5 Reasons You Should Not Be A Blogger
I know the title is a little dramatic, but it got you here 
and the truth is, not everyone is ready to be a blogger.
If I knew what blogging was really about, I may not have started as a blogger, but now that I am here, let me share some reasons why I think you need to rethink the be a blogger route.
Before I get to far into this, let me first say that I think blogging has many many benefits and those benefits keep me blogging every day. I don’t want to block you from being a blogger, what I do want is you to know exactly what you are getting into so you will have a stronger foundation to get started from.
Blogging Takes Work
People think they can setup a new blog and shove some content to it here and there and expect to see success.
Reality is writing content is only your first step in blogging, let me say that again… writing content is only your first step!
Once that post is written, you then need to promote it, then you need to interact with your readers in the comments by replying to every comment. You will also need to interact with readers from Facebook and Twitter, and try to bring the conversation back to your blog.
Replying to comments is the best way to show you are an active participant in your blog, and that you are available to your readers.
You want to stand out from all the bloggers out there, and the best way to do that is to be actively social on your blog. This will also make it easier for you to build a brand around your name and blog.
Blogging takes work, hard work every day.
I get deeper into this on Underground Secret To Making Money With A Blog Revealed
You will have to write better content then other bloggers, you will have to be more social then other bloggers, you will have to learn to promote a new post better then other bloggers, you will have to use social media better then other bloggers, you will need to learn SEO better then other bloggers.
If you can do all that better then other bloggers, then you will see success as a blogger.
Are you willing to put in the hard work?
You Can’t Blog Alone
You look at blogging and it seems to be a “one man show” thing to do, but truth is, blogging alone is the fastest way to fail.
I was lucky to find a few great bloggers in my learning phase of my blogging journey 1.5 ago. Even today I continue to build blogging friendships that are a benefit to myself and the other blogger.
One shoutout is to Hesham at FamousBloggers.net Hesham is smart, helpful and a great guy…What more do you need in a blogging friend?
Bottom line is If you are not willing to work with others and build mutually beneficial relationships with other bloggers then you are one step closer to failing as a blogger.
Now a side note to this is to be careful which bloggers you connect with, there are so many great helpful bloggers out there, but unfortunately, there are many scumbags too.. When connecting with bloggers, make sure you look “behind” the scenes and see that what they preach is reality.
Example: If a blogger preaches they know how to get traffic to their blog and they know SEO and you look at there “numbers” and see they have a 3 yr old blog with an Alexa of 500,000 and a PR 2. Then you may want to be careful taking their advice.
So make sure you look “behind” the scenes before you take their advice.
Don’t Think Like A Blogger
I know it’s a little confusing, to be a blogger and not think like one.
Here is what I mean, blogging has changed. Writing great content and sitting back and expecting the money to come in isn’t going to happen.
To be a successful blogger you will need to build your blog like a business.
I talk more about this at To Make Money With A Blog You Need To Think Like A Internet Marketer
Yes to be a blogger that makes money, you need to grow your blog like a business.
You can do this by –
Build your list
Develop and sell your own product
Learn to promote a new post
Marketing, Marketing, Marketing
Negativity Will Find You
One of the best things about having a blog, is you get to say and express yourself in any way you like, and one of the worse things about having a blog, is you can say and express yourself in any way you want. haha
What I mean is once you say it on your blog, it is there for EVERYONE to read!
There will be many people that will like what you write and find it helpful, but there will also be people that dislike it and will have no problem telling you that. It still amazes me just how verbal and rude people can be online. I guess the internet makes everyone a tough guy..lol
To be a blogger you will need to have thick skin and understand you will not be loved by everyone.. I know hard to believe when your as lovable as you are huh
Keep this in mind, If you write a post and 30 people leave friendly supportive comments, and you get 1 or 2 negative comments, then doesn’t it make sense to focus on the 30 good and not the 2 bad?
You Must Have Patience
Finally we come to the biggest issue for most new bloggers. We all want results now, and with blogging you will need to relax this and have a good amount of patience.
Let me tell you this now so you don’t waste your time…
You will not make a full time income from blogging for at least 1 – 2 years!
Every thing in blogging takes time. Getting comments, growing your traffic numbers, seeing results from your SEO efforts, all these things will take time to see the results you really want.
