Well, maybe, not quite *that* easy.As tempting as it is to start a
blog, there is a lot more to it than meets the novice's eye. All
that smooth, easy-to-read, and interesting writing that you've
come to admire from your favorite bloggers doesn't just appear
randomly or without a certain amount of sweat and a great deal of
revision!
Blogging can be great fun all the same and it's an ideal learning
experience for you if you're a budding writer, a knowledge-nik who has
a lot to share on a topic or hobby, or you're just keen to encourage
people to see things your way! This article is focused on helping you
to avoid the common mistakes many learner bloggers make; while you may
still stumble into them, at least you'll be more aware and know how to
correct your future approaches.
!! Steps !!
* _ With my update, it's original all right!Be original. More
than anything else, what really matters about your blog is that it
represents you and is as unique as possible. While you still need
to attune your messaging to what people want to read, whatever you
write must be infused with your unique take and style. Discard any
notions that it's alright to harvest a bunch of news stories and
drop them straight into your blog; nobody will want to read that
when they've probably already read them somewhere else. Instead,
take those news stories and add your_ angle to them – give
people _your_ opinion on the news story, providing your
conclusions about the consequences or moral involved.
_ Don't copy. Directly related to being original
is the issue of *not* copying. Don't assume that no-one will
recognize "borrowed" material; they will without doubt. And think of
it the other way around – would you want someone "borrowing" your
hard efforts? It's common courtesy (and the law), to tell your
readers where you got your information from. Blog readers are both
discerning and widely read; they'll spot a copied story a mile off
and won't appreciate it. Although it can seem very tempting when
you're starting out to use the words of others, resist doing so and
persist with writing original content. Start small and get into a
rhythm; over time, it'll get easier.
* Being original with your content increases your reader's trust in
you. Your readers will soon grow to know, appreciate, and expect
your writing style.
* Cite your material. Not only is this decent morally but it also
takes care of potential copyright problems - if you want to copy,
do so by using quotes or paraphrasing with the referencing made
very clear. Another benefit of referencing is that it enables
readers to visit your sources and learn more for themselves,
something that many blog readers appreciate and expect.
Don't forget to find out the legalities applicable to all works,
not just textUnderstand the legal issues surrounding blogs. Even
if you're not a lawyer or a journalist, it's vital to understand
how you might accidentally walk into a legal minefield if you
make certain errors. The basics of main importance to grasp
include copyright, trademarks, defamation, and illegality.
* Another potential minefield is trusting one research source
without backing it up with another one - basically, adding hearsay
upon hearsay. If you're not sure, keep researching to have several
sources boosting your assertions.
* Check out the Electronic Foundation Frontier for good layperson's
legal information on blogging.[1]
Do some research about blogging. If you're
absolutely serious about becoming a good
blogger, it's important to learn from bloggers
who have already trodden this turf well and
worked out what does, and does not work. If
you're targeting people other than your very
forgiving family and friends, knowing what
other bloggers have done is vital. Read what
the best bloggers have to say about their
experiences of blogging and their advice to new
bloggers. Some good bloggers to check out
include:
* Heather Allard, Darren Rowse, Chris Garrett, Corvida Raven, Tim
Ferriss, Leo Babauta, Jessica Faye Carter, Dan Zarella, Seth
Godin, Chris Brogan, Meryl K. Evans, Men With Pens, etc. There are
plenty more great bloggers out there but this should be a good
start for you![2]
* News blogs are also good to learn from. News blogs such as The
Huffington Post, etc., take news stories and provide their
opinions on the story. You'll need to discern for yourself the
political and other agendas behind each blog. Sometimes the best
blog is one that aims to be neutral or seeks to reflect both sides
of the spectrum - look around before deciding how you'll approach
your own blogging.
* Do a search for "Top Blog Posts", or "Top Blogs on
Cars/Dogs/Babies/Skiing", "Top women/men bloggers", etc. Whatever
your interest, there will be someone blogging on it already. You
can also search for fields such as "Top mommy bloggers", "Top
daddy bloggers", "Top celebrity bloggers", "Top farming bloggers",
etc., to see who readers are voting as the best in their genre.
* Note that some bloggers are more willing to discuss their craft
than others; keep an eye out for the bloggers who take the time to
share blogging advice. Where possible, look for blogs that give
advice without trying to sell you all the answers (it happens even
with the best, so be prepared to cherry-pick and cobble together
your advice tidbits!). Whether or not advice is offered, at least
learn from reading the popular blogger's writing styles to work
out what keeps them connecting with readers.
