Blog can be a lot of blah, blah, blah!
Blog basics – Have website; must have blog! It’s true. That’s one of the most frequently offered pieces of advice for folks who have websites. But what IS a blog and what should you expect from it? Word to the wise – when it comes to blogging, everyone is a writer!
So if you’re in the market for a blogger for your own site, use caution. There’s a lot of blogging going on out there, and it isn’t all great.
At its best, it’s a smart, cohesive, brief, interesting blip that somehow links to the site it’s tied to. At its worst, it’s an incoherent stringing together of random thoughts and ideas that may – or may not – even be punctuated properly!
Many blogs aren’t actually written by professional writers. Like a lot of other writing services, blogging is perceived as pretty easy to do (and for a writer, it can be), and many companies simply don’t want to pay. So – if they’re offering $10 for a 500-word post, they’ll get what they pay for! Other times, business owners, or other employees, are simply asked to do the blog as part of their work assignment.
But good blogs are wonderful PR. Even well-written, professional blogs are relatively inexpensive, and they can ensure that you stay foremost in your reader’s mind without blatantly advertising. You get the chance to develop a relationship with each reader so that they look forward to receiving your next installment.
I enjoy blogs that are conversational, sassy, witty, and irreverent. I love to be entertained while being informed. And that’s what I strive for in the blogs I write for my clients. For example, I feel my readership is an extended family at http://www.directfromvenice.com/category/blog, where I blog for my client, Tom . A really large, Italian family who enjoys pasta – and decries Jersey Shore – as much as I do!
For some really fun blogging (I don’t write for them), complete with links and photos (key blogging tools), check out http://fashionista.com/. Now, the content isn’t for everyone. But it’s obviously a talented group of folks having some fun. My kind of party!
