Blogging is both a creative and lucrative activity.
You get to share your opinions with the world and if you are lucky, get paid for it.
But like anything, itâs not all roses. There are some things you need to be wary of. So read on to find out more.
Sharing too much
When you are writing about things that are important to you, then you can sometimes share a bit too much information in your blog posts. While people apparently respond well to honesty, you need to consider how much you are willing to share with the entire world. Remember that anyone can read your blog. Your ex, your boss, your mom! Thatâs right, itâs pretty easy for them to find it, and are you ready for the consequences if they do?
So before you decide to talk about your most embarrassing secrets, make sure that you are willing to be open and honest with what has happened. You need to be able to deal with peopleâs opinions with good humor, because if anything is for sure, itâs that they will have some opinions.
Getting caught in the crossfire
Something else you need to be careful of is getting in the crossfire of other peopleâs arguments. They could be everyday people like you and me, or it could be celebrities. In fact, a lot of bloggers use starsâ names in their titles and feed off any âbeefâ they currently have. They do this as they know it will serve as click-bait to getting people to read their stuff.
A perfect example of this is all the blogs and blog entries that dealt with the Kat Von D and Jeffrey Star Drama.
But is this really what you should be using your platform for? Should you be weighing in on othersâ issues or making points of your own? Okay, in very rare situations where itâs directly relevant to what you are writing, you may have something to say about certain people. But you need to be very careful about what you say online. As some folks can take great offense, and you can find yourself in all sorts of trouble, very easily.
Being boring
Having said that being involved in other peopleâs drama is not a good idea, itâs also worth bearing in mind that people donât read boring blogs. That is why you need to make what you are talking about interesting. Think about the questions people would have about that situation youâre writing on. What are some of the problems that you can help them with? Or have you got any advice from your own experience that you are willing to share?
Being too money motivated
Being too motivated on earning money for your blog can end up becoming a confused mess. This is because you can end up accepting products and advertising, without thinking if itâs relevant to your readership. Itâs best to try set some goals when you first start out on this subject. These will then guide you to choose the content and advertising that will best suit what you are trying to do.
Itâs also not a good idea to ignore the lucrative side of blogging either. Why waste an opportunity to make some money?
One of the easiest ways to get your blog earning is to allow ad placements. But now, many people surf the internet with protection against these. So, you will need to beat the ad blockers by using specially crafted advertisements.
Technical issues
Of course, you may come across some technical issues while blogging too. One of these is a terribly laid out blog. This instantly puts readers off. They want to be able to access the information you have for them in a user-friendly fashion. That is why itâs important that your blog posts look attractive and are clear.
Itâs also a good idea to have categories on your blog and a search box. This allows your readers to look for the stuff that is relevant to them. In this way, they donât have to wade through a lot of information that isnât relevant. Many readers will become bored when doing this, and it can put them off being a regular follower.
Privacy issues
Some people blog, mainly if they are blogging on a controversial issue, anonymously. While it seems like the perfect solution, it doesnât always work that well in practice.
Imagine that you are blogging about a terrible work experience. You donât mention any names but if people in your company were to happen across the blog, they might be able to recognize that it was their workplace.
Then, of course, people can use the internet to track you down. People will be able to see your email and so be able to trace the owner of the account. Even if you use an anonymous email, itâs possible to track your IP address, so itâs pretty easy for people to work out who you are.
This can have dire consequences, like losing friends or even your job. There have been several cases of this in the media when anonymous bloggers have been outed recently.
Content
Coming up with fresh content can be very tough article after article. That is why some people choose to invite guest bloggers to write for them. This can work well for all parties concerned. The guest blogger gets coverage on another site. Also, the original bloggerâs site is seen by a lot of other people who might not have had exposure to it otherwise.
Other bloggers deal with this issue of fresh content by setting themselves a challenge. Some choose to draw or write every day for a period of time. Then they have some new material to discuss with their readers.
Images
Although people think of blogging as being a written form, the pictures you use also have a significant impact on the popularity of the post. In fact, some people record videos of themselves talking about subjects instead of writing about them. These people are known as video bloggers or Vloggers.
Even if you have a traditional blog, you shouldnât discount adding in multimedia elements like videos. As these can make a welcome change for your readers and liven up what you have to say. They are also perfect for being shared via social media, getting your blog more coverage.
This post was contributed.
Readers, please share, so other bloggers know the pitfalls of blogging and how to handle them.
What do you think? Are there other pitfalls of blogging that should be addressed, or do you think the guest author got it right? Which pitfall do you feel is the most challenging? I look forward to your views in the comments section.
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Your Blog Needs Video Content; Hereâs Why
7 Ways Blogging Helps You Better Navigate Life
