Writing the successful blog

byadminlfe

56 followers

4 years ago

While reading some of the blogs I’ve seen on WA, I thought a lot about how reading them was like reading my own writing of several years ago. You have a lot you want to say. That's how I feel when I am writing too. In fact, even today, after several years of graduate school where my professors worked hard to get me to slow down, I still struggle when I'm writing because my mind moves so much faster than my fingers can on the keyboard. I actually think I spend a lot more time proof reading and making corrections on what I create than I do on the process of writing it.

BLOGGING IS NOT CREATIVE WRITING

Writing a commercial blog is not creative writing. The people who will want to read it are looking for lots of information, clearly presented, and easy to digest. While they don't want to read a dry, boring scientific paper with a lot of technical and scientific jargon, they do want expert information in a concise, digestible fashion. Using flowery language and artistic turns-of-phrase make the article more difficult to read and understand. If you try to engage your audience using these methods, there is a strong likelihood you will lose them and all the time you spent writing the blog you spent hours on will have been for nothing.

WRITING A SUCCESSFUL BLOG

My teachers pounded the following guidelines into me:

1. Use the K.I.S.S. philosophy when writing. K.I.S.S. stands for "Keep it Simple Stupid". Using short and simple sentence structure works far better for the people reading what you have written. Long, compound sentences that use big or unfamiliar words are daunting and frustrating to the average reader. Your goal with your blog is to provide information to the reader that will make them want to try out what you are presenting for sale in the service or product you attach to the blog. Boring them or overwhelming them--the two opposite poles of what can happen if your blog is not easily understood, will not help you meet that goal.

1. Plan ahead. Organize what you are going to say. In a public speaking class I once took, the

teacher said that effective speeches had three main phases. They were:

1. Tell them what you are going to say

1. Say it.

c. Tell them what you said.

I find the same pattern helpful in what I write. In the WA training program, Kyle teaches students to use a special Blogging Template he designed. The template forces the writer to plan what they are going to say in their blog and organize it into Headings and subheadings before theby egin to write. He teaches that once you have the format down, it is a lot easier to complete the task effectively for two reasons:

1. You have thought through the message you want to present and have organized it so that it will come through. All that is left is fleshing out the outline as you write., and

1. It helps control the desire to go off on a tangent that will detract from the message you want to present. However, it leaves room available to go into more detail on the subject included in the framework of your blog, if you determine while you are writing that more detail is necessary.

1. Make sure the information you are presenting is accurate. Research the facts and present them in your writing. Document the facts and cite the references. Because we are working to build the reputations of being experts in our niches, it is important to present high quality information and to have the ability to back what you say with facts and widely accepted standards. Relying on un-substantIated rhetoric and opinions will not demonstrate your expertise. People will see through you and will not engage the way you want them to engage with you.

GRAMMAR, SPELLING AND PUNCTUATION: KEY TO WRITING SUCCESSFULLY

Finally, the finished product you present is what your readers use to finally judge whether or not they want to spend the time reading what you have written. A blog that is attractive to look at, organized, and easy to read will get far more attention and engagement than one whose visual appeal is not as high. Bloggers I’ve talked with, as well as other professional writers, all emphasize the importance of proper grammar, accurate spelling, and the absence of typographical errors in your finished product as extremely important. These factors not only affect how readable the blog is, but also give the reader an impression of your level of professionalism and even your intelligence. Holding yourself to a high standard in these areas will help you present a blog that will be an asset to your business.

I learned this lesson the hard way. At age 19, I was extremely excited because I had landed a job as an administrative assistant to the CEO of a small Environmental Consulting firm in my town. The company was small, but my image holding that kind of job at such a young age was definitely on the climb. I entered the job with the same kind of excitement and drive I have exhibited all my adult life, with lofty goals of “setting the world on fire”.

Because the company was small, my job involved providing secretarial support to the administrative staff in addition to the administrative duties I had as the CEO’s assistant. Because of the kind of work we did, I was responsible for researching and preparing several complicated statistical analyses on a regular basis. These reports ranged from eight to fifty pages in length and consisted of spreadsheets of statistical information. Because they were scientific, accuracy was critical. This was in the days prior to the use of the personal computer, as well, and I used what was then considered state-of-the-art equipment, an IBM Selectric typewriter to prepare them. There was no electronic data collection and management available. Each report had to be completed from scratch each period and because the accuracy was so critical, the tiniest typographical error would require the re-typing of at least the page the error was found on. Because the data was tabular in nature and had to be presented in correct order, if the error affected how the report was paginated, the entire report had to be redone.

I had been a good student in high school and had the reputation for diligence and willingness to do a good job. However, I tended to be a little careless when strong attention to detail was called for. My job was very demanding, with many duties and responsibilities to be managed, and time was always an issue. Looking back now, I can see that the situation was ripe with potential problems, and the problems did occur.

The first time I made a typo in a report, I shrugged it off and retyped the page. However, the exacting nature of the data I was handling made it difficult to avoid making errors and over the next few months, I repeatedly found myself having to re-type many reports. I became frustrated with the situation because I did not see why the small errors were such a big deal in the grand scheme of themes. My boss was a stickler about accuracy across the board and after being required to re-prepare even general letters and other low priority documents because of typographical errors, minor grammar problems, and some small punctuation errors, I began making progress on the learning curve I was required to follow. With time and effort, I improved my weak areas and have enjoyed the benefits of process over my lifetime. I now see the value of maintaining a high level of professionalism in the work I present to the public. Nicely, given the technological advances that have occurred over the past 45 years, it is a lot easier to prepare these things professionally now. Information technology has alleviated the stress and boredom of doing it manually.

OTHER BENEFITS OF CURRENT TECHNOLOGY

Technology helps in another way too. Current software packages like Grammarly and spell-check and grammar-check programs in word processing applications like Microsoft Word help us make the corrections in grammar, spelling and punctuation we need to do—even if that is not something we are particularly good at. However, even this software has its limitations. It cannot pick up on some of the other errors I typically see when I am proofreading and correcting my own work prior to submitting it for publication. I find I occasionally drop a word needed in a sentence or may use the wrong version of a homonym without thinking. Because the word used is an actual word, the computer doesn’t always pick up on it. I guess what I’m saying is that we need to take the time to proofread and prepare our publications before putting them online, in order to maintain our professionalism. Before I submit an article, I always go back through it word-by-word to make sure it is the quality I want to attach my name and reputation to. Then, just to avoid a final error that raises its ugly head toward me on a regular basis, I read my piece out loud to the mirror or to someone else before I submit it for final publication. This gives me the chance to be sure it flows smoothly, that my sentences aren’t too long and unwieldy, and that my message is clear and understandable. At that point, I figure I am ready to share my thoughts with the public once again.

I hold no illusions that I am a “perfect” writer. I am sure there are errors in this piece. However, using the techniques talked about in this article, I am able to present useable content that is of a quality that it reaches out to people and they choose to engage.