Is blogging worth it?

 

 Blogging is fun, but it can also be a lot of work. It starts as an adventure, especially for the creative communicator who is enthusiastic about sharing information and expertise ono a chosen topic. In time (often sooner than one might expect), the blog can actually become a burden, particularly if the blogger hasn’t counted the costs (of all kinds) and fully committed to this endeavor.

 This is true of basic blogs (from poetry to photography, from technology to tourism, from cooking to construction, from fashion to financial planning, and from hospitality to healthy living). It’s also true for video blogging, podcasting, and other platforms.

 

Is blogging worth the effort?

 Are you considering diving into blogging? Or are you pondering dusting off an existing blog, which you may have left dormant for a while?

 Maybe it’s time to ask a few probing questions.

 

Why do you want to blog?

 People blog for countless reasons, such as personal passions, profit, and professional promotion. Some folks blog to keep in touch with friends, extended family, or even fellow alumni from their alma maters. A smart first step in blogging is to find your reason for doing so, as that will boost your own motivation and creative energy.

 Hey, enthusiasm is contagious!

 

Do you have a focused interest?

 Identifying your own niche is critical to successful blogging. Be specific.

 Here’s a helpful book (available in paperback and Kindle formats): A Niche in Time: 12 tips for finding and working a writing niche.

 

Are you an expert in that area?

 Can you come up with fresh ideas that bring new value to your chosen field of blogging? And do you have enough ideas to sustain blogging? Whether you post daily or weekly or even monthly, you’ll need a pipeline of future topics. Too many blogs eventually flop, basically because their producers run out of content.

 

Do you have a following or audience?

 If so, you already have the beginnings of a reader/viewer base for your blog. If not, it may be time to begin networking towards this.

 

Can you choose a platform that fits your abilities and interest?

 Blogs tend to be do-it-yourself enterprises, unless they are professionally produced for commercial or non-profit organizations. For the rest of us, blogging requires at least basic technical expertise. This applies to written blogs, as well as video and podcast pursuits. Many bloggers build their technical skills as they go, but the successful ones begin with at least a hunger and willingness to learn.

 

Do you have the time to invest in creating. producing, and managing a blog?

 Most bloggers don’t become wealthy by blogging alone. Definitely, a few exceptions exist. But most practice blogging as a hobby or a side pursuit. Even skillfully monetized blogs may earn spottingly. Some posts prove profitable, while others may fizzle financially. To continue, the blogger will usually need other means of earning.

 Blogging really is a labor of love, proverbially speaking. It’s not usually a gold mine, but it can be a super means of expression. And it’s a great way to find one’s own voice and practice one’s area of expertise, whatever that may be.

 Image/s:  Public domain image

 

Feel free to follow on Twitter. Please visit my Amazon author page as well.