What would be a good blogging topic for a first-timer?

Everyone I know seems to start a blog when traveling overseas. My favorite of these was by the friend who went to a different Parisian cafe every day and reviewed it (http://www.undergroundparis.com/lastcafe.html). He had a nice format for that. International travel might be kind of an expensive way to start a blog, though, if you weren’t planning on it!

Do you have expertise in any specialized area? Cooking seems a bit too common, unless you can give it some kind of interesting, even quirky, spin.

you should do a topic that you are passionate about, but with a twist.

something that won’t be too expensive to maintain (unless there is no such limitation for you, in which case, go wild). Other than that, make sure it is something you have a great interest in, or you won’t want to blog about it.

My cousin has a pretty decent blog that covers a variety of his interests as well as his work and issues related to his field—everything from the voice recognition technology that his company provides to his incinerator toilet at his cabin to the anatomy of the perfect shrimp po-boy. I think the challenge is changing your mindset to recognize that your interests can become quantifiable experiences. Probably when you start out, you’ll be all over the map, and then eventually your blog will coagulate into distinct categories.

wombatnation.com

Also, I found cabel.name interesting for a while (categories included his tech company, video games and reviews of snack foods). The blog has really slowed down though since he got married.

I think the most successful blogs, though, are the ones where content comes from a team of regular contributors regarding a common subject.

Do you find yourself playing the role of an expert or “go to” person for any topic/skill among your coworkers/family/friends? Maybe start with that.

Yourself

Write about things you’re passionate about.

If there’s no passion in it, writing about it on a daily basis will seem like a chore, and you’ll stop doing it.

If you don’t have something to say, skip it.

+1 for PupnTaco’s answer. I’d only start a blog if there’s reason to start one, not for the sake of having a blog. An internet presence is much better acquired at a social network.

Yeah, I feel you guys. I think I do have a lot of things to say, but I guess I’m just trying to figure out how to get started so that rather than just a bunch of thoughts from my brain, there’s some sort of cohesion to the thoughts. Maybe rather than posting a question here I should just be doing some soul searching. Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions!

Just start a blog and start posting. If you have something to say, you’ll find a way to say it, and you’ll discover the cohesion as you write rather than trying to impose it from outside.

When I was little I used to ask my mom, “What should I draw?” She told me “Draw whatever you want.” But that didn’t help. When she would finally say, “Okay, draw a truck!” I would start drawing and it would end up being anything but a truck. Nevertheless, it got me started.

Why don’t you start a blog featuring the questions you’re asking on Fluther? Maybe you can post the answers you found the most helpful and let your readers learn about you and something new along the way. Be sure to tell us if you create a blog so we can read it!

Blogs focused on a single topic are good but that well can run dry quickly. I think personal blogs are really entertaining of the writer has his/her own voice and unique spin on things. Perhaps you should just set up a schedule for posting (say three times a week?) and stick with it for a bit to see what develops. No need to promote it until you see something cohesive forming from it. Also, keep a journal with you at all times and jot down any little ideas you have throughout the day and tap that when you’re stuck for topics.