Questions All Bloggers Need To Ask Part 3: Setting Sail
Testing The Waters and Where To Begin
A few weeks I wrote a post about Questions All Bloggers Need To Ask. and last week we learned How to Define our Niche. This week we are going to test the waters. If you would like a quick review of what we worked on to date please follow the links above and read parts 1 and 2 again. The rest of us will wait with our checklists, pencils and note paper while you catch up.
If you have ever asked me for an opinion or guidance on a subject you already know the way I speak geek is through a good metaphor. My idea on how to actually get your feet wet as a Blogger is not going to be any different. As a kid I watched this TV series every week called Gilligan’s Island. It was the ongoing tale of 7 very different people taking a scenic tour in a small boat. Well, a storm comes up and they become marooned on a supposed deserted island. They all need to use their talents and pitch in to survive and find a way back to civilization. Blogging is a bit like that crew of seven totally different people. Your choices, personality, and preparation are what will define your blog and then keep you going forward in the best direction. Try as hard as you will you won’t be able to survive alone. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
When you first learned to swim did you stand near the edge of the water? Slowly put in one toe, then lower yourself into the water until you were sufficiently wet enough to let go of the edge? Or did you dive in head first and surface screaming and exhilerated by the cold water?
Most new bloggers, whether they realize it or not, start out using Social Media to test the waters. It is a great way to put together an outline you feel comfortable with and to get some content written and published for when you actually launch your blog. You have nothing to lose this way and are gaining knowledge and experience every time you press publish. This is key to opening your site to give your followers more to read and learn about what you have to offer them from the first time they visit. And they already know you and your work!
When you decide your destination (niche) you will need to start your journey (blog) with your bags packed (about 15 good ideas) your itinerary (published posts), choosing your first stop on the trip (your blog platform) , and a sense of what the actual tools you are going to need to become successful. (How to develop your blog and live comfortably with the technology that dictates how you proceed.)
These are the questions that you answered to help you get to the point of choosing your blog platform:
2. What aspects do you want to control? Completely control? Own it all? Customize any part? This question is designed to help you understand what platform you want to use to build your Blog upon.
What is right for you? Blogger, Tumblr, Stumblepon? WordPress.com or WordPress.org? Or just continue publishing on Social Media?
Know the differences between these platform choices. Some are limiting as to writing what you want, owning your content, or if you can provide different tools to style your blog in a way that benefits your goals. Not all platforms are equal! Be informed.
5. Let’s talk finances. Earning: Do you have a budget in mind? Do you want to earn $$ selling? Teaching?
You will have expenses incurred running your blog. Do you want your blog to make money to help with those expenses? How much of an income do you expect to make and how long are you willing to wait to make that income?
6. Finances again. Spending: Are there costs involved as far as materials? Gadgets? Phone? Computer? Postage? Education? Conferences? Programs? Technology? Office supplies? Travel? Do you have a budget in mind?
Your choices at this point will cause you to spend some upfront money unless you are tech savy, have your own server and design aware. Themes, design costs, hosting, and your time are all aspects of blogging that need to be considered. You can always change your style and focus but at this point you are starting to invest your time, your money, and your efforts in building your readership.
9. How much time do you want to operate your blog? 3 months? Forever? Does it matter?
Don’t spend all your time and money unless you know the commitment you are making. Blogging looks easy! Just write down a few thoughts, throw up a bunch of ads and then watch the satisfaction and profits roll in! WRONG! You can easily become shipwrecked without a solid plan to stay on course and become adaptable. There are many storms that will arise and try to pull you in many directions. You will need a crew to help you stay afloat. Who you choose and when you use them will make all the difference in the world. Whether you build a community of like minded bloggers or utilize services to provide the technical aspects you yourself can’t or don’t want to deal with, you are going to need the talents of others to help carry you forward. Thankfully you thought ahead and are ready for what may come. Be comfortable with the sources of information you trust. You will get all sorts of “experts” advising you. Take advice for what it is worth. Use a mix of teaching sites, forums that include technical folks, and some friends. Beware of anyone telling you the “best” way to do things even if they appear successful. No blog, platform, host, plugin or theme will suit everyone. And remember Google, technology and SEO change very quickly. If I own a cadillac and tell you how a certain type of gas works best for me stop and think. If you are using a pogo stick you won’t be able to find the gas tank!
