Recently MommyQ has been asked a lot of questions about blogging. Why do it?  How do you do it? Do you make any money? Well, it depends…

Before you start blogging, whether it’s for money or fun, you must recognize that it takes up a lot of time. Even if you enjoy writing and can tackle your topics rather quickly, it’s not a super-speedy pastime.  A great way to start your blogging adventure is to decide why you’re blogging. Is it for fun or to make money? Your main goals will dictate how you proceed.

If you are blogging for fun, you have a lot of freedom. You can use a Wordpress or Blogspot url, find a template you like and just jump in. Be careful about how much personal info you share because once it’s out there, you can’t really take it back. Keep that in mind, especially if you are writing about your children and posting personal pictures.

If you want to make your blog profitable at some point, you might start by purchasing your own url. You can find one quickly and easily at places like GoDaddy. Eventually, a unique url will help you with your SEO, so you might as well start off that way.

I chose to have a template designed for my blog, after months of using a standard template. The Pixel Boutique created this fabulousness for me and really brought MommyQ to life.  Ms. ApronStringsAflutter took great care of me and walked me through every step of the process. She is detail-oriented and highly creative. On a good note for us beginners, her rates are very competitive. You can check out her portfolio here. She’s my new bloggy BFF!

There are opportunities to write for blog networks like Babble, BlogHer and Shine, as a freelance writer. If you are hired as a contributing writer, you do get paid. It’s nice to have an existing blog before you apply for these jobs, because they do expect to see writing samples published somewhere – your own blog certainly counts!

I hope this info helps!