Build A Better Blog Day 19
Today's tip is this; write about what interests you and not what everyone else is writing about. One thing that disappoints me about some blogs are the regurgitated content they use from another site. I want to read original content. Find your niche then give us your spin. Make a list of the things you write about or interest you and store it with your blog posting schedule. Review it often to remind yourself what you want to write about.
Breaking a news headline or an getting an inside scoop might not be something that happens on your blog, and that's OK. Writing an opposing or agreeing opinion on a news story or other blog post is great. I read hundreds of RSS feeds and news sites which keep me informed about current events, market trends or breaking news. Some times I get a great blog idea and I write it up. This is a great way to keep your content fresh. Don't cheat or steal other content. Don't use parsing tools that scrape content from other sites and call it your own.
Having fresh content may require more time and research than a shoot from the hip post. What I mean by that is take some time to make sure what you are writing makes sense, is truthful and will be appealing. Make sure you pay attention to your language standards on spelling and grammar. I'm so glad I have a spell checker because I'm a terrible speller. Poor grammar and spelling will turn some readers off, and we don't want to give anyone a reason to not come back.
Taking some time to decide what your blog focus is will help in keeping your content unique and fresh. Write your posts, save them and re-read them. You might find areas you want to change or add. I read the web site by Grammar Girl often. She covers the English language pretty well and I've learned some things from her. I recommend reading her site. Don't forget to apply The 10% Solution.
ProBlogger's day nineteen post: Respond to Comments on Your Blog
Sunday, October 21, 2007
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Thom,
ReplyDeleteI think this is one of the most important things to remember when writing a blog and is something I try to keep in mind with every post:
There's no need to add additional echoes to the echo-chamber.
Yes Darren, I agree too. And most bloggers do this, write their own content.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the series Thom. As a result of reading it I've changed my theme to hi-light my featured entries and still allow for my asides and regular posts.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll take more to heart and write more posts like the last feature.
Thanks again.
@Glenn, glad you are getting something out of them. I'm running over to your site right now to see what you have been up too...
ReplyDeleteSweet, it looks really good Glenn. I like the highlights. Takes me right to the cool parts of our blog and lets me see what you blog about most. Keep it up.
I really like your search area, I need something like that. Real clean.
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