the secret behind blogging

A good pal of mine just started a blog. I offered my help to him on what to post and when to post it and to why to post it..and well, how to create a blog that people would like going to. I thought since I'd be doing it for him, I'd post it on here for everyone to read.

These are my personal tips of how to create an informative and cool blog.

First off. You have to decide what kind of blog you want. Is it going to be a personal one where you just post personal stories, poems, pictures? Then keep it personal. Don't stray away to posting anything else. You will create a fanbase by just posting life stuff. It's amazing how many people in this world - people you've never met will be interested in it. I remember when I quit drinking, I used to get e-mails all the time about my little experiment. Stories from these people in Japan, the US, Europe who were going through the same thing or you've been clean for years. The experience opened up my eyes a bit in that so-many-people-in-this-world-going-through-the-same-thing kind of way. It was humbling.


If you're going to build a blog where it'll be dominated by pop culture, gossip, videos and music - then keep something in mind. You're going to generate a lot of hits. In today's media scope, people rather go to blogs than the other older mediums to get news so you will be causing a lot of ruckus with your hit counter. Always be careful of getting the news right that you're reporting. Always quote your source and always keep it fun and hip and informative. The last thing you want is to wake up and have your favorite gossip page blaming you for saying that this reality star died last night on the Vegas strip instead of this reality star was set to dine out on the Vegas strip last night. You might get the hits, but it's the hits you don't want.


What I had to learn fast when I started to blog almost five years ago now, is that you forget how big the World Wide Web is. At first you create a blog and think only your friends and family know about the site. But then you remember about search engines and that anyone can really come and check out your blog and play around for a bit. Be warned. You'll get a bunch of love notes from strangers but you'll also get a lot of hate mail from strangers. That's why it's always good to be able to approve or deny comments left on your blog.


Also, quick tip. Use spell check. Please. Thanks. I felt that mistake way too many times.


Last piece of advice? Make your blog yours. No matter who is going to your page - they want a piece of you. They want to know a bit about you. Make the page's image relate to who you are. Keep it Real.

Hope that helps. Goodluck and Have Fun.