My first guest post for TMC Network is Katie Derman, a working mom who is the author of the blog Articles from Addington. Her main blogging goal is to inspire and encourage other moms. She shares her perspective on blogging, especially for those who are just starting out:
So who are you? What hats do you wear in life? Are you a new mom or an experienced mom to multiple children? Maybe you have twins; bless you. Each of us has a unique and unusual story. Many of us entered the blogosphere by reading the stories of others and feel moved and motivated to share our story with the world. Blogging can make each day brighter than the next and open up a whole new world you never knew existed!
I entered blogging when I found myself working full-time after having my son, with no time for the local neighborhood Stay At Home Moms. Although I didn’t mind working, I felt as though I was missing out on a community of moms who were either experiencing the same things as me or had more knowledge and could share advice. At first I wasn’t sure of my blog niche (that came later), but I did use my first post to define who I was and what I felt the purpose of my blog would be. Suddenly, I was amazed at the interest given back and like a kid at Christmas, I found myself peeking at the ticker to see how many more followers I had.
Enter a community of amazing people! I immediately appreciated the honesty of these new online friends; from ways to clean your house to the time saving tips necessary for survival as a working Mom.
So you’ve begun to write posts, now how do you get involved in the blogging community? First, as you read both new and favorite blogs, reflect and thoughtfully comment. Consider sending an email to either a reader or blogger with a more personal message or a question.
Join communities like TMC and be an active participant. Communities are a great place to learn, share, support, and meet fellow bloggers. You’ll discover others with similar interests and struggles to you; no, you are not the only one that only slept two hours last night and is trying to teach a school house full of kids going through puberty!
Once you become an active blogger, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. The answer is keeping a grounded perspective and being organized. About one month in, I can remember wanting to be the newest superstar Mom Blogger. I also remember my husband asking if we needed a third pillow in our bed for the computer. Building a blog and community of readers takes time. Although difficult, it is important to remember the big picture and your purpose behind writing a blog.
It also helps to be organized. Do you keep a blogging calendar? It is so helpful to not return to your computer each day and have a blank screen staring at you. Plan your posts in advance, understanding that you can be flexible if something exciting comes up. Break blogging into smaller tasks spread throughout several sittings: brainstorm post topics, outline your posts, collect photographs, write, and revise. I have a folder on my desktop and weekly folders within it for my outlines, photographs and ideas.
At the end of the day, jump in with both feet, but don’t forget your life jacket. Blogging should be a fun way to share information or a story. If you find yourself worrying about your blog instead of cuddling with your little one while singing the theme from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for the 500th time, relax. It’s not a competition and your family still needs you. Remain true to who you are in what you write, review, and comment on.
Thank you to all of you who are brave enough to blog each day. Know that you help and enrich the lives of many people you may never meet.
Please send me an email if you are interested in guest posting at Theta Mom® for TMC Network. Full details can be found on the Network page.
Great tips! I started blogging for pretty much the same reason you did. I was (and still am sometimes!) struggling with being a working mom and feeling isolated. I had planned to stay home with my kids longer, and I desperately needed connections to other moms. I love the support I’ve found in the blogging community!
Great advice! I’m just now starting to use a blogging calendar and it’s helping tremendously.
The blogging calendar is key! I think it also helps bring continuity to your blog as posts build on each other.
Great article, very well written and exactly what so many of us feel. It’s wonderful to have that connection and bond, to learn from and be inspired by others, and to know you’re not alone out there trying to figure this whole life thing out
Great advice. Isn’t it funny that it can offer such a rich network, even if it’s online?
It is amazing how close we begin to feel to people we’ve never met. Someday I want to attend a blog conference and meet a few of these amazing women!
I love this comment “It is so helpful to not return to your computer each day and have a blank screen staring at you.” That is so true for me too. If I am not organized and planned out I get serious writers block. I always try to turn on my computer with a purpose. Great post. Thank you!
“If you find yourself worrying about your blog instead of cuddling with your little one while singing the theme from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for the 500th time, relax.”
THIS! It’s so important not to get too wrapped up in it all. I’ve caught myself doing just that many times and that’s when I know it’s time to pull up on the reins and take a step back for a day or two.
It seems like many bloggers hit a point where they think, “Let’s rev things up!”
Just what I needed right now. Thank you!
Some of the best ideas are the simple ones, a blogging calendar… why didn’t I think of that! It’s funny, but for work I was always super organized and planned practically every breath I took, and yet I never thought of applying the same mechanisms/resources to blogging. Thanks!
It’s funny how we don’t always transfer successful habits from one aspect of our life to another – I’m the same way! Hope it helps
What a wonderful guest post. Great tips on getting organized! Cant wait to check out your blog
Great post. Thx so much for sharing. I’m new to blogging so this is very helpful. (Thankfully my business partner, Elise, has been sharing her loads of expertise, too.) Having a calendar has been helpful for us though I need to be better about not starting my posts until very late at night. Also, I have for so long been a blog stalker and it’s been a lot of fun to actually comment and interact with other bloggers. Thanks again!
