Getting through Blogger's Block

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><br></h1> <div class="author-info" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">By Susannah Gardner</div><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> One nice thing about blogs is that you can post whenever you want, from wherever you want. It's convenient, but it's no guarantee that you have something to post about. There are times in everyblogger's career when ideas run dry, but you still have to produce fresh content.</p> <p class="Tip" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Don't forget that blog entries can be created and stored. On days when you feel incredibly creative, why not write a blog post or two that are evergreen — that is, can stay useful for some time — and stockpile some posts for the days when you are really casting about for content.</p> <h2 style="margin:0.25rem 0px 1.25rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Holding a contest</h2><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> Everybody likes a winner, and everyone wants to be one! Put together a quick competition. You can call on your readers to be contestants, and make the community part of the judging as well. Every contest generates excitement and discussion, no matter how small the stakes.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Some topics that work well</p><ul style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"> <li>Name This Product/Service.</li></ul><ul style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li>Assign a topic, and have people post entries on your blog or on their own blog and link to yours.</li> </ul><ul style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li>Guessing games are always fun. For example, put a super-close-up photo of one of your products on the blog, and get readers to guess which product it is. Or show a tool used in the creation of your products, and ask readers to guess its use.</li> </ul><ul style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li>Have your readers submit creative ideas for using your products or photos of your products in use.</li> </ul><ul style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li>Ask readers for predictions on a sales number or news event.</li></ul><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> Giving out prizes of value can be tricky — maybe you're on a limited budget, and maybe your legal department would have a fit if you tried to offer "wonderful prizes." But public acknowledgement in an active community can be a nice prize, or you can send a company-branded item to the winners (even if you didn't promise them a material prize).</p> <h2 style="margin:0.25rem 0px 1.25rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Posting reader photos</h2><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> Let your readers send in pictures of themselves with your product or service, or your logo, or of your company's local presence. Post pictures in an online gallery, and let the audience rate them. Blog about the best or most interesting ones. (This could also be a contest.)</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Photos have proven to be very popular with blog readers, who also respond well to being included in the creation of blog content, so a photo gallery is almost always a win-win situation.</p> <h2 style="margin:0.25rem 0px 1.25rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Creating a "Best of" collection</h2><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> After you blog long enough, reward yourself. Take a day or a week, and post the best of your blog postings. Update them where appropriate, but in general, you're just giving your best material a chance to see the light again and helping future visitors to find the best of the early days.</p> <p class="Remember" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Your blog isn't your press release section. Bringing attention to an old press release is odd, but it's quite normal to refer back to a particularly valuable piece of writing you did.</p> <h2 style="margin:0.25rem 0px 1.25rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Making yourself heard</h2><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> For a change of pace, how about blogging in audio format instead of in text? Readers (now listeners) are interested in hearing the speaking voice of someone they have read for a while.</p><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> Audio posts work best with content that you can read dramatically — let your listeners really hear that sarcasm drip, if that's the way you're going. You can also use an audio post to record sounds in your current environment that your readers might find interesting — the chaos of the trading floor, the sounds of traffic on the street, or the Muzak in the company elevator.</p> <p class="Tip" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Don't forget to pay attention to the conditions in which the audio is recorded; too much background noise can drown you out and make you hard to hear.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Don't lower your usual standards, but realize that the novelty of speaking your post does take some of the emphasis off the content of it. As well, some people won't or can't listen to audio postings, so don't choose this post as the occasion to make a huge news announcement.</p> <h2 style="margin:0.25rem 0px 1.25rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Questions, please</h2><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> Q: Does the Q & A format draw people in? Does it seem to interest people more than a regular, bland post?</p><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> A: Yes; yes, it does. Find someone in the hall, detain them for five minutes, and ask them what they're working on and why. That's all you need for an interesting post. Repeat as needed.</p><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> These mini-interviews give people who aren't normally part of the blog a voice and presence, and make them known to readers as well. Use these to recognize unsung heroes, reveal little-known areas of expertise, or to capture the jokes of the hilarious guy down the hall.</p> <h2 style="margin:0.25rem 0px 1.25rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Building a widget</h2><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> Not every blog post has to be static. You can quite easily find a nifty, free JavaScript program and adapt it for your own use. Coming up with the idea for a quick little Web widget can be a fun way to increase traffic to your site and interact with the readers.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">As an example, visit the <a href="http://www.cyborgname.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Cyborg Name Generator</a>. This application allows readers to enter their name and choose an avatar image, and produces a small graphic displaying the avatar and a reasonably humorous robot acronym based on the user's name.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Your program doesn't have to be a super-well-designed program. In fact, it doesn't have to be programmed at all; it could be something as simple as a "Choose Your Own Adventure" style series of linked posts.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">On the other hand, you could start with a simple idea, and it could grow beyond your blog. After all, the best way to get yourself out of a rut is to build a road to somewhere else.</p>

