5 Lessons From Blogging

You know when you've been doing something for a long time and then one day, you realize how long you've been doing it? Well I've been blogging for a long time. Seven years and two months to be exact. My very first post was all the way back in May of 2009. I remember it was my friend, David, who encouraged me to start. When I look back now, it's easy to see how far I've come and how my blog has changed! I've thought of five things that I've learned over the seven years and if you are a blogger, they might be helpful to you.

No. 1 - They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I've found that to be true, especially with my generation. The pictures in your post are what will draw your readers. If I were a photographer, I could rule the world... at least this little corner of it. But I'm not. If I had the money, you would see cozy pictures at the beginning of this post of me, working in bed with my coffee and my cat in my cute lounge wear (because that's what bloggers do, right?). But I don't. So you're stuck with images from the abyss of the internet. Sorry guys.

No. 2 - While a sharing a bit about your life is good, you need to balance it with other content too. My blogging days began as a journal of my life and my readers were all people I knew. That's okay but not very inspiring. If you want to inspire people with your blog, you have to generate content that will pull them in. Like posts about blogging! Because my blog is interesting and that's why you're reading this, right?

No. 3 - Don't box yourself in. When I began The Sunshine Hill Chronicle in 2012, I didn't want to go back to journaling about life like my first blog, so I was all worried about what kind of blog this was going to be. Food? Decoration? DIY? I like too many subjects to be tied down, so the answer is the lifestyle blog. That means you can write about whatever the heck you want! Yay!

No. 4 - Use your social media wisely. With my old blog, I just wrote posts and left it at that. Since then, I've discovered that I can spread my blog around better if I post it on my social media. If you're friends with me on Facebook, I basically spam you with it... But hey, I have people reading my blog that I never thought would.

No. 5 - Blogging for income isn't for me. Or at least not right now. From all the things I've read about women who do use their blog for income, everyone says that it's really hard to separate your blog from your personal life. I don't want that! Blogging is my hobby. I love coming up with posts and having the ability to skip it during a really busy week. So for now, it's just going to stay a hobby. I'm not saying never, but I don't want to be the person who only throws parties so I can blog about it the next week.

And there you have it. Five things I've learned from blogging for seven years. I'm loving where the SHC is right now and I'm excited about all the places it may take me in the future!

(Image via The Quoting Quill)