Recently a friend of mine asked for a few tips on blogging. As you know, I have been writing the My Two Cents blog for a while now. At times it has come easily and I have created posts each week. At other times, it has come slowly and I let a few weeks slip by between contributions. But I have always found it to be a learning experience and a great way to share ideas. After giving it some thought, I would offer these five tips.
Crank It Out. Writing a blog is an easy way to start a conversation and share your ideas. You don’t have to be the next Great American Writer – you just need a point of view on a topic of interest. It could be about your community, your career or your mother-in-law’s cooking. Once you have identified something you feel passionate about, it’s easy to share it with others around you as well as others around the world.
Set It Up. Once you’ve decided to start sharing your ideas, the first step is to choose a blogging platform. There are a number of services available. Three major platforms you should investigate are Typepad, WordPress and Blogger. Each platform offers different formats and benefits. By taking a look at Technorati’s Top 100 Blogs, you can get an idea of the number of different platforms and styles available and decide which one might be best for you.
Write It Down. In order to “hit the ground running” you need to create a list of topics to get you started. Make a quick list of ten ideas for your first set of blog posts. If you can’t think of ten, do a little research on Google and Technorati and discover what other people saying about your topic? While the most enjoyable part of blogging is having the opportunity to share your ideas with others, don’t be afraid to select a few topics that require a little research on your part.
Make It Fun. Set yourself up for success by making it enjoyable. I remember being told once to “smile when you speak on the phone. People can hear your enthusiasm.” The same goes for your writing. If writing your blog becomes a chore, you simply won’t be able to create interesting blogs posts on a regular basis. Remember, the whole point of writing a blog is to start a conversation with like-minded people. If you don’t find it enjoyable, your readers won’t either.
Promote It Now. With each post, you will want to set up the correct tags to allow Technorati and Google to find your blog. Your blogging platform will help you with this. However, you already have a great source for readers – your friends. Promoting your blog on your Facebook page and to your email contacts is a great first step. Once you have done that, you can find new readers by visiting similar blogs and writing comments. As you do so, add a link back to your blog. That way, you will be able to include your blog posts in the conversation.
It’s not hard to get started. In as little as 5 minutes, you can create your own blog and begin sharing your ideas with the world.
Until next time,
Dan
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