Children of the 80's, this post is for you. Why? Because I'm going to let you in on a secret:

Everything I know about blogging, I learned from Journey.

Go ahead and think about that for a second. While you're at it, grab your Sony Walkman because by the time I'm finished, you'll be looking for your cassette tape of Escape or Frontiers.

Creating a compelling blog that people want to read takes time, but it's not impossible. Here are 5 ways to help you get off to a good start as only Steve Perry could tell you:

Open Arms: When you begin blogging, you have to find your audience. They're not going to find you - you have to go and find them. But once they show up and start following your blog or posting comments, you will want to welcome them with "Open Arms." Engage with them; respond to their comments; make them feel like a family.

Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin': Just like your readers have found you, you will want to reciprocate and visit them at their "house." Some commenting platforms (such as CommentLuv) will allow you to see information about your commenters beyond their names. If you use CommentLuv and it lists their last post - go visit their blog and return the comment favor! I have found this the best way to build my blog tribe as well as my audience!

Any Way You Want It: For all intents and purposes, this is YOUR blog, so do with it what you see fit. No one knows your audience as well as you do, and no one will speak to them the way you will. We sometimes get so bogged down with what everyone tells us is "right" that we forget to do what IS right, which is "tell your story." Stop worrying so much about the technicalities, and worry more about writing good content. Let your story flow, and then go back and play editor. I promise that you will see much better results.

Faithfully: Next to content, the most important part of blogging is being faithful and consistent. If you're only going to write once a month, you should probably focus your efforts someplace else. Like all other things "social," blogging is hard work, and many don't realize that until they're a month or so into it. Don't come out of the gate saying you're going to write every single day because 95% of you will fail. Start with once a week and then once you are comfortable with that, add another and then another. If you can post three quality posts a week, you're doing good.

Don't Stop Believin': But above all... don't give up. It will take you some time to find your groove but I promise, it will happen. If you keep posting good content, actively visiting other blogs, leaving meaningful comments, and engaging with your audience, you will see results. It may take you a little longer than some, but it will happen.