How To Start a Blog
I didn’t have sex for the first time until I was 22 years old. Originally from Illinois, I grew up Southern Baptist in rural Mississippi. I was gonna hold off on genital play until I got married. Needless to say, that didn’t happen. Wanna know what changed my mind? Unfortunately — yet thankfully — you’ll have to wait for the book. ;) I’m submitting a piece about sex & religion to an upcoming anthology. If my piece is accepted and published, everything will be laid out in detail there. In the meantime, I’ll say this: my repressions encouraged me to be more open and honest about my adult sexuality. I didn’t get to discuss it (or do it) when I was younger, so I wanna talk about it and engage in public discourse now. I have nothing but love for people like Zane, Dan Savage, Violet Blue, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Elizabeth Wood, Abiola Abrams and others who actively affirm that there’s nothing “bad” or “fluffy” about sex, dating and relationships writing. That brings me to this blog.
As most of you know, FUNKYBROWNCHICK is about my life and my dates in New York City. Why the moniker FUNKYBROWNCHICK? I’m quirky / funky, and I’m ok with that. Whether the nom de jour for my ethnicity is black, colored, African American or whatever, I’m always gonna have brown skin. And, of course, I’m a chick. Hence, FUNKYBROWNCHICK. The blog has “me” all over it. Now, because I’ve received the “How do I start a blog?” question from more than one reader, here’s my humble bit o’ advice:
(1) Pick a really specific topic that defines you and excites you. Men really turn me on. I love sticking my bucket in the intellectual well of literature on relationships and dating. I could write about that stuff for days. (And, I do. Online and in print. In fact, the blog you’re reading now contains more than 551 original blog posts and 6,898 kiss-worthy feedback comments … I LOVE MY READERS!!) I don’t write about knitting on FUNKYBROWNCHICK because it’s not something that interests me. But, two dudes named Gerard & Craig like to knit. So, they have a knitting blog called “I Knit”. Likewise, Kathryn Finney loves fashion; she writes about it on the highly-successful Budget Fashionista. Celebrity hater/fan Perez Hilton writes about, you guessed it, celebrities. You get the point: don’t copy anyone else’s voice. Discover your own. Find the passions that define you. Write about them.
(2) Start blogging. The easiest way to start a blog is to sign up with a free service like Blogger. They have great “how to” guides that explain what blogging is and how to do it successfully. And, of course, Darren Rowse’s site, problogger.net, is a must-read for anyone who wants to be a better blogger. I’ve read him for years. I finally met him in person in Austin last week, and he’s GREAT! His posts like Blogging Tips for Beginners, How to Write Your “About Me” Page, and What is a Blog? are extremely user-friendly and helpful.
So, there you have it. Now, for those of you who already have blogs, tell us where we can find you online. If you don’t have a site, point us to some of your favorites. (I’ve done this once before, and I loved the great new websites I discovered in the comments section. :)
March 18th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Free Jumping in Rio helps clear the cobwebs.
Love your Blog though don’t visit as often as I should
March 18th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Another thing to point out is that blogging opens all kinds of communication channels thus presenting you with opportunities you wouldn’t have had otherwise.
I’ve got all kinds of projects in my pipeline and I’ve only been live since December.
My main blog is http://www.baserinstincts.com.
March 18th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Whoops!
Here’s the link
http://terrystravelandthoughts.blogspot.com/
March 18th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Hey, great advice. I started my first daily blog about various social topics last week, and absolutely nobody looks at it. I wonder, how long do you keep posting until people finally start paying attention and commenting?
I do also post my stuff on Craigslist discussions and get plenty of feedback, which is sometimes nice.
Oh and FBC, I did that post about the wives behind fallen politicians. =)
March 18th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
And all this time I thought I was supposed to just make up dumb stuff on my blog. Thanks for straightening me out!
March 19th, 2008 at 6:11 am
@ Terry: Love love LOVE the photos!!! I’ve never done the whole jumping / sky diving stuff, but I hope to one day.
