Succesful Blogging 101

First of all, please excuse my lack of blogger-world of late. I was on a mini-vacation (way too much fun--I'll tell you all about it later) and then had a girls-day out with my sisters and aunt. So all in all, I've had a pretty busy week. Pretty busy in meaning pretty awesome busy. It's nice to be able to relax though...not that I would have ever traded any of it. Never, ever, ever.



Yup. That's right. You all know what I'm talking about. Those little blunders and "oopsies" that we wished that we'd known before starting blogging. I'm here to talk about what I wish I could have done, and what I've learned. (and believe me, I've learned a lot.)

1. Start with your own domain name. (seriously)

This is something that I regret not doing all. the. time. Just ask my mom. It's pretty cheap if you register with blogger, and if you want to switch to wordpress or something (perish the thought) it'd be a lot easier. A domain looks more professional. Period. There's something about seeing your own domain that will give you a swell of pride, kind of like finding the last few raspberries on a raspberry bush, after everyone else has gone. And I like the thought of untacking that blogspot from my site...

2. Don't ever, ever use text-speech or chat-speech.

I can't tell you how many blogs I've gone to and left after reading this:

so, i went to the mall today and it was soooo funn! yeahhh...I just had a tonnn of fun. LOL XD and then i picked out this top, and ashley was like "ohmigosh, it looks greaaat on you!" and i was likeee "oh my gosh, i know," haha! we had such a great dayyy. haha. LOL, ttyl peeps!

See what I mean? Not good. It not only has terrible grammar and text-kind-of-talk, but the subject is uninteresting, which leads me to number 3...

3. Make sure that what you write about is interesting--and if it's not--then make it interesting.

I can't stress this enough. So many times I've gone to blogs and have been bored. And I feel terrible! You have a story to tell--so tell it. Make me so enthralled that I can't leave. In a re-take of the above "blog post" (with proper grammar this time) there are two ways you could go. You tell me which sounds more interesting...

So, I went to the mall today and it was soooo fun! Yeah...I just had a ton of fun. LOL. I pickeed out this top, and Ashley was like, "Ohmigosh, it looks great on you!" So then I was like, "Oh my gosh, I know," haha! We had such a great day. Talk to you later, peeps

Well, today was ton of fun! I went to the mall with my friend Ashley, and we had a blast! We went to this one store and there was this adorable top--blue with these rhinestones at the neck, and then a swirly pattern on the front--and I tried it on and it was so cute! Ashley was like, "Ohmigosh, it looks great on you!" Which it did--not to brag or anything. Sadly though, the price tag didn't look great on me. LOL. But all in all, it was a great day! Haha, okay, talk to y'all later, peeps!

Neither are incredible, but I know that I'd rather read the one on the right. (however, if you had bought a top that had something to do with canon, adobe, or godiva, then I might be a little more intrigued.)

4. Include photographs or graphics or something eye-catching in your posts.

As much as I like reading, on blogs or websites, scrolling through long posts filled with nothing but text can get a little boring, and it can encourage me to stop reading. I'm serious. It gets a little monotonous. If you don't have any good pictures, then try including some cute graphics or even change the size or font or color of the text in some areas to add emphasis. Trust me. It'll make a difference.

5. Don't go overboard or underboard on the spacing. (yes, I just said underboard...)

Make sure that between each paragraph, you have a blank space. It makes it much easier to read. But, don't have too many spaces between paragraphs...otherwise it feels like you're scrolling down a vortex of neverending paragraphs that just keep going...

6. Have a good design. (otherwise known as, "DON'T EVER TOUCH THE TEMPLATE CREATOR")

Okay. I'm all in favor of little things to make the blogging life easier. However, the Template Creator seems to be the opposite of that. First of all, have you noticed that when you scroll, the scrolling is funny? (at least on firefox--my staple browser). And secondly, the look of the templates are somewhat generic, considering that tons of people are now using them. Don't fall prey to the coolness factor (I know, I was intrigued at first. Note the "at first" part.) There are so many alternatives out there, such as Shabby Blogs, or The Cutest Blog on the Block, or custom design sites, like mine, Vivid Design Studio. A lot of people work hard to create cute backgrounds or templates that you can get for free or at a reasonable price. Or, you can buy a custom design (which is then made completely for you!) These are all great alternatives to the template creator, which, let's face it, doesn't look at all classy or stylish.

7. Pick a theme for your blog and then stick with it.

What are you going to write about on your blog? If you only post book reviews, then don't surprise me with a post about how your dog ended up chewing the pages of your autographed copy of Twilight.

8. Make me feel.

Along with your posts being interesting, make me feel something. Make me laugh, cry, or smile so hard that my cheeks hurt. Don't be bland--go vivid. Tell the story so that I feel like its my own.

9. Spread the word! and give a response. Make a COMMUNITY.

Get a button made, set up a feedburner, and make sure to have your followers gadget visible. Get the word out about your blog--and let people know that you value you them. Set up guest posters, and try to guest post on other blogs. Comments are good all the way around, so try to return them--even if it's difficult. Give your blog an open feeling and let people know that they've entered into a friendly community of fellow bloggers.

10. Don't make your follower count white.

Self-explanatory. Not sure why I don't like it, I just don't. It takes away from the OPEN feeling a blog has.

11. Make lists.

Ha! Gotcha! But seriously, I love reading lists. Maybe that's me, or maybe it's just universal, but I love, love, love lists. I make them and read them. And if you make them funny, it's even better. If you've got a post full of lists, you'll probably get a good response.

12. Feel free to lighten up a little.

Sure, deep posts from the heart are good, and lets face it, we all have to write (AND read) them from time to time. But not make all of your posts like that. If you've got something on your heart, speak it. But maybe schedule it for later. And then write something humorous. Chances are, if you make someone laugh, they'll stay a bit longer.

13. Don't disappear! (at least not without warning)

If you're going on a trip, let us know so that we can account the leave as a vacation, and not that you've disappeared off the face of the planet. If you're going to take a break, tell us. You've got people out there who follow your blog--the least you can do is to give them a heads up.

14. Giveaways for the WIN.

If you've got a giveaway, make it good. Try to giveaway the best possible thing that you can, and maybe add several others. Make it big, make it viral, and make it fun. And most of all, make it easy to enter. I like being able to enter several different times, but 32 different options can become a bit daunting, and deter me from entering, even if you ARE giving away an ipad. (okay, I confess, if you were giving THAT away, I'd probably do all 32.)

So what tips or tricks do you have? What blunders have you committed? What was your biggest OOPS moment? And if anyone from Apple is reading this, then please know that I'll giveaway an ipad any day. Gladly.