These are the stages everyone seems to go through to become a blogger, a sort of right of passage into blogging as it were!
This is not my desk! My blogger zone looks as if two cyclones hit simultaneously!
- Read a blog post, decide you could do that.
- Set up a free site. Write a post. Sit back and wait.
- Check stats, wonder why no one has read your wonderful words, it’s been out there for a whole day!
- Set up all relevant social media sites.
- Ask in a facebook blogger group for advice. Post will read something like this; ‘Hi everyone, I have been blogging for a week now and no one has read my post! Any ideas to get more readers?’ Hopefully it will be a nice group and so others will think back to their own days starting out and comment with helpful advice like, ‘keep writing to find your style’ and; ‘it really does take months, even years to be well read.’ Even if they are slightly rolling their eyes remembering the months and months of working every spare minute and evenings til 11pm to get where they are today!
- Learn what the heck twitter is. And keep an excited tally of every new follower.
- Consider setting up an auto DM to thank every lovely person who follows you.
- Swiftly realise auto DMs are not popular!
- Post photos on instagram with no tags, or tags you have made up yourself #colddaytoday #lovechunkyknits
- Write, write, write.
- Get nominated for an award! Be completely over excited and write a gushing post about how happy and excited you are. Then realise that it is actually just a very nice way to connect with other bloggers but there are hundreds of them going around and it’s not actually something to ring home about. 😉
- Receive first email asking to collaborate. Be completely unaware that it is an unscrupulous company praying on new bloggers simply hunting for back links. Either be totally flattered and go for it, (no judgement here!), or trust your gut instinct that the poor spelling, bad grammar and lack of compensation for you is a bad idea!
- Wonder how you had no idea that there was this complete other world out there with it’s own language!
- Realise you need to up your instagram game, and sharpish!
- Discover linkies. Join many many linkys. Know when they are and feel guilty if you miss one.
- Be utterly terrified of the idea of going self hosted. What is it?! Sounds awful. Remember tales of bloggers losing entire sites.
- Finally take the plunge. Wonder what all the fuss was about!
- Anxiously watch DA to see if it will ever recover. Also get slightly excited when you read the phrase; ‘tots has updated!’
- Start your own linky.
- Realise that you have actually made some really amazing friends in the blogging world, and start to really enjoy it.
- Fall totally out of love with it, curse it and it’s neediness.
- Have an idea for a great post, love it again!
- Repeat 20 and 21 on a near weekly basis. 😀
- Take a gazillion photos of yourself when you are dressed up for a wedding or any event where you are dressed up. This is so you have a stock of photos for future use as you do most of your blogging in your pjs with un-brushed hair and no make up!
- Use stock photos for posts like this. That’s because no one needs to see the avalanche of bits that threaten to engulf your laptop on your desk. (Just me?!)
- See someone write their no 5 post. Remember when you did it and cringe a little at you naivety, then write supportive response.
- Be proud of yourself that you have created something wonderful for yourself.
And there you have it! Whether you are at point 1 or point 28, (become a stellar famous blogger, that’s my next step! 😉 ), just remember that it’s hard work, a good group of blogging buddies to bounce ideas and questions off and plenty of chat on social media that can help you to grow your blog.
Also, never forget that we all start somewhere and it’s nice to give something back, be it a friendly comment to a new blogger or sharing a tip that you learnt that has made your life as a blogger easier. It’s nice to be nice!
Sooo true, after over eight months of blogging I have been through most of these points but still need to up my instagram game.
I’ve been blogging almost a year and can say I repeat some of those steps a lot. I haven’t made a linky because co-hosting one was hard enough work as it is! #chucklemums
“Fall totally out of love with it, curse it and it’s neediness.
Have an idea for a great post, love it again!
Repeat 20 and 21 on a near weekly basis. ”
MY LIFE!!!!
#chucklemums
Yup, that’s pretty much how it goes! I haven’t hosted a linky yet, though – I don’t know how hosts manage it. So much work! I fall in and out of love with blogging on a regular basis too. It’s a needy mistress. #chucklemums
Loved this and just the post I needed to read right now! 🙂 #chucklemums
Ha ha this is great – I so did Number 11!
Thank you for joingin us at #chucklemums
No comment on number 5 but I wasn’t a member of any groups back then thank gawd 😉 This actually made me chuckle because it’s uncannily accurate isn’t it?? Maybe all new bloggers should be made to read it… #chucklemums
Haha maybe! But then it wouldn’t be a right of passage I guess! You learn so much from your mistakes. Hopefully anyway! 😀
How did you know that this is the exact process I have followed through the last 9 months lol! Brilliant post xxx
Haha, I’m so glad it’s not just me!!!!! Thrilled that you enjoyed it!xx
Couldn’t resist reading this from the link I saw on facebook – I laughed because so many of these were exactly what I did – I’m thinking about 90% of them when I count back (nice to see I wasn’t alone!)
