Posted by Jeff Clark of CelticsBlog.com
I see a lot of new blogs pop up all the time. Every other week I get an email from someone saying, "Hey, I just started a new blog! Check it out." Sometimes I'll even get an email asking for advice. I always try to help out wherever I can. I provide links to blog-advice blogs and then I try to sum up everything I know in 3 paragraphs or less (depending on how much sugar I just consumed). Still, I always forget something and never really feel like I've thought this all the way out.
So I thought I'd use this space as an opportunity to get my thoughts down in a somewhat coherent manner and then just bookmark it for future use. So the next person that asks is simply going to get a link to this very post. Keep in mind; I don't have all the answers. I'm just one man sharing what experience I've had.
Why Do You Want To Blog?
Let's get one thing out of the way right now. If you want to get into blogging because you think you'll make some quick money, just stop reading right now. Don't bother. In fact, if you want to be serious about blogging, you might find that the costs may outweigh the revenue for a good long time before you really get going. The key is thinking about blogging as a hobby. Lots of people spend money on their hobbies and think nothing of it. If sometime down the line you end up actually making money off your hobby, it's all gravy at that point.
Now you are waiting for me to say that you have to "love the game to be a good blogger. Well, that doesn't hurt, but it isn't really as important as loving to hear yourself talk. Or more to the point, you have to have an ego that says, "I have interesting things to say and I'd really like for you to read my thoughts every day." All good bloggers have an insatiable desire to be paid attention to.
Finally, it does help if you have some experience writing in some capacity. I started out by writing longwinded emails to friends about the Celtics. That group of friends really didn't care about the Celtics, so I moved my rants to Celtics message boards. Over time I gained a reputation as being a pretty good poster. So when I started a blog, I had a small community of people that already knew me and were willing to take an interest in what I had to say because I had their respect.
Not everyone is going to need to go through the same steps that I went through, but if someone were to ask me how to get started, my advice would be to stand out as a good poster on a forum first, then move up to blogging.
What Is Your Subject?
OK, so everyone loves you and your ego is screaming to be heard. You are ready to blog. Now what?
Here's my next bit of advice. Focus, focus, focus. Don't blog about "sports." You are competing with ESPN. Don't blog about "the NBA." You are competing with Henry Abbott. Don't blog about "Boston Sports." You are competing with Bill Simmons. Maybe you think you are a better writer than all of the above, but nobody is going to care. Your voice will be lost in the noise. (There are exceptions to this rule, but not many.)
A better place to start is with one niche that few (if any) others are filling. Right now, there's still plenty of room for individual team blogs. Take a look at the blogs about your favorite team. If you can do it better, do it. If you can't, then maybe ask them if you can be a writer for their site. Again, it helps if they've already seen your writing.
Don't be afraid to get creative with your subject too. I'd like to see someone start a blog just on sports commercials. Half the time they are more interesting than the games. Or why isn't there a blog just about point guards? Has anyone covered the D-League with any detail? Pick a subject and become the absolute expert on it. Before you know it, someone from the big four letters will need to do a story on your subject and all of a sudden they are quoting your blog and linking to your site.
Do You Have The Time/Energy?
Rule number one about blogging. Write... every... day. Seriously, how many blogs do you go to that are updated only once a week or less?
It has to be an obsession for you to dedicate your life that much to it, so make that decision now. Even if you are feeling uninspired and don't have anything to write about, find something interesting on the web and link to it. People want to know that they can come to your blog on any given day and find new material.
Pick A Platfrom
There are a ton of different blog platforms to choose from. I'm a fan of WordPress.com for beginners, but rather than go through all the options, I'll refer you to ProBlogger.net, which has a very nice breakdown of several different options.
One thing I will add to those options is this: Are you sure you want to blog? Why not think about podcasting? Or maybe even video-blogging? The competition for these markets is wide open right now. You could get in at the ground floor of the next generation of blogs.
Other Stuff
- When you quote, always credit the source, provide a link to the source, and make it clear what words are yours and what words are in the quote.
- I would suggest setting up some guidelines and/or rules. If you want a family-friendly site, make sure there is nothing profane allowed on the site. You'll upset the occasional troublemaker, but the majority of readers will appreciate the safe-feeling environment. Again, this is up to your preference.
- Make sure you have an RSS feed available.
- Make sure people can contact you via email (you might want to set up a secondary email account for this and have it forwarded to an account that you check often).
- When people comment on your blog, take the time to answer them.
- Rely on the kindness of strangers. If you can find people to help you with graphics or web design or whatever, that only makes your blog better. Don't be too proud to ask for help.
- Above all, have fun with it. If you aren't having fun, the readers won't either.
There is a ton of stuff that I haven't covered, but that's all the advice I can give. Go forth and blog. The best way to learn is to just do it. Enjoy.
