For those of you interested in blogging, the venture can be a mysterious, weird process. You may go to a site like Blogger, Wordpress or Typepad, go through the motions of setting up – and now what?

And now that you have your blog about [subject to be inserted later], you are at a loss for (written) words.

How can you make your voice heard in the chattering mass of the blogosphere?

What can you do (besides write good posts)? Well, it depends on what you want to talk to about. Everyone talks about niches, personal brands, the essence of what your blog should be about – it gets overwhelming.

So, in any event, you need a niche, but you don’t know how to figure that out. That’s OK, we all had to start somewhere.

Start a blog. Fall in love.

In order to enjoy blogging, you need to fall in love with your subject. And no, not the honeymoon love where there are no flaws and everything is perfect. 

When you do choose a subject, you have to be willing to uncover its secrets, its flaws, its inconsistencies and its hypocrisies. The unappealing, sees-you-first-in-the-morning reality that takes your blog to a new depth is what gives it pop.

Don’t be afraid to uncover its ugliness – it gives your blog credibility (as well as relevancy).

It may be awkward at first, but you’ll get better as time goes on.

And, no, you may not blog about your pet bunny. Unless your bunny does something really interesting. And you’re in love with it.

So, we’ve narrowly covered what your niche should be and eased your fears about what a blog could be about.

Maybe.

Randomness – the godsend of unexpected ideas

It’s fine to be a little random in your blog, but not quite so at the beginning – but keep it intriguing. 

An example of randomness can range from something seemingly off-topic from your niche or discovering an edgy idea and applying it to your blog.

It’s alright if you switch topics or ideas throughout the life of your blog – expect it.

Blogging and your virtual community. 

A blog should reflect you.

Unlike getting a book deal, or publishing in other print media, the way in which you edit and revise your ideas is much more transparent. 

You change your mind, tweak your opinions and engage your audience in a much more interesting way with a blog than you ever could with a book.

However, stick true to your (well-researched) opinions and don’t become wish washy.

Whatever your blog is about, make sure you can have enough content to keep the blog going. Be specific enough to attract your intended audience but make it accessible enough to capture attention of new readers.

Do you want to talk to farmers, lawyers, doctors, Gen-Yers, baby boomers, Stay-at-home moms, Working Mothers, Stay-at-home Dads, college girls who want to become fetish models?

Look at your surroundings.

The initial conversation is in your head

Blogging is just as much about a dialogue with yourself as it is with others.

In other words, the reason why blogs are considered to be about conversation is because they offer a sense of immediacy. If someone (dis)likes what you say, they can engage you (or not read your blog anymore, but let’s stay positive).

Pick one. Any subject. Don’t know where to start with that either? Who do you like talking to? What kind of friends do you have? What kinds of stuff do you like to do? What kind books and magazines do you read?

If you can’t answer any of the above questions or have nothing in which to draw inspiration, you probably have no business trying to create a blog and should spend more time developing a social life instead.