Start blogging

Why blog?

Why add another terrible task in your to do list?  There are millions of blogs floating in the web – why add another?

 It will cost you so much sweat and labor and tears too, may be…besides who’s going to read it?

I do feel a voice inside me whining these words often. So after 137 posts, and 94 followers, I ventured again to research – why should I blog, and this is what I found:

There are  at least 15 great reasons why you must blog, says Joshua Becker.  

 Out of these 15 reasons, I find that I blog because:

 1. I have  something important to say, for example I want to say what goes behind creating my jewelry and the business aspect too. What happens in my work shop, what agony and ecstasy do I go through in this journey of being a jewelry artist- entrepreneur.

 2. I find that there are people who relate with my pain and passion. They are also artists making jewelry or other things and trying to  sell.  Why? so  that they can feed their family or just make enough  to buy the materials for their art. From their comments I can relate what they are going through too.

3. I can give something-  like tutorials, new tips, ideas that are working with me . And these days I can share that with the whole wide world.  It makes me feel good that someone benefits from that. I can make friends from some one across the globe.

From research and through my experience I found that  there are a few things to know why I should NOT blog:

1. Trying to make quick money.  Though there are lots of people who may make a lot of money from their blogs – it is   not very easy and that is not my purpose.
2. Fame – though there are people like Leo Babauta, it is hard to become famous overnight just by blogging. And he got there after years of hard work!

Then why should you blog?  Do you have some clear goal why you want to write a blog?

  There could be various reasons- for example,

* To show your potential customers who you are and why should they buy your hand crafted product or

* What is your belief, mission, ethics related with your product, or the brand of the product you make, or

* Monetize:  you can make money from your blog being an affiliate of different relevant things, resources, books etc.

 Here I find that there are at least 10 good reasons why you should have a blog

 But, blogging does  take hard work, quite a chunk of time  and  lots of commitment.

Writers’ block is a common ailment in this journey. What should you write about?

One good gauge for understanding the depth is running a list of ideas to post.  Can you easily jot down a few dozen things in a short period of time that will be relevant for your blog? When you are stuck, or get a writer’s block  this list comes in  handy.

What else is needed?

Consistency :
Regular posting is essential. Also relevant topis are what your reader will come for.  In that sense it is similar to writing the chapters of a book, I think. 

Niche:
 This is about finding out your niche and being clear about that.  Are you passionate about your niche?  You'll need that for the long haul.

 

Readers' needs and interests:

Who are your readers? Do you care for their needs?    How would you find that? Thinking about your readers’ problems and an effort to find solutions are important  reasons I blog.

  How do I know my readers' interest? I get that answer and some clue from the popularity of certain  posts and not of the others.

 What makes an awesome blog?  Delia from Blog Formattings suggests  10 points that an awesome blog must have.

You may differ with her  and/or have different ones.

Somewhere I read that any good writing should have at least one of the following  three qualities:

It should entertain the reader

It should teach or give something to the reader

It should be able to inspire the reader in some way

Great writings have them all.

It is also true from my experience that you may get bogged in over editing, especially if you are a perfectionist.  That retards my speed, consistency and commitment.

Now, if you ask me – Was it a good idea that you had started blogging?

I’ll answer- .  Heck -Yes.

What about you?  Should you start a blog? Or do you already have one?

 What challenges do you feel?  Which is the biggest problem you think, or your biggest reward in blogging?  Please share.

You may also want to check out :

Five most important Marketing Strategies I plan to incorporate in my Etsy shop

Strategies to boost sales in  my online store

What do you remember your mother most for

Dear Ma,

It's Mothers Day today.

As I was looking at your picture,  dusting off  with a kleenex,  I was thinking of you.
" What do you remember your mother most for?" - was a question posted by a celebrated writer in the Face Book

Ma, form high up there you must by now know what FB is all about.  I don't want or need to explain that to you now, I believe.

You must also wonder why am I writing in English,  not in our mother tongue, Bengali?  Well, because your grand daughters and their off springs will not be able to read or understand that language so much, but your blood runs through them.  May be you have passed on some DNA of yours in them...I don't know...But think you kind of live through them to me.

Now, the question- what did you give me that is most precious?

Ma, I bow down in shame - how can I judge that?  I kneel down in gratitude for what you have given me...I don't have the capacity to count that really.

You gave me birth ( oh I know  now with how much pain and joy...I have gone through that). I came with your flesh, your blood.  You nourished me with your milk, stayed up endless nights to bring me up with sweat and tears.

You were the most proud person when I shone.

You cried with me when I was hurt.

You didn't bother to hold back any thing, scolded me when I strayed away and  needed the right direction, held me tight when I fell apart.

But, Ma what I remember most after all these years,  is your love for beauty-  that deep need and appreciation of it in life.

You were beautiful yourself, indeed.

I remember how one day -  it was your last year probably, you asked me to bring me a jar of " Those new thing - what do they call it age defiant?  Garnier or some thing?"

A smirk faded in my face as I wiped off my tears.  This half paralyzed, bed ridden stroke victim still wants to reach for a jar of beauty!

No, that's not the point really.

You tried so hard to keep our home beautiful- with so little resources that you had on those days.  How you saved from the grocery to buy a bouquet of flowers to dress up the dining table, I remember when I went to the  market with you.

Most of all, you knew when to stop...which so many people don't.  Now looking back I feel awe struck that you had that style, and  probably I  had never told you.

In your time,  and where you were coming from, people were totally unaware of these little things that make such difference in life.

You were never noticed for that.  Probably you even did not know you were quite a Martha Steward in your time.  And no one ever noticed.

 But I did.  And I do it more now,  after you are gone.

You gave me that keen sense of appreciation of true beauty.

You worked hard to keep  beauty in tact in relationships and how carefully and meticulously you tread ed the  ocean  of family dynamics !

You tried  to keep  life beautiful,  living beautifully and that is what you had passed on to me.