THE RETIRING BLOGGER:
The heading RETIRING BLOGGER can have two meanings.
It can mean someone who has retired from writing blogs, or it can refer to some one who has retired from work and taken up blogging.
(It could also mean a slightly shy blogger)!
There will be many examples of both with their own personal reasons.
It shows what a diverse occupation blogging can be, as it offers a chance to write on a variety of topics and potentially earn some money.
Let`s look at Jill who has retired from blogging.
HISTORY OF BLOGGING:
Jill became interested in blogging back in 2000.
No one had heard of it back then and few knew what this strange word meant.
According to Wikipedia, there were early examples in the late 1980s/90s.
These were seen as a follow on from what would have been previously known as "diaries" or "journals".
REASONS TO BLOG:
Jill had some health issues which impacted on her lifestyle.
She worked part time in the family business and spent much of her life indoors.
Her one form of communication was through her computer on which she spent many hours.
She would send emails to friends and family, although back in the 90`s not everyone had a computer, or had the interest in technology that she had.
Jill had always kept a written diary, as she liked to keep track of her health and also record how she spent her time.
It occurred to her that it might be of interest to certain people if she could share her diary online.
With a bit of help from a friend, Jill was able to assemble all the information she needed and publish her first blog in early 2000.
It took a while to take off as interest in blogging was practically non existent, but gradually, an audience for Jill`s blog began to build up.
People were not only fascinated by the ability to put such content online, but were also interested in Jill`s personal journey and how she coped with her challenges.
MOVING FORWARD:
Some twenty years and thousands of blogs later, Jill had learned all about the importance of keywords, SEO, ranking high on Google and had introduced many different blog themes.
She used the huge amount of available internet help when looking for niche subjects which may be difficult to break into or would have low traffic.
Over the years Jill became something of an expert in putting blogs together, familiarizing herself with improved software, and constant advances in technology.
However, she felt she had reached a crossroads.
Due to her expertise in blogging and vast internet knowledge, Jill decided to create a course which would guide hopeful bloggers with little internet experience to achieve a successful blogging outcome.
The course was a huge success, and Jill found that it could run on its own indefinitely and continue to make money. In other words it became an Evergreen source of revenue.
CHOICES:
Jill felt it was time to try something new. She enjoyed writing and it suited her lifestyle.
She also had a very interesting story to tell, so the obvious follow on was to write a book.
Writing the book became a full time job, so Jill felt that blogging should have a rest, and made the decision to become a retired blogger, and transfer her literary energy into her book!
PASTURES NEW:
Contrast Jill with Peter, who is an example of someone newly retired from employment, and hoping to create a successful blog.
The internet is a bit of a mystery to Peter, who can send and receive emails, look for things on Google and has recently discovered Google Docs.
Peter has done a bit of research into where he could go with his blog as there are plenty of encouraging stories of people making a living through blogging.
Since retiring, Peter, and several of his work colleagues meet up regularly.
Some have no interest in the internet and prefer to let the rest of the family deal with it, while the majority are keen to learn more. They have formed a group and have someone they know come along and give some tuition.
For those interested in blogging, there is a huge amount of help available, with courses, work sheets and videos.
CALL TO ACTION:
Peter is keen to put his knowledge into practice as quickly as possible, and with help has found and registered a domain name referring to his niche.
He has chosen his keywords and is satisfied that his niche choice is a reasonable one.
There are endless sites which help with a variety of things such as finding out if your niche is a good one, and how to understand SEO and how to rank well on Google.
Peter is looking ahead and plans to find out more about AI. Everyone is talking about this useful tool which would speed up research when compiling a blog.
He is also looking into Affiliate Marketing which could help generate some income each time a product is featured and purchased on his site, and further down the line perhaps be sponsored by relevant companies appropriate to his niche.
OPPORTUNITIES:
Peter may have retired from one job, but like a phoenix, is reinventing himself and is starting a new journey.
It is an exciting time and will give Peter a new purpose and a different mind set and hopefully lead on to making a profitable blogging income.
