Why blogging is like hanging out in a big playground?

When I started this blog almost three years ago, I didn’t really know what I was doing.   I was kissing goodbye to being a journalist after 20 years and leaping off into the world of self-employment. I knew how to write stuff.  And I knew that I wanted to keep writing stuff.  Fashion and beauty stuff.

Thankfully my web developer steered me in the direction of a WordPress blog.  I say, thankfully, because at the time I didn’t know what a blog was but I quickly learned it was the perfect platform for me.

Since those early days I’ve learned A LOT.

But a blog is forgiving like that.

A blog is happy to morph along with you.  And I’m not just talking about making changes to all the bells and whistles of a good design, although that is a little addictive.  No, I’m talking about content and community.  And the excitement that comes from moulding that content to meet your community.

When that clicks, the Bloggerverse feels like one very big happy playground.  A playground where incredibly diverse and fab people hang out.

For me, I guess that clicking didn’t really happen until about mid-way through last year – yes, that’s right – two years after starting the Styling You blog.

That’s why I’ve decided to start weekly posts about blogging.

So many people start a blog and want it all to happen. Stat.  But as the old Rachel Hunter Pantene TV ad said, “it won’t happen over night but it will happen”.

It will happen if you stick at it. [There have been times when I've been pushed for time and I may not have posted as frequently as I should, but I just kept going.]

It will happen if you chose blog a subject that’s close to your heart to write about.  And that you write about it frequently. [In the beginning I wrote maybe one or two posts a week, now I aim for five to six.  Finding your happy medium is up to you - just aim to be consistent.]

It will happen if you understand who your target readership is. [Thanks to Facebook's Insights I can tell you that 65% of my readers are women aged 25-44.]

It will happen if you communicate with your target readership. [I love a chat, so it's not a stretch to do this online, via comments on my blog or on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or Youtube.  Wherever your readership hangs out, you need to drop in and say hi.]

It will happen if you communicate with other bloggers.  [I make it a daily habit to read other people's blogs and comment on them.  Not only do you get to read some amazing blog posts, but you'll make some damn good friends along the way - friends who will become your most loyal "marketing managers".]

I don’t claim to know it all but I like to share what I do.

These blogging-specific posts will contain a little bit of my blogging journey – lessons learned and tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way.  There will be a bit of general blogging advice plus plenty of specifics for fashion and beauty bloggers. Believe me you never stop seeking out and absorbing new ideas.  Or maybe that’s just me and my inner geek talking?

It’s a particularly exciting week to be a blogger in Australia – this time next week, 170 bloggers and industry delegates will be in Sydney for the inaugural Aussie Bloggers Conference. [I'll be blogging and tweeting throughout the day, you can follow along via Twitter with the official hashtag #ausblogcon2011.]

Apart from some serious(ly fun) networking, we’ll be all ears as panelists discuss a range of topics:

1.  Creating content

2.  Social media and you (yours truly is on this panel)

3.  My blog, my story

4.  SEO and blog monetisation

5.  Building your blog community

Some of the bloggers attending have been blogging for years; some are new to the game.  All have been bitten by the bloggers’ bug and are keen to learn.

Yes, the future of blogging in Australia is very bright indeed.  Are you on board the swings or monkey bars yet?

If you have a blogging question you’d like answered in these posts, pop me an email: nikki@stylingyou.com.au – I’m just a keyboard tap away.

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This post is getting some new love thanks to Life in a Pink Fibro’s Weekend Rewind.  Head on over to check out some more posts on blogging this weekend.