Quite a few people ask me this question, and sometimes I ask myself too! I remember when I first came across a blog, it hit me that it was a really exciting way to reach out to an audience in an interactive way. When I considered starting my own blog it was for a variety of reasons. Initially I was looking for a way to promote my craft work for sale, so that I could fund my new rural based life. I wanted to find a way to earn an income so I could work from home and the internet offered a global audience to a farm down a lane in Co Leitrim! After a while I realised I was thoroughly enjoying writing and the photography. The contacts I made with readers and other bloggers was very fulfilling, true friendships were forged. A few months into my first craft blog my subject matter was increasingly about life on our smallholding, it was what I wrote passionately about, and so I started up this blog to purely focus on sustainable living. Since finding my niche I haven't looked back and doors began to open. Soon after the launch of Sallygardens Smallholding blog it became evident that there was a huge interest in our type of lifestyle, with many people hungry for more practical information. This, in turn, lead to the launch of a range of courses on various aspects of smallholding ... pig rearing and goat keeping, with vegetable gardening and possibly a poultry course to follow soon. I also run felting courses, thus getting my necessary fix of crafting.
Before I started blogging I had no previous experience of this phenomenon. If you can write and send an email, you can manage a blog, it really is simple to get up and running. There are free blogging platforms such as Wordpress, and others with an annual fee such as Typepad (favoured by professionals), which is what I use (see the link on the left for free 2 week trial). The only downside is that you may be totally sucked into a virtual world ... I set myself an hour each weekday night and try not to go to blogland other than that, otherwise you can get lost in there for weeks on end!
Recently I got through the first round of judging in the Irish Blog Awards which was a huge boost to my 'on-line' confidence. As a consequence, I was contacted by TaraIT (a web development firm in Cork that do blog consultation) who graciously offered me a blog consultation free of charge in return for a mention. As I'm the opposite of a blog expert I jumped at the opportunity. I answered a questionnaire and received back a list of recommendations which I'm working through, alongside a blog guide they sent me. Its quite a lot of hard work on my part but I hope to see some positive results over the coming months. You may notice some tweeks in design, but there will be other changes behind the scenes. I might even ask you, the readers, some questions to find out what topics you'd like to see more of. For a professional who is setting out in the world of blogging, and is hoping to seriously raise their company profile, the route of blog consultation might be a worthwhile consideration as it saves an awful lot of time and legwork on the learning curve.
Why not start up your own blog on a subject you are passionate about? Beansprouts, one of my favourite bloggers, recently challenged her readers to do so... 23 of them took her up on it. If you do too, be sure to let me know.
Yo bro n pro (blogger)!
I've looked between the lines of Being Creative and there's a certain abscence I'm starting to feel. Somewhere between Eloise O'Hare and Felting in Fibrespace...
Do you wonder whether letting on that you are a professional blogger may alienate your homecrowd or are you aiming for a vast new audience?!
I'm watching Hugh Fearnley putting dead chickens in a wheelie bin as we speak. Maybe he's going to ferment them into some kind of cider.
I'm glad we're in a "bird flu" lull and the chicken house we built is back in action. How's about posting the whole song up on one of your blogs? We need all the exposure we can get now there's an album in the oven.
Needing some of that new pig action to make me feel like a whole human being sooon.
Yer Uncan Dunc
Posted by: UncanDuncan | March 23, 2008 at 08:56 PM
can I add your blog to my blog list on my site? your blog is lots of fun to read
Posted by: teaching handwork mom | March 24, 2008 at 01:58 AM
Hello, cant believe it.. found your blog by mistake my old schoolhouse is in leitrim, please feel free to come by and have a look, thanks Angie
Posted by: the old schoolhouse | March 24, 2008 at 09:22 PM
Hi, I was pointed to your blog by my sister in the Old Schoolhouse, Aughawillan, I also have a cottage in Leitrim, and a blog, and a dream for sustainable life there. Small world eh? ...Pam
Posted by: white o'morn cottage | March 24, 2008 at 09:44 PM
I so want to be you when I grow up. :)
Posted by: Ellen-Maël | May 28, 2008 at 04:18 AM
god resource Continue also
Posted by: LexReesepek | December 20, 2008 at 01:53 AM
Your story is amazing, Sally. It's one of the most inspiring blogging stories I've read on the internet. Do you have any plans on putting up your own website? Its design should reflect you and your business. I actually like your niche -- livestock. I take interest in growing my own vegetables, and I love country living. I'm planning to ask my cousin from Cincinnati to help me next season.
Posted by: Loren Arnolds | February 22, 2011 at 06:49 AM