What is it like to blog? How does a blogger live his life? How can one person hold a fulltime job, go to school at night, have a life on the weekends, and yet blog every single day?
What happens when you want to blog about your company and your company is putting a lid on it? How do you express what you want without making your employer unhappy? Is there a legal way to do this?
This things are discussed in Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel. In this book, the authors discuss the correct way of joining the blogosphere community.
Below are a few things to think about if you are thinking of starting your own blog. I’m not going to go in detail about each section.. you’ll just have to read the book J
Tip #1: What’s in a name? Search engine results. When thinking of writing a blog, think carefully what you are going to call yourself. Names go a long way if you would like to get more people to “discover” your blog. It must be something related to what you want to write about as well as something interesting.
Tip #2: Read a bunch of blogs before you start. Discover what other bloggers are writing about what you want to write about. What is hot, what isn’t. Who are the authority bloggers in that topic? One way to find out is to go to Technorati.com and find the high authority bloggers that write about your topic.
Tip #3: Keep it simple. Keep it focused. In essence, do not write about your pet if your blog is about the financial industry. No matter how important your pet is to you, your readers won’t appreciate the diversion from the topic. You have to remember, everyone is busy and is bombarded with information. Therefore, if you give your readers something they do not want to read, you will lose them.
Tip #4: Demonstrate passion. According to Scoble and Israel, the easiest way to show your passion to your online readers is to post often. Especially if you are just starting your blog. People want content. You have to give them a reason to visit your web site. Keep them interested.
Tip #5: Show your authority. Again, Technorati.com.
Tip #6: Add comments. When you have garnered enough attention to your blog, give your readers a chance to return back the favor by letting them have a conversation with you. Interaction is key to being a respectable blogger. Even if readers do not agree with your opinion, they appreciate the fact that they are able to voice out their own opinion.
Tip #7: Be accessible. Be able to at least give your readers a way to contact you. E-mail is sufficient if you do not want to give out your phone number.
Tip #8: Tell a story. This goes back to captivating your audience. Don’t give a lecture. Be animated, lively. Have a conversation with your online readers.
Tip #9: Be linky. This tip is also stressed by my professor, Nicco Mele. The more “linky” your web site is to other web sites, the more chances people will discover your blog.
Tip #10: Get out into the real world. This is common sense. Do not forget the real world paying close attention to the bloggers’ real world a.k.a. bloggers’ conferences. It is important that other bloggers know you in person.
Tip #11: Use your referrer log. In short, use all available resources.
By following these tips, you’re sure to have a successful online presence!
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