Word Grrls

Yes, you can be happy with a blog which doesn’t have all of these but we are all just a bit greedy for a little fame. Here is what you can do.

1. Content. Content is still king. It is what you have to offer. Have something to say. Say it in a way that is readable. Have a look at how news stories are written with the point of the story first and clearly stated right away. Afterwards come the facts, the spin off points. By the end of the story the information has trickled down to minor details which could be cut off should the news editor not want to give the space for them.

2. Layout. There is a lot included in layout: navigation, colour, white space, avoiding clutter, etc. A blog needs to be easy to read, easy on the eyes. Having a dramatic or exotic (technologically) layout/ template does not always work out well. Your layout should showcase your content, present it all to be read, found and enjoyed. My favourite layouts are simple, clear and don’t include much colour or scripts. Not that I do that on my personal blog. I love colour and trying things my own way and that is my place to experiment.

3. Links. Some blogs have no or very few links. Links are how we share and discuss new things, they matter! Isn’t it great to wander into a blog and find some great new thing, a blogging group, an interesting new kind of art/ craft, even another clever blog widget/ gadget. The best part of blogging is the adventure of the discovery of new things and ideas.

4. About. It’s not just who you are or what your blog is about. Write it as a guide for yourself, to keep you focused on what you plan to do. Include a whole FAQ if you get ambitious.

5. Promotion. Promoting your blog is not just a marketing scheme using SEO tactics, joining pyramid linkback schemes and piling on keywords. Commenting on other blogs (and giving feedback to the comments on your blogs) is better and gives you the chance to shine, show off your writing, and who you are to the blogger of your choice. Don’t pick a blog to comment on based on phoniness and traffic. If you want real, sincere readers show yourself to be the same.

With each comment you leave your link on another blog. Write something relevant, interesting or an opinion or experience you have had. If you lure someone to your blog from your comment on another blog, you’ve just successfully promoted your blog. Comments take time but so does any kind of blog promotion. However, you can choose which kind of promotion speaks for you.

One more thing to look at when you pick a new template for your blog… can you tell which comments go with which post?

I’ve been finding it hard to tell. I tend to read more than the top post in a blog. So when I am somewhere down the middle and looking to leave a comment on a post I have just read, I find it hard to tell which comment link goes with the post I want to comment on.

Just one more little thing to consider.

What’s your take on moderating comments on your blog?

Do you feel obligated to post every comment, a free speech thing. Would you post a comment which is antagonizing, spammy or really sloppy and be okay with that?

Decide where you stand on moderating your blog (or other kind of forum) early on and stick to it. Don’t feel you are crushing someone’s right to free speech if you choose to moderate comments. It is your forum. It’s up to you to keep the atmosphere right for the kind of communication you want.

Post a FAQ in the sidebar of your site and let readers know your stand on comment moderation if you feel that would be fair. Or, assume people should know how to behave by now and moderate as you see fit, without guilt.

The best way to build blog traffic is not through link exchanges or begging and demanding other bloggers become your instant friends and link back to you.

Instead be sincere, take some time and post comments to the blogs you like to read. Choose blogs based on how readable they are, not just on things like PageRank and Technorati ratings. Don’t make the mistake of judging a blog by social site rankings. It is phony and if you put out phoniness you won’t get back the genuine readership you are looking for.

It takes time to make real comments but they don’t have to be thunderously long. If you do have a story to share go ahead and type it in. More is better. But, if you just want to leave a stray thought in passing that is ok. The key is to come up with something that has some meaning. Something more than “me too”. It isn’t a huge stretch to type “I’ve felt that way, hope you have a better day tomorrow” instead. Pick your words to suit the post, of course.

Don’t forget spelling, punctuation and grammar. Perfection isn’t necessary but aim high. Sloppy looking comments aren’t going to impress anyone.

An extra plus from leaving a comment is that you get to add your link to the blog too. But an insincere comment or spammy comment can be deleted at the discretion of the blogger. If that happens don’t complain about it. Read another post and leave another comment. Try again.

You get the job of building a haunted gingerbread house for a contest in a foodie magazine. It has to be at least three stories high and about the width of the table you build it on. So you make the design, first on paper and then gradually and with much careful, detailed work, you build the gingerbread house. It turns out really well. The judges are in awe and you’re sure you will at least make it to be one of the finalists.

So you leave it overnight, for the final judging in the morning. You come back to make sure it’s all ok and give it any needed touch ups. It’s so early no one else has arrived and outside it is still fully dark.

There’s a weird mist over your gingerbread creation. It hovers over the whole thing until you take a step closer. Then it seems to get sucked inside the house, through the gaps you left as a front door and windows. Surely it can’t be… your haunted gingerbread house is really haunted. What kind of ghost haunts a gingerbread house?

Your island is sinking into the ocean. All around are hungry looking sharks and dolphins, yet dolphins get hungry too and there is only so much tuna after all. So it’s not looking too good for your long range survival. You can build a raft and take your chances on the water. But, be honest, how much clout is one flimsy raft going to have against those dolphins and sharks.

Instead you build a helicopter and just lift off and away. It’s too bad that the air currents begin to break apart your helicopter before you get all that far. Luckily you spy another island and manage to land there.

The natives, seeing you land from the sky, believe you are some sort of god. They begin preparations to cook you so everyone can get a bite of god and live forever. How do you explain you aren’t really any kind of god after all?