Media Wednesday

I started reading Shay's blog in 2013 or so after seeing her on her brother's season of the Bachelor and seeing some posts on Twitter.  Then I started linking up with her other blogger friends.  After awhile I thought that blogging is something that I could do.

If you are interested in starting your own blog, here are my humble tips:

First, think about what kind blog you would like to write.  Mine is a general lifestyle blog, similar to the ones that I read on a daily basis.  My goal is mostly to share bits and pieces about my life so that my family and friends can follow along with us, and I can keep a record for myself of what we are up to.  The theme is basically "things Sarah likes".  Other blogs are focused on travel, fashion or food.  Find something you like and build from there.

Second, choose a blogging platform.  I use Blogger through Google.  It is easy to use and free, and it links all of your photos to your Google account.  There are lots of options out there and many resources for figuring out what one is best for you.  Choose a design that goes with your theme.  This can also be a work in progress as your blog grows and evolves; you'll see what sort of options you want to add and which ones are not necessary.  See what others have done and borrow their ideas.

Third, decide what to name your blog.  I chose Toronto SAM because I wanted a focus to be on our lives in Toronto, and SAM is my initials.  I decided to purchase a domain name through Go Daddy but you don't have to, you can just use the web address given to you by Google.  I decided to go with a domain name with both .com and .ca so it would be easy to remember.

Fourth, plan out how often you'd like to post and a rough schedule.  I enjoy reading blogs that post everyday on a consistent basis, so I decided to copy that same schedule.  Even if you don't want to post everyday, I would say pick a predictable schedule, communicate that to your readers, and stick with it.  For example, post on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, or once a week.  People will keep coming back if they know when there will be new content.

Fifth, start writing!

And finally, post and share.  I share my posts on Facebook everyday, and sometimes on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest, although I'm not very consistent with doing that.  Get the word out there that you write a blog and don't be shy.  Find some link up parties and join in to get some new traffic.  (Link up parties are where another blogger gives you an idea to write about, and then you can share it with their readers by linking to it on their site.)

If you're interested and have more questions, I'd be happy to answer them!

And as always, if you like what you read here, share my blog with your friends!  Thanks!