You don’t have to be a journalist to be a blogger. As any blogger will tell you, blogging has its ups and downs. Some days you’ve got it, some days you don’t. The good thing about it is: it is yours. No one can tell you that what you write is wrong; however, many will disagree with your post(s) from time to time. a negative comment every now and then is to be expected. That is a good thing. Discussion is what a blog is all about. Getting started is the biggest hurdle. Once you start, it becomes an addiction. The more you write, the more you will want to write. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Forget about the money. Many people get into blogging thinking it is a quick way to make a buck. In fact, there are thousands of blogs that will tell you how…if you just send them a check for $19.99 plus shipping and handling. The fact is, you can make money with your blog, but not without readers. To get readers, you must have interesting content. Simply having 100 posts doesn’t do the trick. People have to want to read them. If your only motivation is making money with your blog, chances of your blog’s survival are pretty slim.
2. Don’t force it. If you are not feeling it, don’t do it. Forcing your mind to find inspiration will only lead to bad content. Just walk away and come back later.
3. Write, read, correct, re-read. You should always thoroughly re-read your post before publishing. The fastest way to lose readers is by continually publishing posts that are riddled with grammatical and spelling errors. No one is perfect. Remember, spell check doesn’t catch everything. Typing “form” when you meant “from” will not be caught by anything other than reading your post. Professional journalists have editors for a reason. There are a lot of bloggers out there who skip the revision process, and it shows. Incomplete thoughts and sentences will destroy your credibility.
4. Be clear. Leaving a thought open to interpretation is not always a good thing. All too often we as readers are forced to try to decipher a thought due to a lack of clarity. Remember, an idea that makes sense to you as you write it does not always read the same to your audience. One should always re-read content for clarity before publishing.
5. Don’t be a post-thief. Be original. I am sure you have heard someone say, “Plagiarism is the best form of flattery,” but it is not. Those who spend the time and effort to be original will ultimately be more successful. Any idiot can copy and paste. The proliferation of the internet makes it almost impossible to write something that someone else has not already written. There may be hundreds, perhaps thousands of posts on the very same subject as you are writing about. Don’t focus on finding something that no one has written about. Instead, offer you readers a unique perspective: yours!
6. Be passionate. If you are not passionate about what you are writing, your readers will know. If you are not passionate about writing it, how can you expect someone to be passionate about reading it?
7. **UPDATE** Include a picture. Adding a picture to your post greatly improves your chances of having it read by someone. Personally, if I am reading a blog, I am much more likely to read a post that includes a picture. It doesn’t really have to completely relate to the post. Now, I wouldn’t advise including a picture of a football player on a post about internet security, but I might include one of a guy in handcuffs. There are tons of websites out there that offer free stock photos. just download a free one (making sure it is not imposing on copyright laws) and include it.
8. Be inspired. If you can’t think of anything to write about, try googling it. Check the Trending Topics on twitter. Carry around a small notebook to write post ideas in as they come to you while on the run. If that doesn’t help, try one of the sites that I use to get inspiration:
   • TheFutureBuzz: 45 Blog Post Ideas That Always Generate Buzz
   • copyblogger: Are You Throwing Away Your Best Content Ideas?
   • webdesigner depot: How to Blog Effectively
   • ConversationAgent: 50 Content Ideas that Create Buzz
   • LifeSnips: 100 Ways To Find Ideas For Your Blog Posts
   • DailyBlogTips: 20 Tips for Coming Up with Fresh Ideas
   • Blogussion: 7 ways to find inspirations for your next blog post!
   • I Help You Blog: 101 Great Posting Ideas That Will Make Your Blog Sizzle
   • Thinking Home Business: Using Google Alerts for Blog Post Topic Inspiration
   • BlogBadly: Ten Easy Blog Post Ideas For When You’re Lazy
   • Chris Brogan: 100 Blog Topics I Hope YOU Write
   • Bit Rebels: How To: Get Rid of Writer’s Block
   • Bit Rebels: 10 Post Ideas To Give Your Blog A Boost
   • **UPDATE** HudsonHorizons.com: Five ways to decide what to blog about today
   • **UPDATE** ProBlogger.com: 52 Blog Tips to Kick Start Your Blog in 2010

I hope this post has helped you. If so, please leave a comment below. If you have something to add, please comment that as well. Maybe your view would make more sense to someone than mine.

Thanks for visiting, and happy blogging!