Note to Reader: Since this article was published, Sacramento Connect is no longer at the Sacramento Bee
Blogging is not for the fainthearted. It demands passion. It takes drive.
As a newbie blogger, I had more or less figured this out for myself, but the lesson was driven home for me when I attended an informal panel discussion about blogging sponsored by Sacramento Connect at the Sacramento Bee.
Blogging opens doors
Passion and drive. The five blogger panelists exemplified both, plus more.
- Amy Ruiz, for instance, in her blog, Limit Reached, not only writes about the random thoughts in her head, but she does so consistently (just about every day) and with humor. Her commenters are called “backtalkers.” Love it.
- Kimberly Morales, singer, writer, and artist with “champagne taste on a 2 buck chuck budget” shares in Poor Girl Eats Well how to “eat ridiculously well on a minuscule budget.” At least three times a week, she posts updated recipes, tips, reviews, and top-notch photos.
- Eileen Smit, in Bringing Up Bronwyn, writes about subjects as diverse as potty training and beauty routines. Her posts are fun and personal, a combination of discipline and letting go.
- Nicole Beaudry, In These Small Moments shows how an English professor turned stay-at-home mom finds ways to appreciate life’s small ordinary moments. Judging by number of commenters her blog gets, Nicole strikes a chord in many people’s lives.
- Christine Young, mother of seven, has plenty to share about parenting in her blog, From Dates to Diapers. It’s hard to believe that a mother of seven finds time to blog, but blog she does, so successfully, in fact, that she has a list of sponsors, including Campbell’s Soup, Johnson and Johnson, Leap Frog, Dell, and Nestle. Way to go!
This powerhouse panel demonstrated that “squeamishness” is not part of their blogging vocabulary or routine. They are:
- disciplined. There’s a fine line between spending too little and too much time blogging. Too little and your blog suffers, too much and your life suffers. These gals appear to have it right.
- committed. Most of these women blog at least once a week with a generous mix of entertainment and information.
- curators. These bloggers guide their readers to information otherwise inaccessible or hard to find.
- beams of light in a world often obsessed with the negative.
- examples of women living their dreams.
Yes, blogging (depending on your purpose) can be hard work, but the good news is that blogging opens doors to unexpected opportunities.
For one thing, blogging builds a sense of community and serves as a connection with other like-minded bloggers. All five panelists frequently attend blog conferences, such as Blog Her, Bloggy Boot Camp, Food Bloggers Conference, and the Type-A Parent Conference, where they are not only inspired, but also get “freebies” from vendors and have fun, fun, fun.
Several of these bloggers also make money through sponsors, who at times pay their conference fees.
Can’t get much better than that.
Some helpful resources shared by the panelists:
Get Clicky. For real time web analytics.
Stumble Upon. A discovery engine that finds the best on the web.
Pinterest. An online pin board to organize and share things you love.
Groupme. A free group messaging that works on every phone.
Momspark. A cool, hip blog for moms.
Thirdage. An online site focused on serving baby boomers and women.
Thesitsgirls. A social network teaching how to blog and how to make money online.
As always, thanks for stopping by,
