Habits of Highly effective bloggers
The following piece was submitted by May from Palm Discovery as part of the habits of highly effective blogging group project.
Hi there. Since I’m not a “pro” blogger by any means and the idea of writing about my blogging habits isn’t really that relevant to what I do (I write a Palm blog), I am going to be submitting my “ideas” and please note that these are “ideas”.
I’m not a “pro” blogger in any way but since the opportunity came up to promote myself, I thought I’d take it. Here’s my ideas of what I think are “habits” of highly effective bloggers since these are my habits.
1 - Blog what you know and what you’re familar with. Chances are, we don’t know everything and someone who reads your blog may know more than you. If you blog something that you don’t know and someone discovers it, he may make some comment that may embarass you. That may cost not only your pride, but possibly readership as readers may question your credibility. Blog on what you are familar with and don’t try to pretend you know what you’re writing about when you aren’t. Someone will pick up on that. If you lose your credibility, you may lose your audience.
2 - Do your research. Try to be as thorough as you can in your research. Of course, we can’t cover practically everything but if your blog shows that you did do the research before writing it up, it will show. Doing the research will help your credibility. As well, you may discover something that you didn’t know about before you did the research which may change how you write your blog posting. Without research, it’s simply someone talking. And most of the readers aren’t too interested in someone ranting or just talking. We are all quite busy and can’t afford to waste our time.
3 - Establish your own “habits”. Try out other habits that work for others but don’t feel that you “must” do what they do and adopt their “habits”. We’re all different and even if it works for others, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will work for you. Set your own routine and how you work. Some people get most productive early in the morning, while others may find it works better at night. I find that I usually spend the first hour of the morning doing other things like reading up on news and blogs so that I can get ideas to write on, and read my emails. I make myself a HUGE mug of coffee that will last for a while. Then, I start working on the blog.
4 - Blog when you are inspired or want to write. Don’t make it such a chore to do it. If you feel that you have to set yourself a rigid schedule for blogging and it’s starting to seem like a chore, stop the rigid schedule. We blog (or at least I do) because we love it. Sure, a lot of pro bloggers do it for the money. For me, at least since I’m still a small blogger, I do it for the joy of writing. Others, may find that they work better on a schedule. Listen to yourself and your body. If you’re not enjoying it, chances are, you won’t be able to continue blogging for the long haul.
5 - Publish your postings at your “set” schedule. A lot of bloggers publish their posts at any time, and without much of a set schedule. They may post several posts a day. If you feel comfortable with it, then continue doing what works for you. I publish once a week since my postings are usually quite detailed and takes a lot of preparation and I have set a specific day and time when they are published so that my readers can expect them at a certain time. If your posts are very sporatic, you may find that your readers may not like that style. But of course, you should do what you feel like, but sometimes looking at it from the end reader’s perspective may be helpful.
6 - Create a specific “voice” or “tone” in your blog and stick with it. Try not to be yelling or ranting in one blog post and cute or sarcastic in the next. Being consistent in your style makes it easier for the reader to connect with you. You want to establish a “connection” with the reader, very much like a friend, or associate. If the reader can’t figure out your personality or style, they may not stick around to read your blog. My blog “voice” has always been as if I were having a “chat” with the reader and I’ve gotten several comments from readers how they love that style. I guess it works for me.
7 - Make sure you have several posts that can easily or quickly be published at any time. This is my “idea” because I find that sometimes things come up that was unexpected. By finishing or somewhat getting some posts that are close to be “ready” for publishing, you can save yourself when the unexpected happens. I have a tendency to write on a variety of postings, even just sometimes writing up a title, so that I have at least some “ideas” so that sometime in the future, I can write up on it. For me, whenever I have the “inspiration” to write, I may look at some unfinished postings and work a bit on that. This way, I don’t get too bogged down with one post. Sometimes, some postings may take longer to write and complete and if you spend all your time on it, you can feel bored and “burnt out”. By dabbing a bit on one post and a bit on that, sure, I’m not completing anything, but over time, they will get completed and I won’t feel too bored writing one long post. Chance!
s are, after that long post, you may not feel like blogging anymore. Keep yourself inspired, refreshed and blogging. Do what you need to do to stick with this a long time.
8 - Don’t lose your focus. If your blog is about a certain niche and focused on a specific area, stick with it. Don’t lose your focus and change and write about something else. Focus on what you are doing for your blog and its direction. If you lose your focus, you may lose your inspiration, your readership and your passion.
Those are my ideas or habits. Again, do what works for you.
