To blog or not to blog….that is the question!
June 29, 2010 | 
Author 
Lately it seems that everyone is blogging, or at least thinking about it. Have you wondered if blogging is for you?
What is a blog? A blog is a web log of thoughts, ideas, images, audios or videos that appear in the order they are posted and can be viewed online. A bit like an online diary.
Why blog? A blog allows people to get to know you and what you stand for. It’s quick to set up; doesn’t cost anything (or very little); helps your Google ranking; can be used to send traffic to your website; allows people to engage with you using comments and feedback; can educate and drive change; can be used to test ideas; is not spam; you can lilnk it to your facebook and twitter pages in both directions; you can promote your products and services; it’s an easy alternative to newsletters and attracts targeted subscribers! Not bad eh!
Why not blog? You have the writing skill of a gnat, your time restraints don’t allow it, you don’t want to build relationships (you may want to inform, but not necessarily engage).
What are some alternatives to creating your own blog? If you don’t want to commit to a regular blog (it’s important to post regularly for them to be found), you can comment on other peoples blog; do a newsletter; create facebook notes or use twitter (mini blogs of 140 characters).
What kind of things can you blog about?
- Information that people want to know
- Interesting stories and adventures
- Recipes and tidbits
- Reviews of other peoples stuff that adds value to your readership
- Your articles
- Product and workshop announcements
- You tube videos
- Audios
Top 10 tips for good blogging
- Know who your audience is
- Write with your audience in mind
- Keep it simple and on topic
- Write regulary (the search engines love this and there is nothing worse than a dead blog!)
- Communicate with your readers – encourage comments and feedback, ask questions, do polls.
- Use sub headings to break up the content
- Link to your website to generate traffic
- Include a signup box if you would like leads for other products and services
- Intergrate into your website if possible. This is incredibly valueable if you would like your website to rank well
- Include an RSS feed so that people can be updated when new content is posted.
I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts about blogging, or any extra tips you can share to help new bloggers.
Happy blogging!
Krishna
Posted in Uncategorized
7 Responses to “To blog or not to blog….that is the question!”
Leave a Reply
I have just started blogging again & I love it ..I can write what I want when I want & it is so easy ..definately recommend it
Krishna ..love your blog ..keep at it
Hi Krishna
Great article! I’ve been blogging for two years now and love it as a wonderful way to connect with my readers. My only suggestion is not having a blog separate to your website – integrate it. Or better still, have a website that is a blog custom designed to look like a website. You get all the functionality of a website plus the great traffic results of a blog.
Nikki
Hi Nikki,
Yes, I totally agree. This is my first attempt at creating a website using wordpress to manage my content. It pretty much looks like a blog at the moment, but stay tuned as it evolves! Integrating your blog with your website definately improves the likelihood that the search engines will find you easily.
Stay in touch….
Krishna
Hi Karen,
Thanks for dropping by and for your lovely feedback. Out of interest, and to help other readers, do you have any suggestions for coming up with ideas to blog about?
Come back soon…
Krishna
Hi Krishna,
Yes, blogging is great to assist you in getting your message out. I find it easiest to do a blog series, and upload them for automatic release. Sometimes I need a break from it to refresh and then get started again!
I love to use Live Keyword analysis to measure my keyword use, as well as Google AdWords keywords too. I use them for every blog I write…
Cheers,
Leanne
Hi Leanne,
Very good point about keywords. A clear understanding what your target market is actively seeking for spells success for your blog. By including keywords that our ideal clients are searching for on google, we can be found more easily.
All the best with your blogging!
Krishna
Hi Krishna
I run three blogs (one converted from a web site because its so much easier to maintain and provide dynamic input). The other two, I don’t have much I wish to contribute directly, but I do use RSS syndication to keep the blogs active (I find reading my own blogs a great way to keep updated).