Blogging Tips

When we think of blogging, most of us think of text and pictures. We talk in terms of reading and writing blog posts and articles. In addition, many of us upload pictures and photos to our blogs because we know it can add an element of interest, provide another hook to get visitors to read past the headline, and maybe even click a link embedded in the picture.

However, since the use of written text and pictures focuses on the visual learner, you could be missing out on attracting more visitors because you are ignoring other learning modes. I’m thinking specifically of auditory learners, those who prefer to gather information primarily through listening.

Although I’ve known about the theories behind various modes of learning for years, I didn’t really understand and appreciate the difference in learning styles between an audio and visual learner until I started listening to podcasts.

I found a couple of sites on topics I really wanted to learn more about whose primary mode of sharing information was through podcasting. At first I thought it was going to be wonderful. I was excited at the opportunity to be able to multi-task and listen to the podcasts while in the car, or doing menial tasks such as cleaning. I did enjoy listening, but I was also hugely disappointed in my ability to really absorb the information as well as I did when reading.

This mostly goes back to my personal learning style, which is heavily visual. I happen to learn and absorb information much better through the written word. For whatever reason (and there’s a whole lot of information out there on learning modes and learning styles), my brain is not geared to learn efficiently just by listening. I have to visually read the words.

This experience helped me realize what it probably feels like for those who are primarily auditory learners. Since I found myself wishing that my favorite podcast sites would offer transcriptions of their podcasts (and some of them are now doing that), it makes sense that there are auditory learners who would also appreciate being able to listen to blog posts in auditory format.

Therefore, depending on your blog’s intent, you may want to consider taking advantage of the audio format on your blog. If you have a few popular or high-demand posts, it might be a good idea to turn those into audio versions and offer those on your blog too. This could help you attract more visitors and you could also ask your audience to point you to blog entries that they would like to see in audio format.

Reading written text might be the preferred mode of learning for many, but don’t assume it’s true for everyone. Consider whether or not it makes sense to create a few audio versions of your posts and see, no wait, make that listen to what happens.

Oh and before you say it, I guess I should make an audio version of this post too, shouldn’t I?