Sunday, September 16, 2012

To Blog or not to Blog!







This is technically my first blog; I had a Livejournal that I sporadically updated with my writing. Sadly, it and all of my content was deleted. Having a wide readership is a great way to get opinions and information on thing that are important to you, not to mention possibly changing someone's mind. I have a large number of friends on Facebook, 90% of which I do know personally. Facebook is mostly a way to entertain and when I get serious, I do not feel it is the best forum. I am excited to learn about this process and got a lot out of the articles.

The first article by Chris Brogan entitled "How to Blog Almost Every Day" provided me with a number of best practices and procedures I hope to adopt. It sounds like common sense, but it is very important to spell out a winning procedure. I learned from this article that blogs should be ever changing, evolving and do not have to be perfect at first. The main point is to get it posted, you can edit the blog later. Following the same format each time may not be the best way to make your point. I like trying new things and this concept makes a lot of sense.

The second Article "How to Blog" reinforces the first article. Post often and try not to worry too much about quality. Quantity is the important aspect, it can be quick and dirty, the important this is to get it posted. A very good point is being explored regarding the tone of your blog, you want it to be clear but not so dry that the reader would rather find something else to do. Grab the readers' attention immediately! The first line needs to give a good impression, otherwise why would you give it a chance? The article also stresses originality and new content, if I am just going to repeat what I see everywhere I am about as useful as a parrot, but a lot less interesting. It's very important to be active on other Blogs, as much as I enjoy reading others opinions I want others to be exposed to my own.
          The third article entitled "How to Blog Your Way to Small Business Success" By Matthew Bandyk stresses the importance of blogging for the small business. Getting your name out there and directing people to your business is the whole point. Keep it simple and human. No one will want to read an advertisement, but a person's opinion is a powerful thing. The small business' blog should be casual and easy to find through a search engine.

          The fourth article "What A Blog Can Do For Your Small Business" by Darrell Zahorsky is mainly about how easy and useful creating and using a blog is for a business. A business blog is a free marketing tool that should be used to help expand a business.

          The fifth article "Use it or lose it: Five Tips on How to Keep your Blogging Regular" by Darren Rowse had some very good advice. You should not be over extending yourself, one person can multitask but really, how many unique posts can you throw up on multiple forums? If you have a following, you need to keep them engaged. If they are expecting to see something every Tuesday, they had better see it every Tuesday. It's easy to find something new and forget the guy who doesn't post anymore. Don't promise more than you can deliver or you may run the risk of losing trust. Follow a schedule, a routine is the essence of success. Have someone or something remind you of the commitments you've made, life is difficult and can get in the way so a reminder is essential.

          This exercise was extremely useful and I hope that what I've learned is adequately reflected in my Blog. Does anyone else have any advice for me?


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