Ten tips for aspiring bloggers

Ten things to keep in mind when starting out on the blog path.

1. Content is King. Blog about a variety of different topics within your specialist area in general terms so as not to be overly exclusive.
2. Write about your passions. What are your secret/not so guilty secret loves?
3. Adopt a conversational rather than formal style. Address people personally and speak directly to the reader as if you were talking to them in the pub.
4. Be an organised blogger. You can be as haphazard as you like behind the scenes but make sure people can find and understand the content you post.
5. Use concise headings and a snappy first paragraph to suck the reader in.
6. Make effective use of bullet points and ‘top ten’ lists.
7. Keep posts relatively short. Too many words intimidate people – split your posts up if necessary.
8. Linkify. Allow people to navigate the web via your posts and link to similar posts on other peoples’ blogs. Who knows – maybe they will reciprocate.
9. Use bookmarking widgets. Include ‘Add to favorites’, Technorati and Digg links encouraging people to spread the word about your blog.
10. Above all, work work work. Keep plugging away – make use of the seemingly infinite Internet outlets to promote your blog and it will happen, even if it takes a long time.