I know this post might be kinda depressing, but that’s ok, reality sometimes is depressing..lol
But if you can handle everything I talked about above then blogging will be one of the best things you ever do online.
So ask yourself, can I work hard every day, with no real income for at least 1 year, blogging as a team sport, blogging without thinking like a blogger, defending rude comments, and having patience thru it all?
If the answer is YES, then your ready to be a blogger!
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July 27th, 2010 at 5:55 am
Hey John,
I have to say that you did an awesome job putting this together. Folks thinking about starting a blog need to read this a couple of times. You touch on so many key elements of blogging. One of the mistakes I see a lot of new blog owners make…They think just by posting content will get the job done. That is only part of the job.
Chat with you later…
Josh
July 27th, 2010 at 7:32 am
Josh..I'm glad you liked the post.
I agree that the biggest mistake is thinking a great post will magically attract readers to it.. it just won't happen.
July 27th, 2010 at 7:36 am
Yea doing your research into your blog topic and into blogging alone is the best way to start.
July 27th, 2010 at 9:02 am
aah, I agree you need to have patience, lots of it.. this is the hard truth many find out and then give up…
July 27th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Yea.. I think they come into blogging with a belief they will have huge success and make full time income in a few months. Once they realize this isn't the case, they drop of the blogging world
July 27th, 2010 at 9:27 am
I couldn't agree more with this post. These really are the reasons that people should think long and hard before throwing up a site. It is easy to start a blog these days, but it is hard to make one rise above the fray. Thanks for making these points so clear to would-be bloggers!
July 27th, 2010 at 9:45 am
This is a great post! Thank you so much! Gives me lots to think about!
July 27th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Jeff..TY for the comment.. I appreciate it
Yea that's the issue, it is so easy to start a blog, that people think its easy to RUN a blog and grow it into a business.
July 27th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Marissa,, TY I'm glad you liked the post.. Hope it helps
July 27th, 2010 at 10:49 am
If these is what it takes to make it online then I'm ready for that challenge…This is a great post john
July 27th, 2010 at 11:31 am
This will def get you setup and rolling on your blogging journey correctly. Throw in a lil luck and your good to go
I'm glad you enjoyed the post.
July 27th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
I really enjoyed reading this post. I can always count on you to provide sound blog advice.
July 27th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
TY Elle… I'm glad you enjoyed it
July 27th, 2010 at 2:45 pm
Thank you John for the mention, I found you as a good friend and fellow blogger!
I have met with a lot of those scumbags who claimed the experience in a field that has no experts! and oh! by the way their content is king of it's own kingdom!
At that time, I didn't look behind the scenes and I did a big mistake by involving with them, or if I can say involving them with me lol! now and after I suffered from this, I know what to do!
Thank you for the good read, this post is not depressing as much as it's useful for those who think they can do it! they actually should pass here first then decided if blogging is for them or find another thing to do!
Really amusing post!
July 27th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
TY for the comment my friend. I made a mistake with a blogger scumbag in the past too, but I learned my lesson..lol
I think the post is helpful to people who are willing to do the work as a blogger, but for the people who think blogging is easy money. this post will be a nice slap in the face wake up call
July 27th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Good, thought-provoking post, John. Thanks for sharing and providing a real, hard look at “a day in the life” of a blogger.
July 27th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
Jennifer..TY for the comment.
I'm glad you enjoyed the post
July 27th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Mark..Glad you liked the post.
Yea why blog alone when you can blog with others? I agree out of all the tips I shared, patience is the most important.
July 27th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
lol It's good ole Portuguese name
July 27th, 2010 at 7:43 pm
I hear you my brother, you may call it a thankless job, the sailors who sail below, and where has all the time gone, Hey John, like to pick your brain.
July 27th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
Carl..I have no idea what your talking about,, but TY for the comment..lol
July 28th, 2010 at 2:16 am
true talk John Paul.. went to a blogger's site the other day.. next thing i saw was “This site is up for sale by Godaddy”.. was a sad moment.
July 28th, 2010 at 3:45 am
This is a true case of the grass is always greener on the other side. People see the big bloggers and thing, oh its so easy to do it and before they know it they're complaining about all the responsibilities they're landed with being a blogger!
I'm with you on this, if I honestly knew what blogging was about, I just might not have rushed in like I did… but hey we learn everyday and blogging is one of them. One step at a time…
Nice one John..
