When I began blogging in 2007, I didn’t have a plan. I knew I had a ton of  ideas, but I had little inkling of how to share them. From the start I recognized that blogging could lead to immense opportunities for those who did it well, so I set out to make a mark by doing things the “right” way.

Read More

When it seems like everyone, their mama and their cousin has a blog, it can feel like you and your space of Internet real estate is lost in the crowd. You’ll have to work to make a name for yourself, but remember blogging is not a competition.

Read More

 

One of the most overwhelming parts of blogging are the many, many numbers you’ll want to keep track of: page views, comments, retweets, Facebook shares etc.

I’m competitive. It’s hard for me not to judge the quality of my work by the amount of feedback I receive, but as I have become more experienced in building online communities, I see that what matters is not the number of interactions but the quality.

Read More

As a kid, I often felt voiceless. I didn’t grow up in one of those TV drama homes where we discussed our feelings. I’ve always been opinionated, but I, like many Black women, was taught to turn emotional affairs inward. Subsequently, I became a great actress and fooled most everyone I encountered for the majority of my life. And then my house of cards came tumbling down during my third year of college.

Read More

I’ve said it before: a blogger without a plan is a blogger destined for failure. (You can expect to see that countless more times here.)  Knowing exactly who you’re blogging for and why you’re doing it from jump will help you avoid any competition with other bloggers that’s usually more demoralizing than inspiring.

Read More

As we’ve discussed, picking a specific, interesting blog topic is the first step toward building a successful, sustainable blog.

Interesting is a given but why did I emphasize the importance of specific? Because a blogger without focus is a blogger destined for failure.

Read More

Before you begin blogging, you have to pick something to blog about. It seems simple, but this is where most failed bloggers go wrong. For Harriet isn’t my 1st,  2nd or even my 3rd blog. I’ve blogged about everything from fashion to beauty to celebrity gossip. Blogging didn’t click until I found a compelling subject I love. Blog planning is essential because the process of starting a blog with high hopes only to see it fail because you didn’t plan properly sucks. Don’t put yourself through that.

 Pick a blog subject that’s specific and interesting.

Your blog can be a personal blog, a topical blog or a little bit of both. A personal blog is more like an digital journal where you’ll recount personal experiences or collect your prose or poetry. For a topical blog, you’ll need to choose an area of focus to write about consistently. Topical blogs have more of an outward focus.

Examples of personal blogs

• A Belle in Brooklyn
• New Model Minority
• Awesomely Luvvie

Examples of topical blogs

• The Fashion Bomb
• In Her Shoes
• Curly Nikki

See the difference?

If you want to create a personal blog you might be saying, “Kim, I just want to blog about my life. That’s it.”

Dig deeper.  Answer these questions:

Who are you?

Example. I’m Kimberly Foster. I’m a media obsessed Millenial. I’m endlessly curious, and more than anything, I adore Black women.

What’s your passion?

Example. I’m passionate about empowering women of color to find and share their voices through blogging.

Passion is important. During your blog’s first few months (or longer), it could very well just be you and the spambots. With few visitors and little feedback, your passion will be the only thing keeping you going. Without it, you’ll give up.

I know. It took nearly two years for For Harriet to become anything like a sustainable blog.  The only thing that kept me going was my desire to tell black women’s stories honestly.  If you don’t have the fire that will motivate you after a fruitless 18 months, don’t start a blog.

Just being honest.

What’s your goal?

Example. My goal is to create a blog community for black women to connect, share, and learn about blogging.

Combine the two, and you should be able to write up a sentence or two on what exactly your blog is about.

Example. My blog is about sharing the knowledge I’ve learned as blogger, and helping Black women create successful, sustainable blogs.

Note: If your goal is just to make money, blogging isn’t for you. No one gets rich off of Adsense. Well almost no one, and probably not you.

Choosing the right direction for your blog is important, and blogging is much easier if you make the correct decision the first time, but keep in mind, your blog will evolve as you do. You won’t be 100% sure  until you get your blog up and running. So don’t get stuck here. In the beginning, the most important thing is to get started.

What Is Your Blog About? Tell us in the comments!

Sign up for the Black Girls Blogging newsletter and get these posts delivered directly to your inbox

Follow @BlackGirlsBlog

Kimberly N. Foster is the founder of Black Girls Blogging and Editor of For Harriet. Email or Tweet her.

Black Girls Blogging is more than a blog. It’s a community for Black women to come together to connect, share, and learn about blogging. Here you’ll learn blog tips, meet black women bloggers and promote your content. 

Why?

If media consumption were a sport, black folks would be gold medalists dozens of times over. Though we consume more images than practically any other ethnic group, we remain a fraction of a fraction of media producers. The effect of the intake/output disparity impacts the way we see ourselves and the world around us—more often than not in damaging ways. Women, particularly Women of Color, suffer inordinately from having our self-concept molded by those who care not for our full personhood or happiness. 

But times are changing.

Digital media provides Black women opportunities to reclaim our image, and blogging is a way for black women tell our own stories and explore our true passions. 

At Black Girls Blogging, the mission is to empower Women of Color to find and share their voices through blogging.

Who?

I’m Kimberly N. Foster the founder of Black Girls Blogging. I’m a media entrepreneur who’s been blogging since 2006.

I’m endlessly curious, and more than anything I adore black women. That’s why I created For Harriet nearly 2 years ago. 

I’m passionate about empowering women through all forms of media.  

Feel free to email or tweet me with your comments, questions, and concerns. 

Sign up for the Black Girls Blogging newsletter and get these posts delivered directly to your inbox

Spread the word about BGB

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter