Part of the series: The 30 Goals Challenge, Goal 9: Be a Guest Blogger
Image courtesy of Photobucket butterfly pictures
So many butterflies were fluttering around frantically in my stomach when I did my first guest post last year. As a relatively newbie blogger, I was so nervous, I couldn’t sleep the night before. It was a big stage. I was at the right place and at the right time when I saw the opportunity via a tweet to do a guest post for Richard Byrne’s Free Technology for Teachers blog. I remember feeling very excited when I saw The Voyage of Discovery had published ok, and it really made my day. Since then I have done quite a few more guest posts, including this one here for Shelly on the subject of Phrasal Verbs, and I have not felt as nervous as that very first time. Those butterflies have now developed powerful wings to make them soar as high as they want to go.
The Impact of Goal Challenge 9: Be a Guest Blogger
You may be thinking, “Ok, you’ve done a few guest posts already, including one for Teacher Reboot Camp, so how could this be a new challenge for you? Well, when I read Shelly’s 30 Goals Challenge for Goal number 9 – Be a Guest Blogger, it inspired me to be even more pro-active and embrace any opportunity that I came across. The words that touched me were “One of my long-term goals is to post more guest pieces on other websites or blogs. I love having my writings published on other websites….” That really made me reflect, and I realised that I felt exactly the same way, but earlier this year, I wasn’t really pushing myself to achieve this goal more fully.
In the Flow
When I recently saw a tweet from OUP ELT Global blog asking for guest bloggers, I had Shelly’s motivational words in mind when I immediately and without hesitating, actually volunteered to go for it. Up until then, I had only been invited personally to do a guest post by members of my PLN that I had good social contact with. “Renew the Passion and Go with the Flow” was a post I wrote to help teachers experiencing a loss of flow in their teaching. It was a way for me to share my thoughts and hopefully impart some helpful advice and re-ignite the flow.
At the same time by sheer coincidence, a member of my PLN, Eva Buyuksimkesyan from A Journey in TEFL, asked me if I would like to do a guest post for her. The result is The A-Z Files. Again, my confidence had grown by then, and I saw it as a great way to share some more tips.
Below is a mind map I created with bubbl.us. It shows the reasons why I think being a guest blogger is a great goal to achieve. Please press on the image for a bigger view.
It’s All in the Timing
Well, I can’t really think of any specific reason why being a guest blogger is not a good thing for you! Maybe, the timing has to be right and that is the only drawback, as far as I can see. You need to devote enough time to ensure that what you write is of a high standard. My motto is that I would only publish a guest post if I would also publish it on my blog. If you are really too busy to contemplate doing a guest post, and you don’t want to offend by saying no outright to an invitation, then just explain and make a note in your diary to find some time to write the post at a later date. Make sure you really want to contribute by asking yourself the question, as Larry Ferlazzo suggests here, before you decide on a goal. I am sure the blogger who invited you will not be offended by your honesty and will look forward to your contribution at a later date.
My Top Tips
- Share your knowledge with your PLN by accepting any invitations to be a guest blogger
- Do not be afraid to reply to requests for guest authors outside of your PLN
- Do not be shy to offer to do a guest post on a related subject matter
- Be confident in your abilities
- Write about the particular subject matter that you are passionate about
- Research your topic matter as thoroughly as you can
- Enjoy the different environment
- Learn about a different blogging tool if it is not the same as yours
- Enjoy the experience
- The time is NOW!
Photo courtesy of KRB, then made into my own motivational poster by using bighugelabs.com
All Credit Due
I’d like to thank Shelly very much for creating such a wonderful set of 30 goals, which can be realistically achieved if you really, really set your mind to them. Shelly continues to surprise me with her amazing and boundless enthusiasm, her great acts of kindness and altruistic endeavours to help so many people. I learn so much from her truly unique sense of motivational powers. The makebeliefscomix below says it all. Please click on the image for a clearer view.
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Janet Bianchini (@janetbianchini) has been an EFL teacher for over three decades. She still loves teaching and she is enjoying the challenge of learning more about new technologies and how to integrate them into her lessons. She writes a blog called Janet’s Abruzzo Edublog. When she is not writing her blog, studying, editing or teaching, she loves to spend time in her rather wild garden with her menagerie in tow.
Challenge:
Submit your own guest post to this blog when you complete one of the goals or to another blog.
Download your free copy of The 30 Goals Challenge: Join the Movement e-book!
Don’t forget to leave a comment that you accomplished this goal using the hashtag #30Goals!