Your writing style will depend on you, your content, and your
readershipConsider your writing style. If you're used to writing
in a technical, academic, or formal way, blog writing might come
as a bit of a shock. Blog writing style tends to be more
conversational, peppered with a lot of your own opinion (however
outrageous!), and above all, it needs to be interesting_. The
writing style best suited for you will come down to the content
of your blog and its likely readership. Clearly, a blog that is
more technical in nature can carry more technical writing but
even then, your readers will want you to break down the latest
techno-whizz gadget to terms that they can understand and digest
quickly.
* Be careful to avoid preaching at your readers. For many blogs,
readers are looking for you to meet with them eye-to-eye, not to
sermonize, scold, or seem superior to them. Treat them as equals.
Expect to be humble, and to share foibles that each of us
experiences in daily life. A sense of humor and humility are
always important for a good blogger.
* Political blogs can easily become bogged down in angry rants or
intolerant tirades if you wear your heart on sleeve without
involving your head. Seek to maintain a serious tone in such blogs
without resorting to name-calling and deprecating comments.
* Be very careful when cursing. If your blog fits cursing and the
occasional "eff" word makes great sense in the context, then fine,
go ahead and use it. But a blog peppered with abusive commentary
and little else than cursing will put readers off. Letting off
steam is one thing, being a swear-o-holic is quite another. And
cursing all of a sudden when you've never done so before will lose
some of your readership.
_ Select your blog's layout according to your content, style, and
reader-friendlinessThink about your blog's layout carefully. Do a
lot of research on this to find what works best. Use the lessons
others have already learned; some key things to get you started
include:
* Genre_: Generally it pays to stick to one genre per blog if you're
an individual. For example, unless you have an amazing knack,
readers are less enthused by a blog that combines political
opinions, recipes, an examination of existential angst literature,
your latest movie reviews, and how to sew clothes for kids all in
the one blog. The exception is for instructional sites that put
themselves out into the blogosphere with a cadre of writers
writing across different fields. If you want to spread yourself
more broadly, there are two avenues - either have a variety of
blogs if you have the time to maintain them, or dedicate one blog
to the "self-introspective" stuff for a hobby and maintain another
serious single genre or topic blog separately, with an eye to
making it popular with readers.
* _Length of posts_: There is no hard and fast rule because it
depends on the content, the quality, the message, and the
audience. Certainly, a lot has been written about brevity being
important but so is getting the full picture where this is
warranted. Keeping in mind that most online readers have fleeting
attention spans, judge length by how your readers respond, the
utility of your information, and the subject matter. Consider
mixing up lengths of posts, to give readers a break in between the
more lengthy and "erudite" ones!
* _Layout_: Headers are useful; subheadings help break up large
topics and pictures and give the eyes a rest. Block quotes can
work well, and leaving space allows the reader to feel relaxed,
not rushed or overwhelmed. Try to use short paragraphs, no matter
the length of the post. Use bolding to draw out important points
and to capture the attention of the reader (bolding also interests
the search engine but that's another matter).
* _Frequency_: Too few posts and people will think you've wandered
off; and so too will they. Too many and you'll wear readers out
– remember that they have other things to read and do! Reader
_and_ writer burnout is a real issue when you over-post, so think
through carefully what works best for you. Keep in mind the
reality that search engines like a good frequency of regular
posts.
* _ Bad sign that a place of learning can't spellEditing_: Check
your spelling and your grammar. Never underestimate the importance
of this. Your expertise in the blog content won't shine if your
spelling is questionable.
* _Revise, revise, revise_: Cut it out if in doubt and say it with
less. The polishing aspect can sometimes take longer than the
original write-up but it's worth the effort to ensure that your
readers remain captivated.
Even a child's drawing can add interestBe creative. Even if
you're a brilliant author, words alone won't make a blog. Most
readers expect the blog to look impressive, and to be
accompanied by at least one photo or image. Visuals add sparkle
and capture people's attention. As with anything, don't overuse
them – just seek to get the balance right.
* Use your common sense when assessing how much is too much – if
you're adding a photography, how-to, or recipe post, you'll be
able to get away with more photos than say, a political or opinion
piece blog post.
