NBI2: Blog Harder

A day late out of the gate—Someone turned me into a newt, but I got better!—but here it is: my wild introduction to the second annual Newbie Blogger Initiative, which aims to partner starry-eyed greenhorns with steely-eyed veterans who are really getting too old for this . . .

What was I saying? Oh yes, NBI. It's a flurry of posts by both whippersnapper and codger, similar to but hopefully not nearly as stressful as NaNoWriMo. Are you new to blogging, especially about games? Or are you considering starting a blog because you regularly run into the character limit in the comment forms on the blogs of others? This is your BIG CHANCE!

All month long, you'll see posts with advice and encouragement here and elsewhere, as well as new blogs springing up, hopefully in fertile soil where they can grow with the community. If you're new and looking for a little help, or a veteran willing to help, head on over to the NBI Forums, sign up, and introduce yourself. I'll be adding Newbie blogs to my NBI List in the near-right column and you can check them out from there.

Starting a blog is easy using one of the many platforms and free services like Blogger (aka blogspot), WordPress, and even Tumblr. If you really get into the coding side, you can design your own and get a custom domain and hosting service. Personally, even though I've been blogging for almost four years, I've never felt the need to do anything other than post through the free Blogger service.

None of us are Matt Drudge or Ariana Huffington. Blogging is an inherently egotistical endeavor, and that's OK. Don't worry right now about your audience. If you're not writing for you, then you're never going to find an audience at all. Much like the performing arts, if you're only here for the glory, you'll find yourself sorely disappointed and discouraged. It takes hundreds of hours of rehearsal for each minute of applause.

If you're looking for ideas as what you could write about, check out Syp's post on the topic. The 20 Days of Blogging meme is another good place to start. Much like the NBI itself, blogging is about community, the friendships you'll form with people interested in the same things you are. Write about your passions, and you'll find folks who share them.