In the last part of this series we will talk about realizing the need to keep a balance between your life and your blog. In the meantime please sign up for my weekly newsletter to stay on top of what Marilyn’s Treats is up to and attend the Linkup Parties hosted so I can help you share your content and reach readers that may have not yet discovered just how awesome you are!
Until then Happy Blogging and feel free to leave comments below! I love to hear what you are thinking!
You can find Part 1-4 at the links below.
Part 1 of the 4 Part Series. Questions All Bloggers Need To Ask
Part 2 of the 4 Part Series. Your Niche
I am Marilyn Lesniak. Writer, Photographer and Chief Bottle Washer behind the scenes at Marilyn's Treats. Follow me to my kitchen. 
Well Marilyn there is nothing like experience. I started this journey with no plan except to share and have fun. As long as it was a hobby, I did just that. But once I turned the corner of wanting to profit from my “hobby”, everything changed. This is an awesome series.
thank you Clearissa. My blog started as a hobby. I spent a lot of time and money to get it to pay for itself. There are too many ads that require minimum earnings to get paid. They will make you forfewit any earnings if you don’t make the minimum that month. The cookie could still be running for another blogger when your friend triggers the ad and you lose the money. I went back to hobby blogging and I am much happer. Everyone needs to decide for themselves.
This series is so well written. Its factual and you can tell it comes from someone with experience. Well thought out and informed. Love this whole series Marilyn, thank you for writing and teaching
Thank you Leanna for the very kind words. I felt it was important to write about what blogging is in fact. There are too many posts about “the best plugins”, the best way to make 6 figures the first month”, “the best auto ways to blog with no work while you sleep”. Those are the posts that draw so many eyes and should be sending people running to find reality.
Typical me I started out on this journey with no plan at all – I wish I had read this first !!
I am the one that jumps into something feet first with no knowledge or plan. I started this blog with one cheesecake recipe I wanted the world to try. Good thing I am retired, no kids, no outside life since I still spend 12 hours a day learning this stuff! You aren’t alone Amber. Have a great week.
“Blogging looks easy! Just write down a few thoughts, throw up a bunch of ads and then watch the satisfaction and profits roll in! WRONG!”
SO WRONG!! Blogging is so much work. At least to do it right it is!
Great series!
Thank you so much Jen. I hear so often from bloggers how they felt it was going to be easy and they would make enough money to “retire”. Reading blogger posts that tout that line do more harm than good. I like to point out these same bloggers are peddling ebooks and courses for some signifant money. I doubt they ar getting rich on ads. But again, there are bloggers that came into this field with a strong base and some big backers. Should we all be so lucky. I am glad you like the series. Have a great week!
Blogging is not for the faint of heart or the lazy! It is indeed a lot of hard work and require dedication and patience. That sense of community among bloggers is really what keeps many of us going sometimes! Love you Marilyn! #merrymonday
From your mouth to God’s ears! Bloggers are the best. And good bloggers are the strongest. Have a great week!
Hi Marilyn,
I like your graphic. What tool did you use? Was it Befunky?
Janice
Thx Janice. No, it was an ios app called photogrid. I need to ch3eck out yours. Is that computer only? Have a great week!
complete honesty which is refreshing when it comes to blogging. So many what ifs and what do you want out of your blog.
I am glad you like the series Candy. Have a great week!
Thank you for telling it like it is. It does take dedication and hard work besides knowing your subject, photography, and writing and who to reach out to for the things we don’t know. And a beginning blogger quickly realizes all of it. But the community spirit is what keeps us going and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I feel the same way. And that crisis of commitment happens all the time. Thanks Debra.
Great series. I just started the process of monetizing my blog so a post like yours is very helpful and interesting. Thanks for the tips.
Thank you so much Karen. It is great to hear you found iy useful. I hopw you make great money off your blog! Have a great day.
Very True Marilyn there is lots going on when starting or even maintaining a blog. I wrote a post about finding my niche which is still ever evolving. I like the analogy to Gilligan’s island. Some days I feel like a sinking ship other days on top of the world. You never know about blogging!
I know. My niche is in three places, none are close to the same. Yes, today I am on top of the game. Yesterday I wanted to quit. But it is the ride of my life at this stage. Keep enjoying what you do. Have a great week!
Good stuff, Marilyn. Thank you.
Thanks for reading Michele. Have a safe and blessed week!
This is great! I have loved blogging, but it definitely is not for everyone.
I appreciate your comment Jen. Sometimes are dreams are not attainable as quickly as we want them. Have a blessed week!