Getting through Blogger's Block

By Susannah Gardner One nice thing about blogs is that you can post whenever you want, from wherever you want. It's convenient, but ...

Read more »

Getting through Blogger's Block

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><br></h1> <div class="author-info" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">By Susannah Gardner</div><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> One nice thing about blogs is that you can post whenever you want, from wherever you want. It's convenient, but it's no guarantee that you have something to post about. There are times in everyblogger's career when ideas run dry, but you still have to produce fresh content.</p> <p class="Tip" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Don't forget that blog entries can be created and stored. On days when you feel incredibly creative, why not write a blog post or two that are evergreen — that is, can stay useful for some time — and stockpile some posts for the days when you are really casting about for content.</p> <h2 style="margin:0.25rem 0px 1.25rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Holding a contest</h2><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> Everybody likes a winner, and everyone wants to be one! Put together a quick competition. You can call on your readers to be contestants, and make the community part of the judging as well. Every contest generates excitement and discussion, no matter how small the stakes.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Some topics that work well</p><ul style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"> <li>Name This Product/Service.</li></ul><ul style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li>Assign a topic, and have people post entries on your blog or on their own blog and link to yours.</li> </ul><ul style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li>Guessing games are always fun. For example, put a super-close-up photo of one of your products on the blog, and get readers to guess which product it is. Or show a tool used in the creation of your products, and ask readers to guess its use.</li> </ul><ul style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li>Have your readers submit creative ideas for using your products or photos of your products in use.</li> </ul><ul style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li>Ask readers for predictions on a sales number or news event.</li></ul><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> Giving out prizes of value can be tricky — maybe you're on a limited budget, and maybe your legal department would have a fit if you tried to offer "wonderful prizes." But public acknowledgement in an active community can be a nice prize, or you can send a company-branded item to the winners (even if you didn't promise them a material prize).</p> <h2 style="margin:0.25rem 0px 1.25rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Posting reader photos</h2><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> Let your readers send in pictures of themselves with your product or service, or your logo, or of your company's local presence. Post pictures in an online gallery, and let the audience rate them. Blog about the best or most interesting ones. (This could also be a contest.)</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Photos have proven to be very popular with blog readers, who also respond well to being included in the creation of blog content, so a photo gallery is almost always a win-win situation.</p> <h2 style="margin:0.25rem 0px 1.25rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Creating a "Best of" collection</h2><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> After you blog long enough, reward yourself. Take a day or a week, and post the best of your blog postings. Update them where appropriate, but in general, you're just giving your best material a chance to see the light again and helping future visitors to find the best of the early days.</p> <p class="Remember" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Your blog isn't your press release section. Bringing attention to an old press release is odd, but it's quite normal to refer back to a particularly valuable piece of writing you did.</p> <h2 style="margin:0.25rem 0px 1.25rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Making yourself heard</h2><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> For a change of pace, how about blogging in audio format instead of in text? Readers (now listeners) are interested in hearing the speaking voice of someone they have read for a while.</p><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> Audio posts work best with content that you can read dramatically — let your listeners really hear that sarcasm drip, if that's the way you're going. You can also use an audio post to record sounds in your current environment that your readers might find interesting — the chaos of the trading floor, the sounds of traffic on the street, or the Muzak in the company elevator.</p> <p class="Tip" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Don't forget to pay attention to the conditions in which the audio is recorded; too much background noise can drown you out and make you hard to hear.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Don't lower your usual standards, but realize that the novelty of speaking your post does take some of the emphasis off the content of it. As well, some people won't or can't listen to audio postings, so don't choose this post as the occasion to make a huge news announcement.</p> <h2 style="margin:0.25rem 0px 1.25rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Questions, please</h2><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> Q: Does the Q & A format draw people in? Does it seem to interest people more than a regular, bland post?</p><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> A: Yes; yes, it does. Find someone in the hall, detain them for five minutes, and ask them what they're working on and why. That's all you need for an interesting post. Repeat as needed.</p><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> These mini-interviews give people who aren't normally part of the blog a voice and presence, and make them known to readers as well. Use these to recognize unsung heroes, reveal little-known areas of expertise, or to capture the jokes of the hilarious guy down the hall.</p> <h2 style="margin:0.25rem 0px 1.25rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:19px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Building a widget</h2><p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> Not every blog post has to be static. You can quite easily find a nifty, free JavaScript program and adapt it for your own use. Coming up with the idea for a quick little Web widget can be a fun way to increase traffic to your site and interact with the readers.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">As an example, visit the <a href="http://www.cyborgname.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Cyborg Name Generator</a>. This application allows readers to enter their name and choose an avatar image, and produces a small graphic displaying the avatar and a reasonably humorous robot acronym based on the user's name.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Your program doesn't have to be a super-well-designed program. In fact, it doesn't have to be programmed at all; it could be something as simple as a "Choose Your Own Adventure" style series of linked posts.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">On the other hand, you could start with a simple idea, and it could grow beyond your blog. After all, the best way to get yourself out of a rut is to build a road to somewhere else.</p>

