This May it will mark three years since I started writing Mum of 3 Boys. In the beginning I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing to be honest with you. So the process of writing Mum of 3 Boys has been a learning curve for me and I have still so much to learn.
I often get asked to explain to people how they can start a blog so I try to explain the process to them. I started deciding on a name for my blog, I spent a lot of time goggling names of blogs to see if they already existed. I wanted something that reflected me too, at the time I had not long had Rowan my third son so it seemed right to call my blog Mum of 3 Boys! Since then I’ve had my daughter and even almost two years later I still get asked if I am changing my blog’s name, I actually don’t see the need to as essentially I am still a mum of 3 boys. I then decided to use Blogger as a platform for my blog and spent some time playing around with different layouts. In the early days I used a header and background that was free with Blogger. Then after about a year I made my own header using a photograph I had taken, which also fitted with my blog name.
I really didn’t know much about blogs when I first started, I wanted to keep a kind of online dairy of my life, the ups and the downs of having three sons. I had also tried my hand at a few book and DVD reviews for some parenting sites before and thought I could incorporate those as well. So deciding what you are going to blog about is an important thing to do. I had read a few blogs before I started Mum of 3 Boys but they were something relatively new. So I did a lot of reading about the subject and then it was a case of trail and error until I found things that worked for me, such as plug ins.
To start with I didn’t have a Facebook page or twitter account for Mum of 3 Boys and at the time google + wasn’t around either so I simply posted on Mum of 3 Boys and hoped that people would read what I was posting. As time went on I discovered Tots100 and Brit Mums who both had a wealth of information as well as forums where you could ask advice and talk with other bloggers. I have to say I was welcomed with open arms and was so pleased to feel part of a community. I started chatting to another blogger who started around the same time as I did and we struck up a friendship which is still going strong today. Together we helped each other if we had problems which really helped. I then discovered Twitter and set up an account along with a facebook page. As google + and pinterest have come along I have also joined them and combined these social media platforms have not only helped Mum of 3 Boys reach a wider audience they have helped me learn and interact with my readers as well as companies and brands. There are companies out there that can help you set up a blog and even help run your social media for you, there are media buying agencies in London that specialise in this and can be found on Twitter.
I put my heart and soul into writing Mum of 3 Boys, in some ways its like another child that I am nurturing and it grows and develops along with myself and the family. So what next? well for a while now I have been thinking about making the leap to self hosted. It’s something that myself and dad of 3 are looking into as I wanted to make sure I get it right. I am hoping to attend Britmums live again this year and attend the talks and sessions there. I will carry on writing about family life, the activities we do. I will still undertake reviews and run giveaways, through project 365 I am developing my photography skills and my blogging skills. I hope you will come along on our ever evolving journey.
This post was brought to you by Total Media however the content of this post is 100% my own
Well done for approaching your 3 year blogiversary! So many blogs fail after the first year, or lose direction a bit… so it’s lovely to hear you are still going strong and enjoying it :)) x
thank you 🙂 I can’t believe I’m approaching 3 years myself and still feel I’ve so much to learn xx