From The Journal

Sometimes in our journey as a blogger, we can feel like we’re alone. It seems like we’re not really blogging to anyone. It’s very similar to working alone – running a blog can make you feel isolated and the support of a team can really be missed. Especially when there’s always so much to do.

A key to becoming a successful blogger isn’t down to pageviews or even what you actually blog about. What’s really important is the supportive network of family and friends that you have around you – like-minded people. These are the people that will bring out the best in you, that will help you grow, develop and learn more about blogging and about yourself as a person. They’ll be there to give you advice, share your journey, act as a cushion for when you’re having a tough time, and to celebrate with when things are going well.

But if you’re anything like me, it can be really difficult to find this support, especially when reaching out doesn’t come naturally to you. So that’s what I wanted to help you with today.

What you’ve got to realise, and what took me a long time to realise, is that you’ve got to reach out if you want to find this support. It won’t come and find you. You’ve got to seek it yourself. You’ve got to be active. You’ve got to make the effort. For me, there are two key characteristics we need as bloggers that play a crucial part in helping us find this support: honesty and friendliness. 

Don’t be afraid to reach out, whether it be a tweet, comment or email. You might not realise it, but commenting on someone’s blog every time they publish a post is creating a relationship with them, and you’ve no idea how much that could grow, or the opportunities you could get from it. What’s the worst that could happen? 

Finding support online means putting yourself out there. It’s scary, but here’s what I’ve learnt to help make the process a little easier.