Blogging tips
So you’ve decided to jump into the world of blogging. Great choice! The water’s warm, and there’s always room for more thinkers in the world of education. I’ve been blogging for a couple of years now, and have found some things that do and don’t work. So if you’re just starting out, but you already know some basics about blogging, here are some tips that can maximize your efforts and bring more readers to your site.
- It’s a blog, not a thesis. Pay attention to your grammar, but colloquials are always ok here. And hey, if you do break a few grammar rules along the way, nobody’s going to beat you down for it. Write well, but write passionately. Let your own voice come through. Most of the time, I choose blogs that I subscribe to not necessarily based on what others say, but how they say it.
- Length: I hate to say it, but nobody wants to read your 12-paragraph post. Three to four paragraphs is more than plenty. Research is pretty conclusive that most readers won’t finish a real long one. I know I don’t. Instead, try breaking up your single, long post into several shorter ones, and include “Part 1″, “Part 2″, etc… in the title. That way you keep people coming back for more, and you encourage them to subscribe to your blog so they won’t miss your next post.
- Frequency: Again, you’re going to turn off most readers if you have several posts in a single day. They may read the first few, but the ones below that will largely be ignored. Conversely, long periods of time between posts may cause your potential readers to think you’ve abandoned your blog. I can’t think of a hard-and-fast rule here, but it’s just something to keep in mind.
- Content: Do posts about your vacation belong on your professional blog? That’s up to you. Just keep your audience in mind. Chances are, many of your regular readers will be people similar to you. I know several very successful blogs in which the authors mix personal and professional content. That said, I have a couple of personal blogs that I use separately from this one. Just my choice. Update: I’ve found it somewhat of a pain to maintain multiple blogs, so I’ve bitten the bullet and have decided to combine personal blogging with professional blogging on here.
- Attracting readers: Find some blogs that interest you, and leave them a comment. Most blogs have you fill in your name, email address, and your site name. This is a great opportunity to make a comment and encourage them to come back and visit you. Make good use of your “links” or “blogroll” section, and you will find others linking reciprocally back to your site.
- Don’t know where to look to find new blogs? Try Technorati or Google Blog search, type in a subject you’re interested in, and see what they have to say. You’ll be amazed at the number of blogs on a given subject. Also, try visiting the “links” or “blogroll” section of some blogs that you already know. Chances are, you’ll find some common areas of interest with others right there.
- Allowing comments: By all means, open up your posts to allow as many people as possible to be able to comment. When you start getting spam comments, however, your first reaction will be to shut them down. Don’t do it. Instead, rely on your spam filters that many blogging platforms already employ. If you can get a hold of a good “capcha” style of plugin, by all means use it. This is the type-in-the-letters-you-see-below that you occasionally see. It allows humans to comment, but not spam bots.
- Also, try to avoid only allowing comments from your particular blogging platform: WordPress, Blogger, Vox, TypePad, etc… That just discourages readership. I don’t subscribe to blogs where I can’t comment just because I use a different platform.
- And also speaking of allowing comments, try to avoid more than two necessary steps when people comment. Any more than that, and you’re just turning them away. One is plenty. My biggest pet peeve with Blogger is that commenting is sometimes more complicated than it needs to be.
- Hosting: Let’s face it: Hosting your own blog can get a little geeky. You have to get your own domain name, get your hosting, install the database, and maintain your upgrades from time to time. All you want to do is blog! No problem: Any of the blogging platforms above will host your blog for you, although there may be some limitations as to your layouts and plugins available. However, many of them are free, and you get an instant blog without all of the associated hassles.
Follow these simple guidelines, and I think you’ll find yourself with a good readership base in no time. Now go forth and blog!
