Fears of Blogging

Blogging is scary.  You put your ideas out there for the world to analyze, criticize and pull apart.  Unless no one reads it, which might be worse.  Blogging is an important part of creating an online presence as well as sharing your expertise and perspective.  I have challenged myself to a 30 day blog, uh, challenge, where I will post a blog every day for 30 days.  In this first post I will review my fears and how I (mostly) overcame them.

1. I have nothing to say.  

I once suggested to my brother-in-law that he start a blog.  He is insanely witty.  His response to me was, "Then people will know how infrequently funny I am."  But that's the best part of blogs.  You can write several when you are on a roll and save them for publishing later.  You can even schedule your blogs to publish at a future date.

The other key to collecting your thoughts is to keep a blog ideas and notes list.  I use Siri a lot. Ideas usually hit me when I am driving.  I ask Siri to create a note and catch my thought as they come.  You have ideas, opinions and, unique to anyone else, perspective.  Blogs can also be edited, rearranged and tagged later.  I have 3 different blogs for the different hats I wear.

Lastly, research it! Ever have a wonder? Chances are others wonder that, too.  Have a seat, pour yourself a cup of coffee and give your wonder to Google.  Putting links to other sites in your blog posts helps up drive up your traffic and satisfy your reads.  Here are 8 reasons to link in your posts. (See what I did there?)

2. No one will read your blog.

This is probably my biggest fear, that I will pour heart out and no one will read it.  But if you never write it, you can be assured that no one will ever read it.  To help promote you own blog, share your posts on social media.  Twitter, LinkedIn and even (sigh) Facebook can be great places for you to peddle your ideas.

Friends, families and colleagues can also help share and create an audience.  Let them know you are blogging and would love for them to read, comment and share.  Sharing is caring but it can also be scary.  Getting a small following and spreading the word will help create a deserving audience for you newly birthed ideas.

3. Your blog might not be publish-worthy.

Ok, I lied.  THIS is my biggest fear.  I usually don't sit down to write a blog post until I have drafted the entire post in my head.  I lie awake at night, revising and editing in my noggin.  More often than not, I decide it's not worthy and I trash it, even before I have made the first key stroke.

You have to be ok with failure.  Not every post is going to be worthy of tons of retweets, shares and likes.  But to be a better writer, you have to write.  Stephen King's book On Writing gives writers tips on becoming better.  However I like Jeff Goins perspective on what it means to be "good".

4. You can't say what you really want to say.

This one holds me back a lot.  I have posts I would like to write and publish, but fear of retribution keeps me from pulling the publishing trigger.  Writing is truth, but do people really want the truth?  We have heard the stories of how comments online have destroyed careers and lives; is it worth it?  Perhaps I am being melodramatic.  Perhaps others will not be as offended as I imagine.  Things online live forever, though, and we have to remember that as we choose our words.  Freedom of speech allows us to say what we want, but it does not protect us from fallout, consequences or penalty.  I ask myself why I want to write, choose my audience and then make sure my words match my purpose.  Remember, blogs aren't diaries.  You are writing to have it read.  Remember your audience, remember your purpose and remember your story.

Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the conquest of it (Anonymous), so begin overcoming your fear of blogging and start sharing your awesome ideas.