Don’t Become a Blogger If…

For those of you that need a little Friday fun to get you through the rest of your mundane Wednesday, this post is for you.

I’m a curious girl by nature; I make it a point to try and learn something new every day. It’s for this reason that I keep Google’s “How-to of the Day” wiki prominently placed on my Google personalized homepage. You’re always bound to learn something interesting, even if it’s just 100 different ways to tie your shoes. (Don’t lie, you’d read that.)

What lesson did Google have for me today?

How to Dissuade Yourself from Becoming a Blogger. Awesome, perhaps this will cure me of my blogger ways!

Here is a paraphrased version of the steps outlined by the wiki:

1. Find five completely random blogs and read them daily for a month. Do you really want to put anyone else through that?
2. Your voice is just a “tiny peep against the massive wave of tripe out there”. The odds of anyone you don’t know finding your blog are low.
3. Write on a regular basis in Wordpad instead. If that doesn’t satisfy your urge, and you feel that you must post your blog online, then you might just be craving attention and validation–which you’ll never truly find in a blog.
4. Instead of writing about pretty much nothing, or whining about all the things you wish you were doing instead, start doing something that’d actually be worth writing about. And if it’s really worth writing about, you’ll be having too much fun doing it to tear yourself away from it.

[giggles]

If the steps above aren’t enough to send you running from the blogosphere, the wiki also includes several “tips” to help you kick the urge. This is my favorite:

“If attention and validation are what you’re looking for, know that you will get neither from blogging.”

So, so true. I wish people realized that earlier. If you’re starting a blog so others will tell you how wonderful you are, you’re in for a bit of a surprise. Most people are only too happy to comment to tell you what an idiot how misguided you are.

The neat thing about this wiki is that it exposes all the bad reasons people start blogs.

For example, don’t start a blog because you’re bored and think it would be fun to share your life experiences with a bunch of strangers. Instead, buy a hamster. [And then blog about it? –Susan] — No, Susan, not to blog about it. To love it.

Do start a blog because you think your blog could help or educate others. Do you have knowledge about a certain topic others don’t? Can you add to the conversation that’s already out there? If you do, then you should be blogging.

Don’t start a blog because you have a really cute kitten that everyone has to see. You don’t need to start your own blog for that, it goes here or, if there’s also a monkey and a chicken involved, here.

Do start a blog if you’re a company looking to connect with its customers. Don’t start a blog if you’re a troublemaker just looking for a place to cause trouble.

Another thing I found enjoyable was that the wiki warns against posting information that may come back to haunt you later.

“The information you post on the Internet is likely to linger for years and years to come, as web pages are archived by “snapshot” services like the Wayback Machine. Once it’s out there, you can’t take it back. An employer running a Google search on your name years down the line might be turned off by your now documented obsession with your cat.”

Aw, why’s everyone always picking on Matt? :)

So, what are your reasons for blogging? Have you been dissuaded? I hope not.

In case that didn’t curb your blogging addiction, you may want to check out the articles on how to start a blog and how to write a famous blog.

Lisa Barone is a writer, content marketer & VP of strategy at Overit Media. She's also a very active Twitterer, much to the dismay of the rest of the world.

See Lisa's author page for links to connect on social media.