IMPORTANT NOTICE: My blog is called my ELT rambles. This post is just that. A big fat ramble. I take you down memory lane, I give blogging tips. I talk about a massive failure, I brag. So, consider yourself warned. If you still want to go on reading, well, thanks : )

When I decided to give my blog a makeover and move from Blogger to Word press, I realized that I have been blogging for 2 years and a few days.

My first blog post was written on the 14th of February (Valentine’s day. Maybe that’s where all the blog loving comes from). Many things have changed since I started so, I decided it was time to go down memory lane. I started blogging as a way to reflect. Now, I blog cause it’s a way to express myself, share my views.

                                     My first blog post

So, if someone asked me, “What advice would you give to someone who wants to start blogging about teaching?’’ This is the list of my Top Tips

Tips for newbie bloggers

• Write systematically
• Be yourself

Don’t write things you think will be ‘proper’ just for the sake of being ‘proper’. Be truthful, be yourself.

• Write about things you are interested in

When you are interested in something, that’s when magic happens. When you write about something you love, your readers will know and will probably enjoy your posts.

• Promote

If you want people to read your posts, you need to promote them on Twitter, Facebook and any other types of media. The more you promote, the more people will know about your posts.

• Keep a notepad next to your bed

I know this sounds nuts, but after asking other fellow bloggers I know that this is something that happens to everyone. Some ideas pop into your head when it is night time, when you are sleeping. That’s why you need a note pad.

• Etiquette

You need to be polite online, just like you are offline. It’s as simple as that.

• Read and comment on other people’s blog posts

If you like writing posts, you will probably enjoy reading posts written by other teachers. If you like reading comments, you should comment on the stuff you like reading and share your views. Some of the comments written on my blog posts are fantastic! I  ❤  comments

• Proof read/edit and then edit more

I am actually not the most careful of writers. I often get consumed by my enthusiasm. I am happy I have written something. I read it once, read it again, and then I publish. As a result, my posts  often have little errors, typos etc. I usually end up correcting them after a while (either cause I or someone else has noticed it).

Baby steps…. Moving to Word press

Why I moved from Blogger to Word press

I liked Blogger but after asking other bloggers, I found out that most people like and use word press, so I moved. Moving is quite easy. Blogger allows you to export all your posts and then you can import them into Word press. Unfortunately, some comments may get lost, you also lose your followers and page views (hm I do wonder about the truth in page views, but that is not really the purpose of this post). Some of your videos or embedded Pdf files  may need to be uploaded again. On the whole though, the moving process is quite easy.

I like my blog’s new home

I like the theme. It looks a bit more ‘sophisticated’. I like how there is a like button, so you can see which bloggers enjoyed reading your posts. Commenting is much easier and so is promoting your posts. I still have things to learn but I am getting there, I think and anyways, it only took me 2 years to get the grip of blogger. Don’t expect miracles!!!

Tooting me own horn

Yeah, I am going to brag a bit here, so bear with me. I am not doing it in the bad way, just a good way. Just trying to inspire you, the non-blogger, to turn into a blogging monster like me : p. Since I started blogging, some really cool things have happened.  First of all, I have learnt loads and have pushed myself to get informed more about ELT related topics. I think blogging has made me a better teacher or at least a teacher with more ideas!

Other bragging points

My blog posts have been shared, linked to other websites and re tweeted. I really appreciate the time and effort that takes. All teachers are busy, so when someone takes the time and shows they have appreciated something I have written, that makes me really happy. I have never won a blogging award, but I have been nominated for a couple. I have written a few articles for newsletters (all of them will be published this year. That’s really exciting) and I was also asked to write a really exciting guest blog post (to be shared soon). My online friends have also increased. I am ‘meeting’ people from around the world and they are sharing their views with me. This is amazing! I also get to talk about girlie  ELT stuff (yeap, I am making this tab a regular, so beware). I was sent a book to review as well. That’s cool (haven’t read it yet, but I am getting there, too). What am I trying to point out with this Me, Me, Me fest? Well, blogging may lead you to places you did not expect.

Adsense+ Jo = complete failure

Now, this part of my blogging history is embarrassing but hey, who cares? I added Adsense to Blogger. If you don’t know what Adsense is, it is a way to make money from your blog. How do you make money? People click on the ads on your blog. So, I had it for a week. That’s how long it lasted. I was banned for wrongful clicks or sth.  No more AdSense. Not a big deal though.  I don’t blog cause I wanna make money. If I wanted to make money, I would be teaching the extra hours I spend blogging.

Blog history

My least read article is this one: Teacher in La La Land (87 people read it according to Blogger. I liked writing it, not many people read it though).

Most popular blog post: Teaching Grammar like math (12.500 views according to Blogger. It was shared on the Teaching English British Council Facebook page which is why it was viewed by so many people).

So, what have I learnt these 2 years?

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ I really like BLOGGING ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