Starting to blog

[Flatmate]

Right i'm going to start blogging , any tips
Do I use i.e flatmaterooms as the user or user a different user name
Do i speak as the 3rd person
How's best to write them
Where good to blog

My topic is Room Rental etc

 

[SFD]

Why not pick a few companies you like and see what they do?

I like http://innocentdrinks.typepad.com/

 

[fisicx]

Just be normal, blog about the things that interest you not about your company/website. If you discover something useful them blog about it, maybe link to the story but make the post your own.

Do NOT treat the blog as a marketing tool, people will soon spot this and not bother to return.

If you really can think what to say then don't bother with a blog.

Note: there has been some research on post length, 200 words seems to be the minumum, 600 optimum and up to 2000 words is still quite acceptable if the post is well written. Can't find the source at the moment though.

 

[rossoonline]

Was just starting out with my own blog and wandered generally about the post lengths, thanks.

 

[SEO Positive]

Was just starting out with my own blog and wandered generally about the post lengths, thanks.

There are no set lengths in a blog, some of our posts are really small, however some others are quite long.

Do you have something to say? If so say it, if not, then dont!

 

[crossdaz]

Just be normal, blog about the things that interest you not about your company/website. If you discover something useful them blog about it, maybe link to the story but make the post your own.

Matt Cutts is currently blogging about books he's read and planning on reading. OK, not many people log on to matt cutts.com for his book recommendations but it's interesting content nonetheless.

I wonder how many bookshops in the US have a section entitled: 'as recommended by Matt Cutts'?

 

[DuaneJackson]

Definitely blog in the first person. It's more engaging

I was reluctant to blog at first - I didn't think I'd have anything to write about. Now I manage to get 1 or 2 posts done a week and the blog gets a lot of traffic - some of which converts into business.

It's a very usefull addition to our marketing mix

 

[iArtist]

As a blogger you must write in your own voice, friendly, informal and engaging.

Short paragraphs 3-4 lines max
Bullet points
Generally not longer than 400 words (though I do exceed this often on my own blogs)
Use embedded youtube vids where they are available for extra stimulus
Don't nick pics off the Internet

There's lots more you need to know but that'll do for now as I am off to bed!

Leah

ps. Maybe check out a couple of mine for a guideline

www.creativeblogger.org
www.girltalk-ladiesonly.blogspot.com

I don't update them often.

Ideally you should update three times a week, same niche type content.

 

[fisicx]

If you haven't discovered this truly wonderful site yet then you should spend some time reading before starting a blog. some of the posts are a bit wonky but most of the material is excellent. Anyway, here are their thoughts on post lengths: http://www.copyblogger.com/blog-post-length/

And this is post is very thought provoking (and explains why most blogs fail): http://www.copyblogger.com/no-money-blogging/

 

[Wavecrest Ltd]

Like some other people have said, read some blogs (mine if you like!) and see how they look and their style.

You can also get a lot of tips at a site called Problogger (put it in Google)

Glen

 

[Nevaeh]

before starting your blog think of what would be your topic/niche. Then start your article about your first posting.

 

[emmadean]

It doesn't matter if you use first person or third person, the important thing is how you best present your ideas to the public.

 

[Lawrence_Luo]

Suggest you sigh your blog in Bloggers
I like it

 

[TheWordWell]

Hi

Is it going to be a business blog? You need to decide:

1. Who is your audience
2. What you want to achieve through the blog
3. Do you want the blog to draw traffic to your site

Is your blog going to tell a story, advise, report, review, sell? For a successful blog you need to decide exactly what you want to achieve with it. If you do want to drive traffic, then you must consider using SEO techniques and online bookmarking.

A good place to start is a site called Better Business Blogging. Google it and you'll find a series of tutorials on there to guide you through starting up a blog. The other alternative is to hire someone to kick your blog off for you.
PM me if you need help with this.
Good luck!