I’m so glad you enjoyed it…..and I’m not the only one!!! 😀 Thanks for your comment, I’m so pleased you took the time to write it. 🙂
This is greatas it is so true!!
Haha I’m so glad you think so!
So I am totally a step ahead of myself (for the minute) and already commenting on your post!! How I love this post, I never did step 5, only because I didn’t know Facebook groups existed for bloggers at the time. And I am totally with you on 20, 21 and 22!! I think 20 is my favourite though 🙂 Thank you for having me host with you on #bigpinklink xx
I am all about points 15 and 16 right now! Guilt and anxiety, all over blogging, how did this happen to me so quickly?!! #bigpinklink xx
You have hit the nail firmly on the head. It’s like you’ve been following me for the last 9 months! Next stop, fame and fortune, a book deal and world blogging domination. And #blogfest16
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I love this! It’s all so true and I’m guilty of lots of these! Fab post, really made me laugh! #bigpinklink
Oh my God I adore this – is so flippin true!! I feel as though I’ve gone through all these ha ha! Brilliant as always xx #bigpinklink
Tick, tick, tick… 🙂 I’m still pretty terrified at the thought of going self hosted!! #bigpinklink
Wonderful funny post and entirely true I’m on the verge of jacking in this last week it’s too obesssive who knows what I will do not sure myself yet. Love last paragraph it’s about helping those starting out do that all the time thanks for hosting #bigpinklink
Hahaha, so very, very true! I am falling in and out of love with blogging on a daily mo at the moment. Cursing its neediness one minute and then embracing it the next! 🙂 #bigpinklink
Hahaha I love this! I’m terrified at the thought of going self hosted, I wouldn’t know where to start! #bigpinklink
Hi Louise, love it and it really is a must read for any new blogger! But whether we are beginner bloggers or more experienced bloggers, we should all be proud of our blogs!
Having one reminds me of a line out of Fame (am I giving my age away?). It went something like “this is where you start paying and the price is blood, sweat and tears”. Very true. Very true indeed!
#BigPinkLink
I can relate to quite a few of those! My journey started differently, but the instagram without hostages was me for so long #bigpinklink
Insightful and spot on! How is that everyone goes through the same emotions and stages? What does that say about blogging? It’s as addictive as wine and chocolate! #bigpinklink
I’m literally this list. Except blog nominations, I don’t think I’ve ever had one of those! #bigpinklink
Yes!Yes!Yes! Even though i’ve been blogging since new years day, I’ve only recently taken the plunge to actually ‘do it properly’ and I’m having one hell of a learning curve! I love the writing aspect but that’s such a tiny part of it #bigpinklink
I’m rocking at instagram (pah I’m kidding – I’ve no idea what I’m doing) but Pinterest is where I’m totally out of my depth. Everyone loves a trier though right?!? #bigpinklink
Haha I think this is about as accurate as it gets pretty much sums up my journey to date! Xx #bigpinklink
I love this! I was terrified about going self-hosted, I even begged Hubs to do it for me. Cracked it in the end and wondered what I was so worried about, haha!
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Done it all except the linky and get self-hosted hahaha. This post is so true . I love the funny side you put into it. There is no way a blogger can’t keep nodding off when they read it! #bigpinklink
Very true. I still have no idea what Instagram is!
This is very funny, and totally relate to many of the points – especially the Linky guilt as someone who has been taking a break (being a baby is exhausting!) recently. #bigpinklink
Just popping back from #bitpinklink – still a scarily accurate portrayal of blogging!
Ah, so very true! I’m still learning SO much. The etiquette is quite daunting, but the community of bloggers is fab 🙂 Alison x #bigpinklink
Hah brilliant Lou you have summed it all up perfectly! I’m still stuck in a constant rotation between 20 and 22 constantly! I feel like I have a needy 3rd child who I love, but who demands a lot of my attention! I’m also still at number 16 – still lacking confidence (why do I envisage this taking a week out of my time) to take the leap for self hosting! Thanks for hosting #BigPinkLink xx
Hehe! Oh yes been through many of these already. It definately took me a while to find confidence in my own ‘voice’, now I’m just trying to enjoy it.
#BigPinkLink
This made me chuckle. Glad to hear I wasn’t the only one who had to have twitter explained. #bigpinklink
ha ha nodded my way through this! But your final point ‘it’s nice to be nice’ is fab my lovely! There feels like some niceness is disappearing at the moment for whatever reason – girls need to be a bit more supportive of each other! #BigPinkLink
I’ve experienced all of that! It’s so funny how we all seem to go through these stages, lol. Thanks so much for hosting #bigpinklink
I went self hosted right from the start and don’t have the time for my own linky, but these are pretty accurate! #bigpinklink
Haha. Yes this is me. I’ve been blogging nearly 5 years and I can safely say I’ve done all of these. Haha. Great post.
