Why Did you start your Blog? | Bloggers Lair | Yakezie Forums

MoneyforCollegeProject said:

Awesome insights. I think it's pretty cool to see that none of us actually started our blogs with the intent to make money. I think that is one very big factor in letting our blogs stand out, and be infused with passion. Sure money can be a very good motivator, but it does not always directly correlate to great content. 

 

Thanks to all for sharing!

I can almost guarantee those that start their blog for money either know what they are doing (i.e. like a super niche site) OR FAIL WITHIN 6 MONTHS because the money just isn't there for the first 6 to 12 months. 

BThappyhomeowner said:

MoneyIsTheRoot said:

BThappyhomeowner said:

I had been reading various PF blogs for a few years, had joined the (now defunct) Women in Red on MSN Money, and finally decided to start my own blog after feeling the need to become "more accountable" in my debt payoff and future financial planning.  I had no intention of building it up, and I'm amazed at how far it's come along. I still use Blogger, but I think it's more because I'm worried about losing everything if I switch over to my own domain.  If anyone knows how to avoid that, please let me know!

There are many people here that can assist with the switch to your own domain…if it's something you are seriously considering then now is always better than later.  If you are trying to monetize then you need your own domain, if not, then you are probably fine with what you have.  You might get a bit more traffic using your own domain though since it's just easier to remember with having blogspot in the URL

I don't want to highjack this thread, but yes, this is something I'm seriously considering, and I'd love any feedback you have.  I didn't know that you HAD to have your own domain to monetize, I thought you could do that through blogger.  So much to learn! I'm just wondering about how to change all of the blogroll links that people have made to link to my blog, etc.–is there a way to roll everything over so it just automatically points to the new domain?  I have so many questions 

 

No, there's not.   You're going to lose the Google juice, so do it quick, before you build more.  Then, leave your blogger site up, with a post directing live visitors to the new site.

Absolutely agree, MJTM.  If someone doesn't know what they're doing, they won't make much money up front. I think many longer-term PF bloggers started out doing it mostly for fun and to learn, and maybe some nebulous hope of making something off their blogs.

I started my site mainly because I had become somewhat of an expert on saving money on stuff after years of deal hunting and online forum reading. I thought I could help people by sharing the knowledge I had learned and make it easier for others to do the same thing I had done without all the time intensive work.

However, unlike many people here, I was also thinking about the money aspect from before I even launched the site. I did hours and hours of research into affiliate programs, AdSense, and monetization before I even wrote my first word, which in hindsight was a big mistake. All the planning and procrastinating delayed the launch of my site for probably 2-3 years. I could have learned as I went, especially if I discovered Yakezie or another group of bloggers to learn from, and had much more authority with Google and backlinks built up. It would have also been easier to get accepted into affiliate programs with an established site.

I do think I was able to monetize quicker than many people because of all my hard work and research, but it was also like starting a race hours after the starting whistle! <– kinda stupid!

I love to write, and being frugal is just my way of life. By 2008 when I was laid-off, I had been thinking of a way to get my writing out there and become an actual writer for some time. I took a month off from job searching and instead came up with a column called Frugal Confessions. I went to the library and got a book out about querying newspapers and writing columns, and send my six sample columns in to various newspapers. I had some good responses, but no one wanted to take me…then I started my job as an environmental investigator and met my friend Helen. She knew someone at the Houston Chronicle. I got in touch with him, and he said "anyone can blog"…so that is how I started in March 2009! Three months later I opened up my own private blog in conjunction with the Houston Chronicle one.

I had a blog about Israel and I loved blogging so much that I decided to start on another topic. I had worked in a bank, had a finance degree, and was working on an MBA in finance. Sharing my finance knowledge seemed like a logical step. I started the blog in October, 2008 and it has grown almost every month.

I never had the giant jumps early on that some other sites have had, but I keep on truckin and the site grows and I can help more people.

When I joined Yakezie, I found out how much money we can make blogging. I was in the first wave and was more focused on traffic and experience early on, but now that I have the basics down I can write more naturally and jump at more income opportunities.

I started blogging for two primary reasons – 1) to encourage me to learn more about personal finance and share what I've learned by reading through the years and 2) to get some experience building a business.

Budgeting in the Fun Stuff said:

I was furious that some commenters were berating a poor lady at Get Rich Slowly for having a housekeeper (I have a biweekly housekeeper too, her name is Jacqui and she is awesome). 

I love that that was your impetus for starting, Crystal. You go, girl!