Effective Blogging by Shirley Ferraro

Some say blogging should be done as often as once every day.  This means you need topics to blog about and keep the reader’s attention.  Chris Brogan says to blog your thoughts without worrying about being perfect.  He says go back later and edit if needed.  However, as students, we do have to watch grammar if we want an “A” grade.  :)  Chris gets ideas by talking with people or from reading other blogs.  He even gets blogging ideas from sites where he gets pics for his blogs.  (http://www.chrisbrogan.com/how-to-blog-almost-every-day/)

I feel we can get ideas by simply being aware of what is going on around us or from books, billboards, anything we can read.  When blogging, we should try to connect with our target audience.  Adding links and photos to your blog help spice it up and keep things interesting.  For instance, if I’m writing to an audience about interacting with dogs, I may include a photo of my two Newfoundlands. I bought them a game recently.  It’s similar to that old 'what shell is the item under' game.  The game consists of hallowed out plastic bones under which I hide their treats.  They have to sniff them out and the payoff is when they uncover the treat!  Believe me, they LOVE the reward – keeps them coming back every time.  Here’s a link to Amazon where I bought this game:  http://www.amazon.com/Company-Animals-Nina-Ottosson-Interactive/dp/B001KZ4U6O

Blogging should be done just as you speak.  It should be fluent - well hopefully.  We are not all fluent speakers.  Your blog should offer information not seen in other’s blogs.  To get noticed, read other blogs and leave comments that are meaningful – offer links and email replies.  Be sure to cite work from other sources.  (http://www.slate.com/id/2207061/)

Small business would do well to create blogs connected to their business website.  People do searches on Google and find these blogs.  What better way to attain free advertising!  By frequently updating the blog, it remains higher on the Google search results.  Some say updating a blog three to five times a week is enough.  In today’s busy world, I’d have to agree.  I struggle to get in my sleeping hours, so blogging daily can become a huge undertaking, unless I want to walk around like a zombie.  Make your blog easy to find.  A small business trying to get noticed should use phrases that will show up in searches of target audiences.  (http://sbinformation.about.com/cs/ecommerce/a/bblogs.htm)

Blogging frequently is a must.  Once people start reading a blog, they expect updates.  When updates don’t come, these people will stop checking.  It takes a lot of work to create a blog and to get people to read it on a regular basis.  When blogs aren’t updated for a period, readers are lost.  Once updates start again, there are no readers.  It’s time to start from scratch again.  Setting a schedule for blogging will create a commitment.  Readers also like to know they will find updates on a regular schedule.  Post the frequency on which you will be blogging so readers know what to expect.  (http://www.problogger.net/archives/2010/01/15/use-it-or-lose-it-5-tips-on-how-to-keep-your-blogging-regular/)