Blogging ... In my opinion

Blogging … In my Opinion

Today Blogging has far surpassed the idea of a virtual unknown person sharing his or her thoughts on  the web. many PR and Marketing experts have now harnessed the power of this medium as a means of reaching potential customers.. 

         What to blog about? that is the question, first and foremost choose something you are passionate about. People expect a more personal approach on your blog and will not appreciate a bunch of jargons and useless content. A simple blog about McDonald's new strategy of not giving out ketchup with fries - unless you ask for it - may generate a lot of interest, rather than your unprofessional analysis of subject matters that are clearly over your head! 

          Even PR and marketing specialists have to be aware of how they use and deliver content on blogs. "T.M.I - too much information - ugh!" information overload is never good, "K.I.S.S" - keep it simple stupid - after two lines of cliche phrases and gobbledygook (www.davidmeermanscott.com/documents/3703Goobledygook.pdf) which are generic phrases we've all heard before - you've lost me!

          If your blog is personal and not subjected to editing like some companies do, you must be aware of some rules before you embark into the blogosphere: 

1. Transparency - never pretend to be someone else, why would you? be your own voice!

2. Privacy - Don't visit friends and then blog about the fight you overheard their parents having - which was none of your business in the first place!

3. Disclosure - If you're promoting a product include links and info about you're affiliation with the company.

4. Truth - Don't make up stories - unless you're a fictional writer posting stories on your blog.

5.Credit - You should always give credit to other's whose ideas you may have expanded on, whose quotes you've used e.g. - Goobledygook! 

         To get started all you need is to set up an account with the various blog services available - i use Google Blogger - and set it to your preferences. The name is important it identifies who you are, and can be an indication of what you're blog is about. Generic templates are made available by the blogging service but with a little savvy you could custom tailor your blog, with say … a custom header or background. Do not forget to include links to your social network sites and vice versa and allow visitors comment functionality. Include an about page with some information about yourself and make sure you have an RSS feed.

         As you begin posting you might not get any comments or feedback - do not get discouraged. It takes some time and a lot of work to build an audience, especially a dedicated following. Advertise your blog to all your friends, put links in  your Facebook page, tweet about your blog and connect it to your Youtube account. Assuming of course you have a Youtube, Facebook and Twitter account, if not … then that could be reason you have no visitors. Visit other blogs and post comments there, that could help you to develop a repertoire with other bloggers who in turn, might return the favor.

        Try to use distinctive phrases and tags on each post as this helps the reader get closer to your article than a keyword search. Also assign multiple RELEVANT categories to each post as a strategy to attract visitors. now that you have done your homework - Happy Blogging!