Getting through Blogger's Block

By Susannah Gardner One nice thing about blogs is that you can post whenever you want, from wherever you want. It's convenient, but ...

Read more »

Promote Your Blogs by Sending Out an E-Mail Newsletter

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><br></h1> <p class="Byline" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Get online communities interested in your blog posts by putting together an e-mailing with your best or most popular blogs. You can feature links to your blog posting, or you can copy and paste the text into an e-mail and send it off.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">You can create this kind of newsletter in several ways, but it's most effective for you to sign up for an e-mail service provider like<a href="http://www.constantcontact.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Constant Contact</a>, <a href="http://www.topica.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Topica</a>, or <a href="http://www.emaillabs.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Email Labs</a>. These services can handle subscription requests, unsubscribe requests, and change of e-mail addresses, all without your needing to do anything. In addition, most of them offer you the ability to track clicks-through on links in your newsletters and track who you e-mail and when.</p> <p class="Tip" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">There are a few free mailing list options out there, but most of them involve a monthly fee. Shop around to find one that fits your price range.</p>

Promote Your Blogs by Sending Out an E-Mail Newsletter

Get online communities interested in your blog posts by putting together an e-mailing with your best or most popular blogs. You can featur...

Read more »

Promote Your Blogs by Sending Out an E-Mail Newsletter

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><br></h1> <p class="Byline" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Get online communities interested in your blog posts by putting together an e-mailing with your best or most popular blogs. You can feature links to your blog posting, or you can copy and paste the text into an e-mail and send it off.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">You can create this kind of newsletter in several ways, but it's most effective for you to sign up for an e-mail service provider like<a href="http://www.constantcontact.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Constant Contact</a>, <a href="http://www.topica.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Topica</a>, or <a href="http://www.emaillabs.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Email Labs</a>. These services can handle subscription requests, unsubscribe requests, and change of e-mail addresses, all without your needing to do anything. In addition, most of them offer you the ability to track clicks-through on links in your newsletters and track who you e-mail and when.</p> <p class="Tip" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">There are a few free mailing list options out there, but most of them involve a monthly fee. Shop around to find one that fits your price range.</p>

Promote Your Blogs by Sending Out an E-Mail Newsletter

Get online communities interested in your blog posts by putting together an e-mailing with your best or most popular blogs. You can featur...

