10 ways to become a better Blogger
I was checking my emails, and found this email from Sonnie Santos, whose blog "Sonnie’s Porch" featured an article on how to become a better blogger, and using blogs to your advantage. The original article is from Tech Republic (http://techrepublic.com.com/), and written by Deb Shinder. I know all bloggers can learn a lot from this article. Thanks for sharing this, Sonnie! :)
Very interesting read. Check it out:
10 WAYS TO BECOME A BETTER BLOGGER
by Deb Shinder
If nobody bothers to read your blog posts, you might as well just scribble your thoughts on a cocktail napkin. But if you truly want to share your ideas and opinions, check out these pointers for crafting an engaging blog and building a loyal following.
The Internet made it possible for anyone to publish content to a worldwide audience. The Web log, or blog format, has made it easier and more convenient. But all blogs are not created equal. Some draw an eager following and others languish in obscurity. Regardless of your reason for blogging, you can make your blog better, more readable and–if it’s what you want–more popular.
1: Define your purpose
The first step in creating a better blog is to ask yourself why you’re blogging. What’s the purpose of your blog? An important element in defining your purpose is to know your audience. That will help you determine the voice and writing style that’s appropriate for those you’re addressing.In keeping with your blog’s purpose, you should have a defined theme.
2: Create visual appeal
Content isn’t the only thing that matters. Your blog site should also be visually appealing, or at least visually neutral. You don’t want to scare away prospective readers or have them leave in frustration because the page is distracting or unreadable.
3: Use the proper tools
You can create a blog using any WYSIWYG HTML editor, such as FrontPage (soon to be replaced by Microsoft Expression Web Designer), Macromedia Dreamweaver, or the Amaya open source editor endorsed by W3C. You can even use a text editor like Notepad to compose the HTML code.However, blogging is made much easier, faster, and more convenient if you use a dedicated blogging program or the features of a blogging Web site that lets you compose posts in the Web browser or via e-mail.
4: Make it easy to navigate
If you’re designing your blog site from scratch, it’s important to make it easy for readers to get around and do what they want to do. For instance, if you’re using comments and RSS feeds, make sure it’s clear to readers how to post a comment or subscribe to the feed. You should also make it easy for readers to find past posts. Make sure archives are organized logically–not just in chronological order but in categories to make it easier to find particular posts.
5: Stay in one place
Many bloggers experiment with different blog hosting sites and/or with hosting their own sites, especially early on in their blogging experience. It may take you awhile to find the best setup, but try to do so as soon as possible and then stay in one place so your readers can find you. Moving around to different URLs too often is sure to lose you some readers. If you have an established blog and it’s necessary to move it to a different address, try to publish a last post on the old blog that points readers to the new blog and leave it up as long as possible.
6: Engage your readers
Perhaps the most important factor in attracting and keep readers is establishing a relationship with them. Even interesting content is rendered less interesting if we don’t know who’s talking (writing) to us. Tell your readers who you are and something about yourself. In some cases you may not even want to reveal your real name; give readers a pseudonym by which to identify you and tell them generalities about yourself that will lend you credibility without blowing your cover.
Engaging readers involves winning their trust and thinking of the reader first. If you make claims, back them up with cites and links. If possible, don’t link to sites that require a subscription or even free registration (or if you must, warn readers).
7: Establish a blogging schedule
Blog readers are a fickle bunch. Once you’ve drawn an audience, they expect to find new content when they visit your blog. You should establish a minimum blogging schedule and stick to it. Let readers know, preferably in a static text box at the top of your blog page, that you will update the blog daily, weekly, on Mondays and Fridays, or whatever. Do it–even if some of your posts aren’t particular profound or long. Readers will abandon your blog if they think you’ve abandoned them.
If you need to deviate from your schedule, let readers know that you won’t be posting at the regular time and give them an idea of when you’ll be back.
8: Keep it concise
Speaking of posts that aren’t particularly profound or long, don’t think you have to wait until you have something brilliant to say before you post. In truth, most readers have short attention spans and/or crowded schedules themselves and would prefer to read a short, pithy post rather than a long, complex one.
9: Proofread before publishing
It’s difficult to catch mistakes in your own writing, because you tend to fill in what you thought you typed, rather than see what’s really there. This is particularly true immediately after writing. If possible, have someone else proofread your post before you publish it. Otherwise, let it “cool off” for an hour or a day so you can approach it with a more objective proofreader’s eye.
10: Go syndicate yourself
You don’t have to wait for readers to come to your blog every day or every week. Instead, you can take your blog to them. Use RSS to feed your new blog posts to readers who sign up. This makes it easier for your readers, who don’t have to remember to visit your blog Web site to check for new posts–and whatever makes it easier for readers is good for authors. You can syndicate just your post titles, short summaries, or entire posts.