@ Desiree: Man, stick “NSFW” next to that link! :) I clicked it and screamed: NIPPLE SHOT?? I was totally unprepared!!! :) And, yeah, I totally agree … blogging TOTALLY opens up new ways of communicating with people.
@ AkA “Paul”: Just read your post about the wive. Great commentary! :)
@ Baba Doodlius: No prob; that’s what I’m here for! FUNKYBROWNCHICK.com Straightening asses out quicker than Alec Baldwin can say, “you are a rude, thoughtless little pig.”
March 19th, 2008 at 10:59 am
What I love about blogs are the people you can “meet” through them. There are a lot of funny, smart, truth-bomb-droppin’ people out there that I adore and read every day.
And I know, I need to come by here more often, too!
you can read my jaded crap at http://www.thejadednyer.net
(and thanks for the problogger link)
March 19th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Thanks for the support! =)
March 19th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
@ The Jaded NYer: Thanks for the link! :) And, yeah, if you check out Darren’s site (problogger), tell him funkybrownchick said hi. Finally met him in person recently; he’s quite possibly one of the sweetest people in all of Australia!
@ AkA “Paul”: No prob, babes! :)
March 20th, 2008 at 12:31 am
Hey thanks for the advice!!! Check out my blog
link:
http://www.honeydevereaux.blogspot.com
March 20th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Question:
Is it advisable to post every single day? Or, for example, I did a post I feel is particularly interesting and I want to give an extra day for people to read. Just wondering if it makes a difference?
March 20th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
it is a wonderful thing that you do….. and by posting each
day,you connect in ways that too cool to stop…. and in the mean time….. you grow in the quest for one’s self…
everyone should fine the time to connect…. for just imagine what could be done with a venue like this…..
lamesabassman……. boogie on…. Reggae Woman….
March 21st, 2008 at 7:05 am
@ Ms. Devereaux: Glad you like the tips. Just checked out your blog. LOVE the brown background. :)
@ AkA “Paul”: I’d say quality is more important than quantity. Only post when you actually have something to say. If it’s every day, great. If not, that’s also great. That said, sticking to a schedule is probably a good idea because most folks are creatures of routine. If you don’t wanna do every day, maybe Monday, Wednesday and Friday? FUNKYBROWNCHICK.com is, for the most part, a daily, Monday – Friday blog. But, if you scan my archives, you’ll see that I sometimes randomly miss a weekday because I had nothing to say and/or I was too busy. And, sometimes, I’ll have a blogworthy thought on Saturday or Sunday. The only rule is that you’ll probably break every rule you make for yourself.
@ lamesabassman: THANKS!!! :
March 21st, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Makes perfect sense to me.
I can’t really imagine running out of stuff to write, but that’s probably because I’m a newbie blogger.
I’ll definitely take your advice and try to keep a laid back, even pace.
Thanks again =)
March 22nd, 2008 at 2:42 am
No prob! :)
March 22nd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I started my blog almost two years ago to chronicle my move to Seattle and breakup with a major boyfriend. A year later it’s been rededicated to my plan to travel internationally at the end of the year…and all assorted detritus that accompanies my life in the Emerald City. Not updated as often as I’d like – but it’s my space, and I love it :-)
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:42 am
Hey Lady–
Congrats on your blog’s success! And thanks for these tips :-)!
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:43 am
You have one of the funniest blogs around.
March 23rd, 2008 at 7:11 pm
@ Rosie: That’s great!!! I love it that you refocused it into something positive. And, I love travel stories! Looking forward to hearing about yours.
@ Rochelle: Awww, THANKS!!! :)
March 30th, 2008 at 3:09 am
FBC – I love your blog. I just discovered it. I will be back.
March 30th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Welcome to the blog!!! :) Glad you like it; and hope to see you around these parts again … and again. :)
October 21st, 2008 at 8:10 pm
hy, Check out the pics of my new emo hair style
at http://tinyurl.com/59ps64
September 10th, 2009 at 9:30 am
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R.
September 10th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
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September 11th, 2009 at 11:45 am
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September 23rd, 2009 at 11:22 am
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