Chapter 5
How to Blog
Many people think that blogging is like keeping a diary, which makes them believe that anybody can blog. While both of these assumptions are true, to an extent, there is a difference between blogging and good blogging. This chapter focuses on the elements of a good blog and what it takes to keep readers interested in what the blog is about.
First, what are the elements of a good blog?
- Publishing outside of news circle
- Ongoing conversation
- Read other blogs
- Short posts
- At least once a day posts
- Use photos
The most important of these elements, when it comes to keeping the reader coming back, is to post at least once a day and to keep the conversation going. Blogs are essentially a dialogue between the blogger and the reader. The reader is expecting to be able to comment on the information he or she is reading. So, always remember to allow comments, otherwise, your blog really does become a diary. Nobody wants to just listen to what you have to say and then not be able to argue, or agree.
Keeping conversation going isn’t only about allowing comments, although this is the most important part of it. It is also about responding back to those comments and implementing evidentiary support for the claims you make in your blog. Write your blog like an email and never forget to include links, pictures and analysis. Refer back to previous posts to show readers that your blog is a uniformed commodity directed toward an interesting, and relevant, topic. One last piece of advice is to always respect the opinion of your readers because their opinion matters more than yours. Don’t, however, let your readers’ comments own your blog. Manage the comments to stay on topic so readers can interact with you and each other. By incorporating all of these tips, your blog can grow into a forum read by many.