Ask LBS: How Do I Start A Blog? 5 Easy Steps

It's the last day of January everyone! Yes, we're officially one month into 2012. Raise your hand if you haven't given up on your New Year's Resolutions yet! Mmhmm...thought so.

So at the beginning of the year, I received quite a few emails from readers who were empowered this new year to start blogs. First of all, I'm so incredibly excited to hear that many of you are embarking on the blog journey in 2012. It's an awesome one. Not easy and not for everyone, but if you do it right, you'll love it. So here are my top 5 tips for starting a blog...

1. Start with a passion.

Finding your niche and sticking to it is one of the absolute best things you can do when starting a blog. I mentioned this one in my Ask LBS: How Do I Get My Blog Noticed post. Considering how congested it is on the internet these days, the only way to attract new followers is to somehow be different. Express your true passions and not only will you love it, but the people who read your site will come to love it as well.

2. Find others + connect.

Me & blogger friends at FNO 2011 (read post here)

The amazing thing about blogging is that you don't have to go it alone. In fact, making friends and connecting with people who have similar interests can help put your blog over the edge. Poll any successful blogger, and you'll undoubtedly find that a large source of their incoming traffic comes from...gasp...other websites! Digital friends are some of the greatest assets you can have. They'll promote your site for you, attend events with you, and even snap pics for you. So don't be shy, get social. Literally. Use social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr and more to meet new people who share interests similar to yours. You might have a broad interest like fashion, for example. But is there something specific you can drill down to? If you're true love is indie fashion under $50, that's much more specific and there are groups and communities dedicated to finding others just like you.

3. Choose the right host.

So this is the big question plaguing the blogosphere. Which blog host is best? Honestly, there are blogs hosted on Blogger that do equally as well as ones hosted on Wordpress, that do equally as well as ones hosted on Tumblr...and I can go on and on. Use whichever host suits your needs! If your primary concern is monetization of your site, you might consider Wordpress and Blogger hosting better for you. If you just want to express yourself creatively, Tumblr might work best for you. If you're better in front of the camera, consider a YouTube channel. Evaluate the pros & cons of each, then go with the flow!

4. Get the right tools.

Source: MyDamnBlog

If you're a foodie and you're creating a blog about your adventures sipping cappuccinos and trying the latest prime rib in your city, you might want to invest in an amazing camera to document your food journey. If your blog focuses on interviewing really cool people, you might need to have a tape recorder in your arsenal. Think long and hard about the type of content you plan to post, and what tools you'll need to make that content as engaging as possible.

5. Just Do It!

Source: I Have A Degree In This

Don't delay or wait for "just the right timing". Unless your blog is based around a product launch or a huge event, do it now! There are people out there waiting to hear what you have to say. Live, blog and be merry.

So there you have it! My top five recommendations for starting a new blog. Anything to add? Share with the group in the comments section!

Ask LBS: White Lace Dresses

A recent wardrobe query came through my inbox that I thought would be helpful for those of you attending events this summer like summer cocktails, weddings and the like. The white trend is big this season, and lace is always a huge hit. 

Ask LBS: What Is NYLean All About?

So if you follow me on Twitter you've probably seen me incessantly tweeting at a man named Rob Brace aka @NYLean25. He's actually the creator of a new fitness program I've taken on for the month of April.

If these abs aren't convincing enough, please read on...

Ask LBS: Turning Hobbies into Hustles

So lately I've been receiving a ton of questions from lovely readers like yourselves. Just a disclaimer, I'm not an expert in anything (yet) but I'm learning as I go along in this life. With that said, I'll be answering all the questions I get to the best of my ability. I even started a Formspring - Ask LoveBrownSugar - for Q&A! In the meantime, here's an interesting question I received recently...

Reader Lish asked,

“I do have a question for you. I am slightly addicted to shopping and in this day and age everyone has small "hustles" here and there. In what way can I make my shopping and love for fashion and style into something that could become lucrative?” 

