If your new to blogging you may be asking yourself what should I be doing? It’s a common question I often get asked. You know you should be writing since that is the basis of blogging but are unsure as to what else you or any other blogger is or should be doing.
There are in fact many things that a new blogger can and should be doing in the beginning to craft their blogs. To answer the question I’ve created a short To Do List For The New Blogger that will explain to you, what it is you can do.
To Do List For The New Blogger
1. Content – You’ve probably read this many other places where it says to “write great and unique content”. Great and unique mean different things to different people. What you need to do with a new blog is just write. The best option is to write useful or interesting content as this will either help or entertain readers. Put yourself in your readers shoes, what would you like to read about on another blog? What would solve a problem of yours or make you curious enough to want to come back? Figure this out and then write everyday, yes everyday. You are a new blog working to build a readership, the option to write a few times a weeks will come once you are established.
2. Find You Voice – Your voice is simply your style of writing, what comes natural. For some finding their voice will come easy, for others not so much. We are each unique and different, with our own views and thoughts. How we present them using words will define what our voice is. How do you find your voice? Write what you know and believe in, as this will show you as being authentic. Be yourself, don’t copy or mimic others, that is their voice. Listen to your heart, yes that may sound cheesy but we often know without actually knowing why. Lastly keep writing, your voice will develop in time, the more you write the more it will take shape.
3. Brand It -If you’ve recently started blogging this is the time for you to experiment and create your brand. Branding is the message you send both visually and with your written content. Who are your readers going to be? Figure this out then define the message you want to send to them, both with how you write and the design of your blog and or logo. Stick to this message and use it everywhere, repetition is key to branding.
4. Network -For any new blogger getting out and interacting with other bloggers should be a daily routine. This doesn’t necessarily mean fact to face. Part of networking is contacting other bloggers, working with them on projects, guest posting, possibly helping them out. Any form of interaction with other like minded individuals. If your new you will more then likely be able to learn from them, their mistakes and successes.
5. Learn It – Chances are that being a new blogger, you have little knowledge of how things work. If this is the case you need to start learning everything you can about blogging. There is an unlimited amount of information out there on every aspect of blogging. From design and how to write, to making money and socializing. If this seems to overwhelming focus on one thing at a time. Start simple and learn how to use your blogging platform as this will be used most everyday. Pick up tips on how to write content. Commit to learning something new about blogging everyday.
6. Read It – If you are a new blogger you should be reading other blogs. You want people to read yours so reading others would only seem right. You can’t receive without giving. By reading other blogs you can also pick up tips, how they format their content, a certain design element, or a piece of information that is nothing more then just fun. Blogs are fascinating in that we can now meet and learn from those we may have otherwise never have come across in our daily life.
7. Comment – This goes along with number six and is the next step, leave comments on other blogs. Blogging is all about interaction and community. You’ll need to be a part of it now if you call yourself a blogger. Along with reading your blog you’ll want readers to comment on what you write and yes you’ll need to comment on those you read. When it comes to commenting put some thought into it and have something that is worth adding. Don’t just say “cool post”. This is useless and unwanted. You don’t have to write a story, just be sure it has some relation to the post itself.
8. Be Social – There are countless ways to now be social, bookmarking sites, ranking sites, micro-blogging sites. Get involved and sign up with these, see which best fits you personally. Once you figure out which you like use them. Much like networking you can interact with others, learn, share, or just waste time. Yes sometimes it does seem like a waste of time but it’s usually time well spent.
Now that you have some basic knowledge it’s time to get to work. Although if you enjoy blogging like me you don’t really consider it work.
This practice of following and then once they’ve got you to reciprocate to unfollow you is becoming an all to common problem. I don’t quite understand the theory if there even is one, nor do I believe it’s socially moral and Twitter is after all, social interaction. If I’m going to follow you most especially after you followed me first I feel it’s only fair you should continue to follow me.
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