Did you know that the first blog ever written was in 1994, by Justin Hall, a student at Swathmore? Justin continues to blog about a variety of subjects.
Justin—along with millions of others—realizes that blogs are a great way to communicate with others. Business people use blogs as a way to share their knowledge and expertise.
The hardest part about starting a blog is…starting! Personally, I procrastinated for months, primarily because I was worried that I wouldn’t do it “right.” While there are certainly some best practices, there really is no right or wrong when it comes to blogging.
One of the biggest things to keep in mind is who you are writing for. You also have to decide why you are blogging and what your goals are. There are many people who use their blogs simply as a type of personal diary. If you’re blogging for business, do you want people to interact with you, buy your product or service, see you as an “expert” in your field…or all of the above?
When I made the decision to blog, I spent hours and hours reading other blogs, researching platforms and so on. I probably spent an entire day just looking at various templates I could use! I definitely made it more complicated than it should have been.
Once I decided what platform to use, I tinkered with layouts until I found one I liked best. It then took me weeks to actually write my first blog post! I pondered on what it should say. I debated about the “tone” I would use. And, I changed my mind numerous times!
Once I decided what to say, I wrote and rewrote and revised my first post, over and over again. I agonized over making it “perfect.” Then, I finally figured out that it didn’t need to be perfect…it just needed to be posted!
As I said, there’s no right or wrong in blogging, but there are some best practices. In my research, I’ve seen that the most-read posts are around 400 to 500 words. People want quick reads. Something longer should be broken into multiple parts. It can be funny, serious, irreverent, whatever—it just needs to be authentic to your personality.
Blogs should be written like you are simply “talking” with your readers. One of the goals of a blog should be to have people comment—and they won’t comment if the blog is written in a way that doesn’t encourage interaction.
So, if you’ve been “planning” to blog, it’s time to actually start blogging! It may not be perfect and it will definitely evolve, but as Nike says: “Just Do It!”
What are your favorite blogs and why? Do you blog? If not, why not?
Reading this post reminded me of my agony when I began blogging last year. My biggest fear was running out of topics to blog about. Well, was I wrong. As you stated, identify your goal and focus and your daily life interactions could be great blogs.
My favorite blogs are the ones that provide tips and advice; basically the ‘how to do’ approach. I like to read; but I also like to learn.
You’re a great blogger and I always look forward to your posts! I think we all worry about running out of ideas – but when the topic is the right one, great ideas seem to just keep coming!
Favorite Blog? Yours of course! I keep thinking about blogging, but I have some other business/brand goals that need to happen first.
Thanks, Tim! When you’re ready to stop thinking and start doing, I’m sure you’ll have a great blog and I look forward to reading it.
Thanks, Deb. What roll do you think SEO plays in blogging? And what blogging platforms do you recommend for business owners when they’re ready to start?
I think blogs can play a huge role in SEO – when done properly. Posters need to remember to tag their posts and do the other things to optimize them. For someone just starting out, there are plenty of free platforms and it’s a good way to get your feet wet. However, the free platforms aren’t good for SEO as the posts are driving people to their site, not the site of the author. Right now, I’m using the hosted version of WordPress which allows me to have my blog directly on my own website. So, each post I have is actually a new page on my website, which helps with SEO. One of the other reasons I like WordPress is the multitude of themes – both free and for purchase. I think authors need to explore their options to find what works best for them. A great way is to follow other bloggers and ask what they are doing!
Ditto…what takes us so long to do a blog and get started. I’m doing the same thing…eck!
Thanks for commenting! The biggest fear is that we won’t do it “right” – there really is no right or wrong. Just leap in. It will get easier as you go.