With the pocket-draining holidays coming up, I’m imagining many of us will be in search of some lucrative side hustles once the new year begins. You know those inevitable New Year’s resolutions like: “I resolve to save money” or “I resolve to tap into my inner talents” etc. Here’s where the side hustles come in. In this day and age, it’s important to have your eggs in more than one basket. With unemployment running rampant and  layoffs happening everyday, it’s always a plus to diversify your portfolio and find ways to turn something you love into something that loves you back, monetary-wise.

Here are 5 different personality types, and ways to easily turn things you love into lucrative side jobs with little time and without sacrificing too much effort (or money)...

The Photographer

Nikole, MoptopMaven

Got your hands on a DSLR? The door is wide open for opportunity. If you've always loved photography and you finally got your hands on a professional camera, or if you've been technically trained but never had a chance to explore options - you can do it. Start off small with family events and private parties. Eventually, with a little word of mouth and an impressive portfolio, you can expand your scope and start up a small side job. The important thing is that you tap into people in your immediate network and branch out from there. For example, new families are always looking for photos. Find out who, in your immediate network, just had a baby and get to clicking! By this time next year you could be the go-to photog for holiday portraits.

Bonus Tip: If you have the ability, camp out outside of the tents at Fashion Week! Score contact info from a top editor you snapped a shot of, and you're golden.

The Stylist

Celebrity Stylist, June Ambrose

 “Girl, where do you find this stuff?”, “You have such great style!”. “You need to take me shopping.” – any of these phrases sound familiar? You must be the stylista of the crew. Ever have people stop you on the street and ask about your clothes, or friends who always ask you to take them shopping? Take them up on the offer! With a simple website and an inviting Craigslist ad, you too can have a budding personal stylist business going in your area. Start off doing it for friends, take lots of pictures and get testimonials from all your buddies on how great you took care of them. Once you have that, spend a little time developing a professional-looking site and you’ve got yourself a small business doing what you're already good at.

The Writer

Carrie Bradshaw, Sex & The City

You majored in journalism and/or communications and deep down inside, that’s your true passion. What are you waiting for? The amazing thing about this new digitally-driven world is that absolutely anybody with a little dedication and beginners tech-savvy can get their name out there and make an impression. How do you think LoveBrownSugar was born? There are amazing outlets for you to personally express what you feel is important via an online journal like a blog or even websites especially designed for guest posts like the Examiner. Don't be shy. Pitch ideas to publications you love, go to networking events in your area and intropduce yourself to industry folk, and just have fun exploring ways you can make your writing lucrative. Hell, write a book! I plan to one of these days...

The Social Butterfly

Left: Genevieve Jones, NY Socialite (kissing Damon Dash)

 You’ve always been amazing at making new friends. When you speak, people listen. They trust you. So what are you doing with a rolodex full of contacts and the know-how and savvy to sell just about anything to anyone? Freelance PR, that’s what!  Though public relations is overly glamorized in the eyes of today’s public (especially with TV characters like Samantha of Sex & The City representing the bunch) PR isn’t as hard to break into as people assume, especially if you’re doing it on a small scale. Let’s make this clear, you won’t be going from representing your little sister to representing Janet Jackson overnight. It just won’t happen. What you can do though, while you’re working on Janet, is represent small clients, from family and friends starting up small businesses or launching new public careers, or local talent that might need help. Again, Craigslist is your friend. You'd be surprised what launching a Twitter or Facebook accounts for someone can do.Educate yourself at sites like PRWeek and MediaBistro before you dive in head first!

The Fitness Guru

Celebrity Trainer, Jeanette Jenkins

You go to the gym religiously 5 times a week. You can run 5 miles in 15 minutes flat. Ansd you’re the friend that everyone wants to look like. “Girl, I wish I had calves like yours,"or "How do you get your arms so lean?”. If you have a knack for fitness, there is no reason at all you shouldn’t be getting paid for it. Though many private gyms don't allow personal training sessions outside of the professional training sessions they offer, there are no limitations on offering personal fitness consultations in-home, over the phone or online. With the holiday season coming to a close and the New Year upon us, you can bet you'll have plenty of potential clients come January 1st.

So Lish, here's my long exhaustive response to your question. What do you guys think? Any side hustles I forgot to include? Comment below - help a sister out!