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What You Can Find in a Blog Sidebar

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><br></h1> <p class="Byline" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Most blogs contain sidebarmaterial. Most blogs are laid out in two or three columns, and the sidebar material typically appears in the second and/or third columns.</p> <p class="Remember" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Some blogs don't have sidebars at all, and on other blogs, you may discover additional elements beyond what you see listed here.</p> <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Date-based archives: </b>Nearly every blog is archived as it's published, by date and by category. In the sidebar of a blog, you can usually access both archive methods.</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Categorized archives:</b> By sorting each post into a category at the time it is published, a blog can create an archive organized by subject, making it easy for you to find the posts you're most interested in. Clicking a category link displays only the posts in that subject area, in reverse chronological order.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Blogroll:</b> A blogroll is a list of blogs that you find interesting or useful. By including blogs and Web sites the blogger likes to read, you can direct your readers to other interesting Web sites. And who knows? Those sites may return the favor, sending their visitors to your site.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Information about the author:</b>Because blogs are so personal, sometimes you want to know more about who's writing them. Many bloggers know their readers are curious and put together short bios and other information for readers.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>RSS feed link:</b> RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a way readers can subscribe to your blog by using a newsreader, such as Google Reader. After a reader subscribes via RSS, she can read the latest updates via the newsreader rather than visiting your blog. This is helpful because it means your readers don't have to visit your blog several times a day to see whether you've updated it.</p> </li></ul>

What You Can Find in a Blog Sidebar

Most blogs contain sidebarmaterial. Most blogs are laid out in two or three columns, and the sidebar material typically appears in the sec...

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What You Can Find in a Blog Sidebar

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><br></h1> <p class="Byline" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Most blogs contain sidebarmaterial. Most blogs are laid out in two or three columns, and the sidebar material typically appears in the second and/or third columns.</p> <p class="Remember" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Some blogs don't have sidebars at all, and on other blogs, you may discover additional elements beyond what you see listed here.</p> <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Date-based archives: </b>Nearly every blog is archived as it's published, by date and by category. In the sidebar of a blog, you can usually access both archive methods.</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Categorized archives:</b> By sorting each post into a category at the time it is published, a blog can create an archive organized by subject, making it easy for you to find the posts you're most interested in. Clicking a category link displays only the posts in that subject area, in reverse chronological order.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Blogroll:</b> A blogroll is a list of blogs that you find interesting or useful. By including blogs and Web sites the blogger likes to read, you can direct your readers to other interesting Web sites. And who knows? Those sites may return the favor, sending their visitors to your site.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Information about the author:</b>Because blogs are so personal, sometimes you want to know more about who's writing them. Many bloggers know their readers are curious and put together short bios and other information for readers.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>RSS feed link:</b> RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a way readers can subscribe to your blog by using a newsreader, such as Google Reader. After a reader subscribes via RSS, she can read the latest updates via the newsreader rather than visiting your blog. This is helpful because it means your readers don't have to visit your blog several times a day to see whether you've updated it.</p> </li></ul>

What You Can Find in a Blog Sidebar

Most blogs contain sidebarmaterial. Most blogs are laid out in two or three columns, and the sidebar material typically appears in the sec...

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What Elements You Can Expect in All Blogs

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><br></h1> <p class="Byline" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Most blogs, no matter what topic they cover, look similar because the elements of one blog are common to all blogs. Look for these characteristics in blogs you come across on the Internet:</p> <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Branding/logo header:</b> A <i>header</i>at the top of the blog displays the name of the blog, often using a logo or other visual element. This header is visible on every page of the blog.</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Frequent updates:</b> Most blogs are updated a few times a week; some are even updated a few times a day. There isn't a schedule for publishing; theblogger simply updates the blog when it seems appropriate.</p></li><li> <p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Most recent posts:</b> Each time a blogger updates the blog, he creates a blog <i>post</i><i>,</i> or entrythat is added to the blog. At the top of the blog's home page, the most recent post is displayed. As you scroll down the home page, you see the next most recent post, and the next most recent post, and so on.</p> <p class="child-para Remember" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">New posts are always at the top, making it easy to find the latest, freshest information when you visit. The number of recent blog posts displayed on the first page of the blog is usually around a dozen, and to read older posts readers can visit the archives.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Permalinks:</b> Each time a post is added to a blog, it's placed on the home page. At the same time, a <i>permalink</i> page is created to contain only that blog post and its comments. (The word <i>permalink</i> is short for "permanent link.")</p> <p class="child-para Tip" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Permalink pages are a big part of why blogs do so well with search engines — every post adds a new page to your Web site and is another opportunity for your blog to come up as a search result.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Comments:</b> Most (though not all) blogs allow readers to leave<i>comments</i> — short text messages — in response to blog posts. Comments really differentiate a blog from most Web sites, by encouraging interaction and conversation.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Archives:</b> Because a blog is updated so frequently, many blogs are sorted into a date-based archive so that readers can find older information easily.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Categories:</b> Blog posts can also be sorted by subject, or categories, allowing a blogger to blog about a number of different topics and readers to focus in on the topics that most interest them.</p> </li></ul>

What Elements You Can Expect in All Blogs

Most blogs, no matter what topic they cover, look similar because the elements of one blog are common to all blogs. Look for these charact...

