A. CasalenaTop 10 Blogging Mistakes
There are a lot of guides that offer tips with things to do to blog better, but not quite as many talk about what a blogger might be better off avoiding. So below is a list of blogging mistakes and how to fix them.
1. Adding music or sound effects
Flash animation that is done well can provide an extra touch if it’s not too distracting, but playing sound is an unwelcome surprise to readers in an office environment
2. Neglecting to include contact information or about page
Transparency in blogging is a big aspect of attracting more readers and this is achieved when an audience knows who is talking and how to reach them.
3. Taking the default template
There are lots of great templates to choose from. Instead of just using the first default option because it’s easy, it helps to find the template that best fits the site or consider creating a new one.
4. Using the blogging platform domain
Everyone needs to start somewhere, and trying out a blog hosted on the bloggng platform makes a lot of sense. However, professional bloggers really should eventually host it on their own website
5. Organizing posts solely through the archives
Creating links to important posts in the navigation or putting posts in categories can help readers find their way around.
6. Posting sporadically
Having schedule means that readers know when to find new information. It doesn’t have to be very often but it should be consistent. Leaving a blog unattended can lose precious momentum and readership.
7. Flooding a site with ads
Ads are an acceptable way of monetizing a blog, but ads can make it difficult to find and read the content. Planning ad placement carefully and sparingly can end up paying dividends.
8. Including links that open in a new browser
Bloggers don’t want readers to leave, hence opening new windows for links. But blog readers can be annoyed at new windows they didn’t ask for. This could go either way, but the readers will usually know how to get back if they want, so new windows aren’t necessary.
9. Blogging blindly
Not know how existing readers are finding the blog via search engines can be like walking on a tightrope without a net. Blogging topics can be impromptu, but building a serious audience takes a little forethought and planning. Do some research and add some tools to help track traffic.
10. Rambling incessantly
A blog should be updated regularly, and if new topics are hard to find, then the individual posts may be too long. Generally it’s better to create shorter, more frequent posts. Keep the audience engaged through expanding on topics piece by piece, as dissertations tend to dissuade all but the most avid fans.
Am I missing any?
Reader Comments (18)
We included a survey on our home page which is useful in getting feeback on our our site / blog is perceived by visitors.
In our case most visitors do not leave a comment, we have received more replies to our survey than comments.
I have a killer idea too: Use the Facebook "Share" and make it easy for your readers to post a link to their Facebook profile. You can check it out at my Blog www.text.nu where I put the "Share"-code under very article and YES - it has massively increased my traffic. I also use it to easy share my own posts to my own Facebook profile. :)
I would say that having TOO regular a blogging schedule can be a bad thing... for example, I know a blogger who posts once a week, on the same day. This means I don't visit her blog except once a week, because I know she won't have anything new up for a while week after I read her most recent entry.
Having an about page is great, too, but I would caution people-- women especially-- against giving out TOO much info about themselves. Do people really need to know your last name (the last name on my blog isn't my real last name) or exactly what city you live in?
Good question, Lucy. Professional bloggers may want to consider moving to a self-hosted domain and website for several reasons. Greater flexibility with their layout and architecture and not having to worry about their site going down if, say their site is on Blogger, and Blogger is having high server load issues.
Is this what you're asking?
I'm curious, other than the cost savings, why wouldn't a professional blogger want to host their own website?
Thank you!
http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=5315590686
Hope this helps!
-Eco
Myspace is a fairly "closed" application, so to get blog posts on your profile there, you'd need to post twice (once to your Squarespace blog and once to your Myspace blog.)
For social networking, I'd highly recommend Facebook or Virb as you can easily add third party functionality (like grabbing your Squarespace blog feed.)
Hope this helps!
I'm on the fence about length of posts, however. It all depends on the message and the target. I'm targeting managers and executives for my consulting services, and I've found that some of my consistently most popular posts are also the longest and/or most conceptually complex.