Why blogging isn’t as easy as some say (but it can be easier)
“Create a blog in 3 easy steps: 1. Create an account, 2. Name your blog, 3. Choose a template.”~ Blogger Instructions
“It’s [a blog] easy to start and maintain. You don’t need an IT staff or a degree in computer science to start a TypePad blog. Designing your blog is point-and-click, and updating your blog is simpler than sending an email. You can be up and running in minutes.”
~ TypePad Instructions
There is no dishonesty in the two statements above; however they are misleading.
Key blogging distinctions
- Creating a blog and blogging are two entirely different things.
- Using a cookie-cutter template and having a customized blog are two more entirely different things.
- Personal blogging and blogging for business are entirely different.
- Having a blog and using a blog effectively are entirely different.
- Having an easy-to-use blog system and having a strategic blogging plan are entirely different too.
These distinctions aren’t what the people at Blogger and TypePad tell you. Why? It’s not a conspiracy to inflate your expectations and then let you down. Most of the “free” hosted systems (Blogger, TypePad, wordpress.com) are catering to personal bloggers for whom design, flexibility, and the overall process aren’t that important. For this kind of blogger, the distinctions above don’t matter that much. As a person using a blog for business, however, everything about your blog matters.
Key components of the business blogging process
All of these items are covered in detail during my Simple, Successful Blogging Program, a 10-week group blogging course designed to help business owners plan and launch a blog for their company and customers.
- Know the purpose behind your blog.
- Know who you’re blogging for and what’s important to them.
- Know what will sustain your passion for blogging once the newness has faded.
- Develop specific goals and know how to evaluate your progress.
- Organize your blog in a way that best helps you achieve your goals.
- Have a plan for promoting your blog online and offline.
- Develop a blogging practice that you can maintain easily over time.
In addition to developing the components listed above, as a Simple, Successful Blogging participant, you will:
- install WordPress on your own web host — this step gives you the blogging system from which you’ll do all your amazing work
- add the key plugins (added features) — this step ensures that your blog is user-friendly and highly functional for both you and your readers
- learn how to use most of the functions of WordPress — this step helps you learn your way around WordPress so your time blogging can be as fruitful as possible
By the time you complete the program, you will have learned what you need to be a successful business blogger.
So the bad news is that blogging is NOT easy, despite what you’ve read/heard. The good news is that business blogging can be easier, more effective, and more enjoyable if you take part in my Simple, Successful Blogging Program. Early bird pricing is in effect until August 16, 2007. Space is limited.
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