Image Credit: Terriers & Tweeds

As you may know I started blogging at the age of fourteen, but at fourteen I didn’t know the word blogging even thought it was what I was doing. I used to blog with Xanga.com until my second year at City Tech and than I took a very long break which I shouldn’t have.

Between 2008 – 2010, I was in love for the very first time with someone I truly cared about and meant everything to me, granted I was only 19 and he was 20 when we met, but it was the kind of love that I felt could have never been replaced. Unfortunately, it didn’t end well in July 2009 and it really had an effect on me and it was a time like that in my life that I forgot all about blogging, about writing my heart out, about sharing my pain, and etc. I wished I had continued to blog during the period of mending a broken heart, but I forgot and I was a mess.

In 2010, I decided to get back into blogging after watching “Julie & Julia” because that movie really paved the way for me to start blogging again even though I may not always get comments, feedback, or noticed either way what I write is there and it’s real. It wasn’t just blogging I started in Mid-2010, but I created a Yelp account where I decided to start reviewing restaurants and places I’ve eaten at without expecting any results or following. I also started blogging again about life, food, cooking, and much more.

Between 2011 and 2012, I was still a little rusty with blogging. However, after discovering I have a great passion for food and eating I decided to start food blogging and writing about the dishes I’ve eaten and the places I’ve been to. When I look at my Yelp reviews and blog posts, it’s quite amazing how many places I’ve eaten, tried, and seen. I still blog because I love it and I love writing and I love sharing my experiences with someone on the other side of the computer that may find my words inspiring.

I realized that one reason why I never wrote about how I felt and the pain I accumulated in 2009 – 2010 was because I didn’t want myself to go back and read about it because it would just make me cry and the pain I felt is something I never want anyone else to feel or experience. I also realized that during a dark time in your life, you need to find what it is that you love to do that makes you happy because that could be the solution to mending a broken heart.

“Julie & Julia” and a few individuals made me realize how important blogging is because for someone like me, I like to write, but on a blank white screen like I am right now. The influences and followers in my life made me realize that I do offer relevant information, that someone does care, that what I write matters. You should NEVER forget what it is that you love to do.

I’m not an individual that expects comments, feedback, money, an arm or leg to read my blog. I just simply like to write my experiences and share it and if someone reads it, that’s great. Blogging has made me a stronger person, a better writer, a better blogger, and a better person online and offline.

Do you blog and how has it change your life?

One of the hardest things about blogging is to keep your blogs going without burning out. We all get busy and weary at times and it can begin to wear us down. The key to blogging is longevity and showing up with content is the challenge. But it’s often like hitting a wall. Maybe your blogs are becoming mundane and you feel that you have no more to say. So why should you bother blogging?

The answer is because there is so much to gain and there is a return on investment. Consider expanding on your ideas and taking them in a new direction. My motivation is to keep things exciting and think of new ways to express myself. This is something I have decided to do with my blogs and it has brought about a whole new level of excitement for me. Don’t try to go it alone; there are so many resources and collaboration that we can utilize.

So how do we continue to encourage ourselves to show up? Just like anything else, if we try, we can keep going.

And don’t worry if your blog is short. Just as long as you keep writing, there will be a return on investment.

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By now having read all the blogs about blogging, you probably realize that it’s not just “a walk in the park”. To make it successful, you need to put some thought into it. Even more so if you want to do it for a living. One area that I previously struggled was with the tone of my blogs. Initially, my writing style was stiff. I use to write in a strictly formal way. After all, having spent so many years of writing term papers and professional documents for work, it was what I was used to.

But I realized that people are more likely to listen to a friend talking than a person giving a lecture. It doesn’t matter what the subject is, you can still have a conversational tone that will make your blog more approachable and enjoyable.  Like me, if your blogs are of a professional and career orientated nature, it can still have a conversational tone.

So now I write the way I talk— in a more conversational way that connects with my audience. This way, my blogs are much more approachable. Writing, as if I am talking to someone, makes my message more effective. But if you’re not used to it and this is hard for you, here are a few ways to get better at it:

1. Record yourself talking to a friend. Explain something to your friend and talk naturally as you normally would. Then listen to your conversation. Did you sound clear or were you confusing?

2. Use contractions when possible. That means when you can say something in a shorter way, use it. For example, “don’t” instead of “do not” and “or “that’s” instead of “that is”.

3. Use shorter sentences and paragraphs—something I am always trying to remember. Break up your sentences by using commas, semicolons and ellipses instead of being redundant.

4. Start sentences with “and”, “but”, or “So”. It’s perfectly correct to do so.  Starting a sentence with “and” or “but” lets that sentence stand out from the others while still carrying over the thought from a previous sentence.

5. Lastly, use common words. Yes, my blogs are about professional development but it doesn’t mean I can’t make things as simple as possible for my readers.

Conclusion

There’s much more I could say but I don’t want to overwhelm you. So don’t panic. Practice and you will get it just right.

I believe that the most important quality of blogging is to be genuine and honest. But being honest isn’t always easy.  Advertising is growing vigorously and online media has given it that boost it needs to flourish. Bloggers are bombarded with offers of free products in exchange for them giving a review on their webpage.  How can viewers be sure of the integrity of the blogger and the content?  Bloggers have to be mindful of obligations that could influence their content and exercise caution even if it means that they have to refuse products or services.  It is far better not to align creator content with advertisements but if there is an agreement, then bloggers should be prepared to offer full disclosure.

It is a blogger’s duty to uphold the truth even if that means admitting a mistake. The best way for bloggers to guard against inaccuracies is to be clear between what is an opinion and what a fact. But as with each technology, blogging has its affordances and constraints. With blogging sites being so easy to setup, it is important for each blogger to design their webpage with integrity and responsibility.

Although bloggers enjoy the fact that they can build relationships with their readers, which involves making it easy for them to connect and share information, I think what most people like is that sense of uncensored freedom that blogging affords. Without a standardized code of ethics, the casual style of writing is often misused and misguided. I believe that responsible bloggers have an obligation to their readers to show that they can be trusted.  Depending on both content and context, the public have a right to reliable information.

I believe that the most important quality of blogging is to be genuine and honest.  But being honest isn’t always easy.  Advertising is growing vigorously and online media has given it that boost it needs to flourish. Bloggers are bombarded with offers of free products in exchange for them giving a review on their webpage.  How can viewers be sure of the integrity of the blogger and the content?  Bloggers have to be mindful of obligations that could influence their content and exercise caution even if it means that they have to refuse products or services.  It is far better not to align creator content with advertisements but if there is an agreement, then bloggers should be prepared to offer full disclosure.

The best way for bloggers to guard against inaccuracies is to be clear between what is an opinion and what a fact.