Are You Ready to Blog? - Questions to Prospective Bloggers
Are You Ready to Blog? - Questions to Prospective Bloggers
This is a post I wrote in my blog and I am presenting it as an article to the people who are considering blogging.
Score yourself on questions below and tally them to find if you are a blogging potential.
Score Card
1 - Strongly disagree
2 - Disagree
3 - Neutral
4 - Agree
5 - Strongly Agree
I enjoy writing - Blogs are predominantly a written medium. Although there are photoblogs, artlogs, vlogs etc., you still would have to explain yourself to the people who visit your blog.
I have a Message - While there are many reasons why people want to blog, the aim would be communicating some sort of message. We are talking about time invested
I am a good communicator - This statement is not to mention that only good communicators should have blogs but it can be an advantage to have some basic communication skills.
I want to be the central voice on the blog - While blogs are good at building community - they generally feature one person (predominantly) as the central voice in a conversation. If you're after something where anyone can start a conversation then a Forum might be a better medium.
I am self motivated - Starting a blog takes a little initiative. While blog software these days makes it simple to start them, they don't run themselves and take a motivated person to both getting them off the ground.
I am disciplined - Similarly blogs require regular attention over time. While daily posting is not essential, it's probably a good level to aim for. I will be able to motivate yourself to write something new every day
I have time - Linked to the need for regular updates is the fact that this takes time. I have time not only to write posts but moderate comments, respond to reader questions, read other bloggers posts, network with other bloggers etc.
I am thick skinned - If you start a blog, the chances are that it will be found and that others will write about you or some aspect of what you're doing. This is great when the comments of others are positive and in agreement with you - but it's not much fun when you're critiqued (sometimes fairly and sometimes not). Do I have the ability to take criticism well?
I am willing to be in the public spotlight - Blogging is a public act. Every day you put yourself into the gaze of others. People will analyze your words and lifestyle. Some will want to know more about you and some might even recognize you in public Keep in mind that once you write something online it is very difficult to get it removed. You might be able to delete your blog but archives pick up a lot of what you write and so you could be living in the public spotlight for a lot longer than you're a blogger.
I have any technical ability - If this were a requirement of blogging I'd have never gotten this far, but it is an advantage to have the ability to learn and work on a technical level. You'll be working on a computer with web based software and at times you'll need to 'tweak' your blog. Knowing how to do it yourself can be very handy. If you're not this type of person, you might want to make friends with someone who is.
I take myself too Seriously - One of the characteristic I think bloggers should have is a sense of humor - particularly when it comes to looking at themselves. While there are plenty of examples of bloggers who do take themselves too seriously, most successful bloggers seem to have the ability to laugh at themselves also.
I have a blend of humility and Ego - Coupled with a sense of humor should be humility. While bigheadedness abounds in the blogosphere it's often the humble blogger who ends up on top. Having said this having a healthy ego and view of your own worth as a person is also a good characteristic to have as there is an element of 'self promotion' that comes into blogging at times. Getting this balance right is not always easy - but it's worth working on.
I am willing to learn newer things - I like to look at blogging as a journey where everyone knows something but nobody knows everything. You never stop learning being a blogger
I enjoy reading - Need to be good at the ability to read what others are writing. Blogging is a culmination of what you know, what you read and what you come across. A post written would have at least three post in similarity
I am an organized person - As a blogger you have to get at least a little organized, with incoming emails, following lots of feeds, writing perhaps on multiple topics/blogs and moderating comments all going on at once.
I am a Social person - There are many styles of blogging but when it comes down to it most bloggers have some sort of a desire to connect with readers. It's probably an advantage to actually engage your readers in someway.
I enjoy 'virtual relationships' - Some of the most social people I know are terrible when it comes to online interactions. Being comfortable with speaking to and working with people you've never met before is an advantage if you're a blogger. Developing the ability to work out whether others are who they say they are and of good character is probably a skill to develop.
I am a creative person- Once again this is not a 'must' - just an advantage. The web is a cluttered place and being able to develop content and community that stands out from the rest and that surprises readers is a big plus.
I stick to a task till completion - While some blogs are overnight successes, most are not. In fact many (most) blogs are never as successful as their owners would like. A long term approach is one of the basic pieces of advice that I'd give most bloggers.
I am Consistent - People do like to know what to expect to some extent. Changing blog topics or the content or the style midstream and expecting the readers to adapt themselves is suicidal.
I am honest and transparent - While in real life it can be reasonably easy to keep secrets or be two faced - the blogosphere has a culture of people keeping an eye upon each other finding out things. While you'll want to develop boundaries around what you do and don't blog about, you will need to be willing to disclose conflicts of interest and be willing to be held accountable for the things that you say.
I am willing to work hard - The level that you need to work on a blog will be dependent upon your goals and objectives for it - but if you have goals of being the next big thing then you'll be guaranteed of a lot of hard work. Of course this is the case with any thing in life and not just blogs.
I am willing to expose myself - People would be comfortable with people they know and would come back for more once they develop that comfortness. Anonymity would not help much for a blogger.
How to decipher the scores to decide on the further course of action? Find below
Scored between 23 and 54 - You are better off at something other than blogging. For Humanity's sake stay away from blogging.
Scored between 55 and 75 - You need a lot of considerations to make before you decide on blogging. Give yourself some more time before you jump into taking a decision which might or might not work for you.
Scored between 76 and 97 - You can improve on certain aspects for you to tune yourself to be a better blogger. Of course be a learner all the time and t
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