Blogging Tips

Blogging has become a major part of our culture, and it’s also become big business. Corporate CEOs are being encouraged to increase transparency through company blogs, and the traditional print media sector has turned to blogging as a transitional phase towards building its presence online. In the midst of it all I think we began to forget about the true nature of blogging.

It’s not always about being a journalist with perfect sentence structure or optimal vocabulary usage. It’s not always about chasing someone down for the scoop on a breaking news story. It is, however, about the ability to give everyone a voice. Blogging has brought about the opportunity for anyone and everyone to establish themselves as an authority. It’s up to the rest of the world to determine how much of an authority any one blogger can become.

To that end, I’d like to encourage you to keep this “maverick” perspective when you sit down to write your blog. In short, I’m asking you to be authentic. Remember your voice, and don’t be afraid to use it. You have a valid opinion, and there’s nothing wrong with putting it out there.

Try not to get caught up in what other bloggers are saying about a given topic. You attract your audience because of your ability to put forth your opinions on these given topics. So don’t be a copy cat. Be inspired by your own organic content and stick to your core values.

This can really come in handy for bloggers. Start out by writing down your core values. What are some of the key components of your areas of interest, and how do you feel about them? Next, do your research. As much fun as it is to run off at the mouth, you’ll become a better and more widely-read blogger if you take the time to make sure you know what you’re talking about. This will give you confidence as well, and you won’t be as prone to taking ideas from others.

If you’re having a hard time thinking of an angle for a particular story, or if you’re having a hard time thinking of a topic, sit back and take a look at the core values you’ve already written down. Use these as points of inspiration for the article you’re working on. It’s a tactic that even major companies utilize for determining the best direction to take in growing their business. This is because core values help you remain focused on what you set out to do, and you’ll better recall the things that are important to you. MySpace is a great example of a company that drifted too far from its core competencies, and had to scale back in order to remain competitive in its space.

Trends and fads can become distractions, and the same goes for blogging. For instance, a topic that is gaining a lot of buzz may be a topic that’s full of hot air. Don’t write about it just because everyone else is. But if you feel that the topic is important to you, don’t be afraid to write about it just because everyone else is. Introduce your fresh perspective on the topic, or call everyone out for hyping up something you feel is rather meaningless. It’s your opinion. Share it with the world.