Tips for New / Aspiring Bloggers

CartoonChurch.com

Some of you have been asking me for tips on blogging. I don't consider myself a famous blogger and the truth is I still think of myself as a newbie because some of my friends have been blogging for 4 or 5 years! But I guess blogging for more than 2 years makes me somewhat experienced. If you want tips on how to be a famous blogger you should ask Maria Elena or Vivy Yusof ;)

I'm happy to share what I know so I've compiled a list of tips to help newbies in the blogosphere. These are based on my personal opinions and experiences. If you have anything to add please share with us! I'm sure our budding bloggers would appreciate it.

Tips for New or Aspiring Bloggers

#1. Why do you want to be a blogger? What's your purpose? What kind of blogger do you want to be? 
Intention gives you direction. Wanna be famous? Maybe you should read this first.

#2. Don't be pretentious.
Nobody likes a fake. Don't pretend to be interesting by making up stories. Don't pretend to be nice.  Just be interesting. Be nice. Be real. 

#3. Be creative and different. 

It's okay to be inspired by other bloggers but being different will give you a huge advantage. 

#4. Be genuine and sincere.

Some of you have asked me how you can make more friends through blogging. Be a sincere person and you'll naturally find friends / other bloggers with the same interests.

#5. Update at least four to five times a week. 

When I first started I would update my blog almost everyday because it's important for a new blogger to have momentum. Once you've established a readership base you can get away with two to three posts a week. 

#6. Quality over quantity. 

Although it's important to update often it's more crucial that you produce quality posts. One of the ways to do this is by writing about things that matter to you. When you are genuine the passion really shows in your blog posts.

#7. Be original. 

Don't steal other people's content! It has happened to me a few times and it's very frustrating. Thankfully, my blog readers alerted me immediately. Don't plagiarise, just don't. You'll get caught sooner or later and you'll have a horrible reputation. If you want to use other bloggers' content be sure to credit them for their work. You know coming up with material isn't easy otherwise you wouldn't even think about plagiarising or stealing. 

#8. Use images. 

Nobody really enjoys reading a book without pictures. It's the same with blogs.

#9. Be funny. 

I have to admit humour is not my strength. I'm just not very funny person, I guess, but I've noticed that the most popular blogs are usually the funny ones. It makes sense!

#10. Drop a comment.
If you want people to know your blog exists it's only logical that you leave comments on other people's blogs but please don't write things like "Wow I loved that post! Now come check out my blog" or "Follow me and I'll follow you". It seems a bit desperate. Write this instead: "I really enjoyed this post *insert personal comment*" or "Hey what a coincidence. I blogged about the same topic a few days ago! *insert link to the post*" Commenting also shows that you're friendly and people are drawn to that. 

#11. Write about things people can relate to.

Think about why you read blogs. For inspiration and ideas? Escapism? To be entertained? I believe that most people read blogs to relate to other people. Write about your personal take on current issues and  share personal experiences. You'll automatically become 10x more interesting.

#12. Don't be negative. 

I've come across blogs like this: "OMG, I hate my friend. She's such a fake and a liar! I caught her doing this and that *continues for the next 10 paragraphs*" Seriously, we don't want to know. Save all the goss for your best friend.