I have been doing this thing called “networking” lately. It’s something various blogs have written about in the past. Trent @ The Simple Dollar has even reviewed a book about it quite recently. But, these prior posts seem to stem from primarily an employment betterment point of view, i.e. upping your income or keeping employment contact opportunities open, rather than purely networking within a certain circle for a specific reason.
Five Pence Piece Does Networking!
Instead, I have been making an effort to contact fellow personal finance bloggers. I am under no illusion that Five Pence Piece is just a tiny little piece of digital real estate when compared to the big boys and girls (see the ‘Financial Blogs’ section to the right!), but I at least like to think that I have some good advice to offer, backed up with my own laid bare story. I have always found advice from folk who have ‘been there, done that’ tends to be more honest and more useful than those who just think they know best.
Nearly every blogger that I have written to has replied back with words of encouragement, which has been truly fantastic! A selection have offered a link exchange, which can mean a very great deal to someone like myself who is just starting out. A few have even offered critique or post ideas, and for that I really am grateful.
A few minutes spent writing “hello” can forge lifelong friendships and contacts, and is well worth the effort.
So Why is Five Pence Piece?
I guess it’s the dream of helping other people, keeping my own life focused, and perhaps earning some beer money along the way. Some PF bloggers have succeeded in earning so much from their blog they have been able to give up work altogether. While that would be nice, if I’m honest with myself, it isn’t what I want out of this. I love my job too much.
I do like writing though, and personal finance is not only something I enjoy, but is something that you can literally write about and learn about forever. Life is always making you make money choices and whether we make the right ones or the wrong ones, make them we do.
Five Pence Piece is about the choices I have made, am making, and will make. It’s currently following my journey to get out of debt once and for all and helping others do the same if they’re at a loss where to begin. Beyond that, I’ll be looking to maximise my saving potential to perhaps buy a house in a few years time. Then there’s my plan to retire early, securely, and in comfort all the while trying to get rid of an inevitable mortgage and possibly getting married again, having children and all the other expensive events life throws our way.
There are also very few English Personal Finance blogs that are maintained by individuals on a non-commercial basis (the only other one I have found or been told about is Plonkee). The advice I offer is raw. It isn’t sponsored, or supplied with kick-backs, or designed to get search engine traffic. It’s just good, honest advice based on research done for my own use. My Savings Roundup is just one example of sharing what I learn each month.
What Do I Want Out of This?
I’d like to build up a regular readership. If what I write is useful to people, I think this will happen as a matter of course. I like to think I’m an emotionally honest blogger, as most of us are within the realms of personal finance. I’m happy to tell people on this blog things I would never dream of telling my family, for instance.
I’d like to help people. Being in debt is no fun at all. I know, because I’m in it at the time of writing this. I’d like those in a similar boat to know they’re not alone, and that there are ways out. I’m sharing my method because I know it works and because it combines the best bits of several methods I found doing my initial research on the best way to get myself out of debt. That’s not to say it works miracles or is the best, of course.
I’d like to make beer money. Those who have made it big by blogging, I respect you. I realise doing so took an immense amount of time and effort (generally we’re talking years of writing!), where I have just a month behind me right now. The important thing is few of the successful ones started out with the intention of it replacing their day job, and that is in part, why they succeeded.
I’m not doing this for the money. I know that somewhat conflicts with my prior statement, but I think if you do anything “for the money” then you’ve got the wrong mindset. I’m doing this to better myself; to hold myself accountable to my regular readers; to help others; and to perhaps earn a few pounds a month to treat myself to a beer.
I’d like to be part of the community. It’s only human nature to seek connections with like-minded people, and over time I think this will happen naturally. I’ve begun my networking journey by contacting fellow bloggers, posting well-thought out comments and linking freely to other blogger’s posts that either support my view or offer an alternative. Perhaps they disagree with me entirely, but that’s fine too! Informed choices can only be made when both sides of an issue are presented and broken down into their component parts.
Do you blog? What is your motivation?
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