Stephanie's Blog

I've been asked by people in the community about how to begin writing a blog. I'll post some basics, though practice is really essential and you'll see why.  You can start one on Activerain, Wordpress, Blogger, among others. Do a google search and see where you'd like to get started. You can also start by responding to blogs that you read. Creating your own blog is not for everyone.

Developing a voice

This takes a bit of time. Read other blogs about interesting topics whether it be about knitting or about Legos, about Real Estate or about Mortgages. Everyone's first blogs are written just for that purpose, to get that first blog out. There is some anxiety about what to write, how to write it, what will people think, who will read it, etc. Once you get a few out, check your statistics and read / respond to your comments. You'll see what attracts people and you really need to know ahead of time who aim to attract through your writing.

Adhering to the social media culture

Don't sell yourself. What? That's right, that style is meant for the old PR and Marketing rules. This is a culture of transparency, passion, emotion, personal or professional opinion backed by an openness to hear other's thoughts and opinions, acceptance, knowledge sharing (don't hold great ideas to yourself, you could be helping others by sharing those ideas), helping others, vulnerability (ask questions you don't know and let others help you, people on here are driven to help others and this give/take will help you build relationships), visit regularly.

What to write

Think about your work, what questions do you often get and what answers do you often find yourself repeating? Using those in a blog (one per topic or question) would help you increase your traffic because, chances are, several other people have those questions and are looking for those answers online. Using keywords for searchability in the following places will help drive readership: in the title, in the first few lines. If you add links, don't just add them as "click here", instead use keyword phrases that will help your post be found in the search engines.

Length of blog matters

This blog here is a bit longer than recommended. Can you answer a question, share a story, or communicate what you need to communicate in 3 paragraphs? Use highlighted topics and create an appealing page to read that's easy to scan.

Pictures and style

Add your own pictures or use some from Flickr.com (but be sure you follow the rules, some photos can be used for free but only if you acknowledge the person who took it, others have stricter guidelines...).

Come from the heart

I sometimes get so moved by something during the day that I feel the need to share. Write about that. I sometimes get asked such a great questions (how to write a blog) that I feel the need to respond so that everyone can benefit. If you're an artist, write about the feelings you had or the story behind a piece of art. Be passionate so people can relate to you. Tap into other people's passions and emotions.

Good luck!

www.stephaniejacques.com