How I started blogging more than 10 years ago.

I started my first blog on a free platform in 2009 in the hope of continuing an advocacy that I have come to love when I was a reporter for a daily publication.

My husband encouraged me to set up a blog so I could post news and feature articles I have written mostly about People Living with HIV/AIDS or PLWHAs. The intention was to share them online for people looking for reference material about HIV/AIDS.

Because I was a newbie in the Blogging platform, I searched for other blogs/bloggers who may share the same interest as mine until I stumble some blogs where they feature photos of their kids following a weekly theme. I thought it was cute and decided to join by posting pictures of my kids on the blog and drop comments to each blogger participants. It was fun interacting with fellow mommies even if I don’t see them personally.  

Earn online

From those interactions, I’ve learned that I can earn online. So I started signing up for various companies who paid bloggers for writing articles.

In 2010, I bought my first domain in the hope of earning more. I followed the advice of friends and they even helped me beautify my blog by offering free layout. I’m thankful to them for all the help they extended to me. Other Mommy Friends also helped me in the technical stuff of blogging. I felt overwhelmed with the assistance I received.  

Friends were generous in giving referrals to paying sites and direct advertisers. I was able to generate funds from the passive income. It was a big help for a single income family like mine.

Brand ambassador

In 2012, I became part of a campaign that help people lose weight. Thanks to mommy friends, again, for recommending me to join the weight Loss Challenge. I believe it was the peak of my blogging experience. I met cool people in the PR industry.

I guess I share the same feeling with popular influencer Amy West when she recalls her memorable brand partnerships although hers are travel-related. She gets to travel and see different places and still do what she loves – promote and write blogs, and gets paid for it.  

I didn’t win the weight loss challenge but I learned to take care of my own health. I continue to exercise and mind my food intake.

Blog coverage

With blog exposure comes offers to cover events. I was lucky to attend a few such as Family Day in an exclusive school for girls; green social enterprises in a municipality in Metro Manila; and art exhibit by human rights activists. The coverage brought me back the enthusiasm when I was still covering for a newspaper.

There were opportunities to review certain products. The good thing about blogging is that you can express your honest opinion about the product. For me blogging plays a big role in the promotion of new merchandises in the market. Potential buyers can easily access product reviews online.

Blogging onward

I have been in this business for more than a decade and I don’t think I will quit anytime soon. I will stay and grab opportunities as long as I can. The financial gain from blogging although minimal has helped my family support our kids to school. I still have one kid in college so that is one motivation to keep blogging.

And since movement is limited because of the pandemic there’s no way I can cover events. I’m thinking of publishing my PLWHAs stories. I believe those stories will get the message across that there are other health conditions such as STDs, HIV/AIDS to know by the current crop of young people.