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Vacations, broken wrists and gorgeous island days make for iced tea, my famous frozen margarita pie and a little reflection. I’m leaving you today with a post I originally wrote on For Bloggers by Bloggers—along with my hope that you are finding some time to get out in the sun and enjoy these beautiful days before they go ‘whoosh:’
Here comes summer,
Here comes summer,
Chirping robin, budding rose.
Here comes summer,
Here comes summer,
Gentle showers, summer clothes,
Here comes summer,
Here comes summer—
Whoosh—shiver—there it goes.
Shel Silverstein, “A Light in the Attic”
Now get out there and enjoy it! (But read this first.)
A Blogger Turns Three: 10 Things I’ve Learned
My blogging self turned three years old last month.
I’m past the ‘terrible 2′s,’ with those annoying, nonstop questions (although, come to think of it, I’m still asking ‘why?’ questions a lot.).
Blogging is so much a part of me that I forget that other people might not be even remotely connected to the concept.
That they might not even know what a blog is.
I found this out last Christmas Eve. The CatsEyeWriter blog had just been named one of the best writing blogs on the Web.
I knew I had been busted because now I would have to explain to my family what I do for a living. (They understood it much better when I was a teacher.)
So on Christmas Eve, I called my site up and showed my dad my cool award badge. It said: “Winner – Top 10 Blogs for Writers.”
I knew this conversation was going to be difficult, like the time I tried to show my mom how a fax machine worked.
“But how do the words go through the phone like that?” she said.
(In a way, I couldn’t blame her. How many of us really understood that one?)
That night, after a couple of false starts, I told my dad, “Well, see, a blog comes through the computer. People subscribe to it—you know, kind of like your newspaper? Except it gets delivered in a different kind of mailbox, on your computer.”
“You write stuff to help people solve their problems. They see how much you know and how much you give. And they start feeling like they can trust you. Some of them will even become your clients.”
He squinted at the computer screen.
“O-o-oh.”
I could tell he didn’t have a clue.
10 things I’ve learned about blogging
We all started blogging with our stinky first post, which at the time, we thought was fine enough to hit “publish.”
I’ve learned some things about blogging since then:
1. I can’t explain blogging to a mother who doesn’t even understand voice mail.
“I tried to call you yesterday, but I just got your answering service,” she said.
2. I left teaching, but I am still in education.
My readers want to learn something new from my posts—something about the world, about themselves, about how to be a better blogger. And I must revisit the concepts again and again, in different ways, because I am constantly getting new readers.
The trick is writing in fresh ways, with different angles, so readers who have been hanging around for a while will also find something new and useful.
3. Ideas for blog posts are everywhere, but executing them is the challenge.
There are thousands of ideas—millions, maybe—for topics. They can come from personal experience, from reading, from watching movies, even from comments left on your own blog.
Figuring out what to do with them, how to craft a post that educates, engages and entertains, is harder, but it’s also the fun part.
4. When I know who I am and what I do best, it makes everything so much easier.
I was worried that ‘nichifying’ my blog would lose me readers.But then I thought that the right niche just might work.
It did. It’s easy for me (I have a focus now!) and easier for my readers because they know what to expect when they open one of my posts.
5. It’s better to have 100 involved, excited readers than 5,000 subscribers who don’t hang around much because they don’t really care about your content.
Okay, I have more than 100 readers now, but I wish I had realized this in the beginning. That the building of community is where the gold is, not in a bazillion page views.
6. I don’t need to hide my true self, even the quirky parts.
My readers know that I was once attacked by a mob of angry mosquitoes in a hotel bed in Senegal, West Africa. That, because I used to teach first graders, I can sing “I’m a Little Pile of Tin, Nobody Knows What Shape I’m In,” complete with the hand motions and honking sound effects.
That I wanted to be an interpreter at the United Nations when I was in third grade and for that I got laughed at a lot.
All of these things and more are on my blog’s about page. And still my readers choose to hang around. (Well, some of them might have left after the “Little Pile of Tin” disclsoure.)
7. It’s okay to break the writing ‘rules’ when I blog.
I’m not talking misspellings and typos here. But if it works better to start a sentence with “and” or write a one-word paragraph to drive home a point, I’ll do it. The old writerism still applies: “Know the rules, but don’t be afraid to break one if it makes sense.”
