Things bloggers don't tell other bloggers.

The blogosphere is growing at an incredible speed these days. Blogging communities and the likes are sprouting all over the Internet; it almost seems as if there isn't going to be an end to this phenomenon anywhere in the near future. In fact, it looks like the only way to stop this is to ban the public from the Internet.

So, great. Everyone's rushing to register for a blog on a multitude of blog-hosting sites, keeping both the people and servers at Blogger/Blogspot, Wordpress, etc. really busy. I bet even my parents would start a blog one of these days.

The question many bloggers ask themselves (I mean, hopefully so - we don't want a bunch of mindless and aimless bloggers wandering around here) is "Why am I blogging?" or likewise, "What can I get out of blogging?" Problem is, this question usually comes a period of time after the blog has been set up and the entire euphoria over owning a blog settles down. The kick's gone, the excitement put out, the fun's no longer fun, and the draggy, boring, uninteresting part sets in. That brings us to our first point.

Warning #1: Blogs are set up with a few clicks, but not maintained with a few clicks.

It is true that anyone can own a blog, and equally true that not everyone can maintain a blog. Constant effort needs to be put into your blog to keep it active and to keep it neat and tidy. It's just like a home, really. You move in, you buy furniture, live in it, and you spend some time everyday putting aside your old newspaper, clearing the trash, adding more furniture you require, and even an planning for an occasional large-scale renovation - which of course, would cost you a lot of time and energy in this case.

Warning #2: Do not expect readers to come pouring into your blog on Day 2, 3, 15, 56, or even 103.

Blogging not only requires time, but patience as well - a lot of it, trust me. You cannot expect all the Internet traffic in the world to direct itself into your blog just because you clicked 'Create Blog' yesterday. I know, I know, you are dedicated and motivated and all hyped-up, but sorry, it does not quite work this way. It takes a lot of time to build up a decent-sized audience, and it takes a lot more effort to keep them on your blog. As with creating a blog, getting attention is easy, holding it is quite the opposite. So, unless you can continuously churn out pieces after pieces of really interesting and attention-grabbing articles or blog posts... You know what I'm driving at, right?

Warning #3: There is a difference between Blogging and Copying.

It's the same old story again. Blogger A sees something interesting in Blog B, and conveniently does the Ctrl-C,V combo, (Copy and Paste for those who aren't familiar with shortcuts) and (conveniently) forgets to leave an acknowledgement in his/her blog post. Yes, we all know that it's really a one-in-a-billion chance that a blog owner would chance upon your blog and find your blatant plagiarism, but let's just recall that there are millions of people out there, and it just takes one to uncover your little trick to destroy any reputation you and your blog has. If you want to share, go ahead! Just leave a link back to the blog/website of the content owner, and I'm sure he/she would be glad that you decided to cite his/her site as a source of information.

My point here so far is simple. Setting up a blog for fun is indeed easy. But if you are serious about keeping a blog, you sure must have some form of motivation (or an addiction, as some would rather put it). Site traffic can be a boost to morale, but it MUST NOT be the sole motivation or driving force behind the creation of the blog, since site traffic usually takes plenty of time to build up - and that usually takes longer that your patience can last. Do not forget that you also need decent content that can entice readers to return to your blog. And last but not least, share with others, not copy, information you like and find interesting for your own readers. Do not take shortcuts in blogging because they usually end up doing more harm to you.

Having said all these, there are probably a hundred other things bloggers don't know about blogging, myself included. Blogging can be for anyone, provided you do not expect too much out of it. But if you expect some form of 'reward' from blogging - be it readership, fame, money, etc., blogging can be quite a pain at times, and you need a whole new attitude towards what you are doing.

If you are really interested in building a decent blog, go read up on how other bloggers do so. Try looking for books, searching websites, or even asking friends who have their own blogs. You can also email other bloggers to exchange pointers and share experiences.

Last thing to remember: It's not how to go about it that matters, it's what you want out of it that matters.