Starting a New Blog 101

 

I'm calling all of those wanna~be~bloggers out there!!!

rrrrriiiiiiiiinnnggg  ~  rrrrriiiiiiiiinnnggg

Those of you who are thinking about starting your own blog...

Those of you who stalk and lurk your favorite blogs and long to be part of this beautiful family of {crazy} friends.

Those of you who think..."wow, I'd love to share my inspiration and let others know that I love what they share too."

Those of you who may be scared to stick your foot out there and leave a comment...

It's time I write this post is for you!

***And for all of my {crazy} friends who are already blogging, DON'T YOU DARE leave from here as I'm begging you to help these wanna~be~bloggers too!!! Stick with me 'til the end, okay??  ;) 

So I'm going to break the ice here...

I've been blogging for almost 2 years now, but my love for blogging probably started in 2007. I love to look back and remember how I felt when I first learned what a "blog" was, gosh...I was so amazed. Before I knew it, I had a stack of favorite blogs that I stalked daily. I was so fascinated with the stories, the photos, and the places they took me to. Before I knew it, I was spending hours and hours reading past posts and anxiously awaiting new ones. For about a year, I had saved my favorite blogs in "my favorites" and I check them daily...sometimes 3 times a day...or more, waiting to see what they would post about next. It was like an unending non-fiction book that I just couldn't put down. (sigh)...those were the days  :)

So what's new after 3 years? {smile} Things are still the same, only a "little" different. I'm still that same always-amazed girl, anxiously reading my favorite blogs, meeting new friends and yet...trying to find the time  for me to post on my own blog!   ;)

With so much on my plate at any given time of the day, I take for granted that not everyone who reads my blog has a blog of their own.

Within the past month, I have met several new friends in particular, all of which want to start their own blog, or at least they are thinking about doing so. These are fascinating women and have come to me to help them get started in this wonderful world of blogging... this wonderful world of friendship, fun and inspiration. {sigh} I just love it here :)

These women were my inspiration for writing this post  :)

So hopefully...you will be meeting Sheri, Mary, Beth and maybe Vickie??? here in blogland shortly!  :)))

I had a total flashback of myself as I remember at first, I didn't know where to start either. I remember feeling so overwhelmed and thinking..."Can I really do this?"..."I am so not computer savvy"..."I can't compare to these wonderful people out here"..."Will anybody ever read me?"..."I don't know an 'html' from a LOL!"...and believe me, I thought about many more horrendous things, thinking I'd never get the hang of it. 

How was I ever going to cross over into this new world?

Well, those thoughts were thrown over the bridge the minute I got the courage to leave ONE comment and say...

"Suzanne, I must be honest here as I've never ever left a comment before and I've been stalking your beautiful blog for the past 9 months and one day when I grow up, I want to be just like you."

Then the heavens opened up...

aaaaahhhhhhh!

I heard glorious music...

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

And on that very same day, I received an email from Suzanne of Pink Roses and Other Passions.

I thought I had died and HE was comin' to get me, but instead...it was my angel Suzanne with her arms open wide, welcoming me into blogland  :)

She said, "Let's do it girl, I'll help you!" and the rest is history!! I was online in less than 24 hours! oh, it was obvious that I was a newbie, but that didn't matter...I had my own new space to call my own.

Like the saying goes..."Build it and they will come."

I started my little blog in June of 2008 and haven't shut up since! I've brought you with me to places all over the world and showed you my wild little family. I brought you with me to garage sales, my favorite stores, and I even showed you all of my favorite junk. You sometimes visit me in your pajamas and play with me in my studio and you've shared with me my most exciting moments. And all along, it's been fun! But! I want to see your world too! Take me away too...please! ;)

So today, I'm going to clear off my plate and try to be the best angel that I can be in helping you start your own blog...

Now remember though, I've only been blogging for 2 years...

I've never written a book on it, nor have I ever given a tutorial on it. I'm just giving MY advice, the priceless tried~ and~true advice that was so sweetly handed down to me long ago.

Ready? Let's do it! I'll pull you along!!! ;)

 

1 ~ Think of a name that FITS you as a title name of your blog.

Think of it as a name that is as important as a tattoo...A name that will follow you until death!  ;)

This will be your blog title.

(example: mine is everything vintage)

2 ~ Decide what blogger program you will use.

There are many blog sites such as TypePad, Wordpress, Blogger, etc. As far as I know, many of them charge a fee, except for Blogger. It is totally FREE. Don't you just love that word, FREE? (music to my ears)

Search Yahoo or Google for the above sites and weigh out the pros and cons for which ever best suits YOUR needs or wants.

3 ~ Create an account.

Once you settle on which blog site to use, then you will have to create an account.

I STRONGLY ADVISE YOU TO USE YOUR NAME as your blog address, whether it be your first name, last name, full name or whatever is still available.

(example: mine is jodielejeune.blogspot.com)

And my reasoning for this is...see number 1 above? Just in case you didn't take me serious about deciding on a name for your blog FOR LIFE and you decide to change it down the road, your blog address will still always be your name instead of something you fell out of love with years from now. 

Sometimes I am smart...not often, but sometimes :)

4 ~ Get comfy with the template, the background, and the site.

Go ahead, it's your space, you can decorate it as you wish. (decorating is the fun part) You can make it whatever background, color, font, etc...this is YOUR blog! And, if you don't know what an html is (like me)...hire someone to do it for you (like Valentine Design)

;)

5 ~ Write Write Write until your heart is content.

But you HAVE to show us photos! haha Just kidding...but we do love photos! No one sees what happens behind closed doors so you can let us in when you want and you control what we see. It's totally up to you on what you put out here.

You can write everyday, every other day, or once a week...it's totally up to you and your schedule. There's no expectations.

My advice about writing is to keep it real and keep it positive!

6 ~ There are NO RULES.

Isn't that cool? The best part about having your own blog is that you are the author of the life you create! (That is my quote that I came up with when I first started blogging and live by it today).

7 ~ Have FUN!

The most important thing about blogging is to have fun. When it becomes a 'job' or a 'chore'...back off and take a break. Everyone understands when that is necessary and I promise you, we will still love you when you come back. Upon your return, you will be rejuvenated and full of wonderful things to share.

It's amazing how one can grow and learn, right from the computer chair. I know I have, thanks to the wonderful people who have helped me along my learning journey and those that are still helping me today! Everyday is a new lesson, a new growth and most of all, something new to share.

So to the wanna~be~bloggers out there, I hope that I've at least made you feel at home and welcomed here and if there is anything you need at all, do not hesitate to leave me a comment or email me.

And do you see all of those fabulous blogs on my side bar? Well, I'm sure they will be more than happy to welcome you too and answer any questions you may have.

***To all my {crazy} friends who already have a blog and stayed until the end of this post,

 I'm asking a favor from you...

Please leave a comment and some blogging advice for those who are thinking about getting started. You may think of something that I didn't cover here and may have a link that they can go to for further information.

You know how scary it once was for you too, so hopefully together we can welcome new friends and get them online!!! Plus, feel free to forward this post to those who you know who might be thinking of getting started. Thanks in advance guys!  :)

Oh this was so much fun! Good luck, have fun and THANK YOU!

let's grow TOGETHER!!!

:)