You Should Blog

So often I hear things like “I wish I could blog” or “sometimes I think I should start a blog”, but usually those statements are then followed with a list of reasons why they don’t…

I’m not a good writer.

No one would read it.

My life isn’t exciting.

I don’t have the time to blog every day.

I’m not tech savvy.

Such terrible excuses, really. Sure, if your main reason for blogging is for attention and/or to become famous then you better be a good writer and you better have something good to write about. For many people though (mom’s in particular) blogging is therapeutic. Blogging is an outlet. Blogging is a way to help others (think of all the deal and couponing blogs out there). Blogging is a way to preserve memories.

Excuse #1: I’m not a good writer. What would you tell a child who said they weren’t good at the piano? Keep practicing, right? As you blog you’ll find yourself falling into a rhythm when it comes to your writing. You’ll find what works for you and while it may not be best-selling author quality, it also won’t be second grader quality.

Excuse #2: No one would read it. So what? While having readers is fun, it’s not the be-all-end-all. Really you should start a blog for you (and if you live far away from family maybe for them too). Because I blog, I now have this fabulous place to go for family memories! When I go back and read old posts from when the boys were babies it’s like I’m hearing the story for the first time. I was in such a sleep-deprived fog that I honestly don’t remember most of what happened or the cute/funny things the boys did.

Excuse #3: My life isn’t exciting. This is where I throw another “so what?” your way. Most people wouldn’t consider their life exciting. I don’t consider mine exciting. Chaotic yes, exciting no. You don’t have to always have a great story to share.

Excuse #4: I don’t have time to blog every day. You don’t have to! I write 5-6 days a week because I’m an addict. When I first started blogging a little over 4 years ago I only wrote once or twice a week. Sometimes, when life was really crazy, it would be longer than a week before I got around to posting an update. IF you want readers though, you will need to be consistent about how often you write. It still doesn’t have to be every day, but you’ll need to write at least every week. Going a month or two between postings can mean a big hit to your readership.

Excuse #5: I’m not tech savvy. You really don’t need to be! Sites like Blogger/Blogspot and WordPress make things super simple for you. You pick a name for your blog, pick some color schemes and bam! you’re ready to roll. You can cute the site up if you want to by paying a small fee to someone or by downloading free templates.

Bottom line? You can and should blog. Love taking pictures but don’t do it enough or the pictures never make it off your computer and into photo albums? Start small and do a 365 Blog (you can see my 365 Blog for 2010 HERE). Want to start preserving memories? Start a blog and commit to writing/posting pictures just once a week. I bet you can find 1 hour a week to upload pictures and write a post about something(s) that happened that week. Plus, there are now awesome services out there that can print your blog into a book! I keep saying I’m going to do that someday… How awesome would it be for my kids to be able to just pull out a book of a year’s worth of posts and pictures to flip through?

You know you want to start a blog, so just do it! If you have questions, shoot me an e-mail using the contact form above. I’m always willing to help!