So I quit my job.  And decided to be a freelance writer.  Teachers have always told me I had a talent for creative writing, so I figured with all the resources of the internet out there, it should be easy for the world to realize my greatness.  Within weeks, I knew I would be raking in millions from advertising.  Who knows, publishing companies might discover me and make me famous.  My words would reach millions.

Yeah, right.  I've learned a lot about blogging in the last few days, and probably the most important is....it takes work! Hard work!  Making a living from blogging is like making a living at pretty much anything else- you have to put effort into it.  Just creating clever, intelligent, witty posts or articles won't bring you fame and acclaim.  You need to blog smart, and market yourself.

1.  Blogging smart- Do people want to read your blog?  Is it informative? Humorous? Easy to read without a great deal of clutter, popups, distracting graphics, and loud music?  I confess, I totally got this wrong.  My blog was pretty much a personal expose, and it took some tough criticism from friends to realize I was going at it all wrong.
   -People want to relate to you.  If every post is about you, your boyfriend, your manicure....they'll quickly navigate away.  It's okay to talk about yourself, but choose your words carefully so others can see themselves in you.

Bad Example: OMG My mean boss just fired me.  It was like so not my fault.  Now what am I going to do?

Better Example: I should have seen it coming: ways to tell your boss is about to let you go

The second way takes my experience and tries to make it relevant to others.  Maybe they can even learn something from my mistakes.