Well, this past week has been a lesson on nurturing my blog. This past week was a week out of the ordinary and I was not able to nurture my blog in the way that I normally do. I began to think on that thought. A blog is a bit like a baby…it needs to be nurtured to grow and prosper.
How do you nurture a blog, you ask? First things first, if you have a blog already you need to evaluate it’s well-being. If you do not have a blog…begin one. You need to think about what your blog is intended to accomplish. Mine was initially set up to develop some discipline, commitment, and to help improve my writing. As it evolved, I learned more…and therefore; I have discovered what I want and need. Some of those things have changed with time; and now, I know that my blog needs some adjustments. That is ok, it is called growing pains; things that don’t grow become stagnant…they wither and die. If your goals change for your blog, then you must make changes. That knowledge requires some re-evaluation.
If you need to do a complete 180 degree change of direction…you will need to consider that it might just be more effective to start another blog altogether. If you want to focus on say a business blog and your blog is geared toward entertainment…you definitely want to start a new blog; unless, you can figure out an angle to blend the two. Maybe you wish to focus on the business side of the world of entertainment! That would be a way to save your following and yet…refocus the blog. You may even want to consult a blog (doctor) expert. Learn as much as you can to achieve your goals.
Naming your baby (blog) is a very important task. Your domain name or url is very important. You will want to use words that describe what the blog is about and at the same time use keywords that are very high on the list of most searched for terms. This wise way of naming your blog or website will help pull in some natural traffic to the site. Your name is your brand…your trademark if you will…the name you choose for your blog/website is one of the most important decisions you will make; choose wisely.
Conceiving your blog-you need to think about the type of blog you want. Is it a business blog, a personal blog or a combination of other elements such as entertainment, humor, fashion, news, opinion, observation, how to blog….etc. It is about vision and purpose. Find the elements (settings-plug ins-style-theme) that will blend your purpose and your vision, or style; to make it pleasing to the eye.
Dress up your blog- now comes the idea choosing the theme. How to do you want that blog to look? There are many themes that are pleasing to the eye…but, you need to blend the look of your blog with the purpose of it…so you need to find a theme that will support the things that you wish to “do” with your blog. This will require some investigation into plug ins and themes. Once you have decided…try it out. Does it represent who you are, your expectations or goals, and your values?
Your values or goals in blogging have to communicate effectively with your readers…you are teaching your child to speak. You are discovering your voice. What do you want your voice to communicate? Words are powerful tools…they can educate, they can encourage, they can build up, or they can be used to destroy. The words you use must be chosen carefully…because they are a big part of the relationships that you will form online. Did you ever spend time with a toddler who was using words that they shouldn’t even know? Ohhh Oh…that is not good. It is the same thing with your blog. Choose your words carefully!
Another aspect of caring for a baby or a blog is keeping the baby clean. This is a bit unpleasant for most people…sometimes it demands a strong stomach. Keeping your blog or website clean is alot like that. Spam is ugly; it attaches itself to your blog. Sometimes it is dirty and messy. It must be removed, wiped clean so that it does not get infected and contaminate your blog. Do it and you will feel better….delete, delete, delete….don’t let it sit in the mess. It is a dirty job; but, someone has to do it. Think of it as part of your blog parenting responsibilities! 🙂
Content- this requires dedication. You must be consistent in what you put on your blog. It will demand to be “fed” regularly…just like a baby. It will cry out for love and attention; just like mine did this past week; as I wasn’t available to feed my blog like normal. I typically blog 1,2,3 times a day…my baby was going without nutrition this week on a regular basis and my statistics showed it clearly…my baby was starving. I truly felt like i should be brought up on neglect charges for not feeding my blog. LOL that is how you realize that you are addicted to blogging.
Your viewers or readers are used to oohing and ahhhing over your “baby”; your blog, if it has regular readers, they are used to spending time with your baby. Believe me they notice if you aren’t properly caring for it. You want to be proud of your baby; showing off what you have been able to create. You want others to notice your blog or website…if it is serving a business purpose you need to increase your traffic to build up your business foundation. Increasing traffic gives you an opportunity to reach out to more people; this is the lifeblood of your business, care for it wisely. So, what did I learn this past week?
I think what i am going to do is to prepare some postings that can be published at a later date…saving them for times when i am overwhelmed, at a loss for words (like that is ever going to happen), or have too many commitments to be available to “feed the blog”. These I will keep in reserve in my draft section of the blog to be posted as needed. That way, I am prepared for unexpected situations where I cannot be available to post as often as I am used to.
Do you have any tips that you use to baby your blog or website? By the way, I have moved my site to a new url: WriteWhereYouAre if you are interested in reading more blog posts!
Write where you are 
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