The Biggest Blogging MistakesEight Mistakes that Are Killing Your Blog
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Tony Baker October 15, 2007
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The first year of keeping a blog is always the hardest. You're just
getting into the game and you haven't quite learned all the ins and
outs of playing just yet. While that's understandable, if you're making
too many mistakes with your blog, you'll never have a chance to get it
off the ground. Here are eight common blogging mistakes, and steps you
can take to avoid them.
1) Ignoring reader comments
You don't have to respond to every single comment (especially if there
are several), but if somebody makes an interesting point or asks a
question, answer it. Commenting back encourages readers to start a
dialogue and lets them know that you're listening to what they have to
say. Ignoring them sends off the statement that you don't care about
your readers' thoughts on what you've written, and they'll stop
reading.
2) Straying off topic
It's easier than you'd think to start a blog post with one idea in
mind, only to drift away from that to a completely different idea by
the end. However, while that rambling might work under some conditions,
it's not good for a blog. People aren't going to want to read a blog
post that wanders around eight different topics like a lazy river. Keep
your posts simple and to the point, and you'll keep more readers.
3) No countermeasure for spam
Spam has infested emails, MySpace, Facebook, forums and blog comments,
and nothing will bring your blog down faster than looking in the
comments to see that they're all from somebody in Nigeria who needs to
move $1.5 million to the U.S. A spam countermeasure is as simple as a
verification box, where people enter a series of letters before they
post. Or, you could ask a simple question, like "Is fire hot or cold?"
Just do something to ensure that the person posting is actually a
person.
4) Looking just like everybody else
You've got your blog on your site, right? So why does it look
exactly like every single blog found on Blogger, Blogspot or
Livejournal?
Using the exact same templates that come with every blog is boring. You
don't look special; you look like everybody else. A unique blog design
that matches your website will keep brand consistency for your users.
Plus, it will showcase your personality and taste, not the taste of the
template designers. For a good example, take a look at this blog: http://www.sleepingtiger.org/blog/
For more ideas on how to spice up your blog, check out this article at David Meerman Scott's blog: Pimp Out Your Blog.
5) Poor grammar and punctuation
You probably don't worry too much about grammar, spelling and
punctuation when you're chatting online, but those mistakes in a blog
can be a death sentence. Blogs with lousy grammar and punctuation and
frequent misspellings come across as unprofessional, and that's not the
image that you want for your business. Edit your blogs and check them
for grammtical errors before you ever post.
6) Stale or grandiose writing
Blogs are supposed to provide personal, human insight into your
company. They shouldn't read like bland corporate gibberish, nor should
you use so many five-dollar words that your readers would have to hit a
dictionary just to understand your post. The former makes your stuff
boring; the latter makes it condescending, and either way, people won't
want to read it. Keep your writing simple and lively.
7) Personal attacks
Controversial ideas or topics are good for blogs, as they can spark
discussion and attract a lot of attention. However, while controversy
is good, stooping to personal attacks is not. You're writing a
professional blog, not picking a grade school fight. Personal attacks
will reflect badly on both you and your company, so refrain from it.
8) Long absences
It's all right if you can't post every day. However, letting 10 days,
two weeks, or even a month pass without updating is a big blogging
no-no. A lack of updates indicates that your blog is on its way out,
and readers will quit checking back. Even if you just link to an
article or a video that you thought was worth sharing, make an effort
to post frequently.
For more blogging tips, see this article: Why Your Business Should Be Blogging.
By avoiding these common blogging mistakes, you can keep your blog
helpful, interesting, insightful and professional. Take steps to
correct your mistakes now and you can make sure that your blog and
readers will be around for a long time to come. |