Should Writers Have Blogs?
August 3, 2007 by Deb
Filed under Freelance Writing
I started this blog in May 2005 as a way to share with a few friends and stay at home moms, and also to contribute something to Writer’s Row, which I founded along with several other great content writers. I was new to blogging and didn’t know much about it. I had attempted websites on more than one occasion and they just didn’t seem to work out for me.
I think the reason people responded more to my blog than my past websites is because I’m able to inject more personality here. In any event, this blogging thing really took off. Soon I started researching ways to bring in traffic and money. I began to build a community, which is really the best part. It became so successful I made blogging my career.
Should all writers have blogs?
Sure, why not? Blogging is a great way to showcase your talents and practice your writing. You can discuss topics of interest and even place links to your articles. For me it’s a fun way to share ideas and discuss the issues that affect all freelancers.
Some things to keep in mind:
Blogging is a commitment. You have to post almost every day, and many of us post several times a day to keep traffic flowing. It’s not easy coming up with stuff to talk about on a regular basis.
It takes time to build a community. Very few bloggers are successful right off. It took me almost two years to really bring in the traffic and get the discussions flowing.
You need a thick skin. For the most part the people in your community are grownups and know how to conduct themselves in a grownup matter. There will always be a few who, rather than contribute an intelligent rebuttal, will call you names and insult your community.
You have to watch what you say. If you blog in the heat of the moment, your words can and will come back to haunt you.
It may not bring in much money. You can place ads on your blog, but most bloggers don’t earn vast quantities of money. While this blog does earn a few dollars each day, what I earn here goes to pay Josie and the person who performs blog maintenance. (This week it’s Ajay). You might be able to buy a cappuccino once in a while, but very few bloggers get rich.
The Benefits
I love blogging. I can write as much as I want or as little as I want. I can talk about subjects of my choosing and make my own hours. Since I started blogging, many doors have opened up. I became About.com’s Guide to Weblogs, I have great gigs blogging for Oxygen Media, b5 Media, She Knows, Performancing, Celebrity Cowboy and many others. I used to send out lots and lots of resumes. Now, people approach me to work for them. Clearly, blogging was the right career move for me.
This blog has a lot of great information. Thanks! I am considering trying freelance, but most of my writing portfolio is academic writing (I have an M.A. in political philosophy), which isn’t at all what I want to do. I’ve experimented with several blogs the past few years as a way to create a less academic portfolio, but I don’t have much traffic beyond my circle of friends. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about hub pages like Squidoo or Hub Pages. Are they a worthwhile thing to do to get traffic to blogs, or is there a better way to build traffic and legitimize my writing? Thanks!
Hi Deb
In total, how many blogs do you write for? Do they all need updating on a daily/weekly basis? And how do you coordinate your schedule so it all gets done? The reason I ask is because I only have two blogs and I doubt I would be able to manage one more, so I’m curious about how you manage.
I agree! Although I have always fancied the idea of a writing career, the possibility didn’t seem real until I started my blog. I was just another mommy blog until other professionals began to approach me, and now I hope to turn those opportunities into a full-time business. If I hadn’t begun a blog, no of this would have happened.
I love blogging. And I feel a commitment to my readers — I feel guilty if I don’t update regularly. To me, the blog feels like sitting around chatting and brainstorming with friends and colleagues.
I get very frustrated, though, when I get into the habit of visiting blogs and they’re not regularly updated. I feel that if I take the time to come over — time I could be writing — there should be new content up regularly.
Questions for everyone:
Which program do you like the best for blogging
Which one is the easiest to use
I like Blogger rather well, though I’ve not really tried any of the others. It’s pretty easy to use and to make new skins for if you know a little CSS and HTML.
I have two blogs, myself, one updated 5 times a week, the other (new one) twice a week.
Technorati, at least, has gotten me a little traffic.
Absolutely. I know many authors who have blogs and it is a great inspiration to me to glean from their wisdom. It also helps me connect with them as a real person. When they share it seems more personal and the interaction is great. I find it an excellent way to network!
I just wanted to add that having my own blog format writing profile has increased my exposure and my confidence.