Is this the weekend for you to build your blog?

Photo credit from our friend Mark Visser

Photo credit from our friend Mark Visser

You owe it to yourself to have a space online.  Intellectual property is increasing in value as time goes on.  This increase in value is correlated for the increase desire to connect with a tribe.  The desire to connect with people who are passionate about the same idea.  And if you're the first one to get noticed as the leader of a niche tribe than financial reward can follow.  

But if you can't be found or your idea isn't in a space that is your own than you're giving up leadership opportunities as well as potential revenue.  You have what it takes to lead a tribe so what kind of platform do you need?  As a consultant helping leaders navigate the online world this is by far the most pressing question.  Going at it on your own can be confusing and even overwhelming because of all the options that exist to build a website.

So how do you know if an idea and this is the weekend to launch your own space online?  

1.  You're passionate about the idea - Would you give up free time to invest in the idea?  Do you read books about it?  Do you listen to podcasts about it?  Does your heart rate rise when you talk about the idea?  If the idea doesn't motivate you it's probably not worth the investment side to having a place online.  

2.  Can you be consistent? - Anytime someone approaches me in regards to setting up a site around an idea I give this advice:  Start free.  Set up a site on one of the popular blogging platforms like wordpress.com or blogger.com for free.  Try to write consistently for three days a week for six months.  If you hit the mark 90% of the time and still feel like you have something to add, then you know it's worth investing some of your personal financial resources to make it happen.

3.  Does a close relationship share the excitement about your idea? - A site gets attention because of great content.  However, this doesn't mean the content has to come from a single individual.  Think team first to produce content around your idea.  Sharing the workload of contributing content will help your site last longer as well as attract multiple types of audiences who are still passionate about a similar idea.  A client of ours went viral over the summer, the site is written by three people.  Each person has one day a week to write but new content hits the site three times a week.  This is a great way to keep from getting overwhelmed.

4.  Don't let the first steps be your last steps - Building a site can be intimidating depending on your familiarity with different blogging platforms.  You might not be able to handle the design piece and that's okay too.  Don't let the first steps to setting up a blog defeat you.  We can build it for you.  This is the sole reason The Factory Media Network exists.  We don't want people with incredible ideas to be held up, or stopped by the lack of know how.  We can design, build, coach, and walk alongside you as a partner to develop your tribe.  You have to lead it though.  You are irreplaceable because you're the leader and you have the idea.  If the know how of building a site is scaring you away, check out here how we can help.

Is this the weekend for you to start?  Starting can look different depending who you are.  It might look like you spend your weekend learning from one of the greats like Amy Lynn Andrews "How to start a blog" page.  Or maybe you want to be "handed the keys to your new car" type of blogger and you need to put The Factory to work.  

Now is your time.  Now is the time to produce something great.