I just received this email from a great friend of mine:Hope you're well. Just wondering if you can do us a favour: as someone who [blogs (compliment deleted)], can you give me Top Ten list of blogging principles for writing good posts? We're thinking of starting one but I need help! :-)Can you:
- Offer one tip (or more).
- Link to pages who have similar lists (Didn't Abraham Piper do such a list?)
______________
Pic on Flickr by candyjaxx.
22 comments:
When you get emails like this, get the Blogging community working for you, rather than spend 10 minutes typing out your 10 tips!
:)
Blog lots. Einstein said it best in what should probably be known as the first law of blog dynamics "Genius comes from the prolific".
Well, that's 10 in binary - and I'll make it 10 in trinary by adding:
Be honest in your writing, don't try and be someone else online.
Have an opinion, and own it
short posts = good.
If you are a theologian: remember that not everyone reading your post is one too.
I'm not counting this one as a top-ten tip, rather just something you should know
Have your comments section in the same place as your blog (i.e. don't pop-up another window to look at the comments).
prepare to be humbled. If you are going to put your opinion out there, unless you're a genius there is a good chance you'll be wrong or come across in a way you don't want to, and it can be humiliating
But it's good to be humbled and realise you aren't as good as you think you are, and it will hopefully force you to show grace toward others in blogging.
That's my experience anyway.
My hints would be
1: COnsistency. I blogged almost every day for 5 years, but fell off the horse. It's hard to get up once you fall off.
2: Know what you're about. If your blogs are all over the shop all of the time you'll never build up a consistent readership.
3: Know WHY you're blogging. If it's about personal reflection & catharsis, then don't let yourself worry about how many comments you get.
1. be nice - the blogging world has enough nastiness
2. blog like you're speaking - not like you're writing
Choose a topic you're really interested in. It's hard to keep coming up with blog posts day after day: if it's something you're passionate about, it will be a little easier.
no pontification ;p
I'm quite new too - so I'm just going to take all this advice - thank you!
Thought I'd post the link to the blog tips by Abraham Piper.
From "Between two worlds":
http://theologica.blogspot.com/2007/06/tips-for-better-blog-writing.html
And from his own site:
http://twentytwowords.com/2008/10/29/22-very-simple-ways-for-a-new-blogger-to-improve/
Another two cents...
Read other blogs, and comment on them. Social media requires "social" interaction.
When you comment (or respond to comments) do it like you'd interact with someone in real life.
Make your RSS feed full text.
People LOVE lists. Make your post into a list, and watch your readership soar!
But don't blog to get hits.
Yes, I second that, lists are great, Justin writes great lists.
Comprehensive page for Blogging for Beginners. http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/14/blogging-for-beginners-2/
I've come back here, because I forgot to hit that follow-up button again, and decided I should write my comment a bit less like the way of writing I was denouncing :). So, golden rule of good writing (taken from the experts, not me) is "show don't tell". It's a more effective way of communicating anything you might wish to communicate.
Be:
Honest;
Original;
Passionate;
Inquisitive;
Humble; and
Brief (i.e., why have a list of 10 when less may do quite well?)
As Sir Winston Churchill said: "All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope."
I love keeping up with you through your blog.
Carter
don't just be a news service
share your own ideas and passions
don't blog for the sake of blogging
pepper with grace
avoid hearsay
honest facts
accept criticism
avoid moderation
avoid bulky text
if you want an audience, listen to others.
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