Tuesday 7 August 2012

Tips for Better Blogging

My previous attempts to join the blogosphere have been lackluster at best. With no clear vision of what I wanted to achieve, my content waived, and so did my interest. To implement a successful strategy, i need to clearly define the purposes of my blog which is:

 "To engage with an active audience of young professionals in the technology and creative industries, while building a professional identity for myself"

To do this i have put together a few strategies to get the masses (or my class at least) participating. 
  • Write Short
Don't use ten words when two will suffice

  • Use a Catchy, Relevant Title
Remember that the title may appear as a link on other websites, as a tweet, or in a Facebook stream. Focus on creating a title which is short, concise and intriguing. use Google Insights or Google AdWords Keyword Tool to identify what people are searching for. Punch them into Google and see what you get back. If the search results are an entire page of articles with similar titles, try again and keep going until you get something less crowded.
  • Stick to a Schedule
Roger Parker's Blog makes a great point. How are you expected to maintain a weekly readership without a commitment to content? He suggests planning when posts will be made and having a deadline for posting. It is also worth creating a sense of anticipation amongst your readers. There will be more on this next week.   
  • Write For the People
A point often neglected, but arguably the most important. While you’re writing, try to keep in mind that the goal is for people to enjoy your content. Enjoy it so much that they feel compelled to tell all their friends. if you regularly publish original, interesting content on your blog, your readers will reward you.

  • Share the Love 


Not all of us have a reassuring ghost to let us know that if we build it, readers will come..Although good content will accrue links over time, there is no harm in getting your blog out there through any form of social media. Last time I checked i had over 10 social media accounts! all with differing contacts and covering a variety of different topics. Do some research to find the most appropriate audience and make your blog known. Remember, blogging is a two way street, don't insult your readers by not participating!


My time is valuable so my choices of what I read come down to how digestible the content on the topics of interest are. Mashable would have to be a favourite of mine as they regularly combine a variety of different digital media stories with interactive, original, easy to read content. A good blogger is punctual, succinct, selfless, and giving. Mould these characteristics into your work along with a quick "would i click that?" test and they will come! 

6 comments:

  1. Hi Justin, I agree with you that we should keep our post short. However, my English is not that good so it is hard as it is to write. For my next post in my blog, I'll try to find alternate way to say if i feel like my words are too long. If you have time please leave some comment on my blog(at http://prapatwoonnatee.wordpress.com/). It'll help me a lot to improve my next post.

    Cheers,

    Prapat W.

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  2. Hi Prapat,

    Thanks for commenting. I had a read over your post and i believe your plans to familiarize yourself with other students work will be a great jumping off point to give you some ideas.

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  3. Hi Justin,
    Having an interesting title is the main reason why many post have attracted readers and it is something I hope to master. If you have time, please give me feedback on my blog
    http://sukshan.wordpress.com/category/enterprise-2-0/

    Good Luck

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  4. Hey Justin,
    tried to comment before but it didn't work from my Ipad :(
    Btt: like your notion about the schedule and title, didn't really think about them before!
    However I have to say I think your other posts are more interesting ;) How long have you been snowboarding for?

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    Replies
    1. Been on the snow since i was a Milo kid and snowboarding as soon as they would let me! Ive been boarding all over the world, did a couple seasons in Canada, Austria, NZ, and more recently i have been hitting up Kashmir, India where that video was taken.

      Hands down the most epic mountains i have had the chance to ride. No ski patrol, trails, or groomed runs combined with the constant threat of avalanches makes for a pretty wild experience. I think the plan is to hit Kazakhstan early next year as apparently you can hire military helicopters to take you up the mountains! Do you board?

      Delete
  5. A great title definitely will attract people to read your article and I agree that when you write for the people, it helps them understand you easier and keep them coming back to read more.

    But I'm not too sure with writing short though. That probably depends on what type of blog you are writing.

    Cheers,
    Zeng Hoong (Ben)

    ReplyDelete