7.01.2010

Come Share Your Three Top Tips!

So here it is! From today (Thursday) to Sunday, Three Top Tips is on! Post a blog post with your three top tips, and link up so we all can benefit from your wisdom. :)
 Please feel free to use the button in your posts (and post it on your sidebar)!
I've got to say - at first it was really hard for me to come up with three tips, but then I started thinking about design, post content, blogging etiquette... and then I was overloaded with so many that I could hardly narrow it down! But I finally did. I went with more of tips on how you present yourself & your blog to others.  
Please don't feel that you have to do the same. There's so many aspects of blogging - and I hope to get as wide a variety of tips as I can! 

Tip #1: Think, plan and review. 
One of the biggest sources of frustration to a blogger and to his or her readers, is when the blogger gets a really good idea but then nothing (or very little) comes of it. Often this comes from the blogger just throwing the idea out there without thinking it through a bit first and coming up with the best way to approach it.
For example, when I first thought of this "Three Top Tips" idea, I almost mentioned it in this post. Then I thought about it a bit and realized that wasn't the best way to introduce it. I needed to write a separate post about it so you all would really be interested! 
Something else that goes along with this is proofreading. Make sure you read over your post a couple of times before you publish it! I know sometimes this feels like a waste of time, but it really makes you sound much more knowledgeable and mature. :)

Tip #2: {for photography blogs} Big photos are the best! 
If you didn't know, I have a photography blog called A Rose in God's Garden Photography. When I was setting it up I did a lot of research (because, if you couldn't tell, I really like to put my best foot forward). One of the things I found on all the photography blogs that I liked was that they had nice big photos in their posts. This really makes the blog stand out, because obviously people are there to see the photos! 
It's really quite simple how to put up big photos. You just have to make your post area wide enough to accomodate the size of the photos, then when you upload them make them "extra-large". They won't look right on the post creator, but when you preview them they should be just right.
I'm sure there's other ways to do this too, and I would love suggestions/tips if you all have them! After all, I'm still learning too. ;) 

Tip #3: Know your audience & what you want to do with your blog. 
This is probably the tip I learned through the most trial and error. When I was first starting out, I had absolutely no idea how to do a blog. I also didn't really define the reason why I was blogging - I suppose at that time it was just because it was a cool thing to do. :P I was writing quality stuff (like this post and this one), but no one commented on them and I was getting discouraged (and I probably only had about 10 followers in all). 
Then in January of this year, I decided that my blog needed a new focus. I decided to focus more on my readers (actually reply to their comments!), and invite more people to come along for the ride. I started networking with other bloggers, and training myself in all the different things that make a blog successful (like figuring out feedburner... etc). Now I'm almost at 100 followers (200 if you count my feed burner subscribers)!
So all that to say: if you haven't already, it really is a good idea to determine your audience and the goal of your blog. Is it just a place for you to jot down your thoughts? (Which means that followers/commenters aren't as important.) Or do you want to share your work with others? (Which means you want to network and get the word out.)

Alrighty, so there you have it. My three top tips.
What are yours?


10 vivid thoughts:

Sierra said... {Reply}

Those are some good tips! Here are what I came up with -

1. Spell check is your best friend! That should be fairly obvious, but I've been surprised by the number of misspellings that I've come across. It's not a huge deal, but it can just get annoying for the reader and it can make them think you're just being lazy. I don't want to sound negative about it, but it's just an easy thing to do to help your readers along. =)

2. If you include photos, try and make sure they're decent and not too dark or overexposed. We like to see what you're trying to show us.

3. Obviously, try to stay age appropriate. That shouldn't be an issue, but it's worth mentioning. Along those same lines, try to keep posts on topic. I'm not saying that readers don't care about every little detail of your life, but there are some things that don't need to be announced to the world. Just saying.

Sorry if those are too general, I was having trouble coming up with things to share! x) This is a neat idea though Melody, thanks for doing this! I can't wait to read what tips other people have.

Anonymous said... {Reply}

I'll probably do this Saturday. :) YAY! you didn't steal my tips. :)

~Awel P.

hannah m said... {Reply}

Really great tips, Melody! I'm working on mine right now...I'll probaly link up tomorrow!

Blessings,
Hannah
hannahshangout2.blogspot.com

Mary said... {Reply}

Lovely tips, Melody! I wrote mine out! And thanks for that sweet comment on my blog; it really made my day! :)
P.S. I know I entered wrong, it was just second nature and then I saw what I had done!

Melody said... {Reply}

Thanks gals!

Sierra: those were great tips! I don't think they were too general. ;)

~Melody

Anonymous said... {Reply}

This is great; I am sure it will help me improve my blogging technique. The first blog I started had a clear focus, my American Girl doll hobby, but I have just recently started my own personal blog. After all this time of being careful to keep things doll related I'm suddenly sharing my thoughts with people I barely know. It's hard, and sometimes I feel like I am going to fail, but it takes time. Fingers crossed, this series will help me build a better blog. I agree with some of the other stuff; I am drawn to pretty layouts and I like a blog to have a focus and when the author involves themselves in the virtual world outside of their own blogging space. Now, I suppose I just need to apply that to my own blog.
That was random :)
~Libby
looking-for-stars.blogspot.com

Anonymous said... {Reply}

Lovely tips, Melody! I really agree that big photos look better :) (By the way, I love your photo blog...I love roses) As I was reading through the archives, I did enjoy reading "Have you oiled or watered your creativity recently?" It was an inspiring post :)

Annie

Mary said... {Reply}

*blushes* Thanks for fixing me! =D

Unknown said... {Reply}

Sorry you had to leave the friendship afghans project, Melody! But I understand you have to get ready for college and wish you the very best as you prepare to continue your education. :-) I'm planning on doing the Three Top Tips tomorrow! ♥ Hope you have a blessed day!

P.S. Perhaps you can mention on your blog that I need a replacement participant as it would be difficult to continue the friendship afghans project with only 5 participants.

Grace said... {Reply}

Thanks so much for doing this, Melody! You have some great tips! I've recently started a blog and these help quite a bit! :) Thanks again!

Lots of love,
Sophie

 

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