Good morning and welcome back to our Wise Words Wednesday where we invite bloggers to take to the hotseat and share their blogging journey with you. Today we have the lovely Christy in the hotseat and she is super busy with a blog, a gaming site and her business site all going.
I have found this series has been a great way for me to discover new blogs and I find each journey a great insight into how bloggers are all different in their approach to blogging, there really is no right or wrong when it comes to blogging. Just do what works for you!
Time to hand over to Christy.
Tell us a little bit about you & your blog:
Hi, I’m Christy and I blog at Welsh Mum of One (https://www.welshmum.co.uk). I started my parenting blog after the birth of my son last year as a way to share my thoughts and experiences with others whilst on maternity leave. Now I write about all aspects of pregnancy and newborns, as well as family life – and how to adjust to it.
I’m also the Editor for a local gaming and technology group (www.welshgaming.co.uk) and my husband and I own an exotic pet shop (which is every bit as crazy as it sounds), over at Reptile Cymru (www.reptilecymru.co.uk). If you can’t tell from those names, I live in Wales, where I live with my husband and 13-month-old son, three cats, a dog and around 20 snakes. Told you I was a bit weird!
What inspired you to start blogging?
I was using discussion groups and people were always asking questions and then sharing their experiences, but I felt they moved too quickly for me. I wanted somewhere I could write down all my thoughts and what I’ve learned and have it available for others to read whether a day or a year later. Blogging seemed to fit exactly what I wanted. I’ve been inspired to keep going by all the people I know have read my posts along the way and have found my experiences helpful.
What has been your highlight of blogging?
The highlight for blogging for me was a comment I received from someone who was suffering from postnatal anxiety and depression – something I suffer from and have talked about, who said that she had felt very alone until she found a post I’d written through a tweet from me that a friend had retweeted. That chance tweet connected her to other people who were struggling and just reaching that one person and knowing it made a difference was amazing. I love the way that social media allows us to connect with people around the world we wouldn’t usually meet.
Is there anything you have learnt about blogging which you wish you knew when you started out?
I have learned so much about blogging along the way. I wish I’d known about SEO and the importance of keywords when I was starting out, as well as how much work goes into social media promotion so that you can reach people. There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes and I feel like I learn new things every day – which is part of what makes it fun!
Bloggers sometimes get a lot of stick however many work really hard and are reaping the rewards, what has been the most rewarding part of blogging for you?
I don’t make much money from my blog at the moment, although I do make some. It has been nice to have a financial reward, as well as reviewing some fun products and going to days out that I wouldn’t have otherwise gone to. On the whole though, the most rewarding thing for me is simply connecting with other people that I never would have met otherwise – both readers and other bloggers. When I started blogging, I had post-natal depression and was feeling very isolated, the fact that blogging helps me with that is really the best reward. Of course, if I could earn a full time wage from writing that would be living the dream as it would allow me to stay home with my son and be flexible for my family!
What would be your 1 tip you would give all new bloggers starting out?
Go self-hosted from the start and get a domain name from day 1. Work on your SEO and domain authority early and it will help you get ahead when you decide to start earning some money. Aside from that, be yourself and don’t be afraid to share your thoughts and be honest.
Who do you find inspiring to read/watch in the blogging world?
Aby Moore from You Baby Me Mummy helped me to believe that I can make a living from my blog, Brummy Mummy of 2 makes me laugh and reminds me that it’s important to keep it real and be honest, and a local blogger called Cardiff Mummy Says has helped me so much to find fun things to do with my son. But those are just a small amount of blogs that I read as there are thousands of amazing bloggers out there and I often enjoy just clicking on Tweets and reading posts from new people.
Lastly – do you have any big plans/dreams for your blog in the next 12 months?
In the next 12 months I plan to go a bit more travel focused with my blog. We loved traveling before the birth and it’s not something we’ve been able to do as much. We’ve got some exciting trips in the works for the future and I’m looking forward to sharing that with people.