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What Elements You Can Expect in All Blogs

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><br></h1> <p class="Byline" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Most blogs, no matter what topic they cover, look similar because the elements of one blog are common to all blogs. Look for these characteristics in blogs you come across on the Internet:</p> <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Branding/logo header:</b> A <i>header</i>at the top of the blog displays the name of the blog, often using a logo or other visual element. This header is visible on every page of the blog.</p></li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"> <b>Frequent updates:</b> Most blogs are updated a few times a week; some are even updated a few times a day. There isn't a schedule for publishing; theblogger simply updates the blog when it seems appropriate.</p></li><li> <p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Most recent posts:</b> Each time a blogger updates the blog, he creates a blog <i>post</i><i>,</i> or entrythat is added to the blog. At the top of the blog's home page, the most recent post is displayed. As you scroll down the home page, you see the next most recent post, and the next most recent post, and so on.</p> <p class="child-para Remember" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">New posts are always at the top, making it easy to find the latest, freshest information when you visit. The number of recent blog posts displayed on the first page of the blog is usually around a dozen, and to read older posts readers can visit the archives.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Permalinks:</b> Each time a post is added to a blog, it's placed on the home page. At the same time, a <i>permalink</i> page is created to contain only that blog post and its comments. (The word <i>permalink</i> is short for "permanent link.")</p> <p class="child-para Tip" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px">Permalink pages are a big part of why blogs do so well with search engines — every post adds a new page to your Web site and is another opportunity for your blog to come up as a search result.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Comments:</b> Most (though not all) blogs allow readers to leave<i>comments</i> — short text messages — in response to blog posts. Comments really differentiate a blog from most Web sites, by encouraging interaction and conversation.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Archives:</b> Because a blog is updated so frequently, many blogs are sorted into a date-based archive so that readers can find older information easily.</p> </li><li><p class="first-para" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:24px"><b>Categories:</b> Blog posts can also be sorted by subject, or categories, allowing a blogger to blog about a number of different topics and readers to focus in on the topics that most interest them.</p> </li></ul>

What Elements You Can Expect in All Blogs

Most blogs, no matter what topic they cover, look similar because the elements of one blog are common to all blogs. Look for these charact...

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Use Comments to Interact with Blog Readers

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"><br></h1> <p class="Byline" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Comments are what make blogsdifferent from a Web site. The opportunity to interact and converse with the creator of a Web site and with other readers is almost unique to blogs. Visitors to a blog can leave a comment on each post.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Sometimes, visitors comment in response to what they read; sometimes, the message is a suggestion or question. Because any reader can leave a comment, comments are even left about other comments.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Blog posts often include a linkdirectly underneath each post indicating how many comments have been left. Clicking this link takes you to a page that displays the post, any comments that have been added, and a form you can use to leave your own comment.</p> <p style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">After a comment has been made, it appears in the comments area, usually labeled with the comment writer's name, along with the date and time the message was left. Not every blog allows comments. Many popular bloggers find that they're overwhelmed by the sheer volume of responses they get and must turn off comments because they can't keep up with them. All bloggers should be so lucky to have that problem. For most bloggers, comments are an important way of developing a dialogue with readers.</p> <p class="Tip" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Keep comments turned on in your blog. They're an easy way to involve your audience in your topic and to get valuable feedback about what you're doing with your blog.</p> <p class="Warning" style="margin:0.75em 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-size:18px;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:24px;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Unfortunately, spammers are able to take advantage of comments as easily as they are of sending you unwanted e-mail. If you keep comments turned on, you'll get unwanted comments with commercial messages. Some comments may even be offensive, just as spam e-mail sometimes is. If you decide to allow comments on your blog, be sure to read them and delete inappropriate messages.</p>

Use Comments to Interact with Blog Readers

Comments are what make blogsdifferent from a Web site. The opportunity to interact and converse with the creator of a Web site and with ot...

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