Are You Ready To Start Blogging.
A twitter friend asked a question: “I can write about blogging, but not sure if I should”. I found this question very relevant to the present scenario. The ever increasing number of bloggers populating different niches and especially, crowding the popular ones make it difficult to decide whether to start a blog in a particular niche. You either do what you want to do or you do what others are already doing.
If you are just starting out and looking for nothing serious, then you can start blogging as a hobby. You don’t need any skills to blog when you are not bothered about its readership. If the sole purpose of blogging is to vent out your feelings or keep an online record of your knowledge, then you shouldn’t hesitate to write.
The term “Ready” actually means being ready to start blogging on a larger scale. It is the time when you start developing interest in a particular field. And, you want to build readership for your blog.
Are you “Ready” yet?
Are you fit to compete with others in your niche?
Venturing into a less popular niche is an advantage because you can become an authority figure. But, lesser opportunity to grow is a definitive disadvantage. On the other hand, it is really tough to enter a crowded niche and achieve success. But, once you get the hang of it, there is ample chance to grow your blog.
New Perspective
As a newbie blogger, you might consider your views don’t carry much weight. But, you have a fresh vision and so, you can offer a new perspective. Things in the online world are very dynamic and articles lose their relevance as time passes by. They have to be continuously updated with the latest times. Therefore, a new blogger might be preferred over an old blogger because his ideas will be more relevant with the present age.
This also implies that you have to be ahead of your competition at all times and you have to be updated with industry news.
Passion
Sometimes, main driving force behind blogging is passion. For eg. a person who was really interested in the game of poker started a website OnlinePoker.org to help other poker enthusiasts to play poker online.
Similarly, if you are passionate about the niche, you will outperform others. Most bloggers make the mistake of choosing a niche because it is very popular. This should not be done! Sooner or later, they will realize that they don’t have interest in the subject and will stop blogging about it.
Goals
In my opinion, no work should be started without prior planning. The planning phase can help reduce redundancy as well as simplify the process of execution. A blogger should be an able planner and should at least set some short term and long term goals for his blog. An approach without a proper focus will not get you success. If you are not ready with any concrete goals, don’t dip your body in quicksand because, you will never get out it.
Knowledge
Do you have any idea about the topic? If no, don’t even think of blogging. The main principle behind blogging is to share knowledge and ideas. You have to portray yourself as an expert.
I started blogging in 2006 but I waited for 3 years to enter in the niche of blogging, so that I am able to acquire more knowledge and gain expertise about blogging. The major problem arises when somebody asks you a question about your niche and you don’t have an answer to it. This can be very embarrassing for you and detrimental for your blog.
Lastly, the final call is with you. Even if you have passion and knowledge for a niche, you may still want to write in a niche other than your interest. It is your choice and you have to face the repercussions. Go with your intuition and you will never go wrong.
I think I have answered your question. If you have any further, let me know!