8. Turning a blog into a business is hard work.
But not quite as challenging as starting my first business in a little town where old men sat on sidewalks in chairs and placed bets on when the latest store that opened was going to fold. (Yes, this really happened in Ocean Shores, Washington.)
9. There are things I can do to get more reader comments on my blog.
Writing with passion and a focus are only part of it. If I make my readers copy letters and numbers they can’t read—even in a sober state—or recite the alphabet backwards to leave a comment, I’ll lose them.
If I don’t ask for comments at the end of my posts (because they aren’t mind readers), they won’t leave one.
If I trick them with a headline promising something the post doesn’t deliver, they won’t stick around long enough to engage with me.
10. If I live (and blog) on an island, I’d better be good at social media.
The magic of social media means that I can live anywhere, even on a no-bridge, ferry-only island. With Twitter and Facebook, I can connect with fascinating beings, even dogs, and when we meet face-to-face, it’s like we are old friends.
What about you?
How long have you been blogging?
What one thing have you learned that you wish you had known on day one?
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Great advice. I’ve been blogging for all of 11 days now, so I have a bit of a ways to catch up to you. I hope to learn from your experience!
As usual, a fun post, I never miss yours! I’ve been blogging for about a year and a half now, and I’m certainly nowhere near your level. As we say here in Italy (where I live) complimenti!
You have a great “voice” , to use the term for writers – I’m not sure what’s appropriate for bloggers. But there IS a difference! In blogging, you have to adopt a conversational tone, be relaxed, close to your readers, or it doesn’t work! And that’s something you do superbly well. Perhaps it is not one of the 10 things YOU discovered in blogging, but it sure is something YOUR readers discovered about you!
Perhaps you might want to discourse some day about what makes for an effective “blogger voice” – one that readers are caught by and react to with comments!
Great read as ever Judy, I am still half way through year 2 so can just dream of reaching your longevity (in blogging terms that is!).
As to what I wished I knew on day 1? I would say don’t be afraid to fail, have a go with what you think might work, if it does all well and good, if it doesn’t then you will always learn from the experience.
Tony
HiYa Judy! Goog lord you’re getting old – ummm….as a blogger that is
“Blogging is so much a part of me that I forget that other people might not be even remotely connected to the concept.”
Ha! I thought I was the only one that thinks this way – the whole world should be bloggers – plain and simple.
You and I have talked about community before – I’m so glad you mentioned it here in your list of things learned. For me, that is the number one thing I have learned over the course of my blogging. You can write all day long – but without the interaction of a community – well. it just isn’t near as much fun.
@WinningStack Well. 11 days. My congrats to you for jumping into the blogging waters! We learn from others as we take this journey (I certainly did) but there is something to be said for just DOING it. In the viewpoint of this former teacher, the stuff we learning by doing just sticks with us longer. Thanks for sharing here and please do come back!
@claudenougat This comment was very nice to wake up to. : ) Thank you for that.
You know, coming from academia, it took me a while to find my blogging legs. But I may have had a voice longing to get out even back then. I remember an editor at Instructor Magazine saying to me,
” You know, we haven’t found a lot of teachers who can write a useful and engaging article—without the ‘education speak’. You do that well.’”
I took that as a ‘complementi.’ : )
On voice, it is a very hard thing to advise others on. But as I look back, I realize that there are certain things I did on the way to claiming mine. That might make for a helpful blog post. I’ll put it on the list. Thanks for the suggestion.
And thanks for stopping by!
@TonyH What an excellent tip, Tony. It’s such an important one and so glad you added it. Falling on your face with a blog post is not good for the ego, but it teaches you so much. And some of the posts I was most afraid to hit “publish” on were ones that readers were most receptive to. I would dare say, even try a post that “failed” (not sure how to define that except perhaps by page views and/or comments) again in a different way because I might have just hit a week when everyone was on vacation or something. ” : )
@FrankDickinson My buddy Frank stops by. Yipee!
Yes, I AM getting old. Bob tells me that quite often, actually. : )
You know, community tops my list, too. That is why it was so hard in the beginning, with the big old goose egg in the comment number box, because I craved those interactions. Some people say, “Oh, the bloggers who need comments just need to feed their egos.”
That couldn’t be farther from the truth for me. It is the EXCHANGE OF IDEAS, as Claude below says, the “discourse,” that is so exciting. We agree. We disagree. And suddenly I see something in a new light—something I’ve never considered before. And THAT is what is so much fun.
