I was looking through my archives the other day and reading some of my older posts (watch out, some are kind of scary, haha!) and couldn’t help but notice how far I’ve come over the years. I’ve learned a lot, made a lot of new friends, and definitely think my blog is much better than it used to be!
I thought I would share with you some of the things I have learned over the years. 
1. Always return comments. If someone took the time to read and comment on your blog, don’t ignore it! If you go to their blog and return the comment, it will show your appreciation and can bring them back for your next blog post. Then readers from their blog will be directed to your blog when they see your comment. Not only does this increase the traffic to your site, it creates new friendships! I love my readers and have loved getting to know them over time, and it all started with a simple comment.
2. Be consistent. This one is much easier said than done, but consistency is truly key. If you haven’t updated your blog in over three months, you lose readers. They will stop checking in to see that where or not you’ve posted something new. I am really bad at this when I get focused on classes and work and don’t seem to have a lot of time to devote to my blog. This is when writing posts ahead of time becomes so useful. If I seem to have a bunch of inspiration and write three or four posts at one time, I will save them for later at a time when I don’t seem to have any inspiration at all or any time. (This post is actually one I wrote ahead of time! Comes in handy!)
3. Always proofread. When visiting a new blog, the quickest way to make me leave is to not proofread your posts. You don’t need to have impeccable grammar, but it is really hard for me to read a post that has an abundance of spelling errors and run on sentences and grammatical errors and a bunch of unnecessary question marks or exclamation points and – is this sentence annoying you yet? When looking back at my own old posts, it was so apparent that I didn’t even look it over before I hit publish. As tempting as it may be, don’t do it guys! Take the extra five minutes and look over your post.
4. Don’t be afraid to share your struggles alongside your triumphs. One of my favorite posts to go back and read is one where I was really struggling with depression my sophomore year of college. I was having a hard time meeting people and making friends, and I didn’t enjoy my job or my classes much. So I wrote about that, which isn’t always easy when it seems everyone else’s college experience is perfect and you’re wondering why yours is so different.
But I received some of the most encouraging and uplifting comments from my readers and friends. I can’t even express how that made me feel. Even putting the love aside, it’s important for me to remember these raw feelings I had and the darker places that I’ve been. It makes me appreciate where I’m at and where I’ve come from.
5. Write about what you love. Of all the things I’ve learned, this is the most important. If you don’t enjoy it, then what’s the point? It will show if your heart isn’t in to whatever it is you’re writing about. It might be the “next big thing,” but you are going to burn out. I’ve been there. There was a time that I felt like all of my blogging buddies (I still feel this way today though – haha!) were into web design, HTML, CSS, and could make their own graphics and themes.
I thought that was the coolest thing ever (still do, only got mad props for you guys) and I tried it. I tried making my own layouts and playing with Photoshop and tried to learn different coding – I hated it. It didn’t interest me. I was super frustrated all the time and it made me not want to blog. So I stopped and, lo and behold! I enjoyed blogging again when it was just me and my words.
Of all the things I’ve learned, this last one again is the most important one. I have grown to love blogging and I have part of that to owe to my great readers and friends. :love:
Returning comments is so important. I’ve become pretty slow at it but I always go back through all my old post until I’m convinced I’ve returned everyone’s comments.
Writing about what you love is important too. Over the last year I’ve been experimenting a lot with my blog and the type of posts I write, but the one thing I’ve learnt it that blog posts that come from the heart are the best to write and always getting the best response.
Ditto on the comments! I may be slow about it at times (like it may be a few days later), but I find that returning comments is not only good to build connections/friendships but it’s just common courtesy to do so
Beside, I am also more inclined to re-visit a blog of a person who comments on mine, so there’s also that 
And oh, consistency. i know that really well. Grad school was when my blog really took a beating LOL. However, I’m making up for not blogging as much now, so that’s a trade off
Returning comments is always helpful to gain new and prospective readers to your blog. I’m glad you were able to write about this.
There have been at times, where I guess I was forcing a blog post and it wasn’t coming out the way I thought it would come out, and would literally get discouraged from it. So, I would stray away from blogging for awhile just until I would get enough courage to write another blog post. I guess you can’t force it. Right?
