WHAT I LEARNED IN MY FIRST YEAR OF BLOGGING

Hullo, bookdragons!

I can’t believe I can finally say this but… MY BLOG IS OFFICIALLY ONE YEAR OLD!

Okay, I had my first WordPress anniversary (the actual day I signed up) last January (I think) but I decided to celebrate my actual blog anniversary a year after I published my first blog post (May 19). To this day, WHY HUMANS SHOULD STOP CALLING US BOOKWORMS is still my most favorite post. It established my bookdragon brand™ and I just love it to death.

It took me too long to publish this post because school has ruled over my life and when I come home sleep calls to me. You can say that my productivity level for the past few weeks has been 1%. I HAVE SO MANY BOOKS TO READ BUT I DON’T EVEN HAVE THE TIME TO DO SO. I am: sad and devastated.

Anyway, let’s get back on track.

In my first year of blogging, I learned a lot of things from “you can’t have too many books” to “your wallet can bleed just as much as you do”. I’m so happy that I became a part of the book blogging world. I couldn’t have asked a more fitting community to take in my lazy bum.

HERE ARE SEVEN IMPORTANT THINGS I LEARNED IN MY ONE YEAR OF BLOGGING:

• The blogging world is as supportive as my mom

First of all, I don’t think my mom reads my blog posts. I highly suspect that she does but she just doesn’t want to tell me because she knows I’ll go Hulk smashing on her (hi mom if you’re reading this but I hope you’re not).

The primary thing I learned in blogging is that there are a lot of people willing to support you without asking for anything in return. When I started, I didn’t really expect the outpour of love and support but here I am one year later, still getting the same support from the community I have learned to love so much. Interacting with other bloggers gave me the support system I needed. I wouldn’t have come so far if not for my blogging friends and my readers who keep on cheering me on.

• ‎Maintaining a constant presence on social media platforms is important

It’s no secret that Twitter is my favorite social media platform. It’s where I get the majority of my blog traffic and it’s where I started to get to know more bookdragons. Maintaining a healthy presence on social media helped in making my smol blog known across the vast book blogging community. Twitter may be a dumpster fire most of the time but it’s also where I stay up-to-date with bookish discourse. I have become aware with many important things I never knew before because of my constant interaction with other bloggers on Twitter.

Also, it’s where I unlocked my bookish wit. I really hope my tweets make bookdragons happy because OH KAREN IT’S DIFFICULT TO THINK OF FRESH CONTENT EVERYDAY. It’s not easy being a content creator, y’all. We deserve more chocolate and ice cream.

• It’s ‎okay to take a break

I have to admit that I didn’t believe this at first. I thought that taking a break meant lesser blog traffic so I really tried to post regularly even if it meant staying up all night writing and brainstorming. I eventually learned that TAKING A BREAK IS IMPORTANT. I’m a student blogger which is just as exhausting as it sounds. Aside from reading and blogging, I still have school to take care of which resulted to my irregular posting schedule and short bursts of absences in the blogging world. These absences gave me time to rest which did wonders for my mental health.

Taking a break gave me some breathing space and it took the pressure off my shoulders. If you’re new to blogging, please remember to rest if you have to. Sure, taking breaks results to lesser blog traffic but that’s normal. Just refrain from checking your stats regularly.

• ‎I should write for my audience

This is one of the first advices that I learned when I started and it still holds true even now. It’s important to write posts that can help your audience.

Yes, I sometimes talk about my life but I always make it a point to insert book recommendations or some helpful tips here and there so that people can still take something away from my post. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with posting content about your life but you need to remember that you won’t be able to hold your audience’s attention if you just keep on babbling about yourself #noshadejustfacts.

(READ THE POPPY WAR Y’ALL)

👆 important example

• ‎Tagging authors in negative book reviews is a hella no-no

If you’re new to book blogging, remember this: DO NOT, AND I CAN’T STRESS THIS ENOUGH, TAG AUTHORS IN NEGATIVE REVIEWS. I don’t even tag authors in 4-star reviews anymore. I believe that reviews are for readers. Authors pour their souls and bookdragon flames into their books and I don’t want to be the one who smothers that fire. Negative reviews are necessary but we can write them while still being respectful to authors.

• ‎Only post reviews for books I feel strongly about

I don’t post reviews for all the books I’ve read on my blog. I post all my reviews on goodreads but I only write full book reviews on the blog if I feel strong emotions for the book. I find it hard to write book reviews because the task feels more like a chore than anything else. It’s even more difficult to write a review for a book I don’t feel strongly about. It’s like being told to write an essay on the James Charles/Tati Westbrook/Jeffree Starr drama and only writing “I DON’T CARE” in all caps with Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber singing in the background.

• ‎Promoting diverse books (especially books written by Asian authors) is a fulfilling experience

It’s a pleasure to promote books through blogging but it’s even more fulfilling to shout about diverse books for all the world to hear. Without the blogging community, I wouldn’t have diversified my reading choices, discovered the books that represent me, found Filipino authors in the traditional publishing industry and read about Asian culture.

Shoutout to Rin Chupeco and Roshani Chokshi who continue to inspire me day by day. I’m so proud to call you my kababayans.

I’m so glad to share this blogging journey with y’all. I started this blog to share my love for books. Never did I expect to have 1k+ WordPress followers, 17k+ blog views, and 100+ posts. I wouldn’t have made it this far without all of you. I am so thankful and blessed. MY DRAGON HEART IS SO FULL OF LOVE AND GRATITUDE.

This has been a very amazing year and I’m looking forward to more years of shouting about books with all of you. I hope my rusty brain doesn’t run out of blogging ideas. THE BLOG REDESIGN IS ALSO COMING SOON. It’s taking so long but I swear it will be finished in 2 months or in a hundred years or so.

KEEP SPREADING BOOKDRAGON FIRE Y’ALL!

What’s the most important thing you learned because of blogging? Do bloggers inspire you?