Fairy Blog Mother
The Fairy Blog Mother is always open to questions about blogging, so when one client showed me a draft post she had compiled to go into her new blog (which I have been designing for her) to ask for my approval, I realised I could share them with you too. Here they are listed below:
1. Short and snappy: I know people do write long blog posts (I know, I’m guilty - there are plenty of examples in this blog) but a good rule is to keep your post to within 250 words (or if you can’t visualise that, about three good sized paragraphs will do) to maintain the reader’s attention. Since a blog is really a conversational medium, it’s not really suitable for long articles with deep intricate discussions, so these are better off posted in article directories.
2. Capture their attention: A good headline is vital on many fronts. It is usually the first point of call for your posts, so should be designed to draw the punters in, say exactly what’s on the tin, and can be enhanced by being stuffed full of keywords for Search Engine Optimisation purposes, especially as it also doubles as a link when used within a RSS feed.
3. Be up front: Explain exactly what the subject of your post is in the first paragraph, ideally within the first sentence. Research has shown that people usually only read the first 25% or spend an average of 96 seconds on a blog post before they decide whether it’s of interest or whether it’s worth reading – therefore don’t leave the most important or most interesting part until last, in case your readers never get there!
4. A quick read: Most people scan a blog post to get the gist and make a decision to read further. Sub-dividing your post into bullet points or subheadings to help towards maintaining short attention spans, facilitating skim reading habits, enabling subject recognition or just break up over-long text. Numbered posts like this one at good, as they aren’t difficult to write, and can very easily provide your reader the information they crave.
5. Command a response: Blogs thrive on reader interaction which in turn provides links, another vital element. Each comment’s link is a gateway for internet spiders, as well as new material (or spider food) for the search engines. Comments can be stimulated by controversial, confrontational or poignantly educational posts (like this one?), or you could pose a question or statement to invite a comment, just like the one below:
Can any of you think of more pointers to add to my list?
17 elements of blogging etiquette
Fairy Blog Mother
People have various concepts of what constitutes blogging etiquette. Of course there are the obvious ones like being nice to other bloggers, and much of these suggestions are just common sense, so no etiquette is set in stone and does rely on the goodwill of the bloggers themselves.
Here are some to consider (and some of these I own up to breaking throughout my blogging career, a fact I don’t relish in and am thoroughly ashamed of):
1. Don’t be rude, show respect and be polite to other bloggers and commenters.
2. Don’t copy other content without asking first. If you are given permission, fully acknowledge the author.
3. Remember to link to your resources and expert sources.
4. Don’t expect anything in return from linking to others, it’s not compulsory.
5. Respond to your comments in a cheerful, positive and thankful manner.
6. Don’t leave spammy comments on other people’s blogs.
7. Use your identity when blogging, don’t hide behind a persona.
8. Own up to your mistakes, it makes you more human and therefore likeable.
9. Stick to the subject of your posts or blog’s niche, don’t go off at a tangent.
10. Use correct punctuation, grammar and spelling, avoid text speak or colloquial language.
11. Don’t pepper your post with jargon.
12. Don’t overdo using keywords for SEO purposes, less than 10% is acceptable.
13. Check what you say is true by researching your facts properly, and never lay claim to content that isn’t yours.
14. Share good posts liberally on social networking sites.
15. Remember everything you publish is on public display, so check whether you really want to say it.
16. Don’t swear or use bad words, it isn’t impressive and can offend.
17. Make sure your pictures are suitably resized, to prevent lengthy downloading of your overlarge images.
How many others can you contribute to my list?