5 REASONS YOU SHOULDN’T BLOG

In the last blog post, I talked about reasons you should start blogging. There are honestly countless reasons to start, but I also want you to be weary about not starting a blog, for what I think, are the wrong reasons.

Because there are, in my opinion, some reasons to NOT blog.

To get this blog ball rollin’ takes time and dedication, so I want to make sure that you really know what you’re getting yourself into before you take the plunge.

 

Please, please, PLEASE do not go into blogging because you need to make money.

Nope – you might as well go buy a Powerball ticket, and cross your fingers darling, because making money blogging is not something that can be promised to you. Just because your blog exists, doesn’t mean that money will come flying in.  No one, not even your readers (if you’re lucky enough to earn someone’s trust as a writer) are obligated to you.

If you need to pay your bills, and you’re thinking that blogging  will do that – you may, instead, want to look towards another job.

Need to stay home, but need money? I’d actually recommend you look into becoming a Virtual Assistant. That means that you’d get to help companies, or other bloggers like myself, accomplish tasks. Many VA’s work from home, are parents, and some even get to do their work by just utilizing their smart phone. This is a better and more consistent way to make money online while having a flexible schedule. Plus, a lot of it is work that doesn’t require too much brain power. So if you’re not really feeling creative, but need to make some money and want to do it online, I’d say look into a virtual assistant company – like Contemporary VA.

The readers, the money, and anything that comes along with blogging, are privileges.  It’s hard enough to garner a readership – nevermind somehow find a way to make money off of your readership.  Can it be done? Yup.  But finding the money is much harder than creating content.

 So if you NEED money now – blogging is not the answer.  Blogging begins and ends with content.  If you have good content on a consistent basis, if you engage your audience, if you provide value to your niche, and you have consequently built trust with your readers, THEN we can talk about the possibility of making money.

Wait a second – didn’t I just say this? No, I said please don’t go into blogging if you NEED to make money. If you WANT to make money on the side, but you can still handle your bills with your primary income, then this driving force to blog is a little bit easier to swallow. Maybe you want to start a side business, or you hope to make enough money to take your family on that vacation you could never normally afford, now you’re getting somewhere.  Perhaps it’s just a hobby that you hope one day becomes more like it happened with me, also not a bad reason.

Here’s another great distinction – do you want to JUST make money? Or do you want to make money writing about something you love and are passionate about?  Because, honestly, if you don’t LOVE what you’re writing about, I don’t care how badly you want extra money on the side, you’re NEVER going to make money blogging.

Hopefully you are passionate about something, and have a reason or few – like the ones I listed in the previous post: Why you should start blogging. If you do – then GREAT! If you just want to do this to make money, I’d once again, look into becoming a Virtual Assistant instead.

You want fame and notoriety. It’s a tough blogging world out there, folks. Lets be honest – anyone can blog – and millions of people do. Trust me, if I can blog – ANYONE can. So if you think by blogging you are going to make it big time, be wary. It’s most likely not going to happen.

4. DO NOT START A BLOG: IF YOU AREN’T MOTIVATED

Blogging isn’t easy.

I kind of compare blogging to being a mom of a newborn.

Blogs and newborns need and want a lot, all the time. Without you, they honestly can’t survive.

Your blog, like a cute little newborn, might smile at you, and warm your heart.Other times it spits up all over your single nice shirt that fits, and you go into your room, crawl up into a ball and sob (this usually happens when something goes wrong like a post magically deleting….) But if you LOVE it, those bad days won’t matter. You can watch your blog mature and grow, and the possibilities can honestly become limitless. But you need to be motivated. You need to dedicate yourself, and your time, to raising your baby, er, I mean, blog.

Lastly, if you are easily offended, or really care what other people think of you, then blogging might be tough.

Haters gonna hate — especially online, where it’s easy to hide behind a screen name. People have been cruel to me, suggested that my husband divorce me because of my accent, trolled my blog and left weird odd comments, and I also get lots of spam. Loads and loads of spam comments. But, with the bad, comes a lot of good.

I get occasional emails about how my story of postpartum depression really helped someone realize that, they, too, needed help. We have received emails from people who are battling cancer, and during their hospital stays, find our posts and podcasts to keep their spirits up.

There are good days, and there are bad days, and if you take the bad comments too personally, being a blogger might be hard on your heart. But to that, I say, “chin up.” There are a lot more kind people in this world – and if haters are gonna hate — then that actually means you stirred the pot a bit and are creating conversation.  So, you’ve done your job.  How interesting of you 😉

Now I’m not saying that you shouldn’t blog…even though that was the title of the post 😉

What I AM saying is that you need to be armed with realistic expectations, as well as your excitement and dreams.

So, now you’ve been able to read Why I Started Blogging, and 6 Reasons You Should Start Blogging – and you’re also equipped with reasons to NOT start blogging. Are you ready to get this process rolling? Me too! So stay tuned, because tomorrow’s post is all about What Do You Want to Blog About?

Talk soon, friends!

Mary