7 Myths of Blogging

When I started my monthly #bloggerdeLEVerY series here in my blog, some of my readers commented “that’s a lot, I wish to be a blogger too so that I could have items for free” or “it’s nice to be a blogger you’ll get items for free”.

I don’t know how to reply on those comments because I feel that there are a lot of misconceptions about blogging that people need to know and I won’t be able to answer it in 1-2 sentences in the “reply” section.

That’s why I got an idea to make a blog post about MYTHS OF BLOGGING that you should know before starting one.

1. BLOGGING IS EASY PEASY – Anyone can blog, I agree. If you love to write and tell stories, yes you can start your own blog. BUT the process of blogging is not at all easy. I remember a long time ago, a friend asked me on how to start a blog because she’s interested in doing it too. It was wrong for me to tell her how to set-up a website, get a domain name, etc… to start blogging. I explained it to her one by one and I think that overwhelmed her because after that I never heard from her again. Running your own blog takes a lot of passion, commitment, dedication and hard work. Being unique is harder now compared when we did it a decade ago. There are a lot of bloggers already with the same niche as yours. How are you going to be different from them is the question you need to answer. You should also learn to take good photos and you need to spend time producing quality content on a consistent basis.
2. BLOGGING IS FREE – Yes if you will use a free platform like blogspot but the disadvantage of using a free platform is that you don’t have control with your site. If they decided to take down your site for any reason, they can do that. If you will pay for your own platform and name, you are the only person who can delete or deactivate it. The cost usually ranges from $100 and up per year.
3. WRITE ANYTHING UNDER THE SUN – this is what I did when I started blogging 10 years ago. When I looked back at some of the articles I did before, I realized that I just wasted space here. I blogged about funny stuff I saw on the net, my political views, the latest reality TV shows, about Manny Pacquiao’s latest boxing match etc. If you will not focus on one niche you’ll get a hard time to be on top of the search engine. If you are not on top of the search engine, you’ll have small traffic on your site.
4. YOU NEED TO WRITE ONLY IN ENGLISH – Once upon a time, as much as possible I don’t write in Tagalog/Filipino language in my blog because I usually blog hop with foreigners (kunti pa lang kasi Pinoy na nagba blog noon). Plus, if you will put a Google Adsense in your blog it is advisable if the language is in English to be approved. Some even use highfalutin words in blogging. BUT based on experience, people just want an easy to read blogs that they can relate and feel that you are just talking to them in person. That’s why most of the Filipino Mommy Bloggers that I know now use Taglish as the medium of communication in their blog and I find it more effective in getting readers and loyal followers. I’m not a grammar nazi, I admit that when I re-read my blog I sometimes find some wrong grammar on it. But it can be learned and you’ll improve as time go by. I consider myself more of a storyteller, a researcher and not 100% writer.
5. BLOGGING IS ONLY FOR STAY-AT-HOME PEOPLE – because they have a lot of time to write? No, not really. I know a lot of bloggers who have day jobs and some who have a business. Blogging helps us to be sane by sharing our thoughts and ideas to the online world. It’s a hobby that you can do in your free time. If you want to start blogging, your main objective should not be to earn from it yet, it should be to just open up your world for others to see. You’ll earn from blogging if your site is already searchable in the internet and social media. You should start with writing quality contents twice or at least thrice a week.
6. YOU WILL GET FREE PRODUCTS IF YOU BLOG – Yes this is true BUT only if the companies or PR are aware of your existence. They give items for you to review if they know you have followers, readers, and influence. When I was still starting, I buy products to review on my blog, that’s how I build my portfolio. Also, let me get this straight there’s nothing free in this world. Once you receive a product from companies, they expect you to post it in any of your social media accounts or either write something about it on your blog. That is work and not totally free because you will spend time taking pictures and writing about it.
7. BLOGGING WILL MAKE YOU RICH – Yes if blogging is not your main source of income. Yes if the money you’ll get from sponsored posts and campaigns will be put in a medium that earns interest larger than the inflation rate and yes if you know how to handle and manage your money. Truth be told, some companies hire bloggers to promote their brands and business and they pay for it. Companies and PRs are careful in choosing bloggers to do the job, they select those with credibility to speak for the brand. If you want to earn from blogging, you need to take care of your credibility. Do not accept products or services that you do not believe for the sake of getting money. I tell you there are a lot of opportunities out there, ‘wag kang manghinayang sa campaign na pwedeng mawala.

That’s it guys, I hope you’ll learn a thing or two about blogging here. These are all based on my experience and I’m not representing any other bloggers in this post. Their thoughts may or may not be the same as mine.

If you want to start how to blog, I’ll give an easy instructions on how to do that on my next post. Comment down below what you want to learn also.

UPDATE here’s the 5 EASY STEPS TO START A BLOG – https://mommylevy.com/2019/03/start-a-blog-in-5-easy-steps.html