Also think carefully about your blog's actual title; something
catchy and clearThink about what you're going to title your blog
posts. You could have the most relevant information on the
topic, but if it has a boring title, it won't be read. Use
headlines that draw in readers and that search engines latch
onto. The search engine element is an art in and of itself which
you'll eventually find yourself learning more about. For now,
however, some key pointers to bear in mind include:
* Use words that marketers use to capture attention. There are
several "Top 10 English Words" lists available online used by
marketers to grab attention (do a search for one). Adding words
like "you" to the title may sound banal but according to marketing
research, strategic use of the top 10 words can bring readers to
open links to your post.
* Ask questions in headings or create dangling information that has
the reader wondering what the next piece of information will be.
Make your heading tantalizing so that it prods the reader into
wanting to read more - if your heading speaks to a need in a
reader, then they'll love it. Top of the list is "How to..."!
* Keep the title simple. The simpler, the better, and try to keep
the title less than 40 characters and the search engine will also
love your blog!
Encourage comments. People will read your words
of wisdom but they won't tell you what they
think because the majority of people (and that
means around 99 percent) won't unless prompted.
You'll get a significantly larger number of
comments if you ask for them.
* Don't close down your comments feature. It's important not to fear
comments - they're a pulse on your blog, letting you know that
people are responding to your blogging, whether negatively or
positively. If your blog is really good, you'll get both sides of
the responses, which is ideal!
* Make it easy for your readers to comment. Readers don't want to
jump through hoops. Balance making them sign in and using CAPTCHA
fixes before they can say a single line with the fact that this
will cause many of them to not bother at all. The less hurdles,
the better, especially where personal information is concerned.
* Always end your blog posts encouraging comments by asking
questions, or asking for experiences and suggestions from the
reader.
* Without fail, respond to your commenters. Not only is that polite
to the person who took the time to comment but it lets other
readers know that you care and engage with them. They are looking!
An obvious exception is spamming or flaming, in which case, either
remove the comment (spam) as soon as possible, or let it stand on
its own lack of merits (flaming) unless you have a witty and kind
response.
* Remove spam as soon as you can. It looks unprofessional. Invest in
a way of keeping spam off - there are plenty of programs
available. Find good ways to clean up spam that don't involve
chasing off your genuine readers.
Advertise your blogSpread the word about your blog and new
posts. Use today's social media to the max. There are many
platforms to choose from. Use one, or preferably, many of them.
Twitter, Facebook, Digg, and Tumblr are just a few.
* Take time to visit other blogger's blogs and leave comments with
your name and link in them. Get known as someone who cares about
what other bloggers are saying and creating, and they'll repay the
favor.
Ask others for their guest postsEncourage others to guest post
on your blog. Guest posting is an excellent means for getting
well-known, quality bloggers to increase the profile of your
blog. Offer guest posts in return, so as to get your blog's link
into other people's blogs.
* Guest posts increase variety for your readers. And if you get
well-known bloggers on your blog, this will help your readers to
connect you with the guest poster, which will increase your
profile.
Love your readers and give back to them. Show
your readers that you appreciate them. Give
back to them by:
* Responding to your reader's comments promptly.
* Visiting your reader's blogs if they have them. Leave supportive
comments and even suggest they guest blog for you now and then.
* Facilitating your readers' interaction through quizzes,
competitions, surveys, featuring your readers, etc.
* Always provide a quality read that is of interest.
!! Video !!
!! Tips !!
* Tag your articles. Learn about tagging and use it. Tags make a
huge difference in your readership.
* This article is an overview of all that a good blogger should be
across. It's a good launching point for you but realize that
you'll never stop learning and that there are many new avenues
that you'll find yourself going down as you increase your
readership and improve your blog.
* Consider how your blog connects with and supports your other
online activities, as well as your offline business. Plan this in
advance so that you can make the most of the linkages, and keep
updating the purpose of your blog and its support role.
!! Warnings !!
* Consistent, high quality blogging is hard work and involves many
hours to craft good posts. If you are going into blogging to make
a living, realize that it is not an easy way to make money and it
can take quite some time to become well established and trusted.
!! Things You\'ll Need !!
* Reliable blog site
* Research materials on blogging
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Become Famous by Blogging
* How to Make Money Blogging
* How to Learn About Micro Blogging
* How to Use Trackback when Blogging
* How to Be Successful in Blogging
* How to Facilitate Your Blogging
!! Sources And Citations !!
* The original idea for this article came from BitRebels.Com,
http://www.bitrebels.com/geek/10-simple-tips-for-those-new-to-blogging/.
!! Article Tools !!
* Read on wikiHow
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