It's Friday the 13th. Ooooh, spooky. With all of the lore that follows such a superstitious day, (Friggatriskaidekaphobia means a great fear of Friday the 13th) there is little to fret about. If anyone knows their history about Friday the 13th, it has little to do with Jason and more to do with the Knights Templar (sorry Dan Brown). While you are holding your lucky rabbit's foot and making sure not to cross the path of an all-black cat, here are some blogging tips that any blogger should practice:
1. Be Open With Your Audience
Readers love a writer that is open with them. When you blog to any audience, there should be little to no boundaries when posting information. Be original with your audience but give credit where it is due!
2. Linking to old posts
If you have an audience that follows your writing, make sure to link to previous posts. If you write about Google and how they are slowly taking over the world, you can write a post that follows up with any of your old blogs to reinforce a prediction or make old information more current.
3. Plenty of Pictures
Your post will look pretty bland with a white background. Spice up your blog with plenty of pics that fit your post's needs.
4. Videos
Everybody loves to watch a video of "Call Me Maybe" but usually your video should have something to do with your post. Nothing limits your posts to what videos you decide to post but usually one good relevant video is good enough.
5. Be Social
Social media marketing is here to stay so take advantage of it. Connecting your posts to Twitter or Facebook will not only extend your reach but will make it easier to share your blogs.
6. A Good Title
Friggatriskaidekaphobia. Need I say more?
7. Talk to other bloggers
You are a blogger. You meet another blogger. Things happen. Bloggers are part of a community and we are all trying to get our voices heard (or seen if you want to get technical). Do your fellow bloggers a favor and share their material. Chances are you might get some of your posts shared out as well.
8. Educate yourself
Know what you are talking about. Research the news that you read and never settle on one source of information. If there is a common way of thinking that you support, by all means support it (and loudly!). If you want to challenge the norm, go ahead.
9. Stay Relevant
News is newsworthy because it is relevant. If you go on a rant about how unfair it was that Ross Perot didn't win the election, chances are you are not very current. Try to stay up to speed with whatis hot because your posts will find its way into other people's social media feeds much easier.
10. Put Yourself out there
Take a risk. If you think that an idea is too controversial, talk about it. Where would we be if some individuals were afraid to speak about the hard topics?
11. Be Serious Sometimes
It's cool to be fun but when it comes to the hard news to sell, a serious game face should be worn. No one will take the news of death or catastrophe from a clown.
12. Write About What you Love
I love comics. I love film. I love blogging. What do you love?
13. Don't Give Up
No matter how many times you post, you may never get a following. That doesn't mean you should stop blogging. I believe that blogging is the pathway to the digital soul. Sharing with the world what you think and feel and passing information to the guy next to you should not be a hobby but a way of life.
Jim Vacey is an editor and content specialist with an online marketing firm in Bohemia NY. Jim is a graduate from Dowling College with a BA in English and History and looks to pursue an MBA in Creative Writing. Jim is expecting his first child, Harley Quinn Vacey, this summer. Jim's blogs can be read at http://fishbat.com/blog/ and http://thisonecomeswithamanual.wordpress.com/.