Suggestions for Blogging

Recently, I was asked about how to write blog articles or posts. The following is my response which I edited a bit and have republished here for your benefit.

Q: Do you edit your entries before publishing them?
A: Yes. I normally read, re-read and edit my blog posts before I publish them. (That's the English major coming out in me!) But it's really not a big deal if you publish a post to your blog and then find a mistake. You can easily go back and edit it after you publish it. Or you could just ask a friend who’s good at this sort of thing to help you edit them before you publish.

Q: Are blog posts just your mental thoughts that you blurt out for everyone?
A: Blogs really vary in how they are written and for what purpose. Some that I've seen really are just a mental download onto the computer -- poorly written, hard to follow, and have bad punctuation and grammar. Others are very professional and formal. Others are fairly casual yet nicely written. (I try to get mine to fall in that last category.)

It really boils down to what you want out there to represent who you are. Do you care if people think you're sloppy? Or do you really want to make a good impression? Do you want your blog to be simply a way to capture your thoughts to share? Or do you want it to be a structured piece of work with some sort of purpose and point to it? Think about the purpose for your blog, and that will help you answer these questions.

Here are some specific suggestions for your articles:

1. Good titles are always a good thing to have for blog posts or articles. It helps the reader focus on what the topic or theme is or to peak their interest.

2. You might consider putting a "Part 1", "Part 2", etc., on articles if they are a series. The way that a blog works is that the most recent published post or article is listed at the top. Then they descend in reverse order by date (so that the one at the bottom is the oldest.) If the reader had some sort of designation near the top of the post or in the title that the article was part of a series, it might make it easier for the reader to follow and to know where to start reading.

3. Pictures always make it more interesting. Pictures that you have taken are better. It makes it more personal, interesting and visually appealing.

4. It's always a good idea to write the article in your word processing software on your pc or Mac, save it, edit it and then just copy/paste it to the blog site when you’re ready. That way, if something happens to your Internet connection while you are posting, you don't lose all your work. You'll have a copy on your computer in a separate file.

The last thing I would recommend is to make it your own. Be yourself when you write and when you choose your topics. Then when people read it, they will hear your voice, personality and point of view. It will be a better representation of who you are in all your uniqueness. (Read more about “uniqueness” in my Sweet Spot blog.)

Take these suggestions, and start writing your first article. If you do, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a blogger!