Blogging is a truly unique medium for sharing the written word. In the past, once something was written, that was it. There was virtually no communication with the writer, and what communication there was could take months and weeks to reach the readers. Blogging has changed all that. Now, an internet writer or blogger can post an article or other piece on a blog, a reader can comment, and the writer can immediately respond, if they so choose. Blogging allows readers and writers to interact on a level never really seen before.
However, with this interaction sometimes come problems. Blog comment boxes are a prime target for spam, abuse, and just plain bad manners. But you can take some steps to help ensure the integrity of blog comment boxes with a few simple tips, whether you’re commenting on someone else’s blog or responding to a comment left on your own blog.
Leaving Comments on Another Blog
As a general rule, don’t comment unless you have something to say. Constantly posting “Nice!” after each post you enjoy can get annoying, and you’ll probably have your posts deleted by the blog owner or moderator. You also shouldn’t post “Boring!” after a post.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t post. Just make sure you have something constructive to add. It’s even acceptable to disagree with the post, but do it in a respectful manner. Present your case and the reasons for disagreeing with the post and move one. Don’t insult anyone or anything, simply express your point of view. “With all due respect, John is an idiot,” is generally not considered an acceptable comment. If you can’t think of anything to add, then add nothing.
Don’t troll. Trolling is searching out places to place provocative comments designed to illicit a desired response, usually anger. If you’re going to disagree, do it politely. Just because everyone else seems to be trolling for places to irritate people doesn’t me you should do the same.
You’ll also want to avoid excessive self-promotion. For the most part, don’t post links back to your own blogs. If you have a blog that is relevant to the content your reading, then it might be an interesting addition to the comments section, but otherwise you’re simply drawing traffic away from the current blog, and that’s just not polite.
Of course, you should comment on blog posts you enjoyed, or even those you disagreed with. That’s what the comments box is there for. You get to decide what to say and how to say, but don’t be drawn into long arguments with other posters. Make your point and move on. You probably don’t need to comment three times on the same blog post.
Comments on Your Blog
Before you even think about how to respond to comments, consider adding a comment policy section to your own blog. Detail exactly what is and is not acceptable by posters. You could ban things such as swearing, defamatory language, racism, or any comments that attack any group of people. You’ll also want to enable comment moderation so that you can approve each comment before it’s posted. This will help eliminate spam and comment abuse.
Don’t delete a comment simply because it expressed an alternate point of view. If someone disagrees with you and does it well, it can be the starting point for a great debate on the issue. Engage with those who disagree with you, ask their opinion, and don’t be afraid to correct your post if you got your facts wrong. As long as a comment isn’t abusive or disrespectful, and it contributes something to the conversation, you should probably approve it.
However, there are some comments that you should delete. Among these are: “Boring,” “What?” “Cool,” and anything that really doesn’t add to the comment section. Anything posted by someone just trying to get attention should also be ignored. If you get a great many comments, you may have to exercise some discretion when it comes to approving comments. It will generally be the one-word posts that you’ll decide to delete.
Anything off-topic or excessively self-promotional should be deleted immediately. Someone who posts a link to their political blog on your dog training blog is only looking for traffic to their own site. However, if one of your readers posts a link to a sled dog training blog after a post that concerns winter activities for training dogs is adding a relevant and interesting link. That you should let stand.
Remember to engage with your readers. If someone posts a question, you should take the time to answer it, either in your own comment or by modifying the original post. Readers enjoy being able to contact the writer, so add a “Contact Me” page as well. While you probably can’t be online twenty-four hours a day, check your comments at least every two days for comments to deserve a reply. Comment boxes are what make blogs unique. They should be used frequently and appropriately. Comment frequently, do so with respect, and always respond to engaging comments left on your own blog. If you do these things, you are truly participating in an online community.
Blogs are a fun and creative way to interact with the online community. You can express your thoughts and feelings on an issue, receive feedback, and eventually attract followers. However, for these things to happen, people have to be able to find your blog. For the most part, this will happen through search engines such as Bing or Google. And the search engines will give more weight to blogs that can boast many quality inbound links.
Inbound links exist when someone else links to your blog. Not only is this flattering, but it lets search engines know that someone out there considers you an authority in your niche. Some of these links will be developed over time as you deliver unique and relevant content to your readers. Hopefully, some of your readers will find your content so valuable or entertaining that they’ll share your blog through a popular social networking site, such as Twitter or Facebook. But if you want to create a successful blog, you’ll have to spend some time generating these inbound links.