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Ha ha brilliant. I’ve yet to go self hosted & joined instagram far too late its now my favourite social media outlet. #bigpinklink
HAHA YES!! All of these!!! So funny, I’ve gone through each of those stages and even reverted back to some of those stages too! I love blogging and at the end of the day even if nobody read my posts I’d still do it, I try to remain laid back about the technical side of things and the monetising element but it is very easy to be swept away by it all. Fab post as always! #bigpinklink
I am still going through the beginning stages and I find this post comforting and frightening all at the same time! I don’t know what auto DM is and now I guess I don’t need to know. Instagram still baffles me, I make my daughter handle it for me. (I think she is doing it!) And, SEO still is a puzzle to me. I have no idea what self-hosting means. #1 should read, I like to write about stuff I do and thought if I did everyone would care. LOL I still love to do this, and I am learning. I think I am driving everyone a bit crazy because it is always on my mind and I tend to talk about what I am going to do next for my blog a little too much. Thanks for this post!
I’m terrible for making up hashtags, I’m pretty sure I’ve even used #lovechunkyknits. I just style it out and hope it’ll catch on though!
I am still trying to make sense of SEO, it seems like if you do it really well you end up with slightly unreadable nonsense but if you write easy to read stuff you lose SEO points. Too much to cope with!
#BigPinkLink
Yes this sounds very familiar. I rushed through steps 1 – 20 really quickly then got stuck for a very long time on step 21 for a very long time. Hopefully this time round I will maintain a sensible approach to it all ( sensible…me…..yeah :-/)
#bigpinklink
Hahaha. Funny post.
I’m a beginner blogger. I understand what you’re saying. #bigpinklink
Seeing it all written out like this I realise what a long journey blogging is and you never stop learning. I’ve been blogging 5 years and still feel I am learning something new every year. Keep up the great work you are going places! #bigpinklink
Spookily accurate…you have definitely been paying attention! #BigPinkLink
So new to this malarkey my blog could be classed as foetal. This list reassures me that I am not alone in my naivety… and slightly relieved that I have at least made it to point 6. #twitter #twit xx
hehe this had me nodding all the way through 🙂 #bigpinklink
Oh my GAWD so funny and so true. After three months of blogging I have had some great ups- such a high….and then I get an article rejected or my traffic sucks and I want to quit.
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Love this so much and crossed off a few milestones here! Hovering around/thinking about step 20 now…#bigpinklink
hahaha… I am only 3wks in and have already ticked off quite a few of these. I’ll take that as a sign of success, (because I’m still in the optimistic honeymoon period).
This is a great post – funny, definitely relatable but also really thoughtful. I don’t know what I’d do without my weekly fix of #bigpinklink
haha! I couldn’t help giggle as I read through these. LOVED #24… How true. ! #bigpinklink It’s good to be back!
Haha, this made me chuckle … I regularly fall in and out of love with blogging! #bigpinklink
Love this, I went self hosted from the outset! Glad I did and glad I’m still going strong tapping away! Thanks for hosting #bigpinklink
Great post for someone like me- new blogger:) Thanks for sharing it
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Only 3 months in with the blog, using Twitter and even set up a Facebook page for it two nights ago! #bigpinklink
Love it. I’m pretty sure I’ve done all of this!! Apart from the starring a linky. ..no idea how you do it!! This is such a true reflection of what being a blogger is like, you’ve nailed it!xx #bigpinklink
I nodded and laughed all the way through brilliant! After almost 2 years I am definitely hovering around 20-22! Loved this! ❤️ #bigpinklink
I laughed at this. I’m still a newbie and only really do it as a hobby but it’s still quite hard work at times! #bigpinklink
Haha! So, so true. I deleted quite a few of my first instagram posts out of shame but they had no hashes and I had like 2 followers and I was all “Why has no one liked my picture!” I am very glad I went self-hosted after only a month. Would have been so much more stressful after several months or even years… #bigpinklink
Repeating point 20 and 21 is so true!! #bigpinklink
This is a brilliant post Louise! And I’ve just seen you are in the tots 500 wow well done!!! Haha I was so excited about being nominated for 3 mads…til I realised every blogger I knew had been nominated for at least 1 😉 #bigpinklink
Haha brilliant!! I think I am at step 20…!! I was nodding along to all of these. I also use to make my own tags up for IG! Lol. Not yet taken the jump to self hosted. As I own my own domain I’m hoping won’t affect my DA too much … Eeek! Thanks for hosting -#bigpinklink
So glad to know it wasn’t just me! Phew… #bigpinklink
Hahahaaa!
***Nervously goes and turns off automatic DM to new followers.. (crowdfire told me to though?!)***
#bigpinklink
Haha – sounds about right! I am currently on the special step – have computer break and realise trying to blog from phone does not really work and everything takes too long! #bigpinklink
I love this Lou! Totally done all of these but in a back to front order!!
How did you do it back to front lovely? I really hope you’re not stopping blogging!!!!!!