Half-truths and myths make for great fiction.
But, if you've set your sights on becoming a successful Blogger, you need to operate from an informed position.
So, listen up.
With all the "expert advice" being disseminated across the Web, it's easy to get caught up and confused.
It's likely that you want to follow all the "words of wisdom" so you can get it right and get ahead. Right?
But, be forewarned: not all advice is accurate or advantageous.
And a "one-size-fits-all" approach can have disastrous results.
If you're ready to work smarter, not harder, and make more money in the process, let's examine some of the most popular Blogging myths that have been sabotaging your success.
1. If you can write, you can Blog.
Not true. Not necessarily. Unless your intended audience is just your family and friends. Though Blogging is not "rocket science," it does require certain skills, traits and techniques.
It takes "ability" to conceive clever Blog posts, to communicate effectively, to build a community, to maintain a following. If everybody could do it well, why do you suppose that there are so few "super stars" among us?
2. To be considered a "serious Blogger" you must operate on a self-hosted domain.
Wrong. Of course ownership is almost always a good thing--whether it's a "virtual" home or a brick and mortar one. But, trust, if your writing is not up to par, or you have crappy content, it doesn't matter what comes after the period in your URL. Period. The proof is in the pudding.
Many successful, accomplished writers and Bloggers Blog with Blogger and Wordpress platforms. Some good examples would be Hope Clark of Funds for Writers, Kelly James-Enger of Dollars and Deadlines, Carolyn Howard-Johnson and several of the winners at the recent Write to Done's Top 10 Writing Blogs do too!
3. Blogging pays peanuts.
It depends. Though you'll find an array of opportunities advertised that pay five bucks for five hundred words, they are not representative of all Blog jobs. Don't be duped. Though my compensation has varied, I typically earn from $50.00 to 100.00 for Blog posts with reputable, established sites. You could too.
4. Blogging can make you rich.
So can the lottery; but it's not very likely. It's okay to dream, but real success comes from being a realist.
5. Comments are not a metric for Blogging success.
Think again. Though they are not the only factor to be factored in, comments show the level of engagement with your readers. If you're not getting many, not many people are "getting" you. Unless you're new to the scene. Revisit and revise. As a matter of fact, at Write to Done's recent contest for Top Blogs, 15% of the total Blog score assigned to winners was based upon the number of comments received at their respective sites.
Keep these five myths in mind as you move forward in your Blogging career, as there is great truth to the adage, "Knowledge is power."
Are you guilty of buying into any of these myths? Any more I might have missed? Do tell.
Image: Stock
I think you've covered it nicely. I'd have to say you "busted" the myths!
ReplyDeleteKaren,
DeleteGlad you approved. Thanks a bunch for your input.
I think another myth is that it is easy. Sure, anyone can whip out a quick ditty about what he ate for breakfast, but it takes time (when there are so many other things that require attention), it takes thought to produce posts that mean something to the audience.
ReplyDeleteRebecca,
DeleteHow true! Thanks for reminding us. :-)
Jennifer:
ReplyDeleteIt's not easy to come up with topics for posts. I did some calculating. If a blogger were to post three times a week for a year,he or she would have 156 entries.
People who look at something from the outside always see things a lot simpler than they actually are.
A blast from the past...lol
DeleteHi there, quietspirit,
You make an excellent point here. Something to consider. Good to hear from you...as always. :-)
It's my experience that as soon as you begin to get more Comments on posts, usually you also automatically get a constant flow of New Inspiration and New Ideas from those Comments for writing Crispy Fresh New Posts.
Delete'It makes it more into
actual Conversations
and it also makes the Blogging
a lot more Fun.'
HP,
DeleteThis is true. 'Ain't it?! :-) I always look forward to YOUR comments too. :-)
As usual, you've made very insightful points about blogging. I can't think of any more myths at the moment. Though, I'm sure there are a few more out there! -Hope you're doing well Jennifer!
ReplyDeleteYvonne,
DeleteAs usual, I'm pleased as punch to hear from you. Thanks. :-)
Pretty good list... In regards to point 4, I'd go further to say that there are very few things that people do or professions that people have that "can make you rich". Blogging is no exception here...
ReplyDeleteI do want to say that blogging, however, doesn't inherently have less ability for one to generate a nice income from (I hate saying make you rich because rich is so subjective) than most other endeavors.
For most, blogging may seem like an impossible way to make a really good living, however, I believe this to be the case simply because the bar to entry into blogging is so low.
Robb,
DeleteI couldn't have said it better. Glad you said it here.
Welcome! Thanks for adding to the mix.
Thanks for your post Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteOnly for what Nr. 4 is concerned, I doubt that real success is always really to be expected from being realistic.
It goes without saying that it isn't very smart to do really stupid things like jumping off a cliff thinking that when you wave your arms hard enough you will be able to fly like a bird.
On the other hand, I do think that Logic also frequently gets overrated as I wrote about
in a post titled: Logic is Overrated
I also once saw artist P-Diddy (Sean Combs) - I do believe it was (Live) on CNN Connections - say somewhat similar things.