Way back 2010, when I first started blogging on Tumblr, I didn't know how much of a work I should be doing in keeping something like this. I just wanted my own space in the cyberspace where I can express who I am and what my thoughts are that I can't express out loud. I am someone who can express herself more through writing. I have always been shy and had a fear of speaking out but I am glad to say that this fear is slowly being pushed away through practicing slowly every day.

My passion for blogging started on 2012 when I came to have a laptop of my own. I started learning the basic HTML codes so that I can tweak my theme to my own liking. I didn't really have a goal back then because my blog's purpose was just to document my everyday life, it was more like a diary that there wasn't enough effort and time invested in it. I thought blogging was as easy as just typing up a post, selecting a photo to go with it, and then hitting up the publish button. I was never been more wrong in my life.

Sure, creating a blog can be as simple as snap, but keeping it is harder than it looks like. You need to take good quality photos because you don't want to freak out your readers by posting pixelated ones. You need to read your content over and over and over to make sure that there are no typos and grammatical errors, and the idea is cohesive. You need to be mindful of the HTML codes going around your site and make sure that everything is in place. There is a whole other world behind every blog you see on the internet. If you really want your blog to stand out, you have to work hard and learn new things every day. You need to invest more time in it, you need to persevere and give it a little bit more effort.

The blogging world has changed since then. What started off as a hobby for most, turned into a place to do business for some. I'm still hoping to do the latter, but for now, I am just doing my best to better myself in this area so that someday, I, too, can take it to a level higher than it is now.

Today, I am writing this post specifically to inform you, my dear readers, on what blogging really is (or at least what I think it is for me). Also, I've included some tips you can do to stay on top of your blogging game (not that I'm an expert or what) and a little something at the end. Read on!

Basic things to know about Blogging

A blog (short for weblog) is a term used to describe a website that maintains ongoing chronicles of information. Bloggers are those people who run these kinds of websites, like me. Blogging can mean a lot of things to different people, but basically, it is a way of sharing content on the internet accessible to anyone who can access it.

A blog can be about almost anything. It can be a blogger's personal online journal containing bits and pieces of his/her life; an outlet for your creative juices; a space where you can talk and post about your hobbies like journaling, DIYs, photography, fashion styling, traveling, eating, cooking, or just basically anything under the sun; a place to share your knowledge on a particular subject matter like a news blog of current events, showbiz, celebrity insiders and the like; and/or a place where you can make money online, where you can post about your own products and services. Really, a blog can be anything you want it to be as long as you have the drive for it.

It's not as complicated to create your own blog. All you need to do is pick a platform, sign up, set your blog up, maybe get a domain and hosting or something, then publish your first post. Voila, you are all set! But I made it sound so easy, right? Maybe I could make a separate post about this one soon to really explain things.

Bottom line is, when you decide to get into blogging, you must be willing to be patient. Patient enough to keep learning your way through the simple and complicated stuff that comes with it. Patient enough to keep thinking up of entries to publish. Patient enough to promote and find genuine readers for your blog. Patient enough to let your numbers grow without going crazy about them. And patient enough to not give up.

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Some tips to stay on top of your blogging game

1. Have a regular blogging schedule and stick with it. You can actually post daily, weekly, or even twice or thrice a week. It depends on you, but you don't have to post when you have nothing worth posting about. You need to stay true and writing something you won't feel proud of will surely break what you have built for so long. The beauty of having a blogging schedule is that it pushes you to think and be creative. It serves as deadlines and if you are committed enough to meet them, you will have a never-ending flow of content in your blog! :D
2. Keep your blog nice and tidy. Readers might close your blog the moment they see that you have too much going on at your website, I know I do. Please refrain from having too many pop-ups, to much clutter on your sidebar and please, no "Subscribe to this blog" the moment your blog is opened - this last one is annoying. Why would I be willing to give my email address to someone who I don't know what they blog about yet? 
3. Research. Stock up all the ideas you have. Put them down on paper. Make a list and keep it for future references. One of these days, the creative juices we've had will be depleted and will need to be replenished. When this time will come (and I can guarantee you it will), you will have a backup. You can take a look at all the list you've made before and then you can have choices on what to blog about next!
4. Keep writing content with quality. People will always be hooked on something that they think is great. May that be useful information, humorous anecdotes, well-written personal articles, entertaining columns, and of course, posts with reliable sources. But let's face it, not all of us are blessed to have an awe-inspiring talent in writing. Some of us may excel in this particular area but some of us may not. Don't let this matter stop you from creating your own blog content. There are other options you can do to have great, original content without having to struggle so much. For starters, you can let your beautiful photographs do the talking and just add little captions to them. You can also make videos as your content. And then there's this website where you can hire someone to write for you for just a few bucks. More about this one later on.
5. Just be you. This is the most overused but the most understated statement out there. People are always saying that you should just be yourself when blogging but sometimes, we can't help but stray outside of what's really true to ourselves. We can always pretend, that's where the saying "Fake it until you make it." came from, just don't forget your true self in the process. It's why you entered blogging in the first place, right? So that you can express yourself and your interest? Be yourself, that's the greatest advice I can give to you.

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