With so many different voices out there and so many mediums to express them, I still see so many college women decide to start blogs and I think it’s awesome! Everyone should express themselves online and get out there – it’s such a great way to contribute and relate to people and learn at the same time. So here’s some food for thought if you’re wondering how to start a blog while you’re in college!
The Story
Every blog has a story or idea that becomes the purpose of the blog. Your story doesn’t have to be mind-blowing. Actually, it doesn’t even have to be a story, it just has to describe what your blog will mainly be about and/or why it was started. For example, I needed a website of my own where I can showcase all my ideas and projects and so my very own blog was born.
Give Your Story a Name
This is something I am terrible at. I have changed my blog’s name a thousand times. I’m very indecisive with that aspect of my blog and hopefully my current blog name is one I will still love years from now. That is what you have to do. You need to find a name that you know you will be able to live with for the whole lifetime of your blog as well as it’s afterlife. (Keeping in mind that your blog name may still appear on the internet even after you decide to delete it).
So how do you choose the perfect name that fits your blog’s story? You experiment. It’s the best way to get a feel of what you blog name would sound like and look like all over the internet. Browse through blogs and conduct a list of names that you’d like and see where you can fit your name or your personality into. For example, if you like a blog called “Chasing my Dreams,” you can personalize it to “Chasing Down Amy” Now you have created a whole name that fits your blog and is entirely yours, you see? Keep experimenting until you find one that you think you might want to keep.
Find a Place for Your Story
This step takes a bit more research than thought. There are plenty of blogging services that you can use to showcase your blog, but finding which one is right for you is the tricky part. The service I first started out with is Blogger (it’s free and getting a .com domain is just $12/year).
I’ve also built blogs with WordPress.org where I paid for self-hosting and built it from scratch. You can also use WordPress.com, Tumblr, Wix, SquareSpace and Show.it. I have tried several blogging platforms before and in my opinion, each service has its own community of bloggers and trends that the other service does not. Try out a few of them before you decide to invest in one!
How Will You Showcase Your Story?
Now that you found your story, gave it a name and a home, it’s time to think about how you can showcase it. For instance, my blog is in one word about me. It’s about my interest in business, technology, writing and my love of life. Therefore, you’ll find posts about how my small business is going, some technology thoughts I want to share, and a narration of my life’s moments through writing and photos.
Update and Promote Your Story: Your blog is all setup! Now all you have to do is keep updating your blog with posts that showcase your story and promote it. Send it to all your friends and family, post your blog URL on all your social networking accounts, and let other people know your unique and personalized story is live!
Some Easy Tips to Help Get You Started
- Remember what you are blogging for (your story, your purpose). It will help you write.
- Don’t write a post because you haven’t updated your blog in a while. Write a post because you have something to say. Blogging wouldn’t be fun if it was just another thing on your to-do list.
- Include links to your social network accounts on your blog and include your blog link on your social network accounts also. It’s just an easy way to get connected with your readers while gaining new ones.
- For some blog inspiration BlogLovin.com is a must.
- Represent who you are and you’re blog will be perfect!