Curious about blogging and want to set up your own?? Good!

But before you go for it, there are a lot of things to be covered. There are many blogs which will tell you how to blog and what to do for blogging. Then why you are here or why I am writing this article about blogging.

The answer is simple. I want to present the whole blogging approach in a different way.

Before going for blogging, stop for a moment and think about yourself that you have the guts to become a successful blogger, or you are still a noob blogger.

Guts for Blogging

Guts means you must have a blogging instinct, which is an overwhelming desire to have your own blog. Having desire does not mean that your blog will be successful, or you will achieve your goal in very short period.

You must have the guts and dedication to be completely devoted to your goal. Incidentally, devotion to your goal is much more likely if you have a love for your intended blog. Life is too short to start a blog that doesn’t give you satisfaction and joy. And, through good times and bad times, you will stick with something you love.

As Solomon said, “There is nothing better for men (and women!) than they should be happy in their work-so let them enjoy it now.”

Step by Step Blogging Approach

1. Decide if you really want to be a Blogger:

You are putting some (not all, hopefully) of your time and money at risk. You may run the risk of becoming eccentric, meaning creating a life that is out of balance, with working hours taking away from other family or pleasurable activities. There may be levels of stress you have not experienced as a simple net user who loves to read the blogs of others but does not want to establish his/her own.

If you have the guts and made a decisive step, go for next step.

2. Decide the niche and type of blog:

Once you are satisfied you have the characteristics of a successful blogger and that you definitely want to be a blogger, then you must decide which niche is best for you. Read this article to know what type of mistakes I made in blogging, esp the first one “niche”. My First 4 Mistakes in Blogging.

Blogs may be of many types like personal, business, non-profits, schools, private, how-to, reviews, SEO blogs, etc. Now it is upto you what type of blog do you want to set up within the decided niche.

3. Decide whether to operate full-time or moonlight:

If your main goal of blogging is not money, go for part-time blogging. And if you want to earn money from blogging, even then never go for full-time blogging until you are sure that you are earning enough and you don’t need to work more.

There are some interesting advantages and some pitfalls in operating as a moonlight blogging. (That is, a blog you start in your off hours while still working at your current job.). The advantages of starting as a moonlighter are more than full-time blogging. I will talk about it later in more details.

The most important advantage is that you avoid burning your bridges of earnings in case you don’t get what you want.

4. Five Tips for Selecting Niche:

Choosing the wrong niche is the most frequent mistake that new bloggers make. Here are five tips to help you to evaluate if you are in a potentially successful niche you have selected:

• If you have not yet selected a blog, take your time to choose the right for you. You will not be penalized for missing opportunities. The selection process takes a lot of planning and your experience and complete knowledge is vital for your success.
• Don’t tackle or pursue a niche that may be too challenging. It is better to identify a one-foot hurdle than try to jump a seven-footer.
• Try to identify a niche that has long-term economic/growth potential.
• A big mistake can be an error of omission. This means you may fail to see an opportunity that is right in front of you.
• Keep in mind that as a general rule specialists do better than non-specialists. Wouldn’t you be more inclined to take your sick cat to a veterinarian whose practice is limited to cats rather than to a general practitioner?

So what are you thinking now?