So You Want To Start A Blog

First things first, it’s essential you learn how to take a casual “I’m just sitting on a white blanket while wearing sneakers, while holding a wine glass” photo. This is SO IMPORTANT. I can’t stress it enough.

But seriously.

Last night I co-hosted a free blogging webinar with Helene from Helene In Between and roughly 400 viewers tuned in.

And for some reason I was more nervous talking to bloggers via webcam than I am doing standup live. Because if bloggers don’t like you… they’re going to blog about it. Right? Shit, I hope not.

But I think it went well. I mean besides the fact every time I spoke my face was on fire with nerves and I occasionally said things like “trafficked.” And Helene and I both showed up dressed like Steve Jobs.

We covered a lot of ground. Everything from how we started, some of our failures, our successes, and how we manage to keep our head on straight from day to day while blogging is our “full time job.” If you sat in on it, you probably took away the fact that Helene is a mastermind blogger/scheduler and I… well I just show up and hope for the best while Harlow occasionally glares at me in the background.

I think what surprised me most was the amount of bloggers who tuned in wanting to know a little more about this crazy little profession. Most of you already have a blog, or want to start a blog. And to that I say hells ya. I may complain about it from time to time, but I love blogging. And I don’t think it’s dying. I think it’s getting bigger and bigger and just becoming the norm.

Isn’t it weird to think about all of the jobs that we have today that we didn’t have ten years ago? Do they teach blogging classes in college, I wonder?

I just got an image in my head of a very serious professor instructing students how to take a selfie and get that perfect “view from above” shot while holding their latte.

And I’m kidding!

We all know blogging is so much more than that… For some of us. There’s a few lucky birds out there who have managed to grow their blogs/instas simply by doing what I stated above and good for them! Someone’s gotta tell us how to tie our scarves, you know?

Anyway, before this is a full on ramble I want to end on a few key points about blogging that I hope might be helpful.

How to start a blog:

You just do. Don’t over think it.

How to make it pretty:

Hire a designer if you’re not familiar with web design, this is important.

Content:

Get your feet wet, just start writing. It will take a while to find your voice, but the only way you do that is by putting out a lot of work.

Get an audience:

Blast your shit everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Also, don’t be afraid to connect with other bloggers. Comment on their blogs. Be generous with your shares.

Social media:

It’s the nature of the beast. If you want a career in blogging you have to embrace it. The Twits, the grams, the snaps, the fbooks, do them all. After you get in the habit, it won’t seem to so daunting.

I’m going to end on a cheesy note here and say the most important thing about blogging for me, the reason I’ve endured 108 years of it and haven’t thrown in the towel, is because I like it. Plain and simply. I’m genuinely grateful I get to come here every day and shoot the shit and write about whatever I want.

You hear that, Universe? I AM SO GRATEFUL.

And I’m also thankful to everyone who sat in on the webinar last night! You guys were wonderful. And if any of you wrote mean posts about me being an idiot who doesn’t know how to talk, do share!

Now go do it, blogger babies. The world is your oyster!