Our January blogging challenge is finally over! It was hard work, even overwhelming at times, but when you look at what we have achieved together, it was well worth it. We now have a library of useful business articles as part of a knowledge base that everyone can freely access!

So to all who have taken part in the challenge, either by posting articles or commenting, or simply encouraging the authors by rating, sharing, and inviting others – thank you and congratulations! :)

The best part of the blogging challenge for me was the whole learning experience. It was daunting at first but towards the end, I found blogging incredibly insightful and fun at the same time. “Seriously, you found blogging insightful and fun?” you might ask. It’s true. I lost sleep over it, ate over my keyboard, and looked as if I was pre-occupied all the time. Call me a weirdo and see if I care :) But the fact remains that if it wasn’t for the challenge, I wouldn’t have got off my butt to blog, and I’d have missed a great learning opportunity!

So here’s what I’ve learnt:

Lesson #1: Get organised

I’m always time poor, so it was hard to keep up, but I found that all it takes was a little planning upfront. It made such a difference when I got into a routine of brainstorming, researching, drafting and refining my posts. I set aside some time each day for blogging related activities. When I spent more time thinking about the key messages, before even reaching for the keyboard, I found the whole blogging process a lot smoother and more coherent.

Lesson #2: Read a lot

It’s a no brainer - the more you read, the more insights you have, the easier it is to share. It’s so easy to be distracted with noise on the Internet these days. But blogging gave me a sense of purpose to read, to learn as I read, and finally, to share as I learnt. Inspiration is everywhere, we just need to look out for it. One way to do so is to read. What have you been reading lately?

Lesson #3: Get your facts right

Believe it or not, blogging hones our skills in research. Over time, it became obvious which sources were more accurate than others, and which sources have more authority on the subject matter. Filtering out the noise at every turn, especially on the Internet, is a fundamental skill we need to master. Sure, we might still get it wrong from time to time, but it’s like all things business, knowing who to trust is key.

Lesson #4: Just do it

There are so many better and more experienced bloggers than me, but at the end of the day, it’s in the spirit of learning and sharing that spurred me on. It was much easier to relax and just blog. It was a personal challenge, not a competition. And you know what the best thing was? You won’t have to worry about traffic or whether anyone will read your blog. You’ll always have an instant audience of supportive folks in the community.

Lesson #5: Be realistic

It’s easy to romanticise and be distracted with the idea of making it big through blogging. Sure, some of us will do better than others, but I think getting back to basics about why we blog is important. I found the entire experience incredibly insightful because it was all about learning and sharing. It was about learning as I explore the topics, and reaffirming what I’ve learnt through sharing. Try it, it’s refreshing! :)

Lesson #6: Keep going

I think there is something truly amazing about blogging on SavvySME. It has actually helped us to get to know each other, not just our names and avatars, but about our businesses that we take pride in. The member stories has given others more insight into what our businesses stand for – not just our struggles but also our resolve and aspirations as business owners. We have some truly inspirational members stories that reminds us of why we do what we do. It makes the whole experience of running our business so much more meaningful and satisfying, wouldn’t you agree?

So let’s not stop blogging because the challenge ended in January. There is so much learning opportunities at stake. As a community, we’re always going to be dependent on each other to share and grow. After all, this community is what we make of it. So what will you blog about today?