5 Tips for Beginning Bloggers

Looking through some blogs that I normally follow (and some I don't) I have seen quite a few post by people offering tips to beginning bloggers.  One I found via Free Tech 4 Teachers.  Another I found via my Twitter account through Liz Davis and her blog.  Since I am rather new to the idea of blogging I thought I would share some of the ideas that I felt have helped me.  Most importantly though, once you have that one post everyone reads, more and more people will follow your blog.  Thinking creatively is very important.  Hope these help.

1.) Daily Post Focus - Have something you know you will want to post each day.  Create a catchy title.  These will most likely make people want to come back to your blog to see what your daily post is for that day.  It gives you and your readers a purpose for your blog.  Here are my daily focus topics.

2.) Tracking and Statistics -  It is great to know who is visiting your site and from where.  Feedjit is a great example.  It helped me realize I needed to have Google Translate as an option on my blog because I realized I had people visiting from all over the world.  It also helps you know what site brought people to your blog, as well as what sites people are leaving your blog too.

3.) Share and Quote - Share other bloggers that you follow through a Blogroll.  Depending on the blog service you are using will determine how you can create a Blogroll.  If you are sharing information from another blogger be sure to link to their page and/or quote their original information.  Never claim what is not your own.  It will be hard to make friends in the blogging world.

4.) Exposure - Get your name and blog out there.  Join Twitter.  If you are not on Twitter, here is why you should join.  If you join Twitter, or are already on Twitter, Follow me.  Post your blog on the Moving Forward Wiki and other Educational Wiki's.  Claim your Blog on Technorati.  Create Social Bookmarking accounts so that you can save links from your blog and create a network with other people.  Join some Ning's and communicate and share with others who would be interested in reading your blog...that is what first got my blog some exposure.  Share any network you belong to on your blog as well so that others can connect with you.  Include an RSS reader as well so that people can subscribe to your blog.  Feedburner is what I use and recommend. 

5.) Tagging and Searching - Make sure that the tags for your blog post are relative and meaningful.  Make sure that you include broad tags and specific tags so that it broadens their relevancy.  Include a Search toolbar within your blog so that readers can easily find material within your blog that they might be looking for.  Make your blog searchable by adding it to Google.

Do you have a blog?  Share your blog with me.  I am always looking for new blogs to follow and search through. 

Have you enjoyed your visit to my blog?  Let me know.

Hope that you find this information useful.  Please share and spread the word!