7 Common Blogging Misconceptions Debunked

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So many blogging misconceptions, so little time…

As a blogger, I am involved in many different blogging groups and communities (for better or worse) and I am constantly seeing people say things that make me cringe.

If you are going to be part of a blogging community (or any community, really) it is probably a good idea to learn the very basics of your newest endeavor.

Even though blogs have been around for years now, people still have a ton of misconceptions about them. They say things like, “They’re too hard to write.” 

Or “What can I write about?”

Or “Blogging is only for people who are English majors.”

Arrgghh! I can’t take it!. These statements, along with so many more about blogging, are not true at all, yet somehow people continue to spread them. It’s time for me to do my best to put these blogging misconceptions to rest, once and for all.

To help set the record straight and maybe encourage others to jump on to the blogging bandwagon, I gathered some of the top blogging myths that are circulated around the internet all the time and have attempted to debunk them. So keep reading, and who knows, you may just be inspired to start a new blog by the end of this post.

Learn all you can

There is always a learning curve when taking on anything new. Whether that is a new job, learning a new skill or starting a new hobby. No matter what that new thing is, it is so important to research and learn all that you can.

For me, I admit to being a total dork! I love to learn about whatever it is I am doing or getting myself involved in.

For example, I have a house full of animals. Which means I also have all kinds of books dedicated to all the different types of animals that I own. I find website communities and Facebook groups devoted to each particular animal. I want to learn how to care for them, what their diet should consist of, what to look for to stay ahead of any illnesses and anything else I need to know in order to make their lives happy.

The same is true of blogging. I have read countless books, websites and Facebook groups dedicated to all different aspects of blogging. I have enrolled in way more blogging courses than any one person should need. I can’t help myself, I enjoy learning about things that are important to me.

Common Blogging Misconceptions

1. Blogging Is Easy

One of the most common misconceptions is that blogging is easy. However, blogging can require a great deal of research (especially if you are trying to teach your audience how to do something or provide information on a particular subject), writing and marketing. As such, the art of blogging can become quite a cumbersome task. This isn’t to say it’s any less fun. But it’s important not to undermine the hard work that is required to make a blog successful.

2. You don’t have enough to say to fill a blog post.

Many people (me included!) freeze up when they think about writing a blog post. I don’t have enough information for a whole blog post? Isn’t a blog post public? Are others going to read my writing and rip it apart? Yet if you were to ask the same person to email someone and explain a concept, chances are, that email would make for a compelling blog post. If you can explain a concept to a friend or colleague in writing via email, you can explain that same concept via blog post. So don’t freeze up just because you’re writing a “blog post,” focus on explaining something to another person, like a friend or family member, in writing and it will be way less scary.

3. If you aren’t seeing immediate success, you’re not cut out for blogging.

When you first start blogging, it’s going to be painful. You’ll write a post, publish it, and then…CRICKETS! You may not get very much traffic or social shares. But don’t give up, keep at it! After you have been blogging for awhile, you’ll start to see things pick up a bit. And if you continue to stick with it and keep writing and publishing content on a regular basis, you will start to notice that traffic and leads are steadily growing, and only then, will you realize that your hard work is beginning to pay off.

4. Each Blog Post Must Be Perfect

When you are first starting out on this blogging journey, it is a common misconception to assume that all of our blog posts should be perfect when we finally hit that publish button. And while you should definitely make sure that the post is interesting and engaging and free of errors (as best as you can), there comes a time when you just have to hit publish and let that post go free, out into the big wide world and hope for the best! Like the Nike, slogan says, “Just do it!”

5. Published Doesn’t Mean It Is Set In Stone

Another common misconception is that once you hit publish you can’t change it.

That’s just crazy!? Of course, you can change it! 

Hitting publish doesn’t mean you can’t go back and fix that typo…ya know, the one that only shows itself once you hit publish. Or go back and edit a sentence, that seemed like a perfectly fine sentence at 3 AM, but after getting some sleep you realize that whoever wrote that sentence must have been on drugs!

Go back and edit your posts. Correct those typos. Fix those awkwardly written sentences. Update the images. Your blog is constantly evolving and being improved upon. It is alright to edit, improve or update published posts.

6. Someone Is Going To See My Less Than Perfect Website

Closely related to ‘your post needs to be perfect before you hit publish‘, is the common misconception that you can not launch your site until it is perfect.

If you are a brand new blogger and just getting your site up and running, and you are not promoting your site yet, chances are pretty darn slim that anyone will even notice. The World Wide Web is huge!! And it is getting bigger every day, but no one will notice the tiny ripple in the World Wide Web of a brand new site going live.

So again I say, “Just Do It!!” Don’t wait until everything is perfect cause it will never all be perfect (sorry for the reality check!). There is always something new to learn or improve upon, so your blog will always be in a constant state of imperfection. Embrace it!

7. You Can Blog About Anything

There are millions of blogs online, which shows you just how popular the world of blogging is. However, the popularity associated with a particular blog is dependent on the value that the blog content brings to its readers. And that value can be providing information like how-to do something or providing encouragement or entertainment.

People blog about everything under the sun, so there is no reason to be unable to decide on a subject for your blog. But choose something you are passionate about, that you enjoy and that you can write about for a very long time.

Just Do It!

Don’t let all the misconceptions you hear about blogging scare you off. Let your voice be heard and start your own blog today. You can do this! Find a topic you are passionate about and enjoy writing about and become one of the many people that have chosen to blog about their life experiences and share their journeys, in order to help and encourage their readers.

I would love to hear what other misconceptions you have heard about blogging? Help me debunk a few more myths by adding your favorites in the comments below. 

P.S. If you want to really start off on the right foot, you may want to also check out this post for some very basic blog definitions.

 

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