This is the inaugural article of a new series of “how to” articles I am going to publish here. Since all bloggers have one thing in common, and that’s writing, this seemed like the perfect place to start. So, without further ado:
What’s the point?
What exactly is the purpose of your writing? Understand what you are trying to accomplish, and write toward that goal. Are you informing your readers about something new? Are you going to teach them? Have a clear goal in mind as you write, and lead your reader to your conclusion.
Choosing a topic
Keep in mind why your readers are there. You are writing for them. What do they care about? Don’t write about what your readers have shown they are not interested in. I have written in previous posts on my blog that I have decided to lay off the keyword articles. The readers have spoken (or rather they have not spoken) and I have listened. Fewer comments=lesser interest. Instead focus on what your readers have shown to be their interest. In my blog’s case, I have noticed interest in the articles I have written about the tools and mechanics of blogging. Thus, the birth of this new series of articles.
Get organized- A Little Secret
The ideas that you are conveying to your readers should flow in a logical order. Use an outline if that’s what it takes. I’ll let you in on a little secret. When I write these posts, the very first thing I do is list the points that I want to write about. Then it’s a fairly simple matter of expanding on each of the points that I have listed. After proofreading them it’s a simple matter to rearrange the order if necessary too. Just a little cut and paste. It makes writing simpler, and it’s a big help in staying on point.
Simplicity is a good thing
Simple, plain language works. Use it. Don’t practice using the biggest words you can find in the dictionary or thesaurus to impress your readers. You’ll impress them alright, but not in a good way. Readers want a simple clear message. They don’t need you to point out that they don’t have the largest vocabulary on the planet. Keep in mind that your are writing to convey information and not to impress.
This is the web
Remember that you’re writing for the web. I mentioned this for a reason. It’s unlike writing for any other media. This is the place where the reader can instantly go to another source of information with just the click of a mouse button if they get bored. You must be interesting. You must hold your reader’s interest or they can instantly leave your pearls of wisdom, thus turning them into pearls of… well…something else.
Look for more articles in my new “how to” series in the very near future
The Life Of A Blog
I’m not concerned with making money on this site…yet. Why not? It’s not time yet. Blogs like everything else have a life. They have different stages to their lives too. Just like people. This blog is still an infant. Let’s examine the stages of the life of a blog.
The Birth Of A Blog
The preparations in anticipation of the birth of your blog are important. There are concepts to be considered. What is your new blog going to be about? What interests will it address? You must choose a name. Unlike a baby’s name, however you will need to make sure it’s available. When’s the last time someone named a baby and then had the state tell them, “Sorry, you can’t have that name. Somebody beat you to it?”
You will need to choose a host for your blog. Who’s server will your blog live on? There are any number of choices for your new blog’s home. Not being monetized at the moment, this blog won’t be making any recommendations just yet. There are sites that rate the different hosts. A simple search will find these for you.
Then when you get the blog home, so to speak, there are more decisions to be made. How are you going to dress it? You need to choose a blogging platform. Most people choose wordpress, although there are other quite nice platforms available too. Joomla, and Drupal are popular alternatives.
And then there’s the theme. What do you want it to look like? Will you choose a free theme, or go with a premium theme? Can you customize it yourself, or will you pay an expert to write the code that gives it exactly the look you want?
The Care and Feeding of Your New Blog
Now that your blog has a new home (the host server), and you have dressed it (the platform and theme), it’s time to teach it to talk. You need to give it a voice by writing new content. Most articles I have read advise having at least five articles ready to go when you put your new blog up. The thing to keep in mind is that when readers come to your blog, it’s important that there is actually something there for them to read.
There’s is going to be lot of hard work involved in growing your new blog. There is promotion. You have to find ways to let people know that it’s there. You will want to comment on other blogs (preferably in related niches), and comment in such a way as to make readers of your comment want to learn more about you by visiting your blog. You’ll want to have guest posts published on popular blogs. You will need to work hard at promotion.
Then there is the continuing need for new content. This never ends. A reasonable metaphor would be that content is your blog’s food. It’s sustenance. And like the food that you would feed a child, you will want to supply food of the highest nutritional value. Write quality articles for your blog. As a reader would you continue to visit a blog that didn’t have interesting or helpful content? You would not, and you should not expect your readers to either. Give them a reason to return again, and again. Give them content that is your best effort. You owe them that.
As your blog grows, you may find that it begins to change. The focus that you originally planned to write about changes. This is normal, and is nothing to worry about. Growth is about change. As your readers comment on your articles you may notice that they have a preference for certain topics, and want to focus more on those topics. Or perhaps it just may be that you find that it is your interests that change. That’s not a problem. While you don’t want others to dictate what your blog’s focus is going to be, it is important to listen to your readers. Think of it in terms of the growing pains of a teenager.
As you gain experience and your blog matures, you will find that writing comes a little more easily, and promotion becomes second nature. As it grows, your blog becomes something that you can take pride in. Before you know it, you’ll be taking it to little league games and soccer matches.
Then one day you’ll find that it’s all grown up. All your hard work is going to be rewarded. It’s time for your blog to go and find it’s first job. You’re ready to monetize. But that’s for another article.
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