Blog Idea - WWYD?

[SAHRum]

I've had an idea for a blog, let's say, for arguments sake that it's a blog about plastic and the beauty of it in everyday objects. I research my idea and after getting very excited about the endless possibilities for weekly posts I discover a book all about plastic and the beauty of it in everyday objects. The book covers many areas that I had to planned to discuss along the way such as the manufacture of/history of/environmental impact of etc but does not feature every day contemporary items that I might feature on my blog i.e. here's a wonderful plastic stool that I discovered whilst visiting Heals nor forthcoming events such as plastics convention 2014 (I made that up obviously!). So there would be differences.

WWYD? Do I abandon my idea or do I go ahead with it?

TIA

[fcknits]

Put your own, unique spin on the topic and go for it!

If we all abandoned potential topics simply because someone else had written something on the same topic, well, for starters, no one would write any more books! (Except, possibly, cutting edge scientists who are busy trying to fill the periodic table with unstable elements that last for nanoseconds and entomologists who are still discovering new beetles...)

My 2nd blog is about webdev/coding. Do you know how many books, websites and blogs there are about coding and development...? Yup. Exactly.

Now stop doubting yourself. Your work will be original and unique because YOU are and it's YOUR viewpoint that you'll be blogging. :) x

[SAHRum]

great advice, thanks fcknits. I still have some thinking to do as I'm not entirely sure what my focus is going to be. I feel quite excited about it all, is that weird?

can I ask ... have your blogs transformed themselves over time? I suppose what I'm really asking is, is it normal for the first few months to be about finding your feet with things being less polished that you might ideally like?

[fcknits]

It is both normal and important to feel super buzzy about a new project - that initial rush of adrenaline will help you with all the hard grunt work, setting it up and blasting through the SEO and PR.

My 2nd blog is rather new and I haven't done much with it yet. My 1st blog is about knitting and crochet. It has evolved since I started it. I initially focused solely on knitting patterns - my own and other people's patterns.

However, I have since learnt to crochet and have decided to stop referencing other people's work to the same extent. After all, if people are stopping by MY blog then surely they are interested in MY work? ;) I have also widened my focus to include tangent topics, such as reviews (relevant to my topics) and crafts (incorporating my topics). So, yes, things have changed.

Initially, I wasn't as sure of where I was heading with my blog... but now I have a better handle on it and have a better focus and long-term plan.

Tbh, it still isn't as "polished" as I'd like. I've switched CMS from Blogger to WordPress and intend to refresh the design soon. I may reorganise the structure too. I've also started putting more effort into PR. (If that happens to you, the important thing to remember is: 301 redirects!! I'll need to update any links that I change, so I don't lose the benefit of previous spidering.)

Basically: yes, what you're asking is normal. Nobody is perfect. Keep trying and you will get there. Enjoy the journey and don't be upset if the road isn't straight. ;) x

[SAHRum]

oh thanks loads fcknits that helps bigtime. Have you thought of staring a 3rd blog on blogging mentoring?? Cripes you know your onions!

[fcknits]

Haha. Thanks for the compliment. I just know how to code/manage the backend of websites. I probably use too much jargon. Spidering is another word for indexing.

I'm busy with a site redesign just now, so I'll pass on the 3rd blog option! lol Trying to code something pretty with PHP to make it easier to switch styles/change content. Lazy people (i.e. like me) need lazy options. :)

[fcknits]

Oh, and I was referring to permanent redirect codes in the htaccess file. You know... if you change a file name from oldstuff.html to newstuff.html then you want to redirect search engines from oldstuff.html to newstuff.html instead of leaving searchers staring at a 404 page?

[SAHRum]

oh come now! you're just flirting with me with all this talk of htaccess and html PHP

can I pick your brains again? I'm having a crisis of confidence over images ... my blog idea doesn't fall into the online diary category so there wil be few if any pics that I've taken myself, I just wanted to copy and paste images from the web but it appears there are copyright issues. I've looked at loads of blogs and hardly any pictures are credited so how do others get round this problem?

[fcknits]

PM'd you. :)

[zanuda]

...hardly any pictures are credited...

I do not like when somebody use my images without a credit, so I don't do it myself.

There are several ways to deal with it:

1. Find something you like. Take camera and do something similar. In that case idea won't be original, but image will be 100% yours.
   
2. Find the author, contact him/her, they might be happy for you to use the image in exchange for indexed link.
   
3. There are still archives where you could get images for free, again in exchange for a link (you often get a code and image loads directly from their site).

[TiggyD]

My blog about childcare (tiggilog.blogspot.co.uk/ ) is hardly going into uncharted territory, but it's something I'm passionate about and know quite a lot about too. It's a way for me to put my opinions 'out there' without all the hassle of people disagreeing!
Giving it an original angle is necessary because of the quanity of the enemy other childcare blogs, so I'm trying to give it an insiders edge, with lots of things I've experienced over the decades. I'm also making it very me, with new and original spelling and attempts at humour.
If you really like plastic you probably really like talking about plastic, so do it. Does it matter greatly if nobody listens? Also, books are stuck in time. Blogs can update every day so try to be topical.

[zanuda]

Just found the article about using the photos, it might be useful: socialmediatoday.com/rachel-boothroyd/1254836/using-photos-social-media-uk-legal-pitfalls