When I began blogging in 2006, the primary way I found new blogs was through the homepage of the blog service that I used at the time, Toadfire. All of our blogs looked the same, had the same color scheme and 3 main features: recent posts, search and comments. Since then, the process of finding new and interesting people has become as easy as grabbing my morning coffee. Nearly every day I come across a new blogger who, like me, just loves to write. Sites have become extremely interesting because the average Joe & Jane with a keyboard can build his or her own creative online home to house their content.
I want to share three tips for blogging. Well, not so much for blogging – but for setting up your site. As a blogger, I desire to build relationships with the people reading. Some bloggers’ sites do this well, others not so much.
1. Have a place on your site where you clearly state your purpose for writing. Even if you write about “anything and everything,” you should still give readers a snapshot of why your perspective on “anything and everything” is different.
Bad example: “I write about whatever comes to mind”
Good example: “Perspectives from a big-city girl”
2. Pick colors and background images for your site that fit your purpose. If your purpose in writing is to explore the deeper issues of life, a background that has puppy dogs and kitty cats sends a conflicting message. Yet I quite often come across this very kind of confusion. It is hard for readers to connect with you if they aren’t quite sure who you are.
3. Avoid the temptation to go widget-wild! Widgets provide the bling for your site. They can add so much value – but know when to stop. I came across a site today in desperate need of widget-intervention. The purpose statement indicated that the writer works for an ethnic publication. Here are the widgets on his home page:
- NASDAQ ticker banner
- International time clock
- Randomly generated “US Bill of Rights” statement
- “Word of the Day”
- Posts from other bloggers (not the links, post summaries)
- “The latest in Iran”
- 4 advertisements for health and weight loss products – yes, 4
- Calendar
- Two twitter links
- ABC News Updates
- Popular sports headlines
As I explored his posts, some of the content did indeed relate to human right issues, the financial state of the nation and the world, popular culture and media – so I could connect the dots with a little work. Here’s the thing…. most people aren’t going to work at it. They will decide in the first few seconds if your blog is something that they can relate to or not. They will decide if the overall look and feel of the site draws them in or adds confusion. If your site looks like a mess, readers will think that your thoughts are a mess. And they won’t come back.
You will gain greater satisfaction from your writing and will find it easier to be consistent if you follow these three solid suggestions upfront.
Stay focused and keep writing!
Peace.
