Yesterday, at the
Web Managers Roundtable, I was treated to a panel of experienced
bloggers and got several pages of notes about better blogging.
Here's the Top 10:
- Dana Blankenhorn observes that blogging is an intimate relationship with your readers – let them be your guide
- Carol Covin told of finding a void & filling it with a blog to tell rich stories for others – she noticed at book signings that people would share their stories but didn't write them down to share with a broader audience
- Randy Rieland integrates multiple forms of media to present the blog – this evolved and grew by doing
- Dick Davies is consistent about publishing twice per week and that for him an ideal blog is 5 paragraphs, 10 sentences
- Do not waste people's time – cut to the chase and make your point – short can be better
- Blogging is not a hobby – when thinking about writing a blog, make a business case for it: Who are your writing for; What topic/subject area are you writing about; Why are you writing to these people and about these issue?
- Write in your voice – be you in your writing – do not try to write in the voice of the organization
- Looking for content and ideas for topics for the organization's blog? Talk with the person in the Big Chair – they like to talk about what they do – but don't forget to jot down interesting ideas, topics, issues when you come across them...every event has potential for a great blog
- Blogging requires discipline – take your passion and vision and put it on a plan – declare how often you will post and do it, the readers will come to expect your posts on a cycle – they will not stay around for erratic publishing
- Share your stories, ask questions, set scenes, but do not try to solve problems when writing – regardless what you think you are writing about, the reader interprets the post in terms of what is on their mind.
And
number 11 is – don't
just talk about blogging – do it and make each one better than the
one before.
Check
out BlogLab,
coming August 16
for a roll-up-the-sleeves view of blogging.
4 comments:
And, number 12, people love numbered lists. They are short and defined, with an arc so the reader knows when the end is coming.
Management needs to remember that any exposure is good. Ask Paris Hilton!
Carol:
I agree with your comment:
1) it is right on point;
2) it highlights and signifies an order;
3) it is easy to follow and see the end;
4) thanks for the comment.
Dick:
Good point -
Randy told about Fox News flashing up the new blog logo with varying gear wheels saying it would not work in reality. They reported it as an example of inefficient attention to detail.
While this notoriety may be disappointing, how many blogs up for a couple of months can reach 99 million viewers? Plenty of folks now know about the blog and its volume has increased.
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