Ask the Expert

Five Blogging Tips

As the blogging world grows, Quill asked long-time blogger and Quill's Director of Internet Sales, Dan Spellman of My Two Cents, to share tips and help others join the blogosphere.

Crank It Out.  Writing a blog is an easy way to start a conversation and share your ideas. You don’t have to be the next Great American Writer – you just need a point of view on a topic of interest. It could be about your community, your career or your mother-in-law’s cooking. Once you have identified something you feel passionate about, it’s easy to share it with others around you as well as others around the world.

Set It Up.  Once you’ve decided to start sharing your ideas, the first step is to choose a blogging platform. A couple popular sites to consider are Typepad.com, WordPress.com and Blogger.com. Each platform offers different formats and benefits. Take a look at other blogs to get an idea of different platforms and styles available, and then, decide which one is best for you.

Write It Down.  In order to “hit the ground running,” create a list of topics and do a little research to discover what other people saying. While the most enjoyable part of blogging is having the opportunity to share your ideas with others, don’t be afraid to select a few topics that require some research on your part. 

Make It Fun.  Set yourself up for success by making blogging enjoyable. Remember being told, “Smile when you speak on the phone – people can hear your enthusiasm?” The same goes for writing. If writing your blog becomes a chore, you won’t find it enjoyable, and your readers won’t either.

Promote It Now.   If you would like to make your blog entries searchable, set up tags to allow sites like Technorati.com and Google.com find your blog. Your blogging platform should help you with this. To share your blog with friends and family, post a link on your Facebook page or send a link to your email contacts. Also, you can find new readers by visiting similar blogs and posting comments.  As you post, add a link back to your blog.    

It’s not hard to get started. In as little as 5 minutes, you can create your own blog and begin sharing your ideas with the world.