This is the first post I’ve read that sums up what I usually first tell people about blogging.
People have different kinds of barriers in front of them. For some people, it’s the technology – they actually don’t know how to start a blog. For others it’s access – irregular internet connections etc. But for a lot of people, most of the people I meet, it’s personal/psychological and usually in the “I don’t want anyone to see me” vein. They want to blog, but they’re nervous and scared about begin “exposed”. And I have to agree. Blogging, like all other forms of public writing, is kinda scary. You really are naked. Everyone can see your flaws and scars as well as your “good side”.
So, like the post above, my advice to people in this nervous space is – start blogging, just don’t tell anyone what you’re doing.
There are billions of websites out there, and new blogs are started each day. The chances that anyone is going to find your little blog are so staggeringly low, you don’t have to be concerned about people looking at you. If you set your blog of private, there’s is even less chance that anyone will know what you’re doing. And the reality is, unless you’re a power blogger, there will be so few people reading your blog anyway once it’s public, you’ll spend the majority of your blogging life writing for yourself. So get used to it.
I can’t imagine not blogging now. I feel like more and more, it’s a part of who I am and what I do. I know I don’t truly get to the “nitty-gritty” of me yet, it will come one day. But with each post, I’m creating an archive. An archive of just one ordinary life.
Great tip ! Blog like no one is reading and it makes it much easier to start. I was happy that by the time people started reading me, I'd already blogged for months so when they went to my blog there was a little pile of posts to read. The idea of everyone staring real hard at my one and only little puny blog post was SCARY. Of course I wanted one or two readers, but anymore got me thinking about the likelihood of writing something that someone somewhere would object to. But that's the other great thing about millions of blogs…people don't really comment that much, and if they do, they are more likely to be positive and encouraging rather than critical.
p.s. Love the new layout Leesa. Really like the way you have made it easier to find blogs on specific topics.
Thanks for the comment Siv. I know what you mean about not wanting people to be looking at the one and only post. You really do want a body of posts that people can look through. Oftentimes my "latest post", is nothing meaningful at all, but with Popular Posts and Categories, it means people can look for the "choice cuts" at their leisure.