Ten Things We have Learned As Pro Bloggers
We thought we’d wrap up blogiversary week with one last post for anyone else writing a journal and/or trying to make a business out of it. We do not like to think of ourselves as formal blogging experts, but since we consistently share our learn-as-we-go insights when it comes to home and Hands-on, we figured it made sense to share what we have learned in the past four years of blogging too. Oh and we included pictures of Burger to assist illustrate some points along the way. You know, for kicks.
Rule #1: A journal should be born from passion (not a business plan). At least for us, that seemed to work. We write about Hands-on because we enjoy it, not because we picked it off of a list of “hot topics that might make you money.” Writing about what you truly enjoy makes all of the not-as-lively “maintenance” parts of blogging worth it, and helps make the lively parts that much more lively to do.
Rule #2: Blogging is not a get rich swift thing. Again, at least not in our experience. It is more like a write-over-2,000-posts-over-four-years-and-make-a-modest-living thing. So in the beginning you might simply be sniffing counting pennies, but remember rule #1… you are doing what you enjoy!
Rule #3: “Success” is an insanely random beast. We have no idea why our little journal grew like it did. There are thousands of amazingly creative blogs out there, so it is not like we think what we do is terribly unique (see this post). Our best guess is that is it is some combination of hard work and a series of lucky breaks (more on that here). Though our geekiness, honesty, and borderline annoying can-do attitude might contribute as well.
Rule #4: Do not try to be anyone but you. This honestly should be rule #1 because it is the first and most essential (albeit extremely tried and true) pointer that we could ever pass along. Mimicking a journal that is already big will not get you there, nor will acting snarky if you are not (or acting not-snarky if you are?). So if you are not a taco loving chihuahua, do not try to play one on TV on your journal. It is much easier to detect phoniness online than you might think, and people will connect with you more strongly if you are simply being good ol’ fashioned you.
Rule #5: Not everyone will enjoy every post/idea. We are still working on this (hence Goal #4 yesterday) but that old saying “the fastest way to please no one is to try to please everyone” is a famous quote for a reason. There will consistently be folks asking for more of something while others want less of it. But in the scheme of things, it is your journal. And blogging (like design) is subjective – so there is not one “right way” to do it. It certainly helps to accept that opposing opinions are par for the course, then simply hold strong to Rule #4 and you will be ok.
Rule #6: Blogging is a desk job. As you saw in our pie-chart-tastic post on Tuesday, we spend 80%-ish of our working hours doing something on the computer (writing posts, editing photos, responding to emails, writing columns, answering comments) so even though our subject matter is fairly “active,” projects are likely a smaller part of what we do than most people think.
Rule #7: Blogging’s also a creative after-hours not-desk job too. Which is our go-to part. The fact that painting a room, building a desk, or creating free art is a part of our job rocks our socks off. And that is a big reason why we keep doing what we are doing, because we recognize how incredibly fortunate we are to get to make a living doing what we enjoy (which brings us back to Rule #1).
Rule #8: You work harder for yourself than anyone else. We have heard this from plenty of people who have their own business, and it is 100% true. The pressure is on when things like buying food and paying the mortgage all depend on your “venture.” And it is especially hard to unplug when you work from home, since the line between laptop time and family time is blurred (we are still working on it, hence Goal #1 of yesterday’s post). Simply try to get some fresh air every now and then. We come up with some of our best ideas when we are on a road trip or out walking around the neighborhood.
Rule #9: As your journal grows, the expenses will grow too. Many of our friends are surprised to hear that we have business expenses (hence this post on Tuesday), but between paying for hosting, site support, insurance, business fees, accounting, and quarterly taxes there is certainly a price to blogging (not to mention all the projects that we take on, which have to be budgeted for as well). So it might assist to prepare for that stuff by learning how to stay organized, track your money, and balance a budget. Heck, getting chummy with an accountant or two cannot hurt either.
Rule #10: It is all worth it! So simply relax, have lively, and see where you end up. In spite of some of the hard behind-the-scenes stuff about blogging, one thing is for sure: we enjoy what we do. And we would not rather be doing anything else. Seriously. Four years ago when we began this whole shebang we never dreamed that we’d end up here. But we did. And for that we are extremely grateful. So remember to enjoy the ride. Heck, feel free to wag your tail a bit.
Ok, now we want to hear from you folks. To those who journal, we’d enjoy to hear what you’ve learned (I am sure the lessons are fully distinct for everyone!). And if you are not a blogger, we’d enjoy to hear a few things that your current profession has taught you (are we the only nosy folks who find other people’s jobs fascinating?). For example, in advertising I learned to be flexible, not get married to an idea, be passionate, and wing it.
With that, we have reached the end of our big ol’ fourth blogiversary. Thanks so much for celebrating with us!
Update – Some of the most frequent requests that we get are for info about professionally blogging (how we made our site, how we grew our following, how we make money, etc) so we shared all of the details about how we began a journal, grew our traffic, and turned it into a full time job.
