My aim is to share - as I relearn the ins and outs of blogging for myself - I want to be able to share this to my readers as well. I aim to share my life as a new mom (the wins and challenges and the whole nine yards), my opinions and thoughts, my observations, tips and information that will be useful to anyone who gets to read my articles. Thus the birth of this series - Blogging Tips and Tricks.
Please note that this series does not aim to teach you how to get invited to events, how to receive freebies, how to be famous nor how to score writing gigs. Do know that I am not an expert - treat me like a student who's sharing what I have learned.
So let's get started with the essentials that you need to have to start blogging:
1. Notebooks / Planners - I always carry a notebook or planner in my purse so I can jot down blog post ideas or anything inspiring that I see. It is also very useful to jot down quick notes or reminders. I can also sketch out images of things I like or see. There are many notebooks available in the market now but choose something nice and cute so you would be inspired to carry it with you everywhere you go. Don't let a brilliant idea go to waste. You can use the planner to plot specific posts and then schedule the dates to publish your article. If you are the digital type, you can use your smartphone's calendar feature as an alternate to this. As for me, I would rather stick to the old school way of writing down my ideas.
2. Camera / Tripod - This is an obvious necessity that needs to be in your essentials list. Choose a camera that you would be comfortable in using so you can take crisp photos for your blog posts. The tripod would be useful in ensuring that your photos will not be shaky or out of focus. While we're at it, make sure you have good lighting (natural light is best) when taking your photos as well. I am using a Nikon D7000 with its original kit lens. It takes pretty decent pictures already so I am good with it. If you want to enhance your pictures, you may use photo editing software like Photoshop or an online photo editing tool such as PicMonkey for only $4.99/month or $33 for the whole year. If you want to spruce up your photos, you may purchase design bundles as well as premium fonts (like the one I used in the picture above - Manhattan Darling Regular).
3. Laptop / Smartphone - In order to publish your blog posts, you need to have an access to a laptop or a desktop or even smartphones with access to your blogging portal. I prefer to use a laptop because I can bring it with me anywhere inside the house and it is also very light when I have to take it outside. I am not comfortable using a smartphone to blog because of the formatting limitations but that's just me. I think it's the way to go so I better start learning that too.
4. Internet Connection - Of course, the only way for you to be able to publish your posts is to have an internet connection. I am currently on a 5MB broadband plan and so far it is working for me. It isn't fast as lightning but it isn't slow like a turtle - it's just right for my blogging needs.
Sometimes getting started is the hardest part and now that you know the essentials that you need to start then you can keep the ball rolling. I am so thankful that I made the leap and started my blog. Now, it's your turn...
See you on the next part of this series - Choosing Your Own Domain.
LET'S CONNECT
