Focused tips on getting started in blogging.

As a writer and a blogger, there are two passions that I have and never grow tired of: reading and writing. As a writer, reading a wide genre of reading materials is essential in helping writer's form tight, succinct ideas and thoughts that have mass appeal. It makes the writing more enjoyable and definitely more engaging if it is written from a broader perspective. Writing and blogging is what I absolutely love to do so when I first began blogging, I looked through numerous online sources and scoured library books for information. I wanted to find tips for new bloggers that I could use in my new life as a writer.




Blogging is not much different than writing, except for the tone and style that you're writing in. Blogging tends to be a bit more casual and conversational than standard writing for magazines or newspapers. The blog style of writing leans more towards the bloggers own views about a topic, their research and discovery and in-depth view on a particular subject.

Although a lot of blogging work may consist of opinions and viewpoints, thorough research must still be done on the topic in order to present it professionally and seriously. Blogging can certainly be entertaining, thought-provoking and even humorous, but it must also be written factually, accurately and be reasonable.

Standard Blogging Rules

I have been working as a writer and a blogger now for well over ten years and have compiled my own list of tips for new bloggers that has helped me tremendously. For anyone who is new to the craft, they must always realize that it is a work in progress that requires continuous educating and apprising yourself of changes and developments in your area of expertise.

Although there are some things that remain constant (grammar, punctuation, etc.), the blogging industry changes as new trends are developed and demands of business consumers change. Therefore, there will never be a point where everything about learning blogging will stop, but there will always be new changes and developments that will keep the field interesting and most of all, fun!

Tips for New Bloggers

Appeal

Make your blog writing appealing. Even if you have chosen to write about gardening in Alaska, try and make it appealing to your audience. Research and find out what kinds of things grow well in cold climates. Interview gardeners from Alaska (if any exist!) and share your interviews on your blog. Find photos, images and pictures of Alaska that give your readers a glimpse into Alaska's agriculture. Make it fun. Make it interesting.

Commit

Commit to a blog schedule. Once you attract readers to your blog, they will start to look forward to your posts. How unfortunate it would be for them to happen upon it one day and you haven't made a post in months! Even if your blogging schedule is once a week, blog once a week no matter what happens.

Use a planner or a calendar for blogging to map out a workable system to make your blog posts. If your schedule won't allow you to post frequently, you can write your posts in one sitting and schedule them to post to your blog at a pre-set date. This will not only help you impress your readers with timeliness, but it will also help you develop topics that are interesting to your audience. How will it that, you ask? Read on...

Interact

Interact with your audience. Answer their questions, respond to their blog post comments and ask them questions as well. What would they like to see more of? What do they need to know more about? How do they feel about the size of the posts that are on your blog? Are they short enough for your readers to read through them or are they skimming the posts and clicking away? These are questions you want to know because you need to understand your target audience.

Promote

The best thing about blogging is telling others about your work. It's the best time to brag about what it is that you do. Market your blog everywhere you can. Do this through business cards, signature lines, ezines, guest articles, etc. Join social networking sites and interact with readers and just get involved! No one will know about your wonderful Alaskan blog unless you tell them.

Take every available opportunity to promote your blog and tell someone about it. Ask to be a guest blogger on other people's blogs, especially if it related to your topic and area of expertise. Other bloggers readily welcome well-written posts, so find as many opportunities as you can to write and it will be well worth the effort.


Blog writing is a very popular, valuable and worthwhile tool for establishing a voice in a particular niche. It's not difficult to learn or to get started, but does require diligence and commitment to be successful. The long-term residuals will seen in your reader's loyalties through increased traffic, in their comments and the satisfaction of you knowing that you're making a difference with your words.