The WMF Archives: I Signed Up for 30 Days of Blogging

Saturday, June 5, 2010

I Signed Up for 30 Days of Blogging - Am I Insane?

6:00 AM

By Pam Houghton

Thanks to a link my fellow WM Freelance Connection blogger, Angela Atkinson, posted on her Facebook page, I enrolled in a 30-day blog challenge. Which means - I have to post something to my personal blog, The Working Mom's Guide to Staying Home, every day for 30 days.

Aack! What was I thinking?

Well, I was thinking I needed an excuse to stay on top of my blog and not let it languish with silly obsessions over Kate Gosselin, American Idol and Dancing with the Stars, and start adding content people may actually want to read.

But aside from that, I wanted more experience learning the ins and outs of blogging as a social media tool. There are ways to nurture your blog experience through reading other blogs, leaving comments, responding to comments left on yours, subscriptions, Twitter updates, RSS feeds (whatever those are) and on and on and on. And since I see real potential marketing myself to businesses and organizations as a freelance blogger, I thought it would behoove me to immerse myself in the world of blogging for a month to see if I can figure out how the available social media tools and strategies all fit together.

Here are some things I hope to accomplish:

Read/follow other blogs.
Comment on other blogs.
Cleverly leave back links (also known as "link-building") to my blog without feeling creepy or intrusive.
Increase my followers.
Respond to comments on my blog (assuming peeps leave some...).
Write directly in Blogger. (That may sound dumb, but I am still dependent on pen and paper to start writing. Anything. I figure this might position me to write quickly before the next millennium.)
Gain valuable blogging and social media experience I can use to market my services to clients or employers.
Dip my toes in Twitter...maybe.
Gain exposure to other social media tools I don't know about or have no experience with.
To see if I can continue with daily blog posts (assuming I'm successful for the next 30 days) after the challenge is over.
Most importantly, increase the quality of my posts (i.e. don't resort to posts about dusting or aforementioned Kate Gosselin. With whom I have personal obsession. Don't know why.)

These may all sound like simple goals, but I can tell you from experience, they're not. I mean, who goes in and blogs all the time, when, hey, you're not getting paid, you don't know who your audience is, and if you even want an one, it's up to you to build it. But I'm gonna try!

Any other bloggers who have signed up for the 30-day challenge? What are your goals?

Labels: blogging, blogging for money, dealing with writers block, Pam Houghton

19 comments:

Liza said...: Great goals and I look forward to reading as you learn, since I need to learn almost all these things too. Thanks in advance. Love the idea of freelance blogging...; June 5, 2010 8:43 AM
Susanis said...: I just started blogging but there's no way I can commit to blogging every day. It's way different than writing and editing yourself- I just write, do a quick grammar/spell check and post. My blog has nothing whatsoever to do with writing in itself...though I hope my readers will LIKE it. It'll probably go to hell after the World Series.; June 5, 2010 8:51 AM
Alyssa Ast said...: I have been thinking about doing this but I don't know if there are that many creative thoughts in my head on a daily basis. Maybe I will give it a try.; June 5, 2010 10:22 AM
Pam Houghton said...: Hi Liza - I plan to post a "post-mortem" on my experience at the end of 30 days (and maybe an update or two in between).

Susan - I agree that blogging doesn't require the same editing/revising that "normal" writing does. But I wonder though if it will evolve into a legitimate writing style.

Alyssa - those are my fears exactly! I'll probably blog about some books I read, like, ten years ago!; June 5, 2010 11:16 AM
Carol Tice said...: Pam --- definitely look forward to the post mortem on it! I'm up to 3x a week between my two writing blogs -- this one and Make a Living Writing. Writing for your own blog regularly is definitely great exercise for blogging for pay for others. I've actually been surprised in a few recent months to see that more than half my income for the month came from paid blogs! There is good money out there blogging for businesses and publications.

Doing it for free every day...I dunno! At this point I couldn't do it I don't think, because I have commitments to do something like a dozen or so paid blog entries a week for various clients.

But I've already decided that once my Make a Living Writing ebook is ready, I've got to go up to 3x a week on MALW...so this is food for thought for me.; June 6, 2010 12:30 PM
Rebecca said...: I need to get back into the groove with blogs, but I've working on other writing projects and applying to school.

The problem I have is I have no desire to write blogs that have already been written by thousands of other writers. I know can put my spin on the same old, same old topics, but does the internet really need another "Where to find blogging/writing opportunities post?, How to become a freelance writer, How to start a blog? or How to whatever?" Boring...

