One Year of Blogging
I started something on March 10th, 2022.
At the time I had no idea what I was getting into. I mean, that’s a bit of a lie. I did my research, reading about how to setup a blog, how to write a compelling post, what listicals are, and hundreds of tips and tricks on how to run a successful blog. It seemed simple. Turn it on, write a few posts, and reap the rewards. Then I found out those articles are designed to convince you it’s easy to blog.
Then you start a blog and it’s great! Then why do most blogs fail in the first 6 months?
They, like me, read all those same articles about how easy it is to make 6 figures and work 10 hours a day out of a camper van. But that simply isn’t true. You have to be dedicated. You have to market yourself. But most of all, you have to keep going.
Most blogs fail because the writer doesn’t see the progress promised in all those guides. Page clicks don’t grow. Google doesn’t recognize your site, resulting in zero search related traffic. You realize if you want to grow fast you have to pay Google to advertise your blog, not them pay you for ads. In fact, Google only pays per 1,000 page views which means if your blog receives 100 page views per month, you will make somewhere between $20 - $30 per year. Quickly, the realization sets in that the blog is a burden, costing you time and money, unless of course you are dedicated to your blogs purpose, like I am.
Advertising - Worth Doing?
But before I jump into purpose, you may notice, I don’t even run ads on my blog. There are a few reasons for that. Simply put it all comes down to you, the reader.
Advertisements are annoying.
Ads are designed to pull you in, away from what you came here for. I don’t want that. I want you to enjoy the article you decided to click on. Whether you wanted to learn or be entertained, you came here for a reason. That reason was not to have the latest crazy in water bottle technology shoved in your face. In fact, that ad interruption is counter to my goal to share, to educate, to inspire. And if you are distracted, you aren’t fully receiving my message.
Is this blog atypical? Maybe, but I’m okay with that as long as you enjoy it and I achieve my purpose.
My Purpose
I wrote about this a while ago, but don’t worry about finding the article, the information is on my About page. My vision statement is, “To inspire others to grow their craft.” Whatever your craft may be, cooking, writing, woodworking, pottery, gardening, you name it. I’m here to show you it is worth pursuing. It is worth the time, effort, energy, and money to hone your abilities, to pour yourself into what you love. As you do, you will see progress, growth, and potential, inspiring you to continue on your journey.
This blog is one of my passions. I love to write. Go back and read my early posts and compare those to this, blog number 78. I haven’t changed them, I should but I want you to see the progress I’ve made.
I want you to enjoy my articles. And if you feel inspired to support me, you can visit my shop and buy a product or contact me for a commission. It would be a privilege to me to build you a piece, to write about it’s story, and to share with you and the world how special it was to make.
Thank you for sticking this ramble out to the end. I don’t know what you were expecting when you started reading this, but I see this post as a look back and forward. This post is not a retrospective, it’s a progressive look at my blog. What it was, where it is, and what’s to come. Look forward to more progress, more posts, and improvement in my writing and woodworking.
To keep up with me, I’d appreciate it if you sign up for my newsletter, a monthly email, sharing these articles about projects in my shop, lesson’s I have learned, mistakes I’ve made, and hopefully a little inspiration sprinkled in here and there.