Last Wednesday on my Piedmont Island Trilogy blog I asked the question WHY BLOG? In hindsight it was timely becauseThursday through Sunday, I attended the She Writes Blogger Ball.
I had a blast, met some very talented, funny and warm women writers, and I got some great advice on how to be a better blogger.
Here are just a few of their tips:
(1) Valerie Nieman: “I'm new to blogging, so I guess my tip is the Nike slogan, "Just Do It!"
(2) Fiona J. Phillips: “keep a plan of future blog posts so you can look ahead to what you're going to be writing and collect necessary links, articles, images etc that you might need.”
(3) Karen Kanter: “The one "tip" I would offer is to have a blogging and posting time scheduled into your week.”
(4) Victoria Noe: “The best thing I ever did was have Networked Blogs link this to my Facebook and Twitter accounts. It's generated a lot of traffic here, and saves time.”
(5) Janel Gradowski: “Be Yourself. Let your voice and personality shine through in your posts.”
Great advice, ladies! I’d like to add one more to the list.
(6) Blog regularly and frequently. Nothing turns off this reader (sorry, but it’s true) more than a posting that is months and sometimes a year or more old.
Do you have a tip? Please share it below in a comment. (Come on. Don't be shy. Just DO it!)
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Kudos once again to Meg Waite Clayton for creating and organizing this amazing event. To make the rounds yourself click here for a full list of participating bloggers.
What a great posting! I loved Valerie's, and Fi's blog too.
ReplyDeleteI completely have to agree with you on number 6. If you give up post it or take down the site. I work really hard at my blog and seeing great writers that have chosen to stop is sad.
"If you give up...take down the site." Amen to that! One more great piece of advice. :)
ReplyDeleteGood advice, Anne. Since I'm just getting my feet wet with blogging, it all helps. I'm soooo scared of social media! Don't even want to tackle Twitter and Facebook overwhelms me!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to disagree with, if you give up, take down the site.
ReplyDeleteA site with good material, is a site with good material...period.
I can understand the disappointment of seeing a good site go by the wayside, however, we all know that life happens.
I'd suggest an encouraging comment, saying how much you miss the author or a question asking if all is well.
Hi Tanya, the best advice I've rec'd re social media is to inch forward a little each day. Be friendly. Socialize. Be yourself. Remember it's a marathon, not a sprint.
ReplyDeleteWhen you sign up for FB, lemme know. I'll be your friend! :)
Hi Dee, you are correct, of course. Good material IS good material, and it should be available to readers.
ReplyDeleteWhat I was referring to is a site that has 1 or 2 posts in total, and looks as if it has been abandoned. (And, really, I don't even have a problem with abandoned blogs!)
What concerns me is I've noticed far too many writers who continue to include these blogs in their signature lines.
I see that link as a negative rather than a positive for the writer.
If a writer encourages me to click on their link, (and why else would it be there?) I expect to find SOMETHING of interest and up-to-date in return.
Thoughts?
I agree that unless you have some very useful articles or something, you should not be directing people to a site with no updates. Most people don't have a lot of time and I, for one, will not follow such a site. Thanks for your interesting posts! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Reina. I'm SO glad I'm not the only one who thinks that way!
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting this together! Great advice. I'm a newbie blogger and I DEVOUR good tips. :)
ReplyDeleteAnne - I enjoy following your blog and have chosen it for the “One Lovely Blog Award.” You may pick up your award @ http://ponderdeeply.blogspot.com/2011/02/impact-of-tiny-impression.html :~)
ReplyDeleteThank you so very much for the Award, Kathy. I'm honored! :)
ReplyDelete