I'm want to push myself to think of unique topics that haven't been written yet or at least there's not a ton of blogs posts on them. It may seem like a long stretch, but I'm up for the challenge!; June 6, 2010 1:46 PM
Carol Tice said...: Also meant to leave a tip from one volume blogger to another -- the key is you DON'T really write every day. You work ahead a lot -- stockpile several entries or a whole week's worth at once. Then it doesn't take up your head space every single day. You gain a lot in efficiency by filing in batches, and keep more time free for other paying projects.; June 6, 2010 1:55 PM
Pam Houghton said...: Hi Carol - stockpiling ahead will be my next challenge! Good point - and it makes great sense.

Rebecca - why don't you just blog about your life for while? That's bound to be unique - you're the only one living it! I agree there are perhaps too many how-to sites - and books!; June 6, 2010 2:24 PM
Rebecca said...: Good idea! I haven't posted anything new on my personal blog; I forgot about that one.; June 6, 2010 4:13 PM
American Cloggie said...: Good for you! I just did National Blog Posting Month last month, so I'm going to pass on this one. Yes you are crazy, but it's totally worth it. I don't think I'll ever blog everyday on my blog just because it's not that sort of blog, but it definitely taught me some very valuable things and the sense of accomplishment once the month challenge in over can't be beat! Good luck :); June 7, 2010 3:34 AM
Dharma said...: You are not insane. I have to NaBloPoMo for I think 4 years now - it's been very helpful, sometimes hard. Every November I look forward to it with excitement and dread. www.dharmarants.blogspot.com; June 7, 2010 2:11 PM
Pam Houghton said...: Thanks Dharma!; June 7, 2010 3:04 PM
Karen Axelton said...: First, thanks for this site--it's really useful.

I was intrigued by your post title. Along with my business partners, I blog both as myself and as a "ghost-blogger" for clients. Altogether, it can mean several blog posts a day.

Here are some tips that help me generate ideas:

Create an "editorial calendar" of what you're going to blog about for the next month so you don't get too repetitive.

Use others' blogs as a jumping-off point - comment on them, then expand and add more. Or get contrary and disagree with them. Or write about how what they say applies to your industry or topic.

Numbers and lists work. Do roundups of your 3 favorite sites for [whatever], 5 best places to [find such-and-such], 7 mistakes not to make when [doing whatever].

Sign up for newsletters with statistics and surveys on your industry and markets. For instance, if you're blogging about writing you could troll publishing industry sites. Report on what the surveys/stats mean to your readers.

Always ask your audience for their feedback or ideas. You'll build a community that way.

Personal posts drawn from experience are fun but often the hardest to do and take time to germinate. I don't try to do these every day...maybe a few times a month. (Plus, it starts to feel self-indulgent to me).

I think most people who try to blog get in their own way because they overthink it. Your blog doesn't have to be perfectly polished poetry; it's meant to be conversational. Readers don't pore over every word in a blog - they skim them quickly for info. Pretend you're talking to the reader and you're on the right track. Just do it!

Good luck with your challenge!; June 8, 2010 11:44 PM
Pam Houghton said...: Hi Karen,
I think your last point there is especially well-taken. Over-thinking is probably a death knell for blogging. Conversational writing is more appealing for blog readers, especially since it seems to be a "read and be done with" type of medium. Much of the time anyway. Thanks for adding to the conversation.; June 9, 2010 6:51 AM
Carol Tice said...: Hi Karen! Thanks for dropping in on us here at WM.; June 9, 2010 11:04 AM
Traci said...: Good luck, Pam! My hat's off to you. After finally getting my blog off the ground -- and online -- this week, I am daunted by the fact that now I have to actually continue to add content! It's NOT going to be a daily occurence, I can assure you.
-- Traci at http://GoBIGorGoHomeblog.com (What happens when a small-town family visits the "World's Largest"...whatever!); June 9, 2010 12:01 PM
Pam Houghton said...: Thanks Traci. I just left a comment on your delightful website!; June 10, 2010 8:45 AM
Kerrie McLoughlin said...: i probably posted daily for over a year ... i just came up with whatever was on my mind or whatever bugged me and post-dated posts so i had something publishing daily. then i got burnt out b/c i'm working too hard on my articles, queries and ebook blog. there are also good books out there about getting ideas for blogging!; July 28, 2010 7:58 PM
Pam Houghton said...: Kerrie - thanks for sharing your experience. Now that it's over, I can see how one can burn out from blogging every day! Thanks for the suggestion about good books for blogging...something I've thought about...but haven't gone about buying any...yet!; July 29, 2010 8:30 AM