Bloggers - I have some questions

I have finally decided to officially take the plunge and blog - on behavior....

If you are a regular blogger, can you please give me tips, resources, etc that you feel have helped you blog successfully?

Antyhing I should know, etc - you can post here, or FM me - whatever you feel more comfortable doing.... and - what the hell - post your blog here as well - that way you will help me, and also promote your blog at the same time!

Thanks!

= )

Re: Bloggers - I have some questions

So........ Nah?

Re: Bloggers - I have some questions

Know your audience and cater to them. My blog originally had a lot of information on everything and I found (through my web host's stats) that most of my visitors arrive from garden and flower related searches. So I do more of that than anything else.

Make it personal by putting up an "About Me" section but decide what "tone" you will have in your posts. I put very little personal information in my blogs anymore because I've come to the realization that my life is not that interesting.

I'll add more later. Here's my blog: http://www.greenfreak.net

And here's my FB fan page with similar posts: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-Garden-Tips-and-Tricks/112254262149006?ref=sgm

Re: Bloggers - I have some questions

I think my blog is kinda boring but I focus it primarily on my profession. I have gotten a lot more traffic since the owner of a blog for my profession featured me on his site which is geared specifically to social work blogs.

I tried posting a "question of the week" for a bit to try to get people talking about stuff but so far it hasn't taken off.

Some of the blogs that I follow have give aways which seem to attract a following.

I think I have a lot of people who lurk on my site (I have a feed that shows where people are posting from) but not many followers yet.

If you do start a blog, FM me the address. I enjoy following other people's blogs.

ETA: I initially started writing stuff specifically about the program that I worked for, but have since taken that stuff down, because if you are a real sleuth, you could probably figure out who I am and even where I work. I wanted to be a little more anonymous.

Message edited 7/29/2010 4:57:39 PM.

Re: Bloggers - I have some questions

While I love comments, most of the people who come to my site are one timers, so I don't try to prompt more discussion. On FB though, it's a much more common thing to Like or Comment so there's a better chance there of a real back-and-forth conversation.

I make a list of topics ahead of time and try not to get too crazy about details. Most people don't want to read an 8 page blog so I wrestle with length sometimes. Each week I pick a topic and just start writing. Then rewrite a whole bunch of times.

I still try to use the rules I learned in school... Introduction that grabs attention, structured body with photographs whenever possible, conclusion. I try not to repeat buzzwords. I focus on the 'flow', give outside resources to learn more. I always always always make those links open in a new browser window too - I don't want people leaving my page to go somewhere else.

Hope this helps!!

Message edited 7/29/2010 5:38:34 PM.

Re: Bloggers - I have some questions

Great post. Great information already. I just started blogging, so this post will be helpful.

Re: Bloggers - I have some questions

Posted by greenfreak

Know your audience and cater to them. My blog originally had a lot of information on everything and I found (through my web host's stats) that most of my visitors arrive from garden and flower related searches. So I do more of that than anything else.

Make it personal by putting up an "About Me" section but decide what "tone" you will have in your posts. I put very little personal information in my blogs anymore because I've come to the realization that my life is not that interesting.

I'll add more later. Here's my blog: http://www.greenfreak.net

And here's my FB fan page with similar posts: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-Garden-Tips-and-Tricks/112254262149006?ref=sgm