[Photo credit: lightersideofrealestate.com]
I’ve been to many speaking engagements since last year to talk about blogging. Invitations from left to right, opportunities for me to share what I’ve learned for the past 10 years were endless and fulfilling. Right soon after every seminar or workshop, I’ve met people who will tell me that they were inspired by my discussions and wanted to start blogging.
I was able to communicate with people whom I’ve met during blogging conventions. Some are brave enough to really start their passion in writing online. However, there are a few who are still in the limbo of thinking that blogging is not for them even though the eagerness to blog is already there.
5 Understandable Reasons Why Aspiring Bloggers Are Still Not Blogging
There were numerous times where we had blogging consultations via Facebook chat or email with those people that I’ve met. From whom I’ve learned, I have collected the five (5) most common reasons why they are still not blogging, which is, in some ways understandable.
1) They Don’t Know What To Write About
In blogging, aside from getting ready the proper tools and equipment necessary to start one, a certain topic must be considered to really begin the ball from rolling. Let’s not talk about blog niche because that’s very common to talk about (and I already discussed that in my previous post. Read here.) What I have in mind is the idea of formulating a specific topic you are passionate to tell the story about.
If you are into fashion, why not start sharing your love of fashion? Are you a travel junky like my blogger buddies, Christoeffer John of Four-Eyed Laagan or Hanna of Bean In Transit? Then, you can venture into travel blogging and tell the tale of your amazing escapades. However, there is the twisted gist in choosing the right topic for you.
– Is it accessible for you? What I mean is, is travel or fashion easy for you in terms of resources? Again, when you blog, you must be accessible to things that can help you write. Just a little reminder, though, that if you want to become a travel blogger because you were mesmerized by other bloggers, but it’s quite challenging for you to achieve, then I would advise you to look for an easy-to-reach topic.
– Do you have the passion for writing about it? There are niches in blogging that require a lot of time and effort (and also money). Let us say, for technology blogging, you must have an actual and hands-on experience with the latest gadgets to do product reviews to put leverage to your content. I know you can just search a lot of data online, but having the personal encounter of these devices would give you credibility as someone who provides information to your readers and followers.
– Is it something you really wanted to write about? When I started blogging, my intention was to share my travel adventures in Cebu City (that is from someone who is not originally from this city; read here). But in the long run, I gave up the idea of doing a travel blog because 1) I cannot travel all the time, 2) traveling, for me, is not a primary thing to write about, and 3) it’s quite expensive. I may have said before that “I am a less traveled blogger”, but I’ve been to different places around the country before. It just so happens that my mind keeps reminding me this:
I love to travel, but what I don’t like about traveling is the traveling part from point A to point B. It’s like I want to travel, but both packing and unpacking my bag are terrifying.
Because of these questions that I have answered in between those 10 years in blogging, I have come up and realized that covering events, entertainment, and lifestyle are the main topics I wanted to blog about. Hence, my events and entertainment website, www.cebufinest.com, is what it is now.
2) They Don’t Have The Money
Blogging can be part of your monthly expense. You need to consider getting the most reliable hosting provider and of course, registration fees for your domain name. However, there is an alternative. So, you don’t need to fret.
WordPress, one of the widely-used content management systems (CMS) for blogging offers a free version of their services. Blogspot, on the other hand, can also provide you a free blogging platform without spending extra for the services you need for your blog.
Since they are free, of course, expect some limitations to what you can do with your blog, like embedding advertisement banners, modifying your designs, and other things. These things can be minimal considering that you are just about to start to blog. But for the time being, these free services are as good as other platforms available today.
ALSO READ: Which WordPress To Choose?
3) They Think They Are Bad In Writing English
Can I say this is about grammar? Yes, but even though we consider good writing skills to be a plus factor in blogging, it’s the thought that counts. (That’s what she said). Good command of English communication is crucial to blogging, most especially to those aspiring bloggers who wanted to reach more audience on the Internet. If that is the case that you do not trust yourself with that part, you can use tools like Grammarly.
There’s also one available or both online and desktop: the Hemingway app is very helpful with your writing.
Your English writing skills, like mine, can be improved as you go publishing your blog post regularly. And besides, if you are lucky enough to be friends with “the grammar police”, then you don’t need the apps. Just advise your friend to be easy with you on correcting your grammar because, again, you are still starting.
But, Rome Nicolas of Basta Bisaya writes in Cebuano. So, it simply tells us that we can write on our blog in any dialect, just make a plan ahead on how to reach the correct audience for your online work.
To learn more tips on how to connect with your readers, read here.
4) They Are Afraid That They Will Be Criticized
If you will be consumed by what other people would think about you and your blog, I can guarantee you that this can be a reason that you won’t push yourself to start your blog. As someone who can be exposed to social media (and the kind of social media we have today is very overwhelming), you can encounter people who are judgmental of you and your blog.
I’ve been there many times. Again, I’ve been blogging for more than a decade now and I receive a lot of negative comments from people that I don’t personally know. This can be demotivating, however, if you can only look for ways on how to disregard these kinds of comments and concentrate more on the positive side of things, then you can get moving and improve yourself in blogging.
