Starting a Blog - Step 1 - Feel Overwhelmed. Then Name Your Blog.

Let me just tell you.. I'm typically a person who catches on quickly when learning new things. I wish I could say this applied when my sister-in-law said "We should start a blog!" Now, technically, I've had a blog for several years. However, I've never done much with it other than write 1-2 posts a year and then forget it exists. It wasn't designed to be popular or get much traffic. It was designed more as a storage box. A diary of sorts where I kept track of things I wanted to remember without actually having to put a pen to paper. And it served its purpose beautifully.

When Emma said she wanted to start a blog, she wasn't referring to my style of blogging. She wanted to have a real blog. She wanted something organized and helpful. Something that would get a lot of traffic. Something that people could use and enjoy. She wanted something lucrative and worth our time. She wanted to do it the right way and actually make something of it. I could tell immediately that I was in over my head.

The more she talked about it, the more my interested was piqued. One quick search on Pinterest, and I was over my head. There were hundreds thousands of articles. I started reading, but the more I read, the more confused I got. "5 MUST HAVES Before Starting a Blog!" "NEVER Start Blogging Without THIS!" (Heads up.. THIS wasn't even on the MUST HAVES list.) "7 Things to Make Your Blog Legal" (How is a blog illegal to begin with?? I guess my original one has been breaking the law for years.) "15 Common Mistakes New Bloggers Make" Topics covered blog titles, advertising options, email lists, domain hosting, SEO, traffic monitoring, avatars, income reports, and on and on. I didn't even know what most of that stuff was. I certainly didn't know how to do any of it. I had learned more about blogging in the last two days than I had ever expected to know, but much of it seemed impossible for a technologically challenged individual like myself. I was feeling like a failure, and we hadn't even started yet.

Ok. I needed to take a step back and catch my breath. Step 1 varied according to which post you read, but naming the blog felt like the right place to start, so I started brainstorming. What words were important to me? What did I want readers to feel when they were on our site? What represented the essence of who we truly were and what we wanted to share? I had a cloud of words floating in my head, so I made a list.

What words went together well? Did it flow? And let's remember the most important factor here - did any of my words match up with what Emma had in mind for the blog? This is technically her brain child - not mine - so this needs to be something she loves, too. Emma and I each came up with several options, and I hoped it would be like naming a baby... You'll know when you find the right one! (Spoiler alert - it wasn't.)

Beautiful Chaos. Treasured Hearts. Raising Arrows. Beautifully Bold. Perfectly Flawed. Chronically Optimistic. Simply Savvy. Wonderfully Wild. Finding the Joy. Grateful Hearts. Southern Sophistication. Life Unfiltered.
 
So. Many. Names. I was, again, overwhelmed. We thought about it for several days and finally landed on Simply Savvy. Blog is named. Done! Orrrr so we thought. Turns out... Some other joker thought Simply Savvy was a great name too, so they took it. Damn. Now we were back to the drawing board. This time, we checked to see if a domain was even an option before it made it to the list. Ultimately, we landed on Live Simply Savvy (obviously). I'm not going to say that we both saw rainbows and butterflies when we chose it, but it was our best option that conveyed what we wanted to be about AND was available.
 
So, if you're thinking of starting a blog, and I assume you are or you wouldn't have landed here to begin with, let me offer the following points of advice:

1. What is your goal? Do you want to be a featured blogger on Scary Mommy, Buzzfeed, or something similar? Do you want to make money? Do you want an outlet to share your hopes, dreams, and fears? Deciding what your goal is will steer you in the correct direction from Day 1. If you're undecided for now, that's ok, but work toward figuring it out. It's hard to know how to get somewhere if you aren't sure where you're going.
2. Decide what you want your blog to be about, but don't feel limited to one subject. Have kids, dogs, and a job, love DIY and photography and want to write about all of it? Do it. But don't get discouraged if you aren't making bank the first year (or three). Consensus is that niche blogs are the most successful, but I believe you can share facets of your entire life and still have success. It may look a little different than traditional "success," and it may take longer to get there, but you can do it.
3. Name your blog. Allow more time for this than you originally expected. This step is crucial. It is who you are, and it's who your blog is going to be. It's how you'll be identified. Use our method of brainstorming keywords if that's your style. Write words down until something comes to you. Maybe you like to crowdsource and let your friends give you ideas. Do whatever works for YOU, but learn from your 6th grade email mistake (I'm looking at you, pretty_thang24@hotmail.com!), and don't commit to something that won't stand the test of time. Put some time and effort into this step. It's worth it.
4. Read, read, and read some more from reliable sources. I know it can be a bit much in the beginning, but if you're taking this venture seriously, you will appreciate the opportunity to learn from the experiences of others. If you find something about a topic that you don't understand, do some research until you DO understand. Talk to other bloggers. Get advice and tips and tricks wherever you can find them. Information is power, and the more you have, the better off you are.
5. When it doubt, blog it out. If you're struggling with something, write a blog post about it. You don't even have to publish it! You can save it for later, or you can just vent to yourself. That's what I did. If you're having trouble, chances are, someone else is having trouble with the same thing. Share how you overcame the issue and moved forward. Don't have a solution yet? That's fine too. Sometimes misery genuinely does love company, and people appreciate knowing they aren't the only ones looking for answers to a particular problem. You might even find that one of your readers has an excellent idea for you to try!

We'll get to Step 2, but for now, this will have to suffice. If you are getting started on your own blog, I wish you the very best! So far, it's been a lot of work, but it will be worth it! Even if it never becomes the income replacement the internet has promised, it has still been a valuable learning experience. Comment below with your questions, concerns, or ideas! I'd love to hear feedback or experiences from other bloggers and readers!