What a great series of posts. There is so much food for thought here. I really appreciate you sharing these posts. Starting this blog has been overwhelming and it is nice to read information like this. It is funny, but I wish that I had known where to look for information like this before I started my blog. Something that has taken me a long time to learn is that you need to know the questions to get the answers and sometimes it takes a while to figure out what the questions are.
Yes, you need to know exactly what to ask. But those answers really need to be vetted. Who is giving the answers and what is their expertise? Also, how old is the information? We all know how quickly tech and google changes so what is good today is no longer valid tommorow. And just like the articles, “how I made $100,000 in my first 30 days of blogging and you can too!” You have to vet and take with a grain of salt. The big thing is, there is no one answer fits all. And that answer can change over time. That is why I wrote this series, to show no one is an island and there will always be new things to discover. I visit this list every year when my hosting renews. More than once it has prompted me to change hosts. Even though I love them, you out grow them. Well, I digress. LOL. Have a good weekend!
You are so right. We are finding out some of these things. You are such a good source of information. Thanks again.
Thank you Amy. Sometimes, questions are the best answers!
Marilyn, I loved this series. Well done! I knew nothing when I started out in February 2010. I wasn’t even really reading blogs at that point, let alone writing one. The only thing I knew at that point was how often I wanted to post. The few blogs I’d read posted several times a week and had a ton of photos, and I assumed that would take a huge amount of time. And I never visited a blog more than once a week, no matter how many times a week they posted. So for those two reasons I decided I’d post just once a week and use a limited number of photos. Even *that* takes far longer than I imagined, 😀 so I’m glad I made that decision!
All great points Jean. Everyone needs to be able to decide what is best for them and their own goals and feel GOOD about it. Thx for commenting!!
I knew that blogging would be work, but I had no idea how much work was involved when I started. I was, and still am, a bit overwhelmed at times. It seems like when I get the hang of one thing, I realize that I’ve been off track somewhere else.
Jessica you are among good company. Every blogger that has a passion experiences this. Never wish it away! What you need to do is decide, is my blg growing and am I happy with whete it is going? Then determine if you actually need to obsess about this new thing or if you just need to simply add whatever it is from now on. You may not even need it! The folks where EVERY aspect matters are professionals that are doing this as a source of income and trying to make a living. You can always increase whatever is new as you wish. Or not!
Marilyn, your blogging tips are great and no doubt lots of other bloggers are benefiting from your suggestions and from your thought provoking questions. Thank you so much for sharing at Snickerdoodle Sunday.
Thank you Beverly for this large vote of confidence! I love to share with your readers as well as seeing what they are up too!
Love your post and your water/swimming metaphors for blogging, Marilyn!. Lots of great info here! I am always happy when you share on #TheLeisureLink!
Thanks Terri. I am always selfconscious about my choice of words. My thoughts come faster than I can type!
When I began blogging I did not even read other blogs. I was so removed for the first 2 years. This is a great series, there are so many things involved with blogging, I guess I’m glad that some of them I was in the dark about, I may never have started. I’m glad I did though, life changed, I had a stroke, and now I have this to build on. I guess life knew what was going to happen long before I did.
Nikki I am glad you did. Life has a way of taking away our sense of self, but it always comes back in another form. Glad you are doing better.
Marilyn, I too am a newish blogger and really had no idea what I was getting into. We all seem to be saying the same thing. But now that I am in waist deep, I feel as if with lots of hard work I’ll be fine. And I realized that a lot of things I was doing correctly intuitively, others I was totally in the dark about such as SEO, policies, the best web host etc. Why is it that when bloggers tell you how to start a blog they never mention all these other important things. I just recently discovered Alexa rankings and it totally changed me… We learn something new ever single day. Thanks for your timely and informative post.
Nice to meet you Mary and welcome to Marilyn’s Treats. First off, I believe it is human nature to want to share whatever it is you are passionate. So, we jump in thinking that if I write it, the rest will follow. When most people talk about blogging they are doing it for their own reason. Some are sharing how they revealed their self esteem, learned they had something to share, etc. others are trying to sell something like a host, or marketing or seo, and are trying to appel to bloggers for arrention and profit. Still, others are trying to educate. There is just so much to say about starting a blog that if you try to say everything at once you get two reactions. First you lose the reader after the first paragraph, or you give so much info they are overwhelmed. Even this series was tough to break down and find a way to get bloggers to read to the end. I am glad you are sticking with it! And there comes a time where your blog is almost on autopilot and takes much less time and gives back so much more. It’s like raising a child!
