blogging

'What's a blog?' I asked. The year was 2001, and I was curious about this strange word that was suddenly appearing everywhere. Weblog? Keeping a diary right out in public where everybody can see it? What kind of idiot would do that?

The more I thought about it, though, the more I could see some possibilities in this idea. So, I looked around for somebody that would let me keep a blog for free and found Blogger, at the time one of only a handful of blog hosting sites. Setup was straightforward, and, voila!, Noise in the Attic was a reality.

What was I going to use it for? At first, I wasn't really sure. Rants, maybe. I'm good at getting mad about things I don't agree with. That's pretty negative, though. Hmmm. This was about the same time I was getting serious about my writing, so I decided to talk aome about that. That's when I started to discover just how useful this blog could be to me. Here are some of the things I have found that bloggers should keep in mind.

Communication

Commenting on other blogs and allowing your readers to comment on your posts is a great way to meet new people and make new friends. Blogs make great communication tools because you can carry on conversations with multiple people with everyone having time to think and make a reasoned response. I find this much more conducive to substantive conversation that chat, IM, or e-mail, though those applications are good for casual talk and just visiting.

Comments on my blog often contain tidbits of information I did not know and alternative viewpoints on a particular topic for me to consider. Those knowledge- and mind-expanding comments have served as my continuing education in life over the last five years, and I value every one of them.

Exposure

Keeping a blog is a good way to get exposure, though maybe not the kind implied in the title of this article. Listing your blog on the blog search engines and sites under the categories you choose to blog about lets others of like mind find you and possibly become regular readers.

By linking to other blogs that you like (BlogRolling is a service that makes a link list easy to maintain) and encouraging others to link to you, you get even more exposure. Search 'bots crawl links, and your blog gains stature on the results lists with more links to it.

Finally, by posting coherent, well-thought-out articles on topics of interest to your readers, you will draw responses, and possibly trackback links, on their blogs, which gets your ideas out to another readership.

What your readers expect

If keep a blog, you should know what your readers expect of you. Meeting their expectations expands your readership and adds value to your blog for your visitors. Disappointing your readers is a good way to lose them. Once a reader goes away, the chance of them returning is very small.

First and foremost, readers expect honesty on the blogger's part. Most blog readers are intelligent and discerning people who can smell a shuck-and-jive act a mile away. It only takes one to run off a good portion of your audience and earn you a reputation as a huckster.

Second, your readers demand, and you owe them, regular updates. If not daily, at least four times a week. The more the better, though I have found that one larger daily post is better than multiple small ones throughout the day. There are certainly exceptions to this principle, of course. If you are writing about an ongoing project, then multiple updates keep your readers up-to-the-minute and offer an interesting insight into your work habits and thought processes. In blogging, as in life, regularity is much to be desired.

Practice, practice, practice

'How do you get to Carnegie Hall?' 'Practice, practice, practice.'

The old joke is true in pretty much any field you can think of. In my case, the practice of writing on my blog has given me much-needed confidence in my writing ability, while also sharpening my ability to think 'on my feet', as it were.

Playing with words while constructing coherent sentences and posts on the fly is an excellent way to exercise your mind and learn to use your words to best effect. When you are practicing your writing, no words are wasted. Each one is another grain of sand that eventually builds your own private beach.

Where can it lead?

Is there a payoff to blogging in the Real World? Certainly the potential is there. By putting yourself out in front of the world, you are showcasing your talents to those who may be interested. Though I, personally, have had no offers come in over the transom (yet), other bloggers have drawn book contracts and syndicated writing jobs. I think of it in much the same way I think of buying lottery tickets: if you don't play, you can't win.

Nekkid* in public

The biggest thing a blogger or potential blogger must always keep in mind is that the whole world can see who you are and what you are saying. You can choose to be open and honest about some of your personal life and problems, as I do, or you can keep your posts on a strictly professional level, which will not appeal to as many people.

Whatever you choose to do, your blog can be a vehicle for self-expression unique to the Internet. Just like getting naked in public, your blog can free you of your inhibitions and bring you a lot of attention. You should always remember, though, that your warts and nail fungus are showing, too.

*According to Jeff Foxworthy, 'naked' means you have no clothes on, 'nekkid' means you have no clothes on and are up to something.

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