How to get people to read your blog
1. Advertise. Include your blog address on your email signature. Include it in your signature on internet forums. Tell people you have a blog.
2. Make your blog address easy to spell and remember, so people you tell about it can find it easily.
3. Update your blog regularly. People like to see new stuff each time they check in.
4. Don't write a diary of your day to day life. This is not as fascinating to most others as it is to you. Write about ideas. Link your day to day life to the bigger picture.
5. You may wish to become a specialist in a certain area, thus attracting like minded people. Right wing political commentary. Socialist environmentalism. Educational theory. (And so on...).
6. Don't go on and on about your pets, your children, or your health.
7. Use photos.
8. Be a bit controversial - but not over the top. Write about sex. Or about outrageous behaviour. Maybe reveal juicy tidbits from your past or present. Have firm views on current affairs.
9. Don't be weird. Many blogs are weird. Some are deeply disturbing. I think most are just trying to be funny. I really, really hope my supposition is true.
10. Be funny, but don't try too hard (see tip number 9).
11. Try and be literate. Don't use abbreviations unnecessarily. Try and use correct grammar and spelling. People will not read your blog if they don't understand it.
12. While you need to be literate, if you use too many big words you will alienate some of your readers (unless you have a specialty, intellectual-type blog, in which case big words will add to your street-cred).
13. Make most entries short and to the point. Remember, people are reading this on a screen. Some people will stop reading if they have to scroll down.
14. Your page layout should be clean and easy to navigate.
15. Link to other people's blogs. Put comments on their blogs. They may return the favour.
Now I don't have to follow my own advice, because my aim in writing this is not to attract maximum hits. It's true though, I do like people checking in - otherwise I would write a paper diary, or use one of those private-access formats. I am particularly inclined to commit sins number 4 (my daily life) and 6 (my darling children). And I don't link this site to my internet forum (number 1).
2. Make your blog address easy to spell and remember, so people you tell about it can find it easily.
3. Update your blog regularly. People like to see new stuff each time they check in.
4. Don't write a diary of your day to day life. This is not as fascinating to most others as it is to you. Write about ideas. Link your day to day life to the bigger picture.
5. You may wish to become a specialist in a certain area, thus attracting like minded people. Right wing political commentary. Socialist environmentalism. Educational theory. (And so on...).
6. Don't go on and on about your pets, your children, or your health.
7. Use photos.
8. Be a bit controversial - but not over the top. Write about sex. Or about outrageous behaviour. Maybe reveal juicy tidbits from your past or present. Have firm views on current affairs.
9. Don't be weird. Many blogs are weird. Some are deeply disturbing. I think most are just trying to be funny. I really, really hope my supposition is true.
10. Be funny, but don't try too hard (see tip number 9).
11. Try and be literate. Don't use abbreviations unnecessarily. Try and use correct grammar and spelling. People will not read your blog if they don't understand it.
12. While you need to be literate, if you use too many big words you will alienate some of your readers (unless you have a specialty, intellectual-type blog, in which case big words will add to your street-cred).
13. Make most entries short and to the point. Remember, people are reading this on a screen. Some people will stop reading if they have to scroll down.
14. Your page layout should be clean and easy to navigate.
15. Link to other people's blogs. Put comments on their blogs. They may return the favour.
Now I don't have to follow my own advice, because my aim in writing this is not to attract maximum hits. It's true though, I do like people checking in - otherwise I would write a paper diary, or use one of those private-access formats. I am particularly inclined to commit sins number 4 (my daily life) and 6 (my darling children). And I don't link this site to my internet forum (number 1).
Labels: Blogs
posted by Mary at 9:30 am
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