I always go with the saying that, “If you don’t have something nice to say online, don’t say anything”, but we cannot control these online trolls. What we can do is how to balance our behavior toward these attention grabbers. It’s not that you don’t need to mind them because, for sure, what they are saying can be true (that we need to really do the spellcheck).
Thinking that someone is reading your blog (despite the fact that in this case, it’s the negative one), then you can say that you’re on your way to getting a reach of an audience. Take it to the positive side: someone is reading your blog.
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is very important when we deal with social media and exposing our lives on the Internet. As I told a fellow blogger about this on one of our conversations:
No matter how public our lives have become as bloggers, always remember that what is private is ours alone. We must be careful on the information we share online. Even though the Internet can be a happy place despite the negativity, just make friends with the right sort of people like as what we are doing offline.
5) They Feel They Need To Compete With Other Bloggers
This part here is the discussion from my previous post about creative writing and blogging inspired by a conversation I have had with Christoeffer John of Four-Eyed Laagan.
On the last bullet of my discussion, “You Don’t Need To Be Like The ‘Other’ Blogger”, I left eight subtopics that I have the gut feeling to expand my explanation on this blog post. For this, though, I am going to explore more on the first three, and the remaining five will be for another blog entry.
– There’s something you don’t know or inspired with. We tend to compare ourselves to other bloggers in terms of how huge their audience is and you fail with that aspect. Patience and perseverance are the virtues we need to learn. If you check my Facebook Page, I don’t even have 1,000 likes. My YouTube channel doesn’t even get 100 subscribers. But, I am still positive of my capabilities to be able to get partnership from brands.
I always believe in the idea that I have something I know that others don’t, and vice versa. Then, if you are that blogger, make that something you know an advantage to your part in your blogging.
Personally, I might achieve 3,000 followers on Instagram in the future (currently I have reached 1,000 followers), but what I have now is a stepping stone of what I can do as a social media micro-influencer.
I appreciate the audience that I have today. I show appreciation by regularly posting tips on blogging because mostly my followers are aspiring bloggers. There are bloggers who read my blog, too. And I am positive that they do with my published entries because we feel that we need to learn from others and less thinking about to compete with them.
– Don’t worry too much. There are times that the motivation to blog temporarily dies down. It can be from running out of ideas to write about, personal issues with family or friends, hectic work schedules, financial matters, or other things that can really affect the fire from burning.
As what the striking words Christoeffer John told me on our serious exchange of ideas about blogging, he stated:
I don’t force myself to write.
Yes, it is true. There are 7 days in a week. You can write in between those days to fully contemplate on the ideas you wanted to convey to your readers. If your mind is cloudy and your head is heavy from negative things, better not push yourself too hard on writing.
Schedule a downtime. Turn yourself off from social media once in a while and experience the outdoors. (I’ve learned this idea from Hanna of Bean In Transit. So, a shout out is in order.)
However, always remember that “someday” is not one of those days in a week. Find time to recharge and go back to the drawing board and plot your next blueprint.
ALSO READ: Blogger Friends Are Starting To Get Demotivated To Blog
– Blog freely and don’t be afraid to write what you feel. Blogging is a good avenue to express what you feel on things. This blog was conceived with that idea. There are some things I cannot write on my other blog, cebufinest.com, so this personal blog was launched.
There are bloggers that I follow who setup an exclusive space on their blogs to express their emotions. One example is from John Jay “Junji” Bacon of the Wandering Feet as he wrote:
I can only hope that we will not forget that we used to be more than just acquaintances. And for once, our paths crossed. That we once felt home in each other’s company. Surrounding the campfire we made. Campfire built from courage and bravery, emblazoned by trust and vulnerability. But all I can do is to hope for what was left are the falling embers kissing the cold ashes of what remained from our once burning friendship.
It’s one of his literary entries, “Fallen Embers” that talks about friendship. You can read the whole story here.
As a blogger, you need to move out from your comfort zone. Start to express what you truly feel about something and write about it. In this example, it was a literary genius. I was once a Literary Editor of a college paper and works like the “Fallen Embers” are one of those things I am more interested about for ways to express what we think and feel. He did it, and so can you.
How Soon Are You Going To Start Blogging?
Always remember that forcing yourself to start a blog is just something that will demotivate you to start doing it. Instead, find the right time to when you want to begin writing. But, also remember “How soon is now?”
*When you say it’s gonna happen “now”
Well, when exactly do you mean?
See I’ve already waited too long
And all my hope is gone
*an excerpt from the song, “How Soon Is Now?” by The Smiths
If you are afraid because others might criticize you or judge you by the way you are blogging, think again. You are blogging because you wanted to share and your blog is your medium to tell your story.
Start your blog, and connect with others. Sooner or later, you will find out that your story can inspire others as well. I can understand why aspiring bloggers who haven’t started blogging yet feel this way. Sad to say, but sometimes, the Internet is cruel. But if you put into perspective the positive outcome of your story to motivate and inspire others, then, rethink the idea of starting a blog.
—
If you like this discussion, please do share it on social media like Facebook, Twitter or any other site that you like (of course with a credit link back to this blog post).
Also, don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more updates and random stuff about me and this blog.
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for more exciting adventures.
--
I'm a blogger, a crazy kid, and a happy piece of a blob. My star sign is on the cusp of the Crab and the Lion. I am Julian.