I actually learned how to code through a website http://lisaexplainsitall.com or lissaexplainsitall.com I can’t remember if it’s 1 s or 2 s’s. I would also look at someone else’ coding just to see how they would do it for future reference, though I wouldn’t steal their coding. Just look. Though I guess that’s frowned upon? But anyways, I learned most of my coding skills through that website, and what I didn’t know I would ask or would look up on the web. The web is useful, since we were able to go on it.
this is a beautiful post, becca! i agree with your points. number 1 is a blogging courtesy. sometimes i miss some comments, but i always make sure to check the commenter’s blog if i haven’t seen it yet!
personally, i fail at number 3. i have developed this habit of typing excessive exclamation points or question marks. so sometimes my posts do have those. i guess it puts off other people how informal my blog is! hahaha.
those posts related to struggles and triumphs are often great to read. there are moments where i couldn’t translate certain emotions into words, but i make sure to sympathize or congratulate to the blogger through comments. those comments sure mean a lot especially coming from other people who took time to read the blog post.
and number 5 is the most important thing! otherwise, an apathetic blog is nothing but a waste of space online.
I always make an effort to return comments! Unfortunately, sometimes I find that I don’t know what to say, and I’d rather not leave a fake sounding comment. I agree that returning comments can lead to new friendships, and it’s just a nice thing to do
I think it’s good to be consistent, but I also think no one should feel like blogging is a chore. I guess it varies on the person! I know staying consistent motivates some people but adds stress for others.
Definitely agree on proofreading and on writing about what you love! It’s really hard to read poorly written entries. I don’t expect anyone to be perfect, but proofreading even once can go a long way. Blogging is also way more fun when you’re talking about things you’re actually passionate about instead of trying to follow trends
This is an amazing post. All the facts listed here are so true. I reply to comments twice, once on my blog and then on the other person’s blog.
Being consistent was always the hardest thing for me to do. Once I started scheduling posts, I noticed a huge increase in blog traffic, and even just in trends. Wednesday’s seem to be the most traffic I get during the week. I think people are sometimes to focused blogging about their niche and that is when they lose love. Personally I do a bit of both. It works out perfectly like that.
So true, all of this. You took the words out of my mouth, perfectly about blogging. That’s why I always try to return comments, because well, it’s polite and because it’s only right. Good points to everything!
I think it is really wonderful that you have discovered these things and that you have shared them, because you have some very valid points that might be really helpful to anyone that is just starting out, or might need a few tips.
I agree with all your points Becca! Returning comments is actually one of the first things I learned when I started blogging. Though recently I’ve been really slow in returning comments, I think it’s a really nice gesture to do and it creates an instant connection with someone. I met lots of blogger friends through comments as well
Consistency is something I should work on. Sometimes I just don’t have anything to share but at the same time I feel like I should post something just to tell everyone that I’m still here. Well, there’s always room for improvement, right?
Lol, I remember when I was a kid and I just posted everything I wanted to say on my blog. I now cringe when I read my past blog entries, not just because of the [embarrassing] content but also because of the amount of grammatical errors they had! Thank goodness they’re off the internet now. Lol!
It is hard to disagree on any of these points.
For me, I definitely shared all my struggles on my blog – it was difficult but it was really surprising and uplifting to receive comments from people trying to make me feel better and letting me know that it would be OK. Sometimes I have found that people who don’t often comment on my blog will comment on those posts where you pour your heart out.
I have always felt the need to reply to people, even though these days I haven’t found much time to read all the blogs I want to read, or I find myself going back and reading posts that were published some weeks ago (like I am here, hehe). Still, I have found that the best ‘blogger’ friendships happen further than reading each other’s blogs, and to keeping in touch elsewhere
Even though I proofread meticulously, sometimes I still find those pesky errors after I have published! Oops. O:)
All of those are very true. I have been blogging on and off for many years. I use to be much better at blogging, doing it once a day even! I’m not like that now. I do my best to do all those though, reply back – visit blogs and comment.
Very good points. Especially your #1! I’m terribly delayed at returning comments. Sometimes school and work just get in the way, but that’s no excuse for me! I wish there was some amazing way of throwing love at all my readers and saying “hey, thanks for taking such great interest in my weird!”
I feel like I struggle with 4 & 5. It’s difficult to tell what I want to share because it’s important to me or because I just want other people to read it. Maybe it’s okay for either? Blogging is most def a growing process and although looking at old posts is horrifyingly cringe-worthy, it’s awesome at the same time! It’s so great to see how much you’ve grown over the years
Totally with you on point 3! With my being an English literature graduate, and writing on a daily basis, I always endeavor to ensure spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes are corrected in my own work. I cringe if I see careless mistakes!
I agree with all of these posts – I’ve returned to blogging myself recently after a long enough hiatus that these will definitely prove useful for me. So thank you!
This is a bit wayyy too late to comment, but I am thankful to you. This is such a good read for me, since I’ve been neglecting my blog so much T_T have a good day!
Thank you for such a good post. I have recently started a blog and these tips are surely going to help me a lot. Although I have owned a blog previously, but it was a long time ago and I have probably forgotten some of things about the whole blogging etiquette.