We love blog stalkers Mae and this is the best way to interact – by leaving a comment and adding value to the conversation. So glad you’re here and that you enjoyed the guest post!
This advice is great – I do many of these things
Good job posting!
Great post, very helpful. Glad to see the reinforcement of the two-sided process — the writing plus the community aspect. As a relatively new blogger myself, I’m wondering if there are, in retrospect, obvious mistakes you made as a beginner or just things that you decided to do differently after you got into your groove. Thanks.
Kim,
My biggest mistake or struggle has been finding my own voice as a blogger and a writer. I admire the success of the blogs I read, and it is sometimes easy to begin to sound like them! I find that the more I am myself on my blog, the better response I get, and the more fulfillment I feel.
I am still trying to find my groove, but it is definitely getting easier
Thanks for sharing.
I’ve only been blogging since JUly 2010 and can say I’ve built a great circle of blogging buddies who are amazing!
The calendar is a great idea. I started yesterday just making LISTS of things I’d like to write about. It’s really helping. I can work on a post here and there and whe a new idea sparks, I just add it to the list. Now I’ll start planning out my calendar.
Blogging is an awesome way to expand your community. Lately I’ve been using it to help raise awareness of a few causes that friends are partaking in. I love the feed back something like that brings!
Thanks again for the great post!
these are some wonderful tid-bits for a beginner – would have been great to hear when I was a newbe for sure!
I’ll have to look into a blogging calendar! Great advice.
This is extremely helpful! I have a blog with 6 of my closest friends but only a few of us contribute regularly. It can be frustrating at times being one of the only ones that is keeping up and trying to run things. Most of the time I feel I am coming up short. I am going to propose the calendar and see if that helps. Thank you for the idea! I want to redesign, add pictures and do an overhaul but do not know the first thing about how to do that. Can someone please point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance! : )
Elle, If you’re not sure how to do it yourself, I would consider reaching out to a graphic designer and have a pro add in some of the elements you are thinking about. There are many designers out there that offer various packages based on your budget. Hope this helps!
What a great guest post with great tips. I feel like I am finally getting into a blogging grove and it is much more relaxing and enjoyable than it used to be. My biggest problem is staying in a niche, I flip flop between about 10 of them, maybe that is my niche.
Great post with a lot of helpful hints. One thing that I started doing is carrying a piece of paper so I can write down things as they pop in my head. It seems so old school in this digital world, but sometimes you’re just not by a computer. When I am by the computer, I’m able to use it as a rough draft outline of sorts.
I decorated an old-school composition notebook for the same purpose! I try and use my phone or computer, but sometimes pencil and paper is the easiest and fastest way to remember and idea or story!
Thanks for the good post. I am learning all about this blogging world as I go along, teaching myself along the way. I am trying to be more organized with my blog and trying to get better about using a calendar and writing in advance.
Thanks for the good tips.
Jenn
Great tips and insights. Thanks!
Really good suggestions! I often find myself feeling overwhelmed. It’s so easy to let blogging take over. I try to take it one day at a time. I also follow your advice of always trying to stay true to myself. So important.
A month into blogging, myself, I’ve been fighting “blog envy,” wanting too much too soon, and finding myself letting my blog distract me from other things. Thanks for the perspective and tips, Katie!
Fantastic post and great reminders!
Great tips! Planning as far in advance as you can makes such a difference.
Great tips!
This is exactly what I needed right now! I’ve been a bit overwhelmed, feeling like I can’t keep up with the power bloggers and my following isn’t growing quickly enough…but I don’t want to give up my time with my kids. Thank you for some great tips and support!
Thank you for this post, I really like the idea of a calendar.
I’m relatively new here so your words are encouraging.
SoberJulie 😉
It’s so discouraging that when you leave comments, or ask or a specific request, you are completely ignored. It makes it really hard to want to visit other blogs and comment, because you aren’t being reciprocated.
This happens to me a lot, and I agree, it is hard to reach out through comments and be ignored. Even worse, sometimes if I leave a comment, the blogger replies by visiting my site and leaving a comment that just says “Thanks for visiting my blog!” Thereby making my little corner of the universe all.about.them. Gah!
I am brand new to the blogging world and found your post really helpful. Knowing that there are so many of us out there makes the daunting task of getting your blog out there and known a little less scary. I too started my blog as a way to hopefully inspire other mom’s, and have been amazed at the positive response I’ve received so far. Sharing my story was a very scary thing at first, but slowly I am getting used to everyone knowing all about us!
Thanks for the great post! Can’t wait to check out the rest of your blog.