Blogging Well 101

In writing my reaction yesterday about a newspaper story that blogging has peaked and there are more than 200 million abandoned blogs floating around in cyberspace, it struck me part of the problem many people face when thinking about starting a blog or writing is a blog is, frankly, they have little idea about how to do it well. There are plenty of places on the Web for tips, suggestions and how-tos (Darren Rowse’s Problogger is one the leading resources) but here’s my personal list of blogging “rules”.

1. Be passionate and enthusiastic : The whole idea about writing a blog is you have something to say that you want to share. Whether it’s pizza, hockey, Eastern European cheese, gadgets, bagpipes or the neighbourhood where you live, you need to show your excitement if you have any aspirations for engaging readers.

2. Write regularly: Far too people start with a bang after launching blogs by writing long, detailed posts – only to lose their enthusiasm soon afterwards and their interest in writing on a regular basis. A good blog is “alive”. By that, I mean it’s like a plant that you have to nurture by watering it every day. A blog needs regular attention with posts pretty much every day.

3. Write Well…or as Well as You Can: Nothing hurts a blog post more than spelling mistakes and bad grammar (although some people argue it shows the personal side of blogging). Before hitting the publish button, do a spellcheck and re-read the post just to make sure it’s ready for public consumption. (Note: It has been correctly pointed out that when it comes to diligent spellchecking, I talk the talk but sometimes don’t walk the walk. Ouch!)

4. Be Part of the Community: While there’s nothing wrong in blogging in isolation about your own thoughts, it’s also important to be involved in the blogging community by reading what other people are writing – and then bringing their ideas into your posts. Among the best at this is Mathew Ingram, who not only reads a lot of blogs but incorporates them into his posts. This not only makes your blog more interesting because you’ve provided a variety of opinions, it also shows the blog community that you’re interested in what they have to say.

5. Link, link, link: Blogs are all about providing value-added information. This includes links to other blogs and Web sites. By driving people away from your blog, you’re also giving them a reason to come back by establishing yourself as a valuable resource for people looking for new information sources.

6. Be Part of the Conversation: When people comment on your blog, they’ve made an effort to let you know what they think. Reward that effort by commenting back. Likewise, get out there and comment on the blog posts that interest you. To get into the conversation, get yourself an RSS reader such as Google Reader or Bloglines, and start reading other peoples’ blogs on a regular basis.

7. Don’t Worry ’bout the Stats: Bloggers are notoriously obsessed with their traffic statistics – unique visitors, pageviews, Technorati ranking, etc. The focus, however, should be on writing well, writing often and enjoying the process. Unless you have aspirations to become a professional blogger, there’s no sense worrying about whether you have 100 more pageviews than yesterday.

8. Be Your Own PR Machine: If you’ve got a blog, don’t be afraid to tell people about it. Put it on your business card, on the bottom of your e-mail signature, place it on Powerpoint presentations, and mention it during meetings.

For more thoughts on how to blog well, check out Josh Porter’s “9 Lessons for Would-be Bloggers” post. As well, Maggie Fox has a post on how to join the social media “conversation”.