5 Things {You Need} To Start A Blog - A Little R & R Wednesdays - a linky party #55

I have been planning this new series for months!

One of the things I love to do is mentor new bloggers!

I used to lead a small group of new bloggers on Facebook, but since it just kept growing and growing I thought I'd take the information here and share with anyone and everyone who is looking to:

1. Start a new blog

2. Improve their blog

3. Learn more about how to blog and connect with other bloggers

4. Learn new tips and tricks about blogging resources

...and more

I want to start this series from step one. So here we go!


5 Things {You Need} To Start A Blog1. A VisionThis may seem obvious to some, but I was one of many bloggers who started blogging with no vision or mission in mind.  I just opened a blog and talked about my son's antics for the day.  I am not sure this was interesting to anyone but me. 
Before you come up with a name for your blog or anything else, sit down and ask yourself: What, Why, Whom.
What do I want to write about?
Why do I want to write about it?
 and To Whom do I want to write?
Let that be the launching pad for your vision. 

Write out your statement: it should be only 1-2 sentences long. Short, concise and to the point.

2. A MissionNow that you know what, why and whom, ask yourself: "What do I hope to accomplish through this vision (what is the long-term objective) and what course of action do I need to take to get there?"
In other words, your vision statement is "Z" and your mission is A-Y.

Write out your statement. Your mission statement can be longer - it should have points of action, short term and long term goals and provide tools for you to accomplish your vision.

3. A PlatformYour vision and mission will help to determine your platform. You have free blogging platforms (the most popular being Blogger and Wordpress.org) and paid platforms (the most popular being Wordpress.com).
Do you want to eventually monetize your blog? Are you wanting to blog as a first-step to becoming an author? Are you wanting to reach a wide audience through writing? 
or
Are you looking for an outlet to share what is on your heart? Do you want to simply encourage the body of Christ and connect to other Christian/mommy bloggers?
These questions will determine which platform you choose.

4. A TitleI could probably write a book titled "What Not To Do With Your Blog". I have literally made every mistake in the book...including changing my blog title 1,587 times. I finally settled on something to do with "Musings" - and thought I was soooooooo clever. I was pretty sure I was the only "musing" blogger out there. That is, until I joined a mommy-blogger community and discovered that every other mommy blogger also mused!
In the end, through a blog contest, I settled on A Little R & R.
Choose a title with no more than 2-3 words.  Choose something unique Choose something that best describes you When in doubt, use your own name

5. Topics, Subtopics and CategoriesOne of the ideas that I loved in Ruth Soukup's book "How To Blog for Profit Without Selling Your Soul" is developing a clear plan for your writing. Another mistake I made early on was being too random. I actually prided myself on the random nature of my blogging - not realizing that my randomness was a dead-weight that was keeping me from being successful.
Ruth suggests 1 main theme - an umbrella of sorts, under which you will have 5-8 topics and then 4-5 categories under each topic. This will help you stay on target and narrow down what you plan to write about.

With these 5 elements in place, you're ready to start blogging!!


*************


 And now for the party!!!!
Here are the "rules"

1. Link up as many posts as you'd like (even giveaways!)
2. Link up old posts you wish would have received more attention!
3. Link back here by posting my button in your post or sidebar - or with a link
4. Visit the post just before yours

The party runs through next Tuesday evening!
So have FUN!

Click here to receive a weekly reminder about this party!





An InLinkz Link-up


Don't forget to link up:A Little R & R Wednesdays - a linky party weekly link up

Subscribe to my weekly newsletter


Receive more articles like this by email here: http://eepurl.com/B1WDf