blogging tips: things I personally learned

Today's topic for Armchair BEA - Blogging about Blogging.

Over the 17 months that I have been blogging here, I have had my fair share of different experiences; thankfully, most of them have been amazing but I can't deny that there have been a few mistakes and failures here and there. The good thing is that I have learned tons from book blogging itself - from reading books, reviewing them, and interacting with other book bloggers. Here are a couple of tips that I think are crucial to blogging.

1. Interaction!! It is so very important to reply back to your commenters, and post comments on other blogs as well. There's nothing worse than being an unapproachable book blogger - someone that never replies or interact with other bloggers. It's just not nice, to put it simply. And I know, it's hard to keep up with comments. I have this problem too, believe me! But I've realized that one of the best things about blogging is really the interaction with other readers and book lovers. And trust me, it pays off in the end. For both parties. You not only gain consistent 'followers' and comments, but sometimes, you gain blogger friends too.

2. Do what you want with your blog! Don't be afraid to experiment. Don't be scared to venture out in other genres. Don't be nervous about trying out a different layout or a different theme - Just be careful with changing URLs. Make sure you know how to do it 100% ;) - All I'm saying is, this is your blog. Your domain. Your place. Your true followers will continue to be your readers even with all the changes.

3. Don't let others tell you that you can't do something. Now it is extremely important to listen to others' suggestions, opinions, and constructive criticisms. I have improved my blog a lot through others' help, but what I'm trying to say here is - don't let others limit what you want to do. There will be people criticizing you for the sole reason of putting you down; saying that it's wrong to write personal posts, or post non book related topics. People will constantly nitpick at these kinds of things. Just say no. Like I said on my second tip, this is your blog! As long as you're not hurting, offending, or being destructive to anyone, and it's to ultimately benefit your blog, you can do whatever you want!

4. It's okay to take breaks. Blogging is supposed to be fun. For me, it's a form of stress-relief. So there's nothing worse than getting stressed out over blogging! It is not fun and so not convenient! You don't need additional worries and stress - so really, don't worry about it too much. If you want to take a brief hiatus, go ahead. You would probably even gain a new and better perspective on blogging when you come back.

5. Work hard, but have fun. Total cliche, but this is probably what you need to learn first before anything else. Blogging does take a huge amount of time and a lot of effort. Posting good content is not always easy! So if you want to have a 'good' blog, you do have to work hard. But while doing this, you have to remember - this is not supposed to be a "job." This is supposed to be fun. Really, when you start having fun posting, and interacting with others, it's when the blogging experience is at its best.

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If you have any blogging advice or tips, let me know as a comment. I would love to hear from you!