I Know a Lot and I Know a Little
February 22, 2013 § 7 Comments
For the past two days I’ve worked on a post about the steps I’m taking to get my blog to begin to pay for itself. The trouble, I think, is that this has been the priority, the focus of all my social media research since I fled to self-hosting way back in December. Too much to encapsulate in less than 750 words (usually my goal).
The more I wrote, the more I harkened back to a conversation I had with my good friend Monica (she of The Revelation Project) a few weeks before.
She listened.
I lamented.
She called me a social media rock star (I admit I liked the sound of that).
I told her I didn’t know what the heck I was doing.
And herein lies the problem, and what she suggested that I write about.
I know bucket loads of information in regard to the social media ocean.
For something that started as a hobby, I know way more than I need to. And the technological stuff is what’s caught me off guard.
I thought I’d just be writing some paragraphs that people would read about marathon training. I had no idea I’d get jiggy off of HTML. I wouldn’t have believed that I’d enjoy hours of plugin experimentation. Seo’s and Google analytics and bounce statistics and traffic sources and the importance of email subscriptions (they’re really important, so do sign up okay?).
All of it (even my writing has tightened up) has lit a fire in my soul; lit a match to my entrepreneurial spirit that ignited my dying human spirit. Technology brought me back to life.
I decided, if you are really interested in learning about how to get your blog to pay for itself, go and read katy at katywidrick.com, because she is a wealth of information, totally self-taught, and really, really helpful. I spent two full days referencing her blog as I put together my press kit, which I now sit on, biting my nails and wondering when I’ll have the confidence to go out and sell all of this knowledge and ability?
After more than a year of blogging I know a lot more than I ever expected to, and yet in some ways I know very, very little.
Seat belt tightened as we are now almost four months into year number two. Like watching children grow. Don’t blink. It goes much too fast.
M.
Where are you on your journey in social media or otherwise? Do you find yourself still learning or are you stagnant in your career?
This photo has nothing to do with blogging or getting a blog to pay for itself. This is what you wear to Saturday morning yoga when you let your five-year-old pack your overnight bag.
I know I should pay more attention to SEO and other gibberish like that, but it holds little interest for me. So instead, I just put up my weekly post on my WordPress hosted dot com blog and revel in my ignorance.
Carrie Rubin recently posted…I’ll Take Four Burgers And A Heart Attack, Please
If it works for you I think that’s great. For me, I put in so much time that I’d love to to have it sustain itself. If I can get it to do that, then it would make sense to keep it up. I love it and I want that to happen. I think there’s a cloud looming with the divorce, et al. I need to get some income and my time is going to have to go toward a “real job.” Hopefully I’ll be doing something I love just as much.
“lit a fire in my soul; lit a match to my entrepreneurial spirit that ignited my dying human spirit.” I love it, Martha. Isnt it wild where we find inspiration? It is great you got your spark. Like Carrie above I know there are things I could be doing to get more traffic but as with all things, the time to figure it out will come up. I understand your sense of urgency and def hope you get fast tracked. Find your confidence, Mama. The worst that can happen is someone says no. Then just pull up your boot straps and try again! You got this.
Marcia recently posted…Want
It is wild where we find inspiration. I certainly never imagined I’d find analytics sexy. Never! It’s interesting, because as I researched and made some changes I saw the numbers improve. My bounce percentage went down, which is good. My returning visitors went up. Little things like this, I noticed, and so I thought, well, I’m on the right track.
And it’s so much fun! Maybe that’s the difference between a person who decides to blog as a hobby and someone who wants to do it as a career. That’s where the urgency comes in, which is kind of annoying, and takes away the fun.
Hmmmm. Maybe I should think about that.
Thanks for commenting…. I’m still wracking my brain for tips for you. All I can come up with is to put a bar of soap in your closet so your sheets smell pretty. Nothing note worthy about that I’m afraid!
I need to pour through your social media posts. All I do is write and press publish on my Typepad hosted site. If one wants to succeed, they should stick close to the rock stars!
ilene recently posted…Finding Infinity
I haven’t written many, but I could talk about the stuff for days. I read about it a lot and there is a science to it all. Check out Katy if you want some really sensical advice. She’s on it!
I totally know what you mean. I just wanted to write when I started this thing but it’s definitely the backend tech stuff that trips me up. I feel like I’m faking it till I make it mostly. Katy is a GREAT resource for social media and blogging.
Christine @ Love, Life, Surf recently posted…Friday Round-Up: Put on your own oxygen mask first