If you are thinking about starting a blog, there are a few things you should know about beforehand, some of them I wish I knew before starting out. Think of this post as advice from one friend to another. 

1) don't just start a blog to make money. Your readers can usually tell if you are one of those bloggers. Sure you can make money from the blog, but don't make that the only reason you started it in the first place. Blogs are not get rich quick schemes. It takes a lot, and I mean a lot to make even pennies from a blog. 

2) network network network! I cannot stress the importance of networking. Share your posts with friends, family, and on your social media. Find groups on Facebook that are in relation to your blog. 

3) only blog about what you are passionate about. I don't know if you have read those blog posts that are plain and boring. You know, the ones where it sounds more like an advertisement rather than a blog post. People can tell. 

4) be consistent in timing. Consistency is the key. If people know that you will be posting on certain days, they will more than likely check to see if you have posted on that day yet. 

5) be consistent in posts. This is important. People will want to see the same level of writing in each blog post. So don't write some amazing posts and then some that are mediocre. Write every post in depth. Set a certain criteria for your blog posts and stick to it. Don't slack. People will notice and it will make them not want to read your posts anymore. 

6) make friends with other bloggers. Help one another out. Give advice and take it. Constructive criticism is important. Having a fresh pair of eyes to look at your template or your post can help. 

7) templates are the building block of your blog. Most people will click or click off of a blog post if it is not visually enticing. I suggest something simple. 

8) don't spam your posts. There is a fine line between advertising, networking, and spamming. Don't suffocate people on social media. Nothing annoys me more than when people pm/dm/message me about their posts, blogs, or YouTube channels. It honesty makes me never want to read or watch their stuff. 

9) don't be contradicting. Don't say you love something and then in the next post say you hate it. I personally HATE when bloggers/vloggers do this. Make sure you love or hate something before writing about it. Or just say I'm not sure of my feelings of this topic or product yet. 

10) have fun! Don't get stuck to limitations of a certain topic. I write about everything I like or don't like. I don't want to be stuck only writing about products if I don't want to. 

I really hope this post has helped some people. This applies to not only bloggers but to youtubers too. Let me know your thoughts. Have you seen these behaviors in any blogs/vlogs? Is there anything I have missed?