I just did a soft beta launch of my membership site and it was such a stressful thing to do. It was stressful because one of the biggest problems with blogging is the waiting and the insecurity of it all. Will someone read my blog post? Will someone sign up for membership? Did I pick the right images?
Blogging is a lot like going on stage. I imagine what it must be like the first time a stand up comic goes on stage and is standing there alone. Is that comic full of confidence or is that comic wondering:
- Will they really like these jokes that I have gone over in my mind a million times?
- Will my the audience love me?
- Do I really know my audience afterall?
These are all of the things that a blogger has to consider. In thinking about the membership site I had a lot to draw on. I have built social media platforms for over 100 clients. I have built scores of websites and/or blogs for people now. I have consulted with folks and advised friends and family on all of these things. I do not say this to brag because people have done much more. Rather I am saying this because all of these clients had something in common, they all had questions. Often it ended up that most people have the same questions. My goal with this membership site is to answer these questions.
At the beginning of this year we did not create new years resolutions but rather we created a mantra. One point on the mantra is to be Boldly Transparent in all that we do with I Teach Blogging and this is why I am writing this blog post today.
Being a blogger puts you on the world stage because anyone with an internet connection now has the ability to judge you. They can leave mean comments or share things on their social media about you. Often people do not behave in this manner and this is not a real problem but it is a genuine fear. Fear is what keeps clients back from providing content for their new websites. It is that same fear that keeps funny people who can heal peoples hearts with laughter off of the stage.
It is our jobs as entrepreneurs, especially ones who could make a difference, to find the courage to set aside that fear of failure, of embarrassment long enough to go into the world and add value. I believe in the power of blogging and I believe that anyone who is reading this post has at least 100 blog posts in them. The key is to find the right topic, the one that you can’t stop talking about. If you can find that topic then you too will focus more on the value that you can add then fear that keeps you from hitting that publish button.
What keeps you from hitting that publish button? What do you fear most?
Renee,
I think you are right, when starting a blog you ask yourself constantly, “Will anybody read this stuff?” “Does anybody care.” In the beginning it is such a lonely trek. Nevertheless, like most things in life, slow and steady does seem to win the race. Most people quit right at the point they would make a difference.
I appreciate your candor and good advice, keep blogging!
Thank you Fred. There is a lot of rah rah conversation online telling us all that we can do it but not a lot about how difficult and frightening it is. It is exhausting when you realize that nothing is happening for a short time. I really hope that each blogger that wants to give up will give it 90 more days.
-Renee’