Good Blogs – 7 Things You Should Remember When Writing a Blog
Monday, December 21st, 2009Before I have talked about the Advantages of Blogging: 7 Reasons Why You Should Start a Blog.. So might be thinking, how can I get started with blogging? Are there any rules on blogging? What tips are available for aspiring bloggers? How will I come up with a good blog?
Writing a good blog is not difficult as it seems. Although some people shake at the mere thought of having to write a good blog. This is a normal feeling that we get especially for new bloggers. However, there are ways to overcome the blog writer’s block that many new bloggers face after a short amount of time. The key to overcoming this problem is careful planning.
There are like millions and millions of blogs currently in existence, however most of these blogs do not entice readers meaning they are not good blogs. What is missing from these on-line journals that would essentially make them ‘good’ blogs? Careful planning on how you will tackle your topic is the missing factor.
Planning is your asset, your number one tool that a few people consider. A lot of bloggers out there just write for the sake of writing no amount of their time can be wasted on planning. So use this to your advantage and start to plan your blog posts ahead.
One good thing about research and planning is that you can come up with more ideas when you are in that mindset also if you plan everything is more like to be organized hence you produce a good blog. Not to mention that planning seems to have a knock on effect for new content, the more you plan, the more you are able to come up with new and good blog content.
1. A good blog makes use of descriptive headlines. A good blog includes a descriptive headline which will basically tell the readers what the article is about. The key here is to create micro-content that can stand well enough on its own.
Always remember that your headline might be read in an RSS reader, a news portal that aggregates content, a search result, your blog archive, a bookmark and so on, so it may be surrounded by dozens of other headlines.
2. A good blog is kept short. Do you know why Seth Godin has a lot of readers? It is because his posts are short. But be warned that if you plan on writing a short blog than you have got nowhere to hide. It means that if you are writing something that is short, it must be good. This is one attribute of a good blog post, it is short but at the same time it is full of information.
3. A good blog uses the inverted pyramid style. What is this? With an inverted pyramid style you get to the point right away and mention the core ideas, then fill in the details in later paragraphs. The first and second sentence should allow people to decide if they want to continue reading. With that being said, the first two sentences must capture their attention right away.
4. Good blogs are written from the heart. I think the most important thing that we should not forget when it comes to blogging is that we should enjoy what we are talking about.
The most successful blogs are composed by bloggers who are passionate about whatever topic it is they are talking about. When you write about topics that excite you, your writing will communicate a sense of energy that will attract like-minded readers.
5. A good blog should sound as casual as possible. Blogging is a more informal medium than print, and your writing style should reflect that. The beauty of good blogs is that it allows you to talk casually; it is like you are having coffee with a friend while discussing something.
One sound tip you can follow in writing a good blog is to read blogs that are in line with your topic and study the ways in which those bloggers choose words that maintain a professional tone while still being warm and accessible.
6. To come up with a good blog you must maintain everything simple. Remember that your blog has a global exposure meaning that you will have readers from different countries. With that being said it is a not good idea to use complicated words.
7. A good blog is of course error free. I am not saying that we are perfect since we are not, however making sure that your blog is free from typographical errors is important. It is best that we use sites like Spellcheck.net to make sure the post is good. I mean if you are the reader how would it look like if the author made a mistake?
An error now and then is not bad but the less few errors, the more quickly people will be able to read and understand your article.
