1. Blog Often
Blog every day for the first 30 days, then blog at least twice a week.
2. Forget Perfection
The quest for perfection is just fear in disguise. It will keep you from posting.
3. Write like you speak
Authenticity will keep you afloat in the blogosphere. I use words I made up all the time (zimwad, ass-gasm), and words other people made up (bloviate, fuck-tard), plus run-on sentences and typos abound. In short, you might as well be talking to me.
4. SPECIFIC SPECIFIC SPECIFIC
Mainstream media tends to focus on conflicts, trends and big-picture stuff. Blogs are about the specific details. Each of you has something specific bout you that will resonate with an audience. It doesn’t matter how insignificant that detail may seem.
5. Commit to your topic
In mainstream media, reporter have “beats,” and you should think of your blog as your beat. Try not to venture too far off your beat. (I like saying “beat.”)
6. Know your audience
After you write a cadre of posts, you will see which posts get the most comments. Blogs are instantly interactive, you will know almost immediately which posts your audience appreciates the most. You should write more of those kinds of posts. Obviously there’s a creative issue here, as this could be seen as tailoring your expression to fit your audience, but you need to garner an audience first.
7. Keep it short
People hate to scroll. Eight hundred words in one post is pushing it. SHORT SHORT SHORT. A way to accomplish this is to keep it concentrate on one thought, anecdote or observation, and convey it clearly.
(This page was heavily inspired – some may even say ripped off –
from the Huffington Post’s Complete Guide to Blogging)
