thespunkytomato

I didn't really know what I was looking to do when I created thespunkytomato. But I'm always trying to stay on top of all the news, whether it's local, U.S., or the world. My kids are always the first to know about celebrities, anything in the entertainment field, and sports is a given! I thought that this wealth of information should not be kept just among ourselves. But what?

A friend of mine suggested that I start a blog. "OK" I said. I never told them I had no idea what a blog was. I just 'Googled' it and started reading. I knew a little about setting up websites so I wasn't totally in the dark. But I had to find out who had the best deal on blog websites.

I found blogger.com. It's free and easy to use. Lots of different templates, fonts, colors, etc. After a few tries, I found the one I wanted. I had already found the picture of the perfect tomatoes, so I was ready to go. Another popular blog creating site is wordpress.com.

Since I had no one to ask, I have built thespunkytomato through trial-and-error. Learning what to add, how big to make each item. Whether to have ads, or not to have ads. What size ads, where to place the ads. Kind of like we have on HubPages. Then I got hit with Google AdSense, and monetizing. I began to think I needed a degree in blogging. (Is there such a thing?)

I then had to start deciding what kind of material I would post. What kind of news would I report? Which celebs were worth following? How many sports and what teams to keep track of? Sometimes I would wake up in a cold sweat because I would still be trying to sort everything out. I don't have a lot of the answers...yet. I'm still learning and tweaking my blogs. But I am enjoying it immensely. And I'm seeing the pennies rolling in.

I have a Twitter account under thespunkytomato and it is beginning to take off. The important thing to remember is that this is a process. It takes time to build and have people be aware of you. I now have a fan page on Facebook. And, yes, if you Goolgle thespunkytomato , it will come up!

The thing about creating a blog is that it's like any other writing project, you have to keep at it. Unless it's just going to be a hobby for you, you need to discipline yourself to update it everyday. There are so many ways to promote yourself. Research and find the best way for you. I could sit here and tell you what I think would be good for you, but that still boils down to my opinion. You're going to have to experiment a little...maybe a lot...until you find the formula that works for you. But the fun and excitement is in the journey. When you start to see the money roll in, even if it is just pennies at first, you'll know that people are finding you, and liking what you have to say. And, you'll know you're on the right track. Happy blogging!