’ve heard is to focus on your motivation for blogging.
FYI There is something weird with your blog, it may be the coding, but if I hold down my mouse and drag, the entire blog slides whichever way I am dragging, but then won’t go back. So right now I can’t see a lot of stuff.
LoL :shakes head: I don’t know what’s going on with my site. Yesterday someone said that my posts content was going over into my sidebar. I tried to replicate what you said but it didn’t do anything. :\ Thanks for the heads up.