July 28th, 2010 at 4:34 am
I have seen a couple of those. I'm sure some shut down over personal reason, but a good amount is from bloggers not knowing the blogging reality.
It's to bad.
July 28th, 2010 at 4:36 am
TY for the comment Tola. I agree that the big bloggers make it “look” easy, and that brings people into blogging that have no idea.
I read everything I could on blogging before I started and I still had no idea of the tru reality of blogging..lol
But your right, we live and learn and keep learning.
July 28th, 2010 at 4:43 am
Antigone..TY for the comment. I appreciate it.
Yea when I talk of blogging success that means different things for different bloggers, not all bloggers judge their success by money, some do it by traffic etc..
I agree there is nothing like seeing the hard work pay off and your traffic numbers dropping.haha.. but I will say don't get to caught up in the numbers, I did this and it drove me nuts..lol
As far as the “trolls” lol I like that… They are everywhere, and usually it's a small time blogger that thinks negative comments will help him and his blog,, which obviously isn't the case.
Now I have no problem with constructive negative comments, that's how we all learn.. that I welcome, example… people have called me out on spelling and grammar issues, even though I think it's petty to focus on the 5 spelling errors on a 500 word post, I still have made a harder effort to fix spelling and grammar issues.
So grow from the positive negative comments, and leave the ignorant negativity alone.
July 28th, 2010 at 5:01 am
One of the most valuable bits of advice is to get out from behind your keyboard and go and meet with like-minded people. Find your local 'bloggers' group – if there isn't one in your area start your own. My best ideas and best leads always start with a conversation or an email exchange.
As a consequence, even here in London with its hundreds of bloggers sometimes I am the only person (other than mainstream media) covering an event, and that really drives traffic to the blog – after all who wants to read a short paragraph on an interesting subject in a newspaper when they can check out one of my rambling posts with all the gory details, photographs etc etc
July 28th, 2010 at 5:15 am
Blogger mashups are a great idea
Building relationships works even better offline. Bottom line whether you do it online on your blog or social media, or offline, building relationships with other bloggers is one of the best ways to get some blogging results and success.
July 28th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
I have to admit I've “almost been the lone ranger by blogging alone. Sure I comment on other blogs and do my best to connect people together but I know this is the chink in my armor.
I can do such a much better job of being a team player.
Oh and the negativity will find you? Oh yeah, best way not to be ridiculed? Do nothing, say nothing and be nothing. (Not my quote but so appropriate)
Awesome work.
July 28th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Tony,,TY for the comment. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I was like you when I started, I didn't want to share anyones work, or build relationships, but I was lucky to see the light early on
That quote is perfect man… I should have used it in the post haha
July 28th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Steve..TY for the comment. I agree, great content is where it all starts.
I'm glad you enjoyed the post and the others
July 28th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Nice idea, I love the “patience point” that all bloggers must have, otherwise they will fail before the success.
July 29th, 2010 at 6:22 am
TY for the comment. I agree that patience is most important,believing that the success will come, and continue working long enough see that success is key.
July 29th, 2010 at 10:26 pm
Oh very nice post i like it n great information about blogger feild
Thank For All
July 30th, 2010 at 9:46 am
Great post, and I agree with you on that it's so important to be realistic. Bloggers need to be realistic about their own growth pattern and the time it will take and the work it will take, and everyone around them could benefit from a reality check, too.
I always try to keep a steady hand on my blogging and use principles like you've described above – patience, effort, time, money – all investments we have to make to grow any business. It's easier to do that when we're not getting wrapped up in other people's success. We have to keep our eyes on the goal.
Cheers, JP.
Tia
July 30th, 2010 at 10:12 am
Tia.. TY for the comment. Yea all need to be realistic with our abilities and expectations.
Focus on what your doing and how you can do it better, instead of worrying about what other bloggers are doing, no reason to be envious when you don't have all the facts and you never will.
Do you and your blog, and leave the rest alone.
August 1st, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Hey John
Glad that you're telling it like it is.
I think a lot of people get the wrong impression that they're going to be an overnight success because they see others already successful. Little do they realize that these people have been hard at work for years upon years. The one to two year timeline is very accurate because it will take time to build up and have authority within your niche.
