Posted by scoop on April 20th, 2011 in Writing, Writing Content | No Comments »
Blog posts need structure just as much as any news article or essay. While it is true that blogs are much less rigid and informal writing styles are usually employed in blogs, it is good to keep in mind that you still need to use some kind of order to ensure that readers do understand what you are trying to get across.
When writing the body of your post there are basically several ways you can impose order: chronologically, spatially, according to importance, and according to topic.
Chronological or time order - Chronological order makes use of a timeline. It tells a story from beginning to end. Best used for telling events but also used for examples and descriptions.
Spatial order – This is used to describe how items are arranged in physical relation to each other. So when tackling issues and/or events this can be used to present how its cause and effect from one place. For example you can talk about how surfing are popular in this stretch of the beach but a little further on you’ll see less surfers since the waves are not that good there.
Climactic order or order of importance – This is used to build up the most important thing you want to introduce since everything is arranged from least to most important. This can be used for everything from giving examples, discussing cause and effect, comparisons, and more.
Topical order – This post is an example of a something ordered according to topic. Almost anything can fall under this since you can order anything according to topic, however, this is mostly used for more formal/informative blog posts. For the usual narrative posts the first three are better suited.
Posted by scoop on April 13th, 2011 in RSS, Technical | No Comments »
Blogging isn’t just about making sure that you have content that is of value to your readers, it’s also about making sure that content is accessible to all your readers. To make sure that your blog content is accessible to as wide an audience as possible here are some things you should keep in mind.
Browser compatibility – You might be more into the writing but you do need to at least know enough, or have someone that knows enough, to be able to check whether your blog is viewable using the major web browsers (IE, Firefox, Safari, Opera, etc.). There’s nothing so irritating to me than having to switch from Safari to Firefox when a website or blog doesn’t render properly.
The limiting factor – Limiting what? SPEED. You should take into consideration that not all your readers have the same computer specs and internet connection speed. Make sure your blog wil still load at a decent rate even with an ancient PC and/or a dial-up connection. You can offer an alternative slow connection speed version if needed.
RSS Feeds – I personally use a feed aggregator to keep track of blogs I like. If you do not offer feeds your chances of luring people into becoming your regular readers will be a lot less. You also have to make a decision on whether to offer just excerpts of your post on your feeds or the full text. I prefer full text for my personal blog but that depends on you purpose and frequency of posts.
Posted by scoop on March 30th, 2011 in Blog basics, Marketing, Professional Blogging, SEO | 1 Comment »
It is important to create good blog posts but topping it all of with a good title is important as well. Remember that in creating a post, the title is the first thing that will be seen by visitors and surely you may want to consider using the blog title as the main bait so that people can continue to read the post in detail.
Keywords are likewise important in posts. A lot of words are being looked up on the web and the chances of using the same keyword in the title on the actual post is sure to be something. One thing you should look out for as well is repeating the keyword of your choice too often. Unless you make a good grammar in constructing the entire post then perhaps you can get more people to read it and understand it.
Remember, keywords being sought are only the tip of the iceberg in blogging. They are looking for these keywords to get more information and useful insights towards them. Keywords are part of optimization but getting the actual information is likewise the main agenda. Though you may not hit it big initially, look after the future as far as getting visitors to come back to our site.
One blog post does make a difference. So make sure you complete it with a good title to go with good content.
Posted by dave on March 26th, 2011 in Business Blogging | No Comments »
To have your instant domain name check there are usually in regular domains can be found online market places domain, blogs or even online marketing forum. Some Internet service providers or the Internet these days is a proven way to maximize the income from instant domain name check that have designed the plans for free domains to capture more traffic and more customers. The growing competition in the sector can now be confused with you to the new marketing or webmaster. What exactly are the free domains? Are they really free? Can you really use a blog on them?
Cheap domain names are really possible you need not worry about all the possibilities that you are thinking of and the quality of relaxation you may have. There are many sites that are offering cheap domain name and domain registration and you will be sure that there are no ads and banners that can distract possible buyers, unless you are using programs where adds create a revenue for yourself through your blogs.
Sites like Buy Domains, Domain Name Aftermarket and Sedo will be helpful to find sale offers on Domain names, which are cheap. Once you have found the perfect place for domains such flights, take some precautions before diving into the real game of buying low-cost areas. Evaluate your current business needs, preferences and strategies to make money with reference to these domain names you are considering.
Once you are sure that the potential market that addresses these areas is worth the effort then come in large numbers, if possible, and win their share of advertising revenues and immediate benefits. Buying and selling domains may begin as a hobby and a life without end with good results if given the proper attention will surely lead to success.
Posted by scoop on March 24th, 2011 in Blog basics, Lifestyle, Professional Blogging, Promotion | No Comments »
One thing about bloggers who consider blogging as a profession, you have to make sure that you blog at a regular pace. Some may not give it much thought but following a schedule can really help them keep track of when to place a post and when they can pass it off for another day.
There will be times when bloggers rely on their memory for last posts. But do remember that if you want your blog to flourish, you have to maintain a regular blogging schedule, daily as much as possible if you want it to gain notice. This of course includes citing relevant topics like current events and press releases to really be counted among searched terms over the web. But just the same, all of your ideas may become useless if you don’t know the frequency of your posts hence it would be best to keep a schedule through worksheets like Microsoft Excel or your organizer to remind you of needed posts.
Such is a problem for some bloggers and in most cases they turn to cramming and changing the dates to make sure that all days lapsed are covered. This would be a good ploy if you are aiming for keyword optimization. But if you are the blogger who wants frequent updated and daily visits, such is a bad strategy and you may end up seeing your blog go down in the ranks.
Just apply the methodical scheduling approach and you will be fine. Blogs are abundant so it is best to be up to date for your blog not be left behind.
Posted by scoop on March 21st, 2011 in Blog basics, Writing, Writing Content | No Comments »
Have you encountered blogs where in the blogger writes about a certain topic and then chops up his ideas into several posts? I am pretty sure that you have seen this blog post format. Personally, I like using the series format, especially if I have a topic that has so many aspects. Instead of delivering everything in one long blow, I think that spreading out the ideas gives the readers a chance to ruminate on them. It also makes for easier reading.
However, I had this discussion with another blogger friend who thought otherwise. He said that he was not a fan of post series because he does not like his flow of thought being interrupted. He would rather have everything delivered all at once than having to wait for the next installment.
So what is it really, is it good to use a series of posts to talk about a single topic or is it taboo? I stand by my preference, given some considerations. Perhaps the heaviest of these considerations is the fact that your topic should be quite meaty, allowing you to offer new information in every single post in the series. If you write a series with no fresh content in each post, that is another story.
Another advantage of writing a series of posts is the fact that the subtopics can be accessed non-sequentially. That is, if you craft your series well, you can divide the posts into subtopics which are unique and can stand on their own. As such, if a reader is only interested in a specific subtopic, he does not have to wade through a long article to get to his goal.
What do you think? Is writing a series of posts a good practice or not?
