Today’s assignment: 1) write and send me a “who I am and why
I’m here” post, and 2)send me 1 horizontal photo (highest-resolution possible). In
return, I will assign you an upcoming Friday date for your go-live. Essentially, it’s free
advertising for your blog. That's right! I'm not asking you to pay in exchange for a featured post.
Why do this?
Because it gives new readers context. Both mine and yours. What are you about?
Why should they read your blog?
The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life
or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline
of the types of things you have or hope to publish.
To help you get started, here are a few questions:
Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a
personal journal?
What topics do you write about?
Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what
would you hope to have accomplished?
You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful
things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and
interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started,
and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.
Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing
that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we
love says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “shitty
first draft” (her language). Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and
worry about editing it later.
When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five
tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction,
parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others
who care about your topics find you. Make sure one of the tags is “GoodToBeMe,”
so other new bloggers and/or readers can find you, too.
#GoodToBeMe