August 2nd, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Murray..Glad to see you here man
I agree, you never know the behind the scenes to someones success.
example.. Marketer that says I made 100,000$ last month, what he won't tell you is the 40,000$ Adwords it cost him..lol
Focus on you, and take bits an pieces of learning from MANY places, and mash into what you are doing already.
August 5th, 2010 at 8:32 am
John,
Great article with all the right points that new bloggers need to read. Blogging is not a road to instant wealth.
August 5th, 2010 at 8:38 am
Kim..TY for your first comment
Yes blogging def is not a tool for instant wealth.. More bloggers need to know that before they jump on the band wagon.
August 5th, 2010 at 8:39 am
John Nice post and we need to be honest and take risk letting people know what's really up
. I know we have seen to many people come and go and I would only add Pace your self
Thanks.
August 5th, 2010 at 8:47 am
John..TY for your first comment
I agree man… Honesty is needed. People jump on the blogging wagon thinking they are weeks away from all this money.. and reality is .. not going to happen.
Pace yourself is good, do what you can when you can and don't worry about what other bloggers are doing.
August 6th, 2010 at 2:24 am
Some nice points..for me one can;t be a blogger is he doesn't have passion to write and don't have consistency…
August 6th, 2010 at 5:00 am
Harsh..TY for the comment. I agree, Passion is everything.
August 6th, 2010 at 9:29 am
I agree 100% that blogging is harder than it looks. I for one thought it would be easy to start coming up with consistent content and attracting throngs of viewers to my own little piece of the internet. After only a few months I'm beginning to realize that it is in fact a lot harder than it looks.
I don't think this is a reason to give up however. I think that the challenge will in time help me become a better blogger, which I suppose is the point. Only the better bloggers survive long enough to gain enough of the market share to sustain themselves.
I enjoy setting small goes for myself each week to try to accomplish something that will help me in the long run make it out of the shadows and into the spot light – alas I've got a lot of time to kill before I get there.
Thanks for the post and I'll heed your cautionary tale and make sure to not let the struggle kill my spirits!
August 6th, 2010 at 9:34 am
John..TY for your first comment
Nice to get some Boston Luv haha
Yea this post isn't to sway people away from blogging, more to let them see what their getting into, so when the shit hits the fan and things get a lil harder, they will have known it was coming and work thru it.. like you are.
The longer you stay, the more your learn, the more success you will have.. so keep at it.. once it happens it will be a avalanche of success.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
Great post
I have noticed and found many blogs which lasted between 1 and 2 years. I wonder if it is the usually time when people decide to stop because it is too hard work. Or may be they got out what they needed.
I read that there are many new blogs but I assume lots of them finish quickly, so patience is a good trait to have.
I just started blogging will see if I still going in couple years.
I would say the best is if people start blogging without making a money as their main motivation.
August 10th, 2010 at 5:15 am
Michael..TY for your first comment
I have seen the same thing, blogs around 1-2 years, then they are just dead. I believe it's the amount of work it takes to get a blog popular, then the work it takes to keep it popular.
I agree that if you start blogging just because you want to blog and not for money you have a better chance at staying around long term.
August 10th, 2010 at 6:43 am
Holy cow – 1-2 years? It sounds like it would be best to blog part time for most people, then transition to blogging full time only whenever they've got a solid following.
August 10th, 2010 at 6:57 am
Yea, part time blogging is best.. 1-2 yrs is a generous amount of time to get you to a full time blog income.. but you can make some money much sooner.. just takes hard work and some luck
August 10th, 2010 at 8:59 am
righto…….
every point is valid…i would just argue on YOU CANT BLOG ALONE….
sure you can but it needs lot of dedication….still it is not impossible
August 10th, 2010 at 9:28 am
Tushar.. Blogging alone is retarded, and I promise you the success will come much slower, and take twice as much work.
August 15th, 2010 at 2:19 am
That was amazing. And it is true that blogging is not all that easy as it seems.. I have started blogging recently.. and i am working day and night on it… And i have belief that it will succeed…
thank you for a gr8 post..
August 15th, 2010 at 7:05 am
That's all it takes to succeed.. Hard Work.. Keep it up and your blog will be killin it.
August 15th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
That’s all it takes to succeed.. Hard Work.. Keep it up and your blog will be killin it.