Marilyn I have found your series so informative and look forward to always learning something from them. Thanks for sharing at #WednesdaysWisdom.
Thanks Sue. I know you understand what that mens to me. I always feel like the mother duck when trying to put things in perspective.
Great advice. PS: I loved Gilligan’s Island as a kid too! ~Paula R 🙂 #TheLeisureLink
Thanks Paula. Whenever I think about the saying “No man is island” I remember that show. It seemed apporopriate as you can’t run a successful blog very long on your own. You are the only one I think that saw that show!
You wrote topics that are rarely mentioned, Marilyn.
I think the “easy” aspect is what causes frustrations most of the time.
What people want from their blogs and their expectations get messy pretty easily.
Thanks a bunch for sharing this on #tiptuesday.
Thanks Debbie for the opportunity. I just thought it was a side of blogging most people don’t think about until they have spent time and money.
Hi Marilyn,
It really does help to clarify your expectations and develop a plan. I have been blogging less than a year and I have found that the more organized I become, the more I accomplish! I just hopped over from the Leisure Link.
Shellie
http://www.thefabjourney.com
Thank you for commenting Shellie. I have found that also. I always felt posting a recipe every day was a schedule. It wasn’t specific enough to keep me organized. When I use my planner and decide the type of the post I find I can get much more accomplished! Have a great week and please visit #AnythingGoes on Sunday night and #WakeUpWednesday on Wednesday! I would love to have you linkup.
Some really good stuff here Marilyn – I wish I’d thought/read about blogging before I jumped in. I am usually a “get wet slowly” girl, but I leapt into this completely unaware of the whole blogging community, niches, timeframes etc etc. In a way that’s a good thing because I probably never would have started if I’d known what a big world blogging is! I’m happy in my little corner though 🙂
I think most bloggers jump into the arena with both feet and eyes shut tight. That can be a good thing/bad thing depending upon your expectations and personality. The reality is it WORKS! So many bloggers fail at their first blog because of bad timing and being unprepared. Some bloggers flourish as they discover hidden treasures within themselves and the internet. Taking stock here and there becomes that much more important so you can evolve. Thanks for commenting Leanne!
Fantastic advice for anyone thinking of starting a blog. I did the dive in head first thing, Googled start a blog, and clicked the first result and went for it. On one hand, I wish I had done a bit of research so I wasn’t now having to make the jump to self hosted. On the other hand though, if I had started out self hosted and totally clueless, I think I would have given up quite quickly.
Thanks for linking up to #AnythingGoes
Debbie
I did the same thing Debbie. My Google search led me to Blogger where I learned how to make posts, categories and setup my blog. I didnt know anything about social media so when three months later I moved to wordpress.org I had no content to lose. Just 8 psts, no comments, no rankings, bo shares, no readers! I was able to use that time on Blogger to learn a bit more so I credit it with saving my blogging days.
It’s definitely a labor of love, isn’t it? As in every job, there will be parts that are more fun than others and for each of us, it could be different. I love to cook and I love to write but marketing is such a struggle for me.
That is so true Maureen. That is why I am doing these articles to get bloggers to get in touch with what they are after and not get frustrated when they run into the unexpected. Thanks for commenting!
Very informative post! I’m a new blogger too and still testing the waters, I’m loving it so far… I love the blogging community as well! Thanks for sharing! #AnythingGoes
Thank you Cheryl. There are so many bloggers with so many opinions. The trouble is not all bloggers or they blogs are the same. I just try to get folks to think so they can make more informed decisions! If you ever need to chat let me know!
You always write the best posts! 🙂
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Thanks Jess. You are too kind.
Thanks for the information, I’m a new blogger (since July) and it’s overwhelming at times, so many directions to go but I’m loving it and hope to turn it into my second career. #anythinggoes
Thank you Jenny. We do get so overwhelmed and seem to forget to have fun! My series is just trying to put bloggers feet on an easier path to have less anxiety. Have a great week!
Wonderful post and very well thought out. I’d LOVE to pick your brain for help:) Stopping by from Teach Me Tuesday Party. Carrie, A Mother’s Shadow
Welcome Carrie! I’d love to chat with you. Every talker loves a listener! That is what my husband says. I really enjoy talking about blogging because I in turn learn so much from my listeners. Come by any time or leave comments!