Source: TechRepublic
http://techrepublic.com.com/
to check out sonnie's blog, go to: http://tinyurl. com/gldpk
In his own words, these are the “thoughts of a young professional on corporate life and the peripherals that affect work-life balance”
Very interesting read. Check it out:
10 WAYS TO BECOME A BETTER BLOGGER
by Deb Shinder
If nobody bothers to read your blog posts, you might as well just scribble your thoughts on a cocktail napkin. But if you truly want to share your ideas and opinions, check out these pointers for crafting an engaging blog and building a loyal following.
The Internet made it possible for anyone to publish content to a worldwide audience. The Web log, or blog format, has made it easier and more convenient. But all blogs are not created equal. Some draw an eager following and others languish in obscurity. Regardless of your reason for blogging, you can make your blog better, more readable and–if it’s what you want–more popular.
1: Define your purpose
The first step in creating a better blog is to ask yourself why you’re blogging. What’s the purpose of your blog? An important element in defining your purpose is to know your audience. That will help you determine the voice and writing style that’s appropriate for those you’re addressing.In keeping with your blog’s purpose, you should have a defined theme.
2: Create visual appeal
Content isn’t the only thing that matters. Your blog site should also be visually appealing, or at least visually neutral. You don’t want to scare away prospective readers or have them leave in frustration because the page is distracting or unreadable.
3: Use the proper tools
You can create a blog using any WYSIWYG HTML editor, such as FrontPage (soon to be replaced by Microsoft Expression Web Designer), Macromedia Dreamweaver, or the Amaya open source editor endorsed by W3C. You can even use a text editor like Notepad to compose the HTML code.However, blogging is made much easier, faster, and more convenient if you use a dedicated blogging program or the features of a blogging Web site that lets you compose posts in the Web browser or via e-mail.
4: Make it easy to navigate
If you’re designing your blog site from scratch, it’s important to make it easy for readers to get around and do what they want to do. For instance, if you’re using comments and RSS feeds, make sure it’s clear to readers how to post a comment or subscribe to the feed. You should also make it easy for readers to find past posts. Make sure archives are organized logically–not just in chronological order but in categories to make it easier to find particular posts.
5: Stay in one place
Many bloggers experiment with different blog hosting sites and/or with hosting their own sites, especially early on in their blogging experience. It may take you awhile to find the best setup, but try to do so as soon as possible and then stay in one place so your readers can find you. Moving around to different URLs too often is sure to lose you some readers. If you have an established blog and it’s necessary to move it to a different address, try to publish a last post on the old blog that points readers to the new blog and leave it up as long as possible.
6: Engage your readers
Perhaps the most important factor in attracting and keep readers is establishing a relationship with them. Even interesting content is rendered less interesting if we don’t know who’s talking (writing) to us. Tell your readers who you are and something about yourself. In some cases you may not even want to reveal your real name; give readers a pseudonym by which to identify you and tell them generalities about yourself that will lend you credibility without blowing your cover.
Engaging readers involves winning their trust and thinking of the reader first. If you make claims, back them up with cites and links. If possible, don’t link to sites that require a subscription or even free registration (or if you must, warn readers).
7: Establish a blogging schedule
Blog readers are a fickle bunch. Once you’ve drawn an audience, they expect to find new content when they visit your blog. You should establish a minimum blogging schedule and stick to it. Let readers know, preferably in a static text box at the top of your blog page, that you will update the blog daily, weekly, on Mondays and Fridays, or whatever. Do it–even if some of your posts aren’t particular profound or long. Readers will abandon your blog if they think you’ve abandoned them.
If you need to deviate from your schedule, let readers know that you won’t be posting at the regular time and give them an idea of when you’ll be back.
8: Keep it concise
Speaking of posts that aren’t particularly profound or long, don’t think you have to wait until you have something brilliant to say before you post. In truth, most readers have short attention spans and/or crowded schedules themselves and would prefer to read a short, pithy post rather than a long, complex one.
9: Proofread before publishing
It’s difficult to catch mistakes in your own writing, because you tend to fill in what you thought you typed, rather than see what’s really there. This is particularly true immediately after writing. If possible, have someone else proofread your post before you publish it. Otherwise, let it “cool off” for an hour or a day so you can approach it with a more objective proofreader’s eye.
10: Go syndicate yourself
You don’t have to wait for readers to come to your blog every day or every week. Instead, you can take your blog to them. Use RSS to feed your new blog posts to readers who sign up. This makes it easier for your readers, who don’t have to remember to visit your blog Web site to check for new posts–and whatever makes it easier for readers is good for authors. You can syndicate just your post titles, short summaries, or entire posts.
Source: TechRepublic
http://techrepublic.com.com/
to check out sonnie's blog, go to: http://tinyurl. com/gldpk
In his own words, these are the “thoughts of a young professional on corporate life and the peripherals that affect work-life balance”
posted by shy @ 6:10 PM
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