i get a lot of emails asking about blogging,
how to be a blogger,
tips on being a blogger,
etc etc etc.
i’m not an expert,
as i’m still kinda new,
but i have been around the blogging block a few times.
i could see a butterfly fly past and get inspiration to write.
i’m always surprised by who is reading my stuff.
it is such a rewarding experience.
soooooooo here are some simple tips i live by…

1 take some time out to figure out who you are first off.
who are you?
what you want to talk about?
what yo passion is?
there are many blogs out there,
but what makes you stand out?
ask yourself that before you make a blog.
when i started this site,
i started writing for myself.
i look back at those entries and cringe.
ijf was a place for me to vent,
but then i started to really get into it.
i wasn’t getting comments,
but blogging gave me a sense of peace.
i strive for my blog to be like great sex.
i want people to keep coming back because it’s real good.
even if its on the low,
you can’t get enough of these tight wet words i give you.

2 don’t look at other bloggers.
i have my favorite blogs i read,
as well as shouting out my favs,
but i don’t try to “be like them”.
it shows when people do that.
i care about me, my work, and my readers.
being completely honest.
i like kid fury,
but i don’t want kid fury’s brand.
kid fury has branded himself very well.
he is awesome and has gotten his success because he knows his strengths.
i would never try it that just to get some stats.
you start to look like a poser.
you can’t be him, me, or them.
you can only be you.
this site took years of blood, sweat, and tears.
figure you out.

3 don’t aim for popularity.
that is a major “no no” in my world.
i have gone to events with bloggers that only use their site to get into events.
they standing around posing,
acting stuck up and brand new,
with a site with hardly no content on it/half assed content.
my favorites are the ones who make celeb friends and kiss ass.
all that has a habit of leading to something extremely messy.
i’m all for knowing people,
but that is not why i started blogging.
if it happens,
it happens,
but that’s not why i open up my laptop everyday.

4 update your content.
i hate when people give up on blogging so quickly.
they had great content,
i was hooked,
and then it slowly stopped.
if you are going to start blogging,
commit to it.
i have been blogging for 4 years now.
there were times i wanted to give up,
but i didn’t.
i’m nowhere as successful as others,
but i keep working on my craft daily.
keep it at it.

5 it shows when you blog to make money.
i haven’t got paid to blog YET.
i have received great gifts from readers i am thankful for,
but i don’t blog for a check.
when something is your passion,
you are happy to blog for free.
i have gone to sites and their site is cramped with ads.
its like “love me but please pay my bills!”.
when you start to write for the basis of making money,
you start to lose your voice.
i’m not saying you can’t make money,
but don’t make that be your motivation.

6 keep all drama out your space mannnnn.
bloggers fighting and throwing dirt at each other?
very hood rat like.
blogging is not a high school.
it’s a place to express yourself.
why be known for your drama rather than your work?
its okay to ruffle a few feathers with your content,
but when you start being a drama queen,
thats when you go downhill.
you don’t know who is reading your site in the shadows.
someone of status sees all the drama and instantly gets turned off.

7 looking at stats can be addicting but dangerous.
you steadily checking your stat counter to see how many hits you got.
hits are great,
but are you blogging for that?
again: trying for popularity.
would you still blog if you got no comments?
no reblogs?
no shares on facebook?
let your stat counter sit in the background,
but focus on your content.
that is the most important thing and i can’t stress that enough.

8 start small and then grow.
i started on wordpress.com before i bought my site.
it was free and i wanted to make sure this was something i wanted to do.
nothing wrong with a “______@wordpress/blogspot.com” for the time being.
when you invest money into your site,
that means you are ready to really throw your hat into the blogging ring.
you gotta “love it” if you ultimately drop some dough.
believe me,
hosting your own site is expensive as hell but worth it.
wordpress suspended my site because i was too raw.
okay i was a blogging street walker,
but still.
when you host,
you can do whatever you want.
don’t buy your site and then after a while stop blogging.
bad idea.

9 don’t feed the trolls.
not everyone is going to agree with what you have to say.
some people will even provoke you.
that is what happens when a site starts to become popular.
you have opened the door for all kinds of opinions.
you will get some “yes”,
a lot of “no”,
and some “are you fuckin’ stupid?”
you don’t like judgement: don’t blog.
thick skin is definitely needed.

10 be you.
this is the most important advice i can give.
build yourself into a brand.
show your readers a piece of you.
sometimes people just want to know they can relate with you.
i am completely open about my issues.
i have no shame.
i write about my fantasies,
struggles,
and insecurities.
i have issues dammit!!
when star fox died,
i wrote every detail of what i was feeling.
i did not care how i came off.
that continues to be a good release for me.
if you can’t love me at my worst,
then you won’t feel me at my best…
i’m not an attention whore or a front.
i don’t need to make up shit for people to appreciate me.
nah i’m good here.
i would love to play “perfect”,
but i found i relate better when i keep it real.

…and thats it.
blogging can a place for creativity or a lucrative career.
hell it can both.
for the starting off process,
don’t let that be the focus.
never start anything with how much money you want to make.
everything takes time.
there will be times where people love you and when no one is there.
try not to let that sweat you.
keep at it!
hope this helped anyone thinking of blogging.
send me your blog when you decided to start.
i’d love to read it.