Day 25 NaBloPoMo at yeah write guest blogger: Jennifer Hall

A new LinkedIn connection asked me:

“Blogging is a mystery to me. Do you do this as a profession? How does that work? Curious.”

And I thought, “Hmm, thanks for the blog post idea!”

This is not going to be easy to answer, though. It’s kind of hard to explain to someone who isn’t doing it.

Blogging is both personal and professional, depending on your goals. You absolutely CAN blog professionally. There is plenty of money to be made online. But what I’ve found is that most people build personal blogs and then branch out into working with brands and such, if they feel so inclined. Some people are writers, and blog to keep their writing skills honed and to build a following for when they publish a book. Many, many are “mommy bloggers” who started blogging as a way to have something else to do other than coo at their baby. Some are photographers, some are “foodies” who share recipes and cooking tips and tricks. SO MANY blogging possibilities!

For example, the LinkedIn bio of the person who asked me this question said she’s a health coach. She could have a blog all about health info, tips, exercise motivation, support and stuff like that.

Blogging is more work than one might think, though. It involves a lot of social media interaction if you want people to actually read what you write. There is much to do with design and layout too.

I originally set up my blog as a personal journal and another way for family and friends to stay in the loop. But it has evolved quite a bit, to the point where I recently “re-branded” my blog with a new name to better match where I’m at in my life and what I want to put out there. And lemme tell ya, that was a lot of work!

Your blog is a representation of YOU. Being a blogger is filled with both empowerment and vulnerability. It is a labor of love. Blogging is stimulating, freeing and dare I say, bold. Yeah, it’s bold to think that what you have to say might be interesting in some way to others. When it proves to be true, that feels pretty darn good.

That’s not to say there are never any doubts. I often wonder if reading about my struggles dealing with my husband’s health problems gets old for people. But it’s one of the main reasons I started blogging. In the 3 1/2 years I’ve been doing so, I have yet to come across another blogger in a similar situation to mine. I take that to mean, I have a unique perspective to share, and maybe that perspective will help someone else.

As a blogger and a fan of blogs, I hope you are all doing well with NaBloPoMo. You’re in the home stretch now. You might be tired. I remember last year I got really sick of myself. But you CAN see it through, and you will feel good about it when you do.

Blogging is the best!

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Five more days! Six if you’ve yet to write your Day 25 post. We are almost there, and we at yeah write are glad we were able to help you in some way meet your NaBloPoMo goals.

Stop by and visit your rowmies and your column-mates with a nice fare thee well comment in the upcoming week. Don’t say goodbye, though. Let’s keep these new relationships going.

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Join us for the weekly challenge or stay here with your NaBlo rowmies. Either way, we’re glad you’re here.

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