Written by Debbie Panell

The Blog. If you don’t at least know what one is, you must not spend much time online! It seems everyone – and every company – has a blog. But if you haven’t already started one, is it for you?

I’m a writer. Always have been, always will be. Even if I win the lottery, I’ll still be a writer. Granted, a different kind of writer – but a writer nonetheless. But my blog has nothing to do with writing. It has to do with whatever is on my mind at that moment in time. A “diary” of sorts, if you will. But many people are finding way to make money by blogging.

Before you decide to start blogging, whether for personal use or as part of a business plan) there are some things you need to consider first.

• Do you like to write? If the answer is no, blogging probably isn’t for you.

• Can you handle criticism? Not everyone is going to think you’re the genius you know
  

• How much time do you have? Writing takes time. Let me rephrase that…writing anything worthy of reading takes time.

• Are you good at communicating via the written word? I’m the world’s worst public speaker. I would rather eat a bowl full of shrimp than give a speech. At first glance, that doesn’t seem very bad, but when you consider I’m severely allergic to shellfish, and one shrimp, much less a whole bowlful, will send me into anaphylactic shock, it shows how serious I am!

• Do you have anything to say? I’m a writer- we’ve already established that, I have an opinion on everything. Which is why my blog is more of a “personal” thing than a “business” thing. I can’t keep my mind focused long enough on one thing to dedicate an entire blog about it!

• Are you dependable? I don’t mean can I count on you to be at a certain place at a certain time, but to be a serious blogger; you have to be consistent and dependable with your entries. Ideally, you should post a new blog everyday. At least you should if this is more than just a hobby for you. This is one reason why I don’t blog as part of my living. My entries can be sporadic at best. I might post every day for a week or so, then go a month without seeking out a single word. Since its written for me and my friends, and I’m not concerned about maintaining a “readership” or “following” its no biggie.

• Can you laugh at yourself? Even if you are doing this as part of a business enterprise, you want to keep your material “readable”. In many cases, this means you will sometimes have to make fun of yourself to prove a point or make an example. You certainly have to do something to keep your readers coming back! So don’t get a big head, don’t take yourself too seriously. Be able to laugh!

Now, these tips are off the top of my oddly twisted mind. Keep in mind; I don’t blog for a living. Many people make money, sometimes pretty good money at blogging. If that is what you want to do, I would suggest do more in depth research on the topic. These tips are just intended to give you a guideline of what is the bare minimum (to me) to keep a blog. I didn’t get into any of the technical aspects of it, or ad revenue possibilities, simply because…well…I don’t know that much about it!

No matter what you decide to blog about – whether it’s your kids, your pets, or your business, have fun! No one likes to read a boring blog!

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Debbie Panell is a full time freelance writer who lives near Raleigh, North Carolina with her two children, German Shepherd and multiple cats.