I know that you are all about creating conversations on your own blog and you do that so well. Danny Brown’s blog also comes to mind when I think of community building on steroids.
Thanks for reading and sharing here, Frank.
@JudyDunn I totally understand that need for exchange – and for considering something in a new light because of the conversation. heck, I’ve had to completely re write a blog post based on the interaction and what I learned from my community.
It’s what makes this whole deal so much fun!
How is danny brown ?
Judging by your post, we’re neighbors. I live in PA where our idea of business casual is wearing shoes. When you live on the edge of the continent, you need to blog to feel connected. Through the years, my readers have convinced me that if I want to write books, they’ll support the effort. What more can you expect from a bunch of people I wouldn’t recognize … but I know very, very well?
@FrankDickinsondanny brown Oh, yeah, the travel-challenged Danny. Damn those flight delays. : ) On the way back from WordCamp Chicago, Bob got ‘bumped’ from a 9-hour nightmare flight back to Seattle, with a scheduled 3-hour layover in Phoenix, to a 3-hr. nonstop. All because his connecting flight was late. Man was he beyond excited. Just the luck of the draw, I guess.
@LindaBMyers So agree with you there. I know because i am writing my first book right now. Such support from readers and bloggers I have never met in person! Thanks for sharing your story, Linda. : )
Hello Judy:
Great post. My blog turned 3 a few days ago, too. While I’m not a pro like you, I connected with your comment that
“Ideas for blog posts, but executing them is the challenge.” Some days it’s hard. Some day days it’s easy.
But as you say blogging has become so much a part of me that I keep plugging along. Here’s my take on blogging for 3 years for my retail business: http://www.olympichottub.com/hot-tubs-sauna-blog/2011/08/olympic-hot-tub-sauna-blog-hot-tub-bliss-celebrates-3rd-anniversary/
Thanks to you and Nancy Juetten for your help along the way and making the journey more enjoyable
Alice
@alice@olympichottub.com Alice! Good to see you here. So we are close to being blogging birthday buddies, huh? There is much to be said for “plugging along.” Self-disicpline just makes us stronger.
Now I need to pop over and read your post. Thanks for the link. : )
Congrats on turning 3 Judy! That is an AMAZING feat. Anything pass year one I think is simply miraculous. Haha. No, but seriously, it was all due to your hard work of course! Keep it up!
Hi Judy – great post. Thanks for sharing. I have to say I’ve been a committed blogger for the past year and a dabbler for about 2. All of your points were valid, but I think the comments here about community hit home. It can be hard to write when there are no responses. You feel like you’re talking to thin air. But something I’ve learned is people are reading, they just aren’t always commenting. That keeps me coming back week in and out to share something new. Congrats on your “birthday!”
FYI – it’s Jen from Boston. Sorry I should have said in my comment. Have a wonderful day!
@ollinmorales Ollin, my friend! It IS hard work, but so rewarding, don’t you think?
I’m working on my book proposal (creative nonfiction) and starting to think about shopping it around, so am looking forward to immersing myself more in your blog. Thought I was subscribed, but guess i was wrong about that. Am going to go in and fix that. : )
Thanks for reading—and for the birthday wishes.
@jv3688 Jen, I know. Part of me says, “I’m just glad someone is reading” and the other part says, ” Boy, a real conversation would be nice.” I love the way readers add to my topics and give me new things to think about. And lately, some of them have even been connecting with each other: reading and commenting on each other’s blogs and having conversations with each other outside of this blog. Very gratifying to watch.
You’ve been busy this summer yourself. Looking forward to hearing more about your new fall offerings. : )
Hi Judy
I couldn’t resist the picture of the cat on this one.
I enjoyed your piece on 3 years blogging, I actually hit my two year anniversary tomorrow, so it was great to read through your post.
I should go back and read my stinky first post, just for a laugh. I think I did one of those Welcome to the blog posts, yikes, I wasn’t very original there really. This post was back in August 2011, so your next birthday will be here before we know it.
Cheers
Thea
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Haha. Sometimes I have as much fun finding the right photo as I do writing the post. I kind of liked the frosting on his whiskers.
So you are in the “toddler 2s” now. Congrats. Many of us are still pre-schoolers, but, wow, how much we are learning.
On that Welcome to the Blog first post? I think a lot of us did that. Thanks for reading.
Judy Dunn recently posted.. Harry Potter Headlines: 10 Ways to Conjure Up a Viral Blog Post Title