When women first started blogging it was usually about their personal experiences with motherhood, caregiving, relationships, cooking, organizing, fashion, etc. They were sharing their way of coping with their lives in the hope that they could help someone else. "I know how you feel...I've been there myself" could have been the Mission Statement for their blogs. The blogs were interesting and helpful then something changed. Some bloggers realized that they could get more traffic by writing about controversial subjects or acting as if they were being attacked by readers. Listed below are my tips for bloggers:
1. NEVER use profanity. It shows a lack of class and education. It's also vulgar and meaningless. Profanity turns off a lot of readers and they won't return to your blog if they know that every paragraph is going to be filled with it.
2. Don't post a lot of photos of yourself. If it's a fashion blog then two or three completely different photos will convey what you are blogging about. People tire very easily when a blog is filled with "Selfies" so limit those to one.
3. If you are promoting your business you can't depend on the internet to be your only source of advertising. Word of mouth is a clear indication of your success in the real world. If you blog constantly but no one is contacting you for your services then maybe you are in the wrong business and need to go back to the real world.
4. Remember that photos stay on the internet FOREVER! Posting nude or partially nude photos on your blog means that you lose all control of your "intellectual property." Maybe you have a hot "smokin'" body now but it won't stay that way as you age. Someday you may want to run for public office or someone goes after you for some reason. Do you want nearly nude or totally nude photos available for anyone to download and use against you?
5. Never pass yourself off as something you're not. I know a blogger who claims to have had a very rough life, including being homeless. She has never written about her experiences using dates so she makes it appear that she was homeless not long ago but suddenly she is a big success and shows off her new home. Truth be told, her homelessness was the result of a divorce a long time ago and she had to move out because their house was sold. Tell the truth bloggers...your readers aren't stupid!
6. There are bloggers who get their readers "riled up" in order to improve their stats and traffic. Anyone who has blogged for a period of time knows what their readers get upset over. To create fictional stories about something that upsets people is just plain wrong. If you do it too often then your readers will get wise and stop reading your blog.
7. If you are lucky enough to have a lot of people following you then do them a favor and write about things that many of them can relate to. Find interesting articles written by experts to share on your blog and be sure to give the authors credit.
8. Use your blog to help a movement gain momentum. Choose something that is close to your heart. You can help charities raise money by posting about their work. Include a link to their website and social media sites.
9. Never criticize anyone or a company on your blog. It will be on the internet forever and could get you in trouble if they decide to sue you.
10. Have fun with your blog. When your content is upbeat and exciting it makes your readers happy that they took time out of their busy day to read your post. Posts don't need to be long. Keep them short and to the point. The better readers feel the more likely they are to share your blog with their friends.
