Blogging 101: The Foundations of a Better Blog

I have created a new category which will cover some of the real basics of blogging. I think like anything, there is a foundation you build things on. Like math. You have addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. If you can’t master those, then those long drawn out formulas and equations are impossible to execute. With math, you take a complex issue and break it down into pieces that make sense. In other words you are simplifying.

Blogging is similar. There are basics. Those basics should be mastered so that when later on you face questions, concerns, dilemmas, and a lot of problems, you can simplify everything. You break everything back down to the basics.

So what are the basics of blogging?

What is a blog?

Ok don’t laugh. What year is it and I STILL come across people who don’t know what a blog is. According to Blog Basics this is the definition:

Blog (noun) – a journal or diary that is on the Internet – Andrew Sullivan has the most popular blog on the Internet.

Blogger (noun) – a person who keeps a blog – Bloggers are revolutionizing the way news is shared.

Blog (verb) – to write a blog – I am going to blog before breakfast this morning.

Blogging (verb) – the action of writing a blog – Blogging is my way of sharing my passions with the world.

Establish Motive and Set Goals

Once we have determined what a blog is, you need to narrow it down to why you are blogging. What is it you want to write about and what are your goals? Do you want to provide a wide range of topics or narrow it down to just one or a couple? Do you want to produce news articles, tips, reviews, commentary, or maybe all of the above. Do you want readership? Are you looking to make money? Why so many dang questions?

The reason for the questions is simple. Blogging is not easy. Without a vision you will more than likely give up finding out that blogging was a waste of time and you should have spent more time with your studies or your family. Blogging is a commitment. You have to write often and even spend time doing research. Yuck… Research?

Yep. How else are you going to learn about something so you can share something new with your readers? So setting goals, planning out a mission, and being prepared to learn is key.

Persistence

This is the biggy. Here is a thought about success. I would not have gotten married to my current wife if I was not persistent. I was turned down (believe it or not), before she finally caved in. I am sure she is regretting it now. But hey, I was persistent. To be persistent also means you have to accept certain levels of failure and move on and keep up what works without letting the little things get to ya. I could have gone home and cried my eyes out and sworn off women for the rest of my life. Instead I was persistent.

There was a job I applied for over 10 years ago and was never contacted. I called each day asking for an update. They told me my schedule didn’t fit what they were looking for. So I changed my availability and resubmitted my application. After several weeks of constant back and forth communications, and being turned down for many reasons, I was persistent yet professional, showing them I was determined to work for them and would make certain accomodations to do so. I could have chalked it up the first time they turned me down as yet another failure, but I was persistent. It isn’t always that you need to do more work, but rather keep doing the same thing over and over and over again until it pays off.

What is your edge? Offer something different

Just like a product… you need that cutting edge. What separates your product from all the others? There are so many blogs out there to read, it is impossible for everyone to read all of them. How do you draw them in? Having another blog just like everyone else is kinda cool when you are new to the blogosphere, but at some point you will need to ask yourself, “What is it that makes me stand out?”

Networking

Networking builds traffic. There is no sense building a business out in the middle of the woods where you might get a couple of passer-bys each week. You need to learn to envision online traffic much like roads and pathways to real communities and places of business. I wrote about this a while ago on the Skinny Moose main blog in an article called Blogs are Roads; Intersections. Networking is done in many ways and we will cover this later in future posts but it can help you understand what is happening in your niche, and at the same time pave some nice roads to your blog. There are some great ways of doing this. Each time you write a new blog post you have another opportunity to pave roads to your blog. You aren’t just looking to promote your main page. Each article is a gem in and of itself. Getting people to take interest in your articles, link to them, and drive traffic your way based on one article out of many is a beautiful thing. It won’t happen with each article but the more you write and the more you network the more pathways that lead to your blog. So opening these pathways up so there are so many avenues to get to you no matter what the browser’s interest will really spark some diversity in your audience.