Frustrations of an Amateur Blogger
28. Jun, 2010 
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Hi, I’m a blogger…not a professional blogger but not a hobby blogger, either. I’m in that in-between phase like many others trying to break the barrier and make a different in the world by sharing the experiences I have with others looking for answers.
Answers to what you may be wondering? Questions that others have about walking a similar path that I’ve already ventured down. What makes me special? Nothing, I just made the decision to share some of the more difficult challenges with the world other than sit idly behind and not have my own say.
I blog about different things such as:
- Mental Health and Managing Relationships Involving Bipolar Disorder
- Data Integration Between Differing Applications and Databases
- My Journey on Becoming a Professional Blogger
At one point, I was blogging about Ten-Pin Bowling, which I may start up again soon as I’m getting involved in the sport again.
The frustrations come with different flavors including attempting to find like-minded souls that are willing to interact and discuss those topics that I blog about, coming up with useful and valuable information that my readers feel comfortable with and interacting over and if it does come to making the move to professional blogging, developing the right products that people will trust is good enough to purchase from me.
One of the many realities is having to deal with the potential of failing in your passion to spread your message. Not because there aren’t enough people out there that can offer a viable connection, but finding the confidence and affirmation that you can indeed be successful in your blogging endeavors. Blogging does not come with a crystal ball or a guarantee that people will find you or even like what you have to say.
The Harsh Reality of Blogging
Just because you open yourself up, does not mean everybody wants to listen. Or….as much intent as you put into reaching out to others, they don’t always reach back. One thing to keep in mind is that this is normal, especially when starting out. In my case, I’ve been blogging for a number of years, but I’ve rebooted my site so many times and splintered off my interests to other blogs, it’s difficult to maintain a loyal following…lesson learned.
Commenting on blogs, I find anyway, is similar to being that shy or anxious kid in class that really wants to ask a question or offer some input, but nobody else has done it first, so the question goes unasked. Same deal with the commenting aspect, if posts are sitting there without much interaction and zero comments, the blog appears ‘dead’ or uninteresting. Sure, there are ways to get that ball rolling, but this is another aspect of treating your blog like a business. This particular blog @ Rich Wallace dot net is more of my own sounding board and soap box more to get my own thoughts out, so I’m not expecting much in the way of community here, but the occasional “Hello” is cool.
When starting out, expectations may run high because if you are taking notice on how some of the big players are living life as a professional blogger, you fall into the pie-in-the-sky trap. Writing may come easy to you, the thought of writing online and reaching millions may *seem* easy, but keep in mind that some of the pros have been in the game well before the term “blog” was first muttered.
You can find the occasional ‘overnight success’ blogs, but the odds of being graced with such a wave of the wand of luck is few and extremely far between. The key is to keep at it, if not because you truly enjoy blogging and believe in your message, but also to reach out a bit further and stop being afraid of rejection or failure.
It happens to us all…
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