B is for Blogging

R.a.n.t. of day 04/02/15

A wise man once said about blogging; "There are do's and do not's. So stop trying to figure out how to do it properly." That was said a long time ago, so I may have misquoted slightly. It's not like the exact phrase was ever caught on film. True or not, it makes a lot of sense. In all we do there are better ways to perform the tasks we do. A dentist may get his job done by strapping down his patient and digging in with a rusty pair of pliers or he can administer a bit of Novocaine first and use hygienic tools. I can spot a few do's and don'ts right there. So what are the guidelines I like to follow when blogging? What do I look for in other blogs? I'm glad you asked me. I know, you didn't really ask me, but I will tell you anyway.

DO: Be concise. If your blog post is about the colour orange, talk about the colour orange.
DO NOT: Ramble on. Airports, bacon and the latest TV show may be interesting topics, but have nothing to do with the colour orange, unless somehow you relate them.

DO: Be original. When your blog is unique, it will catch the attention of others.
DO NOT: Be a clone. Writing what everyone else is writing is a sure way to be lost in the crowd. Everyone has their own voice. Find yours. Stand out!

DO: Advertise your blog. Social media is rampant and people pride themselves on how many 'friends' and 'followers' they have. Utilize this and share with them. Join groups and visit other blogs. People won't know abut your blog if you keep it all to yourself.
DO NOT: Spam. There is a difference between posting a link on Facebook/Twitter and posting the link 20 times an hour for 6-8 hours. It's a big turn off. Kind of like high pressure sales. (Another blog post for another time.)

DO: KISS - 'Keep It Simple, Stupid'. (Or: 'Keep It Simple, Silly' to be PC). I mean your blog space, not the post itself. When I see an article that interests me, I want to get right to the article. Keeping it simple means they are not getting distracted by flashy colours, annoying pop-ups or countless 'gadgets' interspersed within the actual article.
DO NOT: BITE - 'Be Irritating Through Excess' (I just made that one up myself). If I visit a blog and get umpteen pop-ups, I'm not happy. One I visited recently was gadget crazy. It displayed their current weather, had advertisements and broadcast their favourite youtube video. To make matters worse, the site was infected with countless banners and displayed them before I could even get to the article. Crowding out the actual topic of the post is tiresome to try and read.

DO: Respond. I appreciate knowing my blog post has been read and enjoyed. Even if a person disagrees with me, a comment lets me know the post was intriguing enough to keep them reading.
And when I comment on someone else's blog, a response lets me know the blogger appreciates my presence. 
DO NOT: Ignore comments. This conveys the message my comment meant nothing to you.On one blog I commented on, I was one of only a few who commented. They never replied on this post or any others with comments as I found out. Then there is another blog I've started to follow. It seems to be a fairly successful blog as I've seen up to 50 or 60 comments. And you know what? The blogger responds to each and every comment. She obviously appreciates her readers.

Well, there you have it: My suggestions for blogging. This was intended to be a short post but has turned out to be one of the longest posts I've produced. Sorry, apparently I don't know how to KISS very well.

Some questions for discussion:
What do you like to see on a blog?
What are your blog turn-offs?
Do you advertise your blog? And if so, how?
What are your Do's and Don'ts?