How to Keep Your Blog Going

I’ve been blogging for three, almost four years now. A time or two I’ve been asked how I’ve done it for so long. Basically, how have I been able to sustain my blog for a long period of time. There are a few reason why I have been able to consistently do this and maintain my enthusiasm.

I got into blogging with a personal blog. You know the kind, a sensitive retrospective into my life and what I learn from any and all adversity. Blech! Then I started a blog with a few friends that didn’t really have any real focus. I’ve written about all kinds of topics and finally settled on social media and web design. I’m here because I found my niche. I found what I do enjoy writing about. Loving your topic goes a long way to being able to keep writing about it.

The learning curve is a huge part of all this for me. In social media and in web design, things are changing constantly. There is never a time that I can’t hit my stumble button and not find something I could learn about. If you want to be a serious player in your field, then learning cannot be avoided. It is the one thing that will help you develop your unique selling point, that edge that will draw readers to you.

Still, it doesn’t matter how passionate you are about your chosen niche, there will be bad days. Writer’s block is one of the largest contributors to people quitting their blogs. It is a very frustrating thing and you need to be able to identify it, and know how to deal with it. I’ve written a few of my thoughts on it in a previous post.

Setting yourself a schedule is also very important here. Decide when, and how often you are going to post. I’ve done the everyday thing and, for me it only leads to a quick burn out. However, I do know those who can, and do post everyday, some even multiple times a day. I can’t do it. I like twice a week, every Monday and Wednesday. What ever you decide upon, stick with it. Consistency will give your readers something they can count on. You can throw in an extra post here and there if you really have something to say but keeping that schedule will give you the needed time to get in the writing frame of mind and will help draw readers to you.

What has helped you keep blogging, or what was your barrier that brought you to the point of quitting your blog?