As a blogger, you can take advantage of social networking to generate some quality inbound links. Join as many social networking sites as you can. However, be prepared to participate in these sites. Some of them, such as Digg or Stumbleupon, will label you as a spammer and delete your account if all you do is post links to your blog. Take the time to make friends and follow their posts, and they will likely return the favor. Building a loyal following on Twitter, Facebook, Stumbleupon, or any other social networking site does take time, but if you’re willing to do the work, you’ll soon find your social networking friends are generating some of your inbound links for you.
Inbound links will carry more weight with search engines if the links are relevant to the content of your blog. A link from a site about global politics to your dog training blog might be ignored by the search engines simply because the two subjects have very little in common. If you want relevant links, you’ll need to spend some time reading other blogs first. Search out those with content that complements yours. When you find something suitable, leave an insightful and useful comment, including a link back to your own blog. Some blog owners might even be open to the idea of link exchange. This means that they place a link to your blog on their site, and you return the favor. It never hurts to ask. But remember to keep it relevant or you might be penalized by search engines.
Guest blogging is a powerful way to generate inbound links. Guest blogging is when you post on a blog that isn’t your own. You might do this because you have been asked to by the owner of the other blog, or you might have approached the owner about the idea. When you guest blog, make sure it’s on a blog that has similar content to yours and post a link to your own blog at the end of your guest post. This generates at least one more quality inbound link.
If you’re an avid writer, you might want to consider article marketing. The idea here is that you produce quality content that is related to your blog and post in online (but not on your own blog). Make sure to include a relevant link back to your own site. This can help not only with the page rank (PR) of your site, but it can help drive readers from your articles to your blogs. Just make sure that every article you choose to link to your blog is relevant is some way. Also remember to check the terms of service at each site you post your articles on. Some of them will have rules about linking to your own blog directly from an article. However, most of them will allow you to place a link in your profile, which still serves as a valuable backlink.
Consider adding a review page to your blog. On this page you can review other blogs of similar content and post this review on your site. When you’ve completed a positive review, send a note to the owner of the blog you’ve finished reviewing. Let them know how much you’ve enjoyed their site, and that you wanted to share their site with your readers. If your review is well written and flattering, the site owner will usually include it on their own site, complete with a backlink.
Search out those directories that allow you to list your site. These should be quality sites with a review process, not simply a post-and-run approach. Sites that have humans reviewing submissions tend to have a higher PR than automated directories, and so will actually help your blog. Once your link has been approved, search engines will consider the backlink to be one of quality. Don't get impatient and submit your site to an automated directory, as your PR will likely drop in the long run.
There are sites out there that promise to provide incoming links for a fee. Don’t even consider these websites as a viable option for generating quality inbound links. Building links takes time and effort, and your blog will attract links as your content grows. Remember that search engines often reward a blog for quality incoming links, but penalize these same blogs for irrelevant links. Purchasing inbound links is not only a waste of money, but it can damage the PR of your site in the eyes of the major search engines.
Take the time to interact with your readers. Answer questions left in your comments section, read their blogs, and consider creating a forum section on your blog for readers to interact with each other. These are all valuable ways to ensure your readers remember your site, and this increases the chance that they will generate backlinks for you. A good blog with strong content almost generates links on its own.
Remember, most search engines ranks websites and blogs to determine who shows up first in search results. The higher your PR, the higher your site will be on the long list of results, and the more visitors you will have to your blog. Taking the time to explore possible inbound link ideas is never a waste, and just might help you generate additional traffic to your blog.
The art of blogging has become quite popular in recent years. It seems like everyone is starting a blog, and on every topic. But creating a successful blog that has at least the hope of longevity is not always easy. And though there are many factors to consider, such as blog platform, content, and design, the most important decision to make before starting a blog is the overall topic. There are several tips to consider when deciding on a blog topic.
Make Sure You’re Passionate About Your Topic
One of the keys to a successful blog is in frequent posts and updates. The frequency of these posts can range from once a week to several times a day. That’s a lot of writing about a single topic, especially if you want your blog to last for more than a few months. Think about all the topics you might blog about, and narrow it down to those topics you can truly see yourself writing about for months on end. If you know that you’ll get bored three months in, you might want to select another topic.
Choose a Topic You Enjoy Discussing
Think about the topics you discuss often with your friends and family. Do you find yourself often turning the conversation to politics? Then maybe a political blog might be for you. Can you discuss pets for hours on end? Consider starting a pet blog. Whatever you pick, make sure it’s something you actually enjoy talking about.
At the same time, you’ll want to ensure that you don’t mind if people disagree with you about your chosen topic. A blog is out there for everyone to read, and it’s impossible to please everyone all of the time. As your blog grows and expands, more and more people will read what you write. And some of them will disagree with you. If you can appreciate a healthy debate on your chosen topic, it might be the blog topic for you.
Is There Enough Content on the Topic to Sustain a Blog?
If you’re going to start a successful blog, you’re going to have to continue to produce fresh and unique content for a sustained period of time. If you run out of things to say, your blog will end up floating in the furthest corner of cyberspace where no one will ever see it.
When considering whether there is enough content to support your blog, evaluate your resources. Think about yourself as an author and decide if you can put up fresh content on a consistent basis for more than just a few weeks. Are there enough books, websites, and other resources to provide you with inspiration when you run out of ideas? If you’re passionate about your topic, you probably already have websites bookmarked or books on your shelf that relate to your blog. But it wouldn’t hurt to do a quick Google or Bing search to discover exactly what kind of resources there are in cyberspace.
This serves two purposes. First, it allows you to locate additional references. Second, you’ll get the opportunity to see what other people are writing about. And while you should not copy another writer’s ideas, searching for inspiration is something every writer does.
Don’t Have Too Narrow a Focus
While all blogs should have a clear focus, if your focus is too narrow you’ll find you quickly run out of things to say. For example, a blog on the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show will be fairly limited. It only happens once a year, and there’s only so much to talk about. If, on the other hand, you blog about dog shows in general, or about breed conformation, you will be able to blog all year long and still cover the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show every year. In this way, you’ll have a focused blog that will rarely, if ever, run out of fresh topics.
Is the Topic Popular?
Despite how much you may love your topic, the success of a blog is determined by the people willing to read your blog. If you’re the only person in the world who is interested in your topic (unlikely, but remotely possible), you might have a difficult time attracting followers. If you want to create a blog that is frequently read, you’ll need to select your topic carefully.
That being said, you don’t need to appeal to everyone. Your blog only has to be about a topic that some people are interested it. Search out a topic that has active readers, people who will want to revisit your blog frequently to read your latest posts. You may have to tweak your chosen topic a little before you come up with something that your readers will enjoy.
Blogs are a fun and creative way to spend your time. However, choosing a topic that suits both your own needs and the desires of your audience can take some time and consideration. Choose your topic carefully and you’ll find you can blog for many years without losing focus.
Blogging has become something of a phenomenon in recent years. It seems that everyone is starting a blog, and for a variety of reasons. However, most of these blogs never get much traffic. If you’re interested in creating a blog that is truly a destination, then you need to take some time to craft a blog that your audience will return to time and time again. These simple tips can help you do this.
Define Your Goals and Audience
Before you set up a blog or write your first post, you need to know where you’re going and how best to get there. Start by defining your goals for your blog. Do you want to make money? Perhaps you wish to establish yourself as an expert in a certain field. Are you going to be promoting a business or service that you offer? Do you intent to express many social or political ideas? Maybe you’re just in it for fun. Your purpose will define the shape and style of your blog.
You don’t want to have too many topics or ideas for a single blog. Stick to a particular niche. For example, if it’s a political blog, you’ll want to leave out the posts about what funny things your kids did over the weekend. A blog about cats will probably not include a recap about your recent hiking trip. Stay on topic if you want to attract and keep readers. Choose your niche, preferably one you have some knowledge about, and stick to that niche.
Readers are the single most important part of a blog. You need to keep their attention. To do this, figure out exactly who main audience will be and write for them and only them. If your audience is teenagers, you should have a blog that appeals to them. This means both the aesthetics of your blog and its content. On the other hand, a blog written for real estate professionals shouldn’t look like it was designed by a teenager. You audience will have certain expectations, and it is your job to meet or exceed these wherever possible.
Choose Your Blogging Platform
There are literally hundreds of different blogging platforms available on the internet today. Two of the most popular are Blogger and Wordpress, but there are many others. Which one you choose will be based upon your own particular needs. Some of them are easier to use than others, and some of them appeal to certain audiences. Go through all your options and choose the platform that you are most comfortable with.
Some platforms are free, others will cost you money. Before you decide to invest in a platform that isn’t free, consider your own needs. If your blog will primarily be a creative outlet, then a free platform should suit you just fine. However, if you want to make serious money from your blog, you might want to consider investing a little money yourself. Typically, free platforms are more difficult to monetize, but this isn’t always the case.
Select the Look of Your Blog
Now that you’ve figured out which platform you’ll be using, it’s time to design your blog. Again, you’ll want to consider your audience. For the most part, you’ll want to avoid busy backgrounds, as they can be hard on the eyes and detract from your content. Also choose a font that contrasts well with your background. Navy may seem like a good color for your font, but against a black background, it disappears. Preview everything before deciding on a final look.
Also make sure that your blog is accessible to readers. Your posts should stand out, not get lost in sidebars and advertising. There’s nothing wrong with advertising and the occasional sidebar, but make sure your posts are the focus of your blog. This will make information easier to find, and your readers will thank you for it.
Once you pick a theme and layout, stick with it. Changing your backgrounds every week may seem like fun, but it becomes hard to create an identity for your blog if you don’t have something consistent. Your readers will also have a hard time recognizing your blog. Try to change things only when absolutely necessary.
Focus on Content
Now it’s time to write something for your blog. Content is the driving force behind any blog, so you’ll need to select it carefully. You’ve already determined your audience and niche, so content should come naturally. To attract loyal readers, you’ll need good quality content that’s posted on a frequent basis. Try to post new content at least once a week. Establish a schedule that your readers can predict.
Give your readers relevant, useful content. Stay on topic, write your content well, and your audience will find you.
Don’t Be a Thief
There’s a lot of great content out there on the internet, and it can be tempting just to copy and paste whatever will work for your blog. Don’t. Write original content, and if you do use an idea or quote, attribute it correctly. Besides being unethical, copying material or images without permission and proper attribution can get you in trouble. Most hosts will shut down a blog if plagiarism is proven, and you could lose all your hard work. Duplicate content also isn’t very interesting, and your readers will eventually just go to the original source. You shouldn’t have to steal anyway, since you are presumably blogging on a topic about which you have some general knowledge.
Establish Yourself as an Authority
Why should anyone read your blog? This is an important question. If you’ve started a blog about training a dog, for example, you have to give your audience a reason to take your advice. This is where the “Contact Me” or “About Me” page comes in handy. You don’t have to detail every moment of your life. Keep it relevant to the blog. In the dog training example, you would want to include any personal information that would help your readers understand why you’re blogging about dog training. Maybe you’ve been training dogs for twenty years, or you might be a certified dog trainer. Make the page friendly and inviting, but relevant.
Use Ads Sparingly
Don’t have a page that’s essentially all ads. It turns readers off. Most readers understand that bloggers make money from ads, so they’ll accept some ads, but don’t go overboard. A few well-placed ads will have more effect than a page of flashing ads that just annoys your readers.
Be Unique
There are thousands upon thousands of blogs out there. You need to try to stand out, at least a little. Write interesting and unique articles, use an authorial voice, and focus on your audience. With a unique blog, you’ll soon find you have more followers and readers than you know what to do with.
Get Your Blog Out There
Once you have some useful information, you need to make sure your blog is found by people who want to read it. While many of your readers may find your blog through search engines such as Bing and Google, there are other ways to promote your blog. Join one or more of the many social networking sites designed for bloggers. Try creating a Facebook Fan Page for your blog to draw in friends and family, and encourage them to invite their friends. Twitter can be used as a way to gain additional fans as well. Also look for blogs on similar topics and follow them, inviting the author of the blog to follow you in turn.
Be Yourself
Your blog is almost an extension of you, so be true to yourself. Inject a little of your own personality into your blog. People read blogs for more than information. They read blogs to connect. Do don’t blog like some emotionless news report. Blog from the heart and you’ll soon find that you gain follows almost without any effort.
There are many other tips for beginning bloggers. You’ll want to master the use of plug-ins, be thoughtful, and encourage conversation, among other things. But the ten tips found here are the essentials for any blogger to consider while crafting their first blog.
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