Blog Reboot: Starting Your Blog Off On The Right Foot

Just Starting Your Blog?  Maybe It’s Time For a Reboot

This week’s focus is on starting your blog off right.  Since many of you already have blogs, we wanted to point out the fact that it’s never too late for a blog reboot.  One of the great things about blogging is that you can re-invent your blog time and time again.  Just as our old posts tend to fade within weeks of their glory, so too can our blog beginnings restart anytime we desire.  As your blogging matures and your eye for ideas expands, you may realize the need to think about starting your blog from a slightly different angle.

If you were starting your blog from the beginning…

Whenever you start something new, you can only work from a framework of limited understanding.  It is only with time and experience that you gain the expertise you need to rise in the ranks of those around you.  A question we’ve asked many a blogger is this: “If you were starting your blog all over, what would you do different?”

Almost every time we get a quick and clear answer.  This gives us the impression that it’s something they’ve pondered many times before.

Here’s the thing: you don’t have to wonder.  Act on those new ideas instead.   By doing so, you will most certainly bring your blog one step closer to perfection.  We should never ask the question ‘if,” but we should always act on the when.

Areas of improvement when re-starting your blog

Many aspects must be considered when pressing re-start on your blog.  Let’s take a look at some of the areas needing our attention.

• Hosting. If you are serious about taking your blog to the next level, hosting it yourself is key.  Using a blogging service like Blogger or Wordpress.com is fine for many bloggers, but having your own domain, and hosting it yourself, not only shows a more serious site, but enables greater flexibility for design and growth.
• Theme type/design. Many of us begin with a free theme, or a premium one still in stock form.  This looks less serious than those that are customized and properly branded.  This is certainly not to say you need anything beyond the basics, but if you want to become an uber successful blogger, it IS somewhat considered a must.
• Quality content. When starting your blog, your writing might not be as clear as it will be later.  The more practice you have, the more your skill is refined.  Becoming a great blogger requires more than good writing.  We must move our verbiage to the next level if we wish to stand apart from the noise of the Net.
• Focus. This is something that often times starts at a sharp point but dulls over time.  When first starting your blog, you likely have a clear idea of what you want to say and how you want to say it.   Over time, it is easy to lose your clarity and as a result, the power of your message.  You must re-sync your mind with the message you wish to convey, if you wish for your clarity to be restored.
• Goals. When starting your blog, you probably think you know where you would like it to go.  Fairly quickly this vision is rendered false by the harsh glare of reality.  It is absolutely crucial to recreate your goals using your new understanding of your situation.  Just be careful not to be TOO realistic.  Goals should be achievable, not necessarily easy.

These are just a few points to ponder as you think about the possibility of either starting your blog right, or rebooting the one you have.

The BB Team

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