Melinda Means

By Melinda Means, Writer/Speaker
Guest Columnist
www.parentingconfessions.com

Writing has always come naturally to me. But I must confess… blogging had me spooked. I’d hear about it at writing conferences. All my cool friends were doing it. But I resisted: What would I write about? Will it eat up all my time? What if my heartfelt ramblings simply languish in the vast world of cyberspace?

Eventually, I realized that as a writer, I was my business. I was the product that needed exposure if I was going to build an audience and platform. I finally got bitten by the blogging bug and launched “Coming Clean: Confessions of an Imperfect Parent.” I admit it.

There were challenges…

I needed an identity.

I knew who I was personally … wife, mother of two, ages 12 and 9, friend, baseball fan, Bible Study leader.

• But who was I as a writer?
• What was my brand?
• What made me most passionate?
• Where did my writing seem to produce the most success?

Answer: Children and family issues. I really liked to write humor, too. Heaven knows I’d never run out of material. I was on the right track.

I needed a message.

But I was no parenting expert. I had no Ph.D. behind my name. Ironically, that became my message. God taught me a great deal through my mistakes and experiences. Why waste the pain?!

I brainstormed with some creative friends and the “Confessions” tagline was born. My blog needed something more visual, though. I typed “confess” into the Microsoft Word Thesaurus. One of the synonyms was “coming clean.” Immediately, I could picture a whole host of eye-catching, engaging illustrations. Voila!

I needed help.

The blogosphere was a strange, unknown land to me. I’d taken Laura’s blogging workshop at the recent Florida Christian Writers’ Conference, so I bought her book and emailed her with a few questions. Blogophobia Conquered was a wealth of information that helped me learn the elements of blogging success and the pitfalls to avoid.

I knew I needed technical/design help too. I sketched some visuals and studied blogs I really liked. I decided to keep my categories basic because I didn’t like clutter. I showed my ideas to a Web designer. Together, we produced a final product that matched my personality, message and vision.

I needed to market.

Once I was launched, I posted the link on my Facebook page (another great web presence) and sent it to family and friends on my email list. I registered with the search engines and sent personal emails to work contacts as a means of networking. The first week, my site registered over 300 hits. Not a bad start.

How ‘bout you? Why